Bleach: Phantom Twin

"I didn't expect it to be so hard to find something useful to ward off evil spirits," Ren muttered tiredly as the two wandered the city outskirts after an intense search through every corner of the town for tools to protect Miko from evil spirits.

They had searched for hours through all the shops and stalls, even visiting many temples, but found nothing useful.

The sun had long set, the sky was dark, and streetlights were already on as they walked.

The air was slightly cold, and with every step, the sound of their shoes tapping the pavement added a heavy silence to the scene.

"I think I was putting too much hope in old stories," Ren said with a weary smile, rubbing his neck. "All we found were just tourist charms, no different from those sold at festivals."

"But at least we tried," Miko replied kindly, clutching her bag in front of her. Although she felt frustrated, she didn't want to burden Ren further.

"Hmm..." Suddenly, Ren made a surprised sound as he turned toward an old, unassuming candy shop in a corner; his senses had picked up some spiritual energy from the place.

The shop was a two-story traditional Japanese building with a small sandy yard in front. There was a delivery car parked nearby and a large wooden sign in the middle that read "Urahara Shōten."

Seeing the shop and feeling the faint spiritual power emanating from it, Ren felt his head throb for a moment. The sight seemed to stir some memories of his past life, but he clenched his teeth, ignored the pain, and tried to quickly absorb the memories.

...Flashes of disjointed images flooded his mind—a bucket hat, a mocking voice, a shop full of strange tools, and a mysterious man with a sly smile—but he couldn't piece together the full picture. All he felt was a strange mix of familiarity and vague anxiety.

"Ren? Are you okay?" Miko asked worriedly after seeing his hand hold his head for a moment.

"I'm fine... just a slight dizziness," he said, breathing slowly and smiling to avoid worrying her. "But this place... I think we should go in."

Miko looked at the shop hesitantly. "A candy shop?"

"I don't think it's just a candy shop," Ren muttered, stepping slowly toward the sliding wooden door.

After a brief hesitation, Ren pulled the door open and entered, with Miko following cautiously.

"Welcome to Urahara Shōten!" came a cheerful, theatrical voice from inside.

Ren entered first, followed by Miko, who nervously glanced around. Inside, the shop was a chaotic mix of wooden shelves filled with strange bottles, dusty boxes, talisman papers hanging on walls, and every corner held something unlike its surroundings.

Suddenly... a tall man stepped out from behind a curtain, wearing a striped green kimono and a bucket hat hiding his eyes, his lips curved in a confident, playful smile.

"Welcome, dear customers. How can I assist you?" the man said cheerfully, partially covering his face with a handheld fan decorated with traditional Japanese patterns, adding to his mystery.

"Do you have anything to help protect against evil spirits?" Ren went straight to the point. Although the shop had many sweets and natural products, there were many papers with unknown symbols everywhere, along with numerous suspicious items. Coupled with the hazy memories in Ren's mind, he was confident he would find what he needed here.

The man raised an eyebrow from beneath the shadow of his hat, his smile widening slightly as he closed his fan with a soft snap and put it in his kimono sleeve.

'Seems the second son of Isshin-san has awakened his spiritual power,' thought Urahara, sensing spiritual strength emanating from Ren outside. He had released a bit of his own spiritual power to confirm his suspicions, as it seemed the seal on Ren's abilities was already starting to fade.

"Dear customer, please specify your request, as protection, banishment, and dimensional removal are completely different matters," Urahara said lightly, though with a clear depth of knowledge behind his tone.

"If possible, I want help to get rid of my ability to see them," Miko said suddenly, truly hoping to stop seeing those terrifying and disturbing beings.

"Unfortunately, spiritual sight cannot be removed, as it stems from your soul and cannot be erased even if your soul is torn apart," Urahara hesitated, then turned his back and went to an old cabinet in the corner. "But it is possible to temporarily seal this ability. However, this does not mean you are safe, as once you no longer see them, your subconscious will continue to wonder if they are near you when you can't see them."

"In other words, you'll lose the sight... not the fear," Urahara said softly, pulling a small wooden box from the shelf, covered with a thin layer of dust and an old talisman paper.

He approached and gently placed the box on the table before them, then carefully removed the paper to reveal a small black stone pendant, from which dangled metal shards shaped like closed eyes.

"This is called Shigan no Fuda – the Closed Eye Talisman. As long as you wear it, you will see no spirits. But... if it breaks or falls off, all your visions will come back at once. Sometimes, more violently."

Miko hesitated for a moment, then silently took the pendant, her eyes clouded between gratitude and fear.

"I will pay for it," Ren said immediately, reaching for his pocket, but was surprised when Urahara waved his hand.

"Don't worry, consider it a gift this time," he said with a smile still hiding something else, then added, winking one eye, "But if you need more... you'll come back, right?"

Ren nodded silently, while Miko cautiously put on the pendant. As soon as she fastened it around her neck, she suddenly shivered... then calmed down.

She slowly turned her head, eyes shining with surprise.

"They... disappeared," she whispered, as if she couldn't believe it.

"They didn't disappear," Urahara gently corrected, "You just can't see them anymore."

At that moment, Ren scanned the place again, his eyes stopping on a shelf where old tools were placed, some strangely familiar.

"What about protection? Something she can use if things get dangerous?" he finally asked seriously.

Urahara looked at him for a long moment, then pulled a paper scroll from a hidden drawer and handed it to him.

"This is Jikū Fuda – a momentary barrier talisman. It activates automatically when the wearer is in danger and creates a temporary shield around them for just five seconds, but that might be enough to escape or defend. Don't waste it on undeserving situations."

Ren took the scroll and thanked the man, then turned to Miko and handed it to her. He wasn't too worried about himself since even if he lacked the ability to protect himself, it was latent within him.

"Are you okay now?"

She nodded. "Better than ever."

The two moved toward the door, but before Ren exited, he turned back to Urahara and asked,

"Do... you know me?"

Though Urahara tried to hide it well, his gaze at Ren was never that of a stranger.

Urahara stood still, his smile never leaving his face.

"I don't think we've met before, so I shouldn't know you until now."

"I see..." Although Ren didn't fully believe the words of this strange shopkeeper, he didn't press the matter since the man had helped them a lot, and he was grateful—at least for now.

After leaving the shop, Ren's eyes fell on the cubic box in his hands—the B-Rank treasure chest he received for helping Miko.

...

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