Bleach 515: The Last Words 2: The Truth Reveals Itself

Scene opens in the cave Ichigo is lying in. Ishida Ryuken is standing leaning against the cave wall next to Yoruichi who is still seated on the floor. He has a lit cigarette in his right hand and a pile of cigarette stubs on the floor next to him. Uryuu is kneeling next to Ichigo with a worried look across his face.

Uryuu: what do we do now?

Yoruichi: we wait. There are still too many variables, we need to see what happens next.

Uryuu: what happens next?! The whole of soul society is rubble! What is there left to happen?!

Ryuken: calm yourself down boy.

Uryuu Stands abruptly and storms towards his father. He slaps away the cigarette from his fathers face and grabs him by his jacket.

Uryuu: You train me like mad from the moment we return from Hueco Mundo and tell me nothing. You forbid me to say anything to my friends and yet tell me nothing! Soul Society comes crashing down around us and you STILL say nothing! My friend lies dying there and all you tell me is to calm down! Who the fuck do you think you are?!

Ryuken: He's not dying

Uryuu has a surprised look on his face. Ryuken removes Uryuu's hands from him and lights up another cigarette. He begin starts walking slowly towards Ichigo leaving behind a trail of smoke. Uryuu stands in shock still staring at the wall.

Uryuu: what do you mean...he's not dying?

Ryuken: If he couldn't handle the power of Ryu-Jin Jaka then he would have turned to ash there and then, the fact that he is still here means he survived.

Uryuu:...Then why is he like that?! Why is he sealed in that circle?! Just what the hell is going on?!

Yoruichi: Ryuken, I don't know why you've chosen to hide this from your son, but I think it's-

Ryuken: I know I know (sighs). I guess we have time to kill.

Ryuken turns around and looks towards his son, Uryuu has now turned around as well and is looking at his father in confusion. Uryuu drops his cigarette to the ground and tramples it with his boot.

Ryuken: To answer your first question, your friend is in the situation he is now because of you. When you disregarded my instructions not to meddle with the affairs of the shinigami and came to rescue Kuchiki rukia you set this all in motion.

Uryuu:?!


Scene changes to the inner world of Ichigo

Ichigo is standing atop a skyscraper. The sky is blue and no one is around but him.

Ichigo: ( I'm back here, I've not been here since my powers returned... I wonder where old man Zangetsu is?)

The whole of the sky suddenly turns to roaring flame, as if it had all become a wall of fire destroying any sign of the blue that had been there before.

Ichigo:!

Booming Voice: you will not find Tensa Zangetsu here Kurosaki Ichigo, do not look for him, do not fear for him, fear for your soul which is now at stake!

Ichigo:! Who is that? Where is old man Zengetsu? What have you done to him?!

Booming Voice: He is safe, but he has no place here today nor shall his opinion be taken into account. Today you will show whether you are worthy of the gifts you have been given...or perish into nothingness!

Ichigo: Show my worthiness?! Gifts? What the hell are you talking about?!

Booming Voice: Did you not think for a second that there would be a price to pay for the return of your powers!

Ichigo:!


Scene change back to the cave

Uryuu is looking at his father in complete shock.

Uryuu: I caused this?!

Yoruichi: Ryuken this-

Ryuken: If he wishes to become a man then he needs to shoulder the responsibilities too.

Uryuu: what the hell are you talkin about?! How in hell could I have caused this by going to soul society.

Ryuken: You showed the Quincy how weak the shinigami had become.

Uryuu:?!

Ryuken: when there is no fear, no need, during times of peace a societies military power naturally decreases, they stagnate. This is what has essentially been happening to soul society for over a thousand years.

Ryuken lights up another cigarette and takes a long drag.

Ryuken: The tediously slow growth of the Gotei 13 over the last thousand years can't even be noticed compared to the rest of the world. Surely you noticed this...how was it that you were able to defeat a captain, that Ichigo Kurosaki got as far as he did when you went after kuchiki Rukia yet when they fought Aizen any given one could have defeated you easily...do you think you could have defeated Kurotsuchi mayuri when you were in Hueco Mundo?

Uryuu:...

Ryuken: That drastic need, that immediate and impending threat developed their skills in such a short time. Even when you fought the captains none of them had a killing intent which shows the change peace has brought upon them. A thousand years ago you would have been mercilessly slain without even knowing who had cut you down. Such questions as who, what, why had no meaning back then.

Uryuu: but what has their decline got to do with us?!

Ryuken: because no one had dared to challenge them until you came along! You showed the world how weak they had actually become, no one was willing to risk annihilation before to even attempt it. Yes eventually this fight may have happened somewhere down the line but it was your actions that made it happen now and so fast.

Uryu:...

Ryuken: the only reason it has taken this long for them to come out of the woodwork is most likely because they wanted to see what Aizen could accomplish. If he managed to destroy soul society and the zero squad he would have done their job for them.

Uryuu:...

Yoruichi: I think i should tell him the rest Ryuken, you need to focus on Ichigo.

Ryuken: hmph, sure if you want to school the boy.

Uryuu: why exactly have you been feeding him spiritual energy if he's not dying?

Yoruichi: to keep his energy up, he's going to have a tough time as it is.

Ryuken: and if he doesn't manage to overcome his trial, this seal will turn him to ash.

Uryuu: what?!-

Yoruichi: listen Uryuu, you need to first know how all this started, how the Quincy were betrayed by the shinigami.

Uryuu:!?


Scene change to 2 days ago back in the captain commanders chambers with Ukitake, kyoraku, Mayuri and the captain commander.

Mayuri: my experiments led me to certain revelations, at the request of the captain comander I halted them but had to be made privy as to why.

Yamamoto: Ever since it's creation all shinigami of the Gotei 13 have known the effect Quincy have on on the balance. They were to be monitored and were not to be allowed to actively seek and destroy hollows.

Ukitake: yes, until they decided to revolt and actively chose to oppose us-

Mayuri: leading to their annihilation.

Yamamoto: what has not been recorded is why after centuries of adhering to the rules they suddenly decided to revolt.


Scene change back to the cave.

Yoruichi: The Shinigami and the Quincy have a longer history than is recorded anywhere in the record books. Long before the Gotei 13 were formed the two were allies.

Uryuu:Allies?

Yoruichi: yes, warriors tend to gravitate towards each other, whether to battle against each other or alongside each other. The shinigami and Quincy both fought hollows, the shinigami fought them seeing them as monsters against which they could test out their skills and develop, the Quincy fought against them to protect the human world from their attacks, over time a camaraderie grew between them. They began to train together to hone and improve their skills and both groups prowess increased.

Uryuu:...

Ryuken: The next step eventually came when they began to share their powers to further enhance their skills. You've seen an example of this when Kuchiki Rukia shared her powers with Kurosaki Ichigo and when the Shinigami again shared their powers to allow Ichigo to regain his.

Yoruichi: Another example is how you tapped into Ichigo's power when you first met him to defeat the Menos that appeared in Karakura town.

Uryuu: but...how does this matter?!

Ryuk: The shinigami began to keep Quincy disciples. They shared power and began to train with them, the Quincy grew fast, some even awakened their own shinigami powers due to this process. The Shinigami in return got highly skilled and capable fighters to fight alongside them and due to a Quincies ability to break down spirit particles they excelled in healing which was a great asset on the battlefield.

Uryuu:...

Yoruichi: ...and then one day they almost destroyed world.


Scene change back to the Captain Commander 2 days ago.

Mayuri: The constant killing of the hollows by the Quincy eventually led to a turning point.

Kyoraku: I see, the world was almost destroyed.

Mayuri: Technically that is incorrect, the world could not have been simply destroyed by such actions.

Kyoraku/Ukitake:?!

Ukitake: what?! But-

Mayuri: what you know is incorrect, the truth is something that is not even recorded in the archives of the central 46 chambers. New souls are born all the time, old souls eventually vanish that is the nature of the universe. The imbalance caused by the destruction of hollows would not have destroyed the world...
Yamamoto: ...It would have caused all 3 worlds to merge together as one.

Kyoraku/Ukitake:!

Next Time: Bleach 516 The last words 3: The truth revealed.