Barriers Between People

Ichigo awoke suddenly, breathing in sharply for a few moments while he registered his surroundings once more. Sleep had been a long time coming since the previous night's revelation, and what sleep he did have was interrupted by nightmares. The one he'd just woken from had been rather disturbing… Ichigo massaged his eyes with his knuckles, trying to rid himself of the lingering remnants of the dreams.

Rubbing his eyes wasn't enough. Ichigo shook his head, trying to banish the images that had persisted beyond the ending of sleep. He knew why his sleep had been restless. The knowledge that he could go to Hell… for acting on something as inherently good as wanting to protect his family? It was a tough idea to swallow. At what point was he supposed to stop? If people continued to threaten his family, was he supposed to just let it happen?

His face hardened. No. If it was within his power, he would always protect those he held dear. But… he wouldn't kill the innocent to do it. That was his limit. That was the difference between himself and Zen'i. His family wouldn't want their lives to be at the expense of others. If he went to Hell anyway, then… well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Determination renewed, Ichigo swiftly dressed and headed to the training area. He would master sealing. He would defeat Hell. He would rescue his mother. And he would let nothing stop him.

Ichigo stalked into the training area and absently noted that no one was in yet. That was fine – it just gave him some much-appreciated privacy while he worked with his sealing. He was getting a lot better at binding, but he still remembered the key principle of seals: they were powered by the sealed. Thus far, he'd never managed to actually guide Tsuki's power into maintaining any of his own spells. He frowned for a moment. No wonder the masters of sealing were few and far between – he needed a test subject.

Don't tell me you've forgotten about us, King. You need to practice your seals in the middle of battle, too, and you owe me a good fight.

Silently acknowledging the point, Ichigo sat in a corner of the room and pushed himself into his Inner World, opening his eyes to see the current state of his soul. The sun shone bright, almost too bright, but the heat was not comforting. No, this was an intense heat, one that threatened to burn. The metal of the skyscrapers gave off visible haze from the heat. What was causing this?

"Hot, ain't it?" Cazador asked from right behind him. "That's your fault. The more single-mindedly focused you are about something, the hotter and brighter it gets."

Ah. That made sense, in a way. If someone's focus became too intent, too narrow, it could blind that person to everything else around him and lead to his own destruction. Strange, though, that such a concept would be reflected within his own soul. Even so, Ichigo merely nodded and turned around. "Well then… shall we?"

Cazador smirked and leapt back, drawing his version of Zangetsu. "Don't think I'm gonna take it easy on ya!"

"Never crossed my mind." Ichigo drew his Zanpakutō and began gathering his power, shaping his intent. "Let's go!"

"Koten Zanshun!" And just like that, another Togabito died. A moment later, the portal back to Hell opened and sucked the corpse through. Inoue sat back down and sighed. "They just keep coming," she complained. "Don't they know it's pointless by now?"

Chad, who was sitting nearby, shook his head. "There's definitely a point."

"But what could it be? They're not like Hollows – they don't need to feed on souls. They're not tiring us out anymore, not since we set up the rest rotation. They're not strong enough to kill us," Inoue pointed out.

"Hmm."

Her companion fell quiet, and Inoue sighed once more. Her stomach growled audibly, and she blushed. "We haven't eaten in a while," she said quietly. "I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?"

Chad blinked and considered for a moment. "A couple of tomatoes, please."

Inoue smiled brightly. "Alright, Sado-kun! I'll be back in a few minutes!"

Chad nodded, declining to comment on Inoue's smile – she was obviously disturbed by the Togabito's apparent suicidal tendencies. He felt similarly – enough time had passed that Hell had to know that this strategy wasn't exhausting them. What possible purpose did Hell have, continuing to send his soldiers here to die?

Unless… Hell's goal could only be accomplished through the repeated death of Togabito in the living world? He frowned pensively, then tapped his ear. "Yoruichi?"

"I'm here, Sado," she responded over the communication device in his ear. "What's on your mind?"

"When Shinigami and Hollows die, their bodies decompose into reishi, and are incorporated into the environment, right?"

"Yes," the Goddess of Flash confirmed. "Most of the reishi follows the soul to whatever plane it ends up in, but some is left behind."

"What about the Togabito? Are they leaving behind reishi when we kill them?"

"That's… a very good question. Kisuke?"

"Hmm?" the distracted voice of Urahara questioned. Yoruichi repeated the question. "Yes, yes, Togabito leave some reishi behind, markedly more than Hollows do in fact."

"More?" Chad asked.

"Most of it has to do with the portal that opens every time to reclaim their soul. It opens, and some of the reishi from the Hell dimension leaks into the living world."

"Isn't that dangerous?" the gentle giant questioned.

"Only to those in the immediate area, and only for a very short time," Urahara reassured him. "The reishi disperses quickly, integrating with the reishi already present in the living world. Reishi is nothing if not adaptable. Given time, the reishi from the Hell dimension will take on the same properties as that from the living world."

A terrible idea was beginning to take form within Chad's head. He prayed it wasn't true. "But doesn't the living world have less reishi than the other worlds?"

"Oh yes. Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, the Dangai, even Hell are all made up completely of reishi. The concentration of reishi in living world is tiny by comparison." Urahara's voice was beginning to sound interested. "Why are you asking?"

"Togabito have been coming in every hour, in several places of high reishi content, for more than a day. I don't know how much reishi each Togabito leaves behind when it dies, but that's a lot of Togabito, hitting the same spots over and over." Chad took a breath. "Is it possible that instead of the Hell reishi taking on the living world's properties… the living world's reishi might start to take on Hell's properties?"

There was dead silence for several seconds, before Chad heard a furious clacking at a keyboard. Neither Yoruichi nor Chad dared to say a word while Urahara worked. A full minute passed, then two, with Urahara muttering about variables and spiritual resonances. Then, finally, they heard a sigh. "Yes, Sado-kun. I'm afraid that yes, it is possible, and it is happening. Right now, the effects are nearly unnoticeable, and will reverse themselves given a week or two. But if Hell continues to send his Togabito, then eventually the reishi Karakura will completely resonate with the reishi of Hell."

"And what will happen then, Kisuke?!" Yoruichi snapped.

"The resonance would allow for the Hell dimension to connect to Karakura directly through the weakened dimensional borders."

"What about the Dangai protection?" Chad asked. "You're positioning it between Hell and the living world to protect us, right?"

"Yes, it will be in place in another few hours. And it will help somewhat, but the effect is countered by the fact that the reishi in Karakura has already begun to take on Hell's properties."

"Explain."

"Do you have any understanding of inter- and extra-dimensional physics, or the effects of time/space distortion on them?"

"No," Yoruichi admitted reluctantly.

"How about the mechanics of spiritual resonance? What actually happens when you rip a hole in a dimension?"

"No."

"Then there's no way any explanation I can give will make any sense to you. You'll just have to trust me. I am forwarding my findings to Soul Society so we can figure out what to do from here in the time we have left."

Chad swallowed. "What happens when full resonance happens?" he asked simply.

"Well, I'd guess that the Gates of Hell would materialize here… and never disappear. It'd be a permanent portal between Hell and the living world. Togabito would be able to invade unendingly, further accelerating the conversion of the rest of the living world reishi. Eventually… eventually, the living world would be subsumed into the rest of the Hell dimension."

Chad's mouth went dry.

"How long?" Yoruichi asked quietly.

"Given the rate of conversion and assuming that Hell doesn't pick up the pace, approximately 26 hours until full resonance."

Just over one day. A single day to avert the apocalypse. Chad rubbed his forehead, vaguely registering Inoue's return. A mere 26 hours, and there was absolutely nothing Chad could do to improve their chances. All he could do was sit here and continue to eliminate the Togabito who crossed over into the living world, knowing that with each one they defeated, the world grew that much closer to disaster.

Inoue quietly took the tomatoes out of her bag and set their container next to Chad, who absently nodded and thanked her. Then a thought occurred to him. He may not have anything he could do to improve their chances. But she might. "Inoue…"

"Hmm?"

"Oh, I like the way you think, Sado-kun!"

"It's worth a try," Yoruichi agreed. "I'm patching her in now."

And so Urahara and Yoruichi explained everything. Inoue paled, but nodded at once. "I'll try to reject the changes," she promised.

"You'll have to move quickly," Urahara warned. "The reishi spreads out very quickly once the portal vanishes."

"Right." It was an astonishing thought, that they were relying on her and her alone, not merely for healing those who would save the world, but to actually keep the world safe herself until the source of the problem could be dealt with. She never would have dreamed of it before. "I'll do my best!"

Karin was in a very foul mood. She still couldn't leave the house, she was bored beyond belief, and she was in no mood to be in the company of the spoiled princess who had taken up residence with them. Worst of all, she kept hearing Kon's words from the night before.

"That strong desire, that constant sense of indignation you feel, that quiet resentment you nurture…"

"You need to resolve the emotions that are making your power so reactive."

"Can you see it now, Karin? Your selfishness?"

Karin grit her teeth in frustration. Damn it! She wasn't being selfish! Just because she wanted to be out there helping didn't make her selfish! That was practically the definition of selfless! If she were selfish, then she would be just like that Kasumiōji girl, who seemed perfectly content to let her personal guards fight on her behalf with a care in the world. If she were selfish, then she wouldn't mind knowing that she didn't have to fight, that she didn't have to go to school or anything.

Karin resisted the urge to kick a wall in frustration. She was making herself angrier, which was practically the opposite of Kon's advice, and sure enough she could feel her reiryoku trying to activate her eyes again. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm down.

"Are you well?"

Just what she needed. Karin turned around to see the blond girl, Kasumiōji Rurichiyo, looking at her with mild concern. "I'm fine."

Rurichiyo looked at her, clearly not believing her. "Something is clearly bothering you. Tell us."

"It's nothing that concerns you." Karin was struggling now to control her anger – the sight of Rurichiyo had been irritating the night before, but after her talk with Kon, Karin just couldn't deal with her right then.

"Very well. We shall leave you to your anger."

She turned around and was beginning to walk away when Karin lost the fight with her reiryoku. The Eyes of the Oracle opened. The flash of reiatsu startled Rurichiyo into turning around, and Karin saw the truth.

"W-What is that?" Rurichiyo stuttered.

Karin's eyes returned to normal – Karin couldn't muster up the will to be angry anymore, not after having seen Rurichiyo for exactly who she was. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

Rurichiyo drew herself up to her full height – which wasn't much – and huffed. "Tell us! What did you do?!"

"I saw who you are," Karin explained quietly, looking down. "My eyes allow me to see the truth of people. I'm sorry. I had no right to look upon you with those eyes."

"And what did you see?"

Karin took a deep breath. "I saw how you really feel. You can't see how any of this is going to end well. You're scared, and doing your best to hide it by purposely pushing others away. You truly care about your guards, and even now you're hoping that they're still safe. You're under a lot of stress right now and you're trying to stay strong for them so they don't have to worry about you when they go out to fight," she told the heiress softly. "It would break you if they failed to come back. You came down here because you couldn't stand staying in your room anymore, because the minute they get home you want to reassure them that you're safe so they can rest."

Rurichiyo stepped back, a look of shock breaking through the mask. "H-How…? How can you know all that about us?"

"My eyes see a lot more than what's on the outside, Rurichiyo. I see the truth." Nodding to herself, Karin made a snap decision. "I'm sorry for snapping earlier. You're right. I am bothered about something. I'm angry because I'm having trouble controlling my power, and the person I asked for advice told me something I didn't like to hear. He called me selfish."

The change in subject seemed to have done as intended – the heat in Rurichiyo's cheeks dimmed, and while she was still clearly disturbed, she seemed more than willing to remove the focus from herself. "Why did he say such a thing?" she asked.

"He said that my problems controlling my power come from my wanting to help the others fight, from resenting being helpless."

"We see." Rurichiyo paused, clearly weighing her words. "Then… we must agree."

Karin stared at her, not believing her ears. "What?"

"We must agree that you are being selfish, Kurosaki Karin. While the desire to become strong is something to admire, there come times where we must trust those with the strength to do what we cannot."

"I want to help! I don't want to be a burden to them!"

"And yet a burden is exactly what you will be should you try to help. The most you can do is make yourself as small a burden as possible."

Karin felt disgusted with herself. How could she have expected this girl to understand? Her eyes had revealed the girl's emotions and motivations, and it had been made very clear that Rurichiyo was no fighter at heart. "That's the most you can do, Kasumiōji Rurichiyo."

"Yes," Rurichiyo admitted without missing a beat. "You have seen our soul, Kurosaki Karin. You know how we worry for Enryū, for Kenryū. Yet if we were to insist on being with them, our presence would only hinder them." Rurichiyo's façade cracked a bit, and even without the Eyes of the Oracle, Karin could see how much it cost her to say that. "If it was within our power, we would protect our family. But it is not. The war with Hell is not one that can be fought with the power we wield. We must place our hopes in those who do have the power. Those like your brother and his associates. Those like the Gotei 13. Their powers lie in war, Kurosaki Karin, while ours do not."

The words echoed within Karin's mind as her eyes widened. Their powers lie in war… ours do not.

"Perhaps you will have the strength to fight alongside your family in time. Perhaps not. But right now, the only choice you have, the only choice we have, is to believe in those who have the power to fight and do our best to ensure they do not worry for us while they go to war." Rurichiyo smiled sadly. "If that is all we can do, then that is what we will do."

She turned and walked away, leaving Karin alone with her thoughts. It had never occurred to her to worry for Ichigo. Karin had always taken for granted that he would come home – injured, perhaps, but he would always come home. He was so strong! There was no way he wouldn't. Yet Rurichiyo worried for her servants, people so strong that they had become her personal guard.

It threw a spear of doubt into Karin's beliefs. Hell was strong too – that much was obvious if he'd managed to keep Ichigo from rescuing their mother. What if he…? No! She refused to think about it. Karin grimaced as she made her way to the kitchen, looking for something to drink.

Still though… Karin understood a bit more now. She wasn't being kept home simply because she was too weak to fight. No. Karin was being kept home because it was the only way Ichigo and their father could focus completely on their own battles. Even if she were strong enough to fight the Togabito, they would have asked her to stay home. Because they loved her, and wanted her to be safe from those with the power to condemn her to Hell.

Both Ichigo and their father had always taken on the role of family protector. They wanted to protect her. It was a little selfish of them, but Karin understood a bit better now. It had to be hard for the old man, letting Ichigo grow so strong, letting him risk his life over and over again. They just weren't ready to let Karin do the same.

Karin felt her heart grow warm and her bitterness abate as the tiniest of smiles graced her face. They didn't think of her as weak. If that was the case, then she could wait a bit longer for them to be ready. In the meantime, she had powers of her own to train.

She turned around with a glass of juice in her hand, only to be startled by Yuzu being right there, a confused and hurt expression on her face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"Why didn't you tell me about your power? About your Eyes of the Oracle?"

Nelliel watched her students from a distance. The Vizard had made good progress in learning how to utilize their Hollow powers, and now they didn't really need her anymore… outside of the occasional healing when they accidentally hurt each other.

No, Nelliel's attention kept wandering over to where Ichigo sat, still and silent, in the corner. What was he doing? His reiatsu reflected that he was awake, yet… withdrawn, somehow. She could only guess that he had retreated into his Inner World to deal with something. Perhaps Cazador de la Luna was acting up? Or maybe Zangetsu had a new technique for him?

Yet he'd been there since before she'd arrived in the training room, which was hours ago. Nelliel let out a silent sigh. Of all the humans and Shinigami she had met, she had connected most with Ichigo. Sadly, they hadn't been able to spend much time together since that night where they'd shared so much. It was understandable, of course. Ichigo was single-mindedly devoted to protecting his family, and Hell was a direct threat. And then there was Zen'i, and all the confusion and horror of dealing with an enemy that was borne of one's own heart. It would be a miracle if Ichigo got through all this without suffering too much heartbreak.

I wonder… is there a Kami that would listen to an Arrancar's prayers? If there was, Nelliel prayed that Ichigo would get through the crisis with his life and mind intact.

As if in direct answer to her prayers, Ichigo's eyes suddenly shot open, startling her. He stood and stretched, and then their eyes met. Ichigo's lips twitched into a reassuring smile, one that Nelliel found herself returning. Then the Vizard jerked his head towards part of the training grounds. He wanted to talk? Or did he need some advice on his training?

In any case, Nelliel nodded amicably and walked on over, meeting Ichigo halfway. "How're you doing?" Ichigo asked quietly. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"I'm doing well, Ichigo. The three you brought along have kept me pretty busy," she admitted. "But they've gone through just about everything I could teach them. What about you?"

"I've been pretty busy too. Learning how to use my chains better and all, and figuring out sealing." Ichigo shook his head. "It's no wonder not many people use it – it's so much more difficult than normal Bakudō, and frankly Kidō is not my strong suit."

"How's that coming along?"

"Oh, very well." For some reason, Ichigo smirked rather smugly for a moment before shaking his head. "I need to test my skills against a few other people though, just to make sure I've got it."

The corners of Nelliel's lips twitched into a playful smirk. "If you like, I'll be your opponent."

"I was hoping you'd agree." He leapt back and drew Zangetsu in a single fluid motion, bringing it to a ready position. "Shall we?"

"Eager, are we? We'll see who comes out on top soon enough," Nelliel teased as she drew her Zanpakutō, Gamuza.

A hint of pink touched Ichigo's cheeks for a moment before he rushed at Nelliel, and then they began the dance of blades. Zangetsu met Gamuza over and over, but Nelliel seemed to refuse to let Ichigo pressure her into a blade lock, instead choosing to deflect to one side or another if she couldn't simply dodge. It was when Nelliel nearly gutted him in a counterattack that Ichigo realized that instead of brute strength, she was relying more on sheer skill, trying to take advantage of any opportunities Ichigo gave her.

For her part, Nelliel eyed her opponent carefully. Ichigo was not someone to take lightly – even with merely his Shikai, he had more power behind his strikes than some of the lower Espada had had. But she had been ranked 3 for a reason, so she was more than capable of matching him in his current state. The question was, when would he use his chains…?

As if to answer her question, Ichigo avoided another counter-slash by vanishing in a flicker of Shunpo, materializing several feet to Nelliel's right side. He raised his left arm and without a word conjured three chains that seemed to erupt from within the palm of his hand, lunging for her.

Nelliel snorted and merely sidestepped the chains, cutting them in half with Gamuza. What she wasn't prepared for, however, was Ichigo stepping into high gear, Shunpo-ing over and over again, not standing in any one place for more than a split second.

It happened in an instant – she felt chains hit her in the back and they wrapped around her tightly, binding even her hands to her sides. She felt a strong – too strong – reiryoku enter her body and she was frozen in place, unable to move. Even her reiryoku felt sluggish, but she had to break free! "Declare, Gamuza!"

Light purple reiatsu erupted around her, and the chains snapped and fell away from her as she assumed her Resurrección form: a centaur, with white spaulders, elbow guards and gauntlets. She hefted her lance and smiled at Ichigo, who she thought looked slightly impressed. "Were you expecting something else?" she commented lightly.

"Honestly, I should have guessed," Ichigo admitted. "That form suits you. Don't think it's going to stop me, though. Bankai!"

When his reiatsu dissipated enough to see, Nelliel took sight of his Bankai with interest – his Bankai coat had changed from its solid black to matching the same style as what Ichigo had recently taken to wearing. Apparently Tensa Zangetsu approved.

But there was no time to think about such things, as Ichigo had promptly taken a single step and vanished into Shunpo once again, too quickly for her. It was over before Nelliel even knew what was happening – all four of her legs had been bound by chains, and she was trapped on the floor, her body frozen, and then Ichigo was in front of her, concentrating on a length of chain that he was holding in his left hand.

Nelliel's eyes widened when she felt her reiryoku respond to a will that wasn't hers… and she saw no more as chains flew before her eyes.

Ichigo breathed out, relaxing as he felt his chains accept Nelliel's power and use it to cover every inch of her body in overlapping and interlocking chains. "Seal complete." He stepped forward and very carefully sliced the chains around Nelliel's face so she could see once more. "You alright?"

Nelliel made a show of trying to move and failing. "You know, I've no problem with it, but people are going to wonder about you if you keep chaining me up in public."

This time there was no stopping the blush. "Answer: yes. Got it. Can you use your reiryoku at all? A Cero? Bala? Anything?"

Nelliel got a thoughtful look on her face, then furrowed her brows in concentration. "Not at all. Nicely done, Ichigo."

"Thanks."

"You figured it out very fast. What changed?"

"Well, I don't think my way of sealing is really what the Kidō masters use… I know Urahara's seal took a lot more subtle approach. Since I'm not exactly the subtle type…"

"No, no you are not," Nelliel agreed.

Ichigo gave her a look, then sighed and continued. "… I figured I'd try just sending in a bunch of reiryoku, diffusing it into yours, and then having my reiryoku drag yours into the pattern needed for the seal."

"… Wouldn't you have to have a lot stronger reiryoku than your opponent to pull that off?"

"Yeah. Just means I'm going to have to beat Hell down until he can't put up enough of a fight."

Nelliel smiled. She would have shaken her head in amusement, but her neck was still bound by the chains. But she was glad that Ichigo hadn't changed all that much. "Mind letting me loose?"

Ichigo smirked at her. "I don't know, I thought you liked being all wrapped in chains."

"Why don't I show you how much I enjoy them?" Nelliel whispered enticingly. Ichigo's smirk dropped instantly, and his face was so red Nelliel could only laugh.

After a few moments, the Vizard recovered enough to speak again. "I'm going to head to the living world again, get a status update. Maybe get the Kidō specialists to test out my seal work, see if they can improve it."

"Sounds good. Are you going to let me out first?"

"I suppose I should." A few blindingly fast swipes with Tensa Zangetsu later, the chains fell to the ground and disintegrated.

Nelliel quickly reverted to her usual form, sealing Gamuza. "Come back soon," she told him invitingly. "And maybe we can play with your chains a bit more then, hmm?"

Ichigo couldn't open a Garganta fast enough. He leapt in, hearing Nelliel's quiet laugh follow him. He would never understand why all the powerful women in his life insisted on teasing him like that. "First Yoruichi, then Nelliel. Even Matsumoto tried!" He shook his head.

To be fair, you're a bit of an easy target.

"Great, even my Hollow agrees."

Perhaps if you didn't react quite so… vividly?

"You too, Zangetsu?!"

Several minutes later, a thoroughly disgruntled Ichigo stepped into the underground training ground beneath Urahara's shop, having sealed Zangetsu just to get some peace from the voices in his head.

"Ichigo!"

He turned to see Yoruichi call over to him from a fair distance away, waving him over in an urgent manner. Concerned, he Shunpo-ed over to her. "Yoruichi? What's wrong?"

"A whole lot more than you know. How's your sealing coming?"

"Pretty good, I think. Not as good as Urahara's or Yamamoto's, but I managed to seal a high level Arrancar just a few minutes ago."

Yoruichi let out a breath. "Finally, some good news. Listen, Kisuke and Kurotsuchi have just managed to finish shifting the Dangai. We're about to call Soul Society. I hope you're rested – odds are, the final showdown with Hell will be later today."

Ichigo's eyes widened for a moment before his face hardened, and he gave a resolute nod. "Then let's go call Soul Society."

They briskly walked to the room that Urahara had dedicated for communications with Soul Society. Urahara was busy typing something on his computer, but nodded at Ichigo in acknowledgment of his presence. Shinji was there, presumably representing the Vizard, and Ichigo couldn't help but notice the lack of Hollow hole and dimmed Hollow reiatsu. He wondered for a moment when he'd taken control, but decided it might be better not to ask. Then there was Ishida, who was walking right towards him.

"Kurosaki."

"Ishida." Ichigo glanced around. "Where's Chad and Inoue?"

"They're on patrol," the Quincy quickly explained. "The Togabito have been attacking periodically for over a day. Did they invade Hueco Mundo as well?"

Ichigo frowned. "Three times they sent an army at us, headed by Zen'i."

"Zen'i?"

"The me that Hell controls."

"Ah. I take it he lost handily?"

"While the armies were destroyed, I wouldn't say that Zen'i really lost… not considering his goal, anyway." Ichigo shook his head. "Though you should probably know that Grimmjow's a Togabito now."

Ishida furrowed his brows, trying to remember. "He was the Sexta Espada, right? You defeated him handily last time you fought him."

Ichigo nodded. "Just thought you should know in case he turns up here."

"Good to know, but you're trying to change the subject." Ishida looked at his transcendent friend critically. "What was Zen'i's goal?"

Ichigo sighed. There was no getting out of this one, was there? "Reintegration with me."

Ishida's eyes narrowed. "Is that even possible?"

"Very. He's part of me, and if I know anything about souls, it's that they yearn to be whole."

Ishida blinked. "He's part of you?" That was a very disturbing thought. "What part of you could possibly manifest as…?!" His voice died when he saw blackness creeping in at the whites of Ichigo's eyes, as he felt Ichigo's reiatsu shift and become far more dangerous than it had been mere seconds before.

"Anyone can become evil. The only question is what circumstances would bring it about." Ichigo took a breath and forced himself to relax. "Sorry. It's a bit of a touchy subject at the moment."

"And why is that, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo stiffened, then slowly turned around. Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's face was on the wide screen, as were all the taicho remaining in Soul Society. "A little warning would've been nice," he muttered.

Urahara had the grace to look sheepish. "Sorry."

"It matters little," Yamamoto stated. "Urahara Kisuke, we have received your reports concerning Hell's apparent tactics on the living world. Kurotsuchi-taicho, have you seen them?"

"Yes. I've also performed some independent tests to verify the results – it seems that Hell is far cleverer than we gave him credit."

"Then time is of the essence. Kurosaki Ichigo, it is fortunate that you have returned. What can you tell us about the situation in Hueco Mundo?"

Ichigo blinked. Yamamoto had… actually asked? Instead of demanding a report? "The Arrancar that survived our fight with Aizen have taken residence in Las Noches. As the one who killed Aizen, most Hollows seem to respect me immensely, which made things a lot easier. I suppose it helped that I have Hollow powers. In any case, the Togabito invaded three times, each with a small army led by Zen'i – the Inner Togabito we talked about before. Each army was defeated handily, and I have a number of prisoners in Las Noches. Figured it was better to deprive Hell of his infinite army as much as I could."

Kyōraku Shunsui, who was standing just to Yamamoto's right and behind, smiled at Ichigo and nodded approvingly. "That's excellent thinking. Were you able to get anything out of them?"

Ichigo shook his head negatively. "Not much in terms of tactical information. They were barely trained, mostly just in using Hell's chains as weapons and defenses. Many of the ones I talked to expressed a wish to be purified of their sins and sent on to the next life. But since I don't really know how Konsō works, I figured I should ask you guys. Would that work if they truly repented, or would it send them straight back to Hell?"

Ishida swore he saw an unholy light enter Kurotsuchi's eyes. "With your permission, sōtaicho, I would undertake this research after Hell has been sealed."

"We shall see," Yamamoto said noncommittally. "Kurosaki Ichigo, is Hueco Mundo protected?"

Ichigo nodded firmly. "Very protected. Three of the Vizard are stationed at Las Noches, along with all the Arrancar and a large number of Hollows. I'm sure they can handle anything thrown at them short of Hell himself. Although Zen'i could give them trouble, I suppose, since he's using both Zangetsu and Hell's Zanpakutō."

Yamamoto's eyes opened wide. "He's using Asahi no Kagami?"

"… Do I want to know how you know its name?" Ichigo asked wearily.

"It's in the records," Ukitake explained helpfully. "We only found that reference about a day ago, and we're still not entirely clear on what it does."

The transcendent sighed. "Fine, I'll give you the highlights. It's an illusion-type Zanpakutō. The wielder focuses on a concept – usually an emotion – that he wants to overwhelm you with, and illusions from your own mind surround you and use your memories and feelings to break you with that concept."

"How do you break the illusion?" Ukitake asked.

"You can only do it by figuring out the concept and acknowledging your feelings about the matters brought up by the illusions. Once you know the concept being used, the illusion vanishes." Ichigo shook his head. "It's harder than it sounds, especially when they will ask questions designed to make you unsure of yourself."

"What concepts did Zen'i use on you?" Amagai asked.

"Guilt, betrayal, self-worth, pride and trust. Oh! That reminds me. Apparently Asahi no Kagami can only use up to four concepts on you before it needs to recharge," Ichigo commented.

Adjusting his glasses, Ishida mentally reevaluated his opinion of Ichigo's emotional maturity, and silently forgave him for his minor outburst earlier. Evidently he'd gone through quite a bit during his stint in Hueco Mundo. Though he knew that Ichigo felt guilty about some things, and that he'd recently acquired perfectly justifiable trust issues with Soul Society, Ishida had had no idea that the Substitute Shinigami had problems with his own self-worth. That… disturbed him more than he cared to say.

"That is valuable information. You have my thanks, Kurosaki Ichigo."

This time, Ichigo was not the only one to look at Yamamoto strangely. "OK, what changed?" Shinji asked bluntly. "You don't thank anybody."

Yamamoto ignored the question. Instead, he opened his eyes, and met Ichigo's eyes steadily. "Kurosaki Ichigo, the Dangai is now stable. The time has come to invade the Hell dimension and seal Hell away. I know there is no point in attempting to prevent you from coming along, not when your mother remains captive there. So I extend you this invitation: join us on our mission to seal Hell away. Should you accept, I vow to you here and now, on the flame of Ryūjin Jakka, that so long as you remain an ally of Soul Society, your family will be protected by the Gotei 13, in life and in death."

Ichigo's breath caught. This was…! Was he serious?

Seeing Ichigo's speechless state, Yamamoto hid a secret smile. Just as he thought, as long as you protected his family, Kurosaki Ichigo would always stand at your side. "You are an ally of the Gotei 13, Kurosaki Ichigo. Despite our differences, we each have much to offer the other. You and your companions have done much for us, and we have every reason to believe you will continue to do so. The least we could do is guard the souls of your family. So I ask you once more, Kurosaki Ichigo: shall we work together to save all the realms from Hell?"

There was only one answer Ichigo could give. "Let's do this."