Chapter 6: The Power we Hold in Our Hands

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any characters.

It was testament to Aizen, Ulquiorra, and Syazel's combined efforts when Ichigo proved he wasn't the same and simply sat down heavily when Chad remained frozen by the doorway. "I give up. I'm gonna go have a drink of something..." Ichigo said, sitting down once more when Ginjou staid silent instead of heading to the bar by he side of the room. He closed his eyes and rested his head far backwards on the couch, "Ah, kami but this is good!"

"Ichigo?"

"Hey Chad; how's it going?" Ichigo exchanged amiably, "Hope that bread Orihime gave you not long ago tasted good. She got herself a good job, I'll give her that, the bread is good."

Chad was once more rendered speechless by the lack of fiery outburst he had expected from his friend. Ginjou took the reins once more, "Kurosaki, there's a reason why you called us, correct?"

"I would think so, considering the pain I went through to get a call with you." Ichigo shrugged, "Or I could just be lonely and in need of a smart conversation that doesn't include bosses, soccer and gangs. Can I have apple juice?"

"You're desperate." The boy, Yukio, commented absently, still very focused on his game system, "Good thing we're here then." He said, to the irritation of the woman who quietly asked him to be more serious.

"Yeah well, I still don't know what you want from me even though I'm sure you know what I want from you." Ichigo proposed, eyes brightening when a glass of apple juice was placed in front of him atop the modernized table that accentuated the sharpness of this hangout.

"You're brighter that I thought you would be." Ginjou said, ignoring the dark glare Ichigo gave him, "But nevertheless, our objective is to reclaim your Shinigami powers." He said, almost gloriously as if he expected Ichigo to jump up and down with gratitude. He was quite disappointed.

In fact, the response was almost lackluster; Ichigo hummed, "Daunting task and very much impossible." He said darkly, "I spent all these months trying to gain them back. I don't believe that you can offer me a chance to gain something that's obviously long gone. So-"

Ginjou laughed, seeming almost mocking when he did so, "What have you tried, Ichigo?"

"Everything from meditation to augmenting my physical prowess. I've even done 'controlled' experiments that push the limits...I did get a small spark but after that, I think I got even worse than I started. I was going to try music next..."

Of course, those statements were true to a certain point. Zommari did force him to meditate even in sweltering conditions, and Grimmjow did force fights on him almost every week and Syazel really loved experimenting. And he really did want to start playing an instrument. But nobody had to know about the Hogyoku yet so Ichigo simply bent the truth even more.

After all, the best lies were those that were true to a certain point.

"So I ask: how can you say you can reclaim my powers? Who are you? Please tell me you didn't come from Hell to subjugate Hell's rule. Or that you aren't spirits with blank memories because I really don't have time for this."

Ginjou leaned forward, eyes almost hypnotic, and spoke, "We are humans, Kurosaki. Humans born with an innate ability...which would be easier to comprehend if I would show it to you."

Before Ichigo could react, Ginjou had his glass of apple juice in his hands and was concentrating on it with a small frown. There was a shimmer of light and before Ichigo, the liquid swished and sent the ice cubes to clink with the glass. Like a long spidery tendril of a vine, or even a snake, the liquid snaked its way upwards and into Ginjou's mouth.

Shocked, Ichigo blinked, "I was gonna drink that."

'Amazing!' Syazel commented, walking out from Ichigo's body just as a soul would from a mod-soul, 'Is it the matter being carried by reishi or...?'

"What I did here," Ginjou continued, "was draw out the 'soul' of the juice in the glass and make it assist me in drinking the beverage. Therefore, our ability is to draw out and use the soul within matter."

Ichigo titled his head to hear Syazel's council or perhaps even Aizen's. Both were flitting around their studies on the matter and comparing their observations in what had happened. Even so, he didn't need a scientist to know that the theory of 'everything' having souls was correct, apparently.

"You don't get it right? Did you really think that only living things have souls? No, that is not correct; no matter how small, there's a soul in every common item whether it is a phone, a chair or a drinking glass." Ginjou explained, "Ever felt like you can exhibit a higher than normal level of ability when using a tool that you're used to? That means that you can understand the soul of that item."

'Ask him if that means that soul can add in augmenting natural abilities?' Syazel called gleefully.

"Does that mean you can augment your natural skills by asking an item's soul to help you?" Ichigo wondered, "Like running and all..."

"We can jump higher by drawing out the soul of the asphalt and supplementing its elasticity, just like making liquids plunge into our mouths. Or we can make water support our feet and stand on top of it." Ginjou finished absently.

Aizen hummed, 'I suppose that goes the same for weapons.'

With that, Ichigo realized what Ginjou had meant at the beginning when he said a tool commonly used by a certain person became "So an item you hold very dear can be used to aid you. Like a lucky coin can actually help your changes of surviving a gang attack!?"

"What is it with you and gangs? Are you part of one?" The woman complained sullenly but Ichigo didn't miss the satisfaction she displayed when he drew such conclusion. He still huffed in annoyance but Ginjou cleared his throat to call his attention back.

"While I agree with Jackie, I also have to agree with you, Ichigo." Ginjou praised, "Take this necklace for example..." He said as he fished for it by his collar.

The man held it out with a barely contained gleeful expression. Like the liquid, the item briefly emitted a brilliant light that lit up the area momentarily. Ichigo noted, absently, the disturbed expression upon Chad's visage but he pushed it back for later consideration.

What held his attention right now, though, was the gigantic blade that had taken the shape of the miniature cross shaped necklace. Ginjou had a complacent attitude as he sat with the blade pinned upon the floor. Bolstered by the newest development, Syazel had brought out his assistants- which bade for a creepy feeling by seeing that amount of Hollows coming out from within himself.

Still, there was the question on how Ginjou would even begin to attempt bringing out his Shinigami powers. These guys said this ability was theirs to use since birth...and Ichigo felt like there was more than just that explanation. How did he fit in all this? Surely Ginjou wasn't insinuating they would force him to do something reminiscent to the process Urahara used to force his Shinigami powers forward?

"Alright...and what's this ability called?" He questioned tentatively, feeling a bit unsettled by the presence of a weapon while he had none.

"Fullbring." Yukio replied blankly, stealing the gathering thunder from Ginjou who just rolled his eyes at the victorious smirk Yukio gave the man.

"Yeah and will someone increase the light in this place?" The young girl called irately. She was ignored by the majority, except the bartender who simply gave her a glass of water and turned back to tending the area.

"So what are you doing here, Chad? Lonely too?" Ichigo wondered, eyeing his empty glass, "Surely there's better company out there than this juice stealer over here?"

"I didn't know you guys knew each other." The girl said in place of Chad, "Though, I still can't see!" She screeched, almost violently tearing her hair out in a fit of anger.

"You should sit down Rirukia." Ginjou deadpanned, "You too, Chad."

Both acquiesced; whether out of respect or frustration, nobody cared. What the bartender did care though, was the reparation of the floor tiles that had been broken when Ginjou went show and tell on them. Ichigo allowed himself a moment to stare out to where Syazel and Aizen littered about with a dozen of Hollows helping to assist in investigations and measuring the reishi in this place.

Ichigo sighed, relaxing further in the seat as he looked towards the ceiling. Really, he felt exhausted right now. If it hadn't been for Aizen and Ulqiorra's warning of expressing his emotions too clearly, he would have already blown up this whole charade. Apparently, showmanship wasn't in his dossier yet. It was even more exhausting than running in the middle of the Winter War with no rest in between fights.

At least it was easier back then...he didn't have to play around with words or emotions. No, he was just the guy with the power and ability to beat Hollow by the quantity and quality too. But now, he didn't have even that...how...stupid.

"So how does his power originate?" Ichigo asked, understanding Syazel's half-assed hand motions shown from across the room.

Chad tensed at the question, as if it brought him great pain to think of the topic. Nevertheless, Ginjou did not heed it and began once more, "Do you know why Hollows have holes in their chests?"

Aizen stopped his movements and faced Ginjou, giving him the attention a student would to his Master. It wasn't hard to see the interest glimmering in those brown eyes that had at one point, callously watched as Shinigami after Shingami died by his army. Ichigo blinked in response to the question, "What?"

Ginjou huffed a laugh, "When a spirit fully transforms into a Hollow...they lose their heart. That's obvious. But where does it go? You wanna know where? It becomes their mask...their abilities and appearance are made from the heart that was gouged from their bodies."

'Did you know this, Aizen?' Ichigo wondered quietly.

'On a level. It wasn't my focus during my studies but I also kept a careful track of every experiment and I found that some data is quite compatible to what this man is saying.' Aizen explained, 'However, I had theorized that it wasn't their heart but sir soul that determined the outward appearance.'

'Well, there's always time to ask him more.' Ichigo began, but stopped with Aizen shook his head.

'Focus on finishing what we came here for, Kurosaki-kun. After this finishes, we can go over theories as much as you desire.' Aizen said before going back to his notes.

Ginjou had sensed the disquiet Ichigo had walked into and had stopped his narration for a short while. He began again when Ichigo nodded once at him, "Every one of us had parents attacked before we were born. Traces of the Hollow's power remained in our mother's bodies and when we were born, the power in us was more akin to a Hollow's than to a Shinigami's."

"Wait, you said 'parents,' does this mean that the Hollow's signature was passed to you by procreation or conception?" Ichigo blurted, blushing once every Fullbringer turned their attention to him. The effect was lessened when Syazel paused to exchange a proud preen with Aizen before they returned to their work.

"You're one strange kid, you know that Ichigo?" The woman, Jackie, said, "I like you." She said, coming closer to inspect him with the air of one so intrigued. "As answer, I can tell you that that's what we believe. It is possible that the mother is able to be the only source of these abilities. We can't exactly be sure and perform some deranged experiment; I would hate to hand this curse to someone who doesn't deserve it."

"Curse? But-"

"Yes, curse." Jackie asserted, turning back to sit on one of he stools by the bar.

"We are disgusted by our abilities." Ginjou turned to face Ichigo, rising from his seat, "Ichigo, you too once had powers of a Hollow. I know you understand how we feel."

Ichigo looked away, solemnity breaking for a millisecond. He was past being ashamed of it. He just didn't want to admit he missed it much more than he should. He would do just about anything to gain even that. At least it had been something, no? Besides, living with Hollows for months already had left him with a higher understanding of his own Hollowfied self and he was now ready to make amends with his other darker self.

From the looks of it, Ginjou had thankfully misunderstood the reason why he looked away and continued speaking. "We want to remove this disgusting power from us." Ginjou continued, garnering a startled look from Ichigo.

Aizen also seemed a bit interested and unsettled. Ichigo placed that due to the various experiments that had failed at Aizen's hands about power transfer. Ichigo had never been a scientist and he hoped he never would be, but even he was sure that the sort of thing Ginjou proposed was certainly impossible.

"Over time, as more of us gathered together, we discovered that we could give it to someone who is the exact opposite of us. We are Hollow and human together...if we help you regain your Shinigami abilities, you will be Shingami and human."

'That doesn't make sense...' Ichigo thought.

'That's because it's not sense: these humans are human with hollow reishi in them. You are a human-Shinigami hybrid with hollow dormant reishi in you. It wouldn't work on you."

'Me? Why not me in particular?'

Aizen didn't respond immediately. Ichigo began pacing, ignoring the surprised looks the Xcution gave him. It wasn't as if he could stop anyways; it would give him the illusion of thinking.

'Theoretically, you might be able give them reiatsu and it it wouldn't affect them because they already have hollow reishi in them. But they will not be able to give you any because it's not compatible.'

'Hmm...'

'Think of it like those powers Orihime-san has. Your reishi influenced her...she gained powers. But she cannot give them back because it's no longer compatible to you even though it used to be yours.'

'Correct,' Syazel agreed, 'The signature of reishi emitted by her is completely her own now.'

Ichigo blinked, 'And this is theoretically, correct? What if instead of doing that, it has other effects? Like completing the original intended effect? Instead of needing complete viable opposites, the energy melds with what I do have, which is the Shinigami and human hybrid? Excluding the Hollow in me, of course?'

'What are you thinking?' Aizen wondered, voice fading out until it was but a mere whisper.

It just served as proof. These guys weren't all what they said they were. And based on Aizen's words, he could come to the conclusion that they wanted to do the opposite of what they said, due to this theory Aizen had just presented. Instead of giving him power, they would use that to modify his own soul and use theirs to assist in taking out his own power.

Yet, Ichigo was in need of these powers Xcution wanted to 'give' him. It had been unanimously decided that Ichgio had to get his powers back by all means possible. Even by being betrayed. Even a spark of reiatsu would awaken the Hokyoku which would spark the entire system that allowed him to be what he had been before.

He had to get back to the level at which he had been. The Hogyoku needed to fully activate within him so that he could fully break the barriers between his new friends and his powers and abilities.

"Ichigo?"

"How do you know this? Does this mean that at one point, there was another person who was also...a Shinigami-human hybrid?"

"Indeed." Ginjou said, serious and grim, "Some of us were able to give their abilities to him and regain their human lives. So you have to understand...we need you to regain your Shinigami abilities..."

How could these people wish to give their powers willingly? Did they not have family to protect? Friends? Did they just live their lives without purpose and instead, saw the entire world as a curse because of their powers?

"And what does Chad have to do with this?" Ichigo wondered, eyes drawing shock to the sitting giant who had been his best friend since mid-teens.

"We found Chad in town and he is very much like us. He understands how we feel and has agreed with the plan as long as you regain your abilities."

"That true, Chad?" Ichigo asked, turning to his friend.

The man stood up and began walking to him, a determined gait that matched the fire lighting up his eyes. He stopped until he was more or less, looking down to Ichigo, "Yeah," he accepted, "But Ichigo...you might think you're hiding it, but you've been a sad sight since you've lost your powers."

Ichigo felt his eyes widen but quickly recovered and chuckled, "You sure know how to make a man swoon, Chad." He teased, "Besides...I was just thinking of my priorities and my future..."

Yukio snorted, "How's that coming along?" He asked, barely soaring Jima disinterested gaze before he was back to his game console.

Ichigo crossed his arms and with a smug smile, said, "I'm gonna be an artist."

"You're a riot, you know that?" Jackie huffed, a small smile flitting about before she took Riruka's cup and swallowed the contents.

"Ichigo," Chad said quietly, once again regaining Ichigo's attention, "I saw you...what were you going to do by that river?"

Ichigo's stomach seemed to have curdled and frozen at the same time while doing flip flops but he pasted a quick smile on his face as the Fullbringers looked on with clear interest, "My mom died there, Chad...I have to go visit...her...you know."

"You go to her stone to do that, Ichigo...every year...what changed?" Chad asked. Despite what others said, Chad was very much a softie...Ichigo could tell, with years of experience, that his friend had been shaken up. In truth, Ichigo had almost killed himself; he had been selfish that one time and thanks to Aizen, he had realized that he couldn't afford to be selfish. Look at where had had gotten him.

Still, to see Chad unsettled...it brought a new feeling from the depths of his soul. Shame. It was shame. If he had pitched himself into that water, what would have happened to his sisters? To his friends whom had been ere always except that one day? He'd have left them to suffer. So he couldn't be selfish anymore.

Ichigo remained silent at the face of Chad's questioning, the words 'You're overreacting' stuck on his tongue.

"You don't have to hide it, Ichigo. You want to fight, to protect; it's who you are." Chad finished softly, still seemingly piercing him with two eyes of judgment that made Ichigo feel as if he was actually drowning.

From the corner of his vision, he watched Ginjou look down uncomfortably before saying, "You'll get your Shinigami powers back...along with ours tacked on top of that. It's not a pretty bad deal..."

"I'm guessing none of you will stop stalking me unless I do it." Ichigo sighed nonchalantly, seemingly ignorant of the mood that had settled from his conversation with Chad, "Alright...I'm in."

It was the plan anyways...

Even with that spark of shock, Ginjou never broke character. He just smiled, ducked his head and said, "I guess that settles it."

Like some unspoken command, the others began to smile. Jackie moved in closer, "Good, I was afraid you were going to refuse and we'd have to kidnap you."

Ichigo's confused visage quickly twisted into a deadpan, "What is it with women and kidnapping nowadays?" He wondered, reminded of his boss and the quick and quiet 'napping she had done without so much as a blink.

"Wait a minute!" Riruka screamed and Ichigo got the sense of her actually standing in a victorious pose with a flashlight in her hand, "Not so fast! Can we really trust a guy whom we know nothing about!? Allow me to correct that, for I Riruka-sama, will decide her and now whether this guy can be trusted or not!"

Ichigo had to close one of his eyes and turn his head a bit to the side when Riruka turned on the fourth and shone it directly on his face. Due to the glare, he didn't see her immediate reaction until after she dropped the flashlight. It was then she he discovered she had fallen to her knees with a dazed expression and was redder than Orihime when she had dropped some bread by his house.

Really, what was up with these girls nowadays!?