Insanity of Betrayal

through the gate

Ichigo watched as Chad and Uryu walked through the gate to Hueco Mundo.

"Well, Ichigo," Urahara Kisuke said, looking down to the orange-haired youth. "You gonna go or what?"

    "... There's something I need to do first. I have a request of you. Hang on," from out of his pocket, Ichigo grabbed a small marble. To those who knew better- it was a soul candy. To the three eavesdroppers behind the rock, it was a choking hazard.

    They barely managed to hold Tatsuki back as he swallowed it. Immediately, Ichigo's soul separated from his body, Kon taking his place.

    "Hey! A little more warning before you swap souls would be nice!" Kon, who was now in Ichigo's body, complained.

    Ichigo gave Kon a death glare. "Now you listen here, you little-!" He took a few deep breaths before continuing. "Kon, remember your orders. You can explain them to Hats n' Clogs, but I swear, if you put one toe out of line, I will have you replaced." He pulled out a handful of similar marbles, to prove it wasn't an empty threat. "The only reason you're getting a chance is for old time's sake."

    Kon nodded. "Yeah, yeah." he said dismissively.

    "Kisuke," Ichigo tossed one of the soul candies up to the man. "If Kon does anything that makes anyone suspicious, wipe their memories and trade the souls, please."

    Kisuke caught the marble, an eyebrow raised. "Why, Ichigo, it sounds like you don't plan on coming back!" His voice was heavy with fake surprise.

    "Well you catch on fast." Ichigo said dryly. "I guess I don't plan on returning- at least not anytime soon."

    "May I inquire why?"

    Ichigo gave Kisuke a flat look. "You, of all people should know."

    Urahara opened his fan in front of his face. "I'm afraid I don't know, would you mind enlightening me?" he said. But everyone in the room could tell it was a lie. He just wanted Ichigo to admit it.

    "These... Abilities." Ichigo said reluctantly. "Ever since I became a Soul Reaper, they've just gotten stronger. I've trained with the other Vizards, but my control is still weak. I'm a danger to everyone around me. At least in Hueco Mundo, the only thing I'll be able to hurt is myself and the Hollows. So I'm going to stay there until I have mastered my abilities."

    Kisuke's expression was one of interest- as if observing an experiment that went wrong, yet seemed to produce a noteworthy result.

    "Very well. I will keep watch over Kon, and Karakura Town while you are gone. Once you get the hang of it, try sending Shiro Ichigo as a messenger."

    Ichigo squinted at Urahara. "...Ok. Watch over my family, would ya? And make sure my friends don't die."

    "Don't worry about them, they'll be fine! I'll make sure of it."

    Ichigo looked at him suspiciously, then said, "I'll leave it up to you." before jumping through the portal.

    Dead silence.

    Urahara let out a sigh. "Come out, I know you're there, friends of Ichigo."

    Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro came out from behind the rock.

    "What was Ichigo talking about? Where did he go? Why is he leaving? And WHAT IS IN HIS BODY?!" Tatsuki demanded.

    Urahara nodded. "I see... so you all could see what transpired here?"

    The three nodded.

    "That is interesting... You see, most normal humans can't see Soul Reapers; or souls, for that matter. You three have really high spiritual power. For a human, of course. Before you say anything- yes, Ichigo is human, for the most part, as is your friend Chad and Orihime. They have high spiritual power, much like you do.

    "Ichigo, as you probably know, has been able to see ghosts since he was very young. This was because of his high spiritual power. It wasn't a big deal until recently, though. When Rukia Kuchiki gave him Shinigami powers.

    "In her weakened state, Ichigo had to take over her responsibilities as the town's Soul Reaper. He became a Substitute Soul Reaper. Then, naturally, the Soul Society found out, and they weren't happy. They ordered Rukia's execution, and stripped Ichigo of his Shinigami powers.

    "He came to me in hopes of saving her, believing that it was completely his fault that she was in the situation. I put him through a challenge that awakened his own dormant powers. Of course, his awakened powers had an affect on the people around him. Others with strong spiritual energy gained their own abilities, too.

"They, that being, Chad, Orihime, and Uryu, trained so they could help Ichigo rescue Rukia. And they succeeded. However, an unseen problem rose to the surface soon after they entered the soul society. Ichigo had a strange ability, completely separate from his Shinigami powers. He had what is called 'Hollowification.' Generally, hollowification is when a Shinigami uses hollow powers to become more powerful. Ichigo had no choice in it. It was a part of him, and he could either be consumed by it, or tame it.

"I sent him to a group of... friends... who helped him gain control. Unfortunately, his inner hollow seems to be trying to take over. So, I gather that he is going to stay in Hueco Mundo until he can suppress it."

The information overload took a while to process in the three teen's minds.

"Honestly," Kisuke said, "There isn't anything you can do once that boy has set his mind to something. So, I'm sorry to say, that you can't do anything. And it would be very troublesome if you remembered... so... I do apologize for this, but would you look here for a second?"

The memory wiper flashed, and the high schoolers passed out.