*Insert disclaimer here*

Chapter 11: Soul

"Huh?" Ichigo said in disbelief after hearing Ginjou's words.

"What? I didn't say anything hard to hear, did I?" Ginjou replied, further confusing Ichigo. "I said that our objective is to restore your powers."

"H… How are you gonna do that!?" Ichigo demanded an answer. "Why would you do something like that for me!? Just what the hell are you after!? Who the hell are you!?" Ichigo clenched his fist in frustration, but was held by Ginjou.

"Calm down." Ginjou said. "There's no way I can answer all of that at once. So have a seat." He offered to Ichigo. "The night is long, I'm gonna give you the story nice and slow."

They both sat down on the sofa, facing each other. Ichigo still had a look of hostility on his face, so Ginjou decided to find a way to ease him.

"… want something to drink?" Ginjou offered, but only caused Ichigo to direct his hostile look at him. "What's with that face? I can't give a kid alcohol. And you don't drink right?" He said. "Ask for anything, There's no menu but we've got almost everything."

"I don't want anything." Ichigo replied, looking down at the ground."

"Alright, bring him an orange juice." Ginjou said to Giriko.

Ginjou faced towards Ichigo after that and started his explanation. "We… are humans." He revealed, changing the look on Ichigo's face. "Of course, we're not "normal", just like you said. We're humans who were born possessing a special innate ability."

"… A special ability?" Ichigo asked, still not fully grasping what Ginjou said.

"… it'd be faster to show you." Ginjou said as he corrected his slacking position.

Giriko put two glasses of orange juice and on the table. Ginjou touched the base of his glass, and small sparkes of light could be seen.

"What… is that?" Ichigo thought as he watched carefully.

Ginjou moved his hand slightly, causing the contents of the glass to float directly into his mouth, leaving Ichigo dumbfounded.

"… what I did there was draw out the "soul" of the "liquid in the glass" and make it assist me in drinking. Ichigo still confused, Ginjou continued. "Our ability… is to draw out and utilize the soul that resides in all matter."

Ichigo still couldn't fully comprehend, so Ginjou intervened.

"That look on your face says you don't get it. Did you think that only living things had souls? Every single thing in this world has a soul. Not just plants and animals. The size of the soul may be small, but everything has one. Whether it's a chair or a pole or a drinking glass."

Thanks to Ginjou's explanation, Ichigo slowly understood what he meant. But still, it was all too much to comprehend in a single moment.

"Ever felt like you can exhibit a higher-than-normal level of ability when using a tool that you're used to? That means you understand the soul of that tool. The souls in things are inherently endowed with the power to help the person using them. Our ability can enhance that power by drawing it out and boosting it with our souls." Ginjou explained in the simplest way possible.

"For example, we can jump higher by drawing out the soul of the asphalt and supplementing its elasticity. We can make liquid plunge into our mouths, just like what I did. Or we can make water support our feet and allow us to stand on top of it. Also, if we've got an affinity with the tool and are used to using it, we can even change its very shape."

Ginjou finished his length explanation. He pulled out his necklace. "For instance, in my case there's this necklace." He said as he held the necklace out. "Watch."

Ichigo was struck with surprise when the necklace changed into a large broadsword easily taller than Ginjou in his sitting position.

"Wha-?"

"… kinda like this. We call this abilty… Fullbring."

Before Ichigo can fully take in the concept of Fullbring, the door slammed open.

"I'm Baaacckkk!" Riruka entered the room.

"You're back early, did you find him?" Ginjou asked her, who struggled to see where he was.

"Yeah, I found him! Hey, that shiny thing is a sword right!? Why'd you bring that out, stupid!? And it's dark! Increase the light now! I can't see anything!" Riruka answered. Scolded and complained while shouting.

"I don't plan on increasing the light. Put your glasses on." Ginjou commented.

"I hate wearing glasses! But I hate wearing contacts more! I have big eyes, so contacts will dry them out really fast!" Riruka said, pointing at a wall.

"I'm not listening."

"Who's the loud one?" Ichigo asked.

"Dokugamine Riruka… she's one of us." Ginjou answered as Riruka found where the voice came from.

"Huh? Who're you calling loud!? Who are you!?" She interrogated. Correction, she interrogated the table.

"I'll explain later. Bring him in." Ginjou ordered.

"… the hell… acting like you're the boss." Riruka complained but still complied. "Hey! Get in here!" She turned to the door, and surprisingly, she faced the right direction.

"…okay." Came a low and masculine voice, instantly causing Ichigo to turn upon realizing the familiarity of the voice. The man came in, instantly being identified by Ichigo as Sado Yasutora, one of his best friends.

"Chad!?" Ichigo stood up in shock.

"… Ichigo…?"

"What the hell are you doing here!? You've been skipping school so why're you-" Ichigo demanded answers, but was stopped by Ginjou.

"Calm down, Ichigo."

"Like hell I could be calm about this!" Ichigo lashed out. "Tell me what's going on, Ginjou! Depending on your answer-" He was once again interrupted by Ginjou, who held him on the shoulder.

"Calm down. Don't make me say it a third time." Ginjou was now serious. His aura alone made Ichigo calm down. "You'll understand when you finish hearing what I have to say. Now sit down. You too, Chad." He ordered, to which they both complied.

"They know each other? I didn't know that!" Riruka commented, but was ignored. "Ginjou, were you aware of this? I couldn't possibly be the only one who didn't know, right!?" She added.

"Bring Chad something to drink too." Ginjou said to Giriko.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me!?" Riruka complained but was once again ignored. "Wait, is the Ichigo over there Kurosaki Ichigo!? Make it brighter in here! I can't see his face!" She tried to approach Ichigo but was stopped by Ginjou.

"Later. You stay right there." Ginjou ordered.

"Why!?"

"Now that we're all here…" Ginjou turned around to Ichigo and Chad. "How about we move on to the main topic?"

"In that case…" Giriko interrupted. "Before you begin, Ginjou-san… Could you put your sword away, please?"

"Yeah, sure." Ginjou replied as his sword returned to being a necklace.

"And please pay for the damages to the floor tiles later." Giriko added.

"Yeah, sure." Ginjou said in a irritated tone. He sat down, immediately noticing Ichigo staring at him, still with hostility. "Don't glare at me like that. Do you understand our power, now that you've seen it with your own eyes?"

"… yeah." Ichigo answered.

"Good. Then let's move on." Ginjou stated and paused for a while. "Do you know why Hollows have a hole in their chest?"

"What are you talking about?"

"When a Shinigami is unable to save them from suffering, they lose their heart and a hole opens up. That's obvious." Ginjou started another explanation. "But where does that lost heart go?"

Ichigo attempts to find an answer, but is unable to come up with one. Ginjou, taking his cue, continued.

"It becomes their mask." He answered his own question. "And not just their mask. A Hollow's unique appearance, as well as their special abilities, are all made from the heart that has been gouged out of their bodies."

Ginjou stopped for a while, letting Ichigo comprehend the information first before continuing.

"… Every one of us had parents that were atteacked by Hollows before we were born." Ginjou added, surprising Ichigo once more. "Traces of those Hollows' power remained in our mothers' bodies. And when we were born, the power within us, was more akin to a Hollow's than to a Shinigami's.'

"We find this power trouble-some." Ginjou admitted. "Ichigo, you once had Hollow powers, so I'm sure you know how it feels."

Ginjou's words struck Ichigo hard, causing him to remember the times he lost control to his inner Hollow. He looked away as Ginjou continued.

"We would like to eliminate this troublesome power within us." Ginjou revealed, somewhat surprising Ichigo. "Over the years, little by little, we've gathered allies who possess the same kind of power. And in doing so, we have uncovered one fact: Our powers are the exact opposite of us. In other words, If there is someone who have the powers of both Shinigami and human, then we can pass our power on to them."

"Then that means…!" Ichigo stood up because of this sudden revelation.

"… that at one time, there was someone other than you who was born of a Shinigami and human. By surrendering their powers to that person, a few of our kind were able to return to being a normal human."

"So basically, for you to return to being normal, I need to regain my powers?" Ichigo asked, which was answered by a nod.

"As for Chad." Ginjou stated. "We found him in the town. He understands how we feel and even volunteered to work with us if it meant restoring your powers."

"Chad, is this true?" Ichigo turned to Chad.

"… yeah." Chad answered. "Ichigo, you may think you're hiding it, but to be honest, you've been a sad sight ever since you lost your powers."

Ichigo attempted to retaliate with words, but as usual, was interrupted.

"You want to fight, right? Not being able to personally protect the people around you, really gets to you right? You don't have to hide it, Ichigo. Because feeling that way makes you who you are."

"You'll get your powers back, and our powers will be tacked on to them. If it's the power to fight that you want, then I don't think that's such a bad deal." Ginjou stated, immediately catching the attention of Ichigo.

"All right… I'm in." Ichigo answered.

"I guess that settles it then!"

"Great! I was afraid you might refuse!" A tall lady stated after sighing in relief.

"We look forward to working with you, Kurosaki-san." Giriko commented, while another member just sat down playing video games.

"Not so fast!" Riruka intervened. "Can we really trust someone we don't know anything about so easily!? I, Riruka-sama, will decide whether or not we can trust him!" She exclaimed as he pulled out a flashlight and flashed it at Ichigo.

The sudden light caused Ichigo to close one of his eyes and slightly turn away, but his other eye still looking at the source of the light.

"He's so hot!" Riruka said as she slumped down to the floor, defeated.

"Hey, you alright?" Ichigo asked.

"… n… not at all…" She replied, still on the floor and blushing.

…

Nozomi was still waiting outside for Ichigo. It's been almost an hour now since they entered the building and he still hasn't returned.

"What could be taking them so long…?" Nozomi said as she looked for an open window or at least a transparent one.

She found one on the back side and peeked in, careful not to make any noise and attract attention.

"Isn't that… Sado?" She thought as she saw him inside. She scanned the room more and to her surprise, she spotted Ichigo, and a blushing girl slumped down in front of him.

"What the hell?"

Wow, this is a long one. I blame Ginjou for his lengthy explanations. Anyway, thanks for reading! Ja ne.