Road to Redemption

Chapter 40: Ashes of the Aftermath

A/N: Hello my beautiful readers! I'm happy to announce we're two short chapters away from the ending. I don't think they'll be too long but will simply wrap up the Ruin/Redemption storyline for good. You'll hear more about them soon. Until then, however, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks for reading! 😜🤗

© Bleach and its characters don't belong to me. They belong to Tite Kubo and Shounen Jump. Only Anna, Makoto, Leia, Mitsuru, Hibiki, Hanabira, and the Fujiwara Clan, belong to me.

Chapter 40: Ashes of the Aftermath

The feeling of dread he got whenever he was seconds away from something that scared him never got any easier to deal with.

Ichigo took a breath before entering the Urahara shop. Kisuke was the only one there.

"I thought you might show up, Kurosaki-san."

"I needed to speak with you."

"Yes well, it's a good thing the world didn't fall apart once he took over."

"Guess it was dumb of me to think you wouldn't mention that."

"It warrants a mention, given that you took a gamble with the entirety of existence."

"Okay, yes, it was a risky move, and quite honestly I didn't want to lie to you, or Yoruichi-san or anyone else. But what choice were we left with Kisuke?!

Unlike you, we're not geniuses nor ex-captains. The moment we became expandible, or worst, rebellious we'd be killed. And don't you dare tell me that they wouldn't have done it, because Orihime and Ulquiorra were almost killed, and I'm certain I was next on the list. It's likely Uryu and Chad would've been taken out too!

I never intended to fail you, or to betray what you've thought me. But nothing would've changed if we didn't act. And none of us were about to spend a life looking over our shoulder."

"You think I don't know that?! That they were unfair, that most laws were ancient and obsolete, that devoting so much time trying to better them was a mistake! Still, I wouldn't have risked the entirety of existence because they were wrong!"

"Is that all you want to fixate on?! That we took a gamble! You're a scientist, you should know that sometimes risks must be taken!"

"There's a difference between risking one's own life and risking the fabric of the world itself!"

"It was a lie! What the king told you was a damn lie!" Ichigo wanted to keep the revelation a secret but knew this was the only way Urahara would listen. "The king lied to you, because he knew you were the only one with a chance of keeping him from taking the crown. He was using you!"

"I didn't do what I did for the king, I did it because it was clear Sosuke was going down the wrong path, and he took a lot of others down with him. Maybe if I stopped him, he wouldn't destroy himself, or anyone else."

"That wasn't the way to do it. You should've spoken to him directly, to Anna as well. Maybe together you could've dethroned the king earlier. Maybe all this could've been avoided!"

"No. Sosuke would've just gotten rid of me and Yoruichi either way. That's his true nature."

"Is it so hard to believe that he still cared for you?! The hatred brewed when Anna almost died, not before!"

"How can you know that Kurosaki?! Did you grow up alongside Sousuke? Did you see the darkness slowly take over his eyes?! Did you have to keep up a mask, because you feared what your friend might do?!"

"Yes, I did." He stared right into the shopkeeper's eyes. "You were my first teacher, and the first person to train me, thanks to you my journey began and I'll forever be eternally grateful.