Author's Notes: If there was ever any doubt that there was interest in this story, I just have to look at how well people responded to the last chapter over the first one. As always I appreciate your comments, and look forward to hearing what you think every chapter.
This one turned out to be longer than expected but I just couldn't see any where to cut it. The ending of the chapter really does fit and will lead us to the next phase of the story. We may be at the end of the Fullbringer Arc, but as you can see there is much story left to be told and I promise you, while things may appear to be looking up for Ichigo, his true nightmare has yet to begin.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
The Awful Truth
Chapter 3: The Precipice Battles
Ginjo hated to admit it but he should have probably listened to Tsukishima about finishing off Ichigo. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that however, he wouldn't hear the end of it.
All he could do was sweep aside his pride and stab his blade into the ground, using it to anchor himself against the massive outburst of spiritual energy.
How does he manage to pull off all these damn surprises? Ginjo asked himself as the wave of spiritual energy died down. His eyes widened, however, as he bore witness to the changed Ichigo Kurosaki, no longer a human that possessed Quincy powers. Instead he was draped in a familiar Shihakushō, a few amenities were present such as straps along his chest and bands along his feet and hands.
He regained his Shinigami powers? How is that possible? How could anything remain once I took his Fullbring? Ginjo narrowed his eyes at seeing these strange oddities on his uniform. Something is not right here.
This was beyond his understanding right now. Ichigo was displaying power and abilities beyond what Ginjo had suspected of the former Substitute possessing. Denying that he was using powers he shouldn't have would be pointless. He had to be on guard and make sure he wasn't caught up in another surprise.
But that would avail him little preparation as he took notice of the one behind Ichigo. Ginjo recognized her as Rukia Kuchiki. The Shinigami that had given Ichigo her powers nearly two years ago and likely had done the same again just now. That boded ill for him, if she was here than that meant that the other Shinigami were not far behind, possibly waiting to strike, he had overstayed his welcome and was now exposed.
There was no point in denying it now; he was approaching the end game. He would be fighting to the finish here. Holding back or hiding his hand was out of the question, he was going to fight against whatever the Gotei sent at him and he was stuck with one of two choices: win or die.
Ichigo took in a deep breath; he smelt the air and notices things that he couldn't as a normal human. Subtle traces in the air, tickling heightened senses beyond that of taste and smell. This feeling was something he remembered more keenly when he had lost his powers, it had been something he had come to realize with a great many things over the last eighteen months.
To have them back made his heart swell, for remembering this was nothing compared to having it returned to him.
And yet not all things were the same.
He lifted the blade he had used to defend himself with against Ginjo, raising it over his shoulder and sheathing it behind his back. Almost to his will the Quincy blade was engulfed in wrapping and hung just over his shoulder.
Raising Zangetsu up he examined the weapon, resting the flat of the blade in his other hand and looked over the changed sword. The handle was the most obvious change, and one that felt comfortable on his fingers, it had been the first of several changes he noticed of the blade.
But it was still Zangetsu.
It was still the blade he had taken with him in many battles. That weight and the familiar presence within all but soothed any minor concerns he may have had. He smiled as he looked at his reflection, glad he didn't have to face such an expression again. It was genuine and he did not need to lie to himself anymore.
"Thank you," Ichigo said, turning and looking at his long-missed friend. "Rukia."
Rukia nodded, the smile of her face was an exact reflection of his own. "It seems you have managed become a little more mature since we last saw each other."
"A little?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow, taking the light jab in stride.
"I'm giving you that much seeing how you recovered from your earlier appearance," Rukia responded. "Crying like there was no tomorrow, giving up any notion of hope? It was as if everything you went through meant nothing."
"Hey! You don't know..." That accusation, however, nearly had him losing his cool.
"I know. Urahara explained that man's power to me," Rukia spared a look at Tsukishima. Ever since learning of the man's existence and what he did with his power, there was little to feel other than contempt and disgust. "It is indeed frightening, being able write over someone's past and take away the bonds that person has. But as long as you are alive, you can always re-forge those bonds. And you are not the type to give up your friends, are you Ichigo?"
Ichigo shook his head. No he would never give up on his friends. No matter what the situation, they were in danger and he would be there to see them to safety.
It was then sudden, frantic screaming from Orihime drew their gaze back to their friends. She and Chad looked like they were on the verge having a mental breakdown, the conflicting memories that had been implanted and those that were their own were warring with one another.
Ichigo would have acted to help but two others had already made their move, appearing behind his two friends and with a quick motion of their hands had knocked them both out. They slumped down into the waiting arms of Kisuke and his father, both supporting the unconscious teens.
"That was close." Isshin said, putting Chad over his shoulder.
"But luckily for us their state of mind made it easy for us to subdue them." Kisuke replied, carrying Orihime as if she was a newly wedded bride. "Hello Ichigo. Lovely night we are having isn't it?"
Ichigo let out a sigh of relief, knowing that least Orihime and Chad would be alright. "How long have you and my old man been in the background, waiting to make a flashy entrance?" He returned.
"You know me oh so well, but I wouldn't really call this flashy," Kisuke replied, smirking slightly as he made the declaration. His expression quickly turned serious as did his tone. "Don't worry about your sisters or classmates. Isshin and I have already put them to sleep and removed them from the area. They will be kept safe, so feel free to fight to your fullest capabilities, Ichigo."
Ichigo nodded and shared a look to his father, a silent but thorough conversation carried out between them. They both knew that there would be questions, and when this was over, he would get answers.
All that left for him to deal with was Ginjo. Turning he found the leader of Xcution standing there calmly, giving an irritated scowl as he looked towards Kisuke. Even as the shopkeeper and his father walked off Ichigo knew that Ginjo was effectively trapped, he was stuck and had no way of escaping this.
"Rukia, can you help Ishida?" Ichigo asked, not taking his eyes off Ginjo. He may try to run, if that happens he would be there to stop him. Ginjo was not going to get away after all he has done, not after everything he had put them through. None of them were.
"On it," Rukia replied, rushing over to the still wounded Ishida to give him some much-needed medical treatment.
"Am I meant to be afraid? Concerned?" Ginjo asked with an even tone as he spoke with Ichigo. "That this little change is meant to frighten me?"
"You were plenty scared before I got my powers back," Ichigo responded, stepping forward quickly and swinging his sword.
The action caught Ginjo by surprise. He barely had a moment to raise his blade and get thrown back by a wave of pure force. Ginjo hit the ground running, but still tumbled away before colliding with something solid enough to keep him from flying further than he should.
Ichigo watched as the Fullbringer rose back to his feet, his feathers ruffled but mostly unharmed.
"If that Getsuga of yours was meant to put the fear of god in me, then I am sorry to disappoint you!" Ginjo replied with a smirk on his face. "Looks like you haven't regained your Shinigami powers, all flair and no substance!"
"You really don't get it do you?" Ichigo asked him. "That was not a Getsuga Tenshou. That was just me swinging Zangetsu."
"What?" Ginjo muttered as he watched Ichigo take a stance, and felt his spiritual pressure build, releasing an aura that shrouded him and rose high into the skies.
"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo swung down his sword, a massive wave of spiritual energy was unleashed. Ginjo felt it just brush past him, it was a narrow miss, but close enough to leave an impression on his mind.
The mansion on the other hand, was not as lucky, for it had taken the entire brunt of the attack. The three story structure was torn in half by the attack, a neat cut that that severed everything above the first floor and utterly annihilated it.
"Sorry. I missed," Ichigo said, matter-of-factly, his narrowed gaze piercing Ginjo's own wide eyes. "The next one, however, won't."
"How?" Ginjo breathed, feeling his hands shaking. "How can you have that much power? I refuse believe that Shinigami had enough power to restore yours alone."
"You're a fool to assume it was simply my own power, Kugo Ginjo," Rukia said aloud, still using kido to heal Ishida's wounds. "You think that the power you stole from Ichigo was his true power? That Fullbring you stole only held the top layer of his power. What you see now is his true power brought forth, summoned up by the combined might of the Gotei 13's Captains and Lieutenants. Their strength was placed into that specially made sword and used to restore Ichigo's Shinigami powers."
Ichigo could feel it, the power that coursed through him, not his own. Many others were present, he sensed them all, people that he called friends and those that he never would have thought to lend him his aid. But he sensed them all, their strength giving him the power needed to regain what he had lost.
"I'd ask if you'd surrender, but I don't think you'll go for that," Ichigo said, giving the man a hard stare even while keeping an eye on Tsukishima. For a man who had been nothing but condescending and mocking throughout this entire ordeal, Ichigo was pleased to see some anger from him. He could not afford to forget about him or underestimate his powers, but to know that Ginjo's subordinate was being rattled brought him some satisfaction. "Instead I'll simply say this. Use that power you stole from me. No more tricks. No more stalls. Let's finish this Ginjo."
Ginjo shook for a few seconds, whether in fear or anger, Ichigo couldn't say nor did he care. After those moments had passed, the confident smirk appeared back on his face. "Very well then. We are in the end game after all. No more stalling Kurosaki." Griping Cross of Scaffold tight, his spiritual pressure began to soar until he became engulfed in a whirlwind of spiritual energy.
When it ended, Ichigo saw Ginjo clad in a version of his stolen Fullbring, with armor plates and skeletal bones covering his body. His spiritual pressure was far higher now. "Impressive isn't it? What your Fullbring has made possible. But you should know, Xcution isn't just about me."
It took Ichigo a split second to understand what he meant, enough time for his words to come true as four figures stepped out into the open. He looked to them all and realized that he would need to deal with the rest of Xcution.
Giriko Kutsuzawa, Riruka Dokugamine, Jackie Tristan, and Yukio Hans Vorarlberna. The original members of this little organization, subordinates to Ginjo and his next opponents.
"Come on Ginjo, stop screwing around, we want our share. That was the promise, remember?" Yukio asked, sounding a little demanding and outside of his usual laid-back manners.
"Yes, we have played our part, it is time we receive our just rewards." Giriko affirmed, remaining composed as he stood there.
Reward? Ichigo looked on, transfixed by the conversation and the intent behind this. It hit him like a brick, Ginjo had originally intended for all their powers to be transferred onto him, who was to say the powers he stole could not be distributed amongst them all.
It was proven true, as Ginjo struck. Four blade strokes descended upon the four members of Xcution and engulfed them all in a whirl of spiritual power. They were changed, altered by the power he once wielded.
Clad-type Fullbring. That is what Ginjo had called it when he had described Ichigo's own Fullbring. A power that is worn by the wielder, and Ichigo agreed, and with the power given onto the members of Xcution so too had this power become grafted onto them, their powers growing more powerful and manifesting as a physical manifestation of themselves rather than a personal item.
"Marvelous! This is truly a different feeling!" Giriko shouted, clearly overjoyed by the changes.
"This is what I have been waiting for!" Jackie said, smirking as she examined the form her Dirty Boots had taken. Yukio had a somewhat manic look of glee on his face. Every one of them looked pleased with the results.
Everyone save Riruka.
Why? Why is she not comfortable at all with all this? Ichigo asked himself. He had no idea what to expect from these changes, what kind of power would be granted by them gaining his Fullbring. He did not know, for such power would have more than just a physical change to their Fullbring focus, but the power itself.
"The odds are back in our favor now," Ginjo replied, his own form now shrouded in a burst of spiritual power. "Now that we are back on even ground, let me see if you'll take this offer of surrender." He had a smirk on his face then. "Surrender or death that is."
"I like the sound of that!"
The shout came from nowhere, but it was clear and easily heard, and Ichigo knew exactly who had shouted those words. He turned and looked to the heavens, and soon enough a large set of doors appeared, floating in the sky and opening a way to a dimension not of the material universe.
Stepping from that bright void were five people, all familiar and each one of them a friend Ichigo was glad to have.
Byakuya stood there proud and regal, a new high collared haori and hairpiece. His expression remained as it always had, stoic and intent, a look as lethal as the blade he had at his side.
The ever-serious Captain of the Tenth Division, the white-haired young man that looked only a few months from being a real teenager. Toshiro's hair had grown out a bit, and he seemed to have taken after Byakuya, now wearing a scarf where the other no longer does.
Ikkaku looks as he usually does, smirking widely and holding his Zanpakuto over his shoulder, ready to leap into the fight.
His Captain was just as excited, the manic grin on his face belayed his enthusiasm to jump in and take on the strongest present. Gone were the bells in his hair, which had grown out considerably and now fell down his back. Kenpachi looked wild and ferocious, if such a thing was possible for the already terrifyingly dangerous man.
Finally, there was Renji, smirking as only he would. His hair may be longer and he had a bandana covering his tattoos, but he was the same guy he always was.
"What are you guys doing here?" Ichigo called out, smiling slightly as seeing all the familiar faces. "I thought that transferring Shinigami power to humans was a grave crime."
"You think we would leave you high and dry like that?" Renji asked, leaping down with the other Captains. "Hell, I would have come even if the Captain-Commander didn't order us to, didn't know he had such a nice side to him."
"Knock it off Abarai," Toshiro reprimanded lightly, stepping forward. "He gave the order because it was something he would have done. Maybe not in the past, not before the Winter War, but you changed all that Ichigo. That power you now wield represents more than some debt owed to you. It represents the same change that brought it about, a change that could only happen because of you."
Ichigo tightened his fist, he didn't really expect that but he did feel some relief knowing that they had his back. That after all this time that he could still count on them as allies.
"You done?"
Ichigo turned back towards Ginjo, him and Xcution were there, waiting and ready to fight. Ichigo would give him that fight. The playing field had been leveled and now everyone had a partner. He could fight the one man he wanted to see beaten and bloody.
"Good. Yukio, let's set up some rooms for our guests here," Ginjo commanded. "It's time to finish this."
Despite the numerical advantage and spiritual strength of his ally – being easily three times greater than his own strength – Tensa expected things to be going better.
In the beginning, Zangetsu had pushed through with his greater strength and inflicted damage upon the Old Man. The grin that had been on the Zanpakuto spirit's face could not be denied as he was finally letting loose against his enemy. However, the Old Man began to adapt, growing in power as the fight went on. Now it was taking the both of them to fight the Old Man, who despite being subjugated to much rougher treatment at their hands had yet to show signs of actual harm. For every hit they delivered he repaid it, for every wound given he came back at them without flinching. It made them wonder if they were making any headway.
One thing was for certain, they weren't doing as well as he was.
"Why the hell is he not going down?" Zangetsu barked, the laceration to his arm healing as he glared at the slowly approaching Old Man. "Even with you being weaker than me now, the two of us should be able to take him."
"He is being empowered by our progenitor," Tensa explained, scowling as he kept his gaze locked on the Old Man and his reflexes ready for anything. "As long as that connection remains, we cannot defeat him through brute force."
He was right to be cautious, as the Old Man was upon them and swinging his sword in a wide arc. They separated, forced apart and to contend against a much more powerful opponent.
This was the strategy the Old Man had employed against them. Both knew that the doppelganger intended to keep them separated so he could strike at them one at a time. Those few seconds they were apart was dangerous, together they could fight as one and protect themselves and each other. But there was something that caught Tensa's interest, the logic behind this strategy just didn't feel practical. Especially the way he was carrying it out.
He knows we are most vulnerable when we are separated; he is trying to divide us and destroy us. But why? Tensa asked himself.
There was little to gain by doing this, unless he was looking for a quick victory. Perhaps it was as simple as that, for Tensa felt the Old Man's desire to end this quickly. Beneath that desire was something else, and underlying concern that drove the Old Man to using this tactic and immediately attempting to kill him. The Old Man wanted him gone, targeting him every time that he and Zangetsu were forced to separate.
Many theories came to mind why this was, the idea that he was the weakest of them sounded plausible. But it wasn't about who was most vulnerable, either of them individually was weaker than the Old Man, this was different. The doppelganger didn't want him to figure out something.
Of the two spirits Tensa knew himself to be the most dangerous and legitimate threat to the doppelganger. They were one in the same, separated only by emotion and raw power, they shared a singular intellect and methodology. The Old Man was afraid of him, desperate to see him gone, Tensa had to find out what he knew.
What is it that has you so worried about me? Tensa mused, narrowing his eyes. I need to find out what you are thinking.
A blade thrust was deflected, but a hand came forward to seize Tensa. Only to be batted aside by a kick from Zangetsu, who followed up with a slash. The Old Man was cast back, only a few steps, but far enough away for Tensa and Zangetsu to return to form and attack as one.
They worked in tandem, striking together and protecting each other from any counters. One would strike and force the Old Man onto the defensive, the second would attack his exposed flank or back. It was usually riposted as well, but their method always bore fruit in the end as they caught their enemy unprepared.
Small victories at a time, dealing just enough damage to make him stumble. But that was all they were doing at this point. Debilitating him was proving to be impossible and harming him in such a way was proving to be difficult to accomplish with the strength they possessed.
But I still feel the desperation in his attacks. He is worried about something, Tensa thought. He realizes something I have not, something that may be the key to our victory. I just need to figure it out what that is.
Ichigo slashed, his blade meeting Ginjo's, neither gaining ground over the other as they remained within a stalemate.
This had been a battle he had been fighting ever since he had been pulled into one of Yukio's Game Rooms. The powers of the young Fullbringer had changed drastically since he absorbed the essence of his own Fullbring, now able to manifest rooms outside of his Fullbring as he wished.
And what he could create was much more intricate than before. No longer a simple blank canvas with little to show for itself; Ichigo stood under a noon sun, actual heat on his skin, while flying over a near perfect replicate of Karakura Town. Their powers had grown significantly, Ichigo realized. I can only imagine what kind of changes the other members of Xcution have underwent.
"Not so smug now!" Ginjo said, pushing Ichigo back a few paces before attacking. He raised his blade, bathing it in a bright violet light, and releasing it with a war cry. "Getsuga Tenshou!"
Ichigo raised Zangetsu, placing his hand against the blunt edge of his blade to hold it steady as the wave of spiritual pressure crashed into him. He held his ground, and with a mighty heave he was able to cleave through the energy.
Ginjo had certainly gotten a power boost, so much that Ichigo had no doubt that they were on equal footing. Even more alarming was that he could copy his techniques, even in some cases how he fought and behaved in a battle, it was scary. It almost made it seem like he was fighting another version of himself.
Looks like it wasn't just a power boost he got from stealing my Fullbring, Ichigo frowned. He inherited the memories of my techniques. Somehow when Ginjo took his Fullbring, some of his Shinigami powers crossed over as well. So far that was all Ginjo had used against him; copies of his own moves. If Ginjo had techniques of his own, and Ichigo was sure that he did, he had been keeping them a secret for a reason. Why he had no idea, but the sooner he ended this battle the better, a prolonged fight was proving costly. His arm was already singed from the first surprise Getsuga Ginjo had caught him with.
Luckily, he wasn't fighting alone.
"Ichigo."
He gave Ishida a momentary glance, not willing to take his eyes off Ginjo even for a second. "What's up?"
"I told you already, using that other sword would help." Ishida chided.
"Really?" Ichigo responded, giving him a bland look. "I don't have time to practice alright? Especially when I am going up against this guy. I try experimenting and he will get the drop on me."
"You will need to change tactics," Ishida counted, pushing up his glasses. "He has all your skills and techniques; fighting as you usually do will not help you. It is time to be unpredictable."
Ishida was referring to his Quincy abilities, something he had only found out about fifteen minutes ago and had no idea how to use. More than that, he had no idea how to properly use his sword because it doesn't work the same way that Zangetsu did. All the techniques he knew were from his Shinigami powers and they wouldn't work through his Quincy blade.
"Best I can use this for is a second sword," Ichigo said. Honestly, dual wielding two swords at the same time felt appealing to him for some reason. However, the nameless Quincy blade was too new. He didn't have the same connection with it yet like he did with Zangetsu. He wasn't sure he'd feel comfortable enough to use it that way in this battle.
"Honestly, have you learned nothing from watching me all this time?" Uryu asked in an exasperated tone. "A sword has never been a Quincy's primary weapon form. It has always been a bow."
Ichigo rolled his eyes at him. "Do I look like I have time to figure out how to summon a bow I probably don't even know how to use?"
"You're not listening to me. You already have it. You just can't see it," Ishida said, gripping his bow and it glowed for a moment. Ichigo watched the shape and size change, become more elongated and intricate. "A Quincy's primary weapon will always default to what is best for each individual, but a bow is always in its core. Now let me show you how it is done." Without saying another word, Ishida quickly fired off a bolt from his arrow.
Ginjo was quick to bat aside the bolt, before he blocked a stab from Ishida's Seele Schneider. Ishida already twisted around and swung up another Seele Schneider, the blade moving for Ginjo's throat. He ducked under the slice and flicked his weapon up, forcing Ishida away before he retaliated with a quick slash.
Ishida evaded easily enough with Hirenkyaku, appearing next to Ginjo and swinging for his head. Again the swing was halted by the larger sword, but Ginjo fumbled to evade the low stab to his kidney from the second blade. He evaded the strike with only a graze, before swinging his blade up towards Ishida, catching him just as Ginjo had been.
"Good swordplay, only two attacks in and you nicked me, can't say anyone has gotten that close before," Ginjo commented.
Ishida rested his hand over his shoulder, wincing as the shallow wound there, it was a minor thing and shouldn't be a problem for him. Despite the failure to deliver a wound onto the Fullbringer Ishida gave a coy smile, one that many would assume is arrogant.
"What's with the smirk? You nicked me, didn't even draw any blood, is that meant to prove something?" Ginjo asked, not very happy at seeing that insufferable grin on Ishida's face. "Come on, speak up. You think that because your arrows couldn't get me that you can wear me down with swordplay? I can tell you right now, your sword skills are subpar. Stick with fighting at a distance. You will live longer."
"Rukia was right. You are a fool," Ishida replied, never losing his grin. "This isn't my attempt to best you in a duel of skill. This is my attempt at teaching a novice how to fire."
"Fire?" Ginjo asked as he seemed to realize something just them, there was one person missing from this party. It didn't take him but a moment to find Ichigo, looking down he looked towards the Substitute as he was pointing his Quincy blade up towards the Fullbringer.
But something was amiss, the way he held it and the way the blade seemed to have split apart caught him by surprise. The pulsing energies that surged along the centre of the weapon and looked ready to be released alarmed Ginjo.
Ichigo had fired then, releasing the built up energies right towards the Fullbringer who had only enough time to blink before he was hit. The man was engulfed in an explosion of light and force that threw Ishida back, causing him to topple through the air before he corrected himself.
"I cannot believe that actually worked," Ichigo muttered in disbelief as he looked at his weapon. He had been trying to do what Ishida had suggested. Make the blade become a bow, but be something he would be comfortable with. The Quincy weapon responded by having the blade of the sword split in twain and formed what almost looked like an arrow point. It had converted itself from a sword into a usable crossbow, and a powerful one at that.
"Kurosaki! You should have solidified the bolt! It would have had made a better penetrating shot than a concussive wave." Ishida called out, gliding towards him.
Ichigo frowned in annoyance. "Give me a break. Do I look like I know how to do that?" With a flick of his hand he had shut the weapon, reforming his blade and examining it one last time before placing it back in its sheathe. "I'm glad this even worked at all. Gathering energy is the same no matter what power I am using, but you know I'm terrible at control."
"As if I need a reminder," Ishida sighed. "Maybe you should keep that at hand instead of sheathed."
Ichigo shook his head. "I'm not going to get another opportunity to use the crossbow on him like that and I'm not comfortable enough with the sword yet to use it at the same time as Zangetsu." He said as he looked up the clearing smoke. "Against someone like him, it isn't worth the risk. We do this together and we should be alright."
Looking up he found the cloud dispersing as something launched itself from it. Ichigo followed with eyes and found Ginjo standing only few feet away, disheveled and now sporting some actual injuries. The bone like armor over his body was cracked, pieces missing and shattered, and from the few scrapes across his body it showed that he was wounded.
"What is this even about anymore?" Ginjo asked, casually starting a conversation as if prompted to.
Ichigo raised a brow at the tactic, wondering if he was trying to lure him into a false sense of security.
"You can't be doing this for revenge; I am not the one that wronged you, not entirely," Ginjo said. "I know that and you ain't doing this because you want me dead, I can tell."
That was a bold statement, but not entirely true, Ichigo wondered if he gained more than just his techniques, but also his intuition when it came to crossing blades with another person. Still it made him wonder as to where Ginjo was going with this.
"Before your arrow hit I sensed something, I sensed a few things actually. The rest of Xcution are starting to fall. I can sense Tsukishima, he's dying," Ginjo spoke up, that certainly was worth knowing. "I wasn't exactly truthful with you when I told you that killing him might free your friends, it most certainly will do that. When a Fullbringer dies, all traces of their power will disappear from the world."
That was more of a relief to hear than anything else, but coming from Ginjo's mouth didn't mean much in ways of endearing himself to Ichigo.
"So back to the question then: What the hell is this all about?" Ginjo asked, raising his arms in a half-hearted shrug as if he was unable to figure out some convoluted answer. "What are you fighting for, really? What is it that is driving you to fight me with this much conviction?"
Ichigo didn't reply to his enemy, his only response was a glare.
"Answer me: Why are you fighting me? I am not the enemy. The enemy came here to wipe us out." Ginjo said, his words losing their calm as he growled. "You are fighting me on behalf of those that would use you and discard you as soon as you fulfilled your purpose. What makes you think that they wouldn't do the same after we are done here?"
Ichigo began to wonder, not about what was said by Ginjo, but why he was saying it. He had to wonder why he felt this way. What had he done or had been done to him? What turned him into the man he is today?
"It is obvious what you are doing," Ishida said. "Attempting to convince Ichigo to come over to your side, since the tables have turned you obviously do not want to contend with the both of us."
"The tables have turned? Are you kidding me?" Ginjo replied, smirking at the idea that he was at a disadvantage. "I can wipe the floor with you both easily enough, we know that. I am just trying to save Ichigo here from a very dark end to this little conflict."
"You're trying to convince me that they are going to turn on me, right? That they will be my enemy, you keep sprouting on about how they have betrayed you and that they will do the same to me. I have yet to be convinced." Ichigo replied.
"As per usual you are still in the dark about what kinds of people you are dealing with," Ginjo replied.
"Whatever hang-ups you have I don't, I know for a fact they won't betray me," Ichigo stated.
"They left you to rot!" Ginjo roared, and Ichigo could see the legitimate rage showing on his face. "You gave up everything for them and they only came back to give you that power, so you could do their dirty work for them. Just like they always wanted! Are you that stupid to think it is a coincidence that they come back here to give you that power? Right when I showed up? They said it themselves that they gave it back because of me! That they hid for so long and were out of reach and never came to you?"
It was something that Ichigo had to wonder about, given the nature of this guy he had to guess that the reason was important. Considering what he had done and was capable of, what the Shinigami were hunting him for had to be quite important.
"You really don't know do you? About the Combat Pass, about what it is truly meant for?" Ginjo said, a surprised look showed on his face. He seemed to laugh, little mirth in his chuckle as he looked around and seem to be waiting for someone else to join in the inside joke.
"What are you on about?" Ichigo asked, irritated by his manic giggling.
"Ichigo," Ishida spoke up, but he ignored the Quincy. Instead he focused his attention on Ginjo.
"You said it yourself, why would the Shinigami give a human spiritual power from a Shinigami? Their very laws prohibit them from doing so, then why do people like us get a free pass?" Ginjo started. "I bet they told you that you got it because you proved yourself to be beneficial to the Soul Society. Does that ring a bell?"
Ichigo did recall, but he didn't reply.
"Ichigo. That is a lie," Ginjo said, for a moment that surprised Ichigo. "Benefit in this case is no different if you are a danger, because either way, you still get the badge and same speech."
"Kurosaki," Ishida said, becoming more insistent.
"Did you figure out that the badge isn't a license? That its authority is all but non-existent?" Ginjo replied.
Ichigo only just now realized that the badge did not have the authority he once thought it did. Memories of instances where he attempted to show that authority had been ignored; sometimes they didn't even know what it was. He had only thought on it for a short time, questioned it, but never did he have time to figure it out.
With the Arrancar, Aizen and the Winter War on its way, he never was able to piece together those subtle clues. Even after his powers were gone, his mind focused on one thing above all else, what he had lost.
"So, the badge's purpose isn't to act as a license," Ichigo stated. "Then what is its purpose?"
Ginjo had no emotion showing as he gave his answer. "The badge's true purpose is to restrict and monitor you."
Ichigo felt his gut tighten at that declaration, his muscles going rigid as he heard that statement. It was meant for that purpose?
"The badge monitors you," Ginjo began to explain. "Allowing the Soul Society to know where you are and to suppress your reiatsu. Isn't it strange that you didn't notice that whenever it was with you your wild uncontrollable spiritual power was so tamed and docile?"
"Kurosaki!" Ishida insisted.
"The badge in and of itself is a surveillance device meant to observe you. However it has a secondary purpose: to absorb, analyze and control your reiatsu," Ginjo continued.
Ichigo knew he wasn't lying, many detailing becoming clear to him as he thought about it. The Badge released all that power when he turned it into his Fullbring, all that wild chaotic energy unleashed. And when he was training he heard Rukia's voice through the pass.
"Its purpose was always to control you," Ginjo continued, no smirk, no joy, no hesitation. "You didn't want to believe, did you? You saw all the signs and you blocked them off so you wouldn't have to come to the realization that the people you consider your friends had betrayed you."
Ichigo did not respond, this was something he had never even considered. He needed a moment to think, to try to figure out the reasoning as to why this was done. Who could have done this?
"Do you want to know who is responsible? One the one man behind all this and all these schemes?" Ginjo asked. "It was the same man that gave you the badge, the Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Joshiro Ukitake."
The revelation hit him like a blade through the heart. It all came rushing back to him; every conversation and word that man had said to him. It came rushing back, and soon enough it all clicked. He went still, numb as he came to a startling realization.
"It is hard isn't it, to think that the kindly man of the Thirteenth Division is the mastermind behind this entire con. To use us, control us, and execute us both when we served our purpose. Because Ichigo, you were only spared because they wanted to use you kill me." Ginjo said, a smile now forming on his lips as he believed he had gotten through to the Substitute. "We are both nothing more than pawns in their little game Ichigo!"
"Ichigo!" Ishida shouted. "Don't!"
"Shut up!" Ichigo screamed aloud. He shook in anger before grasping his forearm and raising his Zanpakuto. He was angry at himself, angry for not seeing things clearly, to accept the lies and not seek the truth.
That ended now.
"Bankai!"
The power coursed through him, pulsing with his heartbeat and sending a surge through his veins. He remembered this power, the pressure that weighed on him the first time he had used it. His bones had cracked, and his muscles had been torn, but he never denied the exhilaration he felt when he used it.
Now was no different. The euphoria of having this power back took his attention for a few moments. His body shook from the rush he felt and glared at the one who had required such might.
Ichigo's power surged around him, blanketing everything in his spiritual power. He did not bother to notice that the sun was gone nor that the city they floated over had disappeared. It didn't matter. All that mattered was the person in front of him.
"What was that?" Ginjo asked, standing there calmly. "Throwing a tantrum? Not willing to accept the facts?"
"Shut up," Ichigo said, still glaring at Ginjo.
"What? You don't want to face the truth? Still trying to escape the facts that you…" Ginjo said.
"I wasn't talking to you," Ichigo replied, glancing over his shoulder and giving Ishida a glare. "What the hell was that? 'Ichigo! Don't'? What the hell are you so worried about? What's got you so scared?"
Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the Quincy, did he think so little of him that as soon as Ginjo started sprouting off stuff that makes some sense that he would fall to despair? That he would doubt himself and his comrades?
"Do you honestly think I never considered what Ukitake said to me? About the badge and how he worded it?" Ichigo spoke aloud, his gaze falling back onto Ginjo. "You think I didn't know it was weird?"
"What?" Ginjo asked.
"You were right, I did suspect Ukitake of something. I thought he had some motive going on that I wasn't aware of. But like you said I pushed it aside, I buried it deep down because I didn't want to know what he planned," Ichigo admitted. "But you know what? I figured something out one day, came right off the top of my head."
He had dreaded the idea for some time, that there was more going on than he realized and more that he didn't know. Ukitake was ancient in comparison to him; one of the oldest captains and a damn smart man, one that Ichigo truthfully did not wish to make his enemy.
"For such a smart guy, who could have easily fooled me and left me none the wiser. Yet he didn't. He gave me a cryptic warning, and left me with a badge that I would soon discover had no true purpose to it," Ichigo stated, his words were firm and strong. "He wanted me to realize something was amiss, not to give me a warning or remind me who I was dealing with. He told me so that when I realized, I had a choice."
"A choice?" Ginjo scoffed incredulously. "You think that realizing what the badge was gave you a choice? All it did was put a noose around your neck. There is no choice there."
"There was a choice," Ichigo replied. "The same choice I made when I first gained this power: I chose to protect." His entire life has always floated around that singular goal, that one thing that made his life have meaning.
"I have never strove to be someone special. Never considered to get rich, get girls or even get into college. I have always wanted one thing, to protect those precious to me," Ichigo said with total conviction in his voice. "It is something I have always felt, a desire and need to safeguard those that need it. With this power I have been able to fulfill that dream."
He remembered the night Rukia had given her powers to him, to give him the strength to protect more than just those closest to him. To show him what his power could do, how he could protect his home and everyone in it. "Rukia gave me that power and showed me the path I knew that this power was meant for. And the power that everybody had come together to restore after I had lost it."
Ichigo raised his blade, the long jagged sword aimed towards Ginjo. "That is why I am going to defeat you, to protect them and everyone else from the likes of you," he declared.
He could see some disappointment flash in Ginjo's eyes, as if he was pitying him for making a choice that he saw as wrong.
"I suppose this is where all conversation breaks down. No point in putting forward words anymore," Ginjo sighed. "I offered you a few chances to surrender. To walk away, even run. But it can't be helped now, there's no other choice is left."
Ginjo raised Cross of Scaffold, and made a single utterance.
"Bankai."
Ichigo didn't react as the Fullbringer was engulfed in a whirling mass of spiritual energy, having remembered that the man was once a former Substitute Shinigami. But also having stolen his powers he likely also stole his Bankai as well, this would be their final battle.
Ichigo!
The Substitute's eyes widened as he heard the shout. Tensa?
You must listen to me! Defeating Ginjo is important, but there is something you must do before you kill him, Tensa said, urgency in his words. Reclaim your Fullbring from him.
What do you mean reclaim it?
As I said, you must do this, for if you fail there will be consequences far reaching than this battle. Tensa replied.
Ichigo trusted him enough not to go into details. Whatever was going on had Tensa on the edge, best not waste time then. How do I do it?
Take both of your blades. Make them whole as I once did with your inner Hollow. Clear your mind and you will understand how, Tensa replied, before the presence of the Zanpakuto spirit disappeared. Ichigo felt something else, a memory and feeling that almost instinctively guided him.
Just as he had obtained the knowledge needed, the energy surrounding Ginjo vanished and Ichigo could see his enemy in his Bankai state, and Ginjo had certainly become powerful enough to call it a Bankai.
The first Substitute Shinigami's appearance had changed, much more dramatically Ichigo's ever did in Bankai. The fur on Ginjo's jacket had turned red had become enlarged, not to mention he had fur pants and black shoes. Ginjo's facial features changed as well with his hair and eyebrows turning white while his eyes had become white with red sclera and a red cross-shaped marking was now on his face. Cross of Scaffold had also went through a metamorphosis, the guard and the hilt gained a more skeletal appearance, with a rigid bone-like plate dividing the hollow portion of his sword and the blade. The most surprising to Ichigo was the fact that Ginjo now looked like had gained four wings of energy coming from his back and it gave the shape of an X behind him.
There was a malevolent smile on Ginjo's face, as if telling Ichigo how wrong he was to fight him now. "Are you ready Ichigo? Ready to end this once and for all?"
Ichigo's only response was to close his eyes and draw his Quincy blade, placing it over his Zanpakuto. He felt his power flow freely through the blade and slowly connect with his Bankai.
"Shatter..." On command, the Quincy sword began to break apart and the pieces fell on top of Tensa Zangetsu. However they did not fall off, rather they remained stuck to the blade as if they were magnets. He placed his free hand on top of the sword and opened his eyes as he declared, "...and Fuse!"
A flash of light enveloped his weapon, pulsing brightly and releasing waves of black and white energy that forced Ishida away and caused Ginjo to raise his blade to cover his eyes.
When the light ended, he saw Ichigo holding a single weapon. The Quincy blade had formed an outer white edge around Tensa Zangetsu, while the black katana remained as the inner core of this new weapon. But most strikingly, where there had once been only black chains attached to the sword and his hand, there were now a set of white chains also connected to both.
Ichigo looked on at the merged blade in his hand, the power within it greater than any that he knew, and what he would use to end this battle quickly and decisively. He looked back at Ginjo, who looked angered by this turn of events. "Let's finish this Ginjo!"
Zangetsu was having a really hard time with the Old Man ever since Tensa had decided to leave him, swearing he would be back. At first he actually enjoyed the thought of getting to attack the Old Man one-on-one, cutting loose by unleashing Bankai on the bastard. He thought he could out power him in this state.
While his initial attempts had caused damage to the Old Man, his injuries would always glow with a pale blue light and heal themselves. As they did, the Old Man became stronger with each blow. First he became even with Zangetsu and then he began to overpower him.
The corrupted Quincy Fragment had thrown him through wreckage of several broken buildings, cut deeply by his sword and had punches given to his face and stomach. And through all of it he had to listen to the Old Man speak of how weak and pathetic he was.
Screw him. He's the one freaking cheating in this fight, Zangetsu hissed. Even with the Bankai on his side he was on the losing side of the battle. Where the hell did you run off to Tensa? Whatever you are doing, it better have been something damn good.
"I can sense your apprehension; you know what is going to happen. Back to the pit you go," The Old Man said, smirking as he strolled forward, his face having aged and his grow longer, he was starting to look like someone else.
"Pass," Zangetsu replied, glaring at the Old Man. "You've put me in there before and I've managed to get out. Only now, I will never go back to that hole."
"You have no choice in the matter," The Old Man replied, raising his sword up. "There will be no escaping when I am through with you."
Then swung it to the side and batted aside an arrow.
"A poor ambush, don't you think, even by your standards it was pitiful," The Old Man said, glancing up towards the source of the shot and to his younger half.
Zangetsu followed and glared up at Tensa. "Where the hell you been?" he yelled at his ally. "I have been cleaning this shit up for the last few minutes and suffering for it. I thought you actually had some class!"
Tensa did not respond, only leaping to his side and standing there. "I have given us a chance and if this doesn't work I have another in play. One that will ensure our victory," the Quincy manifestation replied with a smirk on his face.
"Gonna fill me in?" Zangetsu asked, curious as to what Tensa had done.
"You will know soon enough," Tensa replied just before he began to disintegrate, his form dissipating into white particles.
Those same white particles began to flow over Zangetsu, giving him a feeling he remembered quite well. Well I never thought we'd be pulling this trick off ever again, Zangetsu mused.
Then he ceased to be, no longer just Zangetsu and Tensa, but something in between and at the same time different. He smirked, their minds as one and their powers feeding off one another, along with the idea and plan that Tensa had concocted.
"So this is your attempt to best me. I suspected this, but did not think you would be so desperate to use such a hideous tactic." The Old Man said, his expression betraying nothing as he looked at the newly formed Tensa Zangetsu.
"I can tell from that look on your face that you are less than pleased, and I know it ain't because of the little fusion we just pulled off," Tensa Zangetsu said, lunging forward and clashing with the Old Man.
The corrupted fragment had a scowl on his face as he parried and swung, expecting to cause injury to his opponent only for his sword to cut through air. His eyes widened at his miscalculation. Where did he-
His thoughts interrupted as he felt wave of spiritual power crash into him, his back burning from the attack as he skidded across the desert a meter or too before stopping the momentum. Even as he got back on to his feet, even as he felt the damage done by the attack being healed, his face had a positively murderous look on it as he stared at the fused manifestation with disdain.
"Because right now, we are a legitimate threat," Tensa Zangetsu said with confidence and conviction, pointing their sword at the Old Man. "This is why we are gonna beat you, because we won't stop until we end you!"
It was an endless barrage of clashing blades, the sound of swords colliding echoed across the skies. Both were nearly evenly matched, nearly. Ichigo could feel it, for his power may be stronger than Ginjo's he held onto something so much more potent.
They both fought for different reasons, and all power no matter how strong is only as powerful as the purpose that power is put towards.
Their blades met with another clash, sparks flying, and in the next moment they disengaged and struck again. Shallow wounds littered their bodies, cuts marring their flesh and drenching their clothes, they were equal, but as Ichigo's Zanpakuto clashed with Ginjo's Fullbring he felt the resolve within.
He felt the determination there, a deep desire to fight, but truthfully in his heart that reason was guided by shallow reasons. Hatred, anger, fear and despair. He sensed it all, all that raw emotion that had been festering so long in his soul.
How long has this been there? How many years has he endured such pain? These feelings have been wearing away at him, truly Ichigo did not think Ginjo could carry such horrible emotions. He was breaking inside, tormented by this, and unable to escape this feeling. Something Ichigo was familiar with.
"Ichigo!" Ginjo roared. "Do you think you can look at me like that? Do you think you can understand me?!"
Ichigo understood, he truly did, and that is why he could not for the life of him consider this man an enemy. Not as he thought, now that he knew, now that he understood. But he gave no response, only readying for the next attack, which came at him as a wave of force. A bright violent ray, almost like a Cero, came flying towards him.
Ichigo did nothing but raise his hand, catching it as he was consumed the wave. He felt it wash over him; there was no strength behind it, not when matching against his own. It was time to end this, to finish this battle with a final strike, he lunged forward and swung.
Ginjo was caught off guard, Tensa Zangetsu slashing through his chest with little resistance and sending the Fullbringer falling back to the earth. Ichigo followed, both of them dropping towards the ground and colliding with a thundering boom, not a second later did their blades collide once more. Both putting their strength towards overpowering the other, with a heave Ichigo forced themselves apart.
As Ginjo made for a wide slash Ichigo made for a stab, the strike was precise and made two deep cuts. The first severed Ginjo's blade in two, leaving half of it to fly free, and the second cut pierced right through his chest.
Ginjo let out a blood-curdling cry as he collapsed to the ground, his weapon falling free from his hand. On his knees and with no strength left, the only thing keeping him upright was the blade through his breast, held there by Ichigo.
"I am sorry Ginjo," Ichigo said, sincere with his words as he grasped his Zanpakuto with both hands. "But I need to take back my Fullbring."
His blade pulsed, the entire weapon glowing a bright light as it did its work. Soon the Fullbring that shrouded Ginjo began to strip away, flowing like liquid away from him and back to its original master. Ichigo paid little attention to this, only keeping his eyes on the wounded and dying Fullbringer who had not the strength to do anything else.
With his Fullbring returned Ichigo grasped the man's shoulder, pulling his blade free and keeping him steady. Ginjo let out a wheeze as he tried to breathe, his lung had likely been punctured. Blood flowed from his mouth as he tried to speak.
"…This is it then? This is how I die?" Ginjo asked, having enough strength to look up.
Ichigo could see the eyes of the man he had fought; they were the same as always. But now he had noticed what they held, something he had no realized until now, he was tired. Weary of all the misery that his life had gone through, a life that more than likely had more hardships than even Ichigo himself did not believe he could suffer through and not be a changed man.
"Had we been different… had you come before me… would it have been different?" Ginjo asked, there was actual wonder in his eyes and he thought about it.
Ichigo truly could not help but pity him. There was pain in his heart to think that this man had suffered the way he did. Ichigo could not doubt that Ginjo believed that he deserved revenge against the Shinigami, to make them pay for their slights against him. Claiming to know who is right and wrong here is pointless, the choices had already been made.
Ichigo understood why Ginjo felt the way he did, he had sensed it when their weapons clashed, and he did not doubt that the reason he fought was for his own desire. But Ichigo sensed so much more. Beyond revenge and even beyond a desire to become more powerful; a singular desire for peace, to put to rest these warring emotions and finally be free of them.
"Had we stood in opposite places, would what I see be different from you? Would you… have become like me?" Ginjo asked.
"No," Ichigo replied, solemnly holding onto the Fullbringer's shoulder, keeping him steady as he gave his response. "Even if I came first, I don't believe things would have changed."
Ginjo actually smirked at that, laughing shallowly as he heard it, even as blood spilled from his mouth the smile on his face was genuine. He looked almost impressed.
"Had I been you…" Ginjo said. "I would have liked to have that strength… to be free from that burden of doubt… to have a heart that strong… what would my life be?"
Ichigo did not respond.
"I wonder… I wonder… I…" Ginjo said, drifting away and finally leaving this world entirely.
Ichigo held him there for a moment, and with a sigh he lay him down against the ground. This was an end he knew that was coming, one that would end in his death. Still, to think mercy like that was needed; to take his life so that he could have peace was not something he thought to do.
It is the only thing I could do I guess, from one Substitute to another, Ichigo mused as he undid the fusing of his combined blade, which separated into Tensa Zangetsu and the Quincy blade. I just wish it didn't have to end like-
The silent contemplation was broken when he felt something approach him from behind, a presence that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He turned quickly, eyes widening as he saw Tsukishima rushing towards him with his sword raised to strike.
Ichigo didn't expect that, it took him longer than a moment to react and prepare to defend himself, but in that time someone else had already come to his defense. Rukia leaped in front of him, using her body as a shield to protect him, his eyes widened as the sword was coming down. The intent was clear, cleave through her and then move onto him.
"Rukia!" Ichigo shouted, just as a flash of light burst from her chest, the next second someone else was in front of Rukia and taking the blow in her place.
Ichigo caught her, looking up in surprise at the one who had come to Rukia's rescue.
"Riruka?" Tsukishima asked, his reckless charge halted for a moment as his blade sunk into Riruka's shoulder.
"That wasn't non-lethal. You actually attacked with the intent of killing him," Riruka said, looking pale as she struggled to stay standing with a blade lodged in her shoulder.
Tsukishima was momentarily halted, surprised that she would bar his path. Why had she stepped in his way to stop him from killing the one who had murdered Ginjo? Did she have no guilt over the passing of the one that had brought them together.
"Move!" Tsukishima yelled, ripping his blade free.
Riruka had fallen as his Fullbring came loose; his gaze fell on the motionless body of Ginjo. Bloody and pale, a far cry from the powerful and mighty individual that had rescued and raised him in his youth. How could this have happened? How could it be that they failed?
"Ginjo! Don't die!" Tsukishima screamed out. "You can't die! We still need to finish this! We have to finish what you started!"
"Enough you fool!" Riruka screamed. "Don't you get it! This plan he constructed was always going to fail! Six humans against all the Shinigami of Soul Society? Are you kidding me?"
Tsukishima looked at her, momentarily unable to speak; even with the hole through his chest he still felt something else seize his breath.
"Ginjo saved us all from terrible fates. He saved us and brought us all together, all those years ago. But what he was leading us towards would have been the end of us all, he would have shattered the only thing in the world that he could truly call his own, he knew that. In the end, Ichigo saved him, he saved us all." Riruka said, grasping her shoulder. "Despite all he wanted, all he fought for, he wanted it to end. Ichigo did that for him, he gave him peace."
"Peace... peace?!" Tsukishima looked at his fellow Fullbringer in disgust and hatred. "You little bitch! You were absolutely nothing without Ginjo! None of you were worth a damn! He was worth more than anyone! Yet you think that your lives are worth saving!"
They had been brought together for a single purpose, one given to them by the man that lay dead at the feet of the man she now protects. Ginjo had united them all, brought them together and made them all into a family. Yet she thinks that they mattered? They lived because of him, were pulled from the despair of their past lives and given greater purpose. And she spits on that destiny by saying Ginjo was saved.
"He did not save him; he murdered the one person that you should have died for!" He raised his sword intending to take off Riruka's head. "If you wanted to take the blow for him then so be it! I'll kill you with the same intent as I plan for Kurosaki!"
Yet he was unable to fulfill his promise, something striking his chest and throwing him off his feet. He felt motionless for a few moments before he connected with a tree, his body flared with pain before he went numb from the neck down. He couldn't even feel his legs now, everything felt cold.
"Dammit… dammit…" Tsukishima cursed, looking up to the one that had rendered him so weak.
Ichigo was there, cradling that Shinigami in his arms and holding that Quincy blade, it pulsed as it slammed shut. He laid the Shinigami down, quick to move forward and catch Riruka as she herself succumbed to her wounds and passed out.
"You alright Rukia?" Ichigo asked.
"Yeah, a little light headed," she replied, a hand to her head as if to clear the ringing. She saw Ichigo walking over to her with Riruka, laying the young woman on the ground.
"Take care of her for a bit," Ichigo asked as he sheathed the Quincy blade on his back while picking up Tensa Zangetsu from the ground. He turned his attention then towards Tsukishima. "I need to handle this."
Tsukishima growled as Ichigo moved towards him, standing right at his feet and looking down at him with a solemn expression. He would dare give him such a look? Showing actual pity on him? What makes him think that they want such a thing?
"Always the way, always how it goes." Tsukishima said. "The strong tread on the weak, leaving them to rot and suffer as the mighty roam free and unmolested by the cruelty of the world."
How funny it was, that they were back here again when Ginjo was gone. Truly he had no idea what to do anymore, with Ginjo gone he had no idea where to proceed from here, to seek revenge? He had no way to do it, he was dying and there was no way he could stop it.
So what could he do but spit at the feet of the man who had killed the only person who had given their lives meaning.
"We are not that different, we both were saved by Shinigami. You by Rukia Kuchiki and myself by Ginjo. Both of us became strong because of them, they raised us up and out of weakness and made us great." Tsukishima said. "But like always, you think you are righteous. But you won't make me believe in your ideals. 'The weak believe what is forced onto them. While the strong, what they wish to believe, they force it to be real.'I was weak once, like all the others of Xcution."
They had all been weak, broken and battered by a world where they held no power and say. Each of them had such great gifts, forged in tragedy brought about by those that did not wish goodwill onto them or by circumstances out of their control. They had all been broken, their lives torn apart and reduced to an existence filled with nothing.
"You never knew what it was like to be broken, to have everything torn away from you. Each of us became what we are, ours power became what they are because of what we endured, of what we suffered at the hands of our betters. Of people we thought would value us, protect us, and love is." Tsukishima said, remembering a family that he was never welcome in, a family that abandoned him.
But the others suffered as well, all of them were forged in tragedy, by the hands of others and by themselves they suffered in silence and unable to feel the warmth of anyone.
Giriko killed his wife, his regret and despair cost him more than his beloved. His eye burnt from his skull for such a mistake, a toll for showing weakness when none was required.
Jackie lost her family, all murdered and left to rot in a hot shed on a patch of deserted ground. Her boots stained in blood, a symbol of her weakness and inability to do anything to save them or wipe away those haunting memories.
Yukio, rich and wealthy, someone that would have everything and yet at the same time nothing. Escaping into his own little worlds to be away from parents that expected so much of him and yet gave him nothing in return.
Riruka, so desperate to hold onto what she loves and cherishes in those little houses. Nothing more than a desperate attempt to not lose anything else, to save what she can before it is taken from her again.
But what of Ichigo? What is his vice? What is his pain? There is none.
"You lived a life filled with love and care. A hand raised to you would caress your cheek rather than strike it, you would be given comfort if you cried rather than scolded for such weakness, where you doubted yourself they would give you hope where I was never given such kindness," Tsukishima growled. "We were all abandoned by society, we were weak in the eyes of ourselves or others, but with Ginjo we had strength and power. He gave us the strength to stand above those that kept us in the mud, that forbade us from rising higher."
He looked up, that same look not leaving the Shinigami's face.
"Ginjo gave us everything, purpose and meaning to who we are, and without him we are lost now. For what can we do without him? Against the Soul Society and the Shinigami?" Tsukishima asked.
"Ginjo was a lot of things, but the one thing he did right was protect you all," Ichigo said, looking down at Tsukishima without anger or disdain. "The strong should always protect the weak. Ginjo did that, he gave you all that strength to carry on and become something more. But he grew weak, not because he valued you and cared for you. He grew weak because he no longer wished to protect. The weak seek revenge, the truest attribute of strength is forgiveness."
Tsukishima laughed at the notion. "And do you forgive him, Ichigo? Can you forgive him for all that he has done?"
Ichigo shook his head. "I understand why he did what he did, why he felt that way. I do not agree, and I cannot forgive him. Not yet. But I know that he despaired for what he had become. How weak it made his heart, and how cold it made him, and how afraid he was of what he was becoming."
"How can you be so certain of that?" Tsukishima said, he never suspected such a thing, he knew Ginjo well and this was not something he thought was possible.
"Because his life has always been that way," Ichigo answered. "For so long he has been downtrodden and looked upon as weak; but when he first gained his Shinigami powers he saw a chance to escape from that weakness."
"But the Shinigami were there, watching him, weakening him, studying him. He had that power, yet he was still beneath someone, someone who wasn't free as he thought, shackled to a world he thought would set him free," Ichigo continued. "Ginjo misjudged them, thought that they were the same as those that had put him down as a normal human, but the truth is they weren't like that."
Tsukishima snorted, the actual act causing him to choke slightly. "You think they truly are better?"
"I know them, and Ginjo certainly didn't. He saw only the faces of those that wronged him, in place of the people who gave him a chance to prove he was worthy. He had the power, and I know he had the will to do right, but he could never let go of his past and those grudges," Ichigo stated. "I understand why he did what he did. Do you?"
Tsukishima didn't answer, he couldn't answer. How could Ichigo know so much about his past? Tsukishima knew enough, just enough for him to understand the motives, but what Ichigo was telling him showed a side that none knew about their great leader. "Does it matter now? He is dead."
"Maybe, but do you know why he brought you all together?" Ichigo asked. "He may have needed soldiers, and you were faithful as such, but do you think that maybe there is more to being part of Xcution than that?"
Tsukishima thought for a moment, but he did not have a chance to answer. He heard a rustle to his right, with what strength he had left he turned to see someone step into the open. He felt some surprise that he was still here, let alone alive.
Moe Shishigawara was not someone he expected to remain, after all Ginjo has ordered Tsukishima to kill him. He was a pawn after all, to be used and discarded later, for all his worth he was not someone that was truly valued. So the tables had turned, Moe more than likely knew the truth now and would seek revenge.
He saw it, as the man approached, stopping just near him. Tsukishima expected Moe to crush his skull with a single punch from Jackpot Knuckle.
Instead something happened that he couldn't believe.
Moe turned away from him and looked at Ichigo dead in the eyes as he spoke. "I'm taking bro home now."
Wh-what? Tsukishima did not know what to expect, he thought his hearing was bad, but it sounded like Moe was talking about him. He was proven right when he was lifted off the ground and carried across the young man's back.
"You gonna stop me?" Moe asked.
Ichigo shook his head. "No. Get home safe kid," he replied, turning away to walk back to Rukia and Riruka. Moe did not wait a moment longer than Ichigo, turning and carrying Tsukishima away.
"Come on bro, let's get you patched up, and maybe get something to eat," Moe said simply.
"Why…?" Tsukishima asked, unable to fathom this action his former comrade was taking.
"You want to know why I am carrying you home? Because you are my bro. You're the strongest guy I know, and I ain't turning my back on you," Moe replied, his words surprising sincere as he said it. "I thought about it though, but I couldn't do it. So don't die on me alright, stay alive until I can patch you up."
Tsukishima did not understand, even after all that he had gone through and endured and learned he still could not fathom this scenario. But it was familiar to him, it reminded him of when he was found by Ginjo, that through all the pain and loss. It was the two of them, neither of them alone.
Forgiveness, Tsukishima mused. Yes that was what Ichigo said. Perhaps this is what he was talking about, perhaps this is what Ginjo and Ichigo truly wanted. To put aside grudges and treachery for the sake of friendship. A concept that he could never understand, not until this very moment.
"Thank you… Moe," Tsukishima said, he felt his eyes grow heavy, and in spite of knowing what is coming, he was glad to not be alone.
Ichigo watched Moe and Tsukishima disappear in the trees, as they departed Ichigo could sense that the latter was also fading away. Had he been a sentimental man or even poetic he would think that it was ironic, as he disappeared from view he was soon to disappear from this world as well.
Whatever grief and anguish Tsukishima caused, it would be undone with his death. There was no point in worrying about that anymore, concerned with him dying or seeing to his end. He had started this fight out of anger and vengeance, and now with some clarity he found that his anger was starting to cool.
Ichigo had not forgiven him or Ginjo for their actions, but like all those who had suffered and been unable to escape that pain deserved some respite. If death gave it to him, then Ichigo hoped that it would be enough.
This has been one messed up day, he mused as he shook his head. Barely an hour ago, he was ready to murder the guy and now here he was, giving him his best wishes on his trip to the afterlife. Putting it out of his mind he walked back to Rukia, who was finishing up treating Riruka. "How is she?"
"I've manage to stop the worst of it, but she will need to get some rest, she's lost a lot of blood," Rukia replied. "We should take her to the Shoten."
"Good. Really don't feel like staying out here much longer," Ichigo said, glancing around at the destroyed clearing and even seeing a glimpse of the partially intact mansion he had bifurcated. "We'll take her back to Urahara so we can…"
He had only just noticed it; something was missing from the little scene. He narrowed his eyes are he looked at the disturbed patch of earth and noticed several footprints in the earth.
"Ichigo? What's wrong?" Rukia asked.
Ichigo looked at her dead in the eyes. "Rukia. Where is Ginjo's body?" His inquiry was not met with a response, but the dipping of her head gave him a clear idea that she knew. "Unless he somehow turned into a zombie and wandered off, I want to know. Where is his body?"
"Already on its way back to Soul Society, at the order of the Captain Commander."
Ichigo and Rukia turned to the speaker and he saw Rukia gave a startled gasp as her brother approached. Whereas all the other Shinigami that had come through the doorway to help deal with Xcution had left, Byakuya had remained.
"What the hell for? He's dead. He isn't a threat anymore to Soul Society!" Ichigo barked. Ginjo had been against the Gotei for years, for reasons that he justified. Yet if the Gotei continued to persecute him for his crimes into the next life, then the cycle was never going to end.
Did they not know that? Did they not care that they were only just reinforcing the same hatred the first Substitute felt towards the Shinigami?
Byakuya narrowed his eyes at Ichigo. "You are still too naive. Your experience with Kugo Ginjo was limited. He has a list of crimes against the Shinigami that stretches across decades. Death is not the end of it, not according to the Captain Commander. If you wish to challenge his ruling, you will have to speak to him in person. But that will have to wait. There is still unfinished business that must be attended to."
"Unfinished business?" Rukia asked confused. "Brother, I don't understand. Ginjo is dead, his group is dismantled and Ichigo made his choice, like I always knew he would. What else is there?"
"All of what you said is true, Rukia," Byakuya agreed. "However, have you already forgotten what he did before you restored his powers?"
Ichigo felt the Captain's gaze fall upon him. "I had no idea I even had these Quincy powers. I have no idea how it's even possible."
"And I believe you. The fact remains that Quincy and Shinigami don't mix baring the exception of your friend," Byakuya looked over to Ishida for a moment before returning his gaze to Ichigo. "What you did is something that cannot be kept secret from the Captain-Commander. There must be answers as to why this is possible."
Ichigo agreed. He had a moment to think now, to consider and realize that maybe he should have been asking these questions sooner. He had been given a chance to once, seventeen months ago, but instead he sat on his hands and decided to wait.
"Yeah," Ichigo said, turning around and picking up Riruka. "And I know exactly who has them."
There was only one person who knows about all this, the only person who could know as to why he had these powers.
His Father.