"You think five years isn't enough time to change your personality?
Well think again.
It just takes something small, and then the very people you helped climb the ladder will step on your fingers, letting you fall down.
And the higher you climbed...
"Well that was impressive," came a voice from above them. Sitting on a pillar behind the group was an albino Ichigo look alike.
"Yo, Shirogo, you're back," Ichigo said.
"And you finally took that ugly mask off."
Ichigo scowled. "Do you have the stuff?"
Shirogo held up a bag. "'Course I do."
"Shiro!" Nel shouted happily, waking up from her nap on Ichigo's shoulder. She jumped up at the pale man, shifting into her adult form in mid air, before crushing him in a painful and airtight hug.
Shirogo flailed his arms, trying to signal to Nel that he couldn't breathe with his face crushed against her chest. Nel didn't notice until he passed out a few seconds later.
"Oops," she laughed. "Sumimasen, Shiro,"
He gasped for breath as he regained consciousness. "I got you the suppressors, King." he wheezed.
Ichigo grinned. "Great! Thanks a ton, Shirogo."
The clone gave him a thumbs up, then passed out.
Again.
Ichigo grabbed two wristbands from the bag.
He passed one to Nel, and they put them on. The results were instantaneous. Their energy was being rapidly absorbed by the bands, until they had a twentieth, maybe even a thirtieth, of their original pressure. Although they still had about the same spiritual pressure as a captain.
Ichigo grinned. "That's more like it!" He flexed his arm, then punched a hole through the pillar behind them. "Maybe now I'll actually be challenged when I'm fighting," he said happily.
"Yo, King," Shirogo was awake again. "Why ya hangin' with them? I thought you were ticked with this lot."
"Huh?"
Rukia had to use all her self control not to laugh at his expression. Even now, he could make the most hilarious faces when he was confused. She could practically see the question marks popping up.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Ah," Shirogo said awkwardly. "I mean, I must have mistook you for someone else, I've never seen you in my life!"
He laughed nervously.
Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the clone. "Spill." he ordered.
Shirogo sighed pulling a familiar silver object from his pocket. "You wiped your own memories." he stated with a blank expression.
Everyone around him gasped.
"I... Did?" his expression grew dark. "They must have been really crappy memories if I erased them all."
"If I'm remembering correctly, you specifically requested this memory stick from Urahara. It has the ability to wipe and replace memories, and the user is able to choose what the replacement memories will be. It also," he paused for a second, debating. He continued, "has the ability to show the memories."
