Aizen, the man who schemed and manipulated his way into godly-hood, the man who killed Ichimaru Gin, hunted down Ichigo's friends, and caused Isshin, Yuroichi, Kisuke, and many others to be exiled out of society under false accusation, now stood over Ichigo's beaten and cut up body, triumphant and ready to create the Oken.
"You thought me to be defeated Ichigo, but you are wrong, that last attack, which exhausted all of your energy and power, proved futile in stopping me. I won't kill you…I'm going to leave you alive…barely…and have you watch as I destroy the pathetic place you call home." Aizen said as he turned, walking casually towards Ichigo's hometown smirking at his power and victory.
'No! It can't end this way…if only there was something I could do…' Ichigo cried out in his head.
'If only I would have relied on my friends…if only we could have seen this coming…prepared…instead of trying to believe nothing was wrong….their deaths are on my hands…I'm sorry Orihime…Chad…Ishida…I failed…' Ichigo broken and beaten, forced himself up with all of his might, barely hanging by a thread. Stabbing his zanpakuto into the ground, he stood, looking at Aizens back slowly getting further and further away. Anger welling up inside him, he shouted the tyrants name with all of his lungs capacity, "AIZEEEEEEEN!" making his throat hoarse in the process.
Chuckling and turning Aizen replied back "Your efforts are futile…." as he cast a binding hado at Ichigo, holding him in place, forced to witness the destruction that was to come. The time it took for Aizen to saunter to the fallen and despaired hero's hometown, seemed like eternity. The pace only making the inevitable that much worse.
'Do you truly want another chance, boy?' A voice inside of Ichigo's head rang clear as day, pulling him into his spirit world that he visited many times before. Before him stood an ominous man inside a crystal, presence all mighty and like that of a god.
".…yes." Was all Ichigo mustered out. His body battered and bruised, broken even, but his resolve burning through his eyes, was all that the mighty being before him needed to see.
'It will be painful. Go back and do it all again. The stakes will be higher, and your friends may even turn on each other. There will be more blood than this.'
"Who are you…?" Ichigo asked as he took in the mental lesson.
'I am everything. I am the soul king. Change the past, and you change the future. You failed to steel your resolve and rely on your comrades. This is the dark present and future that everyone must suffer through. It was never your job alone to defeat Aizen.'
The young man before the godly entity felt strong guilt and regret, knowing full well that he was right.
'You will all keep your memories, but they will need time to come back. Your powers too. Some will get them faster than others. Heed my warning. Your choices will change everything. Do not fail again.' The last line sending chills down Ichigo's spine, feeling the dangerous intent behind those words.
He felt something welling up inside him, and before he could ask what happened, he was back into the outskirts of Karakura, Aizen nowhere to be seen. It was silent. For a few moments, everything was calm…until a loud boom of energy erupted and crashed down into Karakura, engulfing it in raw destructive energy. The energy surging outwards towards Ichigo as well, slowly creeping closer. Ichigo's eyes widened at the horror he witnessed.
"AIZEN!" Ichigo screamed into the sky, rain falling wherever it could, tears welling up in his eyes. Before he could let anything else out, the wave of energy engulfed him, killing him, and beginning the end of everything.
What's the difference between a horse and a king…?
What? That's all you got? Fucking boring..
Witness true despair…
Do you want to live?
The voices came from no where and everywhere, the memories fading in and out all at once.
Ichigo shot up from his bed gasping for air, waking up from what seemed like a never ending nightmare. 'What the hell….' Ichigo thought to himself, grabbing his head, and staring at the wall in front of him.
He looked over to check the time as it read 7:14 a.m. 'Crap, I might be running late today…' the strawberry thought to himself as he got up to stretch and mark off another day from his calendar, having it currently read May 2nd, a Thursday. The mornings distractions making the battle that transpired mere minutes earlier and yet to come, a fleeting memory.
"Can't believe schools almost over…I promised to get new flowers to that girl today, didn't?" Ichigo said to no one in particular. "Guess I could do that on my way to school."
As he finished his sentence his door rushed open and as it did, Isshin came running in shouting "GOOOOOOD MOOOOORNING ICHIIIIIGOOOOO!" and used some sort of flying kick to attempt to hit his son in the face, but Ichigo, with his traditional scowl, would have none of that today. He quickly turned around and grabbed Isshin by the leg and threw him into his closet door, smashing it into pieces and leaving Isshin in a bloody mess.
"When…did you… improve so much, my son?" Isshin coughed and said weakly.
"Shut up! Who the hell tries to kick their own son in the face, let alone barge in their room this early in the morning?!" Ichigo shouted irritated while stomping on his body.
After taking a quick shower and slipping into his school uniform, Ichigo headed downstairs being greeted by his younger sister Yuzu, who was washing the dishes that were used to make breakfast. "Good morning Onii-chan! If you don't hurry your breakfast will get cold."
"Ah, thanks Yuzu." Ichigo said, eating rather quickly and then heading out, completely unaware of how much his life is about to change after today.
After walking along the river bank and picking up some flowers that he promised to deliver to the little girl, he headed off to the location that his friend would surely be. When he got there, he saw some street punks that happened to not only knock down, but smash, the vase that held her old flowers.
"I knew today was gonna be a bad day.." Ichigo said irritated while walking over to the punks that would be paying dearly for it shortly.
"Oi!" Ichigo shouted.
"Eh? What do you want?" One of the thugs turned around trying to look tough.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ichigo said angrily.
"What's it to ya? We're just markin' our territory. Beat it." The thug said while shaking up the spray paint that was in his hand, not taking this school brat for a threat.
As soon as he stopped shaking the can, Ichigo delivered a swift kick to the side of the thugs thigh, causing him to scream out in pain and drop the can to grab his leg, which caused the other two thugs to now turn around and stop tagging the fences around them.
"I suggest you call an ambulance for you guys, because you're gonna need one after I'm through with you." Ichigo smirked, preparing to deliver punishment to those that had disturbed his friends resting place.
"Gonna fuck you up little man!" One of the thugs threatened, charging at Ichigo with his fist raised high.
Ichigo simply moved to the side, easily dodging the boys fist and delivering a kick to his abdomen, flooring him instantly.
"You owe someone an apology also." Ichigo said to the last thug left standing.
"I don't owe you shit." The thug said while pulling out a knife, inching closer to Ichigo by the second, prepared to draw some blood.
"Wasn't talking about me." Ichigo said while dodging the man's knife thrust and grabbing his wrist, twisting it and breaking his wrist, making him drop the knife instantly, afterwards he punched him in the side of the head, knocking him out cold and on his back.
"Sorry about all of this, I'll be sure to come by later with a new vase for you." Ichigo said turning to look at the young girl that was hiding behind a pole.
"It's okay, thank you for protecting me." She said smiling.
"No problem, I can't stand people like that. See you later." He said while turning to head to school with plenty of time to spare. Failing to notice the thug that hid himself behind the gate.
As soon as he came out of hiding, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number…a few rings later a voice picked up.
"Yes?"
"Some of our boys got beat up…bad, one has a broken wrist..I'm about to call an ambulance.." The thug said.
"Who did this to them?" The voice on the line asked angrily.
"I don't know….he had orange hair though..judging by his uniform, I'd say he goes to Karakura high…" the thug replied.
"We'll find him…and when we do…we'll break his legs…" After the man on the other side of the line finished he hung up.
The thug smirked and decided to call an ambulance for his comrades that lay unconscious. "You're fucked now kid…" he said before there was an answer on the other line.
School went by normally throughout the day, and before Ichigo knew it, it had already ended. He packed up his things and made some small talk with Sado, asking him how his training's going at the dojo.
"Good." Sado simply stated, not one for talking.
"I'm glad, it's a good thing you decided to take up lessons, I won't always be able to watch your back." Ichigo teased, lightly punching him in the arm. Sado simply smiled, both walking towards the entrance of the school, ready to head to wherever they had plans to go to today.
As they neared the gate, someone stood in front of it, glaring at the strawberry.
"This the little shit that did this to my boys?" A fat looking thug asked to the man that called earlier.
"Yeah…there's no mistaking it…that's the guy."
"Ya did quite a number on my boys…afraid I'm gonna have to smash your legs as an apology." The fat one said.
Ichigo simply smirked and replied back "Go ahead and try it. I can fight you in my sleep." Ichigo said as he fake yawned.
The fat one laughed and smirked back. "How about 20 of us?"
As soon as he finished, as if on cue, 20 thugs came out of hiding from various places and stood in front of the pair, blocking the gate. Both simply stood in place, Ichigo with one hand in his pocket, and the other holding his bag over his shoulder, and Sado with his shirt untucked and unbuttoned, revealing a tank top that showed his muscles, nicely.
"I take ten and you take ten?" Ichigo said with a usual face. Sado nodding in acknowledgement.
"Get them.." The leader said with a menacing voice. As soon as those words left his mouth, they all charged at the pair, some holding bats and wooden katana's, others with brass knuckles, preparing to inflict serious, if not fatal, injuries.
Ichigo dropped his bag and Sado took off his school shirt, fully exposing his developed and trained arms, and both sprinted at the army of would be attackers.
Ichigo's side
Ichigo jump kicked one in the chest breaking two ribs and sending him crashing into another one, sending both crashing to the floor, the bottom one unlucky to have taken the full impact of the two and hitting his head knocking him out and with a concussion, after Ichigo landed, he weaved under one attackers horizontal bat swing, and kicked him in the lower shin, breaking his leg and making him immobile. A moment afterwards, two came rushing at him from either side of him, ne with brass knuckles and one with a wooden katana. Ichigo spun around and caught the thugs brass knuckle swing to his head, while kicking the other one in the face, in one fluid motion. After his leg came back down Ichigo kneed the brass user in the stomach and elbowed him in the head, knocking both unconscious in a matter of seconds. Ichigo decided, in order to speed it up a bit, to pick up the wooden katana.
'What's this feeling?' Ichigo thought, feeling a familiar sensation of gripping the katana, he breathed in deeply, and then dashed to the right, holding the katana in both hands and to his left side, almost scraping the tip along the ground. He then swung horizontally at one attackers side, breaking his rib, and kicking another in the thigh, temporarily immobilizing him, in the meantime, Ichigo made a stabbing motion towards another one in the gut and caused him to spit up some saliva and falling back in pain. Another katana user, tried diagonally swinging down on Ichigo but failed. Ichigo then blocked and parried with a strike to the side of the knee, and then to the arms, causing him to fall to the ground in immense pain. The last thug left had a very wide opening, charging with a bat held above his head. Ichigo just rolled his eyes and lazily yet precisely threw the katana at him, the hilt end hitting him in the head, knocking him out.
Sado's side
Sado grabbed one of the thugs face and slammed him in the ground causing a fracture in the man's skull, using his momentum from sprinting. He then spun and delivered a hard right straight to a thugs chest that had tried to blind side him. The blow heavy enough to wind him and make him pass out. Sado then stood waiting in no stance, for anyone to come attack him. One of them with hesitation then went forward into his range and tried to throw a hooked jab at the giant. The tall warrior weaved back and countered with a low blow to the gut and two quick jabs to the man's face, causing his nose to break and some teeth to fall out, blood spewing from the injured vessel in his nose. Thinking he had an opportunity, a thug with a bat tried swinging at Sado's ribs, but the giant caught it under his arm and forward kicked (spartan kicked) him a good distance away, injuring his sternum from the powerful kick.
As soon as Sado dropped his leg back to the ground another man with a bat came rushing at him. Dropping into a low stance, Sado pivoted his hips and delivered a powerful right punch to the man's face. The thug put his bat in the way for defense, but Sado's might easily broke through the bat and hit him in the jaw, fracturing it, and making another man lose another set of teeth. Yet another thug with brass knuckles tried closing the distance and grabbing Sado's leg as he brought it down from the kick he just delivered trying to topple the giant. Sado widened his stance and just looked down at the smaller thug and with his hand squeezed the side of his neck, quickly cutting off his blood flow, holding him in place and knocking him out. The last three left for Sado, huddled together, two katana users in the front and the last, a brass knuckle user, in the back, to try to take on the unstoppable giant. Sado walked casually towards them, and before the two could swing their katana's, Sado delivered a low kick to one mans shin and did a heavy left hook to the other mans side, fracturing his ribs, flooring him instantly. Sado then with blinding speed, got behind the poor thug who received his shin kick moments earlier and got him in a choke hold, knocking him unconscious. With only one man left, Sado casually walked towards the last foot soldier. Not willing to give up in the face of his leader despite the fear evident on his face, with all his mustered courage and might, swung his fist at Sado's chest, successfully making contact.
Sado looked down at the man with a stoic expression.
The man backed away, cowering and shaking…"What the hell are you?! A monster?"
"A monster? I don't mind being called that…" Sado said blankly. "…but..let me show you a real punch.."
He nonchalantly grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and lifted him off the ground a little, and punched him in the gut and dropped him. He thug gasping for air, threw up on the ground and lay there in agony.
The dynamic duo finished their brawl at the same time and turned towards the presumed leader. Sado dusting off his shirt and putting it back on, not bothering to button it.
The guy with fear evident on his face, shrieked a little bit before dropping to his knees, saying spare me.
"Gather up your men and get out of here." Ichigo said glaring at him "don't bother coming at us again."
The thug did as he was told and woke up some men and ordered them to carry the unconscious.
As soon as they cleared out, the cheers from the students watching the spectacle broke the silence.
"Popular as ever" Sado chuckled. Ichigo doing the same as he gathered his bag and walked towards the gate with his best friend.
A few minutes passed on their walk
"What a day…" Ichigo sighed out.
"What do you mean?" Sado wondered aloud.
"I had a really long and horrible nightmare, and hazy memories that I can't quite place." Ichigo began to explain.
As soon as those words left his mouth a loud explosion was heard a few blocks away. Smoke from debris rising into the clouds above.
"The hell.…" Sado wondered aloud.
"Hell if I know.." Ichigo said getting a bad feeling in his gut as they jogged towards the smoke. As they rounded the corner of the block there stood a massive creature, about two blocks away, digging into the rubble and picking up a spirit that only Ichigo could see. Proceeding to bite down on it. Devouring it.
"You're seeing what I'm seeing right?" Ichigo with widened eyes and slight horror on his face, asked aloud.
All Sado did was grunt. "What do you see?"
The creature within moments of devouring it's prey, looked towards the pairs direction, yellow eyes piercing into their soul. It reared it's head back and let out a roar, smashing nearby windows and causing both to wince in pain at the sound. After it finished, it slammed it's foot down into the concrete, shattering it and got into a stance as if ready to pounce at them any moment.
"I knew this would be a bad day…" Ichigo trailed off.