CHAPTER 1

The promise!

He didn't know where he was and he didn't really care. It hurt so much to move and it hurt so much to breathe or think. When he thought he remembered what happened and if he remembered the pain increased. It hadn't been unexpected, really it hadn't, but to be betrayed like this was hurtful even if you knew it and really the last thing he had hoped for. He had known that they wanted to get rid of him after in their opinion he had caused so much trouble and had gone against the rules. He had fought a war for them and won, but they only saw how dangerous he was to them with his powers. He had used Mugetsu and had lost it all, but it had come back and now they had killed him to move him out of the way. He was dangerous after all.

He didn't understand and he really didn't want to. He didn't want revenge because he had known it would happen. He just regretted not being able to protect his loved ones anymore. He noticed someone touching his arms and looked at the person. There stood some figures next to him ,but through all the blood he couldn't see them clearly anymore. He noticed that something like water fell onto his cheek, but couldn't move anymore. Someone tried to bring air into his mouth, but he couldn't breathe anymore. His body stopped functioning like he had wanted it to and so he couldn't stop the tears from falling from the eyes that looked at him. He heard his name being called and with his last strength he said:

"Do not worry, you are not guilty. I do..not..hold…a….grudge! Please…stop…crying." with everything stopped functioning like he was a broken doll. The last thing he noticed was a scream and someone holding his hand. He hoped that they would stop crying and would stay save for his sake. He noticed that his eyes were being closed and asked himself if he would be reincarnated like all the other souls that died. He didn't want to die if that meant making someone cry. He would wait and do anything to just stop their tears.

OTHERS POV:

They watched Ichigo dying right before them. He had lost an arm and had a big hole in his stomach. His blood had already covered the whole ground and his heart had stopped beating. When they arrived he had been somehow still alive and Rukia and Orihime had tried everthing to bring him back but deep down they had know that it wouldn't help anymore. His breathing had already stopped and Rukia started to let tears fall down her face when they heard Ichigo say:
"Do not worry, you are not guilty. I do not hold a grudge! Please stop crying" and with his sentences finished he finally stopped moving. Rukia cried out and they watched helplessly how their friend was lying on the ground, dead and unmoving. They became angry at themselves and at the Soul Society. When the captains arrived at the scene they didn't believe their eyes. The captains had liked the boy and he had saved them many times. He given up his powers for them and as a thanks he was now lying dead on the ground next to them.

-!-

Ichigo found himself in a dark space with nothing but blackness. It wasn't really dark nor was it really bright. There was just nothing. He felt someone pull at his arm and looked to his site. It was a small child with blue eyes and silver hair. Ichigo smiled at the child and said:

"Are you lost too?"

"No, are you lost?"

"Yes I am. I don't know where I should go."

"But there is a light that leads you to your destination, doesn't it?" The child said while pointing at the light.

"Yes but I am afraid to go there. I don't want to move on just yet and so I am waiting for another light."

"You are weird. Why do you not want to go into that light?"

"I would leave something precious behind and I don't want to make them sad. Don't you have someone you like?"

"Yes I had, but he died and when I called him back, my hand killed him. I am scarred and don't know what to do. Its dark and I don't want to go back."

"What's your name?" Ichigo asked him suddenly.

"Allen, Allen Walker" the boy named Allen said.

"Allen" he said while hugging him "it must have been hard to do so right?" when the boy nodded Ichigo smiled a bit. "Listen to me. There isn't always one way to go. There are many different ways and only you alone can decide which one you want to take. Even if something hurtful happens you need to walk forward and look at the future, because time doesn't wait. If you go with the time you will see and hear many things that will make you happy or sad and it will change you view over things for the better or the worse. You will understand new things and will meet many new people that you might hold precious. You will find other people that will love you and care for you. You will never be completely alone and if you ever need help or are feeling so lonely that you can't hold out anymore, then call me and I will definitive hear you and come to you. I promise!"

The boy looked up to him hopefully and then nodded.

-!-

Then before Allen could say anything a second light appeared and the man before him started to smile.

"See, I told you there exist many ways. You just need to choose which one you want to take. Maybe you even need to wait for a new one to appear, but don't give up you hear me! I will go now." The man winked to him and had almost disappeared in the light when Allen screamed: "How can I call you?"

"Call my name. It is…"

Allen woke up. He remembered this dream but he really couldn't remember the name of the man. Without the help of him he would have surely killed himself that day, but he hadn't. Allen knew that it was more than just a dream, but he couldn't remember anymore of the dream then that little part. It was, when the man left into the light and winked him. He had yelled after him and he had responded to him with giving him his name. Allen really wanted to remember the name but it was somehow just impossible. He stood up and walked into the dining hall. Since the incident with the ark, his friends had started to ignore him and avoided him like he had the pest. He took his food and sat down at a table alone. He didn't even finish it all like he used to and only poked a bit in it as if expecting it to move. He put his head on the table and closed his eyes. He was feeling really lonely. Without thinking he said:

"Ichigo Kurosaki!"

-!-

After Ichigo had went through the light he found himself in a water tank? He didn't know why but he was connected to many wires and a mask of some sort was on his face. He looked around carefully and noticed that no one was there. It looked like a labor or something like that and he heard the noises that the hospital machines always made. He tried to move his hand. When it made contact with the glass, it exploded and fell to the ground in little pieces. An alarm went off and every door was shut with iron doors or iron bars. Ichigo thought it was a sight to behold. It was like those movie scenes that he had one time seen. Ichigo freed himself from all the wires and tried to move. He was very unstable on his legs and he more like wobbled out of the tank. He then noticed that he was naked. He would have wondered why in the first place, if he hadn't searched for clothes. He had found a shinigami uniform and had put it on. He at least knew now that he was in Soul Society and his friends had somehow brought him back. Then the iron doors that had shut down were opened again and his friend, the captain and a few new faces came in. They were holding their swords and seemed to be willingly to cut down anything that came into their way, till they saw Ichigo. Everyone dropped their swords while he got many different reations. Some of them suddenly broke down and some fainted while others had just tears in their eyes and some just looked at him neutal.

Ichigo was confused. He had maybe predicted that some of his friends would cry and some break down when seeing him, but he surely he hadn't expected some of them to faint. He looked at Byakuya that still held his cool.

"Why did they faint. I find it surprising too, that I awoke and I can understand that some of my friends are happy that I came back from the dead, but why did some faint?"

"They have only seen you from afar till now. It has been fifty years since you died and till now you have never shown any life sign, but you didn't disappear ether."

"Of course I wouldn't. For me it felt like a few minutes, which I waited. I didn't want to leave you, when it would hurt you so much that some of you would cry. Fifty years have already past?"

"Yes, it has been fifty years."

"What happened since I was dead?"

"We wanted to burry you at first, but when you didn't disappear we tried to put your soul into your body and let it heal you. It didn't react like we wanted too but it accepted your soul into it. So we were sure that you were somehow alive or your soul at least was. We tried to get your soul out of your body again after the confirmation of you being alive somehow, but nothing functioned and your soul stayed in your body. Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi built this machine after that to preserve or hold your body alive without it's heart beating. What surprised us was that your body didn't age at all" answered Renji.

"The Central 46 had ordered your execution that day and we also heard why you didn't fight back on that day later on from your family. You are a war hero and with that all the souls living here loved and respected you. At first the Central 46 told the them that you died in a tragic accident, but the captains told the souls the truth and soon everyone including the Gotai 13 went against the Central 46. There was a huge battle where the nobles fought against us all, but in the end we won. We had some lose on our side but the biggest one was that Sou-taicho passed away through his age. His body couldn't handle the fighting anymore. We decided after that, that the position of the sou-taicho should stay open till you are awake. Everyone has voted for you to be the next sou-taicho" Rukia said giving Ichigo very little time to comprehend everything.

Ichigo looked at her like she was insane. If he had been a machine he would say by now: 'To many data input, computer is overloaded', but since he wasn't he just fainted.

Later on when Ichigo had finally awakened again he had thanked everyone and had visited the grave of the old man. The few souls that saw him had indentified him right away and the rumors of him being under the living death (?) again were spreading. At the end of the day even thought almost everyone didn't know if it was true, the Saireitei held a festival and every soul from every district was invited.

-!-

four hundred years had gone by since he had become the sou-taicho. Many said that he was a very good one. The lives of everyone had improved and the hollow number had gone down. Ichigo told them that Yamamoto could have done the same if the Central 46 hadn't existed. There were even rules that the Central 46 had created that stopped the Gotai 13 from doing anything to help the districts other then hollow patrol. He had become much more powerful and had managed to get many new abilities. He really hadn't many at the start or later on. Ichigo still remembered the promise he made with the boy Allen and when he heard someone call his voice he said to Byakuya, who stood next to him:

"I will be away for sometime to keep a promise I made. You will replace me till I come back". Byakuya only nodded because he knew that no one could stop him when it was about a promise that he made. With that Ichigo opened a garganta and walked through it.

-!-

Allen had not noticed that he had remembered or said the name. Suddenly a gust of wind started up and a black line was seen in the air. Everyone took a fighting position. They didn't know what that line was. Without a warning the line seemed to stretch, rip the air open and a black figure with orange hair stepped through. The line closed and disappeared again, but the person stayed in the air to the awe of the others around him. He seemed to be looking for something or someone. It seemed like had found what he was looking for because he soon moved down. He landed on a table and then crouched down. He took Allen by the shoulders and shook him.

"Allen, wake up. I can't believe that you called me here while sleeping!" The others were shocked. Allen seemed to know this man. Some of them thought that he had allied himself with the enemy.

Ichigo started to hit his face, but he still didn't wake up and so he whispered into his ear: "The time is moving on without you Allen!"

Allens eyes flew open and he almost screamed. He shot up from his chair and looked frantic around. Ichigo hadn't known that his words had such an impact on the kid. Allen finally calmed and spotted Ichigo who smiled at him. Ichigo moved off the table and now stood on the floor. Allen hugged him and started to cry and mumbled something that Ichigo couldn't understand. He said it so muted and hushed that no one could have understood that. Ichigo was feeling a bit awkward but petted Allen on the back and mumbled some resuring words into his ear. The others around them were still in fighting position and didn't dare to move toward or away from them.

Allen had cried himself into sleep, what he hadn't done since Mana and Ichigo sat down and let Allens head rest on his legs. Some strangers came in and when he was spotted him moved slowly toward him. He looked at them and they still came nearer.

"Who are you" asked a boy with long blue hair and a sword in his hand.

"If I am right then it is custom to introduce yourself before asking someone else for his name".

The boy gritted his teeth and was about to attack when a girl stopped him. "My name is Lenalee Lee and next to me are Kanda Yu, Lavi and Arystar Krory".

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, but let me asked you, are you Allens friends?"

"Of course we are!" said the boy named Lavi with a big smile.

"Then you are pretty pathetic friends!" Ichigo said to them with a serious look and the boy lost his smile.

"Why you…" the boy with the long hair named Kanda said, but was stopped again by Lenalee.

"Why would you say that?" she asked.

"He wouldn't have called me, if he hadn't been lonely. I made a promise with him when he was a child that he could call me when he is in danger or if he is lonely and since the first isn't possible then the second must be it. Four friends and he feel so lonely that he couldn't bear it anymore and called me. I don't think that wouldn't have happened if you were good friends and would have done something together with him, instead of trying to avoid him I presume."

Now everyone looked down. Kanda was the one that didn't really look down but Ichigo just knew that he felt as guilty as the others. The other people, that were in the same room as him had taken out their weapons and seemed to be ready to attack him even thought he hadn't done anything yet. Ichigo looked at them and said with a dangerously low tone: "Don't even try it". He was pissed that they were about to attack him, even thought he hadn't done a thing.

Ichigo had mixed and been influenced by his other soul parts since he had used Mugetsu. They had become one in Mugetsu after all. At first the people looked scared but soon they started to moved forward again and Allen so called friends were to shell shocked about many things to really do or register anything. The people attacked and Ichigo moved out of the range of their attacks within a second while still carring Allen in his arms. He had used shunpo and they had just attacked an empty chair. When they noticed that the chair had been vacant they looked around and spotted Ichigo again. When they saw his eyes they backed away and ran away to call for help. Through his anger, his hollow eyes had appeared. Allen started to move and Ichigo calmed down after looking at him and sat him down. His eyes had turned back their normal color and a smile came back onto his face when he saw how Allen rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. Then he looked at Ichigo.

"I really missed you Ichigo." He said with a smile and a few tears still in his eyes "I am so sorry I forgot your name."

"Don't worry about it. You remembered it right! Anyway, stand up now. The floor doesn't look so comfortable."

Allen nodded and stood up. Right at that moment a man that looked a bit like Lenalee Lee ran into the room. He looked at Ichigo and said:

"Are you the Akuma that has caused so much trouble here?"

"Akuma, demon you mean? No, I am a death god and I didn't cause trouble. I came to visit Allen, because he called out to me. I promised him when he was little that I would come if he called. I didn't do anything but coming into the building and going to Allen when your people suddenly attacked me. You should learn to identify a person to know if they are your ally or enemy. I really hate it to be attacked without reason and the next time I will fight back!" Ichigo said the last part in his hollow voice and his eyes had changed trough his anger again. They all stepped a few steps back when the man finally noticed something.

"My name is Komui Lee, can you please tell me your name".

"Finally someone with some manners, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo wasn't the typ that cared about manners but he hated it when people didn't introduce themselves.

"Ichigo, what did you say you were?"

"I am a death god!" Ichigo said a bit confused. He had said it before right and they didn't even react. Why ask a second time?

Everyone, even Allen himself yelled at his answer: "WHAT!"

-!-

Again an idea that I had. Hope you enjoyed it.