3 – Black and White 2
Ichigo couldn't stand seeing the hurt and anguished look on Rukia's face. He knew exactly how she felt after seeing that vision of himself getting betrayed by the higher ups in Soul Society.
She deserved the full truth.
"A long time ago, he created an artifact that can break down the barrier between Shinigami and Hollow, basically Hollowfying Shinigami and Shinigamifying Hollows, for the purpose of increasing the soul's strength beyond the normal limits of pure Shinigami or Hollow souls. He called it the Hougyoku, and at some point he tried to destroy it, but couldn't, so he decided to hide it, specifically using a soul to mask the Hougyoku's own energy signature. He chose your soul to be the vessel. By turning you into a normal human soul without spirit pressure, the Hougyoku would become dormant and stay that way forever, or so he'd hoped."
"Hollowfying Shinigami?" Rukia asked with horror. "Can it really do that?"
"Yes, it can. I've seen the effects," Ichigo said with a grimace.
"Damn it…I knew he had ulterior motives for approaching me that night I transferred my powers to you. A stranger so conveniently offering a gigai to me for free…but I chalked it up to being a ploy to get me to buy things in the future," She clenched her fists. "Just who is he?"
"He's a former Captain that was exiled. 12th division, I think. He's got a black cat with him that's actually the former Captain of the 2nd division in disguise too, Shihoin Yoruichi. Same with that big guy, Tessai something or other, too, but I don't remember what division."
"Shihoin? That's one of the great Noble Families. Their crimes would have to be extremely severe for a captain and member of the great Noble Families to get exiled," said Rukia.
"Oh yeah, she was. And they were exiled for hollowfication experiments that got a bunch of other captains and vice-captains hollowfied. Those guys are hiding in Karakura town too, they call themselves Visored. But they said it wasn't Urahara that did it, it was Aizen who framed him."
"Aizen?! You mean Captain Aizen of the fifth division?" Rukia was shocked again. She had heard plenty about the friendly Captain of the fifth, and a number of her fellow Shinigami seemed to idolize him.
"That's right. He's secretly a traitor to Soul Society, and the one behind the conspiracy to have you executed," Ichigo said, anger filling his expression. "He knows all about the Hougyoku, and according to him, he orchestrated everything. He's the one that assigned you to this mission in Karakura, the one who sent those hollows after my family so that you would transfer your powers to me, and who manipulates Central 46 into ordering your execution by the Sokyoku, because only the Sokyoku can vaporize your soul completely and release the Hougyoku inside. I don't know if he was just bullshitting and taking credit for everything, but his Zanpaktou's shikai power is insane. Anything who sees his shikai release can be put under complete hypnosis of all five senses, and he was able to pretend to be Central 46 issuing new orders after he killed them all."
"That is..! That's a lot to take in…" The first inklings of doubt appeared on her face.
"Rukia, I know it sounds crazy, but it's all true. Aizen tricked everyone! You have to believe me!" Ichigo told her with a pleading face.
"I do believe you Ichigo…but…there's something I don't understand. It's not what you said about Captain Aizen, it's Urahara," she said, frowning.
"What is it?"
"If Captain Aizen really did send me on this mission and arrange for those Hollows to attack you just so I would transfer my powers to you, then did he predict that Urahara would put the Hougyoku inside of me? Doesn't that seem a little ridiculous?" said Rukia.
"I guess, but it's Aizen," Ichigo said, shrugging.
"If Urahara really wanted to hide the Hougyoku, he could have done it with anyone. Why me? When he gave me that gigai, I was already barely more than a spiritually aware human soul. So if he put the Hougyoku in me then, he could have just as easily put it in any other spiritually aware human soul. There's no shortage of those in Karakura town, let alone the whole world, and there are ways to drain spirit pressure with seals instead of gigai. They would live their lives actually being humans, without the risk of a former Shinigami like me being tracked down by Soul Society."
"Huh? You're right…"
"Even if he needed a soul with Shinigami powers, I was a terrible choice. By choosing me, it would actually attract more attention, because I'm also part of the Kuchiki clan, a Great Noble Family. For example, you said Nii-sama came to take me back, but why would a Captain and vice-captain be sent to arrest a mere unseated Shinigami? It's because I'm the sister to the head of the Kuchiki clan. Otherwise, normally it should be the Executive Militia of the Onmitsukidou sent to apprehend criminals, like Saido Eikichiro."
Ichigo's eyes widened as Rukia's words gave him goosebumps. Something was very wrong with the explanation he'd been given in his dreams, but what was it?
Rukia stated her own verdict.
"I don't think Urahara's trying to hide the Hougyoku at all. I think he's using me as bait, to lure out Captain Aizen and expose him in front of all the other Captains in a public execution. Once the Hougyoku is revealed when the Sokyoku destroys my body, he'd have no choice but to expose himself or risk losing his only window to take it before Soul Society locks it away."
"Shit! That actually…makes a lot of sense. That bastard lied to me even when he apologized! Fuck!"
Ichigo grinded his teeth as his anger rose.
Rukia held her arms at the elbows and looked down in thought. "Before I left Soul Society, 3rd seat Kiyone-san mentioned a trip we had gone on to the human world back when I was her assistant. But I don't remember it at all…I didn't think anything of it at the time, but if what you're telling me is right, I think Urahara might have planted the Hougyoku inside me then and erased my memories, hoping to use me to bait Aizen even back then, because otherwise there's no way that sending me back as a Shinigami to Soul Society with the active Hougyoku could be considered hiding. That would explain why Captain Aizen sent me on this mission. He didn't predict what Urahara would do. He already knew that the Hougyoku was inside me, had years to analyze me and realize that only the Sokyoku could extract the Hougyoku, then created a plan to have me executed, all according to Urahara's own plan."
"That bastard…all that time…he really was just using us!" He kicked a pebble to relieve some of the frustration. "We can't trust him anymore. You getting captured might be part of his plans. There's no way I'll let that happen. If Aizen already knows then it's way too risky to let you go back. He eventually finds a way to extract the Hougyoku even without the Sokyoku."
"Then…what can we do? You can't honestly be thinking of fighting all of Soul Society?"
"Damn it! I thought hat 'n' clogs was shady, but this is on a whole different level. If he was helping us, then we'd have a chance. But now…I don't know. I'm not even sure if the Visoreds will help us if we don't work with Urahara. Fucking hell, they might even be in on the whole thing! They'd want to expose Aizen and clear their own names too…"
Rukia looked at him sorrowfully, then, as if making a decision, she put on a reassuring smile. "Ichigo…it's okay. You told me you saved me in the end, right? I won't die. You can just let things happen as they did in your visions. Let Nii-sama take me. I don't mind being imprisoned for a little while."
Ichigo shouted defiantly. "No! You don't understand, you were one second away from being vaporized, and again barely survived when Aizen tried to kill you! If anything delayed me the tiniest bit, if Byakuya was too injured after our fight to do anything, if they moved up the execution even sooner, you'd be dead! Not to mention any number of other things that could go wrong! I won't take that risk!"
Rukia fell silent at that.
"I need to think," Ichigo said. "There's gotta be a way out of this. We need to expose Aizen some other way. I need to get strong enough to make it not worth it for Soul Society to come after us. They left Urahara, Yoruichi and the Visoreds alone, and their accused crime is more serious than ours. It must be because they have so many Captain level fighters and would cause too much damage if they fought. If we had that kind of strength…"
He paced around thinking furiously. "Shit, if only I had more time. Next month is too soon!"
Then he stopped and blinked. "That's right! What we need right now is to buy time! If you get your powers back, they might delay arrest orders if they don't have enough evidence! They also have to find you first. If I don't have that competition with Ishida and fight the Menos, they might not be able to find you in your untraceable gigai."
Rukia still looked worried. "But we can't ask Urahara for another gigai or he'll know something's up, and you can't transfer my powers back to me the way I did to you. It drains spirit pressure just to stay in spirit form on the human world, so it's impossible recover like that. And what about Saido? I've still been in the human world long enough for them to send him, so they're already suspicious."
"Wait, what exactly would he have reported back, anyway? Isn't he technically assisting in treason by leaving us alone?"
Rukia's face gained a tint of red. "It's not a big deal if I just overstay my mission time in the human world. As long as I don't have a new mission assigned and Captain Ukitake doesn't order me back, it's just a minor offense that the division handles in-house. It's only treason if I transferred my powers to a human."
Ichigo looked at her strangely. "Even if he doesn't mention seeing me with Shinigami powers, they won't think it's a crime that you refused to go back with him, or defeated him to escape?"
"W-well, I don't think that's what he reported."
"Then how would he explain leaving us alone to his higher ups?"
"He implied that he was going to report that I was using a gigai f-for p-pleasure with you."
Ichigo's face reddened to match Rukia's. "Th-the hell?"
"It's an explanation that's not a serious crime and out of Onmitsukido's jurisdiction, so he wouldn't have to take me back." She turned away from him.
"Fuck! No wonder Byakuya and Renji were so pissed off at me."
After a long and awkward silence, Ichigo seemed to light up with an idea.
"Hey, that means if they don't find out about me having Shinigami powers, this can work! You just need to get your powers back, and I have to hide my Shinigami powers. If we can buy even one more month…"
"But how are we going to do that?"
"Hold on a sec."
Ichigo focused his thoughts inward and towards his zanpaktou. 'Hey, old man Zangetsu, Sode no Shirayuki, can you guys hear me?'
'I can hear you, Ichigo, but I told you not to call me that,' the spirit of his Quincy powers answered. 'You will weaken yourself by doing so.'
'Ah…sorry, Gesshokuro.'
'Your bond with Sode no Shirayuki is not strong enough for you to hear her like this, but rest assured she can hear you.'
'OK. So I just had an idea. If my zanpaktou is actually Sode no Shirayuki, can I give her back by handing her sword form over to Rukia?'
"What am I waiting for? What are you doing, Ichigo?" Rukia asked.
"Just checking something," he said.
A short while later, Gesshokuro responded. 'Sode no Shirayuki believes that could work, if Rukia can release her shikai and reseal her.'
"Alright, Rukia, Sode no Shirayuki says that you can take her back by releasing her shikai then resealing her," Ichigo announced.
"You can talk to her without Jinzen?" Rukia asked with surprise.
"No, but I've got someone to relay messages," he said with a smirk. "Anyways, you gonna try it?"
He put his sword in the ground in between them.
"But I don't have enough spirit pressure to release her shikai now," said Rukia.
"Well if it's spirit pressure you need…" Ichigo said, walking forward.
Then he kneeled down and put his sword hand forward, pressing where Rukia's heart would be, and used the other to hold on to her shoulder.
Rukia's eyes widened and her hand flew up to grab his. "Wait, you can't just push spirit pressure into someone else—"
Spirit pressure poured out of Ichigo as his whole body glowed with power, then all of it was forced into his hand and through to Rukia.
The former Shinigami gasped as the energy flooded into her. "S-stop this, Ichigo!"
"Don't worry, Rukia, I learned from Captain Unohana about how healing Kido works. Just restoring the other person's spirit pressure with your own," said Ichigo.
"Yo-you fool, that's not h-how—"
There was a burning sensation all over her body, and she thought for a moment that she was going to die from Ichigo's idiocy.
Healing Kido was about restoring the other person's spirit energy in order to help them raise their own spirit pressure levels, not directly transferring spirit pressure. Forcing activated spirit pressure into someone else was more likely to destroy them than do anything to help.
Then, just as suddenly, it was like 'something' broke through into her soul, and suddenly she felt her own spirit energy rising rapidly, as that 'something' filled a void she didn't realize existed.
"Ah!" She screamed as her spirit pressure skyrocketed, easily returning to her previous levels before losing her powers, then rose even further.
It wasn't long before her body was brimming so full of energy that Rukia felt as if she was in a shikai release.
When it reached a certain threshold, her body began emitting a white light that engulfed the whole area and Ichigo was forced back by a strong wave of spirit pressure and had to cover his eyes to avoid being blinded.
When the light died down, there was a set of brilliant white wings of pure energy on Rukia's back that appeared momentarily before flickering and breaking into snow flakes and fading away into nothing.
Once it was over and they could both see again, Rukia slammed a fist into Ichigo's gut, eliciting a pained groan.
"You damned idiot, that could have killed me! It's not possible to just transfer spirit pressure into someone else like that! You completely misunderstood what healing Kido does!"
"But it worked, didn't it? I can feel your spirit pressure rose a lot," Ichigo said, clutching his stomach.
She frowned but concentrated on leaving her gigai. Unlike an actual living human, she didn't need any artificial technology to force her soul out.
Except, it didn't work.
Try as she might, she couldn't break the connection with the gigai.
Her face paled as she felt panic rising.
Ichigo seemed to notice as he asked, "What's wrong?"
"I c-can't leave my gigai! We were too late, I've already turned into a human!"