Uncomfortable Knowledge

Ichigo collapsed to the floor of Urahara's basement, breathing hard. He felt mentally and physically exhausted. "You two are sadists!"

"Sadistic or not, you must learn this as quickly as possible!" Tessai boomed.

"To be fair, though, he has made good progress today," Hachi told his former taicho.

Ichigo barely heard him over his own panting. They'd begun by teaching Bakudō 4: Hainawa, a simple but versatile spell.

**Flashback**

"It is one of the precursors to a number of Bakudō, such as Bakudō 9: Hōrin, and the far more powerful Bakudō 63: Sajō Sabaku," Tessai explained. "All of these spells share the common traits of having ropes of energy binding the target. Hainawa, however, can be used in as many ways as you can imagine a rope being used."

"Consider for a moment that you need to grab someone and pull them out of the way of an incoming attack," Hachi continued. "Hainawa can lasso them without disabling their ability to attack. Or perhaps you need a trigger for a Kidō trap? Make the Hainawa small enough, thin enough, and it can be used as a tripwire."

Ichigo had mostly figured out how to generate the rope of energy, but was still having some trouble with directing it when suddenly Tessai had wordlessly fired a Sōkatsui at him, forcing him to leap up and dodge. "What the hell?!"

"I will stop only when you successfully bind my arms to my side, Ichigo!" Tessai swore. "Hachigen, bind him if he attempts to use Zangetsu or attack me physically."

"Hai, taicho."

**End Flashback**

That was five hours ago! Ichigo thought disbelievingly. He watched Tessai break the ropes of his spell effortlessly, and his frown deepened into a scowl.

"Your spell is still substandard," Tessai judged. "The ropes are not tight enough, nor are there as much of it as there should be." He began to walk to the ladder leading up to the shop. "It is time for lunch. We shall continue afterward."

Ichigo let out a groan, but trudged up to follow, glad that the Vizard-turned-Arrancar had apparently returned to their hideout to continue their training, leaving Ichigo's humiliation to be relatively private. He hoped so anyway; Tōsen had vanished overnight, but there was always a chance he was still somewhere in the training area in some secluded corner, meditating. I'm a transcended Vizard. The first ever to achieve Resurrección. The youngest to ever reach Bankai. I am more in tune with my soul than most could ever dream. I have taken on taicho of Soul Society and won, I am the King of Hueco Mundo, I have delved into Hell itself and returned alive!

And yet you got your ass kicked by an old man slinging Kidō at you, Cazador finished. Well, better you than me!

Shut it. I'm learning it faster than you would, at least.

Meh, if it wasn't for the fact that old man Hell can't be killed, I wouldn't bother with spells. All I need is Cero and Getsuga Tenshō.

You should not be so quick to dismiss the power of Kidō, Zangetsu criticized. It is always beneficial to have versatility. A wide variety of abilities can help in a large variety of situations. How many times would it have been helpful to be able to bind an opponent in place?

Ulquiorra, Ichigo immediately responded. Speedy bastard, difficult to get in close and personal with his javelins and Cero Oscuras. If I could've bound him in place, or at least bound his arms for a few seconds, we could've finished that fight so much faster.

Aizen, Cazador retorted. You would've been able to help the others bind him so he could be taken alive.

Ichigo fell silent. Instead of responding, he focused and sealed Zangetsu's Shikai, effectively cutting off the conversation.

In Ichigo's Inner World, Cazador looked at Zangetsu, a light drizzle now beginning to fall upon them both from out of nowhere. "Something I said?"

Zangetsu merely gave the Arrancar a piercing glare, and then he jumped away to a different flagpole.

"Hey! What'd I say?"

Hitsugaya, Renji and Rukia quietly finished having lunch at Inoue's home, where she had graciously offered to let them stay for the time being. "How is your training coming along?" Hitsugaya asked curiously.

The childhood friends glanced at each other. "Rukia's got manifestation," Renji told him. "We practiced this morning in a place a little too warm for Sode no Shirayuki, and Rukia got her materialized for a short time."

"Renji's control is improving nicely," Rukia admitted. "A large part of the problem behind Renji learning Kidō was that his control over his own reiryoku wasn't sufficient to go beyond the low-30s level Hadō. We're working on that first through a technique I developed."

Hitsugaya looked at her interestedly. "Really? What technique is this?"

"I cast the Kidō using both my power and the power that he naturally emanates, stabilize it, then slowly let him take control over it and maintain," Rukia explained. "It requires a lot of trust, though."

Hitsugaya's eyes went wide. "You can directly manipulate the reiryoku in the air?" he breathed.

"Yes, why?" Rukia asked. "Is that unusual?"

"Most can only impose their own will upon their reiryoku before releasing it as reiatsu or as a Kidō!" Hitsugaya replied, his voice a little higher than normal. "Kuchiki-san, have you not thought of the implications? You are using the energy around you, not just inside you! Can you do this consistently? Try to draw on the power I release into the air."

Rukia's face took on an expression of determination, and she extended her awareness, gathering her focus. Taking some of the icy reiatsu that she recognized as that of Hitsugaya-taicho, she gathered and shaped it with some of her own power, forming a small but perfect Hadō 31: Shakkahō. "That wasn't as easy as with Renji's, but then again your power is like mine: tinted with cold," Rukia murmured.

Hitsugaya reached out and felt the spell with his own spiritual sense. Sure enough, his own power was there, swirling and stable. "Kuchiki-san, you must swear to me never to abuse this ability," he said suddenly. "Hide it from everyone, especially Kurotsuchi!"

"What? Why?"

"You are casting spells, using the power in the air! You are actively changing the way someone else's power is utilized! Just like a Quincy!" Hitsugaya hissed.

Rukia's concentration failed entirely at the statement, and the Kidō imploded on itself, lightly scorching her hair. "Like a Quincy?" she repeated, dumbstruck.

"But, how can that be?" Renji demanded.

"I don't know." Hitsugaya nodded, calming slightly as he saw they understood the situation. "How long have you been able to do that?"

Rukia shook her head slowly. "I… hadn't really tried until yesterday. It was just a thought I'd had – if I can sense it, why can't I work with it? I just wanted to help Renji…"

Hitsugaya shook his head, still trying to gather his composure from the shock of being informed of Rukia's ability. "That ability will no doubt prove extremely useful to you," he muttered. "Kuchiki-san, while this ability has several implications, you must keep it secret! Can you imagine what would happen if Yamamoto-sōtaicho found out? You could commit crimes and pin them on someone else by their reiatsu! He'd have you locked up for the integrity of Soul Society! Or allow Kurotsuchi to experiment on you to determine how it was done! And THEN what do you think would happen?"

Rukia's face went white. "Ichigo…"

Renji paled too, understanding exactly what was being left unsaid.

Hitsugaya nodded solidly. "Ichigo. Soul Society must not be informed, for as long as possible. Keep your experimentation to a minimum until the Hell crisis is over and you can practice in private." Rukia quickly nodded her assent. "Good. Continue your work on Bankai. If we're lucky, if you're discovered you can pass it off as an ability your Bankai gave you…" he began muttering to himself, growing quickly inaudible before shaking his head. "Right. I'll stay on the lookout for any incursions from Hell – you two, make sure you don't exhaust yourselves with your training."

"Hai," Renji agreed. "C'mon, Rukia. Let's get going."

His best friend followed silently, her mind still reeling from the revelations. Like a Quincy? she echoed mentally.

Chad silently ate his meal with the rest of the spiritually-aware members of his class, but his mind was completely elsewhere. Will it work? He hadn't been able to focus on class since his revelation regarding his feelings of duty, and the coin he carried with him always. It felt like his power was just itching to release itself, and Chad could hardly keep himself from running to find a secluded spot in the woods to try it. What would it look like?

"Sado-kun…!"

Distractedly, Chad realized he was being addressed. "Sorry, Inoue. What were you saying?"

"Are you ok, Sado-kun?" the redhead asked concernedly.

"I am alright." Chad didn't want to share his thoughts about unlocking another power… not until he had tested it. If it didn't work, he didn't want their sympathy. If it did… We'll see. "I am merely thinking about the situation with Hell."

Keigo nodded fervently. "That's what we're discussing! What happens if they were to come out, like, now?"

Suddenly, a wave of evil-feeling reiatsu rushed over them, causing them to shiver as one. Tatsuki smacked Keigo upside the head. "Damn you, Keigo! You had to jinx us!"

Mizuiro sighed despondently. "You really should know better."

Ishida, Chad and Inoue were already standing and gathering their power, reaching out their senses to find the source of the intrusion. "Found it!" Ishida muttered. "Feels like… two or three of them. Probably a scouting party."

Chad grunted acknowledgment – he could sense the general location as well. "Let's go." He hefted Inoue under one arm, prompting a startled squeak, before he and Ishida took off using their high-speed techniques towards the forest.

They quickly approached a forested area that Ishida recognized . This is where I met Ichigo this morning. That must be significant. Did Ichigo have some clue? Or are they after him specifically? He tore himself away from his speculations as he spotted the intruders.

There were in fact two of them, and they both appeared to be quite human – they did not appear to have Hollow holes at all, but their reiatsu was definitely not that of Shinigami or of a living soul. The first was medium height, about five and a half feet tall, and almost completely covered in concealing rags of dull grays and browns. Even the person's hair was covered – only jade green eyes were visible. It was difficult to tell, but Ishida had a hunch that this person was female; there was something about the way she stood. Around each of her forearms, there was a chain that reached down to her hands. So, those are the chains of Hell, Ishida mused, before moving on.

The second was a tall, barefoot, painfully thin man whose cheeks had sunken. His skin was almost translucent, and his light brown hair thin and coming out in spots. Ishida's eyes narrowed as he realized that this man had obviously been starved for some time now. The man's hands twitched, and the clanking of metal rings drew Ishida's attention for a split second – the chains were tightly wrapped around the man's fingers, palm and thumb before reaching back and attaching to his elbows. For a brief moment, Ishida's mind froze with the implications. He literally can't pick up or hold anything. He can't unwrap the chains from his hands. Even if he finds food or water, he has little way to hold it to his mouth to eat. What a terrible punishment. Eternal starvation, endless thirst.

But what are they after? Ishida signaled Chad to follow him, and the silent man did as bid. The three of them landed quietly nearby, but out of sight.

"What do we need to do again?" the man asked, his voice dry and scratchy.

"Idiot, I've told you several times now!" the shorter of the two responded irritably. Ishida's suspicions were confirmed – judging from the voice, it was definitely female.

"It's not my fault! Hell promised to loosen the chains a bit so I can finally have a drink and something to eat without having the Kushanāda try to eat me… it's been so long, Hana…"

"Get your mind off it, Kieru," the newly identified Hana suggested, her tone a little softer. "I know it's hard to focus, but the sooner we finish the sooner you'll get a drink. All we have to do is kidnap a couple of humans and get some information."

Kieru sniffed the air. "There are a few humans right over there," he said quickly, his voice taking on an excited quality as he pointed directly at Ishida's, Chad's and Inoue's hiding place. "We can use them!"

"What?" Hana spun around, seeing the three empowered humans clamber out and get ready, their cover blown. "Well. Your luck's turning up, Kieru. Alright you three, feel like answering a question or two?"

In response, Ishida summoned his bow and Chad activated his right arm, quickly putting Inoue behind them. "Not particularly," Ishida answered coolly.

"Don't be like that," Kieru pleaded.

"How about a trade?" Hana offered. "A question for a question. Ask us whatever you like, and then we'll ask you something."

"I don't like it," Chad murmured just loud enough for his companions to hear.

"I know. But this could give us valuable information, if we ask the right question," Ishida muttered back, not taking his eyes off the Togabito. "Fine. Give us a minute to consider what question to ask."

Hana waved a cloth-covered hand at them regally. "Take your time. It's nice to be out of Hell."

The three of them turned towards each other and lowered their voices so as not to be heard. "What do you think, Ishida-kun?" Inoue asked quietly. "I'd want to know what Hell's up to."

"It's not likely that they'd know much," the Quincy countered with a shake of his head. "However, they might know the consequences of what would happen if the chains are broken."

"I disagree," Chad rumbled quietly. "But we could ask if one of them would come with us to Ichigo so we can test the theory."

Inoue and Ishida glanced at each other, then nodded. The chains tied everything together, metaphorically speaking. If breaking the chains freed the Togabito from Hell, that meant one less fighter he could send at them. If doing so killed the Togabito, however… we'd need to find an alternative way to free Masaki and Yuzu, Ishida thought grimly. But it's better to know now so we can find that knowledge.

"Alright," Inoue agreed. "But what if they agree, but then ask something that we really shouldn't answer?"

Ishida paused to contemplate. "A stalemate. If they agree, they can ask us anything they like. But if we answer first, there's little to keep them from breaking their word and fleeing with the knowledge." He eyed Inoue speculatively. "Or… perhaps not. Inoue, do you remember how you used Sōten Kisshun as a binding technique back in Hueco Mundo?"

Inoue nodded, and then her expression reflected understanding as she quietly snapped her fingers. "Ah! If they try to run, hold them?"

"Right. If it's too much to get both, just take one, alright?" Ishida clarified. Inoue gave a sharp nod of assent. Then the three turned back to the Togabito who were waiting, and Ishida cleared his throat. "If you don't mind, we'd rather answer your question before we make our request. That way if you ask us something we can't answer, we can decline our deal without any bad faith."

"Fine, fine," Hana acceded airily. "Our question is simply this: who are the rulers of the living world at this time?"

Chad blinked. That was not what he had expected. He glanced at Inoue, who seemed just as bewildered. Ishida, however, narrowed his eyes slightly in understanding. "I see. Your answer will require some research, unless you'd like to clarify the question. Simply put, the living world is made up of several independent governments, each with an official ruler or group of rulers," the Quincy began. "The right to rule for some companies change very frequently. I cannot be sure of who is currently in charge of every country. It is a very large world."

Hana shook her head. "How vague. Let me put it another way. Hell's dimension can only connect to the living world for any length of time at points of very large spiritual concentrations. During Hell's first rise, those locations traditionally also house the strongest who dwell in the living world, who are naturally in charge. So my question, then, is who are the strongest?"

"I would have to say that Kurosaki Ichigo, Shihoin Yoruichi, and Urahara Kisuke are the strongest at this time," Ishida replied after a few moments. "There may be others, but I have not had opportunity to see them."

"Is that enough?" Kieru asked his companion almost desperately.

"Yeah, it's good enough," Hana agreed. "Now, what's your question?"

"It's more a request," Ishida replied calmly. "We want at least one of you to follow us to Kurosaki Ichigo. We wish to find out what happens if your chains are broken."

Kieru and Hana both snapped their full attention to the Quincy. "We can be free?" Kieru whispered disbelievingly.

"Shut up!" Hana barked. "We have tried to rid ourselves of these chains for longer than you've been alive. How do you know that he can do it?"

"He has before," Chad informed them. "During a fight against Togabito who held his family hostage. But he did not get all the chains, so we are still uncertain of the consequences."

Hana and Kieru looked at each other and then spoke quietly, turned around so that no one could read their lips. But Ishida was certain he heard the word "spirit" and "before", closely followed by "Hell" and "seal."

After a couple of minutes, Kieru appeared to sigh, and nod his head wearily. "I am sorry, humans. While we would like to, we cannot."

"Why not?" Inoue blurted. "Surely you want to be free?"

"Of course we do!" Hana replied in an acidic tone. "There are two big problems. First, the chains are bound to Hell. Their strength is directly proportionate to his. And now that he has been resurrected, the chains are exponentially stronger. Maybe Kurosaki Ichigo can break them. But if he can't, and Hell finds out, what do you think will happen to us?"

"And second," Kieru muttered sadly, "even if our chains are broken, what is there for us? Life? We are dead! Soul Society? We are Togabito, we would be outcasts, or executed outright for our sins. Hueco Mundo?"

"How long until some Vasto Lorde decides to try to snack on us to find out if we give them extra powers?" Hana finished bitterly. "No, humans. The only thing left to us if our chains are ever broken, is death."

Ishida's eyes narrowed. "You're saying that severing the chains would leave you alive, so to speak?"

"Sure," Hana agreed, her tone still sour. "Why do you want to know?"

"Ichigo's family… died in Hell while they were kidnapped," Chad uttered heavily. "But before they could be resurrected as Togabito, they were retrieved and brought to the living world. They seem to be in some sort of in between state. Ichigo's sister was a living human before being kidnapped, and her soul is still in her body. His mother, already being dead, is not decomposing."

"We want to save them," Inoue told the Togabito earnestly. "But we don't know how."

Hana made a small noise as though she were about to say something, but her voice died almost as soon as it reached her lips. After another moment, she tried again. "Huh. And here I thought I knew everything about these damned chains. I really don't know. If you cut the chains now, though, I'd guess that they'd die for good then. But the chains haven't been put on a living human before to my knowledge. Anything could happen there. Their best bet though is to return to Hell, come back to life, and then have the chains cut."

Without warning, Kieru's stomach growled loudly enough to make everyone stare at him. "Hana…" he pleaded.

"Fine, fine. Off we go." She opened an eye-shaped portal back to Hell with a wave of her hand, and Kieru jumped through without a moment's thought. Hana turned back though, and Ishida could swear in her eyes he could see… Sympathy? Pity? But then the moment was gone. "Tell Kurosaki Ichigo that he needs to prepare himself. The invasion is coming, and Hell was very interested in his soul." And then she stepped through the portal, and was gone.

Ishida frowned contemplatively. "There's something not right about them," he murmured.

"They are Togabito," Chad reminded him.

"No. Well, yes, that's true, but there is something more," the Quincy clarified. "Hell only rose recently. But the woman… Hana…" He trailed off, lost in thought.

"What about her?" Inoue asked quietly.

"Remember, she explained what was meant by the question 'who is the strongest'. She talked about Hell's first rise as though she'd been there," he stated heavily. "That has troubling indications. The most likely possibility, in my opinion, is that she is one of Hell's lieutenants, and was somehow sealed during or shortly after his defeat."

"Are you sure? She seemed nice," Inoue questioned. "Didn't fight us or anything, gave us all the information we wanted, even wanted to warn Kurosaki-kun."

"Unfortunately, Inoue… sometimes the nicest people can be the worst opponents. Take yourself for instance."

"Huh?" Inoue glanced at herself confusedly. "What do you mean?"

"Inoue, you are a wonderful person," Ishida told her sincerely. "But your powers are downright terrifying. Chad, can you imagine what would happen if Inoue ever turned evil?"

Chad visibly shuddered, and said nothing.

"But…!" Inoue clearly didn't understand. "But I'd never turn evil!"

"And I'm glad for that," Ishida told her quietly. "Let's get out of here; Urahara and Kurosaki will want to know what we've found out. Kurosaki especially."

A few seconds later, there was no trace that anyone had been there at all.