Shaman Ichigo Chapter 3 (Patreon)

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Chapter 2 

Chapter 3 Trouble

Keigo had Soul Reaper powers, this was quite a shock. Ichigo was trying to process what happened. “Ichigo!” The brunette pounced on him, like usual. “Oh Ichigo, I was so scared!”

“It’s okay Keigo, it’s okay…” He rubbed his back.

Ichigo’s gaze fell on Rukia. Their eyes met, and the orangette could see she was studying him. ‘Who is she?’ From the wavelength he felt she was a soul reaper.

“Rukia?” Renji arrived. Her gazed moved from Ichigo to him.

“Renji?” She gasped.

“Ichigo?” Abarai looked from her to Ichigo and the mysterious soul reaper in his arms.

“Ichigo?” Keigo looked up. “Who’s he?”

“Who is he?” The red head eyed Keigo angrily making him flinch and cling tighter to Ichigo. He noticed and twitched in annoyance. ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ Renji didn’t recognize this soul reaper, and given the state of Kuchiki, the pieces fell into place.

“Who is she?” Ichigo gestured to Rukia.

“Rukia?! You didn’t…”

“Okay enough!” Rukia snapped. “What’s going on?” She glared at Renji. “How do you know him?” She pointed at Ichigo.

“We met…” Renji and Ichigo blushed. Asano noticed the change.

‘Ichigo’s blushing…’ That was truly a rare sight. ‘They more than just met!’

“So she’s another Soul Reaper?” Ichigo asked.

Renji nodded. “She’s Rukia Kuchiki, she’s in charge of patrolling Karakura Town.”

“Then why does my friend have Soul Reaper powers?” Rukia and Renji got quiet, but the red head was shooting her a disapproving look.

“I have a question!” Keigo raised his hand. “Ichigo...you have powers?” His eyes widened. “You know about those monsters? You knew about these sword guys? All this time you were really talking to ghosts? It was real!!!”

Ichigo grabbed him and pushed him off. “Yes I have powers, I’m a shaman. I know about hollows and I talk to ghosts.” His dad didn’t talk much about Soul Reapers, he just said was to stay out of their way, and if they were in town to keep his head down. ‘So much for that.’

‘A shaman?’ Rukia thought. She had heard about them in class. The name even struck a cord with Renji, though he hadn’t paid much attention in that class.

Humans gaining powers happened now and then, Shamans were different from the Fullbringers and the Quincy. Rukia remembered the class well, and shaman while not the threats quincy were seen as, they were considered more of a threat than Fullbringers. Their connection to spirits and their wide array of abilities made them a gray area in soul society.

This confirmed his mission as to what was going on in Karakura Town, it had a shaman. ‘Now what?’

Renji had essentially completed his mission, but going back now and reporting what he saw would mean what….

‘What would they do to Ichigo?’ The thought made his heart sink. ‘I need more info, when I give my report I need to make sure Ichigo is seen as a non threat, so he can be left alone.’ If he had located a quincy and reported it, Renji was sure they’d be hunted down given the complex history soul reapers and quincies had.

Fullbringers were usually not seen as a threat as even if they trained their powers for 50-90 years they’d not be able to match a soul reaper who’s had more combat training than most humans have years of their life. If one became trouble for Soul Reapers or to the balance of souls than they’d be dealt with.

While Renji didn’t remember the lessons on shamans, one lesson was prominent in his mind. Substitute Soul Reapers, a term given to a human who was giving shinigami powers by a soul reaper. This is what Rukia had done, and this was what Keigo had become. It was also a crime.

A high crime that would see Rukia brought to execution and this boy Keigo executed. ‘This is such a mess!’ One thing Renji was sure of, if Soul Reapers came to kill this boy, Ichigo would fight them. He could see it in the boy’s eyes, understood it with his name.

All the captains could come to execute Keigo and Ichigo would fight to protect him even if it meant his death. The thought sickened him. ‘I gotta fix this, we gotta figure this out.’ They hadn’t known each other long, only having shared a handful of moments, but one thing Renji was sure of.

He didn’t want Ichigo to die.

Rukia tried to stand only to collapse. ‘I feel so weak…’

Ichigo approached her. “Do you need help?” A hand reached out for her, only to be slapped away.

“Don’t touch me!” She hissed.

Kurosaki was taken aback. “Rukia!” Renji rushed over.

“Sorry, I feel very vulnerable right now.” She leaned on Renji, in a familiar way that gave Ichigo pause.

With the hollows dealt with and things calmed down the four decided to part ways. Ichigo was able to return Keigo to his body with his powers, and walked him back home.

“Rukia what was that?” Renji asked once they were alone.

“Don’t you remember the lessons on shamans?” Renji scratched his cheek sheepishly.

“Well…” Rukia face palmed.

“They are dangerous, able to manipulate and bind the soul. Powerful shamans can ward off even captain level powers. We have to be careful, shamans can get their hooks into soul reapers, corrupt their souls and make them betray their closest friends and loved ones.” She paused and gave Renji a look. “He didn’t do anything to you did he?”

“What? No!” He lied.

Rukia breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, you are simple, I’d hate for you to be taken in by that thing.”

“Ugh forget about Ichigo, what were you thinking?” Renji hissed.

“Oh…” She realized what he meant. “We were being attacked, we were gonna die, if I didn’t give that boy my powers we’d be killed.”

“Were you in shikai when you did it?” She looked away and Renji facepalmed. “This is bad. You could have just given up your powers for good!”

Transferring soul reaper power from one vessel to another was an easy enough process. A soul reaper gained power by eating, drinking, having sex, training, even sleeping, all of this helped shape their vessels. Expending such power could be recovered with time, Soul Reapers spent years honing their vessels to properly contain the unique reiatsu of their soul.

Had Rukia just given power to Keigo, he’d become a soul reaper, and over time the powers would either fade away and return to Rukia, or they’d took root and the power would become his own. Over time his own unique power would form in his new vessel.

By doing it in shikai state, Rukia may have given up her powers to Keigo. Her zanpakuto was gone, and it along with the spirit may be found in Keigo. “It’ll be fine, my powers will come back you’ll see.”

“Rukia what you did was a serious crime, if Soul Society finds out about this…”

“Then don’t!” Rukia interrupted. “We can fix this. Just help me, that boy has my powers I can convince him to do the job, the more he uses the powers the more they’ll drain and return to me.”

“Or the more they’ll become attached to his vessel and be his forever.” Renji pointed out.

“Renji trust me, this will all be okay. If you help with the patrols Soul Society will never have to find out.”

“Look, why don’t we ask Ichigo if he can do something. With his powers maybe he can take them out of that Keigo boy and put them back into you.”

“No!” Rukia shook her head. “We can’t get involved with him, he’s dangerous.”

“But…” She took his hands.

“No buts!” His hands were squeezed. “Please Renji, I know I’m in trouble, but help me get out of it please.”

“Fine...but you gotta swear to help me with my mission then.”

“Deal!” Abarai had a feeling he was in more trouble than he knew.

-x-

The two went to Urahara to receive gigai. Rukia got one Kisuke said would help recover her powers quicker than a normal one.

Kisuke Urahara was a powerful man, a skilled scientist, and a criminal from Soul Society. Going after him was actually too much trouble, he could disappear faster than they could mobilize enough force to try and capture him. Banishment was the standing punishment and he had to assist Soul Reapers to do their job.

He had to keep his nose clean, and not get involved in any more trouble or despite the risk he’d face the punishment for his crimes. Urahara was more of an asset alive.

Abarai was nervous. Having met Ichigo he didn’t want anything bad to happen to him, but was that because of…

Ugh he felt like he was in trouble with a capital T which rhymes with D and that’s what he was worried he was thinking with. ‘Could Rukia be right, did Ichigo manipulate me, be manipulating me...just what are shamans anyway?’ His mission was to locate the source of the strange readings, now that he had he wasn’t sure what to do. ‘Maybe Ichigo isn’t the source, it could be coincidence.’

Ichigo was powerful enough to bind him, unravel his clothes, and do...things to him. Just the thought had his loins stirring. ‘What am I gonna do?’

To be continued