Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
Some spoilers ahead concerning the Vizards and Aizen, other than that it should be good. Please read and review.
"No. None of you are needed at the moment. It would be wise if you stayed here." Urahara inexplicably said, in a solemn demeanor.
"Urahara-san?" Ichigo uttered in a questioning tone.
Ichigo was not the only one who was shocked by Urahara's order. The whole crew was looking at Urahara, like he had grown a second head. Why didn't he want four captains and Ichigo, who is clearly at their level, to go and tilt the battle in their favor? They could quickly out number the forces of the arrancar, with the five great powers.
"Urahara, what are you implying?" asked Byakuya in his customary cold tone. If people could read the stoic captain, they would realize that he is not in the mood for petty games, he simply wants to follow the orders given to them by their superior, Yamamoto.
"Byakuya-bo, still as uptight as ever, ne." a voice said, belonging to a woman who appeared beside Urahara in the blink of an eye. It was no wonder why she was also called, "Yoruichi Goddess of Flash." She still had it, even after a century of not doing vigorous training or battle. She sighed and looked up at the crew before her. "Just let him explain."
It didn't take a couple of seconds later to get an angry respond from Zaraki, insisting that there was no way in hell that nothing could stop him from enjoying the love of his life, which was all out war. He then left the staggered group behind and was off to fight the many arrancar still plaguing Karakura, with the ecstatic pink headed girl glued on his shoulder. Once the group resettled from staring at the retreating form of the eleventh division captain; they noticed that another odd pair was amiss, making their sweat drop, none other than the sick-minded captain of the twelfth division, along with his vice-captain. Probably going off to capture poor unsuspecting arrancar, most likely wonderwice.
It was then that the fourth-captain kindly stepped up and excused Isane and herself. Also thanking Urahara for being thoughtful for their safety, but that they must go to the aid of the injured shinigami around Karakura.
"Well, it seems that I will not be needed here any long-" Byakuya was stating while retreating, but was hauled up by his childhood tormentor and placed back down within the group. Making a vein tic in his forehead due to the rude interruption and handling of his being.
"Tsk. Byakuya-bo," frowned Yoruichi, "you will want to hear this, and the rest you take a seat," demanded Yoruichi. She then threw her gaze to Urahara telling him to get started.
"This, have better be good." The noble flatly stated, and took seat around the long tea table that just happened to be there. Making sure he was at the head of the table.
"I-I… Lets get started," sighed Urahara. Everyone else proceeded to kneel or sit around the table.
--
Everybody was getting anxious, to hear what the man had to say, and Urahara looked just as uneasy, for what he's about to explain. None knowing what he was about to say would change their lives. "What I am about to say, please do not repeat so casually… I am going to tell you all about the Hougyoku, and another interesting matter that I am not of the liberty to say, but nonetheless, it will all come out into the light, after today," Urahara started to say. Which easily perked their attention.
With their widened eyes set towards Urahara he continued. "The Hougyoku came to existence a little over hundred years ago. It was meant to be a tool for Shinigami to use. I was trying to mimic what hollows did. You have all learned about the menos, and how hollows grow stronger with each spirit that they consume?" Everyone was well engrossed into the conversation to answer the simple question.
"H-Ha… We know that," Ichigo finally said with bit of a stammer. "Nell told us all about the menos in Hueco Mundo."
"Good…" Urahara paused to make sure everyone was listing once again. "Well then, the Hougyoku at first was pure concentrated reiatsu, from purified hollows and shinigami. I made devises that could collect such substances around the degenerating hollows. For four full years, I made every shinigami in my squad carry these devices. After the span of the four years I recollected the devices. I then integrated all of the hollow's spirit energy together and then..." Urahara looked up "the spirit energy from my entire squad, the devices, unknown to my subordinates, collected their own reiatsu but at insignificant amounts through out the four years."
Ichigo and the rest widened their eyes to what Urahara had just revealed to them. "What," responded Ichigo.
"I fussed the reiatsu of hollows and shinigami. It was enough hollow spirit energy that it would be comparable to a Vastolorde, and our own reiatsu, comparable to Yamamoto's own proficiency." Everything that Urahara said was so surreal to the group, none could grasp what it all meant. Even the Kuchiki noble was shocked, but managed to keep it well hidden.
"But what Urahara wasn't expecting, was for it to take life. The Hougyoku became aware, an entity if you'd say, while fussing the reiatsu-s." Yoruichi said.
"What happened next," Rukia curiously asked, wanting to know how all of it fits.
"When I made the fusion I enclosed the building in lethality stone for precaution. It took the shape of an average looking soul…" stated Urahara. "But the thing was pure evil, it quickly killed off all my assistance, and I myself barely came out of the room alive," Urahara said, while grimacing the events that unfolded.
Ichigo and the others stiffened with what they just heard. To think that such a powerful creature exits, and to make matter worse, Aizen has it. But they were still confused, as to how it took the shape of a small sphere, and how it can lift limitations of shinigami and hollows. Ichigo was the one who voiced the questions and the rest simply nodded, wanting to know also.
"My, my… So much to discuss," sighed Urahara, in a mellowed out tone. Taking a deep breath he continued. "Well you see Kurosaki-san, it took the Hougyoku three weeks to weaken, due to the lethality stone, and once it weakened I sealed it with a powerful kidō spell. I tried to destroy it after the seal was in place, but it was no use. It was far beyond my capacities." Urahara finished answering their first question. It made sense to them, they all saw Aizen take it from Rukia's body and saw the black center encased.
--
Urahara then began to explain how Aizen betrayed Soul Society over ninety years ago and spoke of the many victims that fell due to him. He told the group that Aizen used similar techniques in capturing hollow essences, but then directly injecting it into unsuspecting shinigami and souls. Urahara told them that many of Aizen's lab rats mainly brokedown and vanished, due to the heavy strain of the hollow's reiatsu. Only eight survived the madman's trials, he said.
"Who were the eight?" asked Rukia. But Ichigo already knew the answer to that. It had to be the eight, which he trained with underground for months, the ones who taught him how to control his inner hollow, the Vizards.
"Hirako it was you, wasn't it?" It was more of a statement than a question, coming from Ichigo. "You guys were the eight that Aizen infected, and then you became vizards."
Hirako and Hiyori simply gave Ichigo a meek nod, telling him he was right. It was a memory that always made them upset.
"Urahara-san, you said that the Hougyoku didn't work with the Vizards, why does it work now?" Ishida asked. Wondering how the arrancar were born due to the Hougyoku, and why it didn't work with Urahara.
"Ah… Something I don't like to admit," Urahara warily said.
"Pfft… I'll tell you why," Hiyori started to say. "It's because this dick was too weak to reawaken the Hougyoku!" spat Hiyori. Everyone bowled over and Urahara's sweat dropt, because of the abrupt comment from the feisty blonde.
"Tsk… Hiyori-chan, you never took a liking to me?" Urahara coyly said behind his trusty fan, strange how he always has his fan ready.
"Damn right!" grunted Hiyori.
Urahara then proceeded to tell them how the Hougyoku has been in a dormant state since he sealed it, and a massive amount of reiatsu is needed for it to be used in that manner.
"Urahara-san, how exactly does it lift the limitations of shinigamis and hollows?" Rukia asked.
"Now Kuchiki-san, you already know the answerer to that," sneered Urahara. "Have you forgotten how you did a similar act, but with a human boy." Making Rukia and Ichigo gasp in surprise.
"What do you mean?" questioned Ichigo.
"Why the day that Kuchiki-san transferred her shinigami powers to you Kurosaki-san," snickered Urahara. "Although you weren't any ordinary human to begin with Kurosaki-san. But still, it is the same principle; the way a shinigami transfers their power into another living soul, but instead of the shinigami it is the Hougyoku a pure shinigami/hollow hybrid being, that transfers some of its own essence into the soul." Urahara left the group dumbstruck, except the two vizards and the ever stoic Byakuya. "Aizen simply infuses his own reiatsu for mere seconds with the Hougyoku, and implants the spilled spirit particles into the hollow or shinigami." Urahara finished explaining.
--
It all made perfect sense to them. How exactly the arrancar came to be, and how the vizards were born from mad experimentations. Everyone was satisfied, well everyone but Ichigo. He was still confused as to how he is what he is. He ran his hand through his hair, while in deep thought, remembering that he was never poisoned, nor was the Hougyoku used on him. But he still had a hollow inside of him. Ichigo thinks back to when Hiyori beat him up, so that his hollow could surface, he grimaces at the thought of how it almost killed her in less than five seconds and with out bankai. His power is different and he knew it.
He was so in tuned in his thoughts, while sitting; that he failed to hear his name as it was being bellowed through out the Urahara's basement.
"ICHIGOOOOOO." Isshin's right foot roughly connected with Ichigo's face, hurling him towards a pile of rocks. "Ichigo, my boy, you should never let your guard down," Isshin said in peeving manner.
--
Pissed, oh was he pissed off right now. A second ago he was sitting down around a table minding his own damn business. Then out of the blue his maddening old man comes out of nowhere and lands a kick on his face. Oh, just wait until he gets back up, he's going to make him wish he didn't give birth to him.
Ichigo's anger at the moment blinds him as he fails realize, that he was still a shinigami. Ignoring the obvious, he quickly gets up and flash-steps towards his crazed father and attempts to punch him square in the face, only to have Isshin easily dodge.
"Why you…" Ichigo is still reluctant on giving up, not until he hears the customary sobbing of his defeated father will he stop. Meanwhile, the rest of the group has their sweat dropping at how slow Ichigo is at grasping the situation at hand. "Why you bastard get back here, stop using shunpo to escape," dumbly said the orange head.
Then it sparked, "shunpo," his crazy father was flash-stepping. Better yet, he had on a black kimono, a black hakama, a white haori, and was that a zanpakutou. What the hell was going on? Not only that, he can see him, and better yet, he kicked the living shit out him. "What the hell, what's going on?" He just stood there lifeless staring at his father, who just happened to muster a mischievous grin.
Quickly flash-stepping out of sight and appearing beside Ichigo. "Ichigo, you did it again. You let your guard down," Isshin said, while he kicked his son back to the crowded table. "Now go and sit, we have some chatting to do." Isshin coolly said, while walking towards the table.
"H-ha." It took Ichigo a full ten seconds to reply. There, Ichigo was sitting; with his mouth wide-open and what seemed to be a little bit of saliva droopily hanging from his mouth.
Ichigo watched as his old man walked over to the table, and sat him self down beside Urahara. Still stunned with his mouth agape, Ichigo continued to stare.
Then it happened, something popped. "Baka, close your mouth," Rukia spat out, the pop sound came from Rukia upper-cutting him, "you looked disgusting." She quickly returned to her gracious kneeling in front of the table.
"You bitch," retorted Ichigo, returning to his regular scowling.
--
There they sat, all eyes on Isshin. Ichigo was the first to ask a question, but Isshin simply ignored it.
"Aye, old man you have better start talking," Ichigo demanded.
His demand went unheard, as Isshin smiled and stared at the entrance. There, two girls walking side by side, one with raven hair and the other with beautiful chestnut hair. Guided by a towering man, none other than Tessai.
"Onii-chan, Rukia-chan… Is it really," Yuzu asked with surprise.
"Yuzu," Ichigo and Rukia both said in shock, turning to the voice.
"So, your all shinigami," Karin stated in a cold manner, comparable to Byakuya.
Ichigo's face was sketched with anger, fear, and shock; he was concerned about his sisters. They shouldn't be there, they should be somewhere safe and not in the middle of the ongoing war. Why has his old man brought them there, had he gone completely crazy? And why is his old man in spirit form to begin with, he didn't get it. For the first time since he met the first vizard, Ichigo was stumped.
"Karin, Yuzu. Are you two okay?" Ichigo got a solemn nod from the two sisters. He then turned to his father. "Why-why did you bring them here, and why are you here? Why didn't you tell me before? They didn't have to know, they could have had a normal life, without the troubles of two worlds." Ichigo barked out at his old man. Ichigo's anger, confusion, and even sadness were evident. It seems that it has taken a toll on the shinigami.
"Silence, Ichigo." Isshin un-humorously said. "What I am going to say, I will only say once. As for your sisters, they have every right to know, as do you. It is after all, your birth rights." Isshin said with a stern look that he rarely put on in front of his family.
The tension was high as son and father seemed to be at deadly staring contest, while the rest sat back and watched. Without breaking his gaze from Ichigo, he began to talk.
"Ichigo, Karin, Yuzu. Tell me, do you know of any family other than me and your mum." Isshin asked his children. Yuzu and Karin both shook their head and said no. "Yes, you wouldn't know any of them, would you now." Isshin said.
"Wait, how much do they know about shinigami and hollows?" Ichigo voiced in before his dad continued.
"They know as much as you do now. I told them, a couple days ago. There was no hiding it. Yuzu recently became aware of large reiatsu-s and Karin has been for a while. The sleeping spell that Soul Society placed on Karakura wouldn't of worked on them." Isshin answered back. Which seemed to ease Ichigo's worries.
"Now then, we don't have that much time left." Isshin began. "The King of Soul Society, not only is he the king of all living and nonliving souls and shinigami, but also king of hollows, naturally since hollows are also souls, but in a different state. The King is in no immediate danger because of Aizen; he is but an ant to him. But you see, the King cannot leave the royal dimension, since there are things far worse than Aizen himself. Leaving the royal dimension unguarded could cause the fall of not only soul society, but of every plain of existence as well." Isshin took a breath and looked around.
Everyone had their eyes glued onto his. Even Byakuya eyes were the size of saucers. Isshin seeing that he hasn't lost anyone continued. "So far you have encountered two types of souls those of Soul Society and those of Hueco Mundo. Every living human, be it a Quincy like Ishida or a regular human like your other friends, will become one of the two types of souls, once they die… Hollows live out of fear, regret, and emptiness. While regular souls from Soul Society live out in harmony. Hybrids such as arrancar and vizards can exit, but they merely use each other, one is the parasite while the other is the host, being able to switch off at a moment of weakness." Isshin finished saying.
"Ha, we know that already," Ichigo said, remembering that he himself is a hybrid of some kind.
"Yes, you do Ichigo, especially since you are a hybrid as well," responded Isshin, earning him a gasp from the group. Ichigo eyes went wide and he quickly tensed; he didn't know his father was so aware of his situation.
"Yea, so what," Ichigo said with much disdain.
"However there is another type of soul, one that is a hollow and shinigami. The only difference…" Isshin paused, causing Ichigo and the group to fidget. "They both live harmonious, they co-exit as one mind. These beings are of the Royal Family, ascended souls and heirs to the throne of all that we know."
"Kurosaki-san, if I may?" Rukia asked graciously.
"Rukia-chan my third daughter of course you can, and please call me by my given name." Isshin told Rukia, earning him a raised eyebrow from Byakuya, and a groan from Ichigo as his vein twitched in his forehead.
"Hai. Isshin-san, why are you telling us this?" questioned Rukia.
"Ah, my Rukia-chan a very good question indeed," Isshin began. "You see the head of the royal family or king if you will, had a very beautiful daughter. Formally her name was… Kurosaki Masaki," chimed Isshin, with dreamy eyes.
All three Kurosaki siblings stiffened at hearing their mom's name. Ichigo seemed to be sweating bullets, if he was confused about himself moments ago, now he has no idea what the hell he is.
Rukia notices Ichigo's anxiety growing and couldn't help but feel worried for him. He has gone through so much lately and it only seems to be the beginning of a long journey. Ichigo turns his attention to Rukia ones he notices her gaze upon him. She simply gives him an encouraging smile and turns her attention back to Isshin.
"I am Kurosaki-taichou of Squad Zero, of the royal dimension." Isshin sated his true identity.
Ichigo couldn't take any longer, why was this happening. If all of this was true then why, why did it happen like that?
"Then tell me why, why did mum die, why am I here and not in that dimension, and why am I a human." Ichigo implored Isshin for answers.
"Simple Kurosaki-san, everything that could have gone right in the last hundred years, went terribly wrong." Urahara cut in.
"Ichigo, ninety years ago when Urahara and the other nine escaped to earth. The King ordered me to extract Urahara, Tessai, Hirako, and Yamamoto. So I did, you see the Hougyoku, unknown to Urahara, was a great threat even to the King himself. It was a pure hybrid, but missing one crucial piece," said Isshin.
"What was it?" Ichigo asked.
"In simplistic terms a third piece of spiritual matter. To put into simpler terms, shinigami have red spirit threads, ne? Weaker souls or people who are still living have white ones. Hollows if you have ever taken time to notice have green spirit threads." Isshin paused for a split second to make sure he worded it right. "Souls of the royal family are made up of these two types of threads/particles, but also blue spirit threads. Not even they know how it works out, but we all suspect that those spirit particles are what keeps them stable." Isshin said. "They are indeed far more powerful than you could have ever imagined. And if that soul, the Hougyoku, becomes complete it could very well be the end of all that we know."
Isshin was interrupted when Byakuya asked if vizards or arrancar could ascend. "Only pure hollow/shinigami hybrids could clime to such heights, that is why we do not worry as much about the vizards or arrancar." Isshin answered Byakuya's question.
Ichigo was getting it now, and it seemed that everyone else was too. But Ichigo still had that one question that he needed answered.
"Why then… Why was mum killed by a hollow?" Ichigo asked with much sorrow laced in his voice. He needed to know, why if his mom a powerful woman, who belonged to the royal family, was killed by a mere hollow.
"For some reason the King could not destroy the Hougyoku, so he did the next best thing. He used your mother as a shell for it Ichigo." Ichigo was shocked; he thought Rukia was the one who had carried the Hougyoku not his own mother. "Her soul could take the tremendous pressure you see, any other soul who tried to carry it back then would have easily been consumed by the Hougyoku. So ninety years ago, the King sent his only daughter and I to the living plane. Even thou the Hougyoku was sealed, it still consumed everything around it. Staying in Soul Society or in the Royal Dimension could have become too much of a strain on your mothers body." Isshin said.
"Everything was going well," said Urahara, "but then something went terribly wrong."
Urahara said sarcastically, Isshin turned and gave him a death glare.
"What do you mean?" asked Ichigo.
"Your mother and I fell in love Ichigo, heh. Seems that after sixty-five years of living together we fell for each other." Yuzu had a dreamy sigh at hearing his father talk about when he and Masaki fell in love.
"Heh. So what," scoffed Ichigo.
"Onii-chan, don't be so mean. Love is a beautiful thing." Yuzu piped in.
"Ah, my daughter Yuzu-chan speaks of love, you know Ichigo it's not long before you and Rukia-chan start to fall in love." Isshin said, causing everyone to fall over. As Rukia and Ichigo turned to look at each other, a blush started to creep up on both their faces, but both quickly turned away and gave the other the cold shoulder.
"Pfft, as if… OW!" Rukia swiftly elbowed Ichigo in the ribs. "Bitch… So then, what went wrong?" Ichigo remarked
"You see twenty years ago Masaki became pregnant, with you actually," that left Ichigo dumbstruck. "You see, you were born as a soul, not a human Ichigo. It only took this lazy bastard four years to make you a gigai that could age both soul and gigai."
"My, my still sore about the subject I see," teased Urahara. Isshin glared at him for a split second longer before turning back to Ichigo.
"You see Ichigo, by the time you were conceived, your mother had almost fully consumed the Hougyoku. But the day you were born you took it with you, and taking it out of you could have killed you so we left it there and hoped for the best. By the end of it all, the Hougyoku consumed most of the remaining spirit energy your mother and I had left. The Hougyoku did a number on both of us." Isshin ruefully said, "That's why Ichigo, for the last twenty years your mother and I barely had any power left, even a petty hollow could have been deadly."
Please Review the work to let me know how it is and what you think. I would really appreciate it. If you guys have any questions please don't hesitate to ask or email me.
A lot of information in this chapter, things should start to kick up in the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy. I tried to stick as close to the manga as possible, when it came to the Vizards and Aizen. Thanks again, and sorry if it was boring, but it will pick up after this chapter. RukixIchi paring will pick up in the later chapters, but it will be worth it.