Author's Notes: It's been a bit longer since the last update but the last three months have been stressful to say the least. My father went into the hospital for a routine procedure but underwent major cardiac surgery. The operation was successful but he spent nearly three weeks in the hospital recovering before the doctors discharged him. Since his return home, we've all been helping him and he is getting better every day.
Having the opportunity to go to Wrestlemania last week at MetLife Stadium helped take my mind off of my troubles. A surprise gift by my family that I am treasuring for everything it was.
Some people have asked me if I'll be incorporating things we have learned from Can't Fear Your Own World Novels for this story. All I will say is that I'll be keeping an open mind as I am slowly reading through it at the moment. I'll be looking forward to how the novels are being adapted in game for Bleach Brave Souls.
I thank you all for your support and I encourage you all to leave reviews. I truly do wish to know what you think of my work.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
The Awful Truth
Chapter 7: Important Discussions
It has been a while since she had been here, back at the Shoten and to the home away from home. About two months actually, not a long stretch of time but after so long wandering and also having stayed here for some months during the Winter War, it was actually difficult to be away.
She wasn't one to be overly sentimental and emotional when it came to things, but she certainly did have a fondness for the Shoten and the people in it. After a while away, even if it was a vacation and for an important mission, it was good to be home.
Although she had come following the return of the advance team sent to apprehend Ginjo. They had said a few things that had concerned her, right now she was on her way back to try and see what had happened. She knew little of what went down, but Byakuya had remained behind, and the rest had been very quiet or muttering nonsense she did not understand.
As she threw open the door she walked inside, finding the main store front empty. Funnily that was to be expected, now and at any time of the day. Ignoring the small mirth in her stomach she moved to the back, and as she passed some of the side rooms she noticed a few people within.
Tessai was the first she recognized, the other faces came to her slowly. He was watching over Ichigo's two sisters, Karin and Yuzu, along with his friends, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuru, she recalled it from memory. Unlike that dumb lug she could remember a person's name without any issue.
Walking inside she caught the old Kido Corp Commanders attention, he gave her a nod of greeting and didn't say a word. But he did motioned towards the other side of the room, and looking she found the unconscious forms of Orihime and Sado – along with an unknown maroon haired woman she did not recognize.
Things had turned out quite bad it seemed. This wasn't how things were meant to go down.
Turning back to Tessai she mouthed 'Kisuke' to him, and she was given a jerk of the thumb to down the hall and with two fingers on his left hand. He was two doors down to the left, she gave her thanks and moved to find her partner in crime.
She opened the door and found in against the far wall, sitting on a chair, looking as pensive as she had ever seen him.
"What's going on Kisuke?" She asked, walking inside and closing the door behind her.
"That is as loaded a question as any," Kisuke replied, lifting his head and resting his chin on the top of his cane. "Sufficed to say, the shit has well and truly hit the fan."
Before she could even enquire what he meant by that, Yoruichi felt the ground beneath her feet shake. An earthquake? She thought before discarding. No, not that. But something underground...
"I wouldn't go downstairs any time just yet," Kisuke spoke up. "Isshin isn't finished venting his frustrations just yet."
"Isshin?" She asked, her voice showing her surprise clearly. "Kisuke, what the hell happened?"
He looked up at her, Yoruichi felt dread creep into her heart. Kisuke had a lot of tells, often it helped her tell what kind of mood he was in and how serious something was. This look here, the one that sent a shiver up her spine, it was a rare one that she had only recognized from memory.
Whenever Kisuke gave the look he was giving her now, nothing good was sure to follow.
Isshin breathed deeply, sucking in huge mouthfuls of air, on one knee as he held Engetsu as a bracing tool. He looked over the utter destruction he had caused to the area around him. He had practically leveled any standing structure, caused gashes and created crevices in the ground, but he could care less about the damage or the amount of work Tessai would do to repair it.
There would be more damage had he bothered to leave his Gigai, but perhaps that was for the best. A human body had its limits, made it harder for him to keep up, a little limitation to prevent him from caving this place in was probably a good idea.
Kisuke told him to go down stairs and vent his emotions till it was all out of his system.
And now he had done exactly that.
I had nightmares about this, Feared it could happen, but I never wished for it to be true. Why the hell did it have to be worse that what I feared? Isshin swore, his head sagging as he shook his head, gripping his Zanpakuto tightly he pushed himself up. I knew that I would never see Masaki again; not in the Soul Society, not anywhere. But to think, that the peaceful oblivion she would have had if she had died to a Hollow was more kind that what she went through now. I shouldn't be surprised. I knew that Hollow didn't kill her, just didn't know she was still suffering.
He had known what happened to Quincy when they die at the hands of a Hollow. Masaki had told him as such many years ago. Why they do what they do and why it is important, Kisuke had even backed up the claim with his own research. A Quincy's soul simply erodes when in contact with a Hollow, erodes until it passes on into Oblivion.
Isshin believed that her death at the hands of Grand Fisher marked the end of her life. It did, and her afterlife was not the perpetuity of nothingness as he first thought, it was hell.
What his son had told him, things about the Quincy that none of them knew. He managed to keep his emotions under control, just long enough for his son to leave. He didn't want to show any of what he felt to him, not when he was going to in front of the Gotei to convince them of the threat of a man long thought dead posed to them all.
We should have known. But we did, didn't we? Damn it all! I should have known something was wrong with all of this! Souls don't just disappear! Isshin thought furiously. No matter how much he tried, it seemed like he could not help but fail his wife. He had vowed to protect her for the rest of her life, he could never stop her from doing something reckless and bold. He would always be ready to jump in to help, but this was simply out of his control.
"Are you done, Isshin?"
Kisuke's voice brought him out of his self-recrimination as he rose to his feet and turned to face not just him but Yoruichi, who wore a solemn expression on her face.
"I'm sorry."
A rare thing to see from her, the Goddess of Flash was not one for emotional talks, very insular and professional when it came to personnel matters. Only Kisuke could get her to crack open her shell, and that often resulted in a volatile response. She could crack a joke and pull a prank easy, but getting personnel with her was never an easy thing.
The former captain simply nodded his head. "Thank you."
"I do not know what to make of this, I did not think this would happen when I went to the Soul Society," Yoruichi said bitterly. Logically, she knew there was nothing her presence could have done affect things. The issue with Ginjo maybe, but this new threat set upon them by a legendary figure thought to be a former bad memory? Not so much.
"To be fair, none of us could have foreseen this," Kisuke said gravely. Even with what he had knew about the Sealed King, Urahara had hoped that given the war he waged with the Captain Commander that he had truly fallen in battle. Yet the legend that Masaki had told them all about his eventual return, it had always left a nagging feeling in his mind.
"We should have suspected something, we know how the Cycle of Transmigration works. Souls don't just disappear, we should have suspected that they go somewhere," Isshin returned, he took a breath and then let it out slowly. "But dwelling on the past won't help Masaki."
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes when she saw the look in Isshin's face, reminding her of a much younger individual that usually worse such an expression. "Please don't tell me you aren't thinking of doing something stupid."
"Wanting to drive Engetsu through the bastard's heart isn't the same as wanting to run off on a vendetta to kill him," Isshin frowned. "Ichigo can take care of himself, but I still have two little girls that are absolutely defenseless and perfect targets if he chooses to go after Yuzu and Karin. I'm not leaving them alone. Not with what I know now."
The sound of Kisuke clearing his throat could be heard. "Ahem. In the spirit of total transparency, I need to ask. Do you know what your eldest daughter has been doing, Isshin?"
At that moment, Isshin turned on Urahara with an angered look. "Kisuke. What did you do with Karin?"
"She's been coming to me for the last few months, picking up items from my shop to repel spirits and Hollows. And before you say I was being irresponsible, I had Jinta and Ururu trail her every time she left my shop with purchases," Kisuke assured him. "Just as you wanted to protect your son, she wanted to be able to protect her brother when he had no powers; even while hers had gotten stronger. Not enough to become a Shinigami, but give her time and she might just reach it."
Isshin let out a sigh. Ever since the end of the Winter War, he had taken the peace that had resulted to be the new normal of their lives. Spiritual activity had dropped by more than half of what it had been and Hollows seemed limited to the very weak kind. Nothing close to Gillian class Menos came through Karakura since Ichigo lost his powers fighting Aizen. He had taken to the peace well, wanting his family to have the normal life that he and Masaki had always wanted them to have, free of supernatural events.
The universe it seemed had other ideas. Something from a long time ago always seems to pop up and rear its ugly head to torment them.
"You may not like it, but you should consider coming clean to some degree with your daughters about what is to come," Kisuke advised.
"Maybe," Isshin allowed finally, while fixing a firm glare. "But I will really kill you if you even suggest putting them into the war that is to come. Once Ichigo tells the Gotei of Yhwach's revival, we'll be lucky if the fighting doesn't end up literally at our doorsteps."
Before Kisuke could even reply, Yoruichi hung her head, letting out a sigh. "Way to hope for the best case, Isshin." She said, raising her head to look at them with a serious look about her. "You're just assuming Ichigo will be able to convince the Captain Commander that the warlord he personally killed a thousand years ago never really died and has been plotting in secret ever since to take his revenge with an army of Quincy."
"Are you actually thinking my son is lying?" Isshin questioned.
"No. Ichigo doesn't have the capacity to lie convincingly, but that's not my point," Yoruichi clarified. "We all know the type of person Yamamoto is. He may have not been so resistant with restoring Ichigo's powers, but this is different. For him to be faced with the concept that Yhwach is alive, after all Yamamoto lost in the Quincy War a thousand years ago, it would absolutely go against everything he's believed in, everything he has achieved ever since that victory."
Neither man said anything but Kisuke was in silent agreement. Knowing his former commander, and the war that had been waged a millennia ago and the collateral damage left in the wake of said war, it would be anything but easy to convince him of this truth.
"Besides Yamamoto isn't the only one that is not going to take this news seriously. He isn't the only head honcho in the Soul Society that would not take to this news lightly," Yoruichi stated, making sure that they knew exactly who she was talking about.
Isshin watched Urahara give off an irritated huff, as if he had forgotten something. Isshin himself wasn't sure what the issue was. Ever since Aizen had killed Central 46, Yamamoto had control over the Soul Society until... "...Damn it."
"How bad are we talking here?" Kisuke asked.
"Central 46 has been fully restored for a few months now. Yamamoto has lost all judiciary power he held while they were rebuilding. Sad to say these guys are not like the predecessors that Aizen murdered off. They are new to power, and like flaunting themselves whenever the chance comes. They do not like people not going along with their rulings."
"They want to show off their strength," Kisuke said in distaste. "Want to make sure that now they are back in power they can enforce it."
"Even if Ichigo can do the impossible, they're going to make an example out of Yamamoto just to make themselves look big," Yoruichi stated. "Things are going to get worse before they get better."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was an old man, even by the standards of the long lived nobility and Captains of the Gotei. He had lived for millennia, seen Soul Society transformed many times over those thousands of years, both part of that change or simply watching it come. Fighting wars, for petty, good, wrong, and just causes, he would not have wished for anyone to face so many conflicts in their lifetime. But it was his duty, along with the Gotei's, to take up arms in the defense of the Soul Society.
Honor and pride demanded it, the world existed out of this necessity to ensure that it would not be thrown into chaos. Blood must be shed to keep the scales balanced, and all debts must be settled.
Sometimes what is necessary comes at the price of honor and pride, but sometimes it is the opposite.
Honor and pride were the reason he agreed to restore Ichigo Kurosaki's powers, as well as settle the issue once and for all with Ginjo Kugo. Given his stubbornness not to break the laws of the Soul Society, he went against his obligations and the necessity of balance to repay someone for their services to the balance.
In the past he would forgo such things, but the actions of Ichigo Kurosaki demanded that something be done. Yamamoto was of the same opinion as Lieutenant Kuchiki, that Ichigo Kurosaki would not falter. That he would choose to remain loyal to the Gotei. However that did not mean he was certain the outcome, hence why he sent several Captains to do make sure.
Hours later, those he had sent had returned... most of them. It was the first sign he knew that something had not gone as according to predictions. Captain Hitsugaya informed him that Ginjo was in fact dead; the fact that Lieutenant Abarai had brought his corpse had proved that much. Ichigo had in fact remained loyal and had delivered the killing blow. However Captain and Lieutenant Kuchiki were not with them. The Squad Ten Captain had told him before they could restore Kurosaki's powers, Ginjo's second attempted to kill him. He would have succeeded, had the former substitute not manifested a sword to block the attempt.
Yamamoto had to take only a look at how Zaraki's face took an eager grin to know that there had been something else within the boy that they had not been aware of. Even Captain Hitsugaya's attempt to tell him he did not wish to speculate until Captain Kuchiki returned with all of the details did not deter him. He demanded to know what Kurosaki manifested if it was not his Fullbring.
He could respect them not falling to suspicion and falsehood, but he knew that they withheld not out of such courtesy. Instead they withheld it if only to offer some form of protection for Ichigo Kurosaki, long enough for this matter to be cleared. He had no time for their feelings to overrule their judgment, he demanded answers and he would not be denied them.
When he was told what it was, he commanded all of them remain silent on the matter and speak to no one. He then dismissed them and secluded himself within his office. He preferred this space where he could look down upon all of the Seireitei and contemplate in peace.
As of now, he was contemplating what in the name of the Soul King was Isshin Shiba thinking? He knew he had broken rules by having children in the World of the Living. Those transactions could be forgiven given what his son had done to contribute to Soul Society.
But to learn Shiba had married a Quincy? That flew in the face of everything he had stood for. Everything he had fought against. Especially during those dark days.
The formation of this order of Shinigami were founded on a single war, one that had the driving force that had united and forged the Soul Society into a cohesive force. The Shinigami before the formations of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad had been a disorganized force of warriors aligned to multiple houses.
They vied for power and control, infighting amongst the lesser nobility was common, even amongst the High Houses and Great Nobility was not uncommon. But he changed that, forcing change where it was needed so that they could face the greatest threat to the Balance in all recorded history. A thousand years ago marked the truest and more pure time where the Soul Society had ever been unified and under a single banner.
No longer fighting one another, struggling for power, instead cooperating for the good of the Soul Society. That had been the Golden Age of the Soul Society, one that has lost its shine and brilliance but still lingered.
Yet it was marked with tragedy, death and carnage that he looked back upon with some regret. Time changes people and makes one reflect on their past actions, he was too old now to make up for the many years he did wrong. The only solace that the unification brought was that it made it clear to him the misery that he had caused in his younger years and the callous nature of himself.
Sometimes he wished those times would leave him be, that they would simply faded like all other memories.
"Captain-Commander! Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Kuchiki have returned!" The messenger was near the door, so engrossed in his own musing Yamamoto did not hear him enter.
"Good," Yamamoto uttered. "Are the two of them on their way here?"
"They are, but... someone else is with them," the messenger slowly responded, becoming nervous as he saw Yamamoto turn slowly towards him and look directly at him.
"Someone else? Who?"
Renji had been waiting for a good few hours, he lost track of time but with the sun now rising in the east he knew that he had been sitting on these steps for the last six hours. Frightfully boring, but he was determined to fight down such things as he waited for his Captain to return.
He wanted to know what happened in the World of the Living, there a lot going on back there and he had been forced to return rather than stay behind. It irked him to not know what was going on with Ichigo, more was going on than he realized.
But he would get his time now; he could see his Captain walking towards the steps. Renji leapt to his feet, ignoring the small sense of vertigo that came when you stood up so fast and his bones and muscles complaining of sudden movement. Surprisingly his Captain and best friend were not the only ones to return, but a certain Substitute.
"What are you doing here, Ichigo?" Renji asked, was he actually going to talk to the Captains at large about what had happened.
"Ichigo Kurosaki is here to bring issues of importance to light," Byakuya stated, his stride not stopping as they walked up the steps. "I will be standing as his witness in these proceedings."
"His what?" Renji blinked, staring once more at how scarily calm both his captain and Ichigo were. It was to him a contradiction. "I don't understand."
"Rukia will explain it to you as you make your way," Byakuya replied. "For now, I need you to help her."
"Help her with what?"
"My brother has already given him his symbol of authority," Rukia said simply. "We need to access the Kuchiki Family Archives on a matter of great importance." She turned back to Ichigo. "Good luck."
Renji saw as Ichigo simply nodded, the entire scenario being utterly too formal and quiet, which when you considered who Ichigo was went against the grain. He hadn't even realized Rukia had been dragging him away until he had gone nearly thirty feet. "Rukia what the hell! Seriously what the hell did you—"
"Renji."
He froze, hearing that dead tone of voice from Rukia made him look into her eyes and he saw a sadness he hadn't seen in them for a long time. Not since she had been condemned to death by Aizen's manipulations. "How bad is it?" he finally asked.
"If Ichigo is right, and I believe he is, we are looking at facing a conflict that will make the Winter War seem like a pair of children fighting in a sand box."
Renji had nothing else to say. Instead he opted to simply walk and listen as Rukia began to lay out the entire sordid story.
Haschalth returned to the throne room as he was summoned. He found Yhwach sitting on his throne, his fingers intertwined as he leaned back against the seat. He seemed to be contemplating something important, what it was Jugrum did not know, but whatever forced such scrutiny from his Majesty had to be important.
"Your Majesty, did the plan succeed?" Jugrum inquired.
Yhwach simply smiled. "They are still underway. I've already tasked Gremmy with beginning trial runs on this endeavor. He is quite eager to try this experiment. Quilge has provided a great deal of test subjects. But for the true test, I have tasked Lille in providing him with the necessary material he will need."
"Will this affect our forces much?" Haschalth asked. The initial testing required disposable subjects that wouldn't affect their forces greatly. But for the true test it would require sacrificing valuable resources.
"Not for the first candidate I have in mind. Should it truly prove successful, then we shall see how we utilize this new resource," Yhwach replied, rising from his throne. "In the mean time, I told you before that if talks went well, I would need action to be taken in the World of the Living."
He walked past the Grandmaster, while giving no motion for him to follow Haschalth knew when to follow and when to remain where he was. It was almost instinct that he knew when his Majesty wished for his presence and when not. They were linked after all, two sides of the same coin.
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?" Haschwalth humbly asked, walking in step his with Majesty.
"Of the Arrancar we have conscripted, how many are not only ready to face someone of at least a Lieutenant Class Shinigami, but are eager to prove themselves to me?"
"Of both requirements, roughly a dozen," Haschwalth stated. "The strongest we have captured have yet to be fully converted, despite our best efforts. Although the Jagdarmee are still hunting down remnants of the Arrancar in Hueco Mundo, reports come that there are more casualties than captures however. Unless the orders have changed I do not know how many of Tier Halibel's followers will be conscripted into the vanguard before the day of the assault."
"I only need one. Make sure he's sufficient for testing the potential of someone of Captain level," Yhwach said to which he saw his other half blink in confusion.
"But you have said it yourself sire. None of the Arrancar could possibly test Ichigo's skill as he is now," Jugram stated, only to see the smile on the King's lips.
"I never said it was Ichigo that needs to be tested," Yhwach replied. "I do have after all more than one son in the World of the Living."
He pulled his glasses from his eyes and wiped them down, he was still sweating. Six hours in surgery was starting to become a nuisance, his hands were cramping up and he kept sweating. Age was never a kind mistress, slowly witling you down until she entombed you beneath the earth.
Morbidity was something of a character trait with doctors, they often tried to joke and laugh at the dark nature of life so it wouldn't affect you so. He knew better, and his own humor has long been unbalanced and tainted. Still he was not old enough to be complaining of sore joints and stiffness, although it was irritating that he was getting less accustomed to the long hours he was pulling.
As he entered his office he reached for a chair and took a seat, he would need to file out the paperwork for his recent patient and then head home. He started scribbling down the details, all the while ignoring the obvious presence in the room with him.
"Is sloppiness your new thing, Uryu?" Ryuken Ishida casually said, turning his head to the left, seeing his son glare at him, his back against the wall. "I could feel your presence long before I walked into the room."
"Yhwach."
The moment the words left his son's mouth, he couldn't help himself. His fingers clenched and his pen creaked and nearly broke, he turned his hard eyes towards his son and watched him closely.
"So, Ichigo's father was right. You and grandfather did remove him from the records," Uryu responded coolly. "There really is a 'God of All Quincy'. A being who from which all Quincy gain their powers from."
"Isshin has no business telling you anything about the Quincy," Ryuken replied in a terse tone.
"Why not? You certainly won't and it wasn't Isshin who first mentioned Yhwach," Uryu retorted, standing up straight now, narrowing his eyes further at his father. "It was Ichigo. My cousin awakened to his Quincy heritage."
That took Ryuken off guard. Not just the fact that his son knew his familial relation to the Kurosaki family but that Masaki's son had somehow awakened his ancestral heritage. However he did not show it.
"It happened during his fight with Ginjo and his Fullbringers. A lot of other things happened but as you do not care for anything but the living, I'll skip ahead to the important part," Uryu said with acidity in his tone. "Ichigo fought against a fragment of Yhwach that was in his soul and he won, but not before he learned his mother was murdered by him nine years ago. On June 17."
It was there for a moment on his face but even as Ryuken tried not to show anything he knew he had failed. No matter how long ago it was that date was etched into his soul and memory, it would never pass and neither would all the other raging emotions within his heart.
"I remember that day so well for what it means to me. It was the last day I spoke to Mother," Uryu said softly, emotion showing in his voice. "I was playing with her at home, just a simple board game. You remember how much she liked playing them."
"I don't need you to remind me of what my wife did."
Uryu bristled at that but continued on. "She talked about going with me to school the next day when suddenly a blue light was shining over us and then... and then she fell down head first into the floor. I tried to wake her up but she wouldn't respond. I called you and I told you everything that happened, but you told me I was just a boy and was making things up. That she had just fainted and hit her head badly. That it was just a terrible accident that no one could have predicted."
Seeing his father's emotionless expression only further angered Uryu, whose fist clenched. "But you knew I wasn't imagining anything. You knew ever since mother fell into a coma who was responsible. And if you didn't then, you certainly knew when you cut in to her body when you preformed her autopsy!" Nothing but silence. "Damn you! Tell me the truth!"
"It's called Auswählen," Ryuken said in a coldly detached manner. "As an extension of his ability to distribute pieces of his soul to others, Yhwach can forcibly take the power of other Quincy. He did this nine years ago to regain his power in preparation for his full revival. That which he takes, he makes it his own. Every Quincy left in this world save for myself was what he considered impure, and thus not worthy of living any further."
"And if that's true then why am I still alive?" Uryu asked. "You were pure blooded, mother was mixed."
"Because you are worthless to him."
Uryu blinked hard at the utter condemnation by his father. "Excuse me?"
"You have no talent as a Quincy. You fail repeatedly. You come so close to death over and over again. I would have thought this last experience with those Fullbringers would have woken you up but it hasn't," Ryuken stated. "Even when you sought my father for training, I forbade him from teaching you as he taught me."
"You have sabotaged my training from the start?" Uryu felt the anger grow within him. "It makes no sense! You helped me restore them after I lost them due to the Sanrei Glove!"
"Only so you could see the futility of your actions. You have no talent and no skill. You would die in the supernatural world. That is why I have tried to force it upon you to live as a normal human being because that world holds nothing but suffering and that only the living matter." Ryuken said, moving forward and inches away from his son. "There is no point in any of this. Using your powers only strengthens Yhwach. If you actually want to be useful, then just accept you are weak, that you have no place in the world of a Quincy. Move forward with your life as a human being and focus on the living. They are what matters."
For the longest of moments, Ryuken thought his son would actually strike him. He certainly looked angry enough. Instead, Uryu unclenched his fists, looked his father dead in the eyes, and spoke, "And how exactly do I move forward, when I know my mother, my grandparents, that every single member of our family that has come before us, all of their souls are all part of Yhwach?"
Ryuken eyes widened at the statement, his stoicism slipped, and he actually fumbled with his words. "W-what did you say?"
"So, there's something the Last Quincy doesn't know?" Uryu said. "Allow me to tell you what my cousin told me. For every Quincy that dies, their souls do not go an afterlife nor are they destroyed. Instead they share the same fate as the Hollows we kill. Yhwach gains them. They are trapped within him for all eternity!"
Ryuken stood there silent as a statue, unmoving and unspeaking. Uryu looked at him in disgust. "You call me worthless. That I am nothing more than a failure. But what about you, Ryuken? You are a failure, in every possible way. Perhaps I am not as 'gifted' as you are, but I am not a coward. I am not going to stick my head in the sand, ignoring the world around me and trying to just 'move forward' as you put it. Ichigo has gone to Soul Society to convince the Gotei of Yhwach's existence. He hopes to gain their support but even if they don't I know him well enough to know that Ichigo going to wage war on Yhwach. I want you to know Ryuken that I will be right there with him, if only so I can beat him to putting an arrow through the bastard's heart myself!"
Ryuken felt his son shove right past him, hearing the door to his office slam with enough force the glass nearly cracked. But that didn't matter. He stayed still till he could hear nothing, his mind a whirlwind of thought and memory. He walked slowly to the desk and took a seat, looked across the table with only a few items of importance to him.
But the most important of all, a sapphire pendant that had belonged to his wife, which had been passed down from mother to daughter for nearly a thousand years. A pendant that he could not bear to bury with his wife's body because it was the only thing he had left of her that didn't feel tainted by what he knew of how she died.
Without a single word, he dropped his head into his hand with the pendant wrapped around it. His other hand was grasping his hair and threatening to pull it out. "... Damn it... Damn it all..." his voice barely a whisper as he let the anger he had deep within out. But more than that, he felt something wet come down his right cheek. A tear? He had not shed any in nearly nine years. Not since he was alone over his wife's grave. Not since he made the promise.
A promise had utterly failed to uphold.
Kanae, I am sorry. I'm so sorry. I tried to protect our son, but all I've done has been the exact opposite. All I've done is fail repeatedly, Ryuken grieved for a moment. Isshin, you damn fool. After all these years, you truly were the one who was right all along and then perhaps, I have truly been the fool all long.
"How do I make them believe me?"
Byakuya looked back to Ichigo who had stopped as they were nearly at the Squad One Headquarters. "You are asking me for advice?"
"I need to convey a lot to them, I know I rub people to wrong way sometimes, and that causes them to doubt me. I can't let that happen here, not now, not even for a moment. He has caused so much suffering and he plans to cause so much more, if we waste time more lives are lost." Ichigo stated. "He has taken so many souls, my mother included, for his own ends. He has to be stopped." He looked Byakuya in the eyes, absolutely serious. "How do I convince them to wage war against an enemy I know is there but I can't prove exists?"
"… if you are asking me if you should forgo your usual tone and adopt a dialogue similar to my own, don't," Byakuya stated. "Be as you have always been. You have changed so much in this world just by being who you are, regardless of what we now know. And as far as proof goes, your blade is enough to open the door, assuming what Urahara Kisuke said about the Captain-Commander and Yhwach is accurate."
Ichigo took a deep breath, calming himself and reassuring himself that he would only need to watch his words so far, he nodded to himself, he was ready. He would have continued moving towards the doors had it not been for something else said.
"I understand what it feels like, to lose a parent to an enemy." The young man looked back to the solemn faced captain. "Decades ago, my father was killed in an attack against a horde of hollows. He was only a lieutenant, but my grandfather told me he fought worthy of his position as the heir to our clan."
Ichigo was silent to this, being respectful. It wasn't the same as what had been done to his mother. Byakuya's father had died in battle, his mother died because a monster deemed it 'necessary'. But they had died trying to protect people and that was something Ichigo could understand. "Thank you."
They walked up to the front entrance of the Division, and to his surprise Ichigo saw his own Visored friend Kensei. His hair had grown out slightly and he was back wearing the traditional grab of the Shinigami, along with having a Captain's haori over his shoulders.
"Kensei," Ichigo spoke aloud, voicing his surprise.
"About time you got here, where the hell have you been?" His gruff tone shining through.
"Just got here, good to see you again, I see that you are a Captain now," Ichigo said.
"He's not the only one," Shinji Hirako popped around the corner, followed by Rose, both of them garbed in the uniform of a Captain. It would seem that in the wake of the Winter War the Visored had regained their positions.
"Is everyone else here?" Ichigo asked.
"Nah, apart from the three of us only Mashiro came back with us. The others didn't want anything to do with it. Also they didn't want to have crappy jobs anyway," Shinji waved off, seemingly uninterested in discussing it.
"Stop the chit-chat, the Captain-Commander called us all here for a reason. So get your ass in there so we can get told what is going on." Kensei said, jerking his thumb to the door.
"Jeez, no patience," Shinji muttered, before waving forward. He was about to walk in when he caught sight of someone walking towards them that they were not expecting.
Nemu Kurotsuchi stopped short of Ichigo, and proceeded to bow respectfully before them. "Captain Kurotsuchi is unable to attend this meeting, but given Ichigo Kurosaki's presence, it felt prudent to attend."
"Okay," Shinji said, uninterested before he turned around and walked inside to First Division Barracks.
Ichigo followed, through a few winding pathways before arriving at the Captains meeting hall, where Ichigo found all the Captains save for Ukitake waiting for them. All were lined up and waiting, Shinji, Rose and Kensei took their positions, it seems that they had regained their former positions. Nemu took a space in the back, being an observer but not a participant in this meeting. Byakuya however remained by his side.
"Captain Kuchiki, please take your position with your fellow captains," the Captain-Commander ordered.
"With respect, I am here today as Ichigo Kurosaki's witness, Captain-Commander," Byakuya responded, drawing some surprised stares from the other Captains.
Ichigo had little idea on the importance of him standing beside him during this meeting, he appreciated the gesture. It was not obvious but the man had his back on many occasions, and as much as they got on each other's nerves at time Ichigo could count of Byakuya. It surprised others sometimes, as obviously with the Captains looking at them with obvious befuddlement.
Most didn't know the kind of relationship they had, or thought it to be something else entirely.
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes before focusing back onto Ichigo. "It would seem as if you have something to say before us, Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Several, actually," Ichigo replied. "But before I get the issue you want to know, I want to discuss something else. Something that has bothered me."
"And what is that?" the Captain Commander asked.
"You ordered the Captains that came to observe me to retrieve Ginjo's body," Ichigo stated. "When we are done here, I would like for you to return it to me, so that I can properly bury him in the World of the Living."
"…are you stupid?" Ichigo turned to regard Shinji, he had crossed his arms as he asked the question. "Do you even know what you are asking for? After what he did to you, to your family, how can you even think of forgiving him?"
"It's not about forgiveness. It's about basic decency," After speaking those words, seeing he had the attention of the captains focused on him, he elaborated. "I'm alive. My friends and family are back to normal. And Ginjo, he's just a mere Substitute Shinigami."
"That mere substitute killed several Shinigami and has a list of crimes attached to his name," Soi Fon began to state. "How can you say—"
"He paid for his crimes with his life. That's where it ends," Ichigo said, fixing the Captain with a glare. "Perpetuating the cycle of violence and hatred after you've already taken his life is meaningless, especially when there are worse threats to deal with."
Soi Fon growled at the disrespect shown to her yet a look by the Captain Commander told her not to respond. This conversation was leading down the path he needed to go, he had made his case and now he was onto the matter at hand. No point in wasting time on debating.
"Can we take your words as a result of considering the ramifications," Yamamoto asked, his eyes narrowed. "In spite of what has been witnessed by those Captains I sent to aid you?"
"Screw the ramifications," Ichigo waved off, even as he understood in spite of the remark. In fact, he couldn't have asked for a better lead in. "I simply wish to do that for him as a fellow Substitute Shinigami," he said as he held out his right hand. "For that is what I will continue to be," and then focused his power into his outstretched hand and his Quincy Blade materialized in it. "Regardless of what blood runs through my veins."
From this point forward, there was no turning back.
You really decided to just come out and admit it, Toshiro Hitsugaya thought as he stared at the weapon he had only seen from a distance. Seeing the sword, the symbol and its power only confirmed the feelings he had he first saw Ichigo fighting Ginjo before Rukia restored his Shinigami powers. Still, he was surprised and it showed. How could someone hold Shinigami, Hollow and Quincy powers all at once? It defied logic, but then again that was what Kurosaki was good at; defying expectations.
He looked over his fellow captains, noticing several of them showed some surprise, more so than others. Looking forward, he could see Kenpachi grinning even more like a madman than usual. The fact that Ichigo only had more power than before only made the battle hungry captain more intent satisfying his urge for combat with Ichigo.
Soi Fon seemed to have gone quiet; her expression was cold and professional. Toshiro knew she was thinking on this development, she was often the one to go to for threat assessment when it comes to the Gotei's enemies. Right now, she was considering the possibility, as was expected of a member of the Stealth Force.
Shunsui had a bemused look on his face, but the fact he seemed to be taking this in stride wasn't unexpected. He was the most laid back of them all.
The rest, he couldn't say he understood their thoughts on this revelation, his more experienced comrades were unreadable. The new Captains that had recently replaced Aizen, Tosen and Ichimaru were unknown to him. It would only be in time that their thoughts would be heard.
"It doesn't matter if I have Quincy blood running through me. I am a Substitute Shinigami and I am your ally for as long as you will have me," Ichigo said in a firm tone, looking over the captains. Yet Toshiro also knew that Ichigo was trying to reassure them, to make sure they realized that he was still on their side, no matter the circumstances. "And believe me, you will want me as your ally in the days to come."
"What do you mean by that?" Yamamoto rumbled. That statement had almost everyone wondering what the Substitute meant by that statement.
Everyone except Byakuya. What in the world have done now Kurosaki? Toshiro asked himself.
He watched as Ichigo took a breath for a moment and then spoke addressing Yamamoto directly as he did. "A thousand years ago, you didn't finish the job. You didn't kill him."
There was a vagueness of his statement that few understood, some hint of suspicion and understanding passed by those who were present. The older Shinigami specifically, but they also held some doubt in their stares. But only the Captain Commander held a different emotion, his fist was clenched as his cane began to creak within his grip.
"I've seen him, inside my own soul. He has been there since the day I was born. He is out there planning and he has got revenge on his mind, and you are in his sights," Ichigo announced. "Yhwach is alive."
Yhwach? Toshiro blinked, the name absolutely alien to him. Yet he had picked up on the Captain Commander's position. Everyone could hear the cracking of Yamamoto's cane, splintering around his fingers, but it did not break. Although he maintained his silence as he slowly composed himself.
It was noticeable, although if one looked beyond their Captain-Commander they would see he was not the only one affected by those three words.
Shunsui and Unohana had noticeable reactions to this news, the latter more so than the former. Shock was not common enough to appear on these two veteran captains faces, surprise wasn't so uncommon, but outright shock was not. The news had shaken them, and that in of itself was call for concern.
"That—that is impossible!" Yamamoto decried. "He could not have survived! I fought him myself, my blade was what ended him! He is dead!"
"Do you believe I would come here, speak of a name that practically no one else here knows if it were otherwise?" Ichigo countered.
"I myself had not heard of this King of the Quincy until only hours ago," Byakuya added, stepping forward to stand side by side with Ichigo. "Not once had I read or heard anything in the history of Soul Society of this man."
"The reasons for that are not important," Yamamoto stated.
"I think it is," Byakuya responded, "Given that my House guards the history of the Soul Society. I can name every head of the Noble houses dating back to the founding. I know every major event that has ever transpired in the Soul Society, and I have not heard of Yhwach or his involvement with the formation of the Gotei 13."
There was a tense silence between the Sixth Division Captain and the Captain-Commander, this was becoming a matter of pride it seemed. One had no knowledge of a major player in the formation of the Gotei 13 when his house was meant to safeguard and know the history of the entire Soul Society. The other had forged one of the greatest military forces in the history of the Soul Society had seemed to hide the evidence of the enemy that had united that military.
"Yhwach's existence was removed on order of Central 46. Orders given not to speak of it after the War had ended." Yamamoto finally replied, but he did not give any further clarification.
"That was a mistake," Ichigo said as he narrowed his eyes. "You gave him ambiguity."
"I gave him nothing!"
In all the time he has spent attending meetings as a Captain, Toshiro had never seen the Captain-Commander show this much emotion, or rather a lack of control.
"I used all my strength and power to wipe him from the world. I used my Bankai within the World of the Living. My actions came at great cost and saw to untold destruction that saw to the end of an empire, hundreds of thousands died in the wake of my battle." Yamamoto glared at Ichigo, daring him to contradict his words. "But he was the one that died at the edge of my blade!"
Anyone else would have buckled under that pressure but Ichigo simply stood there, with no doubt in his eyes and grim visage. "You have been playing into his hands for centuries. Quincy do not destroy the souls of the Hollows they kill. They tether them Yhwach. Every Quincy that dies, their souls go to Yhwach. The purges you committed against Quincy to protect the balance of the world, you simply gave Yhwach souls to aid him in his resurrection. He has spent the last thousand years preparing for war. He has an army of pure blooded Quincy at his disposal, an army that has been conditioned by him to view Shinigami as the enemy. They will kill for him and will die for him without question."
Everyone was silent at that declaration. Everything that everyone in this room had ever believed in the nature of souls, the reasons why the Quincy had to eliminated for the sake of all, Ichigo simply upended everything. Toshiro allowed himself to digest what had been said, just everyone else in the room had. The Captain-Commander had remained silent, his head bowed as he was coming to the same thoughts that they had.
"Do you trust his words?" Yamamoto finally asked, looking towards Byakuya. "Do you place your honor and word on that Ichigo Kurosaki speaks the truth?"
"I do," Byakuya stated, that was a statement that got some stares. "I would stake the honor of my house on it."
"...I will honor your request to return the body to Kugo Ginjo." Yamamoto allowed finally. "But in regards to your request regarding Yhwach, I will investigate this myself. I will not formally mobilize the Gotei until I am convinced there is proof he is back and that evidence is present. Until then, I will deny your request for any support."
Toshiro saw the look on Ichigo's face, saw the disappointment and the frustration. But then it turned into resignation. "You will do what you think is best Captain-Commander, just as I will do the same."
Shunsui looked towards Ichigo. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, speaking for the first time and showing some concern.
"Whether or not you believe me doesn't change my own plans," Ichigo said definitively. "I know Yhwach is alive. I know what he has done and know what he plans to do. With your help or without it, there will be a war. Only this time, when I face him, I am going to make certain he is dead."
He spared a simple look to Byakuya and then left the room, leaving all of them staring. Yet as Toshiro watched Ichigo depart, he felt a coldness run down his spine. Ironic given the power of his zanpakuto.
Why did he feel that everything Ichigo said was the truth?
And why did he feel that by not offering help, they were merely sealing their own fate?