White Sun Rising: Ultimate Rewrite Edition
Prologue: Second Verse, Same as the First
Ichigo Kurosaki was used to weird shit happening to him.
It all started when he discovered he could see the spirits of the dead.
This was followed when his mother died when he was nine, turning him from happy boy to angsting teenager.
The REALLY weird shit started in May, when a short (roughly 4 foot something) black-haired girl wearing a set of robes walked through his window.
Since no one was supposed to see her, the fact he kicked her in the ass seconds later was a hell of a shock.
After a brief explanation (and horrid display of art) of what she was and what the hell she was doing, his home was attack by what the girl (a shinigami) referred to as a Hollow.
This Hollow was attracted to his reiryoku, or spiritual energy, which he had an abundance of.
He tried to save his family by giving himself to the monster, but the shinigami took the brunt of the attack meant for him, forcing her to transfer some of her power to Ichigo.
In the process, he learned the girl's name (Rukia Kuchiki) and took ALL of her power by accident.
After a number of incidents, including one involving Orihime Inoue's elder (and deceased) brother Sora, a soul forced into a bird by a Hollow, which then attacked Ichigo's friend, Yasutora Sado, and a mod-soul named Kon temporarily hijacking Ichigo's body, Ichigo's latest trial was in the form of a Hollow-killing contest instigated by Uryū Ishida, which ended in bringing a Menos Grande (the king of Hollows, for lack of a better term) into Karakura.
After badly damaging the Hollow, it retreated back to its' realm.
In the aftermath, Ichigo continues his duties as the acting shinigami of Karakura, not knowing his destiny, and others, had been changed due to one, simple event.
July 18th, 2002 – Karakura town, Kurosaki residence
Ichigo planted himself onto his bed, still sore from fighting the massive Menos Grande from earlier that day. This would lead him to do the impossible.
Again. A
s he fell asleep, he heard a woman's voice calling to him.
'Ichigo...can you hear me?'
Ichigo thought he was hallucinating, due to the random effects that marked the beginnings of REM sleep.
This, unfortunately for Ichigo, (and several others) was not the case.
When he regained feeling in his body and opened his eyes, he was on the side of a building covered in ice and snow, yet not falling off.
"What the-" He paused, as a feeling of familiarity washed over him. He'd been here before. He couldn't remember it, but he'd been there before.
"Ichigo, can you hear me?"
He rose, then turned around to face the source of the voice.
It was a pale-skinned young woman with icy blue eyes and long, pale lavender hair. She wore a white kimono with large sleeves and a long hem, and has a pale yellow-green obi wrapped around her waist.
While Ichigo preferred not to get involved with a girl just yet (the only ones he actually got along with prior to Rukia practically blitzkrieging into his life were either family or very deep inside the so-called 'friend-zone') he had to admit she looked pretty.
She clearly noticed that.
"While I don't mind you admiring my beauty, Ichigo Kurosaki, we have larger issues to contend with."
She waved an arm over the iced over cityscape. "Does this place look familiar at all?"
Ichigo had little choice but to nod.
"It does. I'd swear I've never been here before, but...I know this place."
He then noticed the lack of cold. Snow, by nature, was supposed to be cool at best, biting cold at worst. It felt more like a welcoming blanket then anything else.
"That's good. It seems my presence hasn't changed this place so much that you would not know it."
Ichigo was now VERY confused. "Your...presence? Who are you?"
At this point, he noticed something stashed in her obi.
It was a sword.
To be specific, a regular length katana with a red-brown hilt, a rectangular tsuba with a vaguely flame-like pattern on the longer edges and a curved line on the shorter ones, as well as inward-curved corners with curved slits above and below the blade, and a series of curved lines embossed on either side of the blade.
He knew that sword.
He only saw it once, but he wouldn't forget it. After all, it was kind of hard to forget a sword that was shoved into your heart.
"That's Rukia's zanpakutō!"
His eyes narrowed. If this woman was responsible for Rukia being unable to recover her powers, there would be hell to pay.
"How the hell did you get your hands on that?!"
She smiled, as if knowing something he didn't.
She did.
"I'm glad you recognize the blade, but it's not nice to call a lady by her job description."
Ichigo's mind pulled an Immelmann loop right back into confusion.
"Huh?" She giggled in amusement before explaining.
"I am Rukia's zanpakutō, Ichigo. All zanpakutō are extensions of their welder's soul, and we grant them unique abilities. My name is-"
While she spoke the words, Ichigo didn't hear her name.
It was like his ears were filled with wax.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."
The amused look on her face disappeared.
"I expected as much. I am not your zanpakutō: he, and I use that term loosely, is still...asleep, for lack of a better word."
Ichigo, while still very confused, managed to understand that last part.
"Wait, I have a zanpakutō? How the hell did that happen? I'm not, well, a real shinigami."
It was clear she didn't know how that happened, either.
"I do not know. All I do know is that you do have one. Be warned, though, Ichigo..."
Ichigo paid full attention to the woman.
"Yeah?"
"The Soul Society will take notice of that Menos Grande. They will be sending someone here soon. It is more then likely they already have."
With that, Ichigo awoke less then 30 seconds before his father charged into his room.
"GOOD MORNING, ICHIGO!"
Ichigo easily dodged Isshin's attack, and the elder Kurosaki flew out the window.
He could have sworn he heard a rather clichéd scream, but all thoughts of that flew out the window with the crazy Kurosaki patriarch when Ichigo's closet door opened, and out came Rukia.
She almost smiled at Ichigo, mostly due to his idiot father wanting to wake him up early and being overly physical with it.
"I assume your father just flew out the window?"
"Yeah, he did. Better get dressed: massive Hollow war yesterday or not, I still have school. And until you get back to that Soul Society of yours, so do you."
Rukia nodded almost sadly. "True."
She hopped out of the closet, ready to get out via the window. "Rukia..."
She looked back at Ichigo. "Yes?"
"Do you shinigami name your swords?" Rukia almost seemed to recoil from the question. "Why do you ask?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Ancient warrior cultures named their weapons. I'm just wondering whether or not shinigami do the same thing."
Ichigo watched Rukia as she debated answering the question.
Ichigo had long since gotten used to Rukia's body language.
She knew something.
"We don't name them: they already have a name born from the depths of our souls." She faced Ichigo. "Why?"
"I just wanted to know."
Rukia knew there was more then that, but left it be. Ichigo would tell her eventually or not at all: it depended on the timing and who would take her back that night. She left the room, narrowly avoiding Isshin's view as she exited the house via the window.
'Must've been a dream or something. The stress must be getting to me.'
'It was no dream, Ichigo.'
He paused.
"Wait, how-"
'Simply think if you wish to speak to me, Ichigo. It will draw less attention to yourself.' Ichigo almost facepalmed, as the zanpakutō clearly sounded very amused.
'Ok, fine. What is it?'
'My connection to you is weak, Ichigo, so I wished to simply warn you to watch out for Rukia.'
Ichigo snorted as he made his way outside.
'You didn't need to tell me that. I'd've done it anyway.'
Karakura High School, approximately 2:56 PM
Ichigo and Rukia were ready to leave, with Rukia looking ready to bolt. "Rukia." She glanced at Ichigo, who had the 'I'm not leaving you alone and you know why' look on his face.
He knew she was going to run off later on, and he wasn't going to let her.
'He's more perceptive then he appears. Then again, I really need to learn to stop underestimating him: he's known for this.'
"Yes?"
"The Soul Society's going to send someone here to check on you, aren't they?"
Perceptive, indeed.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, wondering how he figured that out on his own.
"What makes you say that?"
"The big ass Hollow from yesterday-what'd you call it, a Menos Grande?-never showed up before today. I'm going to guess that doesn't happen very often." She had to admit Ichigo was getting very good at the shinigami business. 'Almost like he was born for it.' (AN: Oh, how little she knows)
"You're right: it doesn't. Normally, they never leave Hueco Mundo, the Hollow realm. This will force the Soul Society to send someone down here to find out what happened."
"Well, they won't drag you back without an explanation. You deserve that much."
While sweet of him, Rukia knew that if they sent anyone, they'd send a captain and a lieutenant. And she highly doubted that the Captain-General would send hers: emotional bias would not be tolerated, and Jushiro Ukitake was highly protective of her.
Ichigo wouldn't stand a chance against a captain.
Maybe, and that was a big maybe, he could stand his own against a lieutenant, but not a captain.
"Let me talk to them: tell them what happened. Maybe they'll look the other way."
Rukia knew better. "Maybe."
She would have to be more sneaky later that night.
Karakura town, undisclosed location, roughly 10:18 pm local
Two male figures stood above Karakura, unseen by all but the spiritually aware.
The redhead, a man by the name of Renji Abarai, sighed as he thought to himself aloud.
"'Capture Rukia Kuchiki, dead or alive'...God, that's overkill."
"Do not question our orders, Abarai. We have more pressing matters."
Renji froze at his commanding officer's cold tone.
Byakuya Kuchiki clearly didn't want to be the one who brought Rukia in, but unlike Renji, he would not question his orders, even if he didn't like them.
Meanwhile...
Rukia had to say it: sneaking away from Ichigo was extremely difficult. She had her doubts that even Sui-Feng, captain of the 2nd Division, could get away from Ichigo when he had it in his mind that he would protect someone, even from themselves.
It was only due to Isshin Kurosaki's timely intervention that allowed her to escape, as Ichigo was too busy dealing with his stupidity to watch her.
She silently thanked the man, although she knew one indisputable fact: Isshin was likely unconscious and the second Ichigo found out that she was loose, he would be after her like a Titan after a defenseless human. (AN: Whoops, a bit too early for THAT ref. *thinks about it* I suddenly realize I don't give two fucks)
"Yo! Rukia!" Rukia looked up, finding Renji standing on a lamp post.
"Renji! What are you-"
She stopped herself from finishing the question. She already knew the answer.
"You were sent to take me back."
Renji, for his part, did look sheepish.
"Uh, surprise. Sorry, but I got-"
An arrow shot past his head, stopping his sentence.
"And another shinigami comes here."
Rukia sighed. Uryū Ishida, the so-called 'Last Quincy' (she REALLY doubted it) was going to get himself killed because of his stupid pride and hate of the shinigami.
"Leave this town now, shinigami."
Renji drew his blade in response to Uryū's unspoken challenge. "Then make me!"
She would've sighed if this weren't so damned serious.
Kurosaki residence
'I turn my back on her for 5 minutes, and NOW she's missing.'
'She IS trying to protect you.' Ichigo paused at the voice of Rukia's zanpakutō. 'Hate to say it, lady, but that's MY job.'
'Technically, Ichigo, it's your name.'
'Same damn thing!' After getting out of his body via Kon and threatening to obliterate him should he do anything unbecoming with his body, (Kon knew Ichigo had the capability, he just didn't do it) he made his way to Rukia's location.
Something Rukia's zanpakutō spirit complimented him on, as that was a VERY difficult ability to use, apparently and Ichigo used it like he was breathing.
When he arrived, he spotted Ishida getting his ass handed to him by a redheaded shinigami.
'Let the idiot die, or save him? Fuck it.'
He ran as fast as he could before jumping and landing a flying kick into the redhead's face, launching him several meters in the opposite direction.
The redhead screamed as his face met solid brick.
'That scream sounded like the one my father let out when he hit the ground this morning.'
He put that thought out of his mind and faced Rukia. "So, Rukia, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Trying to protect YOU, you retard!"
"Rukia, I'M the protector, not you."
A loud war-cry interrupted the conversation, and Ichigo drew his sword to block the redhead's strike. "What the fuck was that about?! And what the hell are you doing here?!"
"I LIVE here, asshole."
The redhead jumped back.
'Renji Abarai, how dare you try to harm Rukia!'
Ichigo split his attention between the two.
'You know him?'
'Rukia does. They were childhood friends, and they attended the Shin'o Academy together.'
'And now he tried to hurt her. Big mistake.'
Renji, meanwhile, had put the dots together.
"You're the human that stole Rukia's powers!"
'I'm going to be hearing that a lot, aren't I?'
'Unfortunately, yes.'
"I didn't steal them, jackass. Rukia got hurt defending me, and I was the only thing standing between us and certain death by Hollow."
Renji filed that away for later.
He might not have believed Ichigo, but he couldn't deny one simple fact: humans with high amounts of reiryoku did exist.
The Quincy that was currently nursing his wounds could attest to that.
Maybe the orange-haired human was telling the truth.
Then again, he had a job to do.
And since Ichigo kicked him in the face, it was time Renji pulled out the pain.
"Hey, carrot-top, what's that monstrosity's name?"
Ichigo felt Rukia's spirit feel insulted.
'Let me guess: I'm wielding YOU.'
'Yes. Yes, you are. Please hurt him.'
"Don't know. It's not mine."
Renji got pissed.
"You stole her zanpakutō?! THAT'S IT! HOWL, ZABIMARU!"
The katana transformed into something almost like a saw, but when he swung the blade, it turned into something like a whip.
It was only due to Ichigo's instinct and quick movement that the blade hit the massive sword he wielded rather then cut into his shoulder.
"Son of a bitch!"
Renji snarled as he swung the whip-sword again, scoring a hit on his left shoulder.
"I kill you, Rukia gets her powers back!"
The saw-like blade dug into his shoulder, and Ichigo could faintly hear Rukia crying out his name.
"And you have returned to this place." Ichigo opened his eyes, and now he was back in the deepest part of his soul, the pretty lady standing before him.
"Great. In the middle of a fight. Now I'm dead."
"Not exactly. Time is fluid here. Decades can pass while outside only a second has gone past."
THAT explained that.
"Ok. Now what?"
"Ichigo, this will be extremely dangerous. I'm not even sure this will work."
"WHAT won't work?"
She steeled herself.
"If you can hear my name, you can use my release, my shikai. But the chances of it working are so low-"
"To hell with the chances! If you've got a way, do it!"
She recoiled in surprise, then smiled.
"Very well. Then I hope you can hear this. My name is..."
He opened his eyes once more, seeing Renji's smug face. "Second rate novice like you can't even scratch-"
Ichigo bowed his head, his words almost inaudible, but clear to Renji. And even more so to Rukia.
"Mae, Sode no Shirayuki!" A flash of light enveloped the sword, transforming it into a blade that was as white as freshly fallen snow.
It was longer then Rukia's standard, being more then size of a daito, and the ribbon was a lot shorter, but no one who had seen Rukia's shikai could mistake it for anything else.
Further off, Byakuya was watching the fight and doing something once thought impossible for him.
Cursing.
Mentally, of course.
'What in the fucking name of the Spirit King is this?!'
Renji swung Zabimaru at Ichigo again, but the younger man deflected the strike using the shikaied blade and went on the offensive.
Renji subsequently shit his pants.
'Well, I'm fucked.'
Ichigo was fast, and he was assuming Rukia didn't bother teaching him the more advanced stuff like shunpo.
He tried to parry, but Ichigo's raw power batted the whip-sword away.
There was only one way that Renji was going to beat Ichigo: breaking his limiter.
But even then, it might not even work: Ichigo seemed to be on par (power-wise, at least) with Toshiro Hitsugaya or Sajin Komamura. Hell, some of the older captains might have a hard time with Ichigo if he had the chance to truly refine his abilities.
Ichigo delivered a nasty strike to Renji's left arm, cutting several of the muscles and nerves, making the arm useless to the fight.
"What was that about not being able to scratch you, Abarai?!"
'Yeah, you and your big mouth, dumbass.'
Renji scowled, ignoring Zabimaru's comments as Ichigo knocked his sword from his hands.
"It's over, Renji!"
Before Ichigo could impale him, the human jumped back before a blade nearly hit Sode no Shirayuki. 'Byakuya Kuchiki...'
'Kuchiki?'
'Rukia's adoptive brother, captain of the 6th Division.'
"I do not know how you are able to use my sister's zanpakutō. Nor do I care. You fall here, boy."
Byakuya struck, but the elder Kuchiki (and just about everyone else) was surprised when Ichigo parried the strike.
'What the fuck? How the fucking hell did he do that?!'
Ichigo's vision began to blur, and Byakuya took this opportunity to strike.
Unknown to all parties, however, Shirayuki subtly forced Ichigo to the left, apologizing to Ichigo's still-slumbering zanpakutō in the process, and Byakuya's senka missed the saketsu and hakusui, which would have removed Ichigo's ability to use her.
To finish the job, the captain struck Sode no Shirayuki's blade, snapping it in half. Ichigo fell unconscious within seconds, still bleeding out.
"He looks remarkably like Kaien Shiba. Is that why you gave him your powers?"
Rukia shook her head, still confused beyond words. HOW Ichigo was capable of using her zanpakutō and shikai was beyond her: it SHOULD have been impossible.
Then again, 'impossible' and Ichigo didn't go together unless the words were arranged in the order of 'Ichigo Kurosaki does the impossible' or something like that.
"No...I was wounded defending him, and I had to give him a fraction just to save us."
"Yet he took them all."
Byakuya knew better then to suspect malicious intent.
Taking them all must have been an accident, seeing as he had little control over his powers prior to using Sode no Shirayuki's shikai.
The boy also seemed solely focused on defending Rukia and the Quincy and nothing else.
'Honorable, if foolish.'
That alone gave Byakuya a reason to show some respect to the boy. He did Rukia's duty in her place while she recovered, or at least tried to recover.
How he was able to use her shikai was a mystery, and he would bring it up during the next meeting.
Having to stand aside and allow the Central 46 to order the death of Hisana's sister was bad enough: he didn't need another reminder of his own failure to protect Rukia.
And I finally return to my solo works.
(Catches a cero and reflects it back toward its' target)
Look, I know I pissed a few people off, but this needs to be done!
(Faces audience)
This is an ACTUAL rewrite of WSR, although it does borrow a few elements from Skywalker's new version, like the basic outline of the chapter.
The differences include Ichigo actually being able to hold Byakuya off, if only for a few seconds, not to mention the fact that other then the shape of the tsuba and the ribbon at the base of the hilt, Shirayuki's shikai when used by Ichigo is more or less a whitewashed version of Tensa Zangetsu.
The differences will increase as time goes on.
As for the zanpakutōs of Orihime and Tatsuki from my adopted version...I'll have to think about that.
But Tatsuki ain't being left behind. Be sure of that.
As for the title of the prologue...
I took it from Hellsing Ultimate Abridged.
Abridged Anderson: Second verse, same as the first. Now put me on a plane, so I can put them in a hearse!
It fits, more or less because this is the second rewrite of WSR I've written. Also, the screams that sound familiar? It's the (in)famous Wilhelm Scream. I'll be using those at least once a chapter.
It ain't Bleach without slapstick!
Wilhelm Scream count: 2
Next Time on WSR URE: Ichigo awakens in Urahara's shop, and Byakuya delivers news of the impossible to Captain-General Yamamoto.
Ja Ne!