Bleach (c) Tite Kubo
Black and Blue
Regroup
"That's enough, Kaname."
With significant effort, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez raises his bloodied head an inch to catch a glimpse of the Lord of Hueco Mundo through the mussy bangs flopping over his face. The Shinigami stands at the prison cell's threshold haloed by the hallway light beyond like some sort of angelic deity.
The second Grimmjow stepped out of the Garganta and into some obscure wing of Las Noches, Tousen bound him with a high-level Shinigami Bakudo and dumped his ass in a dark detention cell. Without healing or aid, Grimmjow's wounds festered and bled out all over the marble for the last twelve hours. All the while, he'd been forced to suffer the ignominy of Tousen's 'discipline' and droning speeches about his vaunted justice.
"Lord Aizen." Tousen sketches a hasty but respectful bow to his fellow Shinigami and steps away from Grimmjow's tiny hole in the wall.
"I've neglected to welcome you home, Grimmjow. Allow me to rectify that mistake," Aizen says conversationally, his ubiquitous condescending manner firmly in place, "Might I ask what you'd hoped to accomplish with your recent venture into the Human world?"
Aizen levels the question towards the crumpled wreck of an Arrancar.
Grimmjow's collapsed on the ground in a heap. His right arm hacked off at the shoulder and the only thing keeping him upright after these hours of punishment is the iron reiatsu-dampening shackle digging into his left wrist linked to the roof of the cell by a single thick chain. It cuts through his hierro and into his skin, though he's covered in so much blood already a little more wouldn't make much difference.
"Have you nothing to say for yourself, Grimmjow?" Tousen commands darkly,
The Arrancar musters his best response despite the pain, it comes out just an octave about a whisper, "Not really."
"Such impudence. Clearly you have learned nothing." Tousen growls.
"Its quite alright, Tousen. The truth of the matter is I'm not really that upset." Aizen reveals with a low rumble.
"But Lord Aizen-"
"I believe this entire ill-fated excursion was a misplaced but ultimately well-meaning attempt to please me. Unfortunately, in his overzealous enthusiasm Grimmjow's well-intentioned deed simply got carried away." Aizen offers, pinning the Arrancar in place with his penetrating gaze. "That's how I view this incident. Am I correct, Grimmjow?"
The bloodied Arrancar sucks in a ragged breath, fighting to raise his gaze to look the Master of Hueco Mundo in the eyes, "Yes my Lord."
"Lord Aizen, please. Grant me permission to execute this traitor. He has cost us nine Arrancar, including our Ninth Espada. This cannot be permitted to go unpunished." Tousen demands.
"Nice... Nice try, toots." Grimmjow taunts in between breathless pants, the simple effort of trying to keep his head raised and steady burns through his energy reserves (he hates to admit he's not succeeding all that much), "You've always... always hated me, Tousen. That's what... this whole fuss is about... isn't it?"
"I simply believe anyone who disrupts the peace should have to pay for their actions. Nothing more and nothing less. Any personal animosity you've mistakenly attached to my actions is purely a figment of your imagination." Tousen responds with conviction.
"Why am I not... surprised?" Grimmjow manages a sound very close to a chuckle, "You're all... for the cause... ain't ya? Tell me, Tousen... when the 'cause' comes callin'... do ya get down on your knees and suck its d-"
Tousen snatches Grimmjow's ruined collar and slams him against the wall, jarring many of his wounds.
Aizen lays his gaze on him.
Sensing this, Tousen immediately backs away and drops to one knee in supplication.
"From my observations, I believe Grimmjow has been sufficiently reprimanded for his insubordination. Send for the menders to heal him and take him back to his chambers. And... make plans to inaugurate a new Sixth Espada." Aizen instructs neutrally.
Grimmjow grits his teeth, "A new Sixth? Am I... being demoted?"
"You can hardly fight with your full potential while missing an arm, Grimmjow." Aizen points out with a condescending air of false concern and sincerity. "It would be cruel to force you to keep that rank in the face of that difficulty, wouldn't you agree?"
The Espada, seemingly former Espada now, says nothing while stewing in indignation.
"Tousen. Tend to my commands please."
"Yes Lord Aizen." Tousen bows his head dutifully then sets off for his task.
Aizen doesn't spare Grimmjow another glance before turning his back and strolling leisurely back down the corridor with a silent smirk on his face, leaving the doubtless enraged Arrancar in the dark.
"That was cruel, pitting your men against each other like that." Gin states mockingly from an alcove where he'd tucked himself away, no doubt eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Were you spying on us, Gin? As usual." Aizen passes by the third of their triumvirate on his way to the observation window to gaze out upon Hueco Mundo itself.
"Merely satisfying my own curiosity, Captain Aizen. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And poor Grimmjow, so well-intentioned yet horribly misguided. Then there's Tousen," Gin sighs almost wistfully, "Such a boy scout through and through, wouldn't you agree? The very picture of prim and proper. Not a single funny bone in that man's body. I suspect you encourage that side of him."
"Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Hard to say." Aizen responds vacantly.
"We've lost Eight Arrancar. And our Ninth Espada. What are we to do?" Gin questions, sounding not at all concerned or bereft by the lost.
"I must admit, with the forces left in Soul Society I didn't believe they had the capacity to repel two Espada and their escorts. Not with the paltry forces they'd gathered to function as a deterrent against our incursions," Aizen muses at length, "This is something I hadn't anticipated."
"Perhaps Shinji Hirako's group may have had something to do with it. Kisuke Urahara was thorough when he hid them away and none of our efforts were successful in finding any trace of their whereabouts. " Gin suggests, never losing that foxlike smile.
"You may be right." Aizen observes neutrally, "In light of recent events, it's entirely possible Shinji Hirako's group have made a bold move, sending overtures to the Soul Society and offered their assistance in repelling Grimmjow's troops to function as a token of sincerity. Captain Hirako always had the capacity for great pride, it was his greatest folly, and an equal ability to harbour an impressive grudge. However he is also a man governed by pragmatism. He might have decided that the enemy of the enemy is a friend."
"Conversely, Soul Society might've sunk to an even greater desperation than I'd previously calculated and actively reached out to their strays in a desperate attempt to salvage their situation. However, Captain-Commander Yamamoto is inflexible and stalwart in his views. Even presented with that option, I doubt he would entertain such an idea so lightly."
"It's equally possible that Kisuke Urahara was involved in the battle as well. He would have the means to neutralize the Arrancar." Gin puts in.
"Indeed." Aizen concedes.
"It appears we've a mystery to solve. Does this buzzing little bee present a problem to our current plans, Captain Aizen? Especially with our current losses?" Gin inquiries, almost innocently.
"My plans haven't been the least bit affected. If nothing else, I'm intrigued by a minor curiosity," Aizen answers coolly. "At most it's an amusing mystery to ponder. As for the butcher's bill; the 9th Espada's destruction is nothing more than a minor inconvenience, and those Fracción were of the lowest Adjuchas. A new candidate has already been selected to take her place. For now, we must focus our attention on recruiting the remaining Vasto Lorde. Once the new Espada are complete, nothing will be able to stand in our way."
A chunk of deformed charcoal black metal.
When Ichigo awoke at Urahara's shop, wrapped in bandages and feeling like he'd been on the business end of a bulldozer, he was horrified to discover that tiny fragment of metal was all that remained of Zangetsu.
Ichigo mentally maps out what part of his sword this belonged to. If he guessed right, this is the top of his sword's hilt, the black and red silk wrapping burned away, and the mangled remains of the tsuba. The square prongs shriveled and curled in one themselves like dried leaves.
"That's all Orihime could restore before she'd collapsed from exhaustion," Rukia informs him grimly and its a distant sound to his ears, "She's tried again and again to restore it back to its full form when she'd recovered enough strength, but..."
Rukia's voice trails off, letting the miserable state of the thing speak for itself.
Ichigo musters what little energy remains at his command to sit up on the futon, a gentle arm behind his back guides him upright. The effort leaves him panting and Kisuke Urahara gives him a reproachful look.
"You shouldn't move around too much, Ichigo. You've taken quite the beating. Captain Unohana might've been thorough in her ministrations but you still need to take things easy and take care not to strain yourself." Kisuke cautions gravely, resuming his place on the cushion beside Ichigo's bed opposite to Rukia.
There's a small round table set up behind him where Kisuke has several ceremic cups and a fresh pot of tea set neatly on a tray. He reaches back and takes one for himself.
"Right... thank you." Ichigo winces, cursing the weakness in his limbs and the throbbing pain in his head. He blinks slowly before turning to the Shopkeeper, "Wait... Captain Unohana?"
Rukia answers, her expression is ashen but her tone is steady when she explains, "You weren't the only one wounded in that incursion. Captain Hitsuguya and Third-Seat Madarame both received critical injuries. In response, Lieutenant Matsumoto put in an emergency request for relief forced to be dispatched. Ordinary procedure would've mandated a squad of lower-ranked officers from the Fourth to respond, however Captain Unohana assessed the situation and saw fit to answer the call personally."
"Quite the fortunate thing she did, too." Kisuke interjects, Ichigo glances at the shopkeeper for elaboration.
"Miss Inoue's talents are exceptional, but she is still very young and inexperienced with only so much reiatsu to spare. Between keeping the worst of everyone's injuries stable, she had already forced herself well past her capabilities before you'd arrived in your crippled state. Without additional support, the best Miss Inoue could manage was maintain you in more-or-less a state of suspended animation. Your injuries were that severe, I'm afraid," Kisuke tips his hat down to shield his eyes, "It's only after Captain Unohana arrived to lend her aid that your treatment finally started making progress in the right direction. Though Captain Unohana made certain to scold our ears off for allowing you to become so greviously injured in the first place. I must say, that woman has lost none of her touch."
A wry smile tugs at his lips for a split second before Kisuke's expression shifts to a far darker, far more grim aspect, even more so than Rukia's while he continues, "However, there is one injury that not even Captain Unohana's powers are capable of mending."
Ichigo glances over at the burnt hunk of metal in Rukia's hand and gingerly reaches out to take it. The motion pulled at the bandages around his stomach and his internal organs were tapdancing one hell of a jig right now, but he endured the pain.
When his fingers curl around the hilt, his heart sinks as the dreadful reality sets in. It's undeniably broken and making matters worse, Ichigo can barely sense any reiatsu in the remnants.
"Zangetsu..." Ichigo whispers sorrowfully.
"What happened Ichigo?" Rukia prompts gently, "That is, if you're feeling up to sharing. We can wait until you've healed completely if you prefer that."
"I must admit I'm curious about that myself. Bankais are not so flimsy as to be broken that completely." Kisuke points out, a keen analytical look in his eye, "Whatever details you remember might shed some light about why this happened."
"No... no, I'm awake. I'll..." He calms himself down by inhaling a steady breath for two heart beats, brown eyes tracing sword fragment.
Ichigo tries to sense for his Zanpakutou spirit but it's distant. Even his Hollow is quiet. As though both spirits were cast adrift, on the other side of a massive gulf.
Actually, no.
It feels like they've... withdrawn from him. Like they are the ones distancing themselves from him.
Funny. Ichigo thought if anyone were to howl and rage for vengeance, and hand his ass to him on a platter a dozen times over, it would've been Shiro.
Ichigo swallows down a lump in his throat, "That Arrancar Grimmjow, he called himself an Espada. The guy was tossing me around like a ragdoll. Even with my Bankai I was no match, I could barely keep up with him. Any strike that connected couldn't even pierce his skin, he just barreled right through everything I put on the table." Ichigo cradles his head gently, flinching at the intensifying pounding in his head.
"Hierro. Arrancar have the ability to infuse and condense reiatsu into their skin. For all intents and purposes, it functions as armour." Kisuke places his tea back down and reaches for a second cup and a small serving dish with a single white tablet on it, "This will take the edge off your pain."
"Yeah, well, I can tell you this much, it felt like I was hacking away at a chunk of solid iron." Ichigo agrees, takes the pill and slowly sips the water. A few seconds later, he's gulped down the entire glass. "Thank you."
"What happened after that, Ichigo?" Rukia questions intensely.
Ichigo frowns, gathering his thoughts. His memory's blurry and sifting through it takes a minute, "One of his strikes blindsided me, sent me into the city. Through it, really. I'm pretty sure... actually, I'm completely sure I ended up concussed; I couldn't barely focus on controlling my reiatsu, let alone seeing straight. When I thought I had an opening I threw every last ounce of energy I had left into a Getsuga Tenshou. Thought I'd finally managed to catch Grimmjow off guard and finish him. But I misjudged. He got the jump on me just as I was about to release my Bankai."
Ichigo winces at the gory memory, brushing his restored hand, "Grimmjow used some weird supercharged cero. His blood mixed in with the attack and... next thing I know, my hand's gone and I've got an arm through my stomach."
His hand then presses against the bandages around his stomach, the memory of it causes him to flinch and he tries to put it from his mind.
"Mmm." Kisuke hums neutrally, his grey eyes cool and analytical. "Yes, in that state I can see how your Zanpakutou would become brittle and susceptible to catastrophic damage."
Conversely, Rukia's eyes widen in horror, mouth open in shock before her head lowers quietly, "I'm sorry. I hadn't realized you were using your Bankai when your Zanpakutou was destroyed."
Ichigo frowns at her. What brought this reaction on?
"Don't worry about it. Shouldn't you of all people already know Zanpakutou heal themselves when they break? Zangetsu's been in rough shape before, he'll bounce right back and be kicking ass in no time." Ichigo reassures, but his confidence wavers when neither Rukia nor Kisuke take him at his word.
"That is correct. To a degree." Kisuke acknowledges, he settles himself down for another lecture. "In order to repair a Zanpakutou, you need the owner's reiatsu and reishi to infuse into the blade. By absorbing it's master's power, this will allow the sword to eventually recover and return to fighting form."
"Right. Zangetsu's been even been snapped in half before but he's always managed to whip himself back into fighting shape," Ichigo points out. His sword broke against Kenpachi at one point but managed to pull itself back together. "All I have to do is keep infusing my reiatsu into him and he'll heal himself, right?"
Kisuke nods but his tone is bleak, "In certain circumstances, that would be an accurate statement. However there's a very important factor you must understand, that method of recovery only applies to the Zanpakutou's sealed or Shikai states."
"Wait..." Ichigo says slowly, the gears turning in his head as a dark weight settles in his stomach, "Then what about a Bankai?"
Kisuke is appropriately somber, "I'm afraid there's no easy way to tell you but the cold hard truth is this: Once destroyed, a Bankai can never be returned to its former state."
"Wha-" Ichigo's words catch in his throat, shocked right to the core. His eyes shift back and forth between Rukia and Kisuke. There has to be a punchline, right? This has to be some kind of prank? A way to get back at him for being such a reckless idiot again.
Rukia's sombre when she frowns at him then her eyes snap wide in dawning comprehension.
"Oh my god. You... You didn't know?" Rukia half-panics, taken completely by surprise.
Ichigo's brain short-circuits trying to process the magnitude of that simple statement.
"W-Wait a minute. Come on. That's a joke, right? I'm, uh, I'm waiting for the punchline here, Kisuke." Ichigo asks shakily. Meeting the Shopkeeper's steady gaze tells him this is anything but a joke.
"I'm afraid it's not a jest, Ichigo." Kisuke confirms.
A myriad of emotions stampede through Ichigo at the revelation, but first and foremost its outrage that gets the better of him, "Why in the hell didn't Yoruichi tell me this when she put me through Bankai training in the first place?! It seems like a pretty fucking important detail to neglect! I - ugh!"
Ichigo starts, but agony rips through him, reminding him he's still very gravely injured and his insides are probably only being held together by the kido equivalent of spit and glue. He doubles over and gives an involuntary gasp of pain.
"Ichigo!" Rukia steadies him and Ichigo uses the hand on his arm as an anchor, he forces himself to calm and control his breathing.
"There... there has to be a way to fix this." Ichigo manages through pained pants.
Kisuke retrieves his tea and takes a long sip, "With the resources currently at my disposal, there's no possible way to restore a Bankai. The only method I know of is well beyond our reach... and I don't possess the means to replicate that method. Given enough time, I probably could cobble together a reasonable facsimile, but it would require more time than we possess."
"This can't be happening." Ichigo mutters to himself, utterly helpless.
Fortunately, he's not so dumbstruck that he stops paying attention as Kisuke continues.
"However there are always exceptions to every rule, as you should already know. A broken Bankai is no different. One such exception is present in the Human world right now. Take for example Captain Hitsuguya's Bankai. Hyourinmaru is an Ice-based Zanpakutou, the most powerful in Soul Society's history. His Zanpakutou is the ultimate expression of the power over ice and Captain Hitsuguya has the capability to regenerate any damage it sustains through utilizing the moisture in the atmosphere. It's highly probable this is a side-effective of its immaturity, but for now, his Bankai is capable of limitless regeneration so long as Captain Hitsuguya has both reiatsu and resources to do it." Kisuke explains patiently.
Ichigo frowns and shakes his head, "I don't understand how that applies to Zangetsu?"
"My point is there are certain situations where the rule is not applicable, not entirely. Captain Hitsuguya is one such example. Your situation is equally as unique for an completely different reason. That unique factor may very well be your saving grace and allow you to wield a whole Zangetsu again."
"Wait, hold on just a minute. Are you saying you have a means to-?" Rukia starts,
Kisuke raises a hand to halt the question, "Allow me to explain from the very start. But first indulge me for a moment. Ichigo, do you remember when Rukia first transferred her Shinigami powers to you. You wielded a sword similar but not exactly like her Zanpakutou. Do you remember how that sword came into your possession?"
Ichigo and Rukia exchanged confused looks.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Rukia questions pointedly,
"Quite literally everything. Ichigo, do you remember?"
Ichigo bites back an irritated retort. His brows knit together as he thinks back to that first fight outside his house. He remembers being stabbed through the heart, feeling the overwhelming wave of power crashing through his soul, it felt like it was about to explode and then... somehow the sword was in his hand.
"It just appeared out of thin air." Ichigo answers honestly after a moment, "It showed up in my hand and... I thought I just picked up Rukia's sword without really remembering and it grew into that gigantic thing because my reiatsu control was nonexistence. Hell, I didn't even have a concept of that stuff until much later."
"When Rukia transferred her powers to you, an excess of reiatsu expanded outside your body and you instinctually contained it, condensing it into a false construction with the outward appearance of Rukia's Zanpakutou. With your power's own natural embellishments, of course. But because you had little to no control of your innate abilities, the sword was grossly oversized compared to the standard Zanpakutou wielded by a frontline Gotei 13 officer. In essence, you instinctually created a false Zanpakutou, if you will." Kisuke explained at length, "As a result of this artificial nature, you might have observed your sword had lacked the durability of Zanpakutou of comparable power levels. Subsequently, it had the unfortunate tendency to be more brittle than most, prone to breaking especially in times where you've become internally disturbed or agitated."
"Hang on, wait a minute. What are you... are you trying to say I haven't been fighting with Zangetsu all along? I've been using a fake?!" The idea rattles Ichigo to the core, he doesn't want to believe it but it does make a very twisted kind of sense when he thought about it.
"A false sword, yes. A false Soul Spirit? No. Zangetsu is the true name of your Zanpakutou, that fact is beyond despite. However, when you trained with me before you journeyed to the Soul Society, you drew out Zangetsu's spirit and imprinted it on that broken facsimile of a Rukia's Sode No Shirayuki." Kisuke gives Ichigo a meaningful look, "I believe you might be able to guess the implications for yourself."
"Okay, so..." Ichigo rans an agitated hand through his hair and draws in a deep breath, "So my sword's been a fake this whole time? What does this have to do with me getting back my Bankai?"
Rukia blinks and practically leaps when a thought crosses her mind.
"If Zangetsu was built on a false template, then that means he's never claimed an Asauchi!" She announces triumphantly.
Kisuke gives a small smile in return, "I see you understand my train of thought, Ms Kuchiki. Very astute of you."
"I don't." Ichigo interrupts irritably, "For starters, exactly what is an Asauchi? And what's this stuff about me claiming one?"
"An Asauchi is a blade given to Shinigami initiates when they enter Shin'ou Academy. It's a nameless formless sword that becomes the basis of their Zanpakutou," Rukia reveals, her tone becoming more and more optimistic as she seemingly cottons onto whatever Kisuke was planning, "In other words, because you didn't gain your powers through conventional means, you never had a true Zanpakutou to begin with."
Kisuke nods in agreement, "Specifically, the purpose of an Asauchi is to function as a conduit for an initiate to draw upon their Shinigami powers and communicate with their Sword Spirit. As an initiate's power and bond with their sword grows, their Sword Spirit takes form and manifests itself, redefining the shape of the Asauchi and allowing the emergence of a unique Zanpakutou with a unique Shikai. Later a Bankai if the initiate possesses that latent potentiality."
"What are you saying?" Ichigo's head spins. And its not the aftershock of the concussion, he doesn't want to give in to Rukia's infectious optimism just yet, but he's damned tempted.
"As Rukia has correctly guessed, my hypothesis is this; it might be possible for you to acquire an Asauchi and coax Zangetsu to imprint itself onto a proper frame."
"I can do that?" Ichigo questions then throws a sceptical look the shopkeeper's way.
"It will be challenging," Kisuke warns severely, he nods to the remnants of Zangetsu, "Given how badly the sword was damaged, you will need to soothe your Zanpakutou spirit before it considers cooperating with you again. Undoubtedly it would be extremely volatile at the moment. The majority at that anger will be directed towards you. I will not sugarcoat it, you'll have a difficult time ahead."
Ichigo has precisely no idea how he's supposed to soothe his zanpakutou spirit, but pushes on regardless. "But if an Asauchi was really so important to a Shinigami, then why didn't you try to get me one back when I was training with you?"
"If there hadn't been a time limit to the crisis at hand, I would have gladly reached out to my contacts within the Soul Society and called in a few markers to discreetly procure one for you. But we simply didn't have the luxury of time back then." Kisuke answers, then allows himself a smile, "While I'm touched by your faith in my abilities to acquire heavily regulated merchandise, I'm not a magician and I can't conjure miracles out of thin air."
Ichigo processes this, he doesn't let despair over take him, even if part of him was sorely tempted to fall down that pit. "Then, all I need is one of those Asauchi things to bring back Zangetsu better than ever, right? So how do I get one?"
"It won't be that easy." Rukia informs him, "Asauchi are built to order according to the size of the class admitted to Shin'ou Academy, students who wash out... or killed in the line of duty, have their Asauchi retrieved and stored for distribution to the next cohort. It's a heavily regulated system and the only people who can request private orders are the Great Noble Houses and senior level Captains."
Ichigo's spirits sink like a stone, "That means it'd be next to impossible to grab one without raising suspicions or screwing up protocol or something... in other words, I'm shit out of luck."
"Not necessarily Ichigo. As it so happens, I do have certain favours I could trade members of the nobility to procure what we need," When Ichigo glances at the shopkeeper, Kisuke is deadly serious as he continues, "I emphasize again that this is only a hypothetical proposition. I haven't the slightest clue if this will work. However, if it does succeed, then yes, you will be able to wield Zangetsu again. Though I must add a caveat. If I were you, I would expect it may take a form different than the one you might imagine."
"There's always a catch, isn't there?" Ichigo heaves a sigh, "Hypothetical or not, its better than nothing. What can I do to help?"
"Rest. The best thing for you right now is to rest." Kisuke instructs him bluntly, "Leave this matter with me. I know it may be difficult for you right now but have some patience. It'll take me a deal of time to acquire an Asauchi for you."
Kisuke climbs to his feet, his hands in his pockets, "For now, focus your time on recuperating. After that, I would recommend turning your attention to your other combat capabilities."
When Ichigo gives him a confused look, Kisuke expands on his point, "The Zanpakutou may be a Shinigami's primary combat form but it is not our only combat form. You still have your shunpo techniques and you've dabbled in a great deal of hand-to-hand combat training even before you obtained your powers. And of course, I'm absolutely positive you'll be about to find a tutor willing and absolutely eager to teach you Kido if you would only ask."
There's a slight knowing smile on Kisuke's face and Ichigo gets the implication, he might have the sneaking suspicion who the old shopkeeper was referring to.
Rukia did not.
"I'll teach you," Rukia volunteers instantly, "The practical aspect is relatively straightforward once you grasp the concept behind the basic theories. After that, it's only a matter of discipline and control to shape the spell into whatever you require."
Ichigo sends a half-smirk her way, "I thought it was supposed to be illegal to give a human Shinigami powers."
Rukia crosses her arms, and there's a tiny spark of mischief in her tone. "Illegal to give powers, yes. But there's no laws preventing me from teaching you how to use the powers you already have possess more effectively."
Despite the situation, Ichigo manages to laugh. "... Got it. Thanks."
"Additionally, I'm sure there's another more obscure skillset you'd be eager to master, the kind that only a precious few can teach," Kisuke tips his hat up and locks eyes with Ichigo, "I understand how the situation appears bleak for the moment but you are far from powerless, Ichigo. Rather than look at this event as a failure; consider it as an opportunity to expand your knowledge and hone your ancillary skills."
Ichigo considers this for a long while, "Right. I understand. And thanks for your help, Kisuke. I appreciate it."
The shopkeeper studies him carefully, "You're welcome. Ms. Kuchiki, I think its best if we let Ichigo rest."
Author's note:
Huh. Ichigo needs an Asauchi. Funny enough, I recall a certain Shinigami has a spare one with her? What are the odds? :) Ichigo's admittedly down in the dumps, but Kisuke reminds him he still as a LOT in his arsenal to work with.
Edited: 26/4/2023 - Cleaned up the chapter's grammatical errors and spruced up the language a little.
Regards,
Aurora313