40 Masaki Kurosaki

World of the Living, Karakura Town.

Ichigo sat on his bed and stared out of the window at the blue sky. He was no longer able to take on his Soul Reaper body and his Reiatsu was slowly slipping away. He could feel his perception waning. He knew what would happen after using final getsuga tenshou, but it needed to be done to stop Aizen.

They had told him it would take about a month for his Reiatsu to dissipate and it had already been three weeks. He thought about Orihime and wondered how she was doing. Ichigo didn't know when, but he started thinking about Orihime more often. Perhaps it started ever since they separated after rescuing Rukia.

"Big brother! Lunch is ready."

"Hey dead beat, get down here. Don't waste Yuzu's hard work!"

Ichigo got out of bed and headed downstairs. He was just about to step on the stairs when he sensed his father trying to ambush him. He dodged and Isshin slammed into the wall behind Ichigo. Isshin gave him a thumbs up and stopped Ichigo from going downstairs.

"There's something I need to tell you after we eat."

Isshin's face turned serious and he gave off the vibe of a Soul Reaper. Ichigo wasn't sure what it could be about, but it must be related to his powers, he thought. While the four of them ate, Ichigo remained silent. Isshin kept the mood high by having silly banter with his daughters, so it was fairly normal of a day.

After the meal, Isshin brought Ichigo out to the river where Masaki died. Ichigo knew this place very well and he was starting to get angry. He was losing his powers so he did not want to be thinking of his dead mother. Before he could say anything, Isshin started speaking.

"Your mother was a Quincy."

"What? That's not funny dad."

"The day we decided to marry was also the day I gave up my Soul Reaper powers and she gave up her Quincy powers. In order to suppress the Hollowifcation infection due to Aizen's experiments, I needed to be near her all the time."

"What are you saying��?"

"Ichigo, your Soul Reaper powers, Hollow powers, and even Quincy powers are all hereditary. When you were conceived, the Hollow that infected your mother took that chance to be reborn. However, the mixture of powers suppressed it until you began delving into being a Soul Reaper."

"I've already lost my powers, what does any of this mean to me now?"

"What it means is that now your Hollow powers and Soul Reaper powers are gone, your Quincy powers can be awakened."

"Why are you telling me this? You want me to become a Quincy?"

"Originally I wasn't going to tell you this. However, a few days ago I got a message from Orihime. Your mother's death… may have not been an accident."

"Someone murdered mom!? And what does Orihime have to do with this?"

"She has joined the second division, in charge of the detention unit. She found traces of Quincy's and was able to interrogate one. Apparently, the day your mother was attacked by the grand fisher, all non-pure blood Quincy were stripped of their powers. This made her as weak as a human and was not able to fight back."

"Wait, then why was I unaffected? How can I still have Quincy powers?"

"Perhaps it was because they remained dormant, or due to you having a mixture of three powers. I don't know the answer. Orihime wanted me to tell you the truth and help you awaken your Quincy powers. She also mentioned that your Soul Reaper powers may not be completely gone."

"She told me to give you this letter and everything you need to know is in it. Yuzu and Karin must be wondering where we went so, I'll head back now. Hang in there, Ichigo. I've always been proud of you."

Once Isshin left, Ichigo sat down on the concrete stairs and opened the envelope. He took out the letter and unfolded it. The first thing he noticed was the incredible calligraphy and he even had difficulty reading it. He noticed there was a second letter written normally and his eyebrow twitched at the first line.

'In case you couldn't read the other one I wrote this as well:

Hello Ichigo!

How are you doing? I'm doing great over here. I joined the second division under Soi Fon, the petite captain that is infatuated with Yoruichi. But truthfully, I plan to make a bid for captain since I have my bankai and they need the spots filled. Anyway, like I mentioned to Isshin, there are some suspicious things behind your mother's death.

I did not make the connection at first, but after matching the dates and doing some research on the Quincy lineage, I discovered your mother was a Quincy. Talk to Uryuu about training as a Quincy. Try not to argue too much with him.

Now I need to tell you about a certain group that may attempt to contact you. When I was doing research, I discovered some interesting things. It turns out you are not the first substitute Soul Reaper. There was another one before you, however, he broke the law and was exiled after losing his powers. This person is the leader of that group.

One last thing, Rukia and I have been trying to convince some of the stronger captains to pool some Reiatsu together to help recover your Soul Reaper powers. Don't be too much of a downer! You have friends up here that owe a lot to you.

See ya!

-Orihime

P.S. Kenpachi wants to fight you again.'

Ichigo took a long time to fully absorb all the information on the letter. Unknown to him, Orihime lied all over the letter. All of this was information she knew about the original timeline. Although, she did actually capture a Quincy, he just bit off his own tongue since he was suppressed. Orihime pretended to use her bankai to 'interrogate' him.

He folded the letter and went straight to Uryuu's house. He walked for at least two kilometers before he realized he had no idea where Uryuu lived. He returned home and was resigned to waiting until Monday when school started. Ichigo planned all sorts of ways to convince him and even planned to resort to blackmail or violence.

However, on Monday he was surprised to see Uryuu approach him first.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Your mother was a Quincy, and that you can awaken Quincy powers as well?"

"How did you find out…?"

"Tsk, as much as it bothers me, this does mean we are now part of the same clan. You lost your Soul Reaper powers and now need me to teach you to awaken your Quincy powers, am I right?"

"Does that mean you are willing to do it?"

"Don't get too excited yet. Your spiritual perception has always been awful so you may never awaken your powers. Come to the spring in the forest. I'll train you every day after school until our next break. If you haven't awakened your powers by then, you're a lost cause."

"Don't look down on me, I'm not as dumb as you think!"

…

Soul Society, Second Division Barracks.

Orihime sat in her room going over paperwork. She had been at it for several hours and it was mostly reporting from the patrol squad. Omaeda was really bad at his reports and Orihime had to frequently rewrite them before submitting it to Soi Fon. However, when she was nearly done with the stack, she noticed a final approval document that needed Soi Fon's signature.

This document was what she had been waiting for. The stealth force and punishment force were naturally in charge of criminals, so in order for Shinji and the others to return to Soul Society, her approval was needed. Orihime finished the rest of the documents and summoned a inner court member to deliver the documents to Soi Fon.

In the four weeks she had been part of second division, she learned quite a lot. Not only did she master her Shunko, but her paperwork skills were among the best. Soi Fon frequently commented on how the reports were a lot better than before. Ever since she made the Yoruichi cat plushie and Yoruichi full body pillow for Soi Fon, their relationship became a lot better.

Orihime took out the papers she had been working on for weeks. On these papers were most of her plans for the future, however, one of them was a request to become a captain. She had already convinced enough captains to support her.

She was also well prepared to show her bankai in front of the court guards. The last four weeks she was able to partially release Hanayo no hime, reducing the drain on Reiatsu by quite a lot and also being in complete control. Orihime thought about how becoming captain was just around the corner.

"This really does put a smile on my face."