Day 19: Ghosts of Yesterday

This article, , is the seventh chapter of the Investigating Grat arc, which is part of Bleach: Cataclysm. Garrett Sheppard remains the primary POV character with Tiffany Henderson and Kenji Hiroshi as the secondary. This chapter serves to introduce Garrett's father, Aaron Sheppard, into the story.

... The night before...

"Did you talk to Garrett?"

May's voice sounded strange to Tiffany's ear whilst on the phone. Her cheerful and energetic personality made one think that they where talking to a child, even though she was one of the most mature people Tiffany knew either inside or outside school.

"Yeah, he told me everything. I feel so sorry for him."

"His uncle, Paul, took the three in after the incident, but Garrett's been working odd-jobs to help-out since he was eleven." May revealed.

"That explains why he's so busy then." Tiffany answered. "May? I want to thank you for telling me all this. Garrett's... well... Thanks."

"He means a lot to you, I know. I'll talk to you tomorrow though."

As May hung up Tiffany looked over at the full-size mirror in the corner of her bedroom. Her reflection, dressed in a long pink-coloured housecoat, stared back with a smile. It was strange. She hadn't even known Garrett three full weeks and they'd developed this deep of a bond. It was a little frightening to be honest.

Her phone vibrating in her hands caught her attention. The text was from Garrett:

"I got word on the Beatdown. They're holding an event on Saturday."

... The next morning...

Lloyd watched from the sidelines as Garrett and Randy exchanged blows in their mock arena. They where all old friends of Hawke and David Kori and knew about the training ground beneath Kori Auto's where Kenji and Kusaka often trained. Kenji himself was in attendance today and had seemingly taken it upon himself to oversee matters as an instructor, and had even formed a lightning clone to assist.

The three had been there when Lloyd first arrived and he was now looking around in confusion. He saw Tiffany sitting on the ground observing and approached her. She wore a pair of frayed jeans with a hole in the right-knee and a plain black-coloured short-sleeved shirt, and Lloyd took a moment to admire her athletic figure. He cleared his throat.

"How long have they been here?" Lloyd asked.

"Garrett's been here since a little after six. Randy arrived about an hour later." She pulled her dark-red jacket closer around her. "I just got here myself about half-an-hour ago."

"It's already quarter-past ten!" Lloyd exclaimed.

The two weren't taking it easy either. They broke off their sparring session and returned to their individual exercises as Kenji, who was ever the task-master, oversaw proceedings. When Garrett started doing sit-ups Kenji appeared at his side to administer quick strikes to his stomach. Randy was doing alternating push-ups with one-arm and Kenji's clone applied his boot to Randy's back to make it even harder.

The hours passed like minutes. When everything was said and done Garrett and Randy stripped off to their trunks and followed Kenji into a hot-spring.

"I'll see you later." Tiffany said to Lloyd.

"I'm going too. I've a shift to work at the the shop."

As they departed Garrett sank into the waters until only his head above the chin was showing. Randy submerged his entire body for a time before erupting with a splutter and exclamation of purest relieve.

"I wish you two would let me train you properly." Kenji remarked.

"After what happened the last time? No thank you." Garrett answered.

"Kusaka's the one who put you in the hospital, not me." Kenji retorted. "Besides, that was three years ago. You've both improved by leaps and bounds since then."

"I'll pass." Garrett responded.

That seemed to signal the end of the conversation as far as Garrett was concerned. He excused himself whilst thanking Kenji for his help, who waved him off with a nonchalant backwards wave, and was soon walking along the streets of Grat once more dressed in his combat gi. It sported a heavier cotton jacket and reinforced trousers and was completely white.

"I see you're still trying to follow in my footsteps."

The voice brought Garrett to a complete halt!

"Father...!"

"I'll be back shortly."

As he said this Kenji draped the old haori that once belonged to Van Satonaka over his shoulders and flash-stepped out of the training room. He didn't even stop to put on a pair of shoes. Kenji appeared in the street a little down from where Garrett now stood. Opposite him was a white-haired man, muscular, with an imposing aura that put even Kenji's fighting spirit tingling. He was dressed in formal attire: white dinner jacket complete with a tie, white dress trousers, and black shoes.

The man's right hand encompassed Garrett's entire fist, who looked to be struggling. Kenji moved.

"Let him go, Aaron."

"Kenji? Always poking your nose into other people's business. This has nothing to do with you!"

"I'm afraid it does." Kenji retorted. "That boy's under my protection."

"Like hell I am!" Garrett exclaimed.

He followed this declaration with an attempted kick to his father's ribs, though the latter easily executed a throw that left Garrett lying face-first on he concrete! Aaron's follow-up kick would've met Garrett in the ribs had Kenji not intervened by physically putting himself between them.

Garrett climbed to his feet behind Kenji. The look Kenji gave Aaron thus went unseen to Garrett's eyes.

"...That would have been a killing blow..." Kenji thought. The look in Aaron's eye's showed that he knew too. "You just crossed the line, Aaron." Kenji sharpened his own aura and directed his own killing intent.

"... Fine, I'll make myself scarce." Aaron declared, with a smile. "If you know what's good for you, boy, you'll stay clear of the Beatdown tomorrow. Stay in school. Don't follow me down this path any further."

"A little late for fatherly advice, dont'cha think?"

Garrett dismissed his father out-of-hand by spitting on the street. He was seemingly oblivious to how close his father had come to causing him some serious damage just now.

"Always a pleasure, Kenji." aaron quipped.

"Yeah, yeah. Later, Aaron."

Silence stretched between Garrett and Kenji for a short time before Garrett inhaled sharply.

"It's a little convenient that he should show up now after six years." Garrett admitted. "You tell me that the Kikkasho are interested in me and Tiffany not a week past. Now there's a surprise Beatdown and my old-man reappears, just like that? This smells worse than my language teacher."

"... True. What are you gonna do?"

"Go to the Beatdown tomorrow. I'll probably get my head kicked in by my old-man, but I might get some answers." He looked right at Kenji. "I know this is short notice... but I can't ask anyone else. Will you help me prepare?"

"Yeah, on two conditions." Kenji stated. "You bring Tiffany along for training too."

"What's the second condition?"

"You learn how to develop the skills necessary to become a member of the Onmitsukidō."

"The Onmi-who?"

Trivia

 * This is the first chapter in the Investigating Grat arc to begin with its focus on the day before -- in this case Thursday -- rather than on a new day. It doesn't transition to Friday until after the initial segment.