Oh My Kichigai!
By Uchiha Xairylle

Chapter Twenty-Five: Kurosaki Ichigo

Kurosaki Ichigo.

Who was that?

Oh, right that was him.

Ichigo held back from fidgeting as he sat. Being called something that "was not included in the plans" was rather disturbing though he did not take any offense from it. He slightly closed his eyes and breathed in, making sure there was enough oxygen to his brain so as he would not throw his self out the window after another shocking revelation. He was still shaking from everything and he noticed that his sweat somewhat felt cold and dry. He should apologize to Zangetsu later and see if his inner world did not look like a bombed Nagasaki or Hiroshima. Ichigo opened his eyes slowly and found everyone looking at him as if to ask, "Are you ready?"

Wow. He did not know they cared about his next outburst.

"Okay." Ichigo nodded, "So this is the part where you tell me how I became a Vaizard, right?"
"Wrong." Isshin waved a finger at Ichigo, "This is the part we tell you that you're not a Vaizard."

"The Vaizards were an aftereffect from the Key's creation." Yoruichi said a bit lazily, "Fragments of fused reiatsu scattered, creating the Vaizards. So put it simply, being a Vaizard is just a fragment of you, Ichigo."

"What am I, then? Why do I have a mask like them?"

"What about the things you don't share with them?" Urahara asked as he wafted his fan slightly, "Like for example, they are able to wear their masks and call out Zanpakutou from their normal form at will while you have to proceed to Shinigami form to call out your mask?"

"Because…" Ichigo paused, "I… haven't developed yet?"
"Correct." Urahara nodded, "But that does not mean you are the same as them. Did they mention the need for any development regarding the state in which you pull out your mask?"
"No… But, well, Hiyori trains me so…"
"Do any of them have a Shinigami form like you do?"
"N-no…"

"Wait." Uryuu cut in, "The Vaizards were created with the Key. That was more than two thousand years ago. Are you saying it can be inherited? Wouldn't that cancel out the fact that no one is born Shinigami, which is one side of being a Vaizard?"

"You can not inherit your Shinigami form You can not inherit Zanpakutou." Urahara leaned forward after closing his fan, "But, again, Quincy, what makes Shinigami special?"

"Zanpakutou… Born with Zanpakutou…" Uryuu was speaking aloud to himself, "Then you mean the ability to call out Zanpakutou… can be passed on?"

Urahara did not respond but only smiled and straightened. Uryuu blinked with perplexed eyes behind his glasses but did not say anything more. Ryuken was looking at his son who was now looking so interested in the complicated turn-out of events.

"So Ichigo was also a white butterfly like his son?" Chad asked and Ichigo gasped.
"You weren't just a white butterfly Ichigo." Isshin replied and seeing him in Shinigami robes reminded Ichigo of Yamamoto-ojisama, making Ichigo feel like he needed more air.
"Not just a white butterfly?" Ichigo asked.
"You were a butterfly with four wings."

Ichigo's eyes widened, "I was a what?"

"A butterfly with four wings." Ryuken repeated, somehow irritated.

"A pair of black wings and a pair of white wings. One pair seemed to work independently from the other." Isshin recounted, ignoring or not noticing the tone Ryuken was striking, "Those wings… I've never seen anything like it, Ichigo. They moved independently and phased through one another like pure light trying to materialize."

"So…" Ichigo said, looking at Rukia as both of them reminisced on their Shiro Chou-rearing days, "I fed on reiatsu, huh?"
"You fed on Masaki's reiatsu." Isshin said, "You never fed on mine, you ingrate of a son."
"What?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow.
"This is probably why you were so attached to your mother!"

"Which is why it became a problem." Urahara cut in, "We weren't expecting the host to bear a child while housing the Key and the Hougyoku. It created a complication since both those things fed on reiatsu so we expected Ichigo to be absorbed by it as well."

"But the opposite happened. Instead of feeding on you, it fed you."
"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"I mean…" Urahara cleared his throat, "You fed on the reiatsu of your mother, the reiatsu manipulated by the Hougyoku and the reiatsu given off by the King's Key. You fed on a myriad of things, a myriad of people and a myriad of entities. That alone is a complication."

"Com… plication?" Uryuu blinked at Ichigo.

"Remember how much reiatsu was in Masaki's body." Yoruichi replied as she waved a finger seriously at them, "Her reiatsu, Isshin's reiatsu, Ryuken's reiatsu, all the reiatsu eaten and manipulated by the Hougyoku and all the reiatsu from the King's Key. Think. What made up the King's Key to begin with?"

"A hundred—" Orihime began.

"The first batch of the Gotei 13." Uryuu cut whatever Orihime was going to say. He did not intend to offend her or anything but he was too overwhelmed by what he found out that he had to share it. And he was unable to stop himself from gasping when he saw Yoruichi nodding in approval.

"Not only that." Rukia was telling everyone as she looked with her wide, surprised eyes at Ichigo, "… but the King's reiatsu as well."

That did it.

Ichigo had fallen back from his sitting position and if he had not supported himself with his arm on the floor, he would've been lying on his back. His eyes were wide and his vision danced upon the people in the room. All of them were looking at him as if he were something else. He was not used to being looked at like this and he shook his head slowly until he was gradually gaining vigor and his head was shaking strongly though his face sported more of disbelief than denial.

"It's true." Ryuken began to speak much to Ichigo's dismay, "Ichigo exists as everything at the same time and not just partial mixes to form one entity. He is anything and everything from that Key."

"What are you talking about? Then it is possible for him to use a Quincy bow?" Uryuu was raising an eyebrow at his father.
"That is possible." Ryuken nodded, "I gave him reiatsu after all."
"Hahaha!" Isshin tapped his leg, "A Zanpakutou-wielding Quincy!"
"OH, HELL NO!" Ichigo and Uryuu yelled in protest.

No one wanted to imagine it — Ichigo with a blue bow as he wore Ishida's white Quincy garb. Ishida wanted to hang himself. Kurosaki Ichigo was part Quincy? The world was rigged and screwed! Ichigo, on the other hand, felt like he was forced to join the handicrafts club. Ichigo and Uryuu stared at each other, exchanging glances of disbelief as their thoughts ran around their heads like ghosts devoid of meaning.

"Wait a minute!" Uryuu turned to his father as he pointed, "The friend's kid I was supposed to marry back then… You… You don't mean…"
"Pops!" Ichigo looked at his father and pointed at Uryuu, "H-he… He… Don't tell me…"
"Well, I did tell you we both had sons." Ryuken shrugged and Isshin nodded.

Both sons' mouths flung open and eyes widened as they started to look at each other and both cringed visibly. Orihime bit her lip and Rukia was raising an eyebrow at her father-in-law who shrugged with a smile. Chad was chuckling to himself but no one seemed to have noticed.

"Good god, you nearly married me off with a Shinigami!?" Uryuu was close to pulling his hair.
"He's not Shinigami." Ryuken replied, "And he's part Quincy."
"I wouldn't want to be married to a female version of him!" Uryuu pointed at Ichigo.
"Well, I wouldn't want to be married to a female version of you either!" Ichigo pointed back at Uryuu.
"But the off-springs would really be so interesting, it'd drive Mayuri nuts." Urahara chuckled under his fan and Chad snorted to stifle a laugh.
"You can't breed us like specimen, you bastards!" Ichigo stomped a foot on the table, "I can't believe this!"
"This is insane! I was almost married to the worst part Quincy ever!" Uryuu had turned around and shook his head.
"Hey, what do you mean worst!" Ichigo complained, "You haven't even seen me try to use your stupid little bow yet!"

"Which is exactly why you're the worst! You're the only Quincy who can't use a bow!" Uryuu burst out, somewhat flailing his arms as he turned towards Ichigo, "And darn it, I sincerely hope you did not mean that comment about the stupid little bow!"

"Well, I do!"
"I don't have a stupid bow! And it's not small either!"

Orihime gasped. Rukia slapped her forehead. The statement had no implication whatsoever but Orihime probably saw it in another way.

"It is stupid that's why I don't use it!"
"Hah! You couldn't even if your life depended on it, Quincy wanna-be!"

"Ichigo probably can't manipulate his Quincy powers because it requires quite a level of controlling reiatsu, which he totally lacks." Yoruichi stretched her legs and yawned as if complaining from the off-topic ruckus Ichigo and Uryuu were babbling about, "After all, controlling a variation of reiatsu is not humdrum."

"So… the number of the kinds of reiatsu in his body…" Rukia muttered, "… Is the reason why he can not control reiatsu properly? It's because they ironically coexist independently in his body?"

"Exactly."

All the information was forcing itself Ichigo's head that felt like bursting. All of those were him…? Then he was human, Shinigami, Hollow, heck, even Quincy.

He was existing as everything at the same time…?

How?

What the hell was he, then?

"Ichigo." Rukia began when Ichigo had stopped moving his head and closed his eyes. He had inched away slightly as he tried to sit up, a hand flying to his head and tapping it to make sure that he was still sane. He was breathing heavily again and he didn't like it. Rukia was crawling towards him. For some reason, he scooted away as he saw her hand draw closer. She looked at him to say something but Orihime's question cut whatever it was that was going on in their heads.

"Wait, Urahara-san, what happened to the key?"

"Well…" Urahara inched back to find some comfortable position, "Just like how it was with Ichigo's son, there was a rain of Adjuchas from the sky and we were worried about the news reaching Soul Society. At such an incomplete stage, Ichigo was able to defend himself and his mother."

"Negation?" Rukia asked as she helped Ichigo sit up.
"No." Yoruichi muttered, "Remember, the Shiro Chou has the same reiatsu and abilities as the one it feeds on…"
"I don't understaaaand…" Orihime was scratching her head.

"Ichigo transported him and his mother into another dimension." Urahara said. There was a gasp across the room and then heavy silence. Amidst the hush in the room, it seemed as though thoughts were shouting. Eyes poured out every question, every emotion and every word.

"He…" Rukia was the first to speak, "…Took her to the King?"

"That we do not know." Isshin sighed and then glared at Ryuken who was about to take out a cigarette before continuing, "Even Masaki did not know since she was unconscious the whole time."

"Wait, does this mean Ichigo is a Key?" Chad asked again.

"Not necessarily." Urahara replied, "Ichigo was only able to use this ability because he was feeding on the Key. Now, he would have to learn it before he could do it."

"But it is possible?"
"We don't know." Urahara shrugged.
"So where is the Key?" Uryuu crossed his arms, "We're straying away into more complicated things."

"As of now, only the Commander General knows where the Key is." Yoruichi replied as she looked at Ichigo, "When Ichigo returned with Masaki, he was no longer a butterfly. He was a human baby in her womb."

"It's a theory that as Ichigo fed on the Key, it, in turn, fed on his growth rate." Urahara added thoughtfully, "Which means the remaining time for the Key to reach completion was equal to the time Ichigo needed to develop."

"And since he was now developing as a human child…" Ryuken muttered as he looked at the cigarette in his finger, "… It only took the Key nine months to complete itself. As soon as Ichigo was born, the Key materialized and disappeared."

"Where did it go?" Orihime asked.
"Only the Commander General knows." Isshin answered, "But still, that posed a problem."

Everyone groaned.

"What is it now?" Ichigo sighed heavily in complaint.

"The Key was completed earlier than expected so what it was supposed to absorb was not absorbed." Urahara continued as he sighed as well, "And so we were left with a very dangerous Hougyoku."

"At first, it was supposed to remain in Masaki's gigai so that she could eventually be a normal human but we had to postpone it for several years since her soul still had to recover from everything but just as when we had infused her with the Hougyoku once again..."

Urahara paused. Isshin sighed.

"She died."

Ichigo bit his lip to stop himself from gasping. Rukia could feel the definite tightening of his fingers around her arm. She looked at him and his wavering eyes and she reached for his hand to offer comfort, which was more than just welcome. It was strange how he could determine her touch from someone else's. As soon as he felt her skin against his, he held her hand and squeezed it. He knew it would hurt her a bit but he also knew that Rukia would not like it if he did not show her any reaction at all.

Ichigo could hide things from everyone but not her. Ever since that night when he decided to reveal and give his whole self to her, he was not able to hide anything more.

"Before Masaki died, she was able to separate herself from the Hougyoku and Ichigo, for some reason, absorbed it in his soul."

Ichigo thought back. The sea, the child… And then his dead mother.

Everything in between was nothing else but pitch black.

"I don't remember…" Ichigo shook his head.

"Your mother had probably instructed you to run and keep the Hougyoku.." Isshin muttered to Ichigo, "In your dazed state, instinct must have kicked in and the ability you have earned from the Key and the Hougyoku allowed you to absorb it but not condense it. Upon checking, I found out that your mother used the Memory Chikan on you like she always did whenever necessary…"

"Wait, shouldn't he have a memory replacement, then?" Rukia asked, "It's supposed to take out a random memory from the person and replace it with what their mind is able to handle, right?"
"Right but Ichigo did not want to remember at all." Isshin told her, "And it cancelled out the replacement and left the boy with a broken memory."
"So that explains why I don't remember…" Ichigo muttered to himself before sighing.

"Going back on topic, it was supposed to have solved the problem." Urahara continued, suppressing a yawn between words, "But then again, something unexpected happened."

Urahara turned his gaze at both Rukia and Ichigo.

"Kurosaki Ichigo met Kuchiki Rukia."

No one was speaking and Rukia swallowed. Somehow, it felt different being referred to as "Kuchiki Rukia" once again.

"And that night when he became a Shinigami by absorbing her powers, he unknowingly transferred the Hougyoku into her soul."

"WHAT!" Ichigo got up violently, "Didn't you like embed it in her when you gave her the gigai!"

"Actually, no." Urahara shook his head and began to fan himself, "You were keeping the Hougyoku. You embedded it in her soul in exchange for her Shinigami powers… Probably an act of instinct in taking something and giving something else in return."

"That doesn't make sense!" Rukia shook her head, "Ichigo does not have the ability to pass on anything."
"Does he?" Urahara chuckled, "How are we so sure? Remember how shocked you were when he drained out all your Shinigami powers when you only planned to share it with him?"

"But you said it yourself! The Hougyoku was in the gigai you created!" Ichigo pointed at Urahara, "You even apologized, you ass!"
"SHUT UP AND THINK, BOY!" Isshin aimed a kick at Ichigo who dodged.
"No, you shut it, old man!"

"Look here, if Urahara had created the Hougyoku fifty years prior to your meeting with Rukia, don't you think he would've come up with a way to hide the Hougyoku rather than wait for a random Shinigami to lose her powers?"

Ichigo paused.

"It's because someone else was keeping the Hougyoku! That person was Masaki and then you!" Isshin pointed with much drama at him, "But then you passed it on to Rukia, creating another complication!"

Ichigo was now feeling sick. First, he was the cause of his mother's death. Now, he was the cause of his wife's near-death experience a decade ago! Was he bound to be blamed for everything or was the world revolving around him and he did not know it?

But somehow it made sense. After all, it wouldn't be just coincidence that Urahara was passing by the street where Rukia was. And come to think of it, Aizen did take the Hougyoku out of Rukia's soul and not her gigai.

"So…" Yoruichi said as Ichigo and Isshin went back to sitting, "Urahara found Rukia and offered her a gigai to fuse her soul with the Hougyoku. Everything that comes after that is history."

Everyone released a sigh of relief. It was only then that they realized how much they've been holding their breaths. The ride was over. The book was closed. The story had reached its end.

"But ten years after, we have another complication." Urahara smiled and everyone else groaned.
"What is it now?" Ichigo complained.
"It's not a what. It's a who." Urahara was still smiling, "The complication has a name…"

Ichigo gulped, knowing very well who Urahara was talking about.

"My son?"

Urahara nodded.

Hell, no. First, his mother. The, his wife. And now his son? Ichigo just knew it was his fault again. He was now beginning to feel cold and numb and his senses were starting not to work.

"Ichigo."

Rukia's voice.

Who was Ichigo again?

Right. Him.

"Ichigo."

Ichigo.

He looked up. Rukia was looking at him. Ichigo did not move. There was another voice that was talking in his head. Something was gripping his consciousness, trying to drag it some place else. It was hard fighting it since Ichigo's state of mind was not necessarily firm at the moment.

"Ich—"

The rest of his name did not reach him as he fell unconscious on the floor.

Ichigo.

He woke up.

Oh.

"Old man Zangetsu…" Ichigo said as the embodiment of his sword towered before him.

"I have something to tell you."

Ichigo released a sigh.

"Yeah? I kind of figured."

- End of Chapter 25 -

Author: I am begging for a per-chapter review… -puppy dog eyes-

Aaaah! Sorry for the delay! This would've been up earlier but I am sick. Hospitals suck. I'm sorry. I am recuperating as I type this down and the computer I am using does not have any internet connection whatsoever and I have to ask someone else to update the fic for me so if there is something wrong with the formatting, please bear with me. The guy I'm asking to upload this is not really that techie. I have to write down the instructions. –cringes- He's my only choice. Sorry.

But, yeah, I have a personal secretary at least for now. Haha. Yay? The IM's, the PM's, the e-mails and the reviews still make their way to me. Yeah, I read them. I'm typing the replies as I go through with this.

Tagalog paragraph!

Aaaah! Ang daming message tungkol kay Mina at kay Lando! Hindi yun tunay! Joke lang daw yun na hindi ko nagets! Tungkol siya sa dalawang bagyo! Wala po akong kinalaman sa "Pasig" by Taga-Ilog. Huhuhu…

Well, I have pictures of Yui, Ken'ichi and Ryu in my Deviant art account. The link is in my profile. Hope you likesh. It's done using MS Paint and a mouse so spare me. Hope you swing by and check it out.

I hope to get out of here soon. I MISS ALL OF YOU!! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!! I hope to make it back as soon as possible and do the Bleach Soul Shout dance once again!

Cheerios, cookies and a whole lot of Bankai love!