Bleach: The Alternate Tale

by blackout2010

We all know that Ichigo Kurosaki was a human who became a Shinigami, but what would happen if he was always a Shinigami when the events of bleach happened, perhaps an altered story. Very minor crossover with Sakura Wars. A/U A/T. Contains incest in later parts.

52. Jail Bird blues: Blue bird

Blackout2010: Okay, so I'll hold myself accountable because I owe you the truth and plausible deniability is intentional abscondence of that responsibility. I got lazy. Yes, I did do editing and yes, the system went down and I couldn't post anything letting me go into said editing hell, but ultimately the reason for the delay is on me. I took advantage of it and I shouldn't have. So I apologize. Also, i did my best to explain while keeping it succinct, but I know things got laid on thick and it's probably overcooked, but that's because I think it's important, awareness is what matters. Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon, but if it's anything like this chapter it will be an absolute pain the ass due to content, so I ask for your patience in advance. It's quite the challenge, I assure, but i'll do my best to deliver.

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(Ch. 51 Jail Bird blues: Blue bird of happiness)

(Ichigo)

Entering into the holding cell, Ichigo grimaced at the sight of the captive. Unlike the dull sterile interrogation room Senna was currently being grilled in, Cirucci was forced into a dim torture chamber. Attached to a hanging stockade, the Fraccion was stripped naked of everything except her convict issued bra and shorts. She stood in the center forcibly propped up on her forefeet as her arms dangled uselessly above, chained to the ceiling, preventing any attempt at defending herself or maneuvering away from her interrogators.

The man's eyes gave her a once over, glancing at the handiwork of the Onimitsukido's dungeon masters. Cirucci's legs and feet quivered uneasily but given the indentions of dirty scuff marks and sandal prints on her flesh, it wasn't a shiver from just being on the cold stony floor for too long. Eyes tracing up to her thighs and stomach, the red tell-tale signs of whip usage were still recent, vibrant and plentiful. Going past her lurching bruised face, he saw the woman's hand's dangling in the shackles, the half-closed nature didn't conceal the cuts and stab wounds that happened to her palms.

Letting out a vexatious sigh, he stepped further into the chamber, heading for the mechanism holding her up laboriously. His presence didn't go unnoticed.

"I…did it." The woman uttered, barely louder than a whisper. Stopping, Ichigo turned his focus on her, after a few more ragged breathes escaped her, she moved her lips again. "Forced...Sen...ah."

Ichigo's brow creased, "I doubt she'd agree to that story." The man replied, moving past her to the lowering mechanism.

Recognizing her Espada's voice, the matted woman tried to maintain some dignity by raising her head, "Ichigo…"

"But I appreciate the sentiment."

Reaching the far side behind the hanging woman, he loosened the slack of the chain. A euphoric moan echoed against the walls as the woman collapsed to her knees, blood-deprived arms crashing to the ground numbly.

Walking back around to the front, the captain kneeled and placed his hand on her cheeks, steadying her to look up at him. While the Arrancar tried to catch her breath, the man saw the strap-like redline running over the upper portions of her face.

"A heated blindfold." Ichigo muttered, recognizing the hallmark of the Onimitsukido face torture device. It was a simple pressure compounding tool, designed to make the wearer as uncomfortable and unfocused as possible, without the risk of ending an interrogation prematurely.

"Si…master." The exhausted prisoner affirmed, eyes straining from lack of lubrication. "Are you…alone?"

"Yeah. The wardens are waiting outside. " He glanced back, just to make sure, before focusing back on Cirucci. "I'm here to see if you'll talk."

"I…forced her." the woman insisted, misinterpreting his words. "Threatened…her."

The man shook his head, letting her see he wasn't buying it. "We both know that's not true, Cirucci." The purple-haired woman pressed her lips together, unforthcoming of the truth. "Senna is with Shaolin, right now." The woman's eyes hardened at his words. "Probably to get the story straight."

"Shit…"

"I'm going to say you're too weak to continue." he instructed his servant. "That way they'll send you back to the cell and buy me some more time. But I need to know right now: Where are the other Arrancar?"

"Ku-" Stopping herself, the fraccion forced her mouth closed. Running her tongue over her lips, she swallowed deeply after a moment's pause and spoke again, "Could you tell me...when we…met in Hueco Mundo…when I helped you…who did I guide and who guided you?" she slowly asked.

"Who guided me?" The man was taken back by the question. He thought back then to the column filled room where he and his wife tried to ambush Cirucci and Chad, only to get sniffed out by the bird Arrancar. "When we split up, right?" the woman swayed, as if to confirm yes to his question. "After you told me about the floor dilemma, Chad went with me, and you went with Shaolin."

"You are Ichigo-sama…" the woman huffed tiredly, "They tried...trick me…fake you…"

Ichigo nodded, familiar with the coercion technique in question. It was meant to deceive someone into spilling sensitive information via impersonation of a confidant. "They had someone mimic my voice while you were blindfolded, right?" he half-asked half-stated.

"Yeah…" she whispered, before nudging her head towards her shoulder, beckoning him to get closer. Once he had, she leaned forward pressing her body against his chest and shoulder and whispered into his ear. "Ku..Ka…Ku…"

"Thank-you, Cirucci." The man placed a hand on top of her head, "Rest. I'll do what I can."

"Gracias..." the woman muttered, eyes closing exhaustedly, knowing she didn't have to endure anymore and could finally rest.

Despite knowing he was pressed for time, he allowed the unconscious woman to completely lean her body against his as she went limp, before slowly setting her down with gentle dignity on the floor. Placing his hand against the back of her head, he thumbed the mask fragment that had helped put her in chains, as his eyes drifted to the same purple hair as his sister. Shooting her one last pitying glance, the man pulled away quietly, before heading back towards the entrance and knocking on the door.

With a loud clunk, the door unlocked and swung open allowing him to step through. The captain was immediately met with the three interrogators in the hall. The first began to close the door to the torture chamber, as another handed Zangetsu back to his partner, the last stood before Ichigo, his superior, arms crossed behind him as he stood at attention.

"Has commander Soifon finished her interrogation?" he asked stoically, returning Zangetsu behind his back.

"No, sir."

The man flared his nostrils, he'd only seen part of it from the window before coming here. 'Hopefully we can piece something together...' he thought dismally, "When she's finished inform her that the Arrancar was too weak to respond to questioning."

The three men felt a chill run over them at the order, as Ichigo expected. While they were indeed only doing their jobs, in the covert ops, missed opportunities were frowned upon; especially, when it came to information.

Well…if he wasn't who he was.

"All I got out of her was the allegation that she forced Fukutaichō-Takamiko." he lied.

The Onimitsukido member relaxed slightly, "That's what she maintained with us too, Taicho."

Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly, keeping things close to the chest. "Take her back to a holding cell and get a medic. Preferably Unohana or Isane. Once she's stable, inform the commander that I'll meet up with her in her office later on. We'll discuss how we should proceed before debriefing the others."

"Sir!"

"Dismissed." The man ordered, as he turned and headed for the exit of the facility, towards his next objective.

(20 minutes later)

Ignoring any possible distraction, the man kept a controlled focus on his pathing until he reached the southern giant's domain. After passing through Jidanbo's gate under the investigative guise of re-tracing steps, Ichigo followed his only lead to the outlands of Rukongai.

On arrival to the suspects house, the man noticed the declarative banners and holders were torn down. The only feature that indicated to him that he was at the right spot was the large silo in the back. Coming up to the front door, the man heard shuffling and running, a short curse followed by a yell.

Grabbing hold of the door, he violently opened it to see a wild-eyed Kukaku glaring in his direction, as her servants Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko were packing things into boxes. The sharp-eyed woman eased her glare as she held up a hand, "Take five you two."

The two usually exuberant men bowed, before departing the room in atypical silence. 'Probably going to the Arrancar while she holds me up.' Ichigo surmised the reason behind both their odd behavior and the heiress's sudden dismissal. After all, if she was the only one available, that inhibited his avenues of getting answers down to her.

'And she's got all the cards here...' he thought grimly, knowing that if he wasn't careful, she'd stall him for as long as she maintained the centralized monopoly on information and would easily be able to keep exerting power and control over him, since the only way to break that stalemate was to physically hurt her.

And he really didn't want to add more bloodshed to this situation.

The woman walked over to a nearby desk and set down the box she'd been holding, before reaching over and picking up her pipe. Casting a simple fire Kido with her prosthetic arm, Kukaku lit her pipe and took a long calming drag from it. "Pretty fucking rude" she said with her back turned, exhaling a large cloud slowly, "barging into my house like you own the place, kid."

Turning to face him, she nudged her head in his direction with an icy stare. "Did that worry wart Byakuya send you here?" she sighed deeply, "Told him I was fine, and we'd meet up later."

"No," he said, noting the irony of Mr. and Mrs. Kuchiki respective parts in all this. "didn't know."

"I see." Shiba took another hit, clearly buying time to think. Blowing smoke to one side, she took a more civil tone. "Well, normally, I wouldn't mind a house call," she then flickered her hand through the air, "but as you can see, I'm packing up." Leaning against the table, she pointed her pipe towards him, "Guessing something serious happened in Seireitei, since you showed up too."

Ichigo merely furrowed his brow in response.

"Byakuya-chan was here earlier." she added, "Told me come back to the Kuchiki manor since it wasn't safe out here." She shook her head, huffing playfully. "Damn man was so fuckin' insistent, I thought he was gonna throw me over his shoulder and carry me outta here like a goddamn carpet."

The buxom woman in red leaned back, focusing up her expression. "So, since he's so spooked, if this ain't important, I'm gonna have to cut this short, kiddo." she tapped the box next to her with her pipe, "I gotta finish packin' before the Kuchiki clan servants show up. But if you wanna keep chattin' we can finish talking at the Kuchiki manor later."

Seeing that she was trying to run him off, Ichigo stood his ground. "Where are the Arrancars, Kukaku?"

Kukaku quirked her brow, "Come again?" the woman feigned ignorance. When Ichigo didn't bite, the woman snorted to herself, "Is that what's got noble boy's panties in a twist? A rancor of something?" she asked in a overly sarcastically. "Like a bunch of rowdy goons or stooges? Seriously?"

She turned away with a huff, before smirking bemusedly. "Heh! Can't tell if it's cute or fuckin' patronizing that he thinks I can't handle some unruly mob of idiots."

Ichigo took a step forward, not wavering. "Cirucci *said* they were here."

The rough woman's smirk morphed into a confused expression, "Who?" she asked with a shrug, eyebrows raised expectantly.

"One of the Arrancar with Senna." Ichigo said firmly, unmoved by her act. "I know they weren't just wandering around aimlessly in the forest north of here." he pointed to the floor between them, noting brief twitch in her eye. "They were heading here."

"Look. I like ya, kiddo." The noble woman frowned sternly, flicking the white tail of her bandana over her shoulder, as decided to take a seat on the desk. "But if you think I'm involved in whatever bullshit is happening, let me remind you, Byakuya Kuchiki was already here." she coolly informed the man, before shaking her head dismissively, "So, unless they have no spiritual energy, or are like ninja like you and Yo-chan, he didn't sense them. Cause if he had," she pointed the fingers of her free hand to her chest, "I certainly wouldn't be here talking with ya."

The woman took a long drag, before puffing the smoke out of her nose. "So, for your sake, you better consider your next words reeeal hard kiddo." the scowling woman warned in a patient tone. "Cause your accusing one of the great noble families of seditious conspiracy, after I already told ya hubby didn't sense jack shit."

'Well, now what?' Ichigo asked himself, thinking over his options at this impasse. As much as he didn't want to threaten her or use force, he didn't see any alternative at this point. That was his only trump card here. His strength exceeded hers, and if he didn't remain civil, she couldn't stop him if he tried. Still, he tried to negotiate without it putting him at a disadvantage. Now that she escalated by digging her heels in, it was either relent or overwhelm her.

And with Senna and Cirucci's lives hanging in the balance, civility had to take a back seat.

He took a slow deep breath to prepare himself, he knew what he had to do.

Just as he was about to reach for Zangetsu and threaten her a sword point, a voice called out from behind the pair. "Seki Seki rock will do that, I would know."

Looking back, the pair saw Kisuke Urahara in the door frame, hand clinging to his bucket hat, as he walked into the room. "They aren't in a place you can sense normally." he then leveled his gaze at her as she maintained an indifferent look. "You can tell him the truth. He's not here on Soul Societies' behalf."

Shiba's eyes flickered over them, mentally weighing things. 'If Kisuke's here...' the woman clicked her tongue, before taking another huff, silently grumbling to herself over being caught. "How'd you figure it out?" she asked lowly.

"You're the only person that lives outside the walls of Seireitei *and* knows Senna." Kisuke lightly leaned back in gesture to the door behind him. "Outside of family, Shinigami don't associate with Rukongai residents, let alone an heiress of a fallen clan. I think it's safe to say: the only people that could piece together your connection are those that directly assisted in the 'Kurosaki rebellion'." he then started pointing his finger at people, "You, me, Ichigo, Yoruichi, Soifon and the late Taiga and Kujo."

"And, even we didn't put it together without Kisuke's help," admitted Ichigo, posture easing now that he had some kind leverage in this situation, "so I doubt Kuchiki would have been able to make the connection." the young man nudged his head toward the silent noble, "That's why he bought your story." he waved his hand lazily in front of him. "His understanding in how you helped us is like a fuzzy picture. He has the general concept of what happened, but specifics, like Senna, don't register."

The man then slowed his wave to a halt and pointed directly at her. "He doesn't see how or why you could be an accomplice because he doesn't see your connection. He couldn't. To him and the rest of the Shinigami, she's a former human that only knows us and you're just a random one in a million Rukongai resident." he cut his finger across the air, "Two completely unrelated people. It's the perfect crime."

The woman pulled her pipe from her lips and snuffed out the fire. She knew when to admit defeat and fold. "Were you followed?"

"Only one that followed him was me." Kisuke clarified, much to Shiba's relief. "I only got the tip the Arrancar might still be here after speaking to Soifon-chan, once she was done interrogating Senna." he paused for a second before adding, "Poor girl was in tears last I saw her."

"..." Ichigo expression darkened.

"I see…fuck…" the conflicted woman turned towards a hallway leading further into the building, and shouted, "Shiroganehiko, Koganehiko, watch the front and don't let anyone in!" she looked back to the men, knowing time was short, resolve hardened across her face. "Follow me."

Following the voluptuous woman out of the main complex, they went to the eponymous Flower Crane Cannon. Once they were outside the silo door, the prosthetic armed woman moved her wooden arm in a circular motion, as she channeled her spiritual energy through it. Splaying her fingers, the tips glowed as she touched the edge of the circle she drew, pulling her fist up as the fingers returned to the center, before slamming the wooden knuckle into the floor.

Before their eyes, the first step into the silo fell down with a loud clunk, followed by another groan and then another continuing in sequence until a downward spiraling staircase was visible.

"It goes underground…?" Ichigo whispered in awed.

"Clever." Kisuke chimed, impressed by that feature.

Closing his mouth, Ichigo shook his head, "No way I woulda found them..."

"In the land of dead, who looks for buried people?" Kisuke replied, "No one looks for a basement with no stairs."

"Each of our Rukongai estates has a corresponding flower crane cannon with a connecting service tunnel." the Shiban leader explained, "It was made to not only prime the cannons but also serve as an emergency entrance or exit to the facility in case the estates were overrun by Hollows."

'So the homes were built to be temporary refuges...' Thought Ichigo, 'Makes sense why they have all those unique welcome banners. It's signals which one's in use.'

"And I'm guessing the cannon's gold hue is Seki Seki rock."

"Clan secret." the woman replied, all but confirming it, as she entered the room. "Follow me."

Descending the staircase, the trio plunged the depth of the amber-hued silo, each step that brought them closer to the bottom made it just a little bit easier to hear the sound of voices. Peeking over the side of the walkway, Ichigo saw them, the escaped fugitives. As they approached, the voices silenced, apparently taking notice of their presence.

Reaching the end, Kukaku stretched her hand towards the group, as she looked at the pair of reapers. "Here they are."

As Ichigo's eyes took in the assortment of individuals, the surviving high-ranking Espada and Fraccion, a busty tan woman in stolen special forces clothes stepped between her group and his. With the face mask pulled down, the remains of her Hollow mask's teeth were visible across her mouth. The yellow-haired woman's icy eyes narrowed threateningly; the man returned the look with a grunt.

"Wait." A gruff female voice called out from the back. "I know you." Breaking the standoff, the man and woman looked back to the lioness Tres beast, pointing her finger at him with a genuinely surprised look on her face. "You're that guy."

The long straight-haired woman beside the pointing black woman, looked to-and-fro for a moment, before squinting her eyes, as she tried to recall his face. "Ichigo-sama, right?" the pink eyed woman spoke after a moment. Raising a sleeve covered arm to her mouth, she looked to Mila-Rose for confirmation. "The one Aizen-sama told us about?"

"Explain." Harribel demanded of the ones behind her, icy blues refusing to stray from the aforementioned 'Ichigo'. Though the command carried a forceful tone, it was evident she was speaking less from a position of cool assertiveness and more cornered frantic desperation.

It was the mismatch eye-colored Arrancar with blue hair that spoke next, "Before the invasion of home." she answered her Espada with atypical calmness. "After rejecting the offer, he...let us go, Harribel-sama." she glanced cautiously at him, hopeful, before turning back to her leader. "He let us live."

Breaking his gaze, Ichigo peered at the women behind him and saw a brief flash of them standing in Karakura night sky. "Yeah, I remember you." he confirmed, looking back at their blonde leader. "You're the ones Aizen sent when he asked me to join him."

Kisuke's head immediately shot to Ichigo, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. When he heard the affirming "Si." from one of the women register in his ear, he felt his hands shake ever so slightly.

"Oh god..." the pale man muttered nauseously, desperately wanting somewhere to sit down and catch his breath, ready to yak over that terrifying possibility genuinely being on the table.

Though from Kisuke's terror, came Harribel's repose, as the fear and hopelessness she felt began to subside. "Oh." Her posture and mien eased, "That was you?" she asked. When she saw him quietly nod, she bowed graciously, strands of hair swaying.

"Thank-you." the woman said, appreciative of his magnanimous treatment of her subordinates; his -technically then- enemy. Straightening back up, she leveled a more cooperative look, "Are you here to help us like Senna?" she asked in a hopeful tone.

Ichigo felt a pang at the mention of Senna, his already thin frown deepening, as his eyes slipped away from hers. Seeing his reaction, Harribel's frown returned. "No, then." she dimly noted.

"It's complicated." He admitted with a sigh. 'Then again, when isn't it?' he thought to himself grimly. "Senna and Cirucci were captured a few hours ago." the young man explained the situation to them. "Right now, they're being interrogated and tortured for information."

'They didn't make it...' thought Harribel, remembering the pair's departure, spurred by the Shinigami's overexertion in getting them to safety.

"I found my way here due to a lead." stopping after hearing how that sounded, he shook his hand dismissively. "It was unrelated to them. They didn't betray you." he half-lied to not sour relations.

The last thing he wanted was for them to think Senna's goodwill wasn't genuine.

"What were you hoping to find?" Tia inquired, quietly crossing her arms over her chest.

"A straggler or two that hadn't left yet." He replied honestly, laying his cards on the table. "I was hoping that maybe I could convince them to return with me...and save her life."

"You were hoping one of us could take the blame for the escape attempt." Stark stated matter-of-factly, reading between the lines. "If we said something like: we used our Hollow powers to hypnotize her, she's off the hook, right?"

Ichigo nodded, glad to see someone understood what he was going for. The Shinigami understandably feared them because while they didn't know the extent or nature of their powers, they got a taste of its destructive capability. He was gonna use that ignorance to his advantage and with a little luck get the execution canceled.

"Yeah, even if it sounds convenient or too good to be true, you can't really argue against it, when someone is standing there willing to admit that's what happened." The man saw a few of them nod along to his words, seeing the logic behind it. "I could have then said that I killed the rest of you or that you weren't present." he shrugged uncaringly, "Which ever was more prudent."

"So, the others would still have been allowed to leave." Tia surmised his plan. When he nodded, she closed her eyes and gave it some thought. She could certainly empathize with the man's plight and the chains of commanding; and to be honest, this was the first time she'd ever considered taking a third person perspective of the would-be sacrifice's affected loved ones.

She knew sacrifice is what allowed things to matter and gave meaning to things. But it was usually interpersonal; her to her sacrificial recipient, the willingness to die for her fraccion, or, her being the recipient of a sacrifice, her fraccion reciprocating the sentiment.

It had never had an extrapersonal dimension to it before.

This man wasn't asking her to reject or be unappreciative of the intention, but to simply not accept the action any further; to return Senna's good will and life back with theirs. While it was a selfish request, the appeal to her laid in building on the previous acceptance and using their newfound position to consider a new possibility.

By now undoing the prior acceptance, reverting one's fate back to what it would have been, facing destined death and oblivion, it'd both save Senna's life and allow those already safe to keep living.

A sacrifice for a sacrifice.

One sacrificing their life for all.

For the greater good.

'He clearly cared about her...' she thought to herself; not that she blamed him. After a single encounter, she was willing to give second glances to the death gods.

Still, while not an unwelcome sensation, it was puzzling; it felt like he had told her to refuse an order from Aizen to lay her life down for the cause because her cause valued her life and rejected the antithetical action.

Sacrifice like mercy was wasted on those not worth saving and that was determined by the recipient of said sacrifice's choices. By rejecting, the death would be meaningless. That was their choice, as much the dying's choice to go.

Thinking back to the situation involving the recruitment mission; perhaps, that had been why she'd been so relieved when her fraccion returned and so angry with Aizen mobilizing them behind her back even though he had every right to as commander. They hadn't elected to voluntarily sacrifice themselves; they'd been ordered to; albeit inadvertently.

They didn't have a choice but to obey in that circumstance.

For the aggrieved, who had to continue living on after a self-sacrifice, it may have looked and felt like the suicide of a loved one. Which was why he was before them, Senna's recipients.

'What a pair of Shinigami. If only things could have been different...' The espada thought to herself appreciative to live long enough to see this encounter; she felt like she saw and understood sacrifice a little more fully now. "Any volunteers?" she asked aloud, glancing behind her with nonjudgmental eyes.

The young captain's eyes drifted over the ensemble. The men in the far back looked deflated and scared, the jaw of the young man with a tiger mask was chattering while the tall muscular man's face sank, incredulous, the blonde man with smooth mask stared vacantly into the air. The child-like lime green haired Arrancar's eyes as her mouth hung open, the brown-haired man next to her with the jaw-line fragments looked to her from behind, eyes hardening as thoughts raced through his mind.

Harribel's lips thinned also, contemplating things stoically, as her three Fraccion behind her casting anxious glances to each other, unsure of how they might handle the execution of their master's decision. The last girl, a blonde short haired Arrancar crossed her arms and frowned, eyes darting to the floor.

To his infinite shock and amazement, the fugitives, who narrowly escaped with their life's mere hours ago, were a little reluctant to take him up on his request and return the goodwill given to them by turning around and sacrificing themselves for a near total stranger's life.

Who would have fucking guessed?

"Can't." muttered Stark, as he looked up from his female counterpart back to the soul reaper, "I…I can't."

Ichigo nodded understandingly, as did Harribel. The man had someone dependent on him, he was her Zanpaktou; abandoning your own soul was unthinkable.

"Look, guy..." Ggio started with tears in his eyes, trying to act tough only for his friend and frontman Redder to place a hand on him. The smaller man broke into tears as he sank to the floor gripping the front of his hair tightly.

"We lost our bandmates... and our Espada." he said mournfully, thoughts drifting to Barragan and the others that had found him in that desert; that had welcomed him and so many others to the cause of restored humanity. "Our family is..." he trailed off, unwilling to say the word gone.

"If we die," Spoke Findorr, sparing a glance his way as he tried to articulate his thoughts, "their memories die with us." Findorr shook his head shamefully, "... you ask too much...Amigo."

Although he felt a rumble of displeasure in his throat, Kurosaki just gave a small tight nod. 'They aren't living for themselves...' he told himself, not that that made things easier.

"Ganju..." Glancing to where the words originated, he saw Kukaku gazing at the men with a distant look. The man's words deeply affecting Senna's collaborator.

"..." the mocha leader observed the situation of two minds. She felt a tinge of shame at having asked for volunteers, even if it had mostly been absentmindedly. But she did also feel a warmth inside at having been able to witness so many understand the value of sacrifice. It helped strength the resolve that had building for a while now.

She knew what she had-No, what she wanted to do.

"I'll accompany you." The mocha woman broke the silence.

"Then-" a choir of voice started, but stopped when Harribel flew up, hovering just above her shoulders. "Alone." Tia stated with utter finality, not even sparing a glance, when her Fraccion attempted to speak up.

Turning in the opposite direction, the woman looked behind her to Stark, the strongest and most tactical of the survivors. "You'll oversee the others."

"I understand." Coyote replied, knowing her requesting tone was a formality.

"I'll go too." Spoke up Menoly, much to everyone's surprise considering her bad blood and misgiving over the two captives. While it was evident by her body language, she was clearly feeling quite complicated feelings over the dilemma, her voice and eyes were much more resilient.

"I…need to set things right…with Senna and Cirucci-san." the blonde woman closed her eyes and exhaled resignedly, "I…owe them my life." opening her eyes, she looked at Harribel remorsefully. "I really do."

The woman observed her and could see this wasn't coming from a death drive; a desire to be reunited with Menoly or Aizen. She wanted to live, but something else was moving her.

Something sincere.

"...okay." the woman allowed, knowing her words wouldn't have mattered either way.

A sense of relief seeped into Ichigo's body. "Thank-you." The young captain replied, grateful for their moral fortitude in the face of adversity and even death.

"As touching as the sentiment is, I'm afraid I can't advise that." Kisuke uttered grimly, breaking up the tender moment. When all turned their attention to him, the man sighed, knowing he'd have to break the bad news. "Given the circumstances, as noble as what you're offering to do is: it'll just be wasted in vain. Forgetting Soul Societies' poor track record, human nature is bent towards self-interest. For better *and* for worse."

Ichigo's frown deepened, "What do you mean exactly, Kisuke?"

Kisuke raised his fist to shoulder level and then pulled his thumb away. "Humanities first inclination is to try and understand things for self-interest, but fear of the unknown will also push them to destroy things out of sense of self-preservation (1)." the man explained, before shooting his pointer forward. "What can't be understood is denied and destroyed."

Next came the middle. "And once something is understood, if it can't be harnessed and controlled, it will be callously discarded." he then brought the 3 extended fingers together, swiped away from his neck. "But if people aren't inclined to try to understand, they'll just destroy it outright even if it's actually the worst thing they could do." and then back and forth, in a cut-it motion. "A good parent is gonna destroy any chance at their kid going off to dance in the woods in the middle of the night. We'd call it sensible because it's understandable."

"So, Society will destroy people?" Ichigo asked flicking his fingers in the Arrancar's direction. "Just because they can't be controlled like a TV remote?"

Kisuke nodded in agreement. "In a nutshell. It's an instinctual fear-based response. Or can you name a human civilization that wouldn't react in a 'shoot first, ask questions later' manner; if, say, on every street corner in a country a monstrous looking Hollow appeared overnight?"

"..." he didn't have to imagine. It's why they separated the Arrancar into different sections. A prison break that flooded the Seireitei streets with Arrancar would be a hell of a morning greeting after a late night of report filing. Normal people seeing it would likely think it an alien invasion from another world.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." the shopkeeper chirped, sensing his train of thought. Rotating his wrist, he kept two of his fingers held up. "The need for control is a biological imperative for survival, so it can cut two ways." he lowered one, so his pointer remained. "Believing that you have control over yourself or believing that what you're doing actually matters and has an effect on the outcome of things is essential for an individual's wellbeing. It gives a sense of psychological safety and reassurance." he pointed to himself, "In the scientific community like the twelfth, we'd say it's a psychological and biological necessity."

He then pointed to everyone else. "In laymen terms: It's self-efficacy. It's 'believing in the you that believes in yourself' to quote Kazuki Nakashima (2)." he then raised back up middle finger. "But if you believe everything you do doesn't matter in the slightest: you'll fall into a state called 'learned helplessness'. Whiiiich, is just as bad for healthy development, as exploiting everything around you. You become overly controlling because of your need for control."

"I see."

"That's why I said: Human nature is bent towards self-interest for better and for worse." the older gentleman reiterated to his colleague. "Self-interest includes self-preservation, Ichigo-kun; kinda hard to fault people for that. That's why it's hard to judge whether it's good or not. Doesn't matter if it's an individual or group, what matters is: does their current priority align in service with their actual duties and founding reason-their raison d'être."

The man pointed back up to the top of the shaft, where the surface and Soul Society was. "In order to preserve themselves or their lifestyles, how many times do you think people have killed?" he genuinely asked the man, as his eyes wandered upward. "And I don't mean in mutual combat on the battlefield, but in other affairs." he added for clarification, "Sacrificed the lives of other people against their will?"

Ichigo remained silent to his words, slightly reminded of the question Aizen had asked Senna, regarding the blood spilt for her and how only violence could save the world. It was a similar, but different question and likely just as important. Taking his silence to continue, the inventor decided to give him a more corporeal example.

"You're part of the Onimitsukido. You make sure Shinigami follow the rules." he pointed out to which Ichigo nodded, since it was obviously true. "So, imagine this. You are a regular old police officer in the human world. You also make sure people follow the rules, but you have no special powers whatsoever. You're just like everyone else."

Ichigo nodded again still following along.

"One day, a mob of people, that you know to be violent or use violence to get their way, approaches you. They tell you to arrest someone, who is inside their home with a weapon."

Kisuke pointed off handedly in a random direction. Ichigo's eyes followed momentarily, before returning to Urahara, putting himself in the situation the man was describing. In his mind's eye, he saw himself in uniform stepping out of his vehicle and immediately eyeing a mob of people in all black carrying weapons and shields, standing between him and a nearby home. The tension in the air was palpable and he felt his heart thumping in his chest.

"The person's home is surrounded by the mob and through a window you see the occupant pointing their weapon at the mob. As far as you can see that person with a weapon has done nothing wrong; they haven't broken a law and haven't hurt any of the people outside. When you ask why, the mob says:" Urahara leaned closer and softly spoke, "because we want that person arrested, and we'll riot if you don't."

Hearing the words, Ichigo felt like his back was against the wall. Surrounded and outnumbered, there was no way to stall for time and nowhere to run away, and even if he could, he'd be leaving that person to the whims of the mob. Things were dire.

It was do or die. Bend the knee and comply or fall.

When Ichigo nodded to indicate he was following along, Urahara continued, hold his hands parallel in front of him "So: You have a choice before you: Option A and option B." he said, shaking the respective hand. "Option A." He shook the right hand. "You can choose the moral decision by living up to your word and faithfully performing the duty you undertook. You can attempt to protect the innocent and try to arrest the mob that are trying to persecute this innocent person."

In his mind's eye, Ichigo saw himself standing before the large crowd of nondescript black clad individuals similar to the Onimitsukido. Steeling himself for a fight, he shook his head and braced himself to engage, adrenaline pumping in his veins as he reached for his weapon.

"But you're outnumbered, and they'll likely hurt if not kill you. Then, once you're out of their way, riot; endangering others that you are sworn to protect. You die all for trying to do your duty and protect the peace by stopping people that use violence whenever they want to get what they want."

Ichigo winced, as he saw the version of him fighting for his life getting the side of his head smacked with a steel club. The human version of himself staggered forward, before getting knocked clean off his feet by a punch from one of the rioters. As the man's form was swallowed up by the group, he heard the rising sound of thumping as the men in black mercilessly stomped on him, while others in the crowd began to smash the windows of the nearby building. His vision of the scene dissolved into darkness and screams.

"OR, option B." Urahara wagged his left hand, "You can choose the expedient option by submitting to their will. You bend the knee and appease the mob by arrest the individual in their home, even though they've done no wrong as far you can tell."

Resetting the scenario in his mind, Ichigo saw himself swallow the lump in his throat, before nodding his head. Pleased by his choice the crowd parted, allowing him to walk up to the door unimpeded. As he trekked up to the door, he felt the eyes of the mob on him as he reached for his hand cuffs and pulled them out, before glancing to the knob. With a gentle turn, he pushed the door open, and his eyes came face to face with Shaolin, standing a few feet away in frantic panic, her tanto held in a shaky grip.

"Ichigo…" the woman breathed, momentarily relieved, until she saw the pair of metal cuffs in his hand. As the realization of what was happening began to sink in, she shook her head in disbelief. "You betrayed me…why?"

The man took a quick breath to focus himself on the task at hand, before walking over and placing the hand cuffs over her wrists. As the blade fell out of her hands feebly, Shaolin eyed him hurtfully one last time, before exhaling slowly and looking away, her fighting spirit crushed. The pair walked out of the house in stony silence amidst cheers and jeers of the victorious mob.

"It's moral cowardice, but you're still alive. At least as long as you obey."

Ichigo winced as he saw the version of himself lead his wife to the jail cell, the eyes of the mob still on him to make sure no funny business happened. Entering the cell, the woman kept walking all the way to the back, before sitting down, back still turned to him, as she stared at the dark concrete wall, awaiting whatever fate the masses decided for her. When the door to the cell swung closed, bars latching securely into place, the crowd erupted into cheers over his compliance, while Ichigo quietly touched his forehead against the metal bars.

Staring at the arrested and betrayed woman, he felt the words of his self-reassurance rising to his throat, words of 'he'd done the right thing', 'he had saved their lives', or 'there wasn't anything he could do', but they didn't come out.

He knew they were just excuses to excuse his participation and evade responsibility for what he did. A desire for plausible deniability to protect himself from his own actions.

Sighing, all he could do was hope that this indescribably horrid feeling he felt whenever he gazed at her bare back would eventually pass in time. Hopefully, before the silently crying woman's heart closed to the world once again.

With the options clearly stated, he presented his point. "If you had to a guess a number from zero to a hundred, how many people do you think would choose to arrest the lone individual over the group?" When Ichigo shook his head silently, unable to fathom an answer, Kisuke nodded knowingly.

"Humans never know when they might die; so, they have to constantly contend with this conundrum between morality vs mortality. Is it better to take the prudent action, which means hard and uncomfortable things now, in the hopes of having better overall outcomes later? Outcomes that you may not even live to see the payoff of, IF they even had any. OR is it better to take the expedient action? Do things that you can directly benefit from now, and may not have to see or deal with the negative consequences of your short-term gain?"

The man shrugged, though he could see the others in the room were giving it thought too. "Although, given the unethically perilous nature of the example, it might be difficult to say what you should do one way or the other. So how about a less immediately life-threatening example?" he offered, before looking towards Stark momentarily; the man who'd already demonstrated his point.

"When the chips are down, how many people give a damn about doing the moral thing over protecting a loved one? Would you let a stranger die, if it meant your loved ones would be safe?

"…" As Ichigo's thoughts drifted away from Senna, who may have also been faced with such a choice, he considered Kisuke's words and could tell that there was some truth to them...a lot of it in fact.

Not just in that Arrancar, but in himself.

"Protecting my loved ones…" he said slowly, taking care to convey what he really meant. "And doing the right thing aren't mutually exclusive." Ichigo shook his head neutrally, "Right now, she's not in danger because people failed in understanding, it's because they didn't want to try. Because doing the right thing is hard and giving into fear is easy. You only shouldn't try when something's irredeemable."

Kisuke's eyes studied the man reading the confliction and dissonance in his body language. As he moved to say something, he stopped himself, mouth closing slightly as he reconsidered his words. After taking a moment, instead of the more serious expression initially taken, he smiled foppishly. "Fortunately, in your case, yes."

Just as Ichigo was going to breathe easier, the smile disappeared, "Unfortunately, everyone else in Soul Society sees it how I just described it."

The man waved his hand dismissively. "People don't have to understand if they don't want to. Whose gonna risk the community and its foundation, for someone they don't know or don't believe belongs?" he rolled his eyes, "Why would they?"

Ichigo's gaze fell to the floor, "The only sacrifices that mean anything are the things you choose to give up." The man threw his hand up defeatedly, as Harribel seemed sympathetic to his frustrations and words. "Seriously. I put my life on the line every day because it needs to be done. I give up my time and energy as a Shinigami because it's the right thing to do. I don't expect a thanks. I know it's a thankless fucking job, but I still try!"

The man let out a heavy sigh as he tried to reign in his anger and annoyance. "People are counting on me!" he said firmly from the depths of his heart. "Innocent people always suffer when you shirk your duty. That's why I just don't get it!" he spat, getting worked up once again. "What's the point in sacrificing anything when you don't want to!? Especially someone's life. We jus-"

"Just fought Sosuke Aizen over the very same idea?" Kisuke aptly finished for him. "Of the inherent evil and vanity in sacrificing innocent people to achieve your goal?"

"Yeah." he agreed with a slow nod. "Some things are bigger than our lives...or are wants." He looked to the Arrancar, who joined Aizen to regain their humanity according to Cirucci. They seemed to have been shaken at the thought now crossing their minds. "What you do...The way you do things is more important than any result. You don't give or take what isn't yours."

Kisuke eyed the faces of the group, doubt and confliction evident on their faces. "You are right about one thing, Ichigo." The man said, turning back to the young captain. "And it's that: a society is made great when people plant trees knowing they'll never get to enjoy its shade for themselves. They give up a piece of themselves for another; their tears, blood, dreams and bodies becoming the nourishment for that tree in hopes of easing the hardships for the next generation. That's the kind of sacrifice you make when you fight; a true soldier fights not because he hates what's in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."

"Mhm."

"But the price is eternal vigilance; relax too long in the shade of a great society, thinking someone else will take on the duty of protecting and contributing to it while you bask, and the planted tree will wither from both starvation and bugs eating away at it until no tree-no shade is left for anyone."

As Ichigo and the Arrancars turned an introspective gaze at their respective reasons for doing what they've done so far, Kisuke continued speaking, eyeing them all closely. "A society only maintains its greatness by being nurtured and caretaken by each successive generation; and, while everyone is pointing fingers, not accepting their share of the blame for the tree's death, the once great society and the sacrifices of the ancestors die with it. A noble sacrifice undone by the self-absorbed."

The ex-fugitive shook his head defeatedly. "And that's why I ask: after what you've seen, do you think people even care about doing the right thing when it's inconvenient or to their detriment like it is now? Cause I don't think it's an issue of your willingness, I think it's an issue of other's unwillingness to give up their comforts and face harsh reality."

"I don't know…" Ichigo looked up to Kisuke, meeting his gaze fiercely, "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try, Kisuke."

Kisuke chuckled to himself, "I know." He turned around and started walking back up the spiral stairwell. "That's why I'm going to try too!"

"Do you have a plan?" he asked hopefully.

The man stopped and cocked his head whimsically, "Gonna try my best lawyer impression." he admitted, "Once I started piecing together who did it, I started thinking about Senna's motivations and how to run damage control. Just in case things went south and she got caught, like she did."

"If there is anything, we can do to help," interrupted Harribel, stepping closer to the pair. "*Anything* at all, please let us know." she offered.

Kisuke leveled her a half-heartedly look, "Given the nature of Soul Societies' Judicial system, any surrendering on your part is just going to be used as further proof of Senna's guilt. All you'll do is expedite her sentencing and your execution." The man then casually waved her off, so she wouldn't feel guilty for her impotence in the situation. "But the offer alone is appreciation enough."

"Then is there anything we can do symbolically?" asked Stark, earning an appreciative glance from Harribel.

The man nodded solemnly, "By making choices that prove Senna was right for helping you."

The man tapped his knuckle against the cannon walls, "Prudent decisions make better worlds for everyone, expedient ones take advantage of those better worlds for yourself. So, wherever the hell you land next; instead of making whatever lives there miserable with your powers, try helping them out and build a better community.

He then pointed at his stomach, to help illustrate what he meant. "Cirucci survived on normal food like a Shinigami; I don't know if you can too, but if your choices are starving to death or eating a fellow human, then make the hard choice. Be willing to suffer and die."

"We can all eat normal food, but we understand what you're saying." Said Harribel, earnestly agreeing with the man's sentiment. After all, she'd gladly give her life for her people. And now, she was appreciative to see it included some of the Shinigami too.

Glad to know that he was understood, the older captain nudged his head to the ascending staircase. "Let's go, Ichigo."

The young captain nodded, but before departing, he turned to the fugitive group. "Go in peace." he said, extending his hand towards Harribel.

The blonde woman clasped the hand gingerly, "You honor us." She then kneeled down and bowed her head, "You and Senna-sama have our eternal gratitude. God bless you and good luck."

"Thank you."

As the man stepped away on to the stairs, it began to rise once again, to conceal its hidden underbelly. As Kukaku and the group disappeared under the rising floor, his eyes went up to the emerging form of Urahara. "So, what's the plan?" he asked as the floor locked back into place.

The man held up one finger in the air, "I got one defense." He said simply, "And it's a long shot. Entrapment (3)."

Ichigo eye's squinted as he tilted his head slightly, "En…trapment?"

The other man nodded, "It's a legal term. Basically, the government can't organize a crime, give someone the idea to commit a crime, and then prosecute that person when they do the ensuing crime."

Ichigo shook his head, "So what's the ensuing crime entrapping Senna?"

"Passive complicity in a Miscarriage of justice."

'Miscarriage of justice?' The man's brow shot up, "That's a crime...? I thought it was just a phrase meaning something wrong or screwed up happened."

Urahara winced skittishly, "It's not a crime in and of itself. But being knowingly complicit in its perpetration *is*. That's one of the reasons why the legal world is hell, and you should always ask for your lawyer to be present first before anything happens." Kisuke answered casually, "You never know what crimes you might unknowingly be committing without meaning to in that world."

"So, what does 'Miscarriage of Justice' actually mean?"

"It means judgment that is unjust, unfair, or improper, emphasis on the last part. Passively complicit in a miscarriage of justice means passively failing to act when aware of potential issues that could result in a miscarriage of justice."

"Okay...?"

Seeing that he was losing him, Urahara decided to take a more direct laying out of the pieces. "In short, Soul Society committed a miscarriage of justice against the Arrancar, by using Central-46 to circumvent the captain vote and throwing them in jail and setting them for execution without trial, entrapping Senna to either be complicit in that miscarriage of justice or to disobey, defy and rectify the injustice perpetuated by the law and society in the way that she reasonably could."

"I see why it's a longshot." Ichigo admitted, lips thinning at the idea of getting Society to admit it may have screwed up. "How are you gonna make it work?"

"It leans a bit on Senna's origin in the human world." He caveated, "During the 1940's, the world was at war, people were fighting and killing each other on land, sea, and air. Many people died, especially in Japan."

Ichigo nodded, recalling hearing a lesson like that in his history class. "Yeah, when I was in Shino academy, it said there was a large influx of souls, but it didn't mention why specifically."

"I was barely setting up shop in Karakura town when I heard about the bombs that were dropped a few years prior on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I first arrived during the occupation and reconstruction period of Japan in the 1950's, so no one asked questions when a shady blonde guy set up shop."

"But Senna wasn't born in the 40's or 50's." Ichigo pointed out, not seeing the connection. "We were born barely 20 years ago."

The man nodded in agreement. "True, but the lessons of the past learned in the present paves the road for the future. The Japan Senna grew up in today was influenced by some of the ideals of the occupying nation from the past. It led to a cultural exchange in a way."

"So, you're saying: that some of these ideals may have inspired her to act the way she did?" the man summarized with a grimace, he really didn't like their chances. "That's the defense?"

"Not act. Compelled." Kisuke corrected, knowing full well the powerful difference between doing 'what you think is right' and 'what you're told is right'. "Two leaders of the occupying nation come to mind in helping with our defense. Thomas Jefferson, a prior military leader of the occupying nation, the Sotaichō, if you would, and Martin Luther King jr, a cultural leader and civil right activist that championed equality under the law and not special treatment for your immutable characteristics, like race or biological gender."

Kisuke pushed himself off the wall. "Mr. Jefferson lived in a time where he and his fellow citizen's rights enshrined in law were being repressed by the government. So, it's pretty easy to see, especially, after they became violent, when words and letters failed to make the government stop, why people believe he said: 'That when Tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty'."

"I see."

"He didn't by the way." Kisuke bluntly informed.

"What!?" the man balked at that little truth bomb.

Kisuke smiled at how he caught the man off guard, by the seemingly grandiose introduction to the man. "It's apocryphal, Ichigo-kun, but it aligned with his views. For him, your rights aren't determined by some man-made entity, like the government, they are innate to you, like your thoughts. Your rights were gifted to you by your creator, God, in his case, and no man, not even a king, is above god, nor should they be."

He then shrugged before stating the obvious outcome. "That's why he and his people rebelled. They wouldn't be beholden to any individual man or organized group that didn't treat them fairly by the laws of man or tried to usurp what was undeniably self-evident and self-executing. Objective truth and reality aren't determined by man's perceptions of it; man's perception is like a mirror in darkness, when it faces the spotlight of Truth, all things are revealed to it and the reality reflected outward. But when either the light or the mirror moves, readjustment is required, otherwise you get a incomplete false reflection or complete darkness."

Ichigo thought back to the situation Aizen caused in Soul Society, where the master illusionist signed Rukia and his death warrants by making everyone believe they betrayed Soul Society by organizing a rebellion against it. While he knew Soul Societies' actions weren't intentionally malicious, it didn't change the fact that he wasn't given any kind of fair hearing, before being mercilessly hounded by captain class Shinigami, and that the seemingly faint possibility of his innocence wouldn't have deterred it's persecution of him.

And while he was vindicated of wrongdoing and able to return home, he knew that despite fighting tooth and nail for the truth, it was still a painfully obvious fact: That if he hadn't been as insanely lucky as he had, getting stranded near and stumbling into captain level back up during his tour of duty in the human world, he would still be an exiled criminal, just like Kisuke and Yoruichi.

And that wasn't getting into the fact that it took the lives of Hanataro, Ganju and countless others innocent people just to right the wrong caused by a lie.

A truly hollow victory.

Noticing the silence, Kisuke redundantly asked, "Hits close to home?"

Ichigo nodded mechanically, "It's why I'm trying to work within the law for the Arrancar. So, we don't have to have another war." The young reaper sighed, "So less innocent people die and those that had wouldn't be in vain."

Kisuke nodded tiredly, "I hear you kid. Obviously, the best solution is to talk things out and try to assimilate the differences gradually. Unfortunately, wars occur when two sides insist their way is right and refuse to listen to the other or back down on their beliefs. At its core: conflict isn't about right and wrong, moral and immoral, justified or unjustified, it's about incompatibility; the unavoidable irreconcilable differences between things. After all, when both want to live: how does a hungry spider and a fly struggling in its web reach a compromise? It's the same between humans."

The man gestured to Ichigo, with the flick of his hand. "Your wife, Soifon-chan." Ichigo's eyes hardened, as he focused on Kisuke's words. "Would you fight Soul Society for her?"

'Yes.' Ichigo's answer instantly flickered across his eyes.

"How about the entire world?" he posed to him, watching his hand reflexively clench.

Though Ichigo remained silent, he could practically feel the answer rising in his throat trying to make its existence known.

"Better yet, how about this question:" he continued, pointing at him firmly. "In your heart of hearts, do you believe that the Soul King, God himself, has created an enemy that you wouldn't face in order to keep her safe?"

"No." he replied resolutely. "He hasn't."

"And THAT right there is your irreconcilable difference!" he exclaimed jamming his finger towards him. "The primal human urge of individuation; that epiphanic pulse everyone unconsciously and intuitively feels from time to time but struggles to integrate into conscious understanding and wholeness."

Urahara brought his hands together and then separated them dismissively. "'Doesn't matter how, doesn't matter why,' the impulse of humanity screams. 'All that matters is right or wrong you will defend it because you believe it to be a good cause worth living in service to and even dying to protect.'"

The man shook his head vigorously. "It's no different to how people will instinctually move to defend children from danger. Whether it's an oncoming train, a stalking lion, a tsunami, or a child-grooming pedophile, if given the choice, people will come to the realization that they are willing to fight and die to protect something morally good and right. They just needed a baby step to see it in themselves and understand what it is."

"Whiiich," the man extended his words, as he wagged his fingers, "brings me to Martin Luther King jr. Given his coming over a century later, and his religious upbringing, he most likely built off Jefferson's apocryphal, when he said: 'One has not only a legal, but moral responsibility to obey just laws. But one also has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.'"

"That first part" Ichigo muttered pensively, "makes me think a nobleman like Kuchiki would have said that."

"Yeah, he'd probably say something along those lines." Kisuke agreed with a snort, "Which is good for us, since we want our approach to be receptive to the listeners. Ya can't outright reject what you personally agree with."

Ichigo leaned back, staring off into space. "When you put it like that, I can see why you said, 'she was compelled' now."

"Whether Human or Shinigami, laws are just rules that promote a value-based orthodoxy. They have rationales behind them designed to keep people safe enough to facilitate growth and propagation of ideas. The strong protect the weak, so the weak may become strong themselves." Kisuke explained, "A society that throws people to the wolves at birth or freely allows the ending of lives is doomed to fail, you know."

The man then threw a hand up defeatedly. "But sometimes those rationales are no longer applicable. Times change, dangers change, people change. Like any answer to a problem, context matters. Sometimes, rules or laws must get re-evaluated, and, if necessary, retired when they're no longer applicable. Just the same, sometimes traditions, rules and laws continue to exist for a good reason, like stopping a previously resolved problem from returning."

The man jutted his thumb to the door, "It used to be that you had to come from a noble family to be a Shinigami. I remember those day, Yoruichi helped me out. Then when people like Zaraki, Unohana, Kujo, and Taiga came along, people like your mom, Yo-chan, and Soifon-chan broke the law because it was long overdue to be re-evaluated."

"By disobeying?"

Kisuke nodded, "Whether it was because they thought it was unjust or just plain stupid, they didn't comply and made their reasons known." he then tapped the side of his head, "Think about it: Would you follow an order, that you thought was stupid or didn't understand, when it's issued by an unaccountable entity, that doesn't even bother explaining to you why something should be done a certain way, other than because tradition or progression says so?"

Ichigo silently nodded along, already knowing his answer. "You can expect to get treated unsympathetically for breaking the law, but that doesn't automatically disqualify the merit of your cause and render it moot. In fact, Martin Luther King also said: 'An individual who break a law because their conscious is telling them it's unjust and is willing to accept the consequences of it in order to make their community aware of the injustices of the law is in fact expressing the highest respect for the law'."

"Because they show the law for what it is?"

"Yup. Once written down it becomes textualized, losing author's intent overtime. Textualism plainly shows what was written and from there the natural conclusion from the way it was written."

"And then from there...you can see what needs to be adjusted. Regaining the context, to create a better-more just society."

The inventive captain snapped his fingers and pointed at the young captain. "That's right. And, seeing as it's not only got you and me, but even the Arrancar down there willing to do what they can too, there's got to be some truth to it."

"But do you really think Soul Society will buy that something like that influenced her?"

Kisuke smiled knowingly, "Well, I'd like to think my human world experience will help leverage the idea."

Ichigo quirked a brow, "How so?"

"Like I said, I lived in the human world around the tail end of the United States' occupation of Japan. The U.S. was helping Japan rebuild from the aftermath of the atomic bombs that the U.S. dropped on them during the preceding World War. I'd have stuck out like a sore thumb back then if I was the only blonde person in Japan. It was during reconstruction that I made enough wealth to move incognito to Karakura town and set up shop. Of course, I had to fake my death, so no one would think it strange that I never aged."

'"Why fake your death'? Couldn't you just change your name to that fake name, Keisuke?"

"Because taxation exists, and taxation is essentially just: the practice of circuitous theft through mob or individual rule of another, with the justification of it being 'for the public good' even though you didn't get a say on the decision." He answered bluntly, while Ichigo nearly toppled over at that answer.

"I think a person should keep what they've earned. And, between my services as an all-powerful Shinigami fighting on Humanity's behalf, assuming nearly all the financial risk in establishing a successful commerce to revitalize a war-torn country, and being a pillar of my community by supporting everyone around me, especially after Aizen and Soul Society fucked me over, I think I'm responsible enough to determine where my money goes; instead of, giving it to people who've historically irresponsibly abused their power and public trust to enrich themselves."

"I mean…" Ichigo sweat dropped, while it was a little ego-centric, it wasn't totally wrong. "I suppose?"

"All I'm saying is you can sleep peacefully tonight knowing part of your paycheck is going to the prosecuting of innocent people, like Senna-chan, just as much as it's going to maintaining the road."

"..." The hero of Soul Society closed his eyes defeatedly, "Okay, I see your point."

The Shoten merchant smiled mischievously, as he turned away, "Truth be told, if people were a little more honest with themselves and others, a lot of tragedies would be avoided, but they'd rather shirk their responsibilities and duties on someone else than face the reality of their own failures and shortcomings." The man shrugged, eyes rolling in self-admittance. "Of course, we're all guilty of doing it, every now and again. It's just a matter of not doing it as much."

Ichigo thought of the Soul King for a moment before asking, "Is that because of free will?" he asked quietly, "Is the only solution to the issue to take it away?"

The man snapped his attention back to the young man. "Nooooo, you don't take it away." Seeing the startled expression, the scientist recomposed himself before clarifying, "For the most part, the right thing to do is the exact opposite. You give people more chances to use their agency and freedom, and hope that they take on more duties and responsibilities, shouldering the burden for others, until they find the strength to shoulder another's burden."

The man turned and pointed to Ichigo, "Do you remember your Shinigami oath?"

"Yes. To defend the souls of humanity from danger and guide them to their eternal rest. That no matter where people are in the world, from the nearest street corner to the darkest jungle, I will find them and save their souls."

"Got it verbatim. Now: how many Shinigami genuinely live up to that oath of selflessly serving others and not themselves? How many do it because it's the right thing to do and not because of the other perks that come with the job?"

"..." Ichigo shook his head slowly.

"I figured." The blonde man said with a tired nod, "The right choice is always making the hard decision and not taking the easy path. It's easy to take away other people's free will; you can just drug them or chain them up. But how does losing their ability to live and determine things for themselves benefit them?"

The man considered the question, but all he could see were downsides. Even if you gave up your free will willingly to another, you'd still be complicit and accountable for any decision made by them on your behalf. The only thing he could think that would come of it would be the comfort of being freedom from the tyranny of thought and the ability to think. To be controlled. And he wasn't sure if that was even a upside to begin with, since it didn't make whatever happened easier. "I don't know."

"Bit of a trick question. It doesn't benefit them; it only benefits you. It costs you nothing and them everything." the man said frankly, "Taking away people's opportunity to exert their free will is just slowly forcing someone to submit to your will. Sometimes there's a time and a place for that, but that's if people can't or won't willingly stop themselves after being given a chance to change. Sometimes, reasonable men must do unreasonable things. But ultimately, when you take away people's ability to oppose you, you're doing it because you fear them."

Ichigo's thoughts lingered on Aizen's words on how Soul Society would look at his family once the war was over.

"Maybe it's the threat of their potential to oppose you. Maybe because if given the opportunity, they'd show that your beliefs were wrong and everything you sacrificed to maintain them were pointless. That...part of the life you've lived, maybe even your entire existence was devoted to a falsehood."

The man shook his head, "Whether Tall Poppy Syndrome or Existential dread, do you think people would willing embrace hardship stoically to improve themselves or take the easy path and lash out by depriving people of what they themselves lack like crabs in a bucket?"

Ichigo crossed his arms silently, pensive frown on his face, "Kisuke, do you think that might be why Aizen did what he did?"

The blond man looked up for a moment and thought about it. "Maybe?" he admitted, before shaking his head. "Unfortunately, the only one who truly knows for certain is gone. But it's very rarely ever just one thing in my opinion. Life's complicated like that. I'm just saying what might be a factor and how to mitigate it, so this tragedy doesn't happen in YOUR life."

"And the right path…the hard path is doing more?" Ichigo asked,

"Let me put it in a more personably way." Kisuke said, as he clapped his hand together and bent the tips of his fingers to Ichigo, "Do you remember Grand Fisher?" Ichigo nodded, remembering the creature his mother was turned into. "According to the war reports there were two souls in that creature: Grand Fisher and your mother. According to your oath, as a Shinigami, you're supposed to kill that creature to free Masaki's soul, right?"

"Yeah."

Kisuke's gaze hardened, "If it was the other way around, would you have killed her?"

Ichigo felt his blood freeze instantly.

"You never saw Grand Fisher, but it's safe to say that they probably wanted to live, and yet you still killed them to free your mother's soul."

They both knew he knew that.

"So, I'm telling you to imagine if it was the other way around. Imagine if it was Masaki that was keeping the soul of Grand Fisher trapped in her body, would you let Masaki live and keep Grand Fisher trapped inside her forever? Doesn't that go against your duty as a Shinigami?"

Ichigo didn't even need to think about the hypothetical. If it was even remotely possible to have reversed the situation, he would have been okay with it, even if it meant going against his oath. Ichigo let his resigned sigh be his answer.

Urahara accepted the acquiescence. "That's the thing about morality. It's not really based on any kind of consistent logical pattern; it's hyper-individualized case-by-case assessments because every situation is unique, and the slippery slope goes in all direction." Kisuke continued, "Morals are based on the values and beliefs you believe are true reflections of reality, not superficial things like what someone else deems legal or illegal. People just tend to attribute logic to beliefs by rationalizing to themselves after they see the outcome the beliefs facilitate. Those outcomes and predictable pattern recognition let us determine what is or isn't productive. Useful or productive things we perceive as good, counterproductive as bad. But it's rooted in what you think is most important, what you value. And all of that is based on one thing: Faith."

"Faith?"

The scientist nodded, "Yup. Because as any honest person will tell you hindsight is 20-20; you never really know if any decision or action you take is the right thing to do until after you do it. And sometimes, those bad counterproductive outcomes are actually necessary stumbling blocks for you to reference back to; in order to make better decisions and create future good outcomes."

"Hmm…" Ichigo felt reminded of his initial meeting with Shaolin and her contentious nature at the time. If anything in her past had changed, would she still be the same woman he loved now?

"Faith requires giving up control or accepting having no control over things." He explained with a finger wag. "Those with little to no faith, in either humanity or their values, will always never give up control and try to restrict and bend things to how they want it. They become control freaks and perpetuate conflicts because they won't back down on their methods."

"But didn't you say feeling like you have control was a good thing?"

The man rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes, but 'believing you have control' is different than 'being in control'. They might be easy to confuse, but they are two distinctly different things. It's also why finding the right balance between Faith, the acknowledgment that you have no control, and Efficacy, the feeling that your influence matters, is tricky. But they aren't contradictions, it's doable. We call the balance: Hope, trust in the unknown."

"I get you." Ichigo muttered, seeing where the distinctive line was and how it was very easy to cross.

"That's why when you asked about Aizen, I say it's multiple things. Look at it this way: if you could reach the throne of heaven with your own strength, don't you already have the strength necessary to accomplish whatever your goal is?"

Considering the words, Ichigo nodded thoughtfully. It did seem paradoxical in retrospect.

"So, other than the needed journey of realization and it being more important than the destination, what was the point? Was he just an evil megalomaniacal prick with a god-complex or was Aizen trying to express how he really felt about those who believed in him, but failing to see how he was hurting others in the process? Who can say? Could be both, right?"

"Could be…" he answered, remembering the man who went to hell begging him to save this world.

"But…since we're talking about motives." Kisuke then pointed towards the floor, where the Arrancar were hidden. "I noticed something you said down there. You said: you were hoping that one of the Arrancar would come with you back to Soul Society, right?"

A sinking feeling began to fall over Ichigo, of where this might lead. "Yeah."

"I already know the answer, but I'll ask anyway." Looking back up, he locked eyes with Ichigo and asked, "If they had said 'no' to you, would you have forced them to come back?" he held up on finger, "Even if there was only one left and no one would know?"

"..." Ichigo's eyes fell to the floor in the same way a child would in front of their parent. "Yeah..." he muttered, unable to deny the truth that he wouldn't have let the opportunity slip by.

He knew his mind had been set the moment he stepped out of Cirucci's cell.

Kisuke rolled his eyes expectantly, unperturbed by the guilty man. "I thought as much. I saw the cognitive dissonance written on your face down there." he offered a conciliatory smile, "But don't feel too bad about being a hypocrite. All good men were at some point, your remorse is proof enough."

"What do you mean?" he said slowly, surprised, but comforted by his reaction. "Doesn't that make me the same as Soul Society?"

"Mmmm, kinda but not really." he answered with a shake of his hand, "You both would have persecuted the Arrancar. The difference? Moral agency-the freedom to choose and awareness of outcomes."

When Kisuke saw Ichigo knit his brow, he elaborated. "Both Soul Society and you were hoping for a scapegoat; albeit for different reasons."

"Ok."

"However, you were working within the rules and constraints asked upon you by the system." the businessman waved his hand dismissively in front of himself. "Regardless of your thoughts or feelings, you'd have had to bring them in because they broke out of jail or you'd be intentionally failing your duty, that's betrayal."

"Betrayal, huh." Ichigo muttered grimly, the mere word stinging him deeply.

"Yup. It was a problem you couldn't solve without a moral failing somewhere on your part. The solution *required* doing something morally evil, something you knew to be wrong. Either knowingly betray your duty as a Shinigami or your conscience as a Human being by letting innocents suffer. You simply got the choice of picking the burden of guilt you'd have to live with."

"Could I have done anything different, Urahara?"

"Hmm, no; at least I don't think so based on the cards you were dealt." he said after a moment, "Barring pure dumb luck, nearly all problems faced are just evaluations of one's competence and will power. Have enough? Success. Lack? Failure. Simple as. But," he stressed, "when that isn't the case, people usually don't know how to handle it."

The blond man nudged his head indicatively, "Here? You did everything right, both what you should and could. You made no mistakes and still came up short because you had to do something but there wasn't an answer you could condone."

He shook his head solemnly. "That's not weakness. That's life giving you a chance to learn how to handle failure and defeat. Sometimes, problems aren't there to be resolved; but failed, so you can reflect on yourself and understand why you made your choices the way you did; which, rather ironically, makes your problems go away too, since you stop seeing them as 'problems'."

As Ichigo expression grew reticent, Kisuke leaned back carefreely. "Honestly, considering everything you've been through, it's better that this be your set back then one of your past successes. So just try to take it in stride and learn from it." he said, offering the young man a conciliatory silver lining point of view.

Taking a moment to think on his words, Ichigo felt a somberness resonate throughout him. He recalled almost getting hypnotized by Aizen outside of Yamamoto's office on Shaolin's birthday. Speaking of her, now that he thought about it, she could have killed him as a traitor if he failed to convince her. Then there was Bankai training, if that had failed the rescue plan went up in smoke. He didn't want to image what would have happened to Senna and the others if he failed his Vizard training. Soul Society definitely would have been doomed if he'd gotten stuck in Las Noches for too long.

All those and so many more way he could have failed to devastating consequences rushed back to him. "Yeah...you're right."

"So, since there wasn't an alternative course of action for you, your moral agency was diminished, which, diminishes your blame." Raising his other hand, he pointed towards the exit of the Silo, offhandedly. "On the other hand, Soul Society had the choice of trying to kill them or not and it chose to pursue it. Because of Soul Societies' decision, this decision is now forced on you, not the other way around." he said moving his finger from the door to Ichigo.

"But I still had my free will to disobey in the first place."

"Blame also requires being foreseeably aware of your action's consequences," Kisuke pertinently pointed out, "and guess what?" he wagged his finger up and down beside Ichigo, "I don't see an Arrancar standing next to you, Ichigo-kun." he dropped his hand back down, "You had the right to disobey. And you made your choice. You could have just followed orders, but you didn't. Like I said: At some point, all good men were hypocrites, Ichigo-kun."

"But why?"

"Beliefs and ideals are perfect, but we aren't." he touched his hand to himself, "We harbor a hint of evil within, and our senses are flawed, we're imperfect beings. And no amount of imperfection will ever reach perfection; without outside help, 99 percent will never be 100 percent. That's why a correcting partner, like Soifon-chan, is necessary; because, alone, people end up doing things that are the complete opposite to their supposed ideals. Sometimes, reasonable men must do unreasonable things for the sake of good."

"And who defines good here, Kisuke?"

Kisuke's eyes flew upward, as he considered how to explain it. "Well, in the real world, good is rarely a static attribute and more a dynamic process called goodness. That's why you have to constantly work at being a good person." Allowing his eyes to flicker to Ichigo, he saw the young man seemingly still following along, so he continued, flicking his wrist so his thumb extended towards Kurosaki.

"Self-awareness makes you aware of your flaws," he extended his pointer. "self-acceptance of those flaws sets the starting point to change those flaws," he the extended the middle, "and self-betterment improves through refinement making your weakness your strength." The man explained before retracting his finger and returning back to the main question after laying the required groundwork.

"As for who defines good?" Kisuke shrugged, unperturbed "Technically, no one. At least not anything human. Good, like anyone else, decides that and it does that by it's choices, which other things observe to understand what it is and isn't 'Good' through it's behavior. But!" he wiggled a finger, as if calling things to a halt. "While i'm not saying 'Good absolutely must be this', I can say that as a concept: Good seems to have an interest in the lives of mortals. If it didn't, it wouldn't care what mortals do; especially, when they pro-actively do evil things for petty, selfish or unloving reasons."

Kisuke sighed tiredly, "Of course, that's also why everyone has a different definition to it, and why everyone tries to claim they are good, even when good disagrees." he swiped his hand dismissively "Morals are objective, but their value is up for subjective interpretation."

Ichigo squinted his eyes, "And that means...?"

Urahara held his hand up in an O-shape. "Basically: Just because you don't believe or see the value in it doesn't mean it doesn't have value. You're just assigning the moral value, a value of zero on your own, which may not be accurate. That's why goodness and being good is generally a contested imbalance of equally valid claims between you and something else on something's value. Proactively killing people is generally murder and evil. But under specific situations it can be good, that usually requires willingness to be transparent about the act, make amends and not be done for personal gain; so like preemptively killing someone that wasn't going to stop themselves from murdering others after giving them a chance to stop."

Taking in the words, Ichigo could only ask one thing. "So, what makes my 'good' more valid than Soul Societies?"

"It's contested." Kisuke reiterated, "Just because one is more valid doesn't mean the other's claim is invalid. It's just one is truer to the spirit that it represents. 3 is closer to 2 than it is to 1. Doesn't mean 1 isn't close to 3 or that 1 isn't part of 3."

"So, what they were going to do to the Arrancar..." Ichigo's thought drifted back to what he read of the Quincy massacre, and likely what would repeated again. "was justified or good?"

Kisuke winced contemptuously. "Well, for starters, don't confuse being 'morally good' for 'moral goodness', they're similar but different." Kisuke clarified for his junior, as he crossed his arms and leaned against the Silo wall. "Sticking to your beliefs and ideals doesn't make you a good person, it makes you a zealot; and just because you think your morals are good, doesn't mean they actually are."

The man shrugged dismissively. "A moral compass that views virtues, like being merciful or courageousness, as a weakness or failing is hardly what you'd call the foundation of a good person, right Ichigo?"

When the man nodded in agreement, Kisuke continued, "Good is concerned with the life and interest of all things, not just yourself. In my opinion: Good is deciding to live, grow and change for the better by experiencing the truth, and Goodness is doing things to facilitate that cycle's continuation. Whereas Evil is using your will to force or deny natural change by intentional obstructing or distorting that cycle of experiencing the Truth. That's why being a good man requires being a hypocrite to your ideals and morals at some point."

Raising a finger in the air he twirled it in a circular motion, as if to represent its cyclical nature. "It's paradoxical when you stop and think about it. We can only understand something by being far enough away to see something in full, both for what it is and what it isn't."

Kisuke then raised his right hand and touched the tips of both his index fingers together. "That requires drifting further away from it in the first place. Otherwise, all you'll ever see, is a narrow view that misses the finer details, and you won't understand the how or why behind it's value."

Slowly he moved his hands away a few inches, his eye peek through the gap at Ichigo. "By creating distance, you can differentiate yourself from that ideal, but in doing so, you'll recognize that you aren't that ideal, and you never will be. You're you."

Gliding his left hand further away, Kisuke watched Ichigo's eyes follow it until it fell away to his side, leaving his other finger floating between them alone. "By failing to be, you force yourself to have consciously reconcile that difference. That's why forgiveness and redemption are necessary components on the path to being a good person."

The shopkeeper reraised his left hand and returned his pointer to same healthy distance it had been mere moments ago. "To begin understanding, you must accept and learn to love something the way it is. Then, to understand it's full value, be willing to let something go, experiencing loss in the hopes it will one day return to you."

For a brief moment, Ichigo's thought flickered to Shaolin. Images from the moment they met, to separation across existences and finally reuniting hand in hand. Then he thought of Senna, meeting in the human world, separated now in a prison cell waiting for Ichigo and Shaolin's next moves.

Pulling his hands back, Urahara crossed his arms once again. "Sometimes, you have to admit when your morals fail you and they need to be revamped; that way you know why you create exception to your rules and can communicate it. You can believe pushing people is evil, but you aren't being evil when you push someone in order to stop them from pushing others. You hold people to account to their standards and beliefs, so they can't cry foul. If they value your beliefs as zero-worthless- then nothing of value is lost when you violate it. The guilt lies with them by setting this choice in motion, your burden is merely the level of restraint you show. That's why a good man is an immoral man that chooses to live by balancing his morals with the truth of the human condition; that though flawed and imperfectible, we can grow infinitely better each day if we set our minds to it."

"..."

"So, in your case, when the words of your oath tried to force you into breaking the spirit behind your oath—the foundational reason, you should disobey." he leaned forward slightly, "And you did. You did the right thing." he absolved encouragingly, finger pointing at him, as he leaned back.

"You recognized the hypocrisy, acknowledged it and then adjusted your goals around it, sacrificing one thing for another. You gave up the idea of bringing in the Arrancar to help Senna because that goal opposed your beliefs of protecting innocents, which includes the Arrancar."

"You did tell me it would be pointless." Ichigo quietly replied, thinking deeply on his words.

"So?" he defiantly questioned his point. "The only decisions truly worth condemning are those that knowingly disregard the truth and it's will: because that's what evil ultimately is. Evil is the reckless disregard for the safety, security and desires of the truth and of other people for it's own sake. It's end goal is to not allow anything to grow beyond evil's design. It's pure self-gratification: either you be what evil want or be reduced to nothingness, which is often one and the same. In my observation, that's why it tries to destroy good because it allows things to be more than what something starts as. Evil seems to hope that by destroying everything and render efforts futile, good will give up and all will remain still and be as evil wants. And it does it however it can, whether it's distractions during the improvement process, making things forget where it was going, or destroying aspiration and standards of being greater than self. But, evil tends to forget that it's own existence inhibits its own desired stillness. That's why it always ends in self-destruction; it desires perfect completion found only in nothingness."

Raising his cane Zanpaktou, Kisuke tapped against the floor where Ichigo's shadow lay, " And you unconsciously engage in evil when you don't have control over your Id, your shadow self, the unconscious instinct where all ideals originate and become ideas. Instead of bringing the darkness of the unconscious to light for reflection, incorporation and ultimately mastery." he then lifted it up and tapped it against Ichigo's forehead, causing him to wince, before returning the weapon to his side.

"When you don't have control over yourself, you let your ego be pulled into darkness to serve it's impulsive whims. Plain and simple, you regress and degrade into a mindless beast that thinks: 'Your will be damned, if it will not serve mine. All exist solely for my exploitation.'"

The man tipped his hat back, to fully lock eyes on the young captain, speaking from his heart. "Good, Kurosaki-kun, is having the power to change the hopes and dreams of others to what you will; but, choosing not to do so. Instead, you let life run it's course; nurturing and protecting it to grow and flourish as it will. Because ultimately it allows all to be as it should, even allowing evil to find the complete stillness it seeks in wholeness instead of in nonexistence. That's why the Shinigami oath of protecting innocents resonated with you so deeply, even if you didn't fully understand why."

The man jutted his thumb out, pointed towards himself. "That's also why for me personally, the most evil thing you can do is abandon the truth while refusing to accept responsibility for your part in its abandonment." Kisuke shook his head with a small frown. "That's why I don't blame you for acting the way you did. You're still a young man, you don't have all the answers, you're still growing and learning as best you can."

Ichigo's eyes fell to the floor. He could hear in his voice that Urahara was being genuinely honest with him. "When you knew the truth of what would happen to them," Kisuke continued, seeing that his words were sinking in. "that you'd only be leading them to a pointless death, you faced the truth and accepted it. You didn't persist." he pointed towards the ground beneath them. "You chose to let them go and live, that's who you really are on the inside."

When Ichigo looked back at Kisuke, a renewed determination in his eyes, the older man smiled. "When you have a choice between a legal obligation and moral-value obligation, you should always pick the moral one because you have to live with the guilt of your choice, no one else does. Ideals are perfect, but we aren't. That's why we fall short and end up being hypocritical. It's okay to be a hypocrite, so long as you acknowledge it and sincerely try to do better next time by adjusting your goals and expectations around your shortcomings."

Ichigo smiled gingerly, "Thank-you, Kisuke." he breathed out, slightly relieved of his burden he felt inside.

"No problem." Kisuke nodded, "Like I said, forgiveness and redemption are necessary to being a good person, and you have to play your part to earn it. It's easy to take from others; it costs you nothing. What you ought to do is let people take responsibility for their decisions and to grow more comfortable with it. Same with yourself. You have a duty, a moral responsibility to yourself: to strengthen yourself, to cultivate a community where people willingly strive to do better, and to do more because you want to and not because you have to. It's a duty you have no right to fail because the only way to fail is to quit and take the easy path…and people deserve better than quitting on themselves. You don't need to succeed; you just need to not fail. How you do that is up to you."

"And how will they know if they're on the right track?"

Kisuke smiled, "Because: they'll ask themselves: 'Should I make an honest attempt?' And if the answer to that is 'Yes'-"

"They'll know the answer."

Kisuke nodded as he turned around, "And it all starts with being willing to take the hard path and being honest with yourself."

As Kisuke left the silo to return to Soul Society, Ichigo stayed a moment longer, gaze hardening as his fist clutched the Spirit King's gift.

---

Blackout2010: So that's the chapter. Yeah, so I apologize for the long delay was busy getting a PHD at DIY-university to make sure terms and stuff were right. I learned and grew and innovated as much as I could; and, between this chapter and the next chapter, that's also a struggle because I'm gonna spoil it slightly, we're fighting the soul king aka god, I'm sure you can imagine how hard that is. But I've come to believe that it is on the edge of what is possible that we can find something worthwhile including the truth of ourselves. It certainly takes titanic effort but I do like a worthwhile challenge. That's kind of why I want to try and keep it. Anyway, I gotta start working on that cause fuck me this took forever to get right (even if I know it can be improved per my OCD), but it was important. I just hope that I delivered something meaningful to you and the story. Anyway, not dead yet, doing my best to keep my promise of not abandoning the story. Hope you guys are doing well out there. Pray for me cause it's rough here.

Guidepost of the soul (all other historical references I tried to explain within context of story)

1. Born to Choose: The Origins and Value of the Need for Control

2. Kazuki Nakashima is The author of Gurren Lagann.

3. Entrapment is a complete defense to a criminal charge, on the theory that "Government agents may not originate a criminal design, implant in an innocent person's mind the disposition to commit a criminal act, and then induce commission of the crime so that the Government may prosecute." In Criminal law, a miscarriage of justice can be defined as an outcome in a judicial proceeding that is unjust, unfair or improper. The term miscarriage is oftentimes used to describe an error made by the Court that results in the conviction of an innocent person for a crime they did not commit. So yes, the crime is a miscarriage of justice, entrapping Senna to be complicit in that miscarriage of justice or to disobey, defy and rectify the injustice perpetrated by the law and society.