Summary: A mere altercation has them reeling and gaining something beyond the mere perspective of black and white...gray. "Let's stay together, you and I. Forever." Forever; there was more truth to that word then what it seems. IchiHime/NaruHina
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Disclaimer: Nyame doesn't own Naruto or anything for that matter.
Story commences in…
5…
4…
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1…
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Normal Pov
Its time like these when Ichigo was really, really doubting his chances of winning, if only for a second.
Kurosaki Ichigo was a thousand things. He was blunt, had a semi-permanent scowl, and generally not a guy you would want get on the bad side of. He may be headstrong, he may be the type to jump the gun, he may even be bit oblivious and even reckless, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He had just gotten out of major fight with Grimmjow that drained him and now he was trying to beat a guy ten minutes later who was stronger than Grimmjow, if those tattoos were anything to go by. As it currently stands, everything was against him.
After managing to get some distance from Nnoitra, Ichigo attempted to regain his senses, he froze. For whatever reason, something struck his mind. It was overbearing…it felt like something was trying to gain control of him…something was trying to…
Just then, Ichigo felt himself being pulled from his body.
All he could see was a white light and an outline of a figure before him. The figure held out his hand, and only said one thing.
"Become One."
Ichigo felt a compelling force around him and slowly, but gingerly, he took hold of the hand.
And a myriad of memories hit him.
"To become Hokage…that is my dream!"
"Ramen, Ramen, RAMEN!"
"Hey Baa-chan…"
WACK!
"I present you, your Rokudaime Hokage!"
"Will you marry me, Hina-hime?"
"I now pronounce you man and wife!"
"Ashiteru, Hina-hime."
"To protect the village, that is our duty. A shinobi is not killer, nor are they monsters. A shinobi is a protector, one who is willing to give up everything to protect the innocent."
"I am honored to call you the Third God of Shinobi, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto."
With everyone else, they watched in fascination as a white light erupted from Ichigo. It was blinding, and you could see a red aura wrap around Ichigo. Orihime, watching silently, felt her breath hitch.
And her very being spiral out of her body.
Around her, there was nothing but light…but with a lavender hint. A figure of a beautiful woman stood before, her outstretched hand in front of Inoue.
"Become One."
And just like Ichigo, she took it; and a thousand things happened at once.
"To protect those I love, and to gain the attention of a certain someone…that is my dream."
"I love cinnamon buns…"
"Of course, Otou-sama."
"Look, Neji-niisan, isn't beautiful?"
"I-Imouto-chan! Hanabi!"
"Of course I'll marry you, Naruto-koi!"
"Ashiteru, Naruto-koi."
"Kunoichi are the level-headed. They keep those idiots we call shinobi in line and use the sexism and our bodies to do the work. We will do anything to protect those that mean something to us, just like shinobi."
"Welcome, First Goddess of Shinobi, Namikaze Hyuuga Hinata."
The two lights combined were able to blind everyone in the vicinity.
And the power itself made it known to everyone in Las Noches.
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Renji felt himself fall to his knees, as did Uryuu; Szayel however, was close to feeling his body crushed, unable to handle the amount of pressure. This power…it was suffocating. Whoever was exuding this…he could only hope was on their side.
For even he doubted that Aizen could contain such power.
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What is this? That was the collective thoughts of all the captains as they wandered the palace known as Las Noches, only to get a taste of the unfathomable power. Even Kenpachi was breaking under the pressure.
Just who was exerting this tremendous power?
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All around Las Noches, arrancar, hollow and Shinigami alike felt this overbearing feeling. Everyone, even Yammy and Stark, felt as if someone was choking them. This power…this power!
Aizen himself was considered a god.
But this…with strength like this, even he would be crushed like a twig.
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As soon as he felt that pressuring feeling, he immediately ordered three of his most powerful Espada to head over to Karakura Town. The sooner he gained the King's key, the better.
For the first time, Aizen was truly afraid.
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The light faded as both fell to their knees. All watched in anticipation as their eyes adjusted to the sight.
Was that really Kurosaki Ichigo?
While the only physical change was a blonde streak on his carrot-top, what really caught their eyes was what he was wearing. He was wearing black, tight fitting pants which seemingly connected to the strange black sandals he was now wearing. And he was now wearing a shirt; A black short-sleeved mess shirt. It was pretty obvious now that he wasn't wearing the infamous Shinigami Shihakushō anymore. However, what really scared them were his eyes. Those chocolate brown orbs that showed the courage imprinted within his being, were now blood red. It made him look demonic…but the look in those ruby orbs is what really scared everyone.
It was unbridled anger.
Those vibes coming off him were suffocating. Tesla felt as if his life was hanging on by a thread and Nnoitra…the Espada actually feared for his life. No one, not even Aizen could strike such a fear into them. Screw his love for battle…this was going way overboard.
Another presence broke their thoughts.
Orihime stood in her full glory. She, like Ichigo, was wearing those same tight fitting pants, but they were connected to a pair of strange, black heels and a similar mesh shirt. Her hair had stayed somewhat the same, except for a streak of indigo similar to Ichigo's blonde streak. But just like Ichigo, her eyes changed. Instead of those obsidian eyes, there were clear, eyes with a hint of lavender. What was strange about it was that there was no pupil.
However, all thoughts were broken when Orihime went forward with amazing speed and roundhouse kicked Nnoitra's jaw.
It nearly knocked out all his teeth and broke his jaw. Before he could recover, Ichigo was in front of him. The Strawberry, with Tensa Zangetsu in hand, slashed downward on Nnoitra. Blood splattered across the white sand. As the man fell to the ground, Ichigo stabbed his sword through Nnoitra's head, scrambling the insides. The Quinta Espada soon faded out of existence.
All of this happened within two minutes.
Tesla could only watch in disbelief before Orihime was in front of him. With stunning speed, the girl thrust her palm forward. Tesla soon followed his master as his head rolled across the landscape. Farther off, Nel, and Grimmjow, who was having a hard time staying into the realm of consciousness, could only watch in disbelief.
What the hell just happened?
"You two alright?"
Both looked up to see the semi-concerned faces of Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime. Still shocked over the sudden growth of power, the two arrancar could only nod their heads. Ichigo took a quick look at Orihime, who gave a small incline of her head before kneeling before Grimmjow. Expecting Sōten Kisshun, imagine their surprise when Orihime's hand started glowing green. Slowly, the girl began to heal the Sexta Espada. As she did so, Nel turned her head to Ichigo.
"What…" the little girl began.
"Nel; don't ask. Trust me, I doubt you would believe the full story to this," The substitute Shinigami gestured to him and Orihime.
"Shinigami," a voice spoke.
Orihime stood by a fully healed Grimmjow, steadying him. Instead of the malice and hate-filled glare Ichigo expected to see, he found a passive look on the face of his rival. The Ichigo we knew would be gaping; this Ichigo however merely quirked one of his eyebrows.
"Yes, Grimmjow?"
"…Thanks," The arrancar turned his head.
Orihime couldn't help but smile and Nel giggled. Ichigo smirked.
"Be careful arrancar; better not be getting soft with me," the Shinigami taunted.
Grimmjow returned with a half smirk, "No way in hell Shinigami; no way in hell."
Ichigo laughed. Then, with a blank expression, he turned his head to the direction of a powerful reiatsu signature heading his way. Everyone soon followed his line of sight and Inoue sighed.
"Well, Ichigo; hope you're in for another battle," she said as she recognized the signature.
The Strawberry narrowed his eyes. There, in the distance, was the huge form of Zaraki Kenpachi.
"Damn; I ain't in the mood for a battle with him right now," Ichi cursed his luck.
Grimmjow raised his brow, "How bad is he?"
"Kenpachi over there is a complete and total battle freak. The problem with this however is the fact that Ichigo ever there is his favorite punching bag/sparring partner. As it currently stands, Ichi over there doesn't want to deal with him when Aizen is undoubtedly heading for Karakura Town right now…" Orihime stopped, as did Grimmjow and Ichigo as Starrk soon appeared behind her.
"So Aizen is leaving already?" she said without looking behind herself. Starrk, while mildly surprised, only nodded.
Orihime slowly turned around and gave Unohana's classic look, "Then take me to him."
The Primera was mildly disturbed and scared before quickly grabbing onto her and using his sonido to get to the palace's inner corridor. Grimmjow moved to stop him before Ichigo held it out his arm in front of him.
"Why…"
"She's got it under control, Grimmjow. No need to worry. The only thing we should deal with is Soul Society before getting Orihime."
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Orihime could only sigh when Aizen went into the garganta. The poor, poor fool.
Aizen was after a pointless ambition. Knowing that woman, she would try to off him the minute he entered her dimension for daring to challenge and destroy her authority. Was it her fault that she'd already had enough internal conflict in her own dimension to help this one? Hell, the place couldn't keep complete peace for a decade before another war would start up. Having already determined Aizen's current power level, the man would stand no chance against his intended target.
As Orihime mused over her thoughts, she saw Ulquiorra fade into existence in front of her.
"Ah, Ulquiorra; how was the Caja Negación?" the girl asked with a smile.
The Cuatra Espada blinked, but showed no indication of his shock.
"Insufferable and now I can see why fracción find it necessary to please their masters; what of Grimmjow? I assume he proceeded to do battle with Kurosaki Ichigo. How did it end?" The Espada inquired.
"It was close, but in the end, Ichigo won," she replied.
Ulquiorra stayed quiet before opening his mouth to respond before the southern wall crashed. With a look of disbelief, he turned around.
There, standing in the opening was Kurosaki Ichigo, Nel and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
"Yo!" Ichigo gave a cheeky grin.
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(Karakura Town-Couple of Hours later)
The battle had taken a turn for the worse for the Shinigami.
While they were able to take out the fracción, it was not as it appeared to be with the tide of the battle. They were getting beaten. Badly. Somehow, they were able to release Tia Harribel from her ice prison, Baraggan was able to survive Soifon's Bankai and Starrk was having a field day. Things started to brighten up as soon as the Vizard arrived, but things got worse from then on. Hiyori was fatally wounded, the Captains were far too injured to battle, the Vizard were starting to lose, Tousen was dead (whether that being a good thing or a bad thing has yet to be determined), the old man's Zanpakutō was pretty much useless because of Wonderweiss and Ichigo still wasn't here yet. The only saving grace was that the Segunda Espada was dead.It looked like they were about to be screwed over.
And then the last supposed hope left for the entire universe as we know it made itself known. Yoruichi, Urahara and Isshin arrived at the last minute, and seemed to have gotten Aizen. Now we can all do the hokey pokey victory dance-
And that's when the bastard finally gained his powers from the Hōgyoku, supposedly surpassing the boundaries of Shinigami and Hollow.
Well ain't that a kicker?
To put it layman's terms, they were fucked.
Now we take this time to reminisce about the good funny times in this wonderful, magical-
Wait a minute-is that a garganta?
The black hole got everyone's attention. While the Shinigami were wondering what the hell Aizen was bringing now, the arrancar, Gin and Aizen were wondering what the hell was actually going on. They didn't plan for this.
"Yo," a familiar voice greeted.
Up there, in the sky, was Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime. Behind them were Yasutora Sado, Ishida Uryuu, Abarai Renji, Kuchiki Rukia, and the entire Hueco Mundo relief team, the former Espada Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Ulquiorra Cifer. There wasn't a scratch on them; hell, they looked like they just frolicked through a meadow of daisies.
"What-you had a party and didn't invite any of us?" Ichigo asked, a light smirk playing across his face. It was conceding; something was definitely wrong with this picture. Why the hell would three arrancar willingly open up a garganta for a couple of humans and an nearly half of the Gotei 13's captains when they know their master had it all in place-
What the-is that fear in their eyes?
Fear was not only found in the eyes of the arrancar, but in the eyes of everyone excluding Orihime, who had a similar playful look in her eye. Now they were positive that something was wrong. Who or what could strike fear into hearts of some of the most dangerous beings on the spiritual plane?
Soon they got their answer.
Ichigo, having taken a glance at everyone now, had Orihime quickly head over to heal injuries along with all of those who were in the Fourth Division who had come with Unohana. Then, while narrowing his eyes at his father, released a spiritual pressure far beyond what many were expecting.
The effects were instantaneous.
Anyone on Lieutenant Level and below were already on their knees, clutching their throats and clawing for air, excluding those being healed by Retsu, as Ichigo alleviated the pressure there. All the Captains however were finding hard to breathe let alone stay upright. Even Aizen was finding it hard to not visibly shake. Yet Ichigo showed no change in expression…it looked like he wasn't even trying.
And truth be told, he wasn't.
Slowly, he alleviated the pressure, and relief soon filled everyone. This feeling…this great, wondrous, yet pressuring and terrifying feeling was all they needed to know. The arrancar and the traitorous Shinigami all soon came to one conclusion.
That horrible, monstrous feeling in Hueco Mundo was him.
What happened next however would only add to the fear and anxiety that soon flowed through the veins of everyone.
With speed that no one could comprehend, let alone see, Ichigo had taken out a strange scroll, opened it, applied some strange energy, and automatically two chains started to literally come out of the scroll. Before the Primera or the Tres Espada could realize any impending threat, they were wrapped in chains, which nullified their reiatsu.
A second later, Ichigo had his hand wrapped around Aizen's neck, choking the life out of him.
The teen chuckled, his tone taking a much more demonic turn, "To kill the King, ne? To rule over all the planes existence, to change it to your own liking, to which none have seen before. Next thing you know, you'll try to find away to ensure your rule will last an eternity…by living an eternal life. Such ambitions have blinded you, and you justify it by the corruption in the world…and the horrid lifestyle that most in Rukongai have suffered. You have never thought of the reasons as to why he could not appear? Have you ever thought that there was something much bigger going on? Have you ever thought that perhaps that the King was actually a Queen?" Eyes widened at the implication.
Ichigo gave a feral smirk, "No, you didn't. You so callously claim that our monarch, the one in which we call God, has abandoned us with a mere wave of the hand. Such narrow-minded thinking will get you nowhere, Aizen. Perhaps you did take account all of this, but your pride and greed blinded you from the truth you refused to accept. You refuse to see that no one has made contact with the monarch in over thousands of years; who even knows that it's even the same monarch? Who knows what level power this monarch has claimed? Face it, Aizen; all the facts are against your favor," Ichigo leaned down next to the ear of Aizen.
"I know for a fact that she is well beyond your level, you bigoted fool."
People were mystified and amazed. How could a substitute Shinigami of all people know of the Spirit Monarch's personal information? As Ichi had pointed out, no one has made contact with anyone from the Royal Family in thousands of years. The only ones who would have even a glance at the Monarch in all these years would perhaps be members of the Royal Guard. Hell, how did Ichigo know that the Monarch was even a woman? What Ichigo was implying is that he knew more than what many believed he did.
And Aizen was loathing every word of it.
What Ichigo was saying was 100% true. The assumption that the Spirit King was too weak and too cold to govern over the planes of existence was a callous assumption. Truth be told, everyone just assumed that because of the existence of the Royal Guard. No one had ever thought of the fact that perhaps there was more to the story than what meets the eye. Hell, no one had even thought that the Ruler of all the planes of existence was even a girl. Hidden beyond the façade of logic, reality had set in.
Aizen, despite it all, actually had no idea what he was up against.
And, apparently, Ichigo did.
"To take the throne…to become God; such is the desire of a fool like you. God has been there…and always will be there. Because, Aizen, you were created by God…the hand of God gave you life. And a created being has no place on the throne of the creator. Everyone's existence here is because of God…the events preset to her own liking. It's time you realize this; you are no God, Aizen," Ichigo finished, he glare intensifying.
A created being has no place on the throne of the Creator…
…An undying truth.
A truth Aizen will never accept.
His patience spent, his anger released in a flurry of rage, slowly, but surely, adding onto the pressure, forcing Captains to their knees and Lieutenants and under to faint. Ichigo and Orihime didn't even flinch or showed any signs of even being affected by such a thing.
Ichigo loosened his grip, and Aizen barely got out of it. With total fury, he struck at Ichigo…
…And was blocked by Shinsō.
Ichigo was unaffected by this startling revelation, widening the eyes of many that were conscious at the moment. With a bored look, he addressed Gin a questioning voice,
"What the hell took you so long?"
"So you did know, eh?" Gin turned his head to look at Strawberry.
Ichigo sighed, "The moment I sensed you, I analyzed your position on this. I knew from the beginning that you were never truly with Aizen to begin with. In fact, I could feel anger rolling off you…your eyes, while lidded, were always on Matsumoto's form. I'm not an idiot, Gin; you love her, don't you?"
The man gave a hearty laugh, "More than the world Ichigo. You know what they say…"
The two jumped back, away from Aizen.
"…Love makes you do crazy things," he grinned.
"Bankai, Kamishini no Yari," he whispered.
The battle had begun.
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First Person POV-Unknown
A perfect World.
A foolish vision.
Perfection is merely an illusion, perceived by the eye of the beholder. There is no such thing as perfect. There will always be strife. There will always be destruction. There will be no black. There will be no white.
Just endless, dull shades of gray.
I strive not for a perfect world. If I had it my way, I would have a normal life. But I'm in too deep now. And as I look back…I wouldn't have any other way. I only have one dream. A vision shared by many; those who have involuntarily drawn innocent blood see it as a hope; others see it as a future.
Those who hold dear the teachings of that man see it as a reality.
Peace. Not perfection.
Peace not gained by power. Bribery, seduction…this is not peace.
Peace is achieved through love.
True peace is all I ever wanted.
But even I can see that is too much to ask.
…Even for a god.
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Normal Pov
Slender fingers tapped against her thigh as she watched the impending battle with great interest. Just a couple of hours ago her monitors picked up a large spike of chakra in the dimension of Hueco Mundo. Her eyes focused on the forms of two people. Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime.
"So that's what happened to you…" she murmured. She snapped her fingers and a man appeared by her in a crouched position a second later.
"Sai, gather the people. They have returned," he gave a curt nod before vanishing.
She smiled, "Welcome back Namikaze Hyuuga Hinata and Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto."
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Her well endowed body glided against the wind. Soon, an ANBU appeared by her and whispered into her ear. With a smirk, she looked at the faces carved into the mountain, but only one in particular. Her smirk widened into a grin.
"Welcome back brats."
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"Forever," she whispered as her handed glided on Matsumoto's wound. Her eyes, while seemingly concentrated on her task, held her mind in another place. He was reminding her.
"Let's stay together, you and I. Forever."
Forever.
An eternity together, in life and in death; she would have never thought that fate and that woman found it fit to reincarnate them. By the looks of it however, this world needed them. What her beloved just said was that they would return home and live out the rest of their days together. Forever.
Forever.
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