Chapter 14
Back in Black
"What the hell are you doing here?! You haven't even been going to school so why're y-!"
"Calm down, Ichigo," instructed Ginjou.
"Like I could be calm about this! Tell me what's going on, Ginjou! Depending on your answer-!"
"Calm down. Don't make me say it a third time. You'll understand when you finish hearing what I have to say. Now sit down. You too Chad."
The large dark skinned man sat down as did Ichigo.
"What? They know each other? I didn't know that!" complained Riruka. "Ginjou were you aware of this?! I couldn't possibly be the only person who didn't know, right?"
"Bring chad something to drink too," Ginjou instructed the barkeep.
"Are you ignoring me?!"
Something hit her.
"Wait is the Ichigo over there Ichigo Kurosaki? Make it brighter so I can see his face!"
"Later," Ginjou said, holding her back with an arm. "You stay right there."
"Why?!"
"Anyway, now that we're all here how about we move on to the main topic?"
"In that case… before you begin Ginjou, could you put your sword away please?" asked the barkeep.
"Yeah, sure."
He did so.
"And please pay for the damages to the floor tiles later."
'…Yeah sure."
Ichigo sat down and glared at Ginjou.
"Don't glare at me like that. Do you understand the power now that you've seen it with your own eyes?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Then let's move on; do you know why hollows have a hole in their chests?"
"What're you talking about?"
"When a soul reaper is unable to save them from their suffering they lose their heart and a hole opens up. That's obvious. But where does that lost heart go?"
Ichigo mused about it for a minute.
"It becomes their mask. And not just their mask; a hollow's unique appearance as well as their special abilities are all made from the heart that has been gouged out of their bodies. Every one of us had parents that were attacked by hollows before we were born. Traces of those hollows' powers remained in our mothers' bodies and when we were born, the power within us was more akin to a hollow's than a Soul Reaper's. We find this power troublesome. Ichigo, you once had hollow powers, so I'm sure you know how it feels."
Ichigo remembered when his powers had nearly driven him insane with hatred and vengeance in Las Noches.
"We would like to eliminate this troublesome power form within us. Over the years, little by little, we've gathered allies who possess the same kind of power, and in doing so we have uncovered one fact: our powers are the exact opposite of us. In other words, if there is someone who has the powers of both Soul Reapers and humans we can pass our power on to them."
"Then that means…!"
"That at one time there was someone other than you who was born of a Soul Reaper and a Human."
"…!"
"By surrendering their powers to that person, a few of our kind were able to return to being human. Do you get it now? For us to go back to being human, you need your Soul Reaper powers back. As for Chad, we found him in this town. He's one of us. He understands how we feel and even voluntarily agreed to work with us if it meant you getting your powers back."
Ichigo looked to his friend.
"Is that true?"
"Yeah. Ichigo, you may think you're hiding it, but to be honest you've been a sad sight since you lost your powers. You want to fight, right? Not being able to personally protect the people around you really gets to you, right? You don't have to hide it, because feeling that way makes you who you are."
"You'll get your Soul Reaper powers back and our powers will be tacked onto them. If it's the power to fight that you want then I don't think it's such a bad deal," Ginjou said.
"All right, I'm in." agreed Ichigo.
"Then I guess that settles it."
"Great! I was afraid you might refuse!" said the dark skinned woman.
"We look forward to working with you, Kurosaki," said the barkeep.
"Not so fast!" yelled Riruka. "Can we really trust someone we don't know anything about so easily? I, Riruka, will decide here and now whether or not we can trust this guy!"
She shined a flashlight at him.
Suddenly she fell to her knees in shock.
"You okay?" Ichigo asked.
"Not at all…"
Ichigo opened the door to his house.
"I'm home," he announced.
"Ichigo!" his sisters yelled from behind him, Ichigo already making his way up the stairs to his room.
"You two are still up? Go to bed already; you're gonna be late tomorrow."
Silence.
"You gonna answer me?"
"Okay! Goodnight, Ichigo!"
"So why'd you call me out here again?" Ichigo asked in an annoyed tone.
"The hell? You got a problem? For being so pissed you sure showed up here obediently enough," Ginjou noted.
"Shut up. I'm gonna do something to get my Soul Reaper powers back, right? I was totally thinking that I'd be doing some kind of training thing in a big room somewhere or something though."
"Oh you're gonna be doing training in a big room!"
The door burst open and Riruka entered.
"How come you show up late every time?" Ichigo asked.
"Huh?! Don't be stupid! I'm late every time cause' I have stuff to do!"
"Hey Riruka," said the blonde kid. "I think it's about time you stopped opening the door with your foot; you flash your underwear every time and I really don't wanna see that. "
"Huh? Yukiooooo, when did you start talking to me like you're my boss? You're probably thinking 'oh we have a visitor so the atmosphere is different and I can say stuff like that now' or something! Not a chance! Don't think that a creep like you who just plays video games all day can talk to me like he's my equal! Got it? You're the only one of us I've never thought of as an equal, not now, not ever!"
"Sorry could you repeat that from the beginning?"
"Huh?! Yukio when did you start spea-!"
The dark-skinned woman covered Riruka's mouth.
"No need to say it again."
Riruka swung out angrily.
"Get your hands off me, Jackie!"
"Okay okay! Just hurry up and tell Ichigo about that box."
"Shut up! I'm gonna explain it right now, I don't need you to tell me to!"
She whipped around and started yelling at Ichigo.
"And what're you just standing around for?! I'm gonna explain this so get over here!"
"Okay okay… Why are you getting mad at me?"
Ichigo started to walk forward.
"Stop! You're fine where you are after all! Don't take another step towards me!"
"So which is it already…?"
Riruka put the box on a table.
"Take a look at this box!"
"I'm looking at it."
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"It's cute right?"
"Huh?"
"Rejoice! This cute box will be your training ground!"
"Huh?"
"You don't have to understand it, cause I'm gonna show you right now. My Fullbring is called 'Dollhouse'. It allows me to freely move people and things into or out of anything that I adore or think is cute."
She rubbed her thumb against her finger and flicked a heart at Ichigo, which stuck to his jacket.
"That's your pass. You can go inside now!"
She tapped her finger on the box and bot it and the heart glowed.
"I 'permit you'."
"Permit me? What are you talking abou-!"
Ichigo was sucked into the box.
"Ow… shit, what the hell was that?"
Ichigo heard a noise.
"What's that noise…?
Some sort of giant stuffed pig stood in front of him.
"….Hey now…."
"Well? Isn't he cute?"
Riruka's face appeared above them.
"'Isn't he cute' my ass! The hell is that weird thing?!"
"Defeat it!"
"Huh?"
"I said fight and defeat it! That's your training. It's okay! He's not strong so it should be easy! If you can use Fullbring that is!"
"Wha…?"
The creature roared and Ichigo screamed.
He barely dodged a punch.
"This is pathetic, why're you running away? You're a man aren't you? Stand and face him!"
"You little… are you stupid! I haven't even been able to figure out my current situation! I can't do a damn thing like that! What's going on!? Why am I so small? Why am I in this toy box?"
"I told you, that's my full bring, Dollhouse's, ability. My Fullbring is an ability of 'love'! It's the ability to draw out the maximum power of anything you fall in love with. Ginjou only likes his pendant. People like him who only like one thing change it into a weapon and fight eensy-weensy battles! But I'm different I like lots of things and I'm gonna keep looking for even more! I wanna spend my whole life collecting things I like and being smothered to death by them! My 'dollhouse' ability allows me to freely move things that I recognize and give 'permission' to into and out of things that I like!"
She reached in and poked Ichigo's chest lightly.
"So right now I've given you 'permission' and invited you into this beloved box of mine! Okay, that's it for the explanation! So are you gonna hurry up and defeat that little guy for me?"
Ichigo dodged another punch.
"Don't be such a scaredy cat! It's okay! You'll be able to beat him if you can use Fullbring! Go on, give it a try!"
"Don't 'go on' me! Since when is Fullbring something you can suddenly just do by giving it a try! Besides, isn't this training to get my Soul Reaper powers back?! Why do I have to learn how to do Fullbring?!"
"You're a noisy one. You should just be quiet and do what you've been told! You won't risk your little life unless you're sure why you're doing it?! How lame!"
Ichigo dodged another strike.
"Oh, you've gotten pretty good at dodging."
"Shut up! Quit watching and give me at least a hint! That's bullshit, telling someone to use Fullbring without giving them a hint or showing them the trick."
"A hint? We've been able to use Fullbring since we were born! There's no way we'd know any hints or tricks for it! What a moron!"
'Dammit to hell!'
"Hey get your shit together punk! Quit runnin' round all the time and bring it on dammit!"
The pig had spoken.
"IT CAN TALK!?"
"Sure it can! That's cause 'Mr. Pork' there has a Yakuza that I abducted from the neighborhood inside of him!"
"What the hell is wrong with you?! And this thing's name is 'Mr. Pork'?! There's no love in that!"
"Y'know they told me that if I don't kill you in 15 minutes this magic will become permanent and I'll be stuck in this weird stuffed animal for the rest of my life," said the pig.
"And you threatened him with a lie too?!"
"Whadda ya mean 'weird stuffed animal'?!" yelled Riruka.
"Sorry!"
"Okay, that concluded the advice! Call me when you're finished~!"
Riruka put the lid on the box.
"Hey wait dammit!"
Ichigo ran.
'Guess she isn't letting me out or giving me any advice. What a bitch. If this is how it's gonna be then I'm not gonna get anywhere by just running… I've gotta think of a strategy. She said Fullbring was an ability of 'love', the ability to draw out the maximum power of anything you fall in love with, but frankly it doesn't seem like that Ginjou bastard is 'in love' with his pendant. Either way the idea seems to be that there's a bond because it's always on your person. That means for me to use Fullbring I need something like that at the very least. Something that's always on my person that I've got a bond with. Nah there doesn't have to be a bond, just something I'm always carrying around….'
Suddenly the lid opened and Chad yelled to him:
"Ichigo, the Substitute badge! There might be something else you always have on your person, but if you're gonna get a Fullbring for fighting then I can't think of anything else that would be a trigger for that!"
"Chad! We're on the same wavelength! I was just thinking the same thing!"
Ichigo reached into his back pocket and pulled out the wooden object.
Suddenly the pig creature started shaking and become some sort of monster.
Ichigo dodged another strike, the creature ripping up the fabric under his feet and causing him to trip.
He grabbed a button from a fallen 'tree' and tossed it at the eye of the beast.
Ichigo leapt over a wall.
'What do I do? He said to manifest the Fullbring with the badge.'
Ichigo remembered what he'd been told of Fullbring by Ginjou.
"How am I supposed to get at that soul…?'
"PRIDE!" Chad yelled. "Pride was in my heart the first time I was able to use 'Braza Derecha Del Gigante! The 'matter' that serves as the basis for my Fullbring is the 'skin' on my arms!"
"Skin?"
"My skin is dark, right? That's because of the Mestizo blood in me! I may have run into a lot of trouble because of my appearance and huge size, but I never once lost my pride in this skin of mine! My ability to keep holding onto that pride is all thanks to Abuelo! He was in my heart the first time I was able to use my powers! It was the time when he instilled that pride into me! Remember a time when you felt pride in your soul reaper powers! The badge will surely respond to your heart!"
'Remember? I can't even begin to count them all.'
Suddenly four prongs burst out of the item made of black energy.
"Can you hear me now…"
Ichigo's eyes widened.
"…partner?"
'Zangetsu?'
"Yes… an' no. I ain't Zangetsu anymore. Not a Zanpakto. But… seein' as y've found a way t' manifest yer hollow powers without hollowfication, I'm back… partially. Wouldn't look in yer inner world if I was you, I ain't a pretty sight right now. Right now you got bigger problems anyway!"
Ichigo nodded and leapt into the air, throwing the item… and watched as the prongs vanished.
'Wha…?'
"Ichigo you idiot!"
The item tinked off of the monster and Ichigo hit a cardboard tree.
"I wasn't supposed to use it like that...?"
Ichigo grabbed the item and dodged a strike.
'The guard only appears when I'm holding the pass. Alright, maybe…'
Ichigo tried to cut the creature but the prongs passed through it.
'Can't cut it either. '
Ichigo brought the item up and blocked a strike, rolling backwards.
'Ouch… Still, I can do this!'
Ichigo put his other hand on the guard and felt a familiar sensation.
'This is…'
"Now yer' gettin' it partner. Let im' have it!"
Ichigo ran at the creature.
"Idiot! If you get that close to him-!"
'Getsuga Tensho!'
Ichigo swung the item forward and launched a wheel of black and red energy that hit the pig's face, taking it out.
"I passed right? Get me out of here!"
'It's great to have you back, Zangetsu.'
"Good to be back, partner. Can't tell you how bored I've been."
Ichigo was resting in his room on his bed, talking to Zangetsu.
'So what do you think of those guys?'
"I don't like em. First of all, ain't it fishy that one guy knew about yer soul reaper powers AND yer dad? Somethin' just don't add up partner."
'But they're helping me get power again… they brought you back!'
"All part of something bigger I bet. Maybe I'm just paranoid cause I'm only half the man I used t'be or somethin'."
'Maybe… I don't know. Why don't we see what they do next?'
About a week had passed since Ichigo's Fullbring first awakened.
Now Ichigo's training had been interrupted just as his Fullbring had grown in power.
Ichigo stared down the man with long, straight hair, now garbed in something that resembled a black Soul Reaper uniform made of pure energy with a blade of black and red energy erupting from the right arm.
"Did you know that?" said the man in front of Ichigo "If you break the receptacle for Riruka's Dollhouse, the contents are forcibly ejected. I can't believe you were secretly training in something like that. But all that aside, I see the shape of your Fullbring has already progressed this far. It would've been nice if someone had told me. Don't you think?"
The two clashed swords.
"Who're you?" asked Ichigo.
"Oh? This is a surprise. They haven't informed you about me yet?"
"I am Tsukishima Shuukuro, the one who attacked-!"
Chad leapt at the man and hit him with an "El Directo" blast, blowing a hole in the building.
"You stupid bastard!" yelled Ginjou, following chad out of the building. "Don't make things worse than they already are. Ichigo's Fullbring is functional. It's fine to tell him about Tsukishima now."
"Not yet," said Chad. "We don't even know the extent of Ichigo's Fullbring's powers yet, and we don't know if he can completely control that power either. Telling Ichigo that Tsukishima attacked Orihime would just un-!"
"Oh? He did that huh?"
"Ichigo…"
Ichigo walked over past Chad.
"Guess you guys were really worrying about me without my knowledge."
"That's the gist of it."
Tsukishima landed behind Ichigo on the building.
The orange haired young man turned a bit.
"You're the one who attacked Orihime. You the one who cut Uryuu too?"
"What do you think?"
Ichigo snapped and turned, charging at the man wildly, power flying off in every direction as their "blades" met.
"Oh… Very nice!"
The man in white jumped back into the air with Bringer Light, and Ichigo followed, except he used his power to speed at the man.
"I see. I'm now well aware that you're beginning to master Fullbring. But all the important Fullbring on your body… "
Ichigo blocked a strike.
"Is still very incomplete!"
The power burst off his left arm and Ichigo got kicked to the ground.
"If you concentrate on your right arm then the Fullbring on your left arm easily comes undone. In reality, you weren't even able to cushion the impact of your fall, right?"
"Ichigo, move!"
'I can't!'
Suddenly Tsukishima's blade met Ginjou's.
"Sorry, apparently it's too early to let you and Ichigo fight each other."
"Ginjou… Going to interfere?"
"Guess we don't see eye-to-eye on that one. As far as I'm concerned you're the one who's interfering."
Ichigo rose.
"Ginjou, get outta the way."
"Ichigo there's no way in hell you can take him like you are now!"
"I said get outta my way!"
"No can do."
Ginjou elbowed Ichigo over the back of the head.
"Ga…"
"Don't you get it? I'm saying you'd just get in the way. There's no way you're okay after being pounded into the ground from that height in a living body. You're barely able to breathe as it is. I can't have you dying on me so just shut up and lie there."
"He's got a point partner; you really should take a breather. This ain't like our old body where you could repair all your wounds on the fly, this one is human and it's fragile."
Ichigo let out a frustrated sigh and relaxed a bit, still gripping his combat pass and holding his Fullbring.
'Fine.'
"Are you really going to do this?" asked Tsukishima. "You will die if you fight me, Ginjou."
"I guess we just can't agree on anything," said Ginjou in reply. "If we go at it, you're gonna end up dead."
Icihgo watched as the two men fought.
'I wish there was something I could do…'
"There will be partner, you'll get a chance at him later, and I'll tell you that now. Just lookin' at them I can tell the skinny guy is way stronger than the guy in the jacket. Rest for now partner. That's the best you can do."
Suddenly the man appeared next to Ichigo, raised his blade… but stood back as Ichigo saw a blackness surround him.
"What the…?!"
Ichigo was dropped into a large room.
"What… Where am I?"
"Our spare hideout. Sorry it's not very comfortable."
"Hey, saying that isn't going to make it any more comfortable, you know?" said Yukio. "I swear all you do is complain even though it's someone else's money. It'll probably be my money that repairs the old hideout too."
"Sorry."
"But it's all because someone caused an explosion like that. I guess I'm gonna have to move money and calculate whether it's cheaper to fix the old hideout or build a new one."
"Talk to chad about that."
"What about Tsukishima?" asked Ichigo.
"He withdrew for now," said Ginjou.
"Something not sitting right?"
"Nah. If his intention was to inflict damage on us then he still could've fought his way out of the situation, especially if you factor in his strength. Riruka was inside his radius of attack and he probably could've even cut down Yukio. The fact that he didn't means he really only wanted to scope you out or had some other reason."
"You're overthinking it," said Yukio. "Tsukishima knows my ability; I was holding the console. He couldn't attack me in that situation, and that goes double if he's interested in Ichigo."
"True."
"Alright then, I guess I'll go give Giriko a hand. There's probably a limit to how well one person can deal with that explosion. What a pain in the ass."
"Wait Yukio," Ginjou said, stopping the boy. "Stay here and assist Ichigo with his training."
"GAH!"
Ichigo gripped his face; Ginjou had cut his eyes.
"When you lost your Soul Reaper powers, it seems you also lost your readiness to fight. So I'm going to bring it back to you."
"What the hell are you playing at?!"
"You're too loud."
Ginjou kicked Ichigo in the neck, launching him back.
"Stop crying so loud, would you? It's really getting on my nerves."
"What the hell?! You said you were going to help me!"
"You gotta be kidding. What are you even saying? You've already been told our goal. The objective is to get you your Soul Reaper powers back. We're teaching you to use Fullbring as a first step towards that."
"And THIS is how you do it?! I couldn't bring myself to trust you completely before, but after this I can't even believe that you're a friend!"
"Let me repeat: What are you even saying? The very instant you entered the playing field alone with me it was already over! You. Are. Over!"
Ichigo took a fist to the face.
"You…!"
"What's wrong? You're gonna die you know. Dodge like you mean it, you coward."
He heard Orihime cry out and run towards him before everything went silent.
"Orihime! What's wrong Orihime!?"
"I wonder what's wrong? How about you go and see?"
"Ginjou you bastard!
Ichigo leapt into the air and roared, bringing his blade down on Ginjou, who blocked.
Ichigo was flung back.
"Sheesh, you sure can dodge huh?"
"Even if I can't see with your presence and the sound you make I can easily predict your movements!"
"Presence and sound huh? "
Ichigo took a blade to his right shoulder.
"You should be able to dodge it, right? Presence and sound… what a load of horseshit."
He forced Ichigo down and cut through his torso.
"GRAAAHHH!"
"Ichigo! Get up! C'mon, do that thing where you pull something out of nowhere and survive! Don't you DARE let us die here!"
"I'm done. It's time for Chad and Orihime to die."
Ichigo's eyes widened.
"Don't tell me you didn't expect it. You should have seen it coming, since I'm not a comrade. Don't worry, I'll kill you too."
'I can't use my voice… I can't see… Wait… Ginjou… WAIT!'
Suddenly he saw a glowing figure.
'Wait… I'm not seeing his physical form… that's his… that's his Spirit Energy!'
Ichigo felt power erupt from his Combat pass and let out a roar as a white substance engulfed his body.
'This is… I know this feeling… Hollowfication…!'
"GINJOUUUUUUUUU!"
Ginjou grabbed Ichigo's right hand and held it down.
"I'm proud of you; it's complete. The moment a Fullbring is completed somebody has to stay close and control the outburst of energy by putting their own life on the line. The soul that was until then surprised inside the base tool releases itself, and the torrent of energy can ruin the user's body. That's why I needed you to complete your Fullbring where I could see you. Sorry man. I make a hell of a Clichéd villain. Welcome to Xcution."
After some more days of intense training, Ginjou explained the training he'd given Ichigo and tossed him his combat pass.
Ichigo caught it.
"Try it. Your Fullbring should be truly complete."
Ichigo felt the sensation of "hollowfication" from before engulf him and looked down at himself.
He felt something covering the entire lower half of his face; a bony jaw.
He looked down at the item in his hand and gripped it before a blade and handle erupted from it. He slid it into his back and the item changed completely.
"Sure is something… I almost mistook you for someone else."
"Ginjou?"
"Come to think of it, your Fullbring needs a name too."
"Why hello Ichigo. It's been a while."
"Holy… Ichigo… Don't do anything stupid partner. Nothing. Stupid."
Tsukishima was sitting in front of him, and his sisters were acting as if they'd known him forever.
Ichigo's sisters continued talking to him.
Zangetsu regretted he couldn't take control anymore as Ichigo rushed forward and grabbed the man by his collar.
"Bastard… what are you doing here?!"
His sisters grabbed onto him and pulled back, demanding he let the man go.
"What did you do to my sisters!?"
"It's okay you two," comforted the man "Ichigo is a serious guy. He's just angry because I'm still here even though it's late."
"ANSWER ME!"
There was a knocking.
"Yuzu, will you? I think it's Keigo and the others."
Ichigo's eyes widened even more.
"Maybe I should call Chad and Orihime as well."
Ichigo threw the man into a nearby window and was instantly barraged by his friends.
Ichigo panicked and ran off.
After another encounter he continued running.
"What the hell is happening?! I want someone in their right mind!"
He heard footsteps behind him and saw Ginjou, stopping.
"Ginjou!"
"They fell for it! Riruka… And Kutsuzawa… and Yukio… and Jackie… They all fell in Tsukishima's trap!"
Ichigo's eyes went wide again.
Zangetsu felt Ichigo reaching for his power in a more dangerous way than his Fullbring.
"Ichigo calm down! If you get any more worked up now you'll lose yourself again, and this time I won't be able to bring you back! Understand?!"
Ichigo calmed himself slightly at Zangetsu's demands and he and Ginjou ran off to yet another hideout.
"We should be fine here for a while. I prepared it in case Tsukishima was able to find all the other hideouts. Actually not only him, but the others don't know about this place either."
"Damn… why did this happen?! WHY!?"
"Ichigo…"
Ichigo grabbed Ginjou's shirt.
"This is your fault! All this happened because you involved me!"
"Yeah… You're right. I'm sorry."
'Damn…"
Ichigo let him go.
"I know you just lent me a hand… it's not your fault!"
"It's no one's fault. You shouldn't blame yourself either."
"Right before attacking me, Yukio and the others said this: 'it's about time you remembered too.'"
"Remembered? What does that mean?"
"Judging from what Chad said I thought Tsukishima's ability was to 'confuse people's memories'. But from the way they were talking they didn't sound confused; it was more like they finally remembered and their mind was clear. I think that Tsukishima's ability is to manipulate the past. The 'Book of End' uses a bookmark, but if that's a new ability born from the 'Book of End' then it also matches the previous shape of a 'bookmark'. He's able to insert himself into the past of the people he cuts."
"Is that even… Is that even possible…?"
"I don't know, but you also heard what the people he 'stole' said; they weren't talking about 'trusting' or 'not trusting' him; according to them he had always been there. Somewhere in their past, whether as family a friend or a lover they were people deeply attached to him. They aren't confused nor did they lose their memories. This is just their 'new past'. It's not like in fairy tales, where if you cry their memories will come back. To them it's us who are insane."
Ichigo clenched his fists.
"Will everything go back to normal if I kill Tsukishima?"
"Nothing guarantees that. They might just think we're murderers and hate us. They might just keep thinking that we're insane. Still… the only way to sever those bonds is to kill him, regardless of whether things go back or not. Can you do it? Can you really kill him even if you don't know what'll happen after?"
"What an unpleasant discussion."
Yukio walked around the corner.
"How did you…?!"
"Why? What are you saying? It's always like this."
A little pixelated thing flew over to Yukio's gaming device.
"We made it so that even when we are part we are able to know where each other is."
"…!"
"As I thought, you aren't in your right mind. Come on; we aren't angry with you. We feel sorry for you really. It's okay; when we get back, you'll be fixed."
The two were lead to a mansion.
The door opened to reveal Tsukishima.
"Hello there."
Ichigo grabbed his pass and charged, but Ginjou grabbed his arm.
"Wait; if his ability is as we think then one strike and you're finished."
"Please relax, I am unarmed. I don't want to fight you; let's talk inside."
"As if I'm gonna enter a house that might have traps somewhere."
"I hope you're joking; if I had wanted you to fall into some trap I would have laid them in the forest."
"It's as he said," confirmed Yukio. "Just enter."
Suddenly he was swarmed by calls for him to "apologize" to Tsukishima.
Ichigo couldn't handle it and broke into a sprint past all of them deeper into the mansion.
He ran up some stairs and into a room… where the other Fullbringers waited.
"You seem to be doing fine," said the man in the eye patch.
"More than enough I see," said a voice behind Ichigo.
He instantly broke away and put distance between him and Tsukishima.
"What? I thought you hated me, but maybe I was mistaken. You even came all the way here just to be with us. Let's see-!"
There was an explosion behind him.
"I destroyed the stairs. No one except Yukio will be able to come up here," said Ginjou, sword on his shoulder. "So… Now we don't have to hold back anymore. Fight all out, Ichigo!"
Ichigo called forth his Fullbring and let out a roar of anger, the jaw covering his face opening at the hinge as well.
Tsukishima tried to bring his blade up but Ichigo was too fast, launching past him, hitting the wall, then launching back, slicing off one of the man's arm.
"So that's your Fullbring? You got quite better in this short time!"
"I'm used to having hollow powers by now. If you've got anything else smart to say, say it now, cause I came here to kill you."
Suddenly the wall nearby exploded, revealing Chad and Orihime.
"Chad…Orihime…"
Orihime proceeded to heal Tsukishima's arm.
"Ichigo… why are you doing this?" Asked Chad.
"Ichigo… he's the one who helped you save Rukia and defeat Aizen…" said Orihime.
"It's all thanks to him, isn't it?" asked Chad.
"Do you understand now, Ichigo?"
Tsukishima was behind Ichigo, who turned and swung his blade, but was sent through the wall nearby.
"In Sci-Fi novels sometimes people go back to the past and make the future take a different turn. If you tamper with something, it's usually the future that changes. That is because time flows from the past towards the future. However, my 'Book of End' is able to make people's past take a different turn. The reason this is possible is that my ability doesn't control time or memories, it makes me able to actually insert my own self inside people's pas in any way I wish."
"So what Ginjou guessed is the truth…"
"Ginjou guessed my ability? I underestimated him. I thought he was dumber than that. Anyway I guess it's sad, but I want you to understand. The past you experienced and the past they experienced are two different things."
"Stop talking in such a roundabout way. Just say things how they are; "with your ability you turned their past into something different."."
"That is not correct; It wasn't 'turned into something different'. All of them, except for you, have spent their life so far with me. You're the only one who is living a wrong past. Don't you feel sad, being the only one? But do not worry. I will make sure that your feelings disappear altogether."
Ichigo roared and charged, bringing his blade at the man… only to have it blocked by a shield.
"Orihime…!"
Ichigo barely turned to block a punch from chad.
"Why Ichigo?! I didn't get stronger for this… I didn't get stronger to hurt you!"
"Wait Chad! I also-!"
"Brazo Izquierda Del Diablo."
Ichigo took the blow.
"Why… why did everything get like this?! I wanted to protect you… how could this happen?! I… I… For what purpose did I get my power back?!"
Tsukishima appeared in front of Ichigo.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
The two crossed swords.
"Are you so overwhelmed with rage that the words won't come out?"
Ichigo kicked the man in the side before bringing his blade back.
"GETSUGA…"
He swung and a blast of white and red energy fired forward.
"TENSHO!"
It was a blur as it hit Tsukishima.
"It's over for me… Let's finish this up, shall we?'
Ichigo charged… but was blocked by Chad.
"Why did you guys…? Stop it already… Chad…Orihime…"
"That's my line," said Chad. "Give it a rest already, Ichigo."
"Why can't you understand I don't want to fight with you guys…?"
Ichigo growled.
"TSUKISHIMA! STOP HIDING BEHIND MY FRIENDS! GET OUT HERE AND FIGHT ME!"
Suddenly Ichigo felt the man behind him.
'Shit!'
Ginjou took the blow.
"GINJOU!"
Ichigo dove down and caught the man.
"Ginjou!"
"Shut up… Didn't I tell you… if you got cut from behind by him… it's all over?"
Ichigo barely blocked a strike.
"You okay Ginjou?"
"No idea. I just know that I still perceive him as my enemy, and I see you as my friend."
"I see… That's good…"
"I don't understand why Tsukishima's power didn't work. I don't know if it's because it takes longer for some people or if he purposely didn't use it for some reason. Either way if you don't defeat him right now you won't be able to do much after his power starts working!"
"Yeah…"
Footsteps behind him.
"Kurosaki…"
"Uryuu…?"
Uryuu drew his bow.
"I knew it... you're on his side too…"
"Ichigo. Come here. I already checked downstairs. Don't worry; I'm on your side."
"As if…"
"What are you doing? Hurry up, Ichigo."
"Uryuu…"
"Ichigo! Don't you get it?! The one who cut me is the guy standing right behind you!"
Ichigo and Uryuu were both cut down by Ginjou and Tsukishima.
"Ginjou… why…?!"
"So… Tsukishima's power worked after all… Yeah. It worked indeed. But don't get me wrong; I didn't become your enemy because Tsukishima cut me. I made Tsukishima cut me twice to go back to my original self."
The man pointed his blade at Ichigo.
"I'm taking your Fullbring."
He pierced Ichigo's chest and the white substance flowed into the blade and off of Ichigo.
'No…'
The pass clacked to the ground.
"Oh-ho…. Here it comes…." Said Ginjou eagerly.
'I thought I found a way I could protect my friends with my own strength… '
He knew this feeling.
Despair.
Tears hit the ground and a shower began to fall.
"Is he crying? I Feel so horrible," said Tsukishima.
"Let him cry. We've no use for him anymore. It's unlikely we'll ever meet him again."
Ichigo's hands curled up into fists.
"Give it back…" He growled.
"What? You're joking, right?" scoffed Ginjou.
"That's my power! GIVE IT BACK!" Ichigo yelled.
"I'm sparing your life. The least you could do is thank me," said Ginjou.
"GINJ-!"
Ichigo stopped his furious charge as he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
He looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened with terror.
"D…Dad? Urahara…?"
He gripped the blade in his chest.
"So… That's it huh… You too dad?"
"You idiot," Isshin replied. "I wasn't the one who stabbed you. Look closer; you should be able to see who's really holding that sword."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes as a blurred figure came into focus. Slowly it began to become clearer.
"Rukia…!"
The sword burst into light.
A burst of power stirred up wind around Ichigo, causing Ginjou and Tsukishima to turn around.
Ichigo felt the familiar weight of his sword on his shoulder as well as the solid mass of a white mask over his face. However, it now extended over his head. This was his full mask, he realized.
"I hope you like the improvements partner."
Ichigo looked at his blade. It was different in shape, more like a strange curved blade than a knife. He noticed some strange stripes on his arms as well in an X shape.
'Not bad. What's the deal with the stuff on my arm?'
"Leftovers from your Fullbring, partner."
Ichigo let out a grunt of acknowledgement and turned to Ginjou and Tsukishima for a moment, frowning.
He then looked back at Rukia and gave a light smile under his mask.
"Rukia."
She smiled back.
"It's been a while, hasn't it Ichigo?"
"Yeah. You've gotten quite stur-!"
He took a kick to the head.
"I haven't you fool! You were weeping like a weakling! How come as soon as I stop watching you, you become a coward?! How shameful!"
Ichigo growled and was about to retort when he noticed a somber expression on Rukia's face.
"…Urahara told me about Tsukishima's powers. His ability to rewrite the past of others is no doubt a dreadful ability. So what though? He may be able to change the past, but he cannot change your future! You will just have to create the bonds you've lost again!"
Ichigo's eyes widened a bit.
"Am I wrong, Ichigo?!"
"He didn't change my past, Rukia" Ichigo stated matter-of-factly.
"Don't interrupt me like that!" Rukia yelled, slashing at Ichigo with the glowing sword.
Ichigo barely leaned out of the way in time.
"Hey are you trying to take my head off or something?!"
"This sword has no blade you fool!" she continued before her features softened. "This is a special sword Urahara made for you. Thanks to this, I was able to transfer soul reaper powers into you again."
"Cut the bullcrap," said Ginjou. "He might look like a soul reaper now, but he can't have his powers back. Besides, look at that mask. It's clearly a hollow's. Whatever power he has definitely isn't that of a soul reaper. The first time you transferred your powers to him, he already had his own. Now he's got nothing! I took em' from him completely! So how can one person's power bring it all back?"
"You talk too damn much."
This voice was most definitely not Ichigo's, not completely.
"Zangetsu…?" Rukia questioned.
"Hey there, Rukia. Long time no see. Nice trinket there on your arm; you're a lieutenant now huh?"
"Yes, I'm glad you noticed at least," she said with a frown.
"Ichigo's a bit on the dense side. He probably couldn't work out what that even meant. Unlike him, I've been paying attention to the little details. So…"
Zangetsu turned back to Ginjou with a broad smirk.
"I know it wasn't just one person's power that brought me back. Isn't that right…"
A massive rift opened in the sky and revealed a number of soul reapers.
"Soul reapers?"
Renji frowned but nodded.
"Of course." He grinned at Ginjou. "We all put our spiritual power into that sword. There's no way we couldn't bring back Ichigo's power!"
'Renji… Byakuya… Kenpachi… all of them…!' Ichigo realized, feeling their power flowing through him and the sword Rukia held from his metaphorical passenger seat.
"Heh. You took that fullbring garbage, Ginjou. That was just the surface of our power."
Ginjou's face was a confident smirk.
"Oh I see, you don't believe me. Oh well, your funeral pal."
Zangetsu swung his blade in tandem with Ichigo, the two working as one, and sending a wave of power out.
Ginjou's eyes widened as the burst of condensed air smashed into him.
His face broke into a grin when the smoke cleared, himself barely singed.
"Hahaha! Your Getsuga Tenshou might be stronger now, but it's still not enough! You can't kill me with that!"
Zangetsu started to laugh before breaking into a mad cackle.
"What's so funny? I just took your strongest technique."
The laughter slowly stopped.
"You thought that was Getsuga Tensho? That wasn't shit. That was just the pressure from us swingin' our sword pal."
Zangetsu could feel Ichigo's silent fury building.
"You've got Ichigo pretty damn pissed off pal. I'm gonna let him do the honors."
Ichigo was put back in control and a flurry of spiritual pressure exploded from him.
"What…. What's this spiritual pressure?!" asked a very surprised Ginjou.
"Getsuga…. Tensho."
Ichigo unleashed the attack and a red and white wave came screaming out of his blade right at the Fullbringer.
The attack went over his head and blew the entire second floor off of the house.
"Sorry… I missed. Next time I won't."
Ginjou turned tail and tried to run, but Ichigo vanished in a blur and grabbed his shoulder.
"Trying to run? I didn't take you for a coward Ginjou. Too bad though; I'm not letting you run away."
Ichigo threw the fullbringer away into the distance.
Ichigo pulled back his massive blade and fired another attack without a word.
Ginjou's eyes widened.
END CHAPTER 14
A/N: Sorry about the long, unannounced hiatus. There's a few reasons. First was I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go; I have an entirely different chapter 14 saved on my computer that ends much, much differently. I might upload that as a separate story at some point as an alternate ending or take htat and run with it into something else. Next issue, both my computers stopped working at the end of last year. Couldn't work on something I couldn't access. Third, I'm a full time college student now. 15 hours of classes, no time for writing until now since the semester's ending and I've got a bit of free time without a ton of papers to write. Fourth, I lost the drive to write. I let my own biases convince me that writing fanfiction is stupid and something kids in high school do with terrible ocs (not entirely untrue, look at my older stuff). I forgot how much fun it was, it's really been helpful in de-stressing me with these finals coming up in college. So yeah, with summer around the bend I'll be trying to update this regularly. Unrelated to Bleach, I'm intending on doing a rewrite of Project EVE at some point because I'm dissatisfied with the original version; I wrote it when I was in high school and I feel it's in need of a rework. Also kicking around a few plot threads for a Fallout 3/Fallout 4 crossover fic with those characters, but no promises.