Here is the next chapter. I kinda enjoyed writing this one so I hope you guys enjoy it too

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach


Chapter 14 - Revelations

Ichigo had just collapsed right in front of everybody. As expected, they all rushed to him in an attempt to wake him up. Soon it became clear that Ichigo was not gonna wake up

"Kisuke Urahara, do you know what happened to Ichigo?" Uryu asked the shopkeeper

Kisuke remained silent for a while before giving a sad sigh. "It is the result of his power." he said which drew everyone's attention. "In order to gain enough power to defeat Aizen, Ichigo used a technique that uses all of his spirit energy and reach a level that was even greater than Aizen's. The price however, is very high, for in a matter of weeks or even days, Ichigo will lose all of his powers. He won't even be able to spirits once all of his spirit energy fades away."

-Ichigo's Inner World-

Ichigo lay there, unconscious on the said of one of the skyscrapers. After some time, a very long time, he finally awoke and he found himself in his inner world. To his surprise however, it wasn't the same as last time. All the buildings were now back to beings skyscrapers and there was no sign of the ocean that remained. Even the sun was now shining brightly in his inner world

"This place... It's back to normal." Ichigo muttered and got up

"That's right. Your inner world has been slowly starting to return to normal since you acquired the final getsuga tensho." Zangetsu said from behind him which caused Ichigo to turn around. He was however surprised at what he saw. Zangetsu looked a bit younger than usual and standing next to him was White, who looked the same as the last time he saw him except his mask is now gone and only the horns remained

"You sure did take your sweet time to wake up didn't you Ichigo?" White said mockingly before giving his classic eerie laugh

This made Ichigo frown a bit. "How long have I been unconscious?" he asked

"Quite some time Ichigo. One hour and forty six minutes to be exact." Zangetsu answered him

"The others are gonna be so worried about me." Ichigo said guiltily. "I suppose there you're not gonna let me go out there and say high are you?" he asked

"Of course not." White answered with a massive grin

Zangetsu just shook his head at this before giving a more reasonable response. "It is too risky Ichigo. As you already know, your power is now surging through your body. This rise in power will take some time before you can withstand it. If you go out there right now, you will die, from your own power." Zangetsu said

Ichigo slumped down in defeat before sitting down. "You told me I shouldn't trust the soul society right?" he asked looking at White. "Why is that?"

"You sure are forgetful Ichigo. Didn't I tell you we would reveal everything from the start and now you are asking about the soul society." White mocked him

"Yes. It is time Ichigo. However, for you to understand why we told you not to trust the soul society, you will have to know everything from the very beginning of your story. So keep calm while we reveal everything to you." Zangetsu told Ichigo who just nodded

"Just a few things to note before we begin, Ichigo. First off, do not blame your father for any decisions that he made. Since your story has a lot to do with what he did, do not hold any ill will towards him as he did it to protect you. Second, when Aizen told you that he has known about you since you were born, he wasn't lying or trying to manipulate you. As a matter of fact, you wouldn't even be born if it wasn't for him, indirectly anyway. Third, when we told you how to get the final getsuga tensho you didn't need to committ to push away the soul society. All you really needed to get it, was a strong bond with us and for you to accept us." White stated before anything was said

"What? So you're saying I can actually trust them?" Ichigo got up as he asked with a bit of hope which would be shot down almost immediately

"No. Do not trust the soul society Ichigo. Never trust them. Telling you to distrust them during our last encounter was just White messing with you. I only agreed to it because it was a good opportunity for you to distance yourself from them after the whole mess." Zangetsu answered which saddened Ichigo a bit and to which White just grinned at

"Oh. Okay." Ichigo said in disappointment before sitting down again

"Don't cry Ichigo." White mocked him again. "In a few moments, you will actually realize that distancing yourself from them will be a wise decision. Now then, shall you tell it or will I?" White said the last part to Zangetsu

"I will do it. Now Ichigo." he said, getting Ichigo's attention. "Are you ready to learn the truth that has been hidden from you?" he asked

"I am." Ichigo sternly said

"Very well then. Your story began twenty years ago in Naruki City. Back then, it was a peaceful time, or so everyone thought. All of the soul reapers who were stationed in the city have been mysteriously killed. Your father, at the time, was a captain of the thirteen court guard squads and his real name is Isshin Shiba." Zangetsu said

This came at a great surprise to Ichigo. Never did he once imagine that his father was related to the woman who help him enter the seireitei in the first place. "What? Dad was part of the Shiba clan? So he knows Kukaku and the others?"

Zangetsu looked at White for a moment who simply nodded. "Yes. Your father was in fact, the head of a branch of the Shiba clan. Back to the matter at hand, when your father was told about the deaths of the soul reapers, he went on an unauthorized mission to investigate the matter himself. Soon however, he discover who was a killer. It was a hollow who's spiritual pressure would rival even the espadas. This hollow however, was not a naturally born hollow. It was created by none other than Sosuke Aizen in his research for hollowfication."

"What did you just say? Aizen created a hollow?" Ichigo asked in surprise

"I did tell you he was indirectly responsible for your birth Ichigo." White said while sharpening his claws

"Indeed. The purpose of this hollow was to find a strong soul like the visored and infect them with a hollowfication venom. The hollow found its prey in the form of your father. Isshin fought this hollow and he was overpowered. When your father attempted to use his bankai to even the playing field, he was attacked by Aizen, who had concealed himself with the surroundings using a cloak made by Kisuke and mixing some kido with it. With the wound Aizen inflicted on him, your father was unable to use his bankai."

"What do you mean by 'unable to use'? Ichigo asked

"Your father's bankai puts a massive strain on his body, at least that is until he learns more about it." White answered for him

"To be more precise, your father is unable to use his bankai if he is too injured but as White said, if you're father decides to learn more about his bankai then he won't be restricted to use it only when he is in good condition. Continuing on, even with the injury your father had, he was still able to fight the hollow on equal grounds. Eventually, the hollow gained the upper hand and would have killed him if not for the arrival of a girl who at the time, was about your age, Ichigo. This girl however was no ordinary girl. She was a quincy." Zangetsu continued on

"What? A quincy helping a soul reaper? I thought they hated soul reapers." Ichigo wondered in surprise

"Do you even understand what he means Ichigo? This girl that came to your father's aid, was none other than your mother, Masaki Kurosaki." White pointed out

This really was a massive bomb that was dropped on Ichigo. First he thought that his dad was just a complete idiot but the truth is he is a soul reaper and a former captain, and now this. Hearing that his mother was a quincy made Ichigo speechless and he looked like he just seen a ghost. "My mother... was a quincy?" Ichigo said when he finally got over his shock

"That's right. When you're mother arrived on the scene, she singled handedly defeated the hollow by inviting it to attack her before hitting with with an arrow at point blank range."

"How did she survive the attack? I thought the hollow was strong enough to nearly kill my dad?"

"Quincys have an ability called 'Blut', Ichigo and it can be used both offensively and defensively. Offensively, it is called 'Blut Arterie' and it increase the power of any attack a quincy uses while it is activated. Defensively, it is called 'Blut Vene'. This ability is rather similar to a hollow's hierro. The only significant difference is that the quincy has to consciously activate this ability while a hierro is always active."

"Yes. Using her Blut Vene, your mother was able to withstand the hollow's bite before she killed it. However, instead of simply dying, the hollow instead self destructed."

"Self destructed? Then does that mean that my mother was severely injured by this?"

"No. Your father actually protected her from the blast. After the battle, they introduced each other as a soul reaper and a quincy however they did not know each other's name yet. Isshin had to return to the soul society to give his report and Ryuken Ishida had your mother go home."

"Ryuken Ishida? Isn't he Uryu's father? How does he know mom?"

"Your mother was actually betrothed to Ryuken. Forced to be betrothed anyway."

"What?"

"To put it simply Ichigo, your mother was betrothed to Ryuken in order to preserve the pure quincy blood line. You see, there are two types of quincys, pure and mixed blood. We will tell you about them after we finish your little origin story." White said to Ichigo before looking at Zangetsu and nodding at him

"When the hollow self destructed, it actually chose your mother to be the victim of its hollowfication venom. A few days later, your mother showed signs of hollowfying and collapsed. It was also at this time that your father on another unauthorized visit in order to give his gratitude to her. However when he arrived, your mother was collapsed and Ryuken Ishida was desperately trying to find a way to save her and was also blaming your father for what had happened. Fortunately, Kisuke Urahara arrived and offered a solution. Masaki was never gonna be normal again but she can be saved. At this point your mother was already a quincy and a hollow so the only way to restore her to normal was to have a being that was the opposite to what she was: a human and a soul reaper."

"Opposite? What do you mean by that?"

"Just a simply truth about the different creatures Ichigo. Hollows are the polar opposites of humans. Where humans usually live out most of their lives through emotions, hollows do so with instinct. The being opposite to a quincy is a soul reaper."

"Indeed. This is where the power you have been weilding originated. In order to save Masaki, your father entered a special gigai created by Kisuke Urahara. This gigai would use your father's spiritual powers and suppress her hollowfication until the day that she dies."

"The day she dies? So does that mean that dad regained his powers when she died all those years ago?"

"No. He did not. For you see, Ichigo, Kisuke Urahara designed the gigai so that it would suppress someone's inner hollow. However, that was for an ordinary inner hollow. The hollow that your father fought did not die when it self destructed. Instead, it transferred its consciousness inside your mother, meaning it became from what was assumed to be an ordinary hollow into an inner hollow. Your mother, was at a great risk of dying. Even if she fought the hollow and defeated it inside her soul, she would not hollowfy and instead die."

"Why would she die instead of becoming a hollow hybrid like me and the visored?"

"Just a simple fact Ichigo. Quincys cannot undergo hollowfication. In fact, the very essence of a hollow is poison to the quincies. Unlike soul reapers who can undergo hollowfication, quincies cannot do it. Even if they wanted to they couldn't. If a quincy tries to undergo hollowfication, they will die instead."

"Yes. That is why instead of letting her fight the hollow, Kisuke Urahara opted to suppress it instead with Isshin sacrificing his soul reaper powers and became a human and soul reaper hybrid. The reason why you're father did not regain his powers when your mother died, was because at that time it was no longer inside her."

"Wait, are you saying that..."

"That's right, Ichigo. When you were conceived of, the hollow transferred itself over to you, and merged with the soul reaper powers you inherited from your father. He is your true zanpakuto. The real Zangetsu."

"Hold on a minute, if he is both my inner hollow and my zanpakuto and my mother was a quincy, then does that mean that you are..."

"That's right Ichigo. He is the manifestation of your quincy powers you inherited from your mother. As I mentioned, quincies cannot undergo hollowfication. So when I merged with your soul reaper powers and became Zangetsu, your quincy powers didn't have anywhere to go as it is not compatible with a hollow. Instead it just remained dormant deep within your soul. However, because of my massive power, being a creature that is a hybrid a high level hollow and a captain class soul reaper's power, your quincy powers gained a manifestation that is not too different from a soul reaper having a manifestation of their zanpakuto. Because of this, instead of him being the one suppressed, it was me."

"The fact of the matter is, he is not a part of me, I am a part of him. While the both of us are a part of your power, I would not have become what I am if it wasn't for his monstrous power. However, since he was still being suppressed, I decided to aid Isshin's power in suppressing him as well. What only I noticed, is that you have slowly been absorbing your father spirit energy to the point that it was very weak when he regained it."

"So you have been suppressed? I thought he was a part of you so why did you allow yourself to be suppressed? And if you were suppressed how were you so active after rescuing Rukia?" Ichigo asked the hollow

"I already told you Ichigo, all that I have done is for your benefit, even allowing myself to be suppressed was for your own good."

"It is also the reason why I was able to suppress him as well Ichigo. If he didn't want to, he could have prevented me from doing so in the first place. Since he let me do it, I decided to manipulate the spirit energy that was inside you, both your father's and your own. It was inevitable that your soul reaper powers would be awakened given who Sosuke Aizen was so I set things up so that nobody else would know about your true nature by pretending to be your zanpakuto. When you met Rukia, it is most likely just one of Aizen tricks to see if you were a soul reaper or not. The reason when Rukia lost most of her powers when she tried to give it to you, was because of your own latent power. Since you were still absorbing your father's spirit energy, you also absorbed most of hers. This addition of power is what stopped your inner hollow from surfacing during your first few weeks of being a soul reaper. When Byakuya Kuchiki severed you from Rukia's power, that was the time your hollow was finally rising from dormancy and when Kisuke Urahara put you through the shattered shaft, all it did was accelerate the process. When you finally began your hollowfication in your fight against Byakuya Kuchiki, that was the time when your father's spirit energy returned to him although it was in a very weakened state. He just assumed it was a side effect of being away from his powers for so long."

"I get it now." Ichigo said, finally understand the truth about himself but something was still left unanswered. He turned to his hollow and asked. "If you are my zanpakuto, why were you trying to destroy me before?"

"I am your zanpakuto Ichigo so I know you better than anyone. Tell me honestly, all of the things that I have taught you, would you have actually taken it to heart if I simply told it to your face?"

This effectively made Ichigo quiet. "Well I..." he began to mutter before he was cut off

"There you go. If you learned about this sooner, the first thing you would do is go to your father and yell at his face and demanding for answers. All of the things I have had you do Ichigo, was simply for you to learn how to think things through so you would not do anything reckless."

Ichigo was quiet for a moment before finally asking a question that has been bother him since he learned who his mother was. "If my mother was a quincy, then how come that hollow, Grandfisher, was able to kill her so easily?" he asked. Ichigo was not particularly sure if the hollow did it easily, but from the way it was bragging, it was a good assumption

"Shall I explain this part?" old man Zangetsu asked White

"I'll do it. He still has to hear about that part anyway." White answered before looking at Ichigo. "Ichigo, to answer this question, we will first have to tell you about why I told you not to trust the soul society otherwise this will not make much sense."

"Alright. I was just about to ask that anyway."

"Okay then. Ichigo, do you remember what that white haired captain told you when he gave you that badge? He said 'there have been other instances where substitutes have been deemed useful'. If that is the case, where are the other substitute soul reapers? Have you thought about that?"


Again kindly review. The next chapter might be delayed by a few days. I just found out that we have some stuff to do this week. However I will try my best to release the next one on my usual schedule