Vital Information

The first thing Chiaki noticed was a light that filled her vision through the darkness of her unconscious. Reaching towards it groggily, she was surprised to hear a voice emerge from the glare.

"Hey, no touching the cloak!"

Startled awake, Chiaki shot up from the table where she was lying, rubbing her eyes to clear her vision and see where she was. The first thing she saw was the smiling face of Urahara, who was holding his cane (which was currently emitting some sort of Kido-based glow) like a doctor's flashlight, sporting the same sly grin as always.

"Hey, you're finally awake!"

Chiaki groaned as she rubbed her still aching head, before taking a moment to check her abdomen. Sure enough, where she had previously been impaled, her body had been healed immaculately, not a single mark indicating she had ever been hurt at all. Frowning, Chiaki looked up towards Urahara, her expression ever so slightly suspicious.

"Didn't expect you to come and help me out. Don't you have a code against interfering without payment or something?"

"Hey, you know I can't let you die on me before your debts are paid. Besides, I only stepped in halfway through. Those two did most of the work."

Turning to look in the direction of Urahara's gesture, Chiaki was surprised to see Rukia and Kanonji both standing behind her. Rukia gave a small, somewhat melancholy smile, and Kanonji bowed his head downwards, looking extremely apologetic.

"I am so sorry that this happened to you during an event of mine miss…"

"Well, either way, it's good to see you awake, Chiaki. I was beginning to worry! Ichigo would never forgive me if you died under my watch.

With such genuine apologies, Chiaki couldn't help but crack a small smile and bow slightly in her seat. Shifting her weight to get up, Chiaki winced and sat back down, prompting Urahara to point his staff toward her and bathe her in another wave of healing light.

"These two were the real heroes of the day. Rukia stabilized your wounds as best she could with her healing techniques, and when that failed, she told Don Kanonji to carry you to me. Ichigo came too, but he's recovering from his wounds in the next room over. In any case… how do you feel?"

Chiaki took a moment to see if she could move her body without issue. While she was more or less fully intact, there was still a persisting pain all throughout her body, a throbbing sensation that reverberated through her bones regardless of whether she moved or not, something she could only attribute to her own reiatsu being damaged and still somewhat spent.

"I've had better days. Why the hell was that Hollow so strong anyway? It was a newborn, probably never touched another soul in its life. It should NOT have been a big deal."

["Well, you do have a tendency to be overconfident sometimes…"]

Ignoring Ayane's insinuations, Chiaki waited for an explanation. Urahara tapped his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face as if considering the question carefully. Whether or not ot was an act, Chiaki couldn't tell, but she would welcome any information she could get at a time like this.

"Weeeelllll… This is nothing more than a hypothetical right now, but an earthbound spirit is fundamentally linked to the energy of the Earth, which is why it's so difficult for Soul Society to detect them. Karakura is one of the foremost spiritual hotspots in Japan, and while drawing power from it is difficult, the number of hollows that have been drawn to the spiritual pressure as of late have been continually fighting and emitting reiatsu into the environment, saturating the system with even more power. With all that extra juice, it's no wonder that it would pose such a problem to a rookie such as yourself."

[So basically, it's all my fault, huh?]

Compared to the original story, Chiaki knew the main factor that had been changed was her own presence. Consolidating power, emitting her own reiatsu, and likely drawing hollows towards the town, it only made sense that such a thing had occurred. She'd been hoping that she would be able to blunt the shifts in the timeline, but now more than ever, it was clear to her that she was powerless to stop the endless cascade of new dangers her presence brought.

Noticing her crestfallen expression, Urahara tapped her on the shoulder with his cane, requesting her attention.

"Don't look so glum, there's no way you could have known what was going to happen. All's well that ends well right? I've already cleaned up your mess, though of course, not for free~"

"What do you mean?"

Don Kanonji coughed lightly, grabbing everyone's attention.

"If I may… those who had watched the show are now fully under the impression that your entrance was planned as an introduction to "my apprentice". Furthermore, your colleagues have intervened with their tools to ensure that the executives of my show believe that as well."

Without warning, Don Kanonji suddenly bowed deeply, a solemn expression on his face even as he seemed to be holding back tears.

"I apologize deeply for everything that occurred today! I had no idea of the depth of my own ignorance, and my own failings nearly cost someone their life! I cannot call myself a hero when I've put others in danger like this."

"…Lift your head up."

Chiaki sighed, shaking her head, prompting Kanonji to look up at her with a confused (but slightly hopeful expression.

"You heard the shopkeeper: you can't be blamed for not knowing something. The fact you're worried about all this even though it wasn't your fault shows you're a true hero down to your core. So don't worry, alright?"

Chiaki thought she might have seen a tear well up in Kanonji's eye, before it was quickly wiped away.

"You are wise beyond your years, Kurosaki Chiaki."

"Heh. I wish that was true."

Chiaki turned towards Rukia, before sheepishly scratching her head.

"I owe you an apology too. I've been a little reckless as of late. I guess I just… wanted to be a shinigami, and I was jealous of Ichigo. Just a little, but it was there."

Rukia sighed, shaking her head in disappointment.

"I understand, and I apologize for my own harshness. You did have your reasons for things as well, and I cannot fault you when you have helped more than you hurt."

The room was silent for a moment, an oppressive air of guilt filling the room. Of course, Urahara was the first to break the silence, though now, his expression was… surprisingly serious, something that made Chiaki uneasy.

"If everyone feels satisfied with what they've said… Rukia, Kanonji, if you please, go check on Ichigo. I have a few more things to clear with Chiaki before you can leave for the day.

Rukia and Kanonji looked towards each other, before (very reluctantly) out of the door, which Urahara closed behind them with his cane.

"Well, it's good that everyone got out everything they wanted to say. So, Chiaki… how would you like to know how to become a shinigami?"