Author's Notes:
Hey all!
This is another fic where Urahara decides to mess with shit he shouldn't lol
So we get to see scenes of the past, present, and future for a lot of the characters and get everyone's collective reactions. Thus, the reactionary tag. But there is a plot even though the chapters are loosely connected and there will eventually be an ending. Right now I have about 20 chapters written and will post them weekly as I get them all spiffed up for you guys 3 Enjoy!
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Chapter 1: Beginning of the End
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Soutaichou Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni was a smart man, an old and wise figure who had led Soul Society for over 2000 years. There had been plenty of spats and, yes, wars too. But nothing he hadn't been able to handle, nothing his men had not been able to vanquish or conquer for the sake of balance. But what threatened them all, what threatened the Three Worlds at the moment seemed to have stretched him too thin.
Three Captains down— traitors, and a handful of officers out of commission already in this war. That poor girl Hinamori was just one casualty, and she was not the first or last in the traitor's apparently long years of planning and manipulating.
He should have seen it, just a sign of anything suspicious, by Death there were many. Disappearances, both souls and important Shinigami from his own ranks; suspicious deaths, mutations the likes of which had never been seen in the history of all Soul Society. He had lost so many Captains and Lieutenants a hundred years ago and he didn't think it bore a more thorough investigation at the time.
Central 46 closed the case and he did too. He should have listened to Juushiro and Shuunsui, but he dismissed their concerns as personal feelings getting in the way of what had to be done.
Some of his best Captains are gone.
Urahara was a tremendous loss he felt was still affecting them to this day.
He had many regrets, not just those in recent years either. The whole situation with the Quincy was a disaster. He knew it would come back around to get him eventually though. These things were never over so simply.
The loss of many good friends and comrades wore on him like a lead coat, his failures ever present, and they increasingly seemed more than his victories.
His own family had been affected by his ignorance and stubbornness. The loss of his grandson Isshin was one his greatest defeats. He only recently regained his grandson through fate it seemed. That ryoka boy who became a Substitute Shinigami was his great grandson. The line of Shiba was not at an end.
But this was not something he could take credit for. His son had hidden and returned of his own volition.
Though Aizen seemed to have been half the problem. That man, Sousuke Aizen, the man who rose through the ranks like a prodigy. Humble and kind but fierce and a good man to his men, he became Lieutenant and then Captain, one of his strongest. But this was all a ruse, and it seemed to him the man had had his fingers in every pie this entire time. Everything that had gone wrong, anything suspicious, anything terrible was this man's doing.
And he had been blind.
Maybe he was getting too old, maybe it was time to step down, as Central 46 had been pushing for before their demise. He had no successor though, and no one he thought he could conceivably train to take his place.
The best course would be to give Shuunsui the position and have Juushiro take the lieutenant post. The two of them would be more than enough to essentially co-Captain the Division. But that left gaps in his ranks. That was 2 more Squads without Captains.
He had been ruminating over the Hollowified Captains and Lieutenants, a huge failure in his career. If he could get them to return with full pardon, this mess could just take a turn for the better.
But Hirako was adamant in the last battle that he was only there as an ally to Kurosaki Ichigo. His great-grandson seemed to have a knack for befriending everyone he came across and turning them to his side. A remarkable man indeed. All he could do was hope and ask.
This last battle had been the most brutal. He had intended for this to be the end of the war. The first and last battle. Kurosaki had invaded Hueco Mundo with his friends to rescue that Inoue girl. He admitted her powers were extraordinary and he didn't want to think of what Aizen could do with said powers. So he allowed Kurosaki his heroics and he sent some of his own to help. Kuchiki, Zaraki, Kurotsuchi, and Unohana along with their Lieutenants were sent to turn the tide on that side of the battle. It had gone well it seemed. Many Arancarr had been dealt with and the girl rescued.
But it was in fake Karakura-Cho that things began to sour.
They had planned and trained relentlessly. Urahara had managed to transport Karakura to Soul Society and a fake was inserted into the World of the Living. He had trapped the traitors the moment they arrived, and his men fought bravely against Aizen's top Espada forces.
The Visoreds arrival was an unexpected but hugely appreciated surprise, and they gained some ground; only to have it all come crashing down around him when Aizen showed that he was not as trapped as it had seemed. He left his own men for dead and then grievously injured most of Genryuusai's ranks. Gin and Tousen stood by while Aizen gained the upper hand.
And then Kurosaki appeared. He seemed a bit different in manner, more mature perhaps, and his power had grown exponentially. This was the turn he thought.
But it wasn't.
After a bit of meaningless taunting and sword waving. Aizen took out Kurosaki in one swing of his hand.
His hand.
A slashing motion with his hand cut the boy from shoulder to hip in a viscous spray of gore. And then Aizen has just smiled and transported his men, mostly dead and all, back to Hueco Mundo. He parted with ominous words of a next battle soon to come. He told them to get stronger, train harder, so that he could at least get a proper fight next time. "I hope to draw my blade next time Head-Taicho-san."
Genryuusai was so infuriated he could not speak. His teeth grinded and he could feel the flames of Ryuujin Jakka beating him up from the inside. He was literally steaming mad. This only appeared to amuse Aizen more as he left with his usual flair for dramatics.
He was left standing in rubble with his forces wounded and with no idea how he was going to get Soul Society to the other side of this war.
Unohana has stabilized everyone who was injured so they could be transported to the Fourth Division upon their return to Soul Society.
Kurosaki was barely alive.
And that was not even the icing on this shit cake.
Just as they all were getting ready to cross over ,Urahara appeared with Yoruichi Shihoin and someone he thought had died over 15 years ago—His grandson Shiba Isshin— or Kurosaki apparently, as he called himself now.
"Oh my, we seem to have arrived fashionably too late to the party," Urahara joked waving his paper fan. Everyone stared, not knowing what exactly to say. So many faces that hadn't been seen for years, years upon years, had appeared all in one day. Not that it had done them a lick of good he had thought bitterly.
He ordered everyone to cross over. A stern glare at the just arriving party ensured everyone was accounted for. Though it seemed he needn't have worried about his grandson's compliance. Isshin had seen Ichigo and promptly began wailing about the good dying young and shaking his unconscious son vigorously.
When Ichigo gave no response, Isshin had grown quiet and serious. He looked to Urahara, who looked back at them with something bordering on fear in his eyes before rushing over to run tests on the boy. He didn't have time to think about what the looks meant. He needed everyone back to Soul Society so they could get their asses back in gear as soon as possible.
And here he was sitting on his chair and thinking self-deprecating thoughts that got him nowhere. His Zanpakutō gave him a mental slap. He needed to get in gear for this meeting.
It had been 2 weeks since the Battle of Karakura and everyone was either healed, out of the hospital on the mend, or back to training; including all who had been fighting in Hueco Mundo.
The whole group had been thrown out of a Garganta into fake-Karakura not long after Urahara and company had arrived. Aizen had expelled them from Las Noches with nary an appearance or reason, leading to the confusion of all parties gathered.
Aizen was for certain underestimating and looking down on all of them with this act. He had allowed all of his enemies to retreat and recover, he had taken no prisoners, and even let the Inoue girl go. The Quincy boy had mentioned that Aizen had told them she was no longer needed earlier before he left for the battle. This could only mean something had gone terribly right again for Aizen and his forces.
Everyone was healed and accounted for except his great-grandson.
Ichigo was indeed healing. But he was not waking. His spiritual pressure was abnormally low, and he had not moved since Unohana, Urahara, and Isshin had brought him to the Fourth. They could not figure out the cause of his coma or his low spirit energy.
It was worrying to everyone involved.
And there were a lot of people involved.
Ichigo has made many friends and comrades in the short time many had known him. Most of the Captains and Vice Captains called him a friend or ally or respected him. He had lost count of the times he saw Juushiro and Shuunsui coming and going. He also observed Hitsugaya had made it his daily routine to visit every morning before heading to work. Even Kuchiki Taichou had been spotted on more than a few occasions quietly entering the Fourth.
The whole of the Eleventh Squad seemed as somber as their Captain who upon returning received the news that Ichigo would not be able to fight him.
Countless other seated and unseated officers came and went to see him everyday. They brought gifts and well wishes, others talked to him and urged him to wake. Fifth-seat Ayasegawa had to physically remove Third-seat Madarame from the division when he began screaming about sissy's not living up to their names and threatening to brain him into consciousness with his new prosthetic arm. There was also a memorable occasion in which Hiyori was carried out in a hard-faced Hirako's arms crying hysterically. His human friends hardly left his bedside and even his sisters had come to visit on more than one occasion.
But nothing changed. And Yamamoto was too stubborn to think about his grandson never awakening. He had to. Ichigo did not even realize how much everyone was depending on him to win this war. And what a sobering thought it was that they had to rely on a 16 year old human boy to win a war he had nothing to do with. This was their problem but the boy had been dragged in again and again. Even if the boy had insisted this was his decision.
His thoughts returning to the present, he took stock of the room he sat in. He had called a meeting to discuss where they were to go from here. It would be the first time all of them had gathered into one place to get acquainted properly and get everyone on the same page. Captains and Vice Captains, Visoreds, humans, ex-Captains and Vice Captains, Kuchiki Rukia and the Eleventh squads Third-seat and Fifth-seat, Isshin, Ishida Ryuken, and Urahara and Yoruichi, everyone that had a hand in the battle or was allied or tied to Ichigo was there. The room was full to the brim with all parties. Tension was high but the groups were getting along surprisingly well. They intermingled and conversed with each other but the mood was grim.
It seemed as though the sun was not shining with Ichigo in critical condition, and it was affecting everyone both consciously and unconsciously.
He tapped his cane to the ground twice to call attention. The room immediately fell silent and waited for him to continue.
…
Taking a deep breath, Head Captain Yamamoto called the meeting to order, "I have gathered you all here today with multiple agendas to discuss, primarily this meeting is a means for all of our allies and sympathizers to be formally acquainted as well as form a strategy moving forward. Unohana will provide an update on the status of the Fourth and Urahara-San has expressed a desire to show us a means for getting more information on the enemy. Proceed." He tapped his cane once more and nodded at Urahara to begin.
"Good morning everyone, now I am sure I don't need any introduction, but for the sake of formality, as Captain Commander stated, I am Urahara Kisuke. I am the creator and former Captain of the Research and Development Division, Squad 12."
Mayuri made a disdainful noise at the man. His views on science had always differed greatly from his predecessor. He hated the man but enjoyed the challenge of one upping the man with everything he invented.
"Currently I reside in the world of the living dealing with the less than savory side effects of Aizen's meddling on the human populace of the soul spectrum. For those not in the know, which is almost all of you," Urahara laughed behind his fan.
Soifon's hand twitched. She wanted to stab the man in the eyes.
"I discovered Aizen's plots way back in the beginning. I created the hogyoku. My greatest triumph and my greatest mistake," he paused as his mouth twisted into a pained grimace.
"You could say I am half the cause of this whole mess, being that I created half of the hogyoku. I couldn't complete it though, no matter what I did. Aizen found these plans and used rukongai souls to create and feed another hogyoku. These were both incomplete and he aimed to combine them. Using his half he experimented on souls, trying to bridge the gap between Hollow and Shinigami to create a more powerful hybrid being. He tested this on this group of former shinigami leading to the Hollowfication of their souls."
He paused again. He looked at Shinji who nodded and pulled out his mask.
The room gasped. They had seen it before during the battle but up close it still gave them a shock. Most had to restrain the urge to attack, feeling the Hollow energy.
Shinji waved the mask away as Urahara continued.
"I found Aizen, Gin, and Tousen as they were in the process of Hollowfying them. I was unable to reverse the process, only able to stop it from fully Hollowfying them. In the process Aizen escaped and reportedly central 46 that I was the one doing these experiments. They believed him. They had no reason not to. Yoruichi, Tessai and I decided to take the condemned Visoreds and escape to the living world. I had hoped to find some kind of break through to help them harness and control their violent Hollow half. They would have been executed otherwise."
The younger officers and captains looked horrified. To think that this had all been covered up. They had had no idea.
Those who knew of the incident, Ukitake and Shunsui, looked sad and guilty at their past inability to help their comrades.
Rukia and Renji shared a look. They now understood a bit more about Ichigo's new powers. Rukia hoped Urahara would mention this detail, she wanted the whole story.
"Of course I tried for years to find a breakthrough, but it was Shinji who ultimately discovered how to gain control. They had to dominate their Hollow much like when awakening a Zanpakuto spirit, only this is a battle for control. A battle for the control of the body. They each had to conquer their Hollow nature in order to use this power alongside their Shinigami power.
After they managed this we went our separate ways and I opened a shouten with Tessai, ah, the former Kidō Corps captain by the way, and many years later ran into Isshin here in quite the pickle with a Hollow that Aizen had created with a more advanced hogyoku. Isshin, Ishida-San, please continue this epic story for me won't you." Urahara joked and waved his fan at Isshin, smiling widely.
Isshin sighed. He was now more subdued than many had seen him in the week past. The man seemed to have unending energy, and a penchant for yelling to his deceased wife about his poor treatment by his children.
The man was certainly bipolar most thought. But the captains who had known the man prior to his disappearance knew better. Isshin had a carefree side like most of the Shiba clan. But he also has the fierceness and loyalty to family as a Shiba. Isshin was a down right dangerous opponent back in the day.
"I should start by saying that I am Isshin Kurosaki. My son is Ichigo Kurosaki and I have two daughters. I am a Doctor at a family clinic in Karakura town. I have been there for a little over 16 years now. My real name is Isshin Shiba, however, I was the former Shiba clan head after Kaien Shiba and was the captain of squad 10. At the time Matsumoto was my lieutenant and little Shiro-chan was my third seat." He laughed.
Hitsugaya was too shocked to even speak. He stared at the man who was his captain. The man he had looked up to. And the man who he had sworn had died all those years ago. He wasn't sure if he should hug or punch the man.
"My grandfather is the captain commander."
Most of the room breathed in a shocked breath.
How many secrets would be revealed today?
"As I said, I was the head of the Shiba. I took over after Kaien passed. I came from the branch family I guess you could call it. Kaien was my nephew. I'm sure some of you noticed how much my Ichigo looks like Kaien did."
Everyone seemed to nod at once, enraptured with the history lesson.
"So as captain I was given a mission to the world of the living to investigate Shinigami disappearances in Karakura-cho. This Hollow was like none before it. It had no mask and looked almost human in appearance. I had the upper hand but was attacked from behind. I later found out that this was one of Aizen's experiments and he wanted to ensure the survival of his creation by getting rid of me. During the fight a Quincy heiress stubbled onto us. This Quincy was one of the last lifeblood Quincy in existence and she had led a sheltered life. She had escaped her compound when she felt the battle happening and rushed to help. This woman was named Masaki Kurosaki."
Isshin stopped for a second and gathered himself. Those who knew Ichigo knew of his mother's death. They knew this story had an unhappy ending.
"She was a spitfire of a redhead that woman. The Hollow had retreated by the time she arrived and she looked after my wounds. We revealed our natures to each other but neither of us seemed to care. I returned to Soul Society to report my findings. I was dismissed on my concerns about the Hollow, I had no proof or evidence and no leads that went anywhere. I was told to let the matter go. But of course I didn't."
He laughed loudly at this.
I snuck back to see if I could find more about the Hollow and I found it alright. For starters, the Hollow attacked me again and this time I caught a glimpse of Aizen. I thought this was perfect, I had uncovered something big, but Aizen had modified the Hollow to be even stronger. And I was losing. Aizen left me to my death and that is when she appeared again. Masaki, She challenged the Hollow and he accepted. She and I were able to kill the Hollow together. She got bit in the process though and it quickly poisoned her. I couldn't let her die though. And I wasn't the only one who thought this. Turns out Masaki had been betrothed to another Quincy named Ryūken Ishida. Yep, your dad uryuu." Isshin laughed at Uryuu's flabbergasted face.
"So that means Kurosaki is my...?"
"Yep, we're family hahaha."
Ishida paled dramatically. Chad just patted him comfortingly on the shoulder offering silent support.
"So this man rushes onto the scene and long story short, Urahara finds us fighting over what to do and about Shinigami and Quincy's and whatnot. Thank the spirit king he did though. He was able to save my dear Masaki but only by tying her soul to mine. A Hollow is poison to a Quincy and so she needed my spirit energy to sustain a pure condition. Urahara places my soul in a special Gigai that used my spirit energy to tether me to it and to Masaki. The Hollow remained dormant in her though and was passed to Ichigo when he was born."
The room was silent. A creak made everyone look over to see Yamamoto bent over with his hand over his face. No one was quite sure what he was thinking.
In fact Yamamoto was thinking once again how he had failed as a captain and now as a father. He was resolving to do everything in his power to make this right.
"So I married Masaki and opened a clinic. Ryūken and I became begrudging friends and he married and had Uryuu. Urahara and I kept in contact, we both knew that Aizen and his schemes would be back. We had Ichigo and then the twins Yuzu and Karin." He paused and frowned. The room could feel the change in tone.
"When Ichigo was 9 years old Masaki and he were attacked by a Hollow named grand fisher. Masaki would have been able to handle this Hollow before, however her Quincy powers were limited after the poisoning. She was able to protect Ichigo but she herself was killed."
Isshin looked up for a while. The room somber as they watched the man mourn his loss. Urahara once again had his hat tilted to hide his face. The Kurosaki family and really those who had met Aizen had suffered greatly.
Isshin continued, "Ichigo was never the same. He toughened up, didn't smile or cry. He became the girls protector, he took on everything and he blamed himself for her death. Of course we assured him this wasn't true, but to this day I believe he still carries that guilt with him." Isshin wipes a tear from his eye.
"So of course being a soul reaper and having a Quincey mother, Ichigo was spiritually aware from day 1. It was only a matter of time before his powers awakened, but once again Aizen decided to run an experiment." He clenched his fists.
"We all know what happened then. It was our dear Rukia who came to our aid that night. And the rest is history as they say. When Ichigo needed to save Rukia the Hollow in his soul awoke and he became a vizard. This broke any connection I had with the Hollow and I started to regain my Shinigami powers. I am not 100% quite yet but I'm ready for this fight." Isshin ended his explanation.
[Introductions of Captains and Lieutenants and such] We all know who they are right?
….
"Very well. The first matter that should be discussed is that of the condition of substitute soul reaper Kurosaki Ichigo."
The room once again felt the mood drop.
"I know these are trying times and we feel the loss of someone important even more potently as a result. An Ichigo is most certainly such a person." Yamamoto cleared his throat.
"Unohana Taichō and Urahara Taichō please explain his current status."
Although surprised to be addressed in such a manner Urahara nodded his compliance and looked unohana to begin.
"Kurosaki-san has sustained an almost fatal wound to the torso. We believe Aizen concentrated his spirit energy in his hands in his fight with Kurosaki. When he cut Kurosaki-san it was just as damaging as taking the full impact of a Zanpakuto. And because he was not expecting his opponent's attack to be damaging in this manner, Kurosaki did not block or move in a way that protected this area from damage. He took the full impact of the attack." Unohana paused to let this sink in. She wanted to make sure all gathered understood the severity of the situation.
"Adding to this, Kurosaki was not completely at his best and was not fully healed from his battles prior to arriving at the false karakura town. I estimate that he was at best at 50% of his total capability."
"What!" Hiyori exclaimed. "Then why the hell did he rush in like a damn baldy to the fight!"
Hiyori was panting in anger by the end of her yelling.
"Because he is Kurosaki Ichigo." Stunningly it was uttered by none other than Kuchiki Byakuya who had said nary a word since his own introduction.
The statement was said fairly quietly but it resonated in the room. It caused everyone to pause.
Hitsugaya scoffed in amused exasperation.
Rukia felt her eyes well up as she laughed quietly.
"Yare, yare." Shunsui shifted his hat down.
Ukitake smiled sadly. He never wanted children to have to fight. It seemed to be happening more and more recently and it made his chest tight to think of Ichigo, brave, strong Ichigo laying motionless because of their own ineptitude.
Isshin was sniffing in a rather noisy and disgusting manner. He was so proud of the man his son had become. Just looking around this gathering of people he could see how many people cared about his son. How many trusted him, how many respected or looked up to him. These centuries old Shinigami and hybrids depending on his boy. More than that though, the fact that his son had inspired these feelings and loyalty by just being himself and never giving in was what had him choked up.
Urahara patted his long time friend's shoulder. He felt just as Isshin did. His student had come so far from that hot headed carrot top with a meat cleaver for a Zanpakuto. Ichigo was a force to be reckoned with, not just in battle, but in his ability to draw people to him and keep them. To inspire such unwavering loyalty and give that loyalty back twice as much in return. Both friend and foe alike. He had once jokingly called it "The Ichigo effect" when he was discussing the matter with Isshin. And it was.
"Couldn't have said it better myself."
Shinji grinned widely.
"We all know Ichigo does whatever is within his power and then some when someone needs his help."
"Ah." Rukia quietly agreed.
Everyone nodded or made sounds of agreement.
"Ha! What are we standing around cryin about. If Ichigo were here he'd kick your asses for cryin over him. He's a damn good warrior and we should be talkin about how we are going to do one better when we run into that fruit Aizen again!" Kenpachi yelled with a wide grin.
The mood brightened a bit. Unohana cleated her throat delicately and started again.
"So Kurosaki received an attack at full strength from a captain class Shinigami at about 50% of his body's capacity. The cut goes from his right shoulder above the clavicle to just below his left hip bone. It missed his heart and cartoid artery. However, the cut was the deepest in the abdomen region and his stomach, liver, and large intestine were almost completely bisected. Urahara and myself were able to stop the bleeding to transport Kurosaki to the intensive medicine ward. It took 5 of my seated officers, myself, and Urahara Taichō almost 12 hours to heal the most severe damage to his internal organs and close the wound enough for healing to begin on its own. However, Kurosaki's reiryoku is not replenishing. He has dangerously low spiritual pressure and is healing very slowly. This increases risk of infection and scarring. We have taken to assigning shifts in which a seated offender is always sitting at bedside feeding extra reiryoku into Ichigo's wounds.
This has allowed his energy to stabilize at this low level. It has not gone up or down. And the extra reiryoku is not healing the wounds. Miss Inoue has tried her rejection on the wound but it seems as though the wound, or more specifically, his soul is no longer accepting foreign reiryoku. I admit I am at a loss as to what to do. As of right now Ichigo is in a healing coma his own body has placed him in. I am unsure of how long he will remain in this state and what the effects will be on Kurosaki-san if this continues long term. I am still searching with Urahara for a cause to his condition."
A few people looked squeamish, either from the graphic details or from just the fact that this was their friend in this condition, most were not faring too well.
The people who visited Ichigo did not realize the extent of the injury or the direness of the situation because he was always covered up. This was the first any, bar Urahara and Isshin, were hearing of this.
Rukia was very pale and Renji looked rather green. When she looked slightly up to her side she saw that her brother's usual emotionless mask was in place but it was cracking. He was a bit paler than normal and he had dots of sweat near the hairline on his neck.
She wasn't sure she had ever seen her brother this way.
She knew her brother and Ichigo had some sort of truce regarding her. And her brother acted annoyed when they interacted but she could tell he enjoyed their "spats."
Before the war, both when she had just been rescued and even recently before the whole Orihime thing happened she recalled her brother having tea with Ukitake and Juuushjro more often. And often Ichigo would be there with them. She had seen them sparring together too.
...and her brother went to see Ichigo everyday, sometimes more than once...
...could he be...?
...were they...?
Ukitake was going to faint, he could feel it coming on. He swayed a bit, but Shunsui put an arm around his waist.
"Juu-Chan breathe." He said softly in his ear.
He was startled to realize he had been holding his breath. He took a rattling breath in.
"I'm fine. I'm fine Shunsui, really."
"Mm-hmm."
He didn't move his arm.
Zaraki looked a bit less sure of himself but was keeping up a strong face.
Ikkaku was thinking about how manly Ichigo was surviving with those gruesome wounds; while yumichika was busy thinking about ways he could help Ichigo conceal any scars post recovery.
Soifon looked genuinely stunned. A rare treat for Yoruichi who was reeling from the news, she also had no idea Ichigo's wounds were so severe. Omaeda had been stunned; he was out cold.
The vizards were in varying stages of...well...emotions.
Hiyori sat down when Unohana began explaining the wound. She was holding her face in her hands so no one would see her cry.
Shinji was trying to not make it obvious he knew Hiyori was crying. But also trying to stop his own tears. But these were tears of rage. He was going to kill Aizen in the most horrific and painful way he could think of. He would bring him back and do it again and again. Aizen couldn't die enough to slate all the rage shinji felt for the bastard.
The other vizards seemed to have picked up on their leaders killing intent and were each clamping down on their urge to bring their masks out.
Something needed to happen to diffuse the amount of choking emotions and heavy spirit pressure saturating the room.
"Ahem."
Urahara coughed loudly.
Most glanced his way as he took his hat off and put his fan up his sleeve.
This was not Urahara Kisuke shouten owner. This was Urahara Taichō. He looked seriously at the groups, eyes taking them all in before he began to speak.
"I would like to remind everyone that what we tell you is not to make you feel guilty or sick or hopeless. Ichigo's condition is serious and, yes, there is a possibility he will not recover."
He held up a hand and some opened their mouths to protest.
"Please let me finish. Ichigo chose this path. We all may have had an impact on his life on his relationships and we may have led him here, into this war. But Ichigo is the one who decided that this was the course of action he wanted to follow.
From the very beginning Ichigo has always made his own choices. He has followed his heart and not allowed anyone to convince him otherwise.
When his family was threatened by a Hollow and he was given a choice to accept Rukia's offer he accepted without hesitation. He wanted the power to protect his family.
When he was left for dead and his powers stripped from him. He didn't wallow in self pity. He demanded I help him get his powers back. He wanted to go after Rukia. When I put him through task after task he never complained. He persevered.
When he invaded Soul Society he fought countless battles following his own course to his goal. And that was to stop Rukia's execution. No matter who told him it was pointless and no matter how many times he was beat down he got back up.
He fought Kenpachi and ikkaku and Byakuya just to name a few. And he made it through on sheer force of will and determination. I have never met a man with more strength of character than Ichigo.
And he just kept going. Hollows, Arrancar,espada he broke into hueco
Mundo and broke into las noches. He defeated some of Aizen's top espada. He actually died twice according to Inoue-san. And yet he came out on top.
So what if his first real battle with Aizen ended with a flesh wound. We all know that has never been enough to keep Ichigo down long.
If we told him that he shouldn't have to fight in our war or fight our battles for us he would scowl at us and do it anyway. Not because he has too or he was made to, but because that's what his heart is telling him to do.
If we told him we stood around in a room crying over him, Kenpachi is right, he'd kick our asses and soundly.
If he woke up today and saw us doing anything less than our best to win this war he'd make us sit down where we stand and give us an hour long speech about doing what is right and not what is easy.
Now, I've somehow managed to get all that out of my system and explained some of what I wanted to bring to all of your attention regarding Ichigo's biology."
The room was stunned. For a moment no one said anything and then Yachiru began clapping.
That seemed to break the spell and most were smiling, clapping, or giving sound agreement to Kisuke's verbal smack down.
Once settled Kisuke began his part of Ichigo's current condition.
"As unohana Taichō explained, the wound was given by a hand slash laced with Aizen's spiritual pressure at full intensity to Ichigo who was not running on full and now he is not healing for some unseen reason. We were able to heal him directly after the wound was given so this means that it is not something Aizen has directly done to the wound or Ichigo that prevents healing. This would also not fit Aizen's motivations as I am sure he wished for Ichigo to live to fight another day. This is because Aizen is arrogant and believes no one can beat him, he gets a sick pleasure from subjugating others. He expects Ichigo to bounce back even stronger so he can do this all over again."
He paused and surveyed the room. Everyone seemed to be following his theory, in fact most looked furious about Aizen and his god complex again.
"So Aizen did not poison, or prevent healing. We healed Ichigo to the point where he was out of risk of immediate danger. His organs are functioning and the initial slash is in a state of healing. But what is the cause of the low spirit energy and why is he not healing faster. Why reject others' reiryoku?
The answer first and foremost comes down to his biology. And what I mean by that is that although he is in soul form right now his defining "species" if you will, his soul identifying components remain the same. He is still human, he is still half Shinigami and half Quincy and he still has a Hollow and a Zanpakuto living in there. Now Ichigo and I have had many talks about his Hollow and his Zanpakuto. The concern he had was that his Zanpakuto called himself zangetsu. We know this to be Ichigo's overly large unsealed Zanpakuto." Urahara said ryely, getting a few laughs.
"But when he received zangetsu he also had a Hollow mask. And any major battle he had the mask would show up on his person to seemingly protect him.
And then during his bankai training, yes for those that don't know, Ichigo has a bankai."
Some of the higher ranking officers who had never seen Ichigo in battle were sputtering. They really, really needed to work on communication it seemed.
"During bankai training his Zanpakuto spirit introduced him to a being who Ichigo described as being identical to himself but bleached of color. The eyes are a Hollow gold. And so he believed later that this was indeed the Hollow in his soul. Later when his Zanpakuto spirit disappeared from his mindscape and he was left with the Hollow. The Hollow introduced itself as zangetsu. It said that "zangetsu ossan" as Ichigo calls him and the Hollow were both zangetsu."
Most of the room looked confused. What had this to do with Ichigo's health? What did Urahara mean?
There was a dawning realization on Shinji's face as well as Yamamoto and Isshin's faces. Uryuu was frantically calculating in his mind. It couldn't be...
"Ah, I see some light bulbs coming on. Ichigo is a brilliant strategist and critical thinker, he's one of the top students in his school. So when he sat down and really analyzed himself he made a startling discovery. He at first thought the Hollow had swallowed zangetsu ossan and that it would take over his body like a vizards Hollow would. Under that assumption he had trained that way and seemingly subjugated his Hollow. But that wasn't the case!
From the beginning zangetsu ossan by himself was not zangetsu and the Hollow was not by himself zangetsu. Both were a part of zangetsu, fractured as they were because of Ichigo's unique biology. The ossan part is his quincy power. This manifests in the blue spirit pressure he exudes. His Hollow "shiro zangetsu," he calls it, is a manifestation of his Zanpakuto which was Hollowfied at birth. When both are put together they are a completely new being called zangetsu. The reason zangetsu ossan was missing was because his Hollow and Shinigami powers became more pronounced and therefore dominant in his mindscape.
The threats and fights for control were actually just tests his Zanpakuto was giving him to see if Ichigo was worthy to weird him. We all have been there haha."
There was a rush of understanding going through the gathering.
Ichigo was truly one of a kind.
A hybrid in all senses of the word. In body and spirit and in sword. It was remarkable. What did it all mean though?
Surely Ichigo was the lynchpin in something unimaginably huge that was coming their way. He had led them all here, but where was here?
"Ichigo is in a coma, a healing coma definitely. But I believe he is also in a spiritual coma. I see confusion, ok, I mean that he is most likely locked in his mindscape. He is not aware of the outside world and because he is not aware he cannot feel threats to his person. He is not able to gauge friend or foe, bad spirit energy or helpful spirit energy. And so his being rejects all of these attempts. It's sort of like an ultimate defense. I would even hazard a guess that if someone would try to injure Kurosaki physically his Quincy ability blut vein would activate. He has never used Quincy abilities before, but I think now he will have access to them. I hypothesize that Ichigo is in a healing coma and a spiritual coma because he is...evolving. Or more accurately he is growing into his full potential. His Zanpakuto was incomplete, his soul was fragmented, and he didn't have time to properly train or converse with his Zanpakuto. This is what I believe he is doing."
"Ok. But...why is he not healing... Urahara Taichō ?"
"Well, my dear Rukia, I believe that is because all of his spirit pressure has been pushed inwards. Much like a butterfly chrysalis."
"Wait. Wait. Wait. So Ichigo is going to, like, hatch from his own body...?!"
"Renji you're an idiot." Rukia deadpanned.
"But.."
"Well...I wouldn't rule it out abarai fukutaicho, but I don't think it will be something quite so graphic." Urahara chuckled.
"Oh, thank the soul king." The redhead exclaimed.
Byakuya actually let out an audible sigh next to her. She could see him struggling not to let his eyebrow twitch in annoyance.
Ukitake was quietly chuckling into Shunsui's shoulder though.
"Please continue Urahara Taichō, this is quite enlightening." Unohana said.
"Ah, yes, so, really all we can do is wait and see what happens when Ichigo finally awakens. I have been tracking the progress and with your help Unohana Taicho we may just be able to get an idea when that time will be. But in the meantime, with Soutaichou's permission, I have been working on some things that may help us to win the war, or at least get a leg up on Aizen."
An uproar followed. Many concerned more with Ichigo at the moment, others wanting to know what hack job Urahara had come up with in such a short period of time.
"Silence!" Yamamoto banged his cane and the room became as silent as the grave.
"...as I was saying, this invention may aid us in predicting some of Aizen's plans and our prospects for the future. I say this with certainty because the machine is something of a future-telling device..."
He was cut off again by Soifon scoffing loudly.
"Now, now. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it is the real deal as the Soutaicho can attest."
Everyone's heads snapped to look up at the old man, they received a curt nod. The matter was settled in many of their minds in an instant. If they could trust anyone it would be Captain Commander.
"So I will be putting up this screen and the machine will reach into the nebulous past, present, and future to show us scenes of importance. These can really be anything, anytime, and anywhere. But rest assured the scenes we will be viewing should give us new insight into events and the people involved in them."
He looked around the room with a look of grim seriousness on his face. His silver-gray eyes shining under the shadowed brim of his striped hat.
"I am warning all of you now that what you will be seeing is 100% true and some of it will be shocking and hard to accept. But please keep an open mind and hopefully by the end of this we will have a direction to point our efforts in. Thank you."
And with that the show began.
