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| - Fourteen years on from the final bout with Averian and all Kusaka could think about was how he missed the action. Here he was reduced to a spiritually aware Human with barely any reiryoku to rub together, while his fourteen-year-old son, Hawke, steadily began to surpass him. The little bore had already achieved Bankai in a length of time that put both he and Kenji to shame, and he was only getting stronger. Sure he was proud of his son but also a little envious. Maybe he was even a little jealous. No matter what he tried his powers just weren’t coming back. Kenji could research and experiment until he was blue in the face but it wouldn’t matter much in the long-run. ‘The pickup won’t fix itself you know,’ Kireina reminded him from the doorway. She was beautiful. Long auburn hair fell about her delicate shoulders, and those green eyes had a sparkle of amusement in them. She wore a pair of jeans and a tank top that left her taught stomach open to the world. She was his support, and also his curse. Whenever a Hollow appeared she’d bound off to handle it, leaving him to eat her dust. It didn’t half bring back old memories of the days when he’d have killed that Hollow before it even knew he was there. ‘I guess not,’ he replied. The car was an old busted pickup truck that the owner wrote off more times than sense should’ve allowed. This time he had ploughed her straight into a tree, and he had been given the mammoth task of repairing the bloody thing. The front bonnet was caved in completely; the engine would need taking apart and a full reassembly, and the suspension was completely written off. He’d be at it for weeks. ‘Dave, give me a hand here,’ Dave was a Quincy transfer student from Northern Ireland with innate potential even Kusaka couldn’t miss. The kid was only thirteen years old and was short of height and quite lean, and had eye-catching violet hair and green eyes that reminded Kusaka somewhat of Kireina. His parents hadn’t been around much so he came out here to Switzerland to live with his aunt and uncle, who where killed by Hollows three months ago. Dave had been staying with them since he was ten and had always been good friends with Hawke. In fact he spent more time here helping in the garage or hanging out with Hawke than he ever did with his aunt and uncle. When they died he was going to be shipped back to life with his parents, who remarked that they couldn’t afford to keep themselves, let alone a little brat. So Kusaka had talked it over with Kireina and Hawke and a decision was soon reached: Dave was adopted into the Kori family and he now lived with them. When he wasn’t studying he was working in the garage with Kusaka, or hunting Hollow with Hawke. ‘Sure,’ they lifted the damaged bonnet clean and set it down carefully so Kusaka could get a better look at the busted engine. The thing was so damaged that he didn’t even recognize what type it was, let alone what needed to be done to fix it. ‘That doesn’t look so good, pops,’ Dave remarked with a grimace. ‘That, Dave, is an utter write off. Where’s my phone?’ Dave pointed to the cluttered tabletop to the right near the garage doors. ‘If Paul thinks I’m fixing that he’s got more loose brain matter than I thought. Speaking of brain matter, shouldn’t you be studying?’ Dave’s face dropped instantly. ‘Off you go. There isn’t much more we can do with this until Jim gets back anyway.’ When Dave was clear Kireina smiled at her husband. ‘That boy thinks the world of you,’ He couldn’t help grinning himself. ‘Yeah, well, I’m a likable guy.’ Using the phone as an excuse he turned away so Kireina wouldn’t see him misty-eyed. ‘Hello there, Paul, you great bloody tit. I’m a mechanic, not a miracle worker.’ He chirped in his ear about the damage being minor. ‘Minor!?’ Kusaka roared! ‘I’ve seen grenades cause less damage! The pickup, at worst, needs a new engine and body. You caved in the front of it, for Pete’s sake! Before I saw the thing this morning, you told me the damage was minor. What I’m looking at isn’t minor!’ ‘Hey there, pops,’ Hawke said stepping into the garage. ‘Did he blow another gasket?’ Kireina nodded. ‘Going by this piece of junk, I’m not surprised. Is Dave around?’ Hawke was a tall and muscular young man even though he was only fourteen. He had his father’s black hair and physical build, but all similarities ended there. He had the same yellow eyes as his uncles Meian and Rosuto, and a similar silver tint to his hair that his uncle Kenji had. He also acted like their mother. ‘He’s upstairs studying, so you can join him.’ Kireina smiled at her son’s sudden sadness and patted him on the shoulder as he passed. ‘Stick your fucking pickup!’ Kusaka shouted. He hung up and kicked the pickup, which made the bumper fall off. ‘Lovely. I need a drink.’ Hawke found Dave bent over his desk in the room they shared with his face buried in a book. He hated studying with a royal passion. Books made him sleepy and long boring lectures made him space out. If he didn’t do that he spent his time texting Hawke one class over. ‘I find it helps if you ask and answer questions.’ Hawke plucked the book from his brother’s hand and looked at the script. ‘So… you’re doing the Rise of the Nazi’s and World War two history, eh? Right, I did that last year too, so I can give you a hand.’ For two full hours the two passed questions and answers back-and-forth like some cheap TV quiz show. ‘See? You do know this.’ Hawke told him. ‘Cheers,’ Dave got to his feet and stretched out his arms and shoulders. ‘You wanna see what’s goin’ on in town?’ ‘There’s supposed to be some fireworks tonight. C’mon, we might see May.’ Dave blushed beat red and Hawke couldn’t resists giving him a playful shove out the door. ‘Oh, come on; don’t tell me you aren’t looking forward to it? If I had May hugging me the way she hugs you, I know I would be.’ Dave grinned wide and cleared the steps down into the hall in two jumps. ‘We’re heading out!’ He called to the kitchen. ‘If I hear that two young girls who will remain nameless are pregnant in three months time, I’ll personally emasculate both of you.’ Kusaka called back. Hawke gulped nervously. How did his dad know he was meeting up with Alice? Dave looked wide-eyed and surprised and Hawke couldn’t really blame him. Neither had said anything about Alice or May for their parents to now! ‘Kids these days,’ Kusaka complained as they left the house. ‘They think I didn’t do the same when I was their age.’ Of course he whispered that. Best Kireina didn’t know about his past exploits. She might decide to murder him for them. Night had fallen and neither Alice nor May was at the fireworks display. Hawke got a message saying that she’d been grounded for arguing with her parents, while May was showing her grandparents who were up to visit around the neighbourhood. Dave and Hawke stood overlooking a small river as the fireworks exploded in a range of different colours high above. ‘This sucks,’ Hawke finally said. ‘Yup,’ Dave agreed. The young Quincy had been hoping for very different company to watch the display with. Sure, he and Hawke got along like brothers, but nothing could beat a girl on your arm at a fireworks display. ‘You want a drink?’ Hawke asked. ‘Yeah, thanks,’ Hawke walked away with a grin on his face. Unbeknownst to Dave he did so because a young girl with short cut blond hair and big blue eyes was walking towards them. She tapped Dave on the shoulder, and he nearly leapt out of his skin! ‘May, I thought you where-’ She hugged him tightly. ‘They got tired, so I took them home. They are quite old now, you know.’ ‘Where have you been all week?’ She hadn’t been at school since the week before, so he’d gotten a little worried. ‘You didn’t answer any texts either.’ May was probably the only girl he wasn't awkward around. ‘I was sick,’ she sat down beside him and watched the fireworks with a nice smile. ‘So how are you adjusting to life with the Kori’s? I hear Hawke’s dad’s a little strange.’ He was only strange by human standards. Had May known about the spiritual world that existed around her then she’d sing a very different tune. A lot of Kusaka’s odd quirks would be seen as sensible to her then. But then there were times when he was just strange; such as when Uncle Kenji visited for example. The two drank themselves into oblivion most of the time and then spent the night taking about past battles and exploits, how they missed each other, with a lot of hugging and “I love you” thrown in for by. ‘I love it, and them.’ Dave replied. ‘You know what my real parents where like. Kusaka and Kireina have been nothing but good to me, and Hawke treats me like his birth brother.’ He took a moment to think about his new family. ‘They’re lax about some things, but strict about others. I’m allowed to go wherever I want as long as I take my mobile with me, but I’m not allowed to drive yet, for example.’ ‘I’m happy for you,’ ‘Thanks,’ Hawke stood at a distance and watched the display. He turned when he felt his father approaching. ‘Hey there,’ he greeted. ‘Hey,’ Kusaka stopped to lean against the railing. ‘I need to get to Horiwari tomorrow. Kenji has some things he wants to share.’ ‘That’s not like him,’ Hawke joked. ‘I’ll drop you off after breakfast. You have any trouble with assassins?’ Ever since Averian’s death at his father’s hands the number of assassins seeking the weakened Kusaka Kenpachi had grown beyond counting. They all wished to avenge their fallen master. Hawke reckoned they simply wanted to lick Averian’s boot again. ‘There was one yesterday, while you and Dave where at school. I sent him packing myself.’ It was good to see his father smile at that. ‘But anyways, I’ve said my piece. Don’t you two stay out too late, you hear? You know how your mother gets.’ With that Kusaka left his sons to enjoy the night… Next Story > The Quickening.
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