Breaking Point

Author: SanadaSayuri

Disclaimer: BLEACH is the intellectual property of Tite Kubo and all affiliated producers and distributors. I make no profit from this work of fiction.

Summary: When Urahara's tinkering brings five Substitute Shinigami together in a chance meeting on the Tokyo Tower, Ichigo is drawn into a coup centuries in the making that will forever change the Gotei 13's structure and perhaps end the war with Aizen before it even begins.

Prologue

"Dammit, how old does the PTA think we are? Ten?" Ichigo grumbled, "I mean seriously, Tokyo's great, but what sort of shitty school arranges a field trip to Tokyo Tower for a bunch of fifteen year olds?"

"Well we do go to a public school," Tatsuki said, "What else do you expect from a bunch of cheapskates? Right Orihime?"

"Omigosh!" Orihime gushed as she peered through the telescope, "You can see everything from up here! Oh! Lookit! I can even see my house from here! This is the coolest field trip ever!"

The gathered teens sweatdropped.

"Well, someone's having fun," Ichigo said. "What about you, Ishida?"

The Quincy pushed his glasses up higher and said, "It is very educational. To my understanding, all schools have at least one field trip to the Tokyo Tower before graduating from High School."

Ichigo gave the Quincy a disgusted look and turned away. "Dammit, what I wouldn't give for a hollow to attack or something. Hell! I won't even care if Soul Society sent a message that they want us all dead or something! At least it would give us something to do!"

Almost immediately, the license went off. But rather than the usual alert of, "Hollow! Hollow!" it bleeped out, "Shinketsu! Shinketsu!" Very faintly, Ichigo heard a similar noise from four different parts of the observation deck. Ishida, Orihime, and Sado had moved to stand near Ichigo when the alert went off, and the four friends exchanged confused looks. Ichigo tugged the badge off his belt and felt a faint hint of tugging in a certain direction, and the boy frowned and followed it, ready to press the badge against his chest to enter his shinigami form if needed.

There was a moment of surprise and disbelief as several people emerged from the crowds of students and tourists and saw each other, four teenagers (well, seven, but no one was paying much attention to Inoue, Sado or Ishida at the moment) and (surprisingly enough) a child, each holding in their hand a substitute's license.

"Well," Ishida pushed his glasses higher on his face, "This certainly is a coincidence. Who would have thought that you wouldn't be the only Substitute Shinigami in the Tokyo Tower today, ne, Kurosaki?"

"Shut up, Ishida," Ichigo said absently, still staring in shock at the other four teenagers who wore similar looks of surprise and bemusement, and in one case, absolute impassivity.

"Interesting," a female substitute with shoulder length black hair with purple highlights and violet eyes said as she adjusted her glasses. "I was under the impression that the Ishida Clan was not at all fond of shinigami after Ishida Souken's death." She nodded at Ishida, "I will revise my opinion immediately."

"Don't bother," Ishida said, "Kurosaki's father and mine attended medical school together. I only put up with Kurosaki as father is the idiot's Godfather."

The girl nodded. "Very well. I withhold judgment. I am Fujiyama Rei, Substitute Shinigami under the jurisdiction of the Tenth Division."

"Wait, we're under the jurisdiction of divisions?" a dark skinned substitute with dark brown eyes asked.

"You are?"

"Aoki Touya."

"Of course," Fujiyama gave Aoki a dry look, "Didn't the captain who presented your badge tell you?" The dark skinned boy shook his head. "And what about the rest of you?" Ichigo and the remaining two shook their heads, the deathberry looking particularly lost. The violet eyed substitute sighed and said, "The Division Captain that presents you your badge is effectively your pseudo-guardian while you're in Soul Society. If you act out, they get the flack, and like-wise, that division has the priority of having you in their squad after you die. Hitsugaya-Taicho was particularly clear that while Substitutes get more leeway as we are not official shinigami, our job is to learn as much as we can about the shinigami and collect data about the human world for later use." She paused and added thoughtfully, "Although the collecting data part was possibly directed at me in particular as the Tenth, like the Second, is mostly coordinated toward information gathering."

Ishida nodded. "That would explain why the Thirteenth is almost always observing Kurosaki and heading him off just before he does something stupid. None of them would want Ukitake-san to take the flack for Kurosaki's antics, especially considering his near perpetual state of poor health."

"Wait," the child substitute said, turning toward Ichigo, his blue eyes wide, "You got Ukitake-san fostering you? How'd you manage that?! I've heard that Ukitake-san hasn't fostered a Substitute in over eight hundred years!"

"It is likely because Kurosaki-san closely resembles the late Shiba-fukutaicho of the Thirteenth Division," another female substitute with black haired pulled into a bun and green eyes said. "Also, we should introduce ourselves before this conversation goes much farther."

"Good idea," the child nodded. "I am Tsukishiro Yukito. Unohana-san gave me my badge, so I suppose you could say I'm under the Fourth Division's jurisdiction."

"Quick question," Ichigo said, "How long have you been a shinigami and how old are you, Tsukishiro?"

"I'll have been a Substitute Shinigami for two years starting tomorrow, and I'm ten years old, a second year in Clamp Academy, High School Division."

"A good record, and Clamp is a very good school," Aoki said, "and as you already know, I am Aoki Touya," Aoki said, "I received my badge from Komamura-san, so I am under the jurisdiction of the Seventh Division."

"Tenou Kotori, under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Division," the green eyed girl said. She turned to Tsukishiro and said, "You must do very well to be able to keep up with the High School Division of Clamp Academy at your age. I am a Third Year student in Clamp Academy's High School Division, Class 1-A. Please feel free to come to me if you require assistance."

Tsukishiro bowed. "Thank you."

"Kurosaki Ichigo, under the jurisdiction of the Thirteenth Division."

Fujiyama nodded. "A pleasure." She glanced at her watch and said, "It's noon. Why don't we discuss the circumstances that led to our meeting today over lunch?"

"Yes!" Tsukishiro said, "We can also get to know each other better!"

"We should also exchange information in case of a tactical emergency in which we need assistance or advice," Tenou said gravely.

Aoki sidled over to Tsukishiro and whispered, "I can see why Tenou-chan was fostered by Kuchiki-san, eh?"

The blonde nodded and stiffened as cool emerald eyes swept over the pair disdainfully, and Tenou said coolly, "Do not refer to me so familiarly. If you must speak of me, my family name will suffice."

Aoki shivered. "Definitely can see why Kuchiki-san fostered her. Tenou-san, are you in anyway related to Kuchiki-san?"

"No," was the icy reply.

Ishida cleared his throat and said, "Ishida Uryuu, Quincy."

"Sado Yasutora, I am Ichigo's right arm."

"Inoue Orihime desu! Yoroshiku! I'm not a Quincy like Ishida-kun or a shinigami like Kurosaki-kun, or a warrior like Sado-kun, but Shun Shun Rikka can reject their injuries, shield them, and with Tsubaki, I can fight back!"

Fujiyama nodded. "A healer then. An admirable profession in a group of warriors."

Ichigo said quietly, "We should discuss this over lunch. There are recent happenings in Seireitei that as fellow Substitute Shinigami, you should know, if your respective Foster Captains have not told you already, including the defection of three Captains."

"WHAT?!" Four eyes turned toward the orange haired shinigami in surprise.

"Explain!" Fujiyama barked.

"Perhaps we should take this discussion elsewhere," Ishida said carefully. "The defection of three Captains of the Gotei 13 should not be discussed in the open like this."

"Ishida-san makes a good point," Tenou said, "There is a café nearby. The food is well prepared and the service is acceptable. We can discuss shinigami business in relative privacy."

Tsukishirou nodded, "I'll need to tell my teacher first. It's one thing to let a bunch of fourteen and fifteen year olds run amok in the Tower and the surrounding area, it's another thing altogether when said class contains a ten year old. I'll be right back."

"We'll wait for you near the elevators then," Fujiyama said.

Tsukishiro nodded and the group made their way toward the elevators as the blonde child wove his way through the crowd.

In the meantime, Aoki was bouncing around the group, "So, you're all spiritually aware? How did you meet, Sado, Inoue, Ishida, and Kurosaki?"

"It's a long story," Ichigo said nervously, "and it ties into recent events in Seireitei."

"Then we should wait for Tsukishiro-kun to return before you tell the story, Kurosaki-san," Tenou said.

"Ironic," Fujiyama said, almost an hour later as the party of eight sat in a café near the Tokyo Tower, the remnants of lunch in front of them. "But also, our chance meeting has put us all in a dangerous situation."

"What do you mean? They need help! We should help them!" Tsukishiro cried.

"No," Aoki said, "Even though all four of us were living so close to each other, Soul Society only sent the Advance Squad to Kurosaki-san, keeping them near him, instead of coming to us as well. Obviously, the Gotei 13 is trying to keep us out of the loop. Why they would do that when five Substitute Shinigami could more effectively defend against the Arrancar than one is beyond me, and I, for one, would not want to know how they will react if they realize we've met and exchanged stories about our experiences with Soul Society."

"Aoki-san," Tenou said, "You have also said that five Substitutes can defend more efficiently against the Arrancar. From what I understand, we all became Substitute Shinigami over a period of seven years. I was in Seireitei at the time that Kurosaki-san's Bounto attacked. In fact, I was the one who identified the means by which the Tower of Penitence was demolished. We must all have been in Soul Society at approximately the same time without knowing at some point, and the Gotei 13 will have actively gone out of their way to keep us apart during those times."

Ichigo frowned, "I can think of one time during the Bounto Incident. I know for a fact that Kuchiki Byakuya severely disapproves of me, and yet after I helped him fight Kariya, the leader of the Karakura Bounto Clan, he insisted that I stay at Kuchiki Manor, and two days later, after the Bounto were defeated, he couldn't wait to throw me out."

Tenou nodded contemplatively, "That would explain a lot. Normally, when I have business that keeps me over night in Seireitei, I stay in the Kuchiki Manor, but that time, Kuchiki-Taicho insisted that I stay in the Sixth Division barracks. My father is a demolitions expert, so I know my explosives. Seireitei asked me to identify how the Tower of Penitence was brought down, and after I identified the form of explosive used and how they were likely placed and in what order they were detonated to cause the sort of cascade that was witnessed, Soi Fong-Taicho immediately escorted me through the Senkaimon at first light the next morning. The night before I was escorted out, I sensed Kuchiki-Taicho fighting, and as he had always assisted me, I wished to return the favor, but Soi Fong-Taicho would not allow it. At the time, I did not push the matter as I assumed that it was because there was another shinigami assisting Kuchiki-Taicho and had decided that three shinigami would be overkill since the energies were both of a shinigami in full bankai."

"But it could have been because I was the one fighting Kariya with Byakuya at the time," Ichigo said.

Tenou nodded. "I asked about Kuchiki-Taicho that evening before I went to bed, and the response I received was along the lines of, 'Everything is under control, don't worry about it. Just live your life.'."

"They are very adamant about that, aren't they?" Fujiyama mused. "Once they have no more use for us, they insist we go back to our old lives as if nothing had ever happened…"

"They wouldn't let me fight to begin with," Tsukishiro said, "But I originally lived in Osaka until four years ago, when I moved here to Tokyo to attend Clamp Academy. Two years ago, I was visiting my cousin, who was a part of the Osaka Quincy Clan, and the Osaka Bounto Clan attacked what was left of the Osaka Quincy. The resulting explosion of reiryoku attracted a swarm of hollows and my cousin was badly injured, while I had been knocked out of my body altogether, and the Bounto took off with my cousin after she passed out. A shinigami arrived, and realized that I was knocked out of my body, and that my spirit's natural form was that of a shinigami. I was brought to Seireitei, and for that week, I was confined to the Fourth Division Headquarters. Then there was a sudden influx of injured shinigami, and I was immediately bundled off to Kyouraku-san's office, and two days later I was allowed free run in Seireitei, but I wasn't allowed in the Seventh Division Headquarters."

"I remember that," Aoki said, "The Seventh Division and I were fighting some Menos Grande in the Severing World, but the Seizing Currents showed up. I was badly injured and couldn't run, so Komamura-san came and destroyed the Seizing Current. While I was healed, I was confined to the room, and when I was stable enough to be moved, I was bundled out into the Seventh Division Barracks in the middle of the night, and I was confined there for the duration of my healing. After I recovered, I was all but tossed through the Senkaimon in the middle of the night."

"It sounds like the shinigami are very fond of that," Fujiyama said, "Throwing people out in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn that is. I, myself, remember a situation two years ago. I was visiting my Aunt in Osaka when my friend, a Quincy was kidnapped, and a gate was opened into Soul Society. I had been a Substitute for three years by then, and I was told that I was needed to gather information on the Bounto, so I went. We fought for four days, and finally, we were able to stop the Bounto from advancing just before they reached the twelfth district of Rokungai, and I received several injures. When we entered the Fourth Division Hospice, I was immediately redirected to the rooms in the very front. I was suspicious, because the rooms in the front are, as you might know, for urgent cases, but I was locked in that room. After I was sufficiently recovered three days later, I was escorted through the Senkaimon by Hitsugaya-Taicho at dawn of the eighth day."

"So there were two other shinketsu in Seireitei at same time during your battle?" Tenou pulled out a notebook and slipped on a pair of black wire frame glasses as she scribbled in it. "And all three of you were under house arrest until they could get you out without the other realizing you were there? Interesting. Has anyone else noticed odd behaviors from the shinigami while in Soul Society?"

"I remember something," Inoue said. The five Substitutes turned toward her. "Well, I was asking Isane-san to show me how Kido Healing works, because sometimes Shun Shun Rikka would be overkill to use on a particular injury. During that time, I noticed what seemed like a very small shinigami, about child size. I knew that the shinigami was a lot smaller, because he was a little taller than Yachiru-chan, who is fairly small herself, you know? So I asked Isane-san if there were any other shinigami who were small like Hitsugaya-kun and Yachiru-chan. Isane-san paused for a long time, and said no. So at the time, I thought maybe I saw the height wrong, so I didn't think too much about it."

Tsukishiro nodded, "I was in Seireitei for a while seven months ago to be tested on my Kido. I noticed that there seemed to have been a battle there, and that Aizen-san, Tousen-san, and Ichimaru-san were missing, and was told that they had business in Hueco Mundo. The damage was by a group of Ryoka that had penetrated Seireitei for some unknown reason, and that there was nothing to worry about. You must have seen me that day, Inoue-san."

"I have a question though," Aoki said, "If all of us had been in Seireitei together at some point or another, then what was the point of keeping us apart? Why go through all that trouble when having five Substitutes in the same general area meant that we could have met up at just about any time?"

"Perhaps it's because they don't want to have to pay you restitution for services rendered," Ishida said.

"What?" Aoki, Ichigo, and Tsukishiro turned toward the Quincy in surprise.

"Ishida has a point," Fujiyama said, "Up until we met, none of us thought anything of the Gotei 13's unusual behavior. It is very likely that it is because they wished to take advantage of our powers, and knew that all of us together would notice inconsistencies once we swapped stories. This means that all of us are very powerful. Even with the white noise of Kurosaki-san's reiatsu, I can tell, most of us are at least Fifth Seat Level. If all of us were to stand together, we would basically be an unstoppable force. Kurosaki-san especially if he were to control his reiryoku."

"I agree with your assessment, Fujiyama-san," Tenou said, "Has anyone made any attempt to help you control your reiryoku, Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo frowned and shook his head. "No," he said. "I asked once, and they said that I had far too much reiryoku to control. I never thought to question it. And Ishida has always complained about my lack of control, but no attempts were ever made to correct it."

"That's not right!" Aoki cried, "I had a sixth seat level reiryoku to begin with, but Komamura-san was patient with me, and I learned to control my reiatsu."

Tsukishiro nodded. "With proper instruction, Kurosaki-san, you can control your reiryoku. No one can develop perfect control over night, but if you work on pulling all your reiryoku into your body and imagine putting it in a small receptacle and keeping it there, you can stop leaking reiryoku all over the place, and your reiatsu sensing abilities would increase. Your next step would be to control the amount of reiryoku you put into Kido, and how much reiryoku is used to augment your hoho and hakuda."

"I would help," Ishida said, "But father might murder me if he found out I'm helping a shinigami control his reiryoku. Besides, the techniques I learned were developed for Quincy, not shinigami."

"Unfortunately, Shun Shun Rikka suppresses my reiryoku automatically," Inoue admitted, "I couldn't help even if I wanted to."

Sado shook his head. "I don't even know how my reiryoku is suppressed."

"I decided not to take Winter Classes this year," Fujiyama said, "and my work schedule is fairly flexible. As I live in Nerima, which is fairly close to Karakura, I could help instruct Kurosaki-san in repressing his reiryoku. If Kurosaki-kun isn't adverse to it, I can also help you with Hakuda."

"I know some Karate," Ichigo said dryly.

"All the better!" Fujiyama said. "We can spar and keep our hand-to-hand abilities sharp!"

Tsukishiro nodded, "And learning Kido is also a great way to learn control! I'm trained mostly in Kido, and I have quite a bit of free time! I can help you with some Hado and Bakudo!"

Fujiyama chuckled, "And once you learn Kido, you can learn to combine Hakuda and Zanjutsu with Kido."

"I apologize," Tenou said, "I am currently preparing for the University Entrance Examinations. I would not have the time to go all the way down to Karakura by mundane methods on school days and still have time to revise. I will, however, have Sundays off, so I have time to train with Kurosaki-san if you would not mind coming to the Clamp Campus. Our sparring sessions can be beneficial to both of us as your Bankai is speed based and I specialize in speed based fighting."

Aoki smiled, "I specialize in mostly Zanjutsu and Hakuda, so I doubt I could help much. But if Kurosaki-kun is willing, I could spar with you every once in the while. I am Captain of Seiyo Gakuen's kendo club, and our school is fairly close to Karakura Gakuen. If I'm correct, our schools are rivals."

Ichigo gave a weak smile. "I think we are."

Aoki grinned. "I hope I won't see you using our spars against me then."

"Don't worry," Ishida smirked, "Kurosaki is in the Go-Straight-Home Club. Even if he were in Karakura Gakuen's kendo club, the idiot's too honorable to take advantage of any knowledge he might have as to the enemy's tactics unless they are actively trying to kill him."

"Shut up, you bastard!"

"Stop yelling, idiot."

"In the meantime," Tenou said, "we should consider foregoing assisting Soul Society unless it directly impacts us. If we can force several concessions from them, it will be impossible for them to take advantage of our powers again."

"But at the moment, Karakura is in the most immediate danger!" Aoki said, "Even if I intervened and said it was because I was concerned about the rise in hollow activity in my hometown, the Gotei 13 may wise up and realize that Kurosaki-san and I live near each other, meaning the chances of us running into each other on patrol are higher! What if they decide to intervene?!"

"They won't," Fujiyama said, "Once the Gotei 13 realize that you live near each other, they will decide to pair you up, deciding that two Substitutes means a higher chance of success, and if you die, all the better. In Soul Society's eyes, that would be the best outcome as it would mean fewer chances that the other Substitutes would run into each other."

"If Aoki-san intervenes," Ishida said, "The Gotei 13 may pay more attention to the locations of the other Substitutes. Tsukishiro-kun and Tenou-san are fairly close to each other as they attend the same school. They would then be in danger as well. And one must also wonder how many other Substitutes are out there that we are unaware of."

Tsukishiro said quietly, "Hitsugaya-san is nearby. We should split up before he realizes that we're all in the same location and decides to investigate."

Silence fell and the group nodded. They quickly passed around scraps of papers on which they scribbled their information and paid the bill. One at a time, the Substitutes left and went in separate directions but for Tsukishiro and Tenou, who decided to use the excuse of a sempai accompanying a kohai during the trip, as they both attended the same school, and Ichigo, Ishida, Orihime, and Sado, who could almost always be found together.

As the group from Karakura waited for their own turn to leave without rousing suspicion, Ishida said quietly, "Are you sure you want to let complete strangers take over your training? Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san would be more than happy to help you if you asked."

"Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san were among the ones I asked, Ishida."

"But why would Soul Society go so far as to sabotage you, Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue asked.

Ichigo smiled bitterly. "Because with only the bare basics of the shinigami arts, I was able to defeat two captains. I never thought of it before, but now that it's been pointed out, I realize how damned obvious it was. Seireitei is afraid of my power."

"Ichigo," Chad finally said.

"Aa." Ichigo jerked his head side to side, and the bones in his neck cricked and cracked. "Let's go then."

And the group of four left the café.

Hitsugaya Toushiro watched as the five substitutes trickled out of the café, his teal eyes intent. He felt the slightest niggling of relief as he watched the Sixth Division's Substitute walking beside the Fourth Division's Substitute, the boy babbling to his sempai about how different Tokyo was from Osaka and how happy he was that she was willing to accompany him since he was the youngest in his class instead of being with her friends. Seireitei had been unaware that the two attended the same school. They would have to be more careful if they didn't want to be caught. He turned his eyes toward the entrance, waiting. Kurosaki's group left the café moments later with Kurosaki and Ishida squabbling as usual. How convenient a coincidence that the five Substitute Shinigami would meet up on this day and come out of the same café almost simultaneously.

The Tenth Division Captain's lips curled upward in amusement. The Chamber 46 and the So-Taicho were going to have a very (for them) unpleasant surprise. It was incredible how well Urahara's gadget worked.

"Well then," he said, "Let's see how far the five of you can go. I hope you realize quickly that you'll have more supporters in Seireitei than you think."

"Is that so?"

Hitsugaya turned and smirked at Fujiyama.

"How did you manage to get the licenses to react the way they did, Taicho? I've encountered each of them several times in passing, and the license has never reacted that way before!"

Hitsugaya's smirk widened into a smile of amusement. Oh, she was good. He had made a good choice, snapping this one up before Soi Fong did. "One word: Urahara."

She blinked. "That devious bastard did it again!" She paused as realization swept through her and her shoulders slumped. "You knew I was going to be here at the Tower today."

Hitsugaya chuckled. "You'll lead them well. And get Kurosaki into shape. He'll need the control to stop broadcasting his very thoughts and intentions. That alone will be better protection to him than an entire squad watching him. Good luck."

Fujiyama shook her head as the diminutive captain shunpoed away. "That man…" she glanced toward the Tower, where she could sense Kurosaki's reiryoku and smiled. "We have supporters…" she whispered happily. "Maybe this won't be as difficult as I thought! The other Captains will probably help us from the shadows! Oh, drat!" she pouted. "We're going to have a hell of a time finding out who are genuine supporters and who are spies, won't we, Yuugao?"

Her Zanpakuto's quiet laughter drifted through her mind.

TBC...

I really shouldn't let my plot bunnies get the best of me, but I really couldn't help it. I have so many ideas, and now that classes have been over for two weeks, and classes won't start for another two weeks, I suddenly have an excess of time and energy. It doesn't help that my muses seem to churn out more plot bunnies when I'm working with my cousins. It's gotten to the point where I have a notebook and pen with me, and I scribble scenes and ideas as they come.

I'm many things, but I'm not mentally deficient, so for the time being, please enjoy what little I have posted for Limitations and Breaking Points. Once Deragonmaji and I are done with BLEACHed Elements and I have finished at least Soundscape, which of all my stories is the closest to being finished, and have posted up to at least the revised Chapter 10 of Mended Hearts, I will think about continuing these stories.

On the other hand, if anyone would like to work on Breaking Points and Limitations while waiting, please feel free to do so. Drop me a PM or a review to let me know when you post. I will be continuing this story, just not now.

Your most eager to please authoress,

Sanada Sayuri

Sanada Sayuri