Watashi wa Bleach o shoyuu shite imasen

Chapter 27: The Substitute Shinigami

"Kurosaki!" Ishida immediately started to move towards Ichigo.

Unfortunately for him, Tsukishima didn't allow such an action. One second later and Tsukishima's blade is beside Ishida's throat. One wrong decision and it's over.

"… Ginjou… why…?" Ichigo fell down, but Nozomi was able to go to him fast enough to stop his fall.

"So… Tsukishima's power worked after all…" She said, glaring intensely at their former comrade. Or was he even?

Ginjou stopped laughing after a while and walked slowly towards the defenseless pair. "Yeah, it indeed worked." He reached down to his pocket and brought out a Substitute Shinigami badge. "But don't get me wrong. I didn't become your enemy because Tsukishima cut me."

"What are you…?" Ichigo attempted to talk to him, but was paid no attention.

Ginjou's badge then merged with his sword, forming a skull ornament on the guard. He pointed the sword towards Ichigo and Nozomi, grinning like a homicidal maniac.

"Let me tell you something good: I made Tsukishima cut me twice, first, to make me your comrade, and then return me to my original self. And now, I'm taking your Fullbring."

It was the truth. They've been playing by Ginjou's hand all along. He enjoyed watching their horrific faces as he raised his sword.

"Kurosaki! Kujou!" Ishida yelled out and dashed away, disregarding Tsukishima's blade.

And it was a fatal mistake.

Tsukishima cut him with no hesitation at all. Ishida unceremoniously fell down to the ground, half-conscious. He cursed internally as he watched Ginjou swing his sword down.

Nozomi instinctively stood up and blocked Ginjou's attack. Highly amused, Ginjou pushed the sword's weight down on her, bringing her to her knees.

"Ginjou, stop!" Ichigo pleaded with him, but was quickly kicked away.

"Shut the hell up. I'll deal with you later after I have some fun."

Ginjou then proceeded to kick Nozomi in the opposite direction before she had a chance to sap his Reiatsu.

Nozomi stood up again with great difficulty, coughing up some blood in the process. Nevertheless, she charged forward again and made several sword slashes at Ginjou, albeit severely slowed down. Ginjou caught her sword's blade barehanded after dodging for a while, leaving her horrified.

"Nozomi-san… or should I say, Mod-Soul… I wonder what would happen to Kurosaki over there if I kill you?" Ginjou mockingly asked, and began to laugh like a psychotic killer again.

"Ginjou! Please, I beg you!" Ichigo shouted out, but was ignored again.

Ginjou pulled Nozomi's sword, causing her to get dragged by it. He then kicked her directly in the stomach with his knee before punching her away. But despite the torture she received, she still attempted to get up. This only made Ginjou's grin widen however.

"Nozomi! Ginjou, stop! Please!" Ichigo pleaded once more, almost on the verge of tears of hopelessness. He couldn't stand up at all no matter how much he tried.

Despair. It was the only thing Ichigo felt as he watched Ginjou brutally beat Nozomi. Why couldn't he do anything? What was the point of regaining powers? Was it all for naught?

Nozomi finally collapsed on the floor after a few more seconds of torture, but she was still conscious. She could only look in pure anger mixed with despair as Ginjou slowly walked up to her and pointed his blade at her throat.

"Aw, boring. Down already. Well whatever." Ginjou said as he prepared his killing strike after making sure Ichigo was watching.

"Ichigo… I'm sorry… I guess we'll both break our promises…"

Nozomi closed her eyes. It was the end for her. Or so she thought.

She opened her eyes to see Ginjou with his head down, sword in his side. She was of course, relieved to still be alive. But why the sudden change? She tilted her head to the direction Ichigo was in and sure enough, he was on his knees, with one hand on the ground and the other in a position that looked as if he threw something.

"Oh, you did NOT just throw a pebble at me!" Ginjou angrily shouted and started to walk towards him, tightly gripping his sword in pure fury.

"Even without my powers, if you ever get yourself in a pinch, I'll find a way to protect you. That's a promise!"

Ichigo's words cycled through Nozomi's mind. He still held on to that year-old promise. A tear ran down through her face as she attempted to stand up and repay Ichigo the favor.

But her body didn't let her.

She couldn't move, couldn't speak and couldn't breathe as she helplessly watched the next scene.

"Well, a little change of plans won't hurt." Ginjou kicked Ichigo square on the chin, propelling his body upwards.

But that wasn't the end. Ginjou Impaled Ichigo's chest with his gigantic sword until the point passed through and reached the space behind his back.

"No…" Nozomi watched in pure terror.

Ishida managed to get up to his knees, and instantly saw the horrific scene. But something else came to mind. The memory of how Ginjou attacked him.

"This guy is one of Ichigo's comrades, huh? Sheesh, if only I got him with my Fullbring…" Tsukishima complained while looking at Ishida's body.

"What, no!" Ginjou refuted. This guy IS the key! Kurosaki's fate depends on whether he can notice the difference between this guy and the others! A sure victory is just too boring!"

Tsukishima looked at him with great indifference.

"Come on! Hurry up and cut me. We'll become enemies who betrayed each other!" Ginjou enthusiastically ordered.

"Your mind's set on this, huh? Very well…"

"And that's that." Ginjou said, his blade still piercing Ichigo's body.

"My Book of the End… with one strike, I can insert myself into a person's past no matter how I choose to. A second strike completely negates that." Tsukishima explained, walking towards Ginjou.

"I would be operating closest to you. And to prevent you from suspecting me as the enemy, we used that guy's ability to slip him into my past as the enemy." Ginjou explained to the still Ichigo in a very mocking manner.

"That's not true. We did that because you're a horrible actor." Tsukishima teased, sounding like he had been best buddies with Ginjou for years. And indeed, it was true, much to Ichigo's despair.

"Oh shut up! My acting right there was top notch!" Ginjou childishly defended.

"As soon as I stabbed you again, you started calling him Kurosaki once more." Tsukishima shot back, earning a "Screw you!" as a response.

Ginjou pulled out his sword from Ichigo's body. To everyone else's surprise, and Tsukishima's amusement, Ichigo's Fullbring turned liquid and was absorbed by Ginjou's sword. Ichigo's badge dropped to the floor.

"Oh ho! Here it comes!" Ginjou cheered very enthusiastically.

"My Fullbring…!" Ichigo watched on like a helpless child as his Fullbring completely disappeared from his being. "I wanted to regain my strength… But I couldn't. I struggled on for over a year… weak, helpless, useless." His line of vision shifted to where Ishida was, and then to Nozomi . "But at long last, I thought I found a way. I could finally protect my family and friends with my own power. I could finally fulfill my promise to Nozomi."

"Only…" Ichigo's body fell down, but he managed to support his weight with his arms.

Rain started to pour down heavily, washing off the blood that stained the floor.

Ishida and Nozomi watched on, also unable to anything with their battered bodies, as Ginjou prepared to leave and gestured for Tsukishima to follow him.

"Is he crying? I feel so horrible." Tsukishima openly mocked him.

"Let him cry. He's as useless as a rubber anvil now." Ginjou said without even batting an eye to Ichigo. "It's highly unlikely… that we'll see these losers again."

"Give it back…" A miserable and cracked voice demanded, piquing Ginjou's curiosity and making him turn his head around slightly. "Give it back, Ginjou! Give me my power back!"

"What? you're joking." Ginjou answered, losing his previous interest. "It's power that I gave back to you! And it belongs to me! I'm sparing your lives even though you're all useless now. In fact, you should be grateful."

Anger. Wrath. Fury. Rage. They might have the same concepts but Ichigo didn't care.

"Ginjou… GINJOU!" Ichigo shouted out, but was completely ignored. He attempted to scream again, and why not? It was probably the only thing he could do right now. Maybe Ginjou was just kidding around after all, that it's just some plot to defeat Tsukishima.

All he could do now was scream, and maybe, things will brighten up.

Well, at least that's what he thought.

His attempt to scream out his lungs was foiled when another blade pierced him, but this time, from the back. But there was no pain. In fact, he felt somewhat revitalized.

He turned around, and the first thing he saw was Kisuke and Isshin emerging from a cloaking device, and Ishida and Nozomi's surprised faces.

"Dad… Urahara-san… you too…? So that's how it is…?" Ichigo asked, completely emotionless. Everyone else turned on him anyway, so what's new?

Kisuke and Isshin were not amused.

"You idiot. We didn't stab you." Isshin berated his son. "Look closely. You should be able to see her now. Just who… is holding that sword."

Ichigo felt an extremely familiar Reiatsu upon hearing his father's words. He slowly turned around, and everything went black for a second. She was standing there, holding the sword that stabbed him. Well, with a slightly different hairstyle.

"Rukia!"

She briefly smiles at him, before Ichigo gets enveloped by a huge wave of Reiatsu which continued to expand until it exploded in a violent manner.

Tsukishima and Ginjou were forced to turn around to see what caused the explosion. And their eyes widened.

Ichigo stood there, glaring at them. The previous unrefined rage he had seemed to have vanished without a trace. Now, there was only calmness, but one that exuded great hostility and anger.

And he was in Shinigami attire.

He held Zangetsu with his right hand and rested the blunt edge on his shoulder. His trademark blue Reiatsu emitting from his spiritual body.

"Alright! Kon-sama is back in action!" Kon, now in Ichigo's human body immediately went to her best friend and helped her up. "Yo, Nozomi! You alright?"

"Yeah, thanks…" She answered.

"Kon, take her somewhere safe. I've got some business to attend to." Ichigo ordered, to which Kon instantly complied, complete with an obligatory salute.

"Ichigo… good luck." Nozomi smiled at him.

Ichigo replied with a thumbs-up before turning to Ginjou and Tsukishima again. He raised his Zanpakutou in the air before pointing it at them.

"That's… impossible…!" Ginjou said in pure disbelief. How in hell did he get his Shinigami powers back?

"Yo... Ginjou..." Ichigo challenged with great confidence.

He fired up his Reiatsu, causing it to erupt in different directions. He was going to get some answers, and no one can stop him now.

Kara here, with Chapter 27. Well, what do you think? Alright, I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but rest assured I will be back. I mean, what's the point of this story if I don't finish it? Anyway, thanks for reading and stay cool, guys. Ja mata ne.