Notice: I own this fanfic, not the franchise.

Chapter 13: Heritage

"Well...I wanted to say this to you in private, but..." Masaki's words drifted a little, and her head slumped. She wasn't quite sure how her son would cope with the fact that he's a Quincy and Soul Society nobility. Not to mention that other power...

"In private? I guess if I heard things right, then this would be a private matter..." Ichigo's mannerisms mimicked his mother's.

She breathed-in heavily and exhaled, readying herself for the reveal. "Ichigo...I never did tell you about your dad did I?"

"What about the old man!?" He was curious where this conversation was going. He didn't expect his idiot of a father to come up in discussion.

"I think, you've probably suspected for a little while, especially with meeting Kukakū and Ganju...how similar they are to your dad." Sure, she was being subtle but she thought her boy was smart enough to realise what she was saying.

"Huh!?" The boy was in shock, dumbstruck by his mother's words. He knew what she said, but just couldn't quite believe it. "W-What do you mean...mom?"

'Guess I will have to say it then.' She closed her eyes, breathing slowly to steady herself. "Your dad...is or rather...was a Soul Reaper. And not just any old Soul Reaper, but a member of the Shiba Clan...and a former Captain." She turned to Kukakū and smiled. This revelation meant a lot to the Shiba siblings, since they always valued family. Kukakū and Ganju smiled back.

Masaki turned back to her son and motioned her left hand to the Shiba Head and her brother. "As such Ichigo, these two are your older cousins, Kukakū and Ganju Shiba. They're your dad's sibling's children."

"W-WHAT! I'm a...I'm HIS cousin!" Ichigo pointed in absolute disbelief at his scruffy cousin, Ganju.

"EH!? WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!" Sure, Ganju's not the greatest guy out there, but Ganju Shiba was a man that anyone should be proud to be related to!

"You're Uncle Isshin's kid, so that makes us cousins – deal with it buddy!"

"I'm sorry...just...give me a moment." Ichigo rose from his seated position. He needed a little bit of space, just to process everything. He then went straight for one of the sliding doors that lead out to the hallway.

"Ichigo...honey...you okay?" Masaki was clearly worried about her boy, which was the main reason why she wanted to tell him this in private.

The young Soul Reaper waved back to his worried mother, "Yeah...I'll be fine...just need to clear my head." He then turned back to his friends.

Chad, Orihime, Uryu and Yoruichi nodded their acceptance to Ichigo. Of course, Orihime was (almost) as worried as Masaki, Chad was a little worried, and Uryu was just...surprised by it all.

Ichigo closed the sliding door behind him and sat down on the hallway floor. He needed time to think, because this was...far more than he expected. Add to that the other revelation that Uryu was also his cousin (through his mother's side), then that would make him a...

A Human...

With Quincy Blood, from his mother...

And inherent Soul Reaper powers through his father...

Piecing this truth together, he remembered what Old Man Zangetsu said to him: 'that was merely the power you gained from Rukia Kuchiki, you have Soul Reaper powers of your own!'

That of course, begged the question: If Zangetsu knew that fact, then he must've known he was a Quincy as well? Why didn't he tell him? Zangetsu was his zanpakutō, so why would he withold information like that? Too many questions, and he shouldn't be distrusting his own zanpakutō anyway. He closed his eyes, breathing out his worries at this moment. 'It's probably been a few minutes...better get back in.'

Back in the dining room, everyone was quiet. Kūkaku however was still drinking and smoking from her pipe. Yoruichi, was pretty happy to drink her milk and eat the meal on offer.

The sliding doors to the east of the room, were opened.

Masaki was the first to speak: "How are you Ichigo?"

"I-I'm fine mom. Just needed to think things over." Then he looked over to his friends on the other side of the table. "Sorry guys...this was just a lot for me to take in all at once. I'll be fine though, besides I need to have a clear head if I'm going to continue my training with mom."

"Indeed Ichigo, our training with Aunty requires a clear mind, and you more so since you have yet to fully master control of your power."

"Yeah, yeah Uryu. I know." The orange haired boy scratched his head. For now he was happy about where things stood. Still...he wondered what Old Man Zangetsu knew. Perhaps he'd ask him later?

Masaki on the other hand wanted to discuss the new direction for their training.

"Ichigo, Uryu, since you two only have a few more days to train before you need to head off, I've decided to train you two a couple of times everyday. You Ichigo can focus on the basics and learn how to form a spirit weapon. You Uryu, can begin to hone your current skillset and learn a few more advanced techniques. Also, if she would permit it, Ms. Yoruichi, would you be able to train Ichigo further in the Soul Reaper arts?"

"Aunty, you called Yoruichi a she? Yoruichi's a woman!?" Uryu, like the rest of his friends always thought Yoruichi was a guy, considering the voice she had.

"Yeah, people do tend to make that mistake with me, but yes I am a woman." Yoruichi purred.

"As for your question, Mrs. Kurosaki, I'd be happy to. I'll train Ichigo a few days from now, using some tools Kisuke developed. Is there a...large enough training area for me and him to use?"

"Yes. The training hall I use should be good enough. I have also installed some modifications that can make the area larger if need be. I assume this training will be pretty rough right?"

"Indeed, but if you train his Quincy skills and fundamentals more, he should do fine."

"Excellent, thank you Ms. Yoruichi!" Masaki clapped her hands in gratitude to the 'talking cat.'

Ichigo was listening to this conversation, and it still didn't click that Yoruichi could train him as a Soul Reaper.

"Hey...um, Yoruichi? How can you train me as a Soul Reaper? Aren't you just a...cat?"

Masaki, the Shiba siblings, and Yoruichi all sweat-dropped, forgetting that Ichigo could be pretty clueless at times.

"...No Ichigo, I'm not a cat, I can just take the form of a cat. Remember, I did say I was a woman right? Also...cats can't talk, don't be stupid Ichigo..."

Ichigo was flustered by that comment. "Y-Yeah...well, I don't know! Spirits and stuff is already weird enough, so talking cats isn't out of the question!"

Yoruichi sighed, but decided to instead talk to the rest of the group. "During the next few days, I'll test your skills Chad and Orihime. I know that you struggle with the will to fight right Orihime? And you Chad, regardless of how strong your body is, you need to think about how you use your power."

Orihime's head slumped, and Chad nodded his acceptance of that critique.

"And I guess, Masaki has you until we leave for the Seireitei, right Uryu?"

The young Quincy responded, in a formal tone: "Yes. I'm developing my current power-set, so I can be a better match for higher ranked Soul Reapers."

"Good. Each of you will need to advance a little more to combat the foes we will face. The training before was great, but now we need to get serious."

Author's Notes: So...on to Bankai training! I know it sort of doesn't make sense, but since he's been trained in some Quincy techniques (and stronger fundamentals), I've made the assumption that he's more ready here than that little reprieve in the Seireitei. Will I make some shocking reveals here, since Masaki 'likely' knows what Yhwach looks like? Maybe...or maybe not.