Chapter 49: Agent of Judgement (Beyond Good and Evil)

xxx

The incident which shook the very foundations of his plans took place several days earlier during his conversation with Kūkaku when she asked him about the man at the center of the situation.

…

Several days earlier, Shiba house.

"I almost forgot. What's this guy's name? Maybe I can try to search for information about him? Doesn't matter if he's a human or not."

In return, Ichigo lowered his eyebrows and shrugged.

"Eh, why not? I was planning on telling you, anyway. His name is Kūgo Ginjō."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the temperature in the room rose. The ambient reiatsu in the air grew thick and electrifying. Whatever it was he had said caused Kūkaku to choke on her drink and a heavy aura with cackling energy surrounded her like a storm cloud ready to blast a lightning. But the worst part came when she got a hold on her faculties and pierced him with a stare so serious, she looked nothing like her usual self. Instead of a warm, friendly cousin, in front of him was the current Head of the Shiba clan, growling and gritting her teeth so much, it was a miracle she didn't grind them to dust. The change was so rapid and unexpected that when she rose from her seat, walked around the table and stopped right in front of him, he moved further into his chair on reflex.

"W-What?"

Kūkaku lowered herself until their eyes met in a straight line. She brought her face closer until their noses almost touched and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Say that again."

Her voice was low and the untold warning hidden within made him shudder. It was his first time seeing her in this mode and if he was honest with himself, it freaked him out a lot.

"U-huh, his name is Kūgo Ginjō?"

Her stare was intense, and he squirmed on his seat.

"What is he like? Black hair, distinct eyebrows, taller than you and with a slightly charming stare? Does he look strangely familiar?"

A chill run up and down his spine. This wasn't a coincidence. Her description of the man was too precise. It was as if she had met him before. As if she knew him and was well-acquainted with him. A tiny portion of his brain responsible for logic awoke and flushed the adrenaline from his body.

"Yeah... how did you know?"

He felt her fingers digging deep into the flesh of his shoulders. It was slowly becoming uncomfortable, painful even. When she spoke, her voice dropped an octave lower and her gaze grew intense.

"Ichigo. Promise me that whatever you do, you will go nowhere near that man. Don't worry about Ikumi, I'll do something about her situation. Just don't involve yourself with him. Please!" She pleaded with him.

It was then when he realized what he saw in her eyes and what radiated from her body wasn't anger. It was pure, unadulterated fear.

"You're... afraid? Of what?"

She flinched in response and for just a fraction of a second broke the eye contact and let her eyes wander low and to the side. But it lasted only until she took a deep breath and her eyes were upon him once again.

"Listen to me, Ichigo. Forget this entire thing and focus on getting better. I need you to promise me this. I don't know what he's doing here but if you get involved with him then the Tsun...!"

She widened her eyes and quickly shut her mouth but it was too late. Her slip of the tongue didn't go unnoticed. But before he could utter a single word in return, she continued.

"I love you, Ichigo. You're my family and I'd die for you. But if they find him and find out you got yourself involved with him, I don't even want to think about what they would do to you. Not even I can save you from them. Nobody in the Soul Society can."

Thus, Ichigo faced a difficult situation.

What was the correct choice of action? Bluff his way out? Lie through his teeth? Placate and assure her he would not do it knowing he will? Or was it to convince her about the error in her convictions which she had forged through a lifetime worth of experience?

It was an impossible decision. But there was one thing he was sure of.

Looking at her face, at her determined eyes filled with a fierce worry, he knew he didn't have the heart to play any kind of game with her. If he had to betray the love of those he held dear, then what was the point of it all? What kind of heaven could he hope to create if he went that route? The goal he wanted to achieve was the true reality and not just another illusive suite built upon the sins of the past.

The futility of such actions caused him a headache. He wanted to tell her the truth so much, it physically pained him at the core of his being, the marrow of his bones. If only the stakes hadn't risen above the skies and to the point where falling down wasn't an option as it equaled a total suicide.

'Damn it.'

Her iron grip didn't allow him to move a single inch and no matter how much he wanted to turn away from her gaze, he couldn't. Whether he liked it, no matter how inconceivable it was, he had to choose.

His hands formed fists, and he went with his instinct.

While looking in her eyes, he tilted his head forward and caused their foreheads to touch.

"I'm sorry. I can't make such a promise… but you already knew, didn't you?"

He felt something wet touch his cheeks and realized it was her tears. With a slight twinge in his chest, he gritted his teeth to stop the wave of guilt trying to break through his tight leash.

"Of course I knew, you dummy. You are a Shiba. And a true Shiba can't help himself but go against gods themselves if it meant saving something precious, rectifying an injustice or repaying a debt. Why do you think there's only so few of us left?"

Kūkaku was on a rollercoaster of emotions and he was an unwilling passenger.

"But I had to try, I have to try! I don't want to lose another! And if I let you go now, I will definitely lose you, Ichigo. Whether it'll take them weeks, years or decades, they will get you. They are not an enemy you can beat with pure strength."

His fists relaxed, and he raised his hands, only to put one on her trembling shoulder and the other on the top of her head.

"What makes you think I want to fight them?"

A sad chuckle escaped through her lips.

"I may have known you for a short time, Ichigo, but it's clear as day; once you learn the truth, you will try to fight them."

That she was crying turned out to be a blessing; it allowed him to look at her with wide eyes without being seen. Was he that easy to read? The realization caused him to lick his lips and gulp.

"And what is the truth?" He asked in a whisper and watched as she shook her head.

"I refuse to take the responsibility of telling you, Ichigo. I'm sure you'll find out either way but I can't. I just can't."

Seeing her state made him briefly squeeze his eyes shut and form a pained grimace. He had to give her something to ease her worries.

He had to.

"I am aware they can't be beaten with strength. It's a good thing I won't rely on it."

She let out a quiet sigh and sniffled, then realized what he said. Her grip on his shoulders lessened, and she pushed herself from him to look at him with red, confused eyes.

"What?"

He offered her a sad smile.

"While it seems some parts of me stayed the same, I'm no longer the same person I used to be, Kūkaku. I've changed. More than you realize. I know things, I've seen things... and for the first time in my life, I understand what I have to do."

Her expression cycled between every emotion known to a man as she stared at him unable to comprehend his words. When she spoke, her voice wavered.

"But-"

Then she froze.

"Your memory…"

He gave a nod.

"Yeah."

When she didn't react for several seconds, his face grew somber.

"Believe it or not but I had legitimate reasons for it. That's why it pains me to say this but I need you to keep it a secret. At least for a few more days."

Her next words, told in a whisper, came as a plea but also a challenge at the same time.

"What if I used force to keep you grounded?"

To be honest, he had expected this kind of reaction minutes ago. That she resorted to it this far into their conversation showed him how frightened she was. He didn't blame her. There was no high moral ground to step onto. She was right, and he knew it. It was the safest route which ensured survival.

But he held the power to skew the gears of fate. Living safe wasn't on his agenda. Therefore, there was only one course of action he could take.

"Like you said yourself, we are a family. And the way our family resolves conflicts is by fighting. So, I would fight you, win, continue with my plans and feel awful all the way."

She took a few steps backwards which allowed him to see that her tears had dried and the usual stubbornness crept into her gaze.

"You really think you could win?"

"Yes." He replied without missing a beat and caused Kūkaku to narrow her gaze.

"But you are powerless."

When he raised one of his eyebrows, she blinked and her hand shot behind her back to find a chair where she collapsed. An incomprehensible groan escaped her mouth.

"It's complicated and there are genuine reasons for it too but yeah, I'd win. But like I said, I'd prefer keeping this a secret at least for a few more days." He said.

She continued to groan and massaged her temples, so he spoke again.

"Don't worry about me, Kūkaku. I may be young but I'm no longer naïve. And I'm not in a hurry. I'm well aware it's difficult to change what lasted for over two millennia filled with stagnancy."

Grabbing the bottle of whiskey, she went to refill her glasses but then she looked between the bottle and his face and, with a shrug, brought it to her mouth and took a large mouthful. After she gulped it down, she took a deep breath and shook her head once more.

"You'll be the death of me, Ichigo. Go. Just go before I change my mind. I, I have to think."

He nodded and then bolted out of the room, not even bothering to hide his surprise at getting dismissed in such an anticlimactic fashion. Even his inner voice sounded dry.

'That went well.'

Back in his room, he plopped down on his bed and stayed in the same position for almost an hour. Deep in thoughts, he mulled over the entire conversation and was only hazily aware of his surroundings and the flow of time. Back and forth, like a game of cat and mouse, ideas and thoughts frolicked in his mind without a set destination.

'It doesn't really make sense, does it? A mere mention of the man's name and she fell apart. Who is he? Why did she mention Tsunayashiro clan when talking about him? Is he a former friend? A former lover who betrayed her? Can't be. It wouldn't make sense for Tsunayashiro to be interested him. No, it sounds like he's a noble who betrayed the blood and then…'

His whole body froze.

'… and then ran away and hid from them in the World of the Living.'

Goosebumps appeared on both his arms and legs and his heartbeat shot up, racing his blood through his veins in a race against the time. His voice came out in a whisper.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."

All of a sudden, it all made sense. The pieces of the puzzle, so far spread apart on a round table took shape compatible with the core of the image and he knew how to put them together. The answer had been right in front of him all along, he just never thought of it. The very idea of this being plausible had been so ridiculous, it never registered as a possibility.

'But if I'm right, then this can't be a coincidence. It can't!'

He shot up from the bed, left his room and hurried to the Shiba library. There, he rummaged through the old books and scrolls until he found what he was looking for - the title 'Great Noble Shiba Clan: Genealogy'. With trembling hands, he spread it out on the table and grabbed another title - 'Great Noble Clans of Soul Society'. Skimming through it, he found the part he was looking for and put both texts next to each other.

'Aright, here it is. Fall of the Shiba Clan. First incident: Murder of several members of Shiba Clan at the hands of one of their own, a certain individual with the name of K. Shiba who, after this event, fled the Soul Society and, as far as we know, hid within the vastness of the Human World.'

Then he glanced at the scroll, at the burned-out name connected with a faint line to both his father and Kūkaku with Ganju.

'K. Shiba.'

To his surprise, he noticed a short text beneath the name he hadn't sighted before. However, the letters were faint; it took him minutes before he was sure he could read it right.

'Parents: Mother – an unknown member of Shiba Clan. Father – an unknown member of a highly prestigious Great Noble Clan.'

As he pondered about the information, he rubbed his chin and let his mind wander.

'K. Shiba. Fled the Soul Society. Hiding in the World of the Living. Said to be a murderer and the one responsible for the beginning of the fall of Shiba Clan. Offspring of a father from a prestigious clan. Kūgo Ginjō. A human with spiritual power, knowledgeable of Soul Society and a man who knows Urahara Kisuke. A man with an unknown agenda. A man whose name causes Kūkaku Shiba to break down and warn me about Tsunayashiro Clan if I ever get involved with him. A man she can describe with a disturbing amount of detail despite presumably never knowing him before. A man who claims to know my father which, if true, means he knows I belong to the Shiba Clan. '

He let his head fall down and hit the table with a resounding sound.

"Motherfucker." He whispered.

'Yeah. This can't be a coincidence.'

Then he took a deep breath.

'But it doesn't matter. It changes nothing. Aside from the fact that if it really involves the Tsunayashiro clan, then I may learn something important.'

…

Back in present

The simple act of uttering the name caused the tension in the room to go from barely perceptible to palpable in a span of a second. And it wasn't because of a sudden increase of the spiritual energy. No, this was a psychological tension, created through heavy glares and wild stares along with audible heartbeats and sharp intakes of breath. At the same time, as the short time frame passed, the amount of spiritual energy rose too.

From his spot, Ichigo saw bodies tensing, people flinching and expressions twisting. He had expected it, yet the knowledge hadn't prepared him for the knot in his stomach gnawing at his innards. Was it guilt he felt?

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

His eyes found Ginjō's face, but the man refused to look at him. Instead, he was staring at the sword in his hands with so much fervor it was a miracle it hadn't melted. And though he tried to keep them sealed, some of his emotions spilled to his reiryoku and allowed Ichigo to get a vague reading on him.

Because of it, Ichigo understood the gravity of the situation. One wrong word, said in a wrong tone or with the wrong intention would mean the birth of an unnecessary skirmish. He was treading on thin ice.

"Fine. Then tell me your true goal and the reason for involving me in it."

The man tightened the grip on his weapon but said nothing in return. However, the way his jaw muscles cycled between contracting and relaxing told Ichigo he didn't have much time before the conflict grew into violence.

He turned to Tsukishima.

"How about you? Want to explain the situation?"

Tsukishima stiffened and Ichigo, for the second time since meeting him, saw panic in the man's eyes. It seemed so out of place it made him frown. Yet he still didn't receive a single answer and so his eyes found another target; the rest of the Xcution standing in the background. One by one, he called out their names.

"Giriko? Riruka? Yukio? Jackie?"

They met him with silence though he brought forth some emotions to their faces.

"Really? You want to continue with this poor excuse for a deception?"

This wasn't going according to the plan. He had expected lies. He had expected denial. But a complete, utter silence? No verbal reaction at all? Such a thing was new for him. Until now, every time he had gone against an enemy, they had forced him to listen to explanations, shouts, mockery or smugness. What made the current situation different?

'Maybe it's because they aren't my enemy.'

The thought wasn't new. It had occurred to him many times. While Fullbring allowed them to possess unheard and strange abilities, they were all too weak to be a threat. But that wasn't all. The way they had interacted with him, the way they had shared jokes with him and the way they acted told him more than they had most likely intended.

He looked back at Tsukishima and then at the thin sword in the man's hands.

"I wonder…" He began and moved his eyes up, to meet the man's own gaze.

"… what is the true ability of your Fullbring? Before we got here, someone has told me you can insert your presence into the past of the others. If so, why did the others say 'isn't it about time we remember' after you used it on them?"

It was barely noticeable, but he noticed the man's eyes, for a split second, moved to the side. He followed the line of sight. At its end was no one else but Ginjō.

"I've been thinking about it but, to be honest, your ability sounds too convoluted and makes little sense. But the phrasing of those words 'isn't is about time we remember'… it's odd. I'm sure it has multiple different interpretations but, from my experience, it means somebody tried to manipulate me or otherwise fuck with me. Especially when this guy went to such lengths to get me involved." He said to everyone in the room.

Silence persisted. Like a poison, it seeped into his veins and nibbled on his patience. He wanted to settle things in peace but he also wasn't the person who could tolerate unanswered questions thrown into his face for too long.

"Look. What I'm trying to say is that I don't believe you wanted to use me as a tool to lose your powers. It was something different. But no matter what it was, it won't work, and it's pointless to keep this charade."

The stalemate continued for a few more seconds. When he opened his mouth to push the matter even further, he saw Tsukishima amble towards the nearest couch. Everyone else stiffened and followed the man with their eyes. Once he sat down, he sighed.

"This is exactly why I hurried and-"

"Silence!"

Ginjō's voice, sharp as a knife, cut through the air and caused Tsukishima to close his mouth and grit his teeth. For a moment, it seemed the man fought with himself before snapping at Ginjō with the ferocity that didn't match his appearance.

"Damn it to hell, Ginjō! Don't you see! This kid is nothing like you thought he was! Why do you think I pulled them out so soon! He's dangerous!"

Once again, there was an odd undertone of panic in the man's voice but this time, it was so obvious, not even Ginjō could ignore it. With a frown, the leader of the Xcution stopped staring at his sword and turned to him.

"Dangerous?"

Ichigo kept his mouth shut and listened.

"He's not normal! Not even his friend was! For some reason, my Book of the End didn't work on him like it does on others. Not only I wasn't able to get him on our side, I couldn't even see his memories! Only fragments which, back then, made little sense."

While Ginjō's frown deepened, Ichigo's eyes widened.

'Ishida! I was right, it really was this guy and his Fullbring really didn't work! Now if only I was right about the other thing, then it would be perfect!'

"What are you talking about?"

Ginjō's voice brought him out of his thoughts, only to notice Tsukishima raising his left hand and pointing at him with his index finger.

"I'm talking about this kid! That's why I panicked! Those memory fragments are still unclear but there's one thing I'm sure of. This kid is not the person he's pretending to be!"

The bomb had been dropped. In his mind, Ichigo cursed. This was not good. But before he found his voice, Ginjō turned to him. There was a dangerous expression on his face and Ichigo cursed again. Still, he tried his best to remain calm and collected. Fighting could wait. There were still things he wanted to know and so, his answer was simple.

"You know who I am."

But since Ginjō looked like he was about to explode, he quickly added one more thing.

"But the thing is, I know it too."

That took the wind from the man's sails as his features tensed and he blinked. In return, Tsukishima, along with the rest of the Xcution, turned to the man with questioning stares.

"Ginjō?"

"What is he talking about?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't tell them?"

The man growled. For a moment, he was the picture of an animal caught in a cage, turning his head from one side to the other and his eyes roaming the room, trying not to meet anyone's gaze. Ichigo took the chance and spoke to the room.

"Do you remember when I told you about my mom? It wasn't a lie. Her name was Kurosaki Masaki. But, like everybody else, I also have a father. His name is Isshin. Shiba Isshin."

If there was a pandemonium of silence, this was it. In the midst of it, Ichigo glanced back at Ginjō.

"So? How about it, uncle? Or is it a cousin? Want to talk truth?"

That was a bad choice of words. The first sign was a slight twitch in one of Ginjō's eyes while the second was an angry snarl followed with an incomprehensible shout of desperate rage.

"AAAAAARRGH!"

In an instant, hollow reiryoku burst out of Ichigo's body like a match being lit and enveloped his entire body in a dark-colored armor. His arms turned into blades and intercepted a vicious slash at his body. Fueled with pure fury, it felt twice as heavy as it looked. But Ichigo was standing right in front of Ikumi's unconscious form and refused to budge a single inch. Equaling Ginjō's livid grimace with a frown, he looked the man straight in the eyes, to see if there was a chance to talk things through.

He got his answer when the man pulled back and immediately attacked him again, this time aiming at his left side. In return, he brought both his bladed arms in position and blocked it with a resounding echo of clashing metal. But he didn't give up on the peaceful solution just yet.

"Don't do this. All I want is to talk."

But the man either didn't hear him or didn't want to hear him and quickly cycled between pulling back and attacking in a long series of wide strikes which, while fast, weren't that much faster than Jackie's kicks and so not even one hit its mark. But Ichigo had to admit that for a human, the man's attacks felt heavy and dangerous.

It saddened and angered him at the same time. Despite all the schemes the man must have planned for him, he was still a Shiba and, therefore, a family. And for Ichigo, family was one thing he didn't want to fight. As he parried and blocked a strike after a strike, his conflicting emotions grew stronger until they passed a certain threshold and he couldn't remain silent for any longer.

"Calm down, damn it!" He exclaimed and, at the exact moment when Ginjō pulled back, brought both his arms down on the man with all the strength his artificial body possessed. The effect was immediate. Blasted away, Ginjō sailed through the air and almost crashed into a wall. In the last moment, brief pulses of green light enveloped the man's feet and he rebounded from the wall, though it cracked from the sheer pressure. He landed on one knee and looked at Ichigo with wide eyes.

"What the hell?"

In response, Ichigo shut his mouth and pushed a long stream of air through his nostrils creating a sound similar to a grumble. Only then he spoke.

"Why do you insist on fighting me, you dumbass?! I told you already. I. Want. To. Talk!"

With a wave of his bladed hand, he motioned to the rest of the Xcution, just standing there with wide eyes filled with confusion.

"Was the whole 'we are a bunch of misfits and loners' expression a lie? Because, the way I see it, your friends, if they even are your friends, are more confused than I am!"

There was a brief moment during which a pained expression crossed Ginjō's face and the man lowered his head to aim his sight at the tiled floor beneath his feet.

"It wasn't a lie."

It wasn't Ginjō who spoke but there was no need to search for the one who did. The distinct deep feminine voice belonged to only one person in the room. Yet Ichigo still looked away from the man and at the woman in question, only to see the same pain mirrored in her eyes.

"It wasn't a lie." She said again with a stronger conviction in her voice. Unlike Ginjō, she didn't look away from him and met his gaze with her head held high.

'Damn it.'

Ichigo couldn't help but curse when his eyes bore into hers. They were brown and there was a depth in them he rarely saw in others. On instinct, he focused his spiritual senses on her and, even though there was no way she was aware of it, she released her reiatsu to communicate. And it was a communication unlike any other. Before he knew it, he sensed one emotion which seemed to pulse so hard it was impossible to miss. It was a complicated emotion comprising several others; a fragmented idea so heavy, it threatened to overwhelm him with its purity.

Jackie wasn't his enemy. It was that simple.

But she wasn't his friend either. It was that difficult.

But the strangest thing of all was the fact he understood it with no real effort. With that he turned his head and directed his sight at the one standing next to Jackie, Riruka. She too, met his gaze, albeit with a light blush coloring her cheeks which, if it was a different situation, would have caused him to feel butterflies in his stomach. On the other hand, Riruka didn't try to communicate with him. He wasn't sure whether she didn't know how or she didn't want to. Maybe it was because he hadn't formed the same connection with her like he had done with Jackie. It didn't matter. Aside from her pink cheeks, her expression was the same as Jackie's. It didn't mean she felt the same, but he was willing to take a leap of faith.

Why? It was simple.

She looked like a child lost in the sea of schemes and deceptions. A child he had used to be a long time ago. And, he also knew what her ability could do. Even if she meant him harm, he knew it would do less than annoy him. He was that much stronger.

Keeping the fact in mind he turned to the third member of the Xcution, Yukio, but before their eyes met, a loud exclamation broke through the silence and revealed somebody who certainly didn't want to be understood.

"Don't worry, Ginjō-san, I've got your back. Time tells no lies."

A sigh came through his loosely shut lips. He recalled the phrase. It belonged to one ability he knew nothing about; Giriko's Fullbring. Curious to see what it could do, he looked in the man's direction but when he saw green digits floating in the air, he felt a slight disappointment. But then the digits jerked and shot towardshim. Once they got close, he swung one of his bladed arms to cut through them.

A mistake.

In the instant he made contact, the digits flickered and, without so much as a warning, exploded. A cloud of smoke obscured his vision and the pain receptors in his artificial body poured a stream of distress to his mind, causing him to grunt in response. While the attack didn't draw blood, having something explode in front of his head was as unpleasant as one would expect.

'Well, that wasn't very nice.'

He didn't move from the spot and waited for the smoke to clear. As soon as it did, it became clear the opposing side had done the same but when it became clear his only injury was a singed skin the tension grew. He let the dissatisfaction show on his face and fought the urge to snap. Words seeped through his gritted teeth.

"That hurt."

He slowly lowered his hands.

"You know, I think I've been really fucking tolerant but you're pissing me off. Are your skulls that thick or are you incapable of believing I just want to talk?"

Nobody answered him. There was just silence, biting on the nerves of those in the room with canines of a jungle predator, pushing the threshold of patience to its limits. With each passing second, the tiny sparks of the ember kept alive in the depths of his souls grew stronger, the threat of unleashing the beast within him getting more imminent. A tiny ray of hope rose from the dead when he heard Jackie's voice.

"Ginjō, maybe we should-"

But it was shot down before it could take off.

"No! We stick to the plan!"

His left lower eyelid twitched. It was getting absurd, and he had just about enough.

"Stubborn until the end and refusing to yield unless beaten to a pulp. You really are a Shiba through and through, aren't you? Dumb bastard."

It seemed Ginjō took an offense to that but Ichigo didn't let him speak.

"We both have questions and I'm willing to give you answers if you do the same. But not here."

This time, the man got the chance to talk.

"Why?"

"Because, if you are the same kind of Shiba that I am myself, my answers will cause you to rush at me with everything you have before I can explain further. And, while I'm fine with that, as I love fighting, my reiatsu will light up like a beacon and I want to keep this entire thing as quiet as possible. For your own protection."

It was a subtle implication and Ichigo half hoped the man would notice it and half hoped he wouldn't. The truth landed somewhere in between. Barely two seconds after the last word came through his mouth, he saw Ginjō widen then narrow his eyes.

"You…"

The man's spiritual pressure rose like a geyser and so Ichigo quickly cut him off.

"Hold that thought. We can continue this inside one of Yukio's virtual rooms. I assume it can completely seal off reiatsu?" He asked while glancing in the boy's direction. He still didn't know if he was like Jackie and Riruka but there was no time to find out. If it came to it, he'd deal with it to the best of his abilities.

Yukio's answer was short and full of confidence.

"Of course."

Satisfied, Ichigo looked back to Ginjō, only for Yukio to speak again.

"But it makes no sense for you to allow me to use it. There's no guarantee we will listen to you."

It was difficult to determine whether Yukio was confirming his role as the enemy or he was truly interested in Ichigo's answer. But Ichigo, instead of worrying about it, snorted.

"I know. Yet I'm willing to take the chance. How about it, Ginjō?"

The man hesitated for a moment.

"Fine."

In the matter of seconds, tessellated walls surrounded Ichigo with their black finality but before they turned into a complete box, he called out to Yukio.

"If you can, please take my aunt to a different room. I want nothing to happen to her while I'm away."

...

Virtual void welcomed him with opened arms. It threw him into a darkness where everything was black yet his sight worked as if there was light. He saw the crevices of impossible corners and the odd, pixelated fabric of the walls. His nose didn't pick on any recognizable scent but the air wasn't empty. Just as he remembered the last time he had been in such a room, the digital space looked ordinary and surreal at the same time. Also, he was alone.

'Well, now to see if I have to break free and do something I don't want to.'

Looking around, he took in his surroundings. His current spot made him a center of the enclosed space and the fact made him shudder. A few quick strides saw him reaching the nearest wall where he turned around and leaned into it, then slid down on the ground. Shifting his legs into a Jinzen, he took a deep breath, exhaled, closed his eyes and waited.

'Minutes, Ichigo. You have minutes before the inevitable flood.'

His only reaction was a grateful smile. There was no point in getting nervous. Like his zanpakuto spirit said, it was an inevitable consequence to his previous actions. Now, it was only a question of proper timing. And even that was coming. He had no doubts about it. The man would create a perfect opportunity. It wasn't even a prediction. It was a fact.

There was no Shiba in this world who could react to what he planned on telling him without lashing out.

Time passed. He had no way of telling just how much as there was no clock and the digital void remained unchanging but his senses were sharp. Seconds, minutes, they all showed on the number of breaths he took every five to six seconds. Ten, twenty, fifty. The number rose at a steady pace with no interruption. Perhaps the current solitude was a good thing. It allowed him to get in contact with what was supposed to have been lost, to understand just how much work he had in front of him and to understand what emotions ran through the two separate parts of his soul.

When he counted his hundredth breath, he forced his consciousness to back away from the edge of the inner workings of his mind and to focus on the real world. His eyelids parted ways just in time for him to see an aperture form in the tessellated ceiling through which more than just one person entered the virtual room.

"To be honest, I expected no one besides Ginjō would come."

Aside from Yukio, every member of the Xcution showed up. Most of them were giving him looks of apprehension, though fear, regret, confusion and many more figured in the mix with the most prominent one being anger etched on Ginjō's face. The man took one step towards him and showed him his hand, clenched in a fist.

"Enough games, Kurosaki. What exactly did you mean by doing this for my protection?"

Ichigo remained in Jinzen. It was the perfect way to display his non-threatening intention. Still, his eyes found Ginjō's and bore into him with honesty.

"Not just yours. I meant for everyone connected to this situation."

"Just talk."

This was it. The one major turning point. The moment when everything could go well but also the moment when it could blow up in his face. He took one last deep breath.

"Alright. I think there's no point in prolonging the inevitable. But, and I'm repeating for the who knows which time, no matter what you think, I'm not here for the reasons you may think I am."

"Kurosaki…"

The way Ginjō growled his name made it clear he had no more time.

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. Son of Masaki Kurosaki and Shiba Isshin and… currently working as the 3rd Seat of the 9th Division, an officer in Gotei 13, Soul Society."

Nothing.

Not a damn word.

Not even a single breath.

The eerie silence which followed his statement was unlike any he had felt before. He saw faces frozen in shock, expressions stuck in a grimace, eyes widened in disbelief and reiatsu signatures washing over him filled with a myriad of emotions. But, first and foremost, he saw the face of the man closest to him twisting into a snarl and he knew his prediction; the one which he had considered being a fact, came true. With a resolute yell, Ginjō raised his large sword above his head and leapt towards him with a clear intention of cleaving him in half.

"KUROSAKIIIII!"

It was a yell of desperation and caused him to flinch. Nevertheless, he brought his arms above him and stopped the attack dead in its track, even though his arms buckled an inch under the immense pressure. Immediately, he looked behind the man to see how the rest of the Xcution fared.

'Ah, damn it.'

He hoped his earlier words, which he had been saying ever since his arrival to Tsukishima's mansion, had had a positive effect and had swayed them enough to prevent them from outright attacking him. He was wrong.

A stream of floating digits and a kick coming from the left side forced him to abandon Jinzen and roll to safety. As he did so, a reishi overload caused his previous spot to explode and pushed him even further to the right, directly beneath the blade of a thin sword. On reflex, he shifted the position of his arm to block the attempt but then recognized the attacker and forced his body to roll further away. He had no desire to let Tsukishima try his Fullbring on him.

However, his actions didn't place him in a safe spot just yet. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Riruka standing not far away from him pointing a strange toy-like gun at his face. Even from the distance, he saw her trigger finger move yet his attention was on her face.

It'd been a long time since he saw such a miserable expression.

Her lips parted and formed a few words he had no chance of hearing. But whatever they were, he had to ignore them and focus on a large object which seemed to have popped out of the gun's barrel. Its trajectory put it above him and he promptly jumped away.

As soon as he landed, he parried Ginjō's sword, leaned to the side to evade Tsukishima's and vaulted over the former to escape a flood of floating digits. A small explosion rang in his ears and robbed him of a chance to dodge a vicious stomp to the middle of his torso. In a hurry, he moved his arms in front of him. Shoved backwards, his back collided with the tessellated wall and he coughed to get the air stuck in his windpipe out.

'Pretty good coordination.'

He had no time to relax. A large cupboard crashed into the wall next to him and the shower of splinters forced him to shield his eyes. At the same time, blade of Ginjō's sword cut through the wooden fragments. With no other choice he leapt in the air using the flat part of the sword as a stepping platform and retaliated by pressing the sole of his foot to the man's collarbone. Then he pushed him away.

Ginjō staggered backwards and before he could renew his efforts Ichigo landed and smashed into him with his shoulder. But a slender shin moving towards his face halted his progress. Ducking under the kick, he grabbed the other leg and heaved its owner to the other side of the virtual room where she landed on her hip.

The fight continued but despite the numbers advantage on the side of Xcution it soon became clear there would be no clear winner. Even though Ichigo received a few hits, it took so much effort that the Xcution members with abilities not quite suited for combat showed signs of fatigue. Both Riruka and Giriko, while not even once in a position where they had to defend themselves, were panting and a bead of sweat was visible on their foreheads. The rest seemed to fair better but instead of fatigue they showed signs of frustration.

While not tried or frustrated Ichigo himself didn't feel the elation he usually felt during a good fight. It was just a pointless, cumbersome struggle that solved nothing.

"Let's stop this. You'll gain nothing fighting me."

But his words seemed to have no effect though they confirmed his suspicions.

"Nothing?! What about our lives?!"

Ginjō's voice reverberated in the room like a gong. In return, Ichigo narrowed his eyes and pierced the man with an absentminded gaze.

"Ah, so it's like this. You think I'm here to kill you."

"… you're not?"

"Don't listen to him, Riruka! He's from the Gotei 13. Schemes and deception is what they do!"

He couldn't help himself. Those words held so much truth, it made the situation so much funnier. And so, he snorted.

"Ha, don't I know it. It's been a scheme after scheme ever since I died."

Sharp intakes of breath caused him to blink. The following silence during which he was sure he could hear a pin drop caused him to mentally curse.

"W-What? What do you mean 'died'?"

The quiet voice belonged to Riruka. When he looked at her, all he saw was a face so pale, it was unnatural. Glancing to the side, he noted that while Ginjō or Tsukishima didn't look as shocked, their expressions changed too. Jackie and Giriko simply stood there blinking. He sighed.

"Ginjō said it himself, didn't he? I'm from the Gotei 13. Which is an organization in Soul Society, the place for the dead? I'm not an exception."

He saw Ginjō exchanging a look with Tsukishima. The latter shook his head.

"I told you this kid isn't normal."

Ichigo took offense on that but before he could voice his indignation, Jackie spoke up.

"But he has a Fullbring!"

Ginjō's eyes bore into his. Then the man spoke, putting emphasis on each word.

"… that's because it isn't a Fullbring."

Ichigo tried not to blink.

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself."

There was a moment during which nobody spoke and during which Ginjō's stare changed.

"Who are you, Kurosaki?"

It wasn't a question about his identity but Ichigo understood it.

"Me? I'm somebody who is here because of his own curiosity and not on Gotei orders. Somebody who realized who you are several days ago after a conversation with my cousin, Kūkaku Shiba, when I mentioned your name and was told to not get involved with you."

Ginjō took a barely noticeable step back.

"Kūkaku? She's, she's alive?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. And she warned me that if I ever contact you again I risk alerting somebody in the Tsunayashiro clan, which prompted me to look through any available book. That's when I put the pieces together."

When he mentioned the Tsunayashiro clan, he saw Ginjō's face gaining color and twisting into a grimace. Before the man could snarl, he continued.

"They set you up, didn't they?"

That didn't stop the man from snapping though his tone took a 180-degree turn in the middle.

"What the hell do you… huh, what?"

A hope for peaceful continuation presented itself and he grasped its reins with both hands.

"Slaughter of all those Shiba clan members. Tsunayashiro set you up."

As if physically struck, the man staggered, but a chair rose from the tessellated floor just in time to catch him. It seemed Yukio was listening to the conversation.

Tsukishima, for the time being silent just as the rest of the Xcution, moved next to Ginjō and as the man slumped down and melted into his seat, he put his hand on his shoulder in what could have been nothing else but a gesture of sympathy. Ginjō didn't react to the touch and stared at the floor seemingly unable to decide what to do. His voice came out as a mixture of a groan and a whisper.

"Yeah. Yeah, they did."

Then he looked up and at Ichigo.

"But how the hell would you know?"

Ichigo shrugged.

"I don't. It's a gut feeling. An instinct which, so far, hasn't been wrong. And while I know I may be an idiot who wants to see things which aren't there, I've been having questions I can't seem to find answers for. Why would you murder your family? Why is Kūkaku so afraid? Why is it that every time someone mentions the name Tsunayashiro it's connected to something shrouded in mystery? Why are information about them censored? Why would they be interested in you? How are they connected to all of this?" He explained and as he spoke, he watched a myriad of emotions wash over the man's face. But he wasn't finished just yet.

"Then I read through Shiba genealogy. When I connected the dots and placed you to the name K. Shiba, then read your ancestry and saw you and Kūkaku, and through her you and me, are related, a strange thought occurred to me. They list your mother as an unknown member of the Shiba clan but your father is an unknown member of a 'highly prestigious Great Noble Clan'."

To emphasize the absurdity, Ichigo even mocked the quotation marks with his fingers.

"Why the hell would they put 'highly prestigious Great Noble Clan' instead of its name? One possibility was because of the shame but that's a load of crap. This information is not a public record. Only a member of the Shiba clan can access it. Then there's the other possibility – it was censorship. So, it can't be Kuchiki or Shihōin, leaving only two left. Tsunayashiro and the other one which is still a complete mystery. And since I risk their attention by doing this, it must only mean your father was somebody from the Tsunayashiro clan."

At that point, he saw Ginjō gripping the armrests of the chair with enough strength to turn his knuckles white. The man growled.

"Yeah, that's right."

"But I'm drawing a blank on the rest. Whether I'm wrong and you were the one who did it or it was the Tsunayashiro clan, I can't fathom the reason for those murders."

All of a sudden, Ginjō's reiatsu rose so high, it forced Tsukishima to abandon his position next to him and caused Ichigo to frown.

'Was it something I said?'

However, the man didn't seem keen on attacking. At least not yet.

"It doesn't matter! They showed up one day and slaughtered everyone! We stood no chance!"

And then, the sharp teeth of the gears within Ichigo's mind fell into the right place. With no obstacle in their course they spun around their axes and he understood. He grimaced.

"You want to get a revenge."

In return, Ginjō got on his feet and reached into his pocket.

"Wouldn't you?!"

Ichigo found it impossible to disagree.

"Yeah."

Then he, too, reached into his pocket. With his hand still in it, he continued.

"But I can't let you go through with it. Not now."

Two things happened at the same time.

Ginjō took his hand out of his pocket to reveal the strange badge he had once claimed to have belonged to a person with the title of a Substitute Shinigami and placed it on his sword. In a bright flash the two merged and a wave of reiryoku hid the man from the plain view.

On the opposite side of the room, Ichigo took his hand out of his pocket to reveal a small pill which he promptly swallowed. It allowed his soul to leave the artificial body which hit the ground like a sack of rocks.

The situation entered its final stage.

…

Many thoughts and questions formed in Ichigo's mind when the cloud of energy surrounding Ginjō dispersed and revealed the man in a full Shinigami attire.

It wasn't just the fact that there was a definite tint of a Hollow energy permeating the man's reiatsu.

Nor was it the set of small details spread all over the man's clothes with the motif of death.

No, it was the fact that the man, by all accounts still a living human being, had the aura of a real Shinigami.

'Wait, wait, wait. Wait just a one damn second. He didn't use a Gikongan, so he's not in a Gigai, it's his real body and he really is a living human. But even if he inherited Shinigami powers, he can't just use them in his mortal body, right? Not to mention he has that Hollow feel… wait.'

A surge of sharp headache ran through his skull and caused his brow to twitch.

'Hollow, human, Shinigami. I know this equation. It ends in a soul suicide. Who was it, my dad, who told me about the way he had to live in a Gigai to suppress the hollow tint in my mom's soul? That to ensure survival of a soul, there has to be an equilibrium?'

He frowned. Then his eyes crossed paths with Ginjō's.

"Who were your parents?"

"Ha! That's your reaction?!"

A nagging thought at the back of his mind dragged a certain memory to the foreground. It contained the conversation during which the man had shared with him a small piece of his past. And though it wasn't in an instant, it didn't take Ichigo long to understand. At least some of it.

"So, you are the Substitute Shinigami from that story you told me days ago. I guess the rest isn't a complete lie just a scrambled mess as well?"

The man tightened his hold on the hilt of his sword.

"Afraid so. I was a Substitute Shinigami, yes. Then there was somebody who killed my comrades though it wasn't Tsukishima, and it wasn't anyone important. Just a nameless assassin. This assassin also murdered my parents on an order from the Soul Society. You see, it's not that I was no longer needed. I was good at my job as a Shinigami. It's just, they found out about my ancestry and my mixed heritage. And the 'highly prestigious Great Noble Clan', as you put it, simply couldn't live with the fact that there was a bastard offspring of their clan living among filthy humans and whose blood was polluted with the taint of their mortal enemies."

Ginjō's words poured out of him like a wild waterfall, splashing water in every direction without aim and without order. It was difficult to keep up with the amount of information and Ichigo realized he had to filter them or risk getting overwhelmed. He focused on one thing.

'Taint of their mortal enemies, huh? Something tells me it's not Hollows he's talking about.'

"It's a good thing I had this Substitute Shinigami badge to restrain my power and to keep them updated about my location which almost cost me my own life as well, right? Yes, thank you very much Captain Ukitake. I hope his lungs have already killed him."

Venom dripping from the man's tongue felt tangible, but it was the content of his words which caused the hair at the back of Ichigo's head to stand.

'What? Ukitake-san?'

"And you come here to tell me I should just forget my revenge?! You, whose reiatsu is so weak, I'm amazed your fake Fullbring held so much power?! Good thing you prevented me from completing my plan or I would have been disappointed beyond belief! Still, I didn't want to do this. You are just a kid."

With those words, Ginjō moved his right foot forward.

"But you leave me no choice!"

And with those words, he flashed from his spot. In just a second, he appeared in front of Ichigo with the blade of his sword descending.

But Ichigo didn't move. He made no effort to try to dodge or evade the incoming attack. Not even a flinch. Instead, his mouth set itself in a straight line and his eyes closed. Then he shook his head, and a whisper passed through his lips.

"You dumbass."

'Now?'

'Now.'

The sharp iron edge came within an inch of the skin on his torso when, for a split second, everything bar time itself stood still. In the next moment, an immense pressure spread throughout the entire virtual space, cracking walls, ceiling and floor alike. With a short delay, an explosion of a vast amount of reiryoku blasted Ginjō into the wall on the opposite side of the room with enough power to dent the web of cracks still spreading along its surface. The rest of the Xcution fared better though they too were knocked off their feet.

In the center of the violent vortex of reiryoku, Ichigo stood like a pillar of unimaginable power, unmoving and unharmed. A behemoth of a warrior, his presence dwarfed everyone, squeezing their lungs until they couldn't breathe and erasing their thoughts until the only thing they could do was to pray for it to stop. Rage and tranquility, they mixed within his aura in a soup of unstoppable judgement, ready to be passed on those just and unjust alike. He was a perturbator of the peace, a harbinger of chaos but, at the moment, he was also a bulwark which refused to budge.

"You know, there was another reason I wanted to move to this concealed space. Back in Soul Society, they believe I have lost almost all of my power. But I didn't. I just changed, evolved and had to relearn how to exist among them." He stated and let the energy slowly dissipate.

"And if their sensors recognized my reiatsu, they would locate not just me but you too. Which is the opposite of what I want because even though I'm not here on any order I still want to stop you. Say what you want but your revenge is nothing but a pointless attempt at a glorified suicide."

As he spoke, he watched Ginjō get back on his feet. But the air was still saturated with Ichigo's reiatsu and it took considerable effort for the man to do so.

"Stay down. It doesn't matter what name you use but the fact you are my distant relative remains. And hurting my family is the last thing I want to do."

But it was just as he had mentioned before. Ginjō was a Shiba and thus, stubborn all the way to the bitter end. There were no words which would make any difference to the man. It was just how the members of the clan were hard-wired.

With a defiant glare in his eyes, the man stood up straight and, without a single word, charged him like a desperate animal caught in a cage.

"AAAAHH!"

The tiny amount of time it took Ginjō to reach him, Ichigo eyed his surroundings and noted the state of the digital walls around them. Cracks were slowly being repaired but the continuous pressure of his energy was hampering the process. The thought of lowering his reiatsu never crossed his mind. He wanted to end things as fast as he could and overwhelming his opponent seemed as the simplest and fastest solution.

And so, when Ginjō's sword once again descended on his torso, instead of parrying it, he did the one thing he considered being most threatening and caught the blade with his bare hand.

"?!"

Wide-eyed, Ginjō looked from his sword at Ichigo's unharmed limb unable to utter a single word. But it wasn't over. Using his other hand to get a hold on the hem of the man's clothes, Ichigo spun him around and then hurled him across the room. For the second time during their fight, Ginjō's back collided with a wall but this time it knocked the breath out of his lungs.

"I know what you're thinking - If I just try harder, if I just push myself a bit more, I can win. But that's just an illusion. You are not a hero and I'm not a villain. Stuff from fairytales doesn't apply to us. The reality is simple - I'm way stronger than you."

It took Ginjō a second to regain his bearings and a thin stream of blood poured from the corner of his busted mouth. He struggled to even move, yet he forced his body to stand back up. It was almost admirable.

"Shut up. Shut your damn mouth."

With one hand, the man wiped the blood from his face, smudging his chin with it, and spat on the floor.

"I knew this wouldn't be easy, but that's why I created Xcution. To have somebody to support me."

Ichigo's let a dispassionate mask form on his face. He nodded towards the group behind the man.

"Then look at them. Take a good long look and tell me what do you see."

Aside from Tsukishima who was on his feet albeit with his back bent forward, the rest of the Xcution was on all four, breathing heavily and unable to even raise their heads. But as Ichigo's words echoed through the room, they tried to do so even if to show Ginjō their faces, blemished by doubt and fear.

"You think you are prepared but you are not. I'm just a 3rd Seat and I'm yet to even release my zanpakuto. Do you have any idea how strong the regular Captains are? Or the Captain Commander? They'd flatten you in less than a second."

For a fraction of a second, the man seemed uncertain. Then he shook his head and renewed his glare.

"Don't think I'm finished, Kurosaki. BAN-KAI!"

Reiryoku engulfed the man for the second time during their fight. In return, Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

'Bankai? He can use it?'

As the energy dispersed and Ichigo saw the man's new appearance, modified with an increased number of Hollow motifs, he couldn't shake the feeling in his gut.

Everything about the man's reiatsu felt wrong. It didn't give the usual vibe of a Shinigami. At the same time, it felt nothing like a Hollow. Was it because the man was using his powers while still in a human body? But then Ichigo recalled his own attempt at simulating a Fullbring via his hollow reiryoku and an idea struck him.

'Is he simulating Shinigami powers with his Fullbring?'

Yet even that didn't explain the inexplicable disturbance in the air which caused the hair on the back of his head to stand. However, another idea came to him and made him shudder from the sheer possibility of it being close to the truth.

For one reason or another, Ginjō's energy reminded him of his own. Yet it also didn't. It was the same, only different.

But while he pondered about the concept, Ginjō didn't remain static and charged him once more. Even a blind person could see that by uttering the phrase 'Bankai', the man regained enough confidence to cut through the thick ambiance in the room and bring his sword down on Ichigo yet again.

Still deep in thoughts, Ichigo acted on pure instinct and batted the blade away with one hand while using the other to crush the man's abdomen with a devastating punch. It was only when his knuckles bore deep into a soft tissue that he realized what he had done and his face twisted into a grimace. But the deed was done and Ginjō flew backwards so fast, his body smashed into the almost repaired wall with a resounding sickening noise. The wall cracked and caved inwards and the man slid down retching, heaving and with one of his legs bent in an unnatural angle.

"No, damn it!"

"Ginjō!"

Before he could move, a desperate yell crawled from Tsukishima's throat as the man pushed against the oppressive reiatsu with all of his might and was next to Ginjō in two strides. Tsukishima took just one glance at the man's state and then snapped at Ichigo with his eyes filed with panic.

"You said you didn't want to kill him!"

But Ichigo was just as agitated as he was.

"I don't! I just reacted without thinking!"

"You call that just reacting?!"

Raising his free hand, Ichigo smashed the wall behind him. Tessellated fragments flew in every direction.

"That's why I'm telling you to stop, damn it! Jackie said it herself a few days ago! Your bodies are human – fragile and easily damaged! It doesn't matter how strong your reiryoku is because it can't reinforce a body made of flesh and bones like it can with a body composed of reishi! This is exactly what happens when I don't control my strength!"

The amount of anger in his voice did little to stop Tsukishima from snapping back, though a hand on his shoulder, courtesy of a panting Ginjō, did.

"I'm, ugh, fine."

Both Ichigo and Tsukishima shouted at the same time.

"Bullshit!"

"You're not!"

Tsukishima looked at Ichigo with hate written all over his face. At the same time, Ichigo noticed a small twitch in Tsukishima's legs and narrowed his eyes.

"Don't even try it. I know how dangerous your Fullbring is and there's no way I'm letting you cut me. And trust me, I can run a dozen circles around you and you wouldn't see even a blur. Not to mention I can just release my zanpakuto and crush you with my reiatsu. Or you know what? Try it. I still haven't repaid you for involving my aunt and using your Fullbring on her."

His tone was low and dangerous and for just a second, he focused his spiritual pressure on the man alone. Tsukishima's eyes widened, and he cursed but it seemed if not Ginjō, at least he was smart enough to understand the situation. So, instead of leaping at Ichigo, the man helped Ginjō back on his healthy yet wobbling leg.

"So? What's it going to be, Ginjō?"

Instead of replying, the man in question sucked in his breath, grimaced from the pain and raised his sword only to slash the air in front of him, causing a moderate-sized wave of energy to shoot from the tip of the blade.

Its intended target, Ichigo, waited until the attack got close and then stuck out his free arm. Without hesitation, he let the energy crash into his bare palm and then, after a brief pause, folded his fingers to form a fist, crushing the attack while doing so. The energy dispersed. The only evidence of it ever existing was a black smudge on his hand which smelled like a slab of a smoked meat. There was no wound, but to his surprise the unknown ability, quite similar to his own Getsuga, left him with a slight stinging sensation.

"Anything else you want to try? Another energy blast? A hidden ace?"

Ginjō's expression remained hostile, but it didn't look like he intended to continue fighting. Pressing his back against the cracked, dented wall behind him, he slowly sank on the floor and spat to his left.

"Screw you, Kurosaki."

Ichigo said nothing in return and waited. After less than a minute, his wish finally came true.

"What the hell do you want from me?"

Relief washed over Ichigo's entire being, from the nails on his toes to the tip of his head. Playing the antagonist had been more stressful than he had expected. Especially when he had wanted to solve things peacefully but had been denied so.

"It's not about what I want, Ginjō. It's about what you want and what I can give you. And I can give you limited options. You only have to choose."

"I'm all ears."

He nodded and allowed himself a neutral smile.

"Well, either you forget your revenge and, for now, disband and go into hiding or I kill you all and send you to Soul Society where you can start from a scratch and where, as spirits, you'd have a better chance for a revenge."

He saw them tense.

"It's that simple."

…

It was a deep, dark night when Ichigo finally walked through the entrance of the mansion and let the pleasant cold breeze scratch his cheeks. He was back in his Gigai and in his hands was a sleeping Ikumi. He looked up at the clear sky and let out a sigh.

"It's been a long night."

Without looking back, he aimed his steps back to Karakura Town and to a certain shop. There was much to do. But he didn't plan on giving up.

He would continue struggling till his very last breath and until he pierced through the herd morality where free spirits and noble traits were labelled evil.

End of Chapter 48.

End of Agent of Judgement Arc.

It is done.

Now, I'm sure there are bound to be complains about me nerfing Ginjo, so I'm putting a preemptive explanation - it's simple, really. Unlike the original, in this story he never finished his plan to steal Ichigo's power and so, without it, I imagined him to be around this strong. I firmly believe that in the original, he managed to fight Ichigo on relatively equal grounds only thanks to the stolen Fullbring. Without it, I estimate him to be roughly on Ikkaku's level. But that's just my opinion.

Moving on, it is the climax of this arc and, probably for the first time, it doesn't end with Ichigo being injured, depressed or anything similar. It ends with him making a hard decision which will have consequences.

I hope you liked it. Next arc will begin during the same night and will continue Ichigo's story without any time-skip. However, you'll have to wait for it as I'm taking a short break. Ever since I changed my editing process into complete rewrites, I've been unable to write the future chapters and so, my reserves have decreased. Don't worry though, it won't be an unreasonable break as the next chapter should be up sometime in December.

To reviews:

Takei Daloui - yes, whether consciously or not, Ichigo is channeling his inner Aizen. Ginjo has been removed from the influence during the moment when he fought the others in a separate room. Ichigo commented on it.

kaxipoptos - that's why I used Yukio's virtual room, so Soul Society wouldn't know about Xcution. Though that's not to say there won't be problems.

Rias Caldwell - glad you like it. The time for some relationship stuff is coming in the next two arcs. Orihime and Tatsuki are... it's difficult for me to comment on them as they are in a special position. But there will be explanation for their behavior.

And that's all for now! I'll see you next time with a new addition :

Chapter 50 - Knight of Cydonia (In pursuit of normalcy)