Ichigo followed Kaito to the spot they'd been training at before, wondering what Inoue and Chad knew that he and Ishida didn't. The way they had reacted to Kaito's mention of needing practice spoke volumes.
"I have incredible control for my age and the amount of power at my disposal," Kaito said while holding out the Reishūkaku. "But my reserves are enough to dwarf those three combined, and even you are only just starting to compare."
"Huh." He hadn't realized that Kaito's strength was that great, but Ishida would probably just say that Ichigo was a terrible sensor. Which… well, Ichigo was self-aware enough to know was true; unless he was actively trying, it was difficult to sense details of those around him. "So, how old are you, anyway?" he asked, wondering what Kaito meant by 'for his age'.
(Was Ichigo's control good for his age? Or was it different for Kaito, since he had been born a spirit? Was Ichigo's human heritage a factor?)
Kaito laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement and his expression reflecting an honest, surprised cheer from the question. "Older than you, and that's all that matters," he replied with a mischievous smile. "Come on, let's get practicing. Try to match me as best you can — we'll be aiming for minimal output, but the biggest hurdle will be synchronizing our power and then remaining in sync."
Ichigo nodded and gathered himself, carefully pulling forth a thread of reiatsu and feeding it into the orb as Kaito did. It was a challenge to keep the flow steady, and the shell that formed around them showed that struggle. Their powers clashed against one another, struggling for dominance in the small area, and suddenly Ichigo understood.
(If they weren't alone right now, would he and Kaito hurt the others even without meaning to?)
He didn't know what to do; he struggled to calm his power, but it kept escaping his grip and lashing out, trying to drive Kaito's reiatsu aside. He'd thought he was better, but this… this was proof that he had a long way to go before he could consider his control 'acceptable'.
(He would do it. However long it took, whatever it took, Ichigo wasn't going to leave himself this uncontrolled. Not when it posed a danger to his friends.)
Kaito showed him the way, reaching out and matching his output to Ichigo's, keeping pace no matter how Ichigo's reiatsu rippled or twisted. "Try to keep up with me," Kaito murmured, before gentling his output and holding it steady.
Ichigo scowled deeper and struggled to follow, struggled to lessen his output, to match what Kaito had done. His control kept slipping, but he kept trying, and Kaito waited patiently for him every time he needed it. The lower they went the harder it became, but it seemed like Kaito was having more trouble than Ichigo was, despite how they'd begun.
It was like watching something topple in slow motion, Kaito's control disintegrating piece by piece until something snapped. Power seared at Ichigo's senses as it exploded outward, and he yelped and jerked back, severing his connection with the Reishūkaku. And just in time, because even separated from it he could feel the way Kaito's reiatsu poured in the Reishūkaku like a river in flood.
(Even he would have been hurt from that!)
Ichigo flinched back, throwing up an arm to shield his eyes from the light that blazed forth from the orb in Kaito's hands. It was like being trapped next to a miniature sun, so bright he could see it even through his eyelids, and he didn't dare open his eyes.
"Shit," Kaito muttered darkly, voice frustrated.
The light gradually dimmed, until Ichigo felt safe to drop his arm back to his side and squint through the remaining light in an attempt to gauge Kaito's mood. Kaito's brow was furrowed in frustration, but he didn't seem angry, just… annoyed.
"Again, then?" Ichigo offered, stepping up and setting his hands on the Reishūkaku once more.
"Yeah," Kaito agreed, brow smoothing out. "Once more."
Ichigo took a deep breath and sent his reiatsu back into the Reishūkaku, trying to keep it as stable as possible. Kaito met and matched him in a heartbeat, and once more they began to descend, limiting their output and struggling to keep themselves stable.
He could feel Kaito's struggle, now that he was looking for it; the more Kaito tried to hold back, the more his reiatsu flared and rushed forward, shredding their delicate balance. And no matter how many times they approached the point where Kaito lost control, no matter how much better Ichigo became, Kaito's control never improved. And the more he failed, the blacker Kaito's mood became, his reiatsu edging into a deadly fury that was terrifying to sense.
Kaito huffed and lifted a hand free of to pinch the bridge of his nose, struggling to rein in his rising temper.
"We could stop?" Ichigo offered, then immediately raised his hands in surrender and retreated a step when Kaito glared and growled at him, eyes flashing golden. "Or not. Just offering." When the gold faded from Kaito's eyes, Ichigo cautiously approached, wary of setting his friend off again and unsure if Kaito actually wanted to continue practice.
(He felt so off-balance, clumsy and awkward and like a terrible friend; he kept angering Kaito when all he wanted to do was show the man that he had friends. That he didn't need to continually force himself to be strong alone.)
(But it was like the idea didn't make sense to Kaito. Like he'd lived alone for so long, lost so much, that he was convinced that 'friendship' was impossible for him.)
Ichigo frowned deeper as he watched Kaito's pale eyes become streaked with brown. Gold was familiar — he'd seen shades of it in Kaito's eyes during some of their wilder spars — but brown was… new. And there was something strange about the feel of his reiatsu, a familiar edge to it that Ichigo couldn't place and didn't understand.
He hesitated to send his reiatsu into the Reishūkaku, waiting as Kaito struggled to produce anything controlled.
(Struggled against himself? Were they right about Kaito having spirits in his head that spoke with him? Was that what the eye-color changes meant?)
(Gold and brown… so at least two if that was the reason.)
The Reishūkaku came to life in Kaito's hands, and Ichigo reached out and sent his own power into it, trying to match Kaito immediately. It was difficult, though; he hadn't expected Kaito to be already waiting at the lower edge of where he'd been previously struggling. Whatever the man had done, it seemed to be fairly effective.
(Kaito was still struggling, though. Still wavering on the edge of control despite it being better.)
"Lower," Kaito ordered, glancing up to fix Ichigo with a look. "I think I have a handle on it this time."
'But you don't!' Ichigo wanted to protest, staring at Kaito's striated eyes, but clenched his jaw and swallowed back the words. Did it really matter where Kaito's control came from? They were on a deadline, and even he could tell that staying within Kaito's unaltered limits would be too much for Inoue and Chad. So he swallowed his protests, nodded in acceptance, and let the matter be.
Kaito reduced his output and Ichigo kept pace as best he could. It was hard, even with his improved control; the more he tried to restrain himself, the more his powers struggled, threatening to drown both of them.
(Was this what Kaito was fighting?)
Ichigo scowled at the Reishūkaku and grit his teeth, ignoring the sweat trickling down his face as he struggled to keep his reiatsu in check. He would not fail, would not give up; not in the face of Kaito pushing through his own difficulties.
It was still a relief when Kaito cut the connection and gave them a moment to breathe. Ichigo swiped at his face with a hand to wipe away the sweat, then met Kaito's challenging gaze with one of his own.
(Once wasn't enough. Once would never be enough. If this was both of their lower limits, then they needed to become unassailable at this point.)
They settled in to practice, driving themselves as low as they could go and holding their output there until their control began to waver dangerously. Again and again and again, until Ichigo felt like he was about to collapse from the strain, like his fingertips were burnt from power, like he'd run a marathon without training.
(If he felt like this, how did Kaito feel?)
(The man's fury had drained away with every round practiced, and now all Ichigo could sense was exhaustion.)
The next time the shell dropped, Kaito pulled away with a shake of his head, leaving Ichigo holding the Reishūkaku. Kaito turned to look at the other three, his striated eyes narrowing and a thread of annoyance creeping in past the exhaustion at the sight of the stranger. He darted away in a burst of shunpo, appearing next to the stranger with his arms crossed over his chest and cleared his throat loudly to get the man's attention.
(Did he and Kaito… not get along? Who was that man?)
"Yaah!" the man exclaimed, leaping back and pointing at Kaito. "You! My sister warned me you were coming!"
Ichigo hurried to cross the distance, hoping the stranger didn't spark Kaito's fury once more.
"Ganju." Kaito pushed the man's hand away from his face and shook his head, lips curling up into the edges of a snarl. "I take it you're the one Kukaku-san is sending with us?"
"Of course! So you gotta listen to everything I say!" the man boasted as he attempted to look intimidating.
(Ichigo had seen better displays from some of the punks he fought regularly.)
Ishida sidled up to him and shot him an incredulous look that Ichigo had to agree with. This was their 'local backup'?
(He had a bad feeling about this.)
"Only when what you say makes sense," Kaito said with a sharp smile. "Or do I need to get Kukaku-san involved again."
Chad rested a hand on Ichigo's shoulder and leaned in a bit, murmuring in Ichigo's ear, "He reminds me of your father."
Ichigo scoffed and shook his head; even in Soul Society he couldn't get away from reminders of Goat-face. Chad was right; Ganju was displaying a slightly less obnoxious version of Goat-face's over-dramatics.
"Tch, cheap shot," Ganju grumbled. "So, you idiots are breaking into Seireitei, huh? With a kami-damned Shinigami at your side."
"Substitute Shinigami!" Ichigo barked, bristling at the way Ganju said 'Shinigami'. Was this the hatred Kaito had grown up surrounded by? Did he face it even here in this compound, a place where he was supposed to be safe? "Got a problem with that?"
"Yeah I got a problem with that!" Ganju shouted as he got in Ichigo's face, expression furious. "You fucking Shinigami think you're entitled to anything you fucking want. From that blond bastard over there straight on down to you. Barging into our lives and demanding shit and thinking you're all that!"
Only Chad's hand on his shoulder kept Ichigo from lashing out, fury rippling through his body. "We're not barging into anything! We're here to save our friend, and Kukaku agreed to help us do that."
Ganju snorted and looked at the others, gaze cold. "Your friend, huh? So, what, you promise to save them or something?"
"No." Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at Ganju. "She saved my life, gave up her powers to a complete stranger so that I could save my family, and now she's being punished for it. So I'm going to repay her by saving hers."
(And he'd keep saving his friends, until the Shinigami got it through their stubborn heads that they weren't allowed to touch his friends without a real reason.)
"That's what friends do!" Inoue chimed in with a bright smile. "We're friends with Kurosaki-kun and Rukia-chan, so we're helping both!"
"She helped me protect someone," Chad agreed.
Ichigo glanced curiously at Ishida when the other teen didn't speak up, wondering at Ishida's motivation.
But Ishida didn't meet his gaze, just huffed softly and fiddled with his glasses. "Don't look at me, I barely knew her."
(Barely knew her, but still fought desperately at Ichigo's side to keep her in the Living World?)
(Ah…)
"Then what are you here for? Money? Fame?" Ganju asked in confusion.
"Hardly," Ishida scoffed, shaking his head but still not meeting any of their gazes. "Your money's worthless in the Human World, after all, and why would I care what some Shinigami think of me? I'm here for the challenge of it."
"He's here," Kaito broke in with a smirk that made Ishida pale, "because he's Kurosaki's friend even if he refuses to admit it."
"Sensei!" Ishida squawked, panicked gaze darting to Ichigo and then away.
(That wouldn't do. Ishida was their friend, and didn't deserve to doubt himself or his place. Ichigo had thought he'd made that clear already.)
(Well, he'd just need to keep reminding Ishida until the teen believed.)
(Just like he needed to do with Kaito.)
Kaito didn't say anything more, just grinned cheerfully at Ishida and let the teen sulk.
Until, that was, Ganju turned to Kaito and asked, "All of you? Seriously?"
"I'm here to make sure these four don't get into too much trouble," Kaito deflected quickly, hands moving in a 'what can you do' gesture.
"And because you're our friend!" Inoue added.
Kaito inclined his head to her, cheerful smile gaining a fixed edge and his wary gaze darting between Ishida, Ichigo, and Chad.
(His silence spoke volumes, confirming everything Ichigo had feared.)
(Kaito didn't believe he had a place amongst them, either.)
Before Ichigo could say anything, Kaito reached out and snatched the Reishūkaku from his hands, gesturing for the teens to come closer. He didn't speak, though, merely studied Ishida with a worrying intensity, chewing on his lower lip.
"What do you need?" Ishida eventually asked.
Kaito hesitated, then said, "You're going to need to be the bridge between us." He gestured between Ichigo and himself, then Inoue and Chad. "We don't have time for the two of us to gain the sort of control we actually need. Your heritage should allow you to balance us."
Ichigo inhaled sharply at the suggestion, shooting Kaito a worried look.
(Was this one of Kaito's 'completely necessary risks'? Did Ishida even understand the danger Kaito was putting him in?)
"Our other options are less palatable," Kaito told Ichigo darkly, an edge of regret in both his tone and his pale eyes. "Unless you like the idea of causing harm to all of them? No. Keep your output steady and your mind calm. I have confidence in Ishida-kun."
Ichigo grimaced and reluctantly nodded, already planning to speak with Ishida about the dangers as soon as they had a spare moment. "Fine."
(Necessary risk or not, he needed to be sure that Ishida understood what he was agreeing to. No one should walk into danger like that blind.)
(Hopefully Kaito was merely assuming that Ishida knew the dangers, and not leaving the teen purposefully in the dark.)