Double Trouble

13. The Fun Begins

"Shiro..." the man said as he examined with his eyes the home with a large hole in it, the unconscious children and Shinigami woman. "What did you do?" The worst scenario coming to his mind.

"Had no choice..." Shiro stated with a shrug of his shoulders as he hefted the large weapon over his shoulders, a grin spreading across his face as he did so. "A monster tried ta kill Ichi and my sisters. I had ta do somethin'." He scratched the side of his head. "The woman wasn't any help. The bitch got clipped by the creature."

"Clipped?" The man asked before quickly rushing over to her side and began to examine her as Shiro calmly did the same thing.

"She gonna be alright?" he asked, his golden eyes seeming to pierce through the other man.

"Perhaps." The man said as his hand glowed green and began to heal her wounds on her back. He looked over towards the teen's body that laid next to his unconscious siblings. "Let's get you back into your body though." He raised his hand up and pushed the teen back towards his body with his cane.

"Pushy, pushy..." Shiro muttered as he willingly went into his body.

"To be able to leave your body without any help..." Urahara muttered under his breath.

"I'm stronger than ya feared," Shiro finished for him causing the former captain to look at him with wide eyes. "am I right?" His question made the other man look at him with worry. "I remember what Pops made ya do ta me. He was scared, I understand that; but yer lookin' at me like I've grown another head."

Urahara removed his striped bucket hat. "I'm sorry Shiro." He apologized. "You are an unknown element."

"Because I used ta be a Hollow?" he asked, surprising the other man once more. "I know more than anyone thinks I know." He looked away from the other man. "I'm not a monster anymore though."

"That is true." Urahara agreed as he picked up the fallen Shinigami woman and threw her over his shoulder. "Take your siblings home. Tomorrow I want you to come by my shop."

"Don't know about that..." Shiro stated as he picked up little Yuzu easily. He knew he'd have to come back for Ichigo though. "Ichi and I have stuff ta do."

"Like starting fights." Urahara inquired causing the white haired teen to tense up.

"Yer a sly one, ain't ya?" he asked only to see the other man had already left. "Tch." He looked down at Ichigo. "Guess we'll have ta be on our toes around him; right Ichi?" He grinned down at his unconscious twin.

~~

Ichigo awoke the next morning with a killer headache. Throwing his legs over the side of his bed, Ichigo slowly gained his equilibrium before standing up. He remembered everything that had happened the night before. The monster attacking his family because of his ability to see spirits. Shiro had been there. He remembered seeing his twin's body fall to the side before seeing him in an outfit similar to that woman's, only white. Then he remembered nothing at all.

Shiro knocked me out, but not completely. He thought as he stood from his bed and began dressing himself in his school uniform. He knows how to knock me out, he's done it before. So why did he... The answer came to him a moment later. He wanted me to know even if I wasn't fully aware, right? Ichigo wasn't stupid, like a lot of people thought he was. He was actually close to the top of the class this year; he just dumbs down his answers to keep his teachers and classmates from knowing the truth.

Walking out into the hall, Ichigo heard the shower going. He also knew it was Shiro. Giving the door a knock, he heard his brother answer. "Yeah?"

"Is it safe?" Ichigo asked with a smirk on his lips. One thing about Shio was he wasn't shy to bare it all to the world, even if Ichigo was.

There was a laugh. "Sure, just finishing up." He answered, his voice sounding as if there was a tease somewhere in his answer.

Ichigo carefully opened the door and began his morning routine of brushing his teeth and hair before washing his face. When he wiped his face with the towel he saw Shiro in the fogged up mirror. The other boy had a towel around his waist. "What?" he asked his twin who was smirking at him.

"I'm thinkin' ya should grow yer hair out a bit." He said reaching up and playing with his brother's short cropped spiked orange hair.

Ichigo looked at his brother's eyes through the mirror. How was he to broach the subject of what happened the night before when Shiro was acting so nonchalantly? Spitting toothpaste out of his mouth and rinsing it, Ichigo turned just as Shiro finished putting his pants on. Placing a hand against Shiro's chest he pushed him against the wall.

"Ichi-" Shiro began only to stop at the look of indecision upon his brother's face.

"Last night," Ichigo began. "What the hell was all that?"

"So, ya do remember." Shiro stated as a smirk crossed his face. Pushing Ichigo's hand from his bare chest, Shiro grasped his school shirt. "Shit is what happened." He said, the shirt over his head before taking his hand and pushing his hair back. "I was hoping ta talk ta ya before that all happened, but shit..." He looked away towards the bathroom door as he heard laughter coming from downstairs. "Yuzu was in trouble and that bitch said it was yer fault; but it wasn't! It was mine too." He looked back at Ichigo who was looking at him like he didn't know his own brother. "There's a lot ta talk about, okay?" Ichigo gave him a nod. "Just know I wasn't keeping this stuff a secret because I wanted to, but because I had to."

Had to? Ichigo wondered with furrowed eyebrows. "Ichi! Shiro! Breakfast is ready!" Yuzu's voice came up the stairs just as the brothers began their descent.

"Yeah, yeah. Quit yer hollerin'." Shiro said as he and Ichigo came down the steps.

As the boys came to the bottom step, they were suddenly grabbed at. Shiro was tossed one way as Ichigo was suddenly put into a choke hold. Shiro slid across the floor with his socks before running full speed at their attacker, their father. Isshin was about to sidestep Shiro's rush when the white haired boy jumped, hooked a leg around his neck and took Isshin down who subsequently released Ichigo who kicked their old man in the side.

"Dumbass, why do you attack us every morning?!" Ichigo yelled at his father before turning away, now annoyed.

Shiro cackled at finally knocking the old man on his ass. "Ya weren't ready fer that one, were ya goatface?!" he yelled with glee before getting back to his feet.

"Father!" Yuzu yelled at him as she began to chastise him for attacking her brothers first thing in the morning.

Isshin had the decency to look ashamed as he was verbally attacked by his youngest child. "Ah, Yuzu..." He cried.

Ichigo handed Shiro some toast from the plate on the table before the two made a quick exit. Yuzu's voice could be heard as they left the Kurosaki household. "We'll talk about last night later." Ichigo told him as he spotted their friends up ahead of them.

"Of course." Shiro assured him. Neither boy realizing that soon both of their lives were about to change forever as at that same moment, Rukia Kuchiki made her way to their school. A look of determination was upon her face as she was going to learn how those two boys had the power they did, one way or another.