Bleach, It's a wonderful life {One-shot}
(A/N: After a rough day Ichigo wishes he had never been born. He then gets to see what life would be like if he didn't exist. Including a glimpse of how a certain relative would take his place.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. My OC in this fic, Auric though is © to me.
Ichigo's pov
"Goooooood moooooooorning Ichigooooooo!" My dad's loud cry was the first thing I heard before he pounced on my stomach.
"Agh, Hey what the hell gives?!" I shouted.
"You need to get up or you're gonna be late for school." Growling I got downstairs and got breakfast. Rukia and my sisters were already eating.
"Morning Onii-chan," Yuzu smiled, "Would you like your eggs scrambled or sunny side up?"
"Scrambled is fine." I said sitting down.
"Ichigo is your school project all finished for Monday?" Rukia asked. I spat out my drink
"Monday!" I shouted, damn it I thought it wasn't due till next week.
"That's just like you Ichi-nii not to start a school project till the weekend before it's due." Karin said with a glazed look.
"Shut up," I said. I ate my breakfast and headed on out to go to school. Once there Renji tackled me from behind.
"What the hell was that for?" I growled flinging him off me.
"Renji's thinking of trying out for your school's football team." Rukia was quick to answer.
"So why did you use me as a dummy you jerk!" I said getting up while rubbing my head.
"Well seeing as you and Chad are the toughest guys in school I figured I'd see if I could knock one of you to the ground and if I could I was golden." Renji began laughing. I growled and got up and went inside.
"Hey Ichigo," I heard Tatsuki call out to me as I walked down the hall to my classroom.
"Morning Tatsuki," I grumbled.
"Your extra grumpy today something happen?"
"I'm having a really bad day and no I don't feel like talking about it." I stomped away.
"Morning Ishida," I waved to Uryu who just pressed his glasses to his face and gave me the cold shoulder.
"Ichigoooooo," I could hear Keigo running down the hall shouting my name. I straight armed him,
"Not now Keigo," I grumbled as I entered the classroom. I sat down in my seat just as Orihime was walking in the door.
"Morning Kurosaki-kun."
"Morning Inoue," I sighed.
Today seemingly almost dragged on forever, school was boring as hell and I still needed to finish my project by the end of the weekend. "Damn it," I shouted punching a tree and then removed my hand to shake it off.
"Ichigo is something wrong?" I turned around to see Chad behind me.
"Oh hey Chad, no everything's fine." Even after a crappy day like today, at least I still had a friend like Chad to help me out.
"If everything's fine then we should be going to the Urahara shop."
"Huh why?"
"You've been putting it off all week, remember the assignment: interview an older person, not related to you, that's helped you to some degree and write a short biography about them. We both said we were going to do our report on Urahara-san." Chad explained, oh this was just perfect, here I thought he was gonna help me out of my shitty day and all he was doing was going to get me to do my project. Just great.
"Yeah, okay let's get going," I sighed.
"Hello Ichigo and Chad what brings you to the Urahara shop so suddenly?" Mr. Hat and clogs wanted to know. Chad explained the school project.
"Well I don't really have the time to sit down for an interview at the moment." I knew what that meant.
I sighed, "What do you want us to do?" After 2 fun-filled hours of doing meaningless chores Urahara agreed to do the interview.
"Remember you have to keep you answers believable enough for a class of students from the world of the living to comprehend ok." I told him.
"Sure no problem," Urahara stated. The interview took longer than I had intended considering we really didn't get the short version of Mr. Hat and Cloggs' answers. As we began to leave he told us that we could drop by anytime.
"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. Suddenly my hollow badge went off. Finally something to take my mind off today, I never looked forward to a fight in my life more so than now. Leaving Chad with my body I went storming after the stupid thing and kicked its ass. Though this did nothing to help lower my frustration level, one hollow just wouldn't cut it. After getting back into my body I parted ways with Chad and then I went and found an abandoned alley way and just started lashing out. Shouting out random words and some of profanity until I was all tired out and then I just lay on my back. And pressed my fingers over my eyes in anger.
"My life sucks, everything about today was just retarded and ridiculous. I wish, I wish I was never born………" I then started to drift off to sleep.
I woke up to the sight of a soul reaper with brown hair, brown eyes and a flock seagulls haircut leaning against the side of the alley.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"The name's Auric." He said.
"What're you doing here?"
"You said that you wished that you were never born, so I granted it." He stated plainly
"You what?" I shouted, was he serious?
"Do you want to see how the world is, without you?" He asked extending his hand.
"Y-yeah sure," this all seemed so weird to me.
"Let me see my house I bet they don't know what to do with themselves without me in there." I boasted.
"Not exactly," Auric sighed and lead me to my house. I immediately became filled with guilt as I saw my mother alive.
"No way,"
"It wasn't your fault that she died, but had you not been around at all Grand Fisher would've never attacked you or her to begin with." I broke out into tears. I don't care what he said, it was my fault, if I never existed my mom would still be alive. Was it possible that the world was better off without me? Damn it please let there be at least one person in my life who was worse off without me around.
"Chad where's Chad?" I demanded grabbing Auric's sleeves.
"You don't want to see Chad." Auric looked away.
I shook him, "I have to see Chad." Auric sighed and snapped his fingers bringing us to in the cemetery. "What are we doing here?" I asked. Auric pointed to a gravestone. I walked over to it. The name on the gravestone read "Yasatura Sado". "How?"
"Without you around Chad got into all sorts of fights that he couldn't handle on his own and one day he got completely trashed." Auric said.
"It can't be…" I dropped to my knees. Chad was dead, because of me, my best friend's life was cut short…wh-what…why. I started to think of someone else that I knew. "Inoue where's Inoue?" Auric sighed and brought me to a mental institute. He brought me to a ward where I saw Inoue. She seemed so withdrawn and so lifeless and empty "What's she doing here?" I asked looking in through the window.
"Because you weren't around to comfort her when Sora died, she never fully recovered from the incident. She became no more than a lifeless shell so Tatsuki thought it would be best to have her stationed here." Auric explained. "She visits her from time to time, in fact here she comes now." Auric disappeared.
"Hey wait a minute!" I shouted, I turned to watch as a girl who looked exactly like Tatsuki walk down the hallway towards me.
"Move it," she shoved me, hard and attempted to open the door. She was wearing a bandana and a leather jacket and looked like a complete punk.
"Hey is that how you treat a friend?" I snapped.
"Friend, I've never seen you before in my life, even if I did I wouldn't be friends with a dumb ass like you." Hearing Tatsuki's voice Inoue stood up and walked over to the door, she was staggering a bit. Tatsuki decked me. "Now look what you've done you've upset Orihime."
"I what...?" How could she tell what Inoue was feeling.
"Just go and get out of my sight you punk," she shouted.
"What happened to her?" I asked Auric as we left the mental ward while I rubbed the spot where Tatsuki hit me.
"Without you or Orihime around Tatsuki gave into her Bad girl side." I watched as Tatsuki got up on a fierce looking Motorbike and sped off down the street. She sipped the drink in the cup holder and tossed the empty beverage at a nearby Chizuru, soaking her with ice and water. This was so messed up, the Tatsuki I knew would never go out of her way to inflict pain on others nor would she litter.
"What about Keigo and Mizurio?" Again Auric sighed, not a good sign. He brought me to the back of the school both of them were hanging by their underwear from the flagpole being laughed at. Mizurio was texting as though ignoring the pain. Keigo was screaming at the top of his lungs "What the hell?" I asked softly
"Without you and Chad for friends the two of them became targets of numerous school pranks and became the punching bags of the whole school." Auric explained. So that's what would've happened, I thought to myself, I made the right decision back then.
"Where's Ishida, I'll bet Ishida's a lot better off without me." I declared.
Auric smirked, "You could say that. He's not only your school's top student, but he's also Captain of Archery as well as sewing and the most envied bachelor."
"No way…" I began to laugh, "There's no way Ishida could have that much attention." I couldn't stop laughing until I heard screaming and squealing and watched as Uryu signed so many autographs.
"What the heck?" my head whipped around.
"I told you." Auric chimed.
This world was so twisted what else was messed up, "Where's Rukia, Renji everyone in Soul Society."
Auric sighed, "I'll show you, but you're not gonna like it." Auric brought me to an area of the Seireitai. "Hey I remember this place, this is the part of the path I took on my way to rescue Rukia what're doing here?"
"Shut up and pay attention, and try to conceal yourself." I could hear a female panting as I watched someone rush by. She was wearing a Hakusho and had short black hair. Yoruichi, in cat form was following her along with Ganju.
"Who is…" the girl turned around, "Karin, what the…mmmph,"
"Shhhh! You want to give away your position!" Auric scolded in a loud whisper covering my mouth.
"What the hell is my sister doing in Soul Society?" I demanded in a whisper.
"When Rukia entered your house Karin took notice of Rukia and in your stead became a Soul Reaper. Because you weren't born Karin managed to obtain a higher level of spiritual pressure, though not as high as you. Even so…" Auric gestured to the long No-daichi strung along Karin's back. I watched as Ikkaku and Yumichika showed up. She was about to fight Ikkaku. No, no, no she'll get killed. I rushed forward, Auric held me back.
"Let me go!" I demanded.
"Shut up and watch." Auric pointed to Karin who was about to fight Ikkaku while Ganju ran being pursued by Yumichika. I watched Karin intently.
"What's your name Ryoka?" Ikkaku asked.
"My name is Karin Kurosaki, yours?"
"Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd Seat of the 11th Division." He grinned.
"3rd seat eh? Pretty good," Karin swung her sword with both hands, "but not good enough. Protect! Zangetsu!"
The hell, no way! How could she have Zangetsu? Zangetsu's my Zanpakuto! But sure enough there it was, Zangetsu's blade. My eyes widened.
"It should come as no surprise, Karin had to take your place, so she obtained Zangetsu." Auric informed wiping some dust off his Hakusho.
"Did she undertake saving Rukia alone?" I wanted to know. Auric nodded, "Baka," I growled, "But if she beat Ikkaku what about Renji? What about Kenpachi?"
"She beat them both surprisingly." Auric smirked.
"What about Byakuya?" I asked. Auric closed his eyes and sighed, not a good sign.
"You're not going to like it," he sighed. Auric gave us both an astral form as I watched as Byakuya put Karin in the same position he had put me in.
"You've gotten farther than anyone hoped you could, but you can feel it now your body is dying. It's over Karin Kurosaki." Byakuya's blade swung down, but Karin's hand shot up.
"What?" I looked at the action.
"I thought I told you, it's a big problem for me if you get killed." Karin's voice was high pitched and squeaky, had her hollow taken possession?
"That's impossible," Byakuya scowled who or what are you?
"You want to know who I am? Sorry, but I don't have a name," Karin's hollow went completely berserk on Byakuya. "Karin you complete amateur couldn't you tell you've been getting crushed by your own Bankai's spiritual pressure. So I'll show you how I to really use Bankai." Karin's hollow completely cut up Byakuya.
"This twisted spiritual pressure and that mask, are you a hollow?" Byakuya asked.
"Who cares because in a few moments you'll be dead," the hollow cackled.
What's going on, at this point I had managed to take back control. Why couldn't Karin do the same? Damn it. I watched as Karin's hollow ripped Byakuya to pieces only to have her turn completely into a hollow seconds later. Karin stood over Byakuya's dead body completely taken over by her hollow, cackling and laughing.
"Too bad princess you had your fun, but this is my life now."
Auric began to walk away. I chased after him.
"Hey!" I shouted "Fix this!"
"What do you want me to do about it?" he wanted to know
"I want to live, you idiot, please I didn't…I didn't realize that so many people depended on me. Yeah, my mom died because we were in the wrong place at the wrong time, I can't change that, but I can't let it be like this! I can't let Chad die. I can't let Rukia be executed! I can't let Orihime be placed in a mental institute! I-I won't allow my sister to become a hollow! This…this is all wrong!" I was furious with Auric at this point.
"Hey you're the one who made the wish, and there are no backsies." He continued to walk away.
"Th-that's not fair." I protested.
"Listen Ichigo…Ichigo…Ichigo…"
"ICHIGO! WAKE THE HELL UP!" I sat bolt upright Rukia was hunched over me shaking. Rukia, then
"Rukia!" I shouted hugging her and she screamed, "You're alive!"
"What's that supposed to mean you idiot, of course I'm alive." She smiled.
"Oh you found him," I heard Renji call out and he helped me to my feet, "Hey man you okay."
"Never better, boy am I glad to see you Renji." I smirked.
"Hey guys we found him!" Renji shouted. I watched as Chad, Tatsuki, Orihime and Uryu came around the alleyway.
"Inoue," I embraced her, "You're not in a mental house."
"Ichigo what the hell are you talking about?" Tatsuki asked.
"Tatsuki you're still you, thank goodness." I hugged her to. She removed me from her.
"Hug me like that again, and I'll make sure you're your father's next patient!" she sneered.
"Ichigo is everything okay," Chad inquired.
"I've never been better thanks for asking Chad." I smiled.
"What the hell happened to you Kurosaki, you're acting really weird." Uryu pushed his glasses in.
"I, I had a dream of what life would be like if, if I never existed. Everything was so screwed up. Orihime was in a mental hospital. Chad was dead. Tatsuki you turned into a real punk. Uryu you became like the School's freaking super star. And Karin…" my mind stopped.
"What about your sister?" Rukia asked.
"Karin!" I shouted tearing down the street to my house. I burst through the door almost out of breath.
"Oi, Ichi-nii," Karin said from the couch. I jumped onto the seat next to her. "Uh are you feeling okay Ichi-nii?"
I hugged her, "I'm fine, I just had a really bad shock earlier that's all."
"You want to tell me about it, I'm a good listener."
"Maybe later," I said.
When I finally stopped hugging my sister, for no apparent reason, I went to visit my mom's grave.
"Hey, Mom," I said, "You know, I was right that if it wasn't for me that you might still be alive, but so many crazy things would happen if you were around and I wasn't. So I guess what I'm saying is that while I still wish you were here, that even though you're gone I don't want to stop living, because the life I'm living is pretty damn wonderful."
(A/N: So yeah this is what I thought would happen if Ichigo didn't exist. This was inspired by the movie it's a wonderful life. And before anyone says anything I am not trying to say that Ichigo and his sister look good together, it's just that Ichigo cares a lot about Karin and Yuzu and wouldn't want to see either of them die. I mean, even though it was a dream…or was it? Any older brother would be concerned for his younger sibling's safety. I know I would for my brother. Anyway let me know what you guys think of this by review and tell me whether or not you like it or not. Also the idea of Bleach without Ichigo is sort of bugging me now so if you guys want me to write something like that or want to write your on fic in that regard let me know. Maybe I'll think about holding a contest for it or something. Anyway see you all later.)