At least one chapter will be uploaded monthly.
Not all chapters will be this long. Fast paced story.
This story was built upon randomness
WARNING: Poor grammar. I apologize. Proceed with caution.
For some reason, this website doesn't compute spaces... So, yeah. I used these line thingys instead.
CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE
Relief was followed by immense pain.
Ichigo froze and looked down.
A familiar katana was sticking out of his chest.
"How?" he froze.
Aizen was sealed from the rejection of the Hogyoku. He witnessed it with his own eyes, yet somehow, he was now standing behind Ichigo, smirking, holding his zanpakuto as it was imbedding in Ichigo's chest. With some resistance, he turned his head to see where Kisuke was standing just moments before. His eyes widened at the sight of the heavily battered body of the humble shopkeeper. Even from this distance Ichigo could see the stillness of his chest and the loose hold he had on the now broken spiritless zanpakuto, Benihime.
Ichigo dropped heavily to his knees and coughed a few times. The ground and his chin were painted with his blood as he hacked and fought for oxygen.
He didn't need to face Aizen to know the God wannabe widen his smile.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, I am a God," he spread his arm outwards and tilted his head up to the sky, "as such how could you ever dream to match my endless pool of power? I enjoyed humoring you Shinigami's and Humans alike, momentarily granting you false hope, but I am done now. You see, there is a place which calls for me, higher up. I will take the final step in completing my goal. I will become king and I alone will sit on the throne of the universe."
He slowly pulls his sword out and watches in fascination as the blood drips from the tip of Kyoka Suigetsu onto the earth. His eyes are glued to the sight of blood being absorbed into the dirt.
"Thank you for the entertainment Kurosaki-san. The death of your family and friends were regretful, but you understand my reasons. They were a threat to me, so I eliminated them."
"A threat?" he spat.
Yuzu
Karin
His little sisters. Human sister with the ability to see spirits. Powerless. They had no chance against any arrancars nonetheless Aizen.
A couple days ago:
"Ichi-nii?"
Ichigo smiled at his sister. Over the years, Yuzu had grown into a wonderful caring young woman. She often reminded Ichigo of their mother. Nearly 12 year had passed since the day he first became a shinigami and now Yuzu and Karin are half way through medical school. Whether on the battlefield or on the side lines, the Kurosaki family was determined to protect and save as many lives as they could.
Of course, school didn't stop Karin from joining the University soccer team. She was happy when she made team captain in her second year. Ichigo remembered the first game that year. Her boyish grin as she orchestrated the play and directed her teammates with confidence. And of course, their Goat-Face of a father cheering loudly from the stands. They'll never know where he managed to find a megaphone, nor the big banner which had Karin's face printed on the side with the words 'Daddy's little girl #1 Fan!'
Ichigo snorted and laughed at her expression when she caught sight of them. There was a visible tick mark on her forehead and her eyebrow was twitching violently.
Their team won, and they went home later that night where Yuzu made Karin's favorite meal in celebration. It was a great day and Goat Face cried crocodile tears while running up to his wife's poster exclaiming how proud he was of his daughter.
Finals were approaching and Ichigo didn't see his sisters as often as he did when they were younger. Most of their time was spent at the university library studying, or hanging out with friends and, dare he say, boyfriends.
Ichigo smiled softly at Yuzu, "Study hard and get good grade. I'll be here when you get back."
Yuzu frowned at him and placed her hands on her hip, "You have to take better care of yourself Ichi-nii. It good to train, but don't overwork yourself otherwise you'll end up straining your body."
He reached an arm up and ruffled her hair.
"Ack! Ichigo!"
He saluted her, "Yes, Dr. Kurosaki. I hear you loud and clear. You should get going before you miss the train to school."
She didn't look convinced and it could be heard in her voice, "Alright. I'll be home a little late. I'm meeting with a study group after class to prepare for the exams."
Taking a few steps closer she reaches up to hug Ichigo.
"I love you nii-san."
His smile was filled with overwhelming warmth as he returned the hug.
"I love you too Yuzu."
Yuzu ran up to her room and told Karin to hurry or else they'll be late. He watched as Karin ran into the kitchen and exit with a slice of toast in her mouth. On the way out Karin and Ichigo fist bumped. He waved at them both as they walked down the road.
"Y… you monster!"
He wanted to cry out his anguish, but the pain in his chest didn't allow him to.
Aizen 'hummed' "I do suppose some would call me that, but sometimes in order to achieve the greater good, even greater sacrifices are necessary. There is no such thing as a pure being. Think about the gods that some of the humans believe in. Were they pure? Where they never responsible for the death of people? Yet they follow their god loyally, why?
"I must confess you were by far my favorite chess piece. And for that you received by respect years ago."
The orange-haired shinigami was losing too much blood and his vision was beginning to blur. His breath felt rattled and coughed more. He collapsed onto his side as watched the blurred shape of Aizen walking away a disappearing through a Garganta.
"Good-bye, Ichigo."
It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. To stay conscious.
He wasn't sure how long he was laying on the ground dying.
His family was gone. His friends as well. Zangetsu Ossan and Shiro. His home. All gone because he wasn't strong enough. Wasn't fast enough. There was nothing left for him to protect.
'Everyone. I'm sorry.'
The ground was shaking. Or at least he thought the ground was shaking.
"Oh dear," a female voice said.
"Ya find any survivors? What about that guy over there?"
Someone must have given him a physical answer.
"Aw damn."
Ichigo felt from the edge of his consciousness someone was approaching him. There was a blossom of warmth on his back.
'Healing Kido'
"Oh dear, oh dear, we got a live one, but not for long! Tenjiro get over here."
"Ehh? Move aside Kirio. I can't exactly see nor heal the guy when your practically engulfing him. Shoo ack-"
"No need to be rude," the lady, Kirio, replied.
"Aye! Watch where ya wack that fan of yours crazy lady!" Tenjiro complained.
Seconds later a stronger healing spell washed over him.
"Shit. He ain't gonna last long. This the only one?"
"We didn't find any other survivors here."
'Didn't find any…"
"Hey Kirio lift the punk up for me. I can't stop my healing otherwise he'll croak. We need to get back now. If he survives the trip back I'll heal him."
'No don't. Nothing left for me here. My family and friends."
He lost consciousness the moment the person began lifting him.
It was quiet.
'Why is it quiet?'
He tried to move his arm, but the muscle seized and stilled.
'Why do I feel numb? I can't move.'
'Am I dead?'
His eyes moved, but darkness surrounded him at every angle.
'So tired'
'Tired…'
He felt his consciousness slipping.
"Ossan? Shiro?" hope in his voice.
Nothing.
A couple days after his confrontation with Aizen, the orange haired shinigami woke up and learned he was in the healing ward of the Royal Palace.
*beep...beep...beep*
His eyes felt like they were glued shut when he tried blinking them open.
Where was he?
A mosaic of light blinded his vision.
He focused on the steady beat of the heart rate monitor stationed somewhere near the bed he was recovering on.
When he was finally able to see without squinting, he observed his surroundings and concluded he was in a healing ward of some kind. Not a human hospital. This place looked similar to the 4th barracks.
"What?" His voice was cracked and dry from disuse.
He shifted in the bed to reach for the glass of water resting on the side table when a sharp pain shot in chest. Refocusing his attention to body he saw that there was a mountain of bandages covering his chest, torso, and arms.
His mind flashed to Aizen.
The recalled the events in his mind. Of how he learned the final Getsuga and activated mugetsu to have a fighting chance to defeat Aizen.
His defeat.
Kisuke's soulless body and spiritless zanpakuto.
His friends death. And their bodies scattered throughout the city.
His fathers and sisters death. He couldn't even protect them.
Their failure.
He laid there staring at the white ceiling.
His eyes stung.
An arm was lifted off the mattress to grab the glass of water and he gritted his teeth because it wouldn't stop shaking.
*KKKKKKshhkkkkk* The glass broke and shattered into tiny pieces reflecting the surrounding images.
Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut. His fisted hand hitting the bed repeatedly knocking off the wires connecting him to the machines.
'Is there anyone left alive in Soul Society?'
The last time they reported in person was a couple months ago. Their forces have been decreased drastically. Soi-Fon was killed two years ago by a group of gillians led by Yammy and Nnoitra. He remembered how devastated Yoruichi was upon receiving the news. The Soul Society needed more power and the Soutaichou took it upon himself to give a full pardon and apology to Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi, Tsukabishi Tessai, and the Vizards. Many of them were offered their old positions and Yoruichi took up reign of the second division.
Half a year ago Ukitake Jushiro Captain of squad 13 was overpowered by Ulquiorra when his illness took an unexpected turn for the worse during the middle of the battle. His enemy was not courteous enough to wait it out and struck the final blow while in the final form, segunda etapa.
Toshirou was a genius, but he was also very young. His experience was shallow compared to his other fellow captains. Luck was not on his side when he led a small squad into Hueco Mundo to gather information. He encountered Szayelaporro and was never to be seen again. Before his death, Ichigo had only ever seen a happy and mischievous expression on Rangiku's face. Nowadays she looks lost and depressed. She lost a lot in this war against Aizen.
Shinji was killed nearly two in a half years ago by Aizen. Lisa barely made it out of that battle alive.
Unohana was defeated by Kenpachi.
Rukia.
Everyone could tell her love for Kaien was strong. She loved him like a brother. After her captains death, her strength and resolve was dwindling. And she encountered the Aaroniero who wore the face of the former Shiba clan leader. Her mental state of mind was weakened, but she fought hard. In the end, it just wasn't enough and Ichigo was too late to assist her. He underestimated his opponent and nearly got himself killed.
The list of KIA goes on and on and on.
Soul Society had to resort to mass burials because the amount of deaths was piling faster than they could plan individual funerals.
The visions of death and screams of horror was washed away and replaced by an open field in the country. There were beautiful flowers growing within the grass and the breeze caused some of the yellow petals to flow across the sky. For a moment there was peace.
Opening his eyes he was brought back to reality.
The hospital room was much the same but in the background he could hear music.
It was calming and beautiful like the field he recently pictured.
He wrapped an arm around his chest and slowly sat up in the bed. On the ground besides the broken glass were a pair of slipper. He gingerly slipped them on and shuffled his feet closer to the door.
He moved to open the door and gasped when the movement jarred his chest.
Finally he was outside his room. He could hear the music clearer now. Turning left in the hall he followed the sound of the piano.
The room it led him to was the equivalent to a waiting room. In the center of was a nice black grand piano which contrasted the white walls of the healing barracks.
Sitting on the stool was a lady who embodied the very definition of Japanese beauty. Her long flowing black hair caressed her shoulders and was held together by a large gold ornament. Her eyes were closed as her head swayed, feeling each note and the story it encoded.
He's never heard that particular song before, but it reminded him of a spring afternoon.
Not wanting to interrupt her, he shuffles over to a chair and gently falls back on to it.
"Oh dear, you didn't fall asleep, did you," followed by faint giggling.
He didn't realize he closed his eyes.
Bring up his free hand, he scratched the back of his head, "Sorry, it was a very nice piece. What's it called?"
She merely smiled at him, "It's a piece I created when I imagined myself having a picnic under a plum tree as the sun beamed comfortably on my skin."
Ichigo sat and remembered the field.
"Did it bring you somewhere?"
He blinked at the sudden question, "What?"
She caressed the keys, "Music has the power to do many things. It can entertain, create, feel, and to transport the people listening. You looked like you were somewhere else."
"Ah, yeah, I guess it did," he shrugged.
Her eyes softened, "I'm glad."
"You play well," he complimented after a moment of awkwardness.
"Thank you," she nodded in his direction, "Do you play as well?"
"Oh, I suppose I used to play a little of the piano when I was younger," he blinks and shrugs "Nowhere near your skill level of course. Recently, I started learning the guitar. Although I haven't had much time to practice lately."
He hasn't touched the guitar in his room since Chad passed. He was the one who taught him how to play. He's not sure if he'll be able to pick one up again.
Senjumaru saw his face as he thought of his late friend.
She patted the seat next to her.
"Come. You may watch me play again. Perhaps if you're interested I can teach you more about the piano."
He waved his hand in front of him, "You don't have to do that."
She smiled and patted the space, "I insist."
Seconds passed.
Bracing his chest with his arm, he slowly got off the chair and made his way towards the piano.
He took the offered seat and soon after another melody was floating in the air. He watched in fascination as her fingers elegantly flew across the board.
Ichigo was glancing out his window in his room. It was almost ridiculous how peaceful a place could appear during times like these. There was a sizeable koi pond a short distance away surrounded by a few trees and bushes. The place was almost like an exact copy of the Soul Society with a mixture of militaristic and traditional buildings. From what he observed, the place was mainly home to the Soul King, Squad Zero and a small army of warriors. There wasn't a child or family in sight. For a place so big, it felt surprisingly empty.
He tried multiple times to contact his zanpakutos.
There wasn't a single insult shot at him, nor words of wisdom to enlighten him. Not even a whisper or an echo. He knew it was pointless. He knew the risks of activating his mugetsu technique. He just didn't realize the consequences would hurt as much as it did.
"Live well, age well, and go bald well. And die after me. And... if you can, die smiling. If I can't, I won't be able to face Masaki. Don't hesitate to act. Sadness is a cool thing to shoulder, but you're still too young."
Those were his old man's last words to him. Lying there on the concrete dying after his defeat against Aizen. His uniform was torn and his haori had red specks decorating it. His father was rarely serious, instead opting to acting like the Goat-Face he was. It made for an crazy family dynamic. Even though Ichigo himself didn't die during his fight with Aizen, Soul Society is barely standing as is. Roughly half of Rukongai was destroyed and left in uninhabitable conditions and the Gotei 13 can't afford to dispatch a group of Shinigami to help. The shinigami's have been in officially declared war times for the past 10 years, leaving the rest of the souls alone to survive. An all for one. Everyone was doubtful Rukongai could get any worse than it already was. They were proven wrong. Soon souls will have nowhere to go. They will begin to litter the living world and be consumed by hollows who were much more powerful than the simple plus souls.
*Knock Knock*
"Oii! Strawberry-boy ya awake?"
Ichigo merely closed his eyes and sighed.
With just six steps he was on the opposite of the room, opening the door to see Tenjiro standing there with his arms crossed and a punked look on this face.
"What are ya doing just standin there and starin at me, eh? Ya should have a little respect for the person who put ya back together again. Come on, come on, lets go" the pompadoured man began walking away while waving for Ichigo to follow.
Ichigo dragged his feet while rubbing a hand on his bandage wrapped chest. The hall was lit too brightly, he had to scrunch his eyes.
Outside, it was calm. The air was noticeably clean and unpolluted. The sun kissed his skin and the birds sang a beautiful melody foreign to his ears. If he didn't know any better, he would have believed he was in heaven.
Together they headed towards the center of the Palace. During the short walk there, Tenjiro constantly complained on how difficult it was to revive and patch Ichigo back up. In fact, his heart stopped beating once during the transportation to the Soul Palace and then again when they were in the healing ward. Tenjiro also mentioned multiple time of how his knowledge of healing kido was one of the best. You know what, scratch that, he was the best. He made it a point to make sure ichigo understood that it was him who taught Retsu all she knows about healing. And Ichigo endured the constant ranting by tuning the guy out.
"OIIii! Ya listin ta me or not? Here I am tellin ya my life story and you're zonin out. Sheesh, no respect. Tch, kids," Tenjiro's face was suddenly right in front of Ichigo's. Their forehead crushing against each other.
Ichigo scowled because he was not a kid, yet he was always addressed as one by him.
"You were blabbering about how you were the best healer of all of Soul Society when you were younger," how predictable. It's all he talks about.
"Ehhhh? So you were Liste-... Are ya callin me old? You want a piece of me you little pun-" Tenjiro began rolling up his sleeves in an intimidating manner.
"And frankly I don't really care about your life story," he continued.
Seriously, how much hairspray does the guy use?
"Come at me, punk! I can take ya!"
"Aren't you the punk here? Punk."
"I ain't the one with orange hair."
They were disrupted by a metal object flying out of the window.
Ichigo starred incredulously as the metal weapon… Cake pan? Struck Tenjiro right in the face sending him back a few meters and ungracefully landing on his face.
"Stop chit-chatting and get up here already!" Kirio voice shout out in a pouting tone.
Is that icing on her shihakusho? He wondered.
Tenjiro jumped up on his feet and waved a fist. His forehead was red and swelling, "What the hell ya crazy lady! Ya tryin ta kill me?"
There was a face-shaped dent on the surface of the cake pan.
'Even his hair made a dent' Ichigo snorted
"Yo Chan-Ichi! Come on, Chan-Kiri made some kick ass treats for today's meeting. Y'all better hurry if you want some. Ichibei's not here yet," the sword wielders face was squished in between Kirio and the window.
Are they all like this? Aren't they called the Royal Guard?
The best of the best my ass.
Ten minutes later found everyone sitting around the table.
As mentioned before, there was a large selection of food (mainly sweets), tea, and sake for Tenjiro. The amount of food on the table was so great that it almost touched the ceiling.
Standing, Ichibei commenced the meeting.
"Welcome everyone. We are here to discuss the future of the Soul Palace and our roles as his majesty's Royal Guards. Before we begin, let us introduce ourselves to our new guest. I am Ichibei Hyosube, leader of Squad Zero and protector of the Soul King. Hmmm, my hobbies include having a good fight. I hear you are strong. Perhaps we can spar sometimes," he grinned.
He reminded Ichigo of Kenpachi, but a less intense version, maybe? Nah, they're probably both insane.
"Yo! Chan-Ichi! I'm Oetsu Nimaiya, the father of zanpakuto and master sword welder. My hobbies are singing, grooving, and welding swords. My role is also to protect the Soul King," he gave Ichigo a peace sign.
His eyebrow twitched at the nickname.
"Strawberry-chan! Ya know who I am. I'm Tenjiro Kirinji. AKA the best healer of em all. AKA the man with the greatest hair. AKA the strongest of squad zero," he demonstrated by flexing his biceps.
The rest of the members looked unimpressed at the last sentence.
"Greetings Kurosaki-kun, I am Senjumaru Shutara. The Royal Palaces local artist and fashion designer. It's a pleasure to meet you again," She smiled with her dark eyes.
Ichigo nodded back.
"I am Kirio Hikifune and don't you forget it sweetie," she wiggled a finger in his direction, "I love cooking, and eating, and inventing. So if you ever need something don't be afraid to ask."
"And now to move to the main topic of our gathering" Ichibei looks around the room catching everyone's eyes.
"We're taking a blast to the past! Literally," Informed Nimaiya while Senjumaru softly played the flute in the background.
Ichigo proceeded to drop the cake that was handed to him by Kirio.
They watched as it 'plopped' on the table. The baker watched tragically as it fell.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Sounds like an insane thing Mr. Hat and Clogs would say.
Kirio handed Ichigo a new slice because she was very proud of her new recipe and insisted that he at least tried it.
"I have been working day and night to make a device capable of transporting souls into the past. It's currently theorized at working with a 78% success rate, but I should know more by the end of the week," the ex-captain of the 12th provided.
The second slice of cake 'plopped' right on top of the first one.
"You're serious?"
"Ichigo," she looked sad, "Do you not enjoy my baking?"
"Wha.. uh. No, I was just surprised. What is it anyways?" He glanced down at the sad sight on the table.
Kirio clapped her hands together, "It's my latest experim- *Ehem* recipe. Raspberry sponge cake covered with honey and wasabi buttercream. It's delicious. Sweet with little kick," she explained.
Ichigo's heart dropped. This sounded like something she would have made. It reminded him of the time Chad, Uryu, and himself would find excuses not to eat because of how unique here taste buds were. Now that he thinks about it, he was sure she made curry with honey and wasabi in it. Uryu's face turned the same shade of green as Nel's hair, he wanted to laugh.
"How far back are you planning on going?" He questioned after a moment of silence.
"I am calibrating the machine to bring us back to before Aizen merged with the hogyoku," she answered.
Ichigo nods, "Okay."
"Well you're taking this surprisingly well, Ichi-chan," Tenjiro pointed out while taking swig of sake.
A tick mark appears on his head, "I told you to stop calling me that! Beside, why wouldn't I be okay with it? Everyone I've ever loved or cared about is gone. There is nothing here for me anymore."
Tenjiro propped his feet up on top of the table and folded his hands behind his head, "Well you are young. Pretty much a child in the eyes of soul reapers. Ya know we live for a long time. Hell, even that little Hitsugaya brat is older than ya by at least a hundred years or so."
Nimaiya was about to intervene, but Tenjiro raised a hand to stop him.
"You are, with all intent and purposes, a child. But you have experienced more loss and war than the majority of shinigami to which have ever existed. And with everything you've been through you should be scared, traumatized, shivering under the blankets on your bed. But here ya are sittin and acting as if all that never affected you. Those are all signs of how powerful you are as a warrior. The question is, will you be able to survive another round if they the time comes?"
Ichigo glared at him, "I'll manage."
Tenjiro kicked the table away and stood with one hand resting on the pommel of his zanpakuto and the other pointing at Ichigo, "Then show me your conviction, punk!"
"Heyo! Hold on one sec guys. Chan-Ichi don't even have a zanpakuto anymore. We'll need time to forge a new one," Nimaiya said while flipping his sunglass onto his face.
"Not to mention, he'll need a new outfit. The ones he has on now is tasteless," Senjumaru placed her instrument down and eyed the plain white hospital yukata.
The biggest guy in the room stood. His beaded necklace bouncing as he moved, "Before any of that, the boss requested an audience with Ichigo."
Said man sighed, 'finally, someone who can say my name correctly.'
Location: Soul Palace Throne Room
He followed a few steps behind Ichibei as he led them through a maze towards the main throne room.
Their steps echoed lightly in the hall.
Soon they were standing upon large double doors.
Ichibei glanced back at Ichigo for a moment with an unidentifiable expression before pushing the doors open revealing a sparse room. It was a spacious area with no windows or seats or tables.
In the center there was a drawn gold curtain.
The Soul King was nowhere to be seen, nor heard.
Ichibei turns to Ichigo and tells him to stay put. The bigger man strides up to the curtain and gently pulls it aside with both hands.
At first Ichigo didn't see much. He certainly didn't see a person, nonetheless the Soul King.
Behind the curtain was a large stone. Perhaps a crystal of some sort. It was hard to see anything because of how dark everything appeared.
"My King, the guest you requested is here. Ichigo Kurosaki, please step forward," Ichibei announced and directed the other man to stand beside him.
Hesitantly, he followed the instructions given to him and was soon standing within arms reach of the stone.
Ichibei approved and briefly placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder before stepping back and walking out the double door to guard the room from intruders.
The orange haired man was tempted to shuffle and pace the apparent plain and empty room, when something in the stone caught his attention.
A flash of light lit up from within the stone. The stone itself couldn't have been more than 10 feet tall with a diameter of 4 feet, but inside the stone there seemed to be a person walking closer. Was the person coming closer from within the stone or from behind the actual stone? Ichigo was tempted to look behind the stone to see if there was someone there, but he also realized the light was contained inside the stone because the space behind the object was still dark.
The person. King? Lives in a stone?
The Soul King was not what Ichigo expected. Could you blame him if he pictured some feudal Japan emperor? Especially after getting a glimpse of Soul Society and their ancient traditions and architecture. He didn't look very significant, but he didn't look normal either. There was a certain elegance to his appearance, and his power was undetectable. His hair was black and was tied up in a ponytail with a string. His clothes were pure white, like his skin, fashioned similarly to a toga. And his eyes. Ichigo had no idea how to describe them. They almost appeared hollow-like with the same yellow and black color scheme, but the pupil was shaped like the star on the back of the Royal Guards haori. Another unusual characteristic was that he was missing both arms.
Ichigo blinked when he realized they were staring at each other at eye level.
The silence drew on as they stared at each other.
He internally facepalmed himself. The fact that he was within the presence of the Soul King, apparently didn't register earlier. If Rukia was here, she'd kick him in the shin and tell him to have some respect.
Clearing his throat, he moved to kneel on the ground with his head bowed.
"Your majesty," he was greeted with silence.
'Shit, shit, shit, what now?' he panicked when there was no reply.
His palms were beginning to sweat. Damn. Byakuya is probably smirking at him wherever he is. Hell, he might even laugh at his predicament.
'Kurosaki Ichigo'
Ichigo almost jumped in surprise when the voice spoke in his head. A voice he didn't recognize as Shiro or Ossan. This new voice sounded disembodied, but it was far from sounding like a robot. It was a little distorted, as if a hundred different voices spoke his name. He risked a glance up.
'Was this his voice?'
The Soul King's expression was stoic.
'Are you angry with me?' The echoed voice inquired.
The younger man's eyebrows scrunched together as the question. As far as Ichigo understood, the Soul King's job was to maintain the souls in the universe. There was no way he could have stopped Aizen, especially if he was confined in the stone. Unless.. Unless he was aware of Aizen's plan from the beginning?
'Yes.'
"Wha-," Ichigo's eyes widened, "you knew?"
The Soul King just stared emotionlessly.
He tore his gaze away from the transcendent. His fists shaking by his side.
He wanted to shout at him.
To blame him.
Blame someone.
Ask him why.
But years of war. Years of having to mature fast just to stay alive, taught him to relax and think first before acting.
He remembered when he first met Tenjiro a few days ago. He asked him who he was because he never heard much about the Royal Guards or Soul Palace before. Ichigo was angry then as well when he learned that there was another stronger group of shinigami's in the King's Realm who protected the Soul King. Tenjiro made sure to pound the information into Ichigo's head that the Royal Guard members were the protectors of the Royal Realm. As the Gotei 13 were the protectors of Soul Society. And whatever events occur down there was strictly none of their business. Without the Soul King, the universe would collapse from the lack of order and will cease to exist.
Protecting sometime comes with a price.
And Ichigo can understand how the Soul King is top priority.
If he were to blame anything, it would be at his own weakness.
Shinigami's were entrusted to protect the souls of individuals, but instead of doing that, they placed them at greater risk.
"No."
He answered after a while of thinking.
"I do not hate you. It would be wrong for me to blame you when it wasn't your job to deal with. Your existence is crucial in the universe. You have placed your trust in us to deal with the problems occurring in the Soul Society and Living World, yet it was us who failed you," it hurt to admit it. A heavy weight settled on his shoulders, "If anyone is allowed to be angry, it would be you."
'Sad.'
Ichigo looked up in confusion.
'Not angry, but sad. These souls are like my children, and so many of them are filled with pain.'
He understood.
'Do you wish to protect them as well? Will you help me?'
'Was he asking if I want to be a Royal Guard as well? But isn't he asking if I want to protect the souls, not him?'
"I don't understand, your majesty," he asked instead, minding his manners.
'In both past and future, there lies greater destruction awaiting in the shadows. Waiting for a moment to arise again. Will you help me protect the souls? Souls of the living as deceased. All will be as risk.'
Ichigo's eyes were unblinking as he stared at the ground.
'Greater destruction? Who? How?'
'Not Aizen, but someone else?'
'Past and Future. That means they're out there in the world somewhere now. Hiding.'
'Protect the souls of the living and deceased. Humans and shinigami.'
'I can't do that. I'm not strong enough. I'll fail again.'
"How?" he asked instead. The Soul King wouldn't have asked unless he had a reason.
Ichigo could have sworn he saw a glint in the Soul King's eyes.
He watched as he walked closer to the barrier separating them. Leaning to his right side, the Soul King pushed a little of his right shoulder outside of the stone, allowing it to touch the air around the room. Slowly, black reishi particles gathered, connecting to the Soul King's right shoulder until it formed the shape of an arm.
The blackness receded and was replaced by the same white color as the King's skin.
From a distance, somewhere in Soul Society. The shrine of Mimihagi radiated a brief spike of power as the eye on the tomb blinked and curved into a smile before disappearing.
'For many centuries, my son, Mimihagi, has been floating within the realms. Whereas his body and soul were destroyed by my older son, his power remains in a state of limbo until it is to be claimed again. His ability lies within the power of precognition and immunity to precognition. If you are to protect the souls, then you must be able to hide from the man within the shadow, for he has eyes everywhere where light does not touch. You will become an unpredictable force against the enemy. And he does not take surprise well.'
'Spies in the shadows?
After a moment of thinking, Ichigo decided if they were going to go back into the past, he would not fail a second time. He will always choose protect.
He looked up at the Soul King with resolved determination.
"I accept. I will protect the souls with my life. I promise," there was power spoke in those words. A vow.
The glint was back in the King's eyes.
'Stand, Kurosaki Ichigo.'
He stood.
'I have been watching you for a while, child. You have always been one of the brightest souls I've laid my eyes upon and I knew you were bound for a difficult journey. Now, I bless you with the power of Mimihagi. Protect the souls Ichigo, for I cannot do it alone.'
"I understand. Thank you for trusting me."
That being said, the Soul King maneuvered his right arm until it was resting on Ichigo's chest. They both watched as the arm glowed blue and broke up into tiny energy particles. The particles were pulled into Ichigo and absorbed into his soul.
A freezing sensation spread across his chest and flowed upwards past his neck and towards his eyes. All throughout his body, he could feel the wave of reiatsu flooding his system. As if a dam was opened up. His senses built up and expanded.
The power was uncontrolled and Ichigo's vision was suddenly flashing through images, like a movie playing flashbacks in his head. But the images and movements he saw in his head made no sense. He saw people he didn't know. Places he's never been to. Event's he's never experienced.
He tried blocking the images out of his head. Shoving them aside to have a moment of stillness.
He didn't realize he closed his eyes and blurrily saw the retreating figure of the Soul King. He thought he heard him say 'thank you' but couldn't be certain because the images were returning.
He felt light headed and briefly saw the giant red-beaded necklace belonging to Ichibei enter his vision. A large foreign hand was placed on his face covering his eyes. He blacked out.
"What did you say?" he stared at Mr. Hat & Clogs.
They were both sitting in the backroom of his shop with an untouched cup of tea cooling on the table. Ichigo received a text from him a few minutes ago saying he needed to get to the shop ASAP because something happened.
"I'm sorry Ichigo. She was taken by a group of espadas last night," he pulled his hat down over his eyes. There was a large amount of blood on the concrete.
"She was supposed to be safe!" his hand slammed on the table, "She was supposed to be protected at all times. What happened?"
"The shinigami's who were watching over her were found unconscious and in critical conditions outside of Orihime's apartment. They still haven't regained consciousness. Ichigo," His shadowed eyes connected to the orange head. Sympathy shown in his grey eyes.
"No," it came out faintly, "no, she's not dead. Maybe Aizen took her so that she could heal someone. She's skilled in healing and Aizen knew that," his head shook.
For a moment no one spoke.
The air felt heavy.
Kisuke's right hand slowly reached into his left sleeve. He pulled the object out and placed them on the table in front of Ichigo.
*Clink*
Laying on the table were two teal hair pins. Orihime's hair pins. They appeared to have been recently washed. Not even a speck of dust on them or the slightest smudge.
"These were found on her kitchen table," the shop owner explained.
Ichigo stared at them with wide eyes and extended a hand to caress a petal. The sensation of Soten-Kisshun tickled his finger. Confirming his fear. It was real.
Gasping, he woke up in an unknown location again. It certainly wasn't the room in the healing ward because the room he was in now was severely lacking white walls, instead it was replaced by beige. And the lights in this room was much warmer.
After blinking a few times, he noticed his vision was decreased by half. Reaching a hand up he began feeling around his face. He came across something covering his right eye. That explained the missing field of vision.
Sliding off the bed, he walked to washroom connected to his room. Standing in front of the mirror, he realized he need to take a show. His hair was getting greasy making him cringe and he also smelled a bit off. Not to mention the dark bags beneath his eyes. Leaning his body over the sink, he moved closer to the mirror and stared at the patch covering his right eye (Same style eye patch as the one Kyoraku wore).
"Fuck it," he said after staring at the eye patch for a while.
He was curious, and he wouldn't stop thinking about it until he found out.
Carefully he grasped the patch over his eye and peeled it upwards while keeping the eye firmly closed.
It looked normal.
So far, so good.
At a rate which would make a turtle seem fast, he opened his eye.
He just stared.
Well, there was an eye, so that was good.
And he could see fully now.
Also, good.
But…
The fuck. His eye was now an ice blue color.
More images hit him like a train. Instead of seeing the bathroom, he was witnessing Tenjiro losing a game of poker against Nimaiya and Senjumaru. He flipped the table and the cards went flying all over the room.
The images flashed again, and he saw a group of children wearing threadbare yukatas huddled together as they watch a large explosion occur a distance away in Seireitei. In the sky, there were a hoard of hollows flying in the air and a handful of shinigami's fighting them off.
More images replaced other images.
It was becoming difficult to keep track of them. Like a movie playing at x10 speed.
Blindly, he fumbled for the patch and flipped it back onto his eye.
The images stopped.
He was back in the bathroom.
Ruffling his hair with his hand, he pivoted towards the bath and turned the water on. Walking back into the bedroom he spotted a couple of yukatas and one shihakusho folded on the chair by the window. The view outside was of a garden with a gravel trail leading into a forest. Taking the shihakusho he strode back into the bathroom and closed the door.
Feeling refreshed and slightly less dead, he stepped out of room. Taking a moment to contemplate where to go. It wasn't like he was handed a map or a schedule.
He passed by countless windows and rooms, making loops and walking by the same table with the same purple vase two times, before seeing the exit doors.
Outside, he was just as lost. He'd like to think his sense of direction was better than Kenpachi and Yachiru, but now he wasn't so sure. Unless they have the same pond with the wooden bridge going over it located everywhere throughout the Soul Palace. He glanced over his shoulders and he was certain that was the building he first walked out of almost an hour ago.
There was a moment of deja vu as a butterfly flew across his face and landed on the hand he lifted.
Immediately a voice filled the air.
"Yo Chan-Ichi! A little birdy said you were up and about. If you're feelin' up to it, follow my little friend over to my domain and we'll forge Zangetsu back into tip top shape, yeah" Nimaiya's voice was filled with excitement.
'Zangetsu'
There was a hole in him where Zangetsu used to be. It was now just an empty blank spot that ached. Over the years, their bond grew and strengthened. And together they became strong. A force to be reckoned with. Their presence was like a blanket of protection and confidence. Ichigo wanted to laugh. If Shiro was to see him now, he would mock him for being wimpy. Maybe beat him up a few times with Zangetsu. And rant that he wasn't being king material.
He needed them.
After his last speech with them. After knowing the consequences. After executing mugetsu.
He still needed them.
With that thought in mind, he followed the butterfly as if flew off towards Nimaiya's location.
He approached a building on the edge of the land with smoke escaping from a large chimney. Nearly half of the building was being surrounded by sea water.
The butterfly took off in another direction and flew away as Ichigo pushed open the front door.
The heat him him first. It was beyond humid.
In the center of the room was a large hole dug in the ground that was about 4 feet wide. It looked like there was lava inside.
A popping sound and confetti littered the air as a group of females jumped out from the windows. Some of them waving banners which stated, "Welcome to Nimaiya's domain!"
The man in question was crouched on the window with his sunglasses covering his eyes. He smiles brightly at Ichigo and jumped off the window, flipping in the air before landing in the center of the room gesturing his arms outwards proudly.
He gave the orange head a thumbs up, "Nice look Chan-Ichi! I approve. Lookin real badass. Boy, is Tenjiro gonna have a fit."
"Uh, thanks man," he was still stunned by the entrance.
"So, have you noticed anything?" he asked as he swaggered around the room while nodding at all the women.
He blinked at the question.
"Of course, he wouldn't," A young girl with red hair stated while crossing her arms. She reminded Ichigo of Hiyori, "He's an idiot like the others. Just look at that dumb look on his face."
Well, he was offended.
"Aww, don't be so mean to him Mera," another girl with cotton candy hair spoke.
"Oh shud-up Nonomi," the girl, Mera, picked her ear with her pinkie.
"Now, now, no fighting," Nimaiya tried to calm them.
Instead, both Mera and Nonomi began hitting the the guy.
"You're annoying! I can do whatever I want," Mera yelled.
"I don't need your help with my battles," The pink haired girl kicked his shins.
Another girl with black hair and bandages covering her lower face just stared at the scene with indifference.
And a happy long blond-haired girl was trying to pry Mera away from the man.
Seeing their relationship reminded Ichigo of the times he spent in his inner world. Where Shiro would beat him up for no reason as Ossan stood off to the side with a sigh and a shake of his head.
Taking a closer look, he felt for their reiatsu and somehow, they all had a similar imprint on their soul. That couldn't be possible because everyone had a unique imprint. The only way a soul can have an identical reiatsu pattern was if it was between a shinigami and their zanpakuto, but there's no way all of these spirits were Nimaiya's zanpakuto spirits. Well, then again, he did mention that he was the father and creator of the zanpakuto. Perhaps this is a special ability of his?
"Are you zanpakuto spirits?" he interrupted their feud.
Everyone stopped their action at his question.
Nimaiya's smile widened even after his apparent beating.
"Well, well, well, Chan-Ichi must have really loved his zanpakuto spirits to be able to see the difference," he clapped in congratulations.
'So, I was right?'
"Lemme tell you something Ichigo," he spoke in a serious tone and walked to stand before him, "A zanpakuto is not merely a tool. No, if you have been using them as such then you've been doing it all wrong. Do you treat them as subordinates? Rely on them like partners? As family? Role models? Students? Pet? Sweethearts? Lovers?" he listed, "Those attitudes and mindsets make me sick! Think about this. Which is superior, the Zanpakutō or the Shinigami?"
Ichigo listened intently and frowned at the last question.
"But you are correct!" he shouts out in excitement, "they are indeed zanpakuto spirits. Ten points to Chan-Ichi!"
"Idiot" Mera muttered at the afro shinigami.
Flipping off his sunglasses Nimaiya flashed in front of ichigo, standing a nose length away. His eyes looked deep into Ichigo's amber eye as if it was searching for something.
Ichigo took a half step back and wondered what he was doing.
"Hmmm, this'll be difficult. Mugetsu, huh? Your spirits are locked deep within your soul. They need to be pulled out."
He was beyond relieved to hear that Zangetsu was still with him when he thought he lost them forever.
"Interesting"
The word pulled him out of his thoughts to see Nimaiya still staring at him with a slight puzzled expression on his face.
"Say Ichi, have you ever felt the presence of another spirit in you soul other than Zangetsu's?"
"Huh? Other than Shiro and Ossan?" he scratched his head while thinking, "No, I haven't. Why?"
"Tell me about the time you first met your sword."
Back when he was training to save Rukia and re-awaken his own shinigami powers in Kisuke's underground training room.
Closing his eye, he recounted the events leading up to his meeting with Zangetsu, "Well, I was in the shattered shaft trying to regain my shinigami powers when I was pulled into my inner world. There was a lot of skyscrapers, similar to tokyo. I was standing sideways on one of those building with Zangetsu Ossan in front of me balancing on a pole. The city around me was crumbling and my inner world was being destroyed as I was hollowifying. I fell down into water, maybe an ocean or something. Ossan appeared behind me and told me I was running out of time and that I had to quickly find him. I used the spirit ribbon trick I learned from Uryu and found him with no time left to spare. Then I came to back into Urahara's basement."
"I see. You fell into an ocean? Not a pond or a lake?"
Ichigo nodded. It was way too big and clear to be pond or lake.
"Yeah, it was definitely an ocean or a sea of some sort."
"Tell me more about your inner world. Does anything recurring happen?"
"Well, no not really. I guess it's a pretty normal inner world, all things considered. Although,"
Nimaiya raised a brow.
"Shiro and Ossan do complain often of the rain. Is that normal? I mean it is their world as well. Can't they just stop the rain?"
"Did you sense someone in the water when you fell in?" he ignored the question and asked another one instead.
"No, I was a bit busy at the moment."
"Is the water always there or does it just appear?"
Ichigo looks up at the ceiling considering, "Now that I think about it, the water just comes and goes. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's replaced by concrete."
"I believe the water was reaching out for you Ichigo."
"You mean like another zanpakuto spirit? But isn't that impossible."
"Not necessarily impossible, but highly improbable. You're unknown zanpakuto spirit feel old. Not old as Yamamoto's per say, but older than your own soul. I'm guessing somehow the zanpakuto spirit from your previous life managed to merge with your previous soul. I don't know why this happened. It's something you two will have to discuss later. But the bottom line is that you have another zanpakuto spirit which has been trying to get your attention. Its spirit is fluctuating, but it's there. From the description you gave me, it may be a water-base zanpakuto. And a strong one at that. When she reaches out for you again, will you answer her call?"
"She?"
Nimaiya grinned, "After many years of doing what I do, I get pretty good at identifying zanpakuto spirits."
"Will she still want me? I have been apparently ignoring her for years."
"She is a part of you as much as Zangetsu is. Zanpakuto's can be stubborn, but so are we. That's just part of being alive. When you meet her, talk to her and understand one another."
So much new information was being thrown at Ichigo from the past few days, his mind was reeling all over the place.
'Another zanpakuto' he thought with wonder.
"If she is a part of my soul, then I have already accepted her. When I meet her, I will apologize for my ignorance and speak with her," he decided.
Nimaiya stared at him for a few more minutes before jumping up and moving across the room, "Alright gang, lets fire her up!"
The zanpakuto spirits had mixed reaction. Some of them looked excited and some of them acted unimpressed.
"Yo! Chan-Ichi, go over there and meditate for a while. This'll take a few minutes," he motioned over towards a balcony outside that overlooked the ocean.
Ichigo sat and relaxed into Jinzen.
Nothing happened. Not that he was expecting anything.
He breathed in the ocean air and tried to calm his mind. He felt the wave as they crashed up against the legs of the balcony. His breathing changed to match the rhythm he felt. The smell of smoke with the undertone of salt. He tuned out the shouting match occurring inside.
He wondered about the new zanpakuto.
How will she look? Will they get along well? Did Shiro or Ossan ever sense her?
He was eager to meet her. Or technically, he would be re-meeting her.
When he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see himself in his inner world. It was just as he last remembered it looking. The city was dark and completely submerged underwater. It looked haunted.
Maybe he could swim around and see if he could find her, but the ocean is big. How will he know where she is?
Turning around, he nearly screamed when he came face to face with a large sea serpent. It was easily the length of one of the skyscrapers. He had red reptilian eyes with black slitted pupils. Two large, slightly curved horns on either side of his head. His head was a little bigger than Ichigo's height. His entire length was cover with dark teal scales and on his back was a long black fin which ran from his neck all the way down to his tail. His body was coiled like a snake as it regarded Ichigo with deadly elegance. Long lines of sharp razor teeth glistened in the reflective water.
"Have you been here the entire time?"
The sea serpent huffed.
"I'm sorry. I ignored you and didn't even acknowledge your presence all this time," he tentatively raised a hand and approached the creature.
The serpent stared at the hand and lowered his head slightly.
Ichigo's lips twitched upwards as he touched the scales, "Thank you."
It huffed again.
"Could you bring me to her?"
Slowly, its body loosened from its tight coil. The serpent nodded at Ichigo to get on his back.
Gulping audibly, he moved to straddle it's back and gripped the horns, "Is this okay?" he asked.
He heard another huff.
Ichigo felt the muscles of the sea serpent tightened and automatically tightened his own grip on the horns. Within seconds, they were off. His body lurched momentarily at the take off. He watched as the water rushed past them.
The sea serpent dover deeper into the water, before angling its body upwards again. Ichigo watched with bated breath as the serpent picked up its speed as they shot up into the air.
"GRRRAWWWWWWWRRR"
The serpent let out a mighty roar into the sky before they crashed back into the water.
He was grinning as the excitement shot through his body.
Surrounding them were a wide variety of underwater creatures. They passed by schools of dragonets swimming around colorful coral. Sea horses racing against a group of smaller sea serpents. And some sea turtles drifting along with the currents.
It wasn't long before Ichigo was dropped off in front of a sizable palace.
He gave a brief wave as the serpent sped off.
Passing by the sandstone gates, he followed the path that led to the gardens. There were even more underwater creatures roaming about the palace. They stopped and stared as Ichigo walked past them and some of the younger ones swam around him with great energy. Ichigo tried to pet them, but they swam away at the last second, making it a game of advance and retreat.
The garden was impressive. Filled with a whole variety of corals, seagrass, shoal grass, Kelp, red algae, sponge, sea anemone, stichodactyla, and some others he didn't know the name of. They were all of a variety of color, making it more incredible.
In the midst of it all was a woman in the center of the garden. She wore a long flowing blue dress which ran all the way down to the ground. Her hip-length black hair was held in place by a headpiece similar to the one Senjumaru wore, but hers was pure white like pearls. She was barefoot, but she had a gold-outlined chest armour and arm guards. As much as she looked like a queen, she was also a fierce warrior. Strapped to her back was a katana and Ichigo knew right away who she was.
The zanpakuto spirit was currently using her right hand to create mini currents throughout the garden for the young fishes to jump into for a rollercoaster ride around the space.
His breath caught as she turned to face him.
All he could think about at that moment was that she felt familiar. And from the look she was giving him, she understood the emotion he was feeling.
"You've come at last," a smile on her face as she regarded him, "Come" she walked over to the bench on the side of the garden, "we have much to talk about."
Ichigo moved automatically and passed by a pond. A pond that wasn't filled with water, but the darkness of the universe accompanied by the millions of stars that lit it up. The moon was a dominating presence.
When Ichigo opened his eyes, it was near evening in the Royal Palace. Next to him was Nimaiya who had a hand placed on his shoulder.
"I see you met her," His smile was as big as ever.
Ichigo felt like an imaginary weight had been lifted off his shoulders, "Yeah."
"Well we're all set to forge your sword. Let get Zangetsu back so he can meet," he jabbed his thumb behind him pointing to the melting pot.
He reached for the offered hand and stood up. He clasped a hand on Nimaiya's shoulders, "Thank you," he said with sincerity, "Really, I appreciate it."
"No worries. I'm always glad to help those who deserve it," He clapped his shoulder, "Just remember everything I told you earlier."
"I will," Ichigo nods.
"BUT!" He exclaimed a bit louder, "Before we get to the forging phase, you must first complete the initiation phase."
"What's that?"
"Ya see Chan-Ichi. Normally when a shinigami wants me to reforge their zanpakuto, I'd toss em into a bottomless pit and leave them to fend for themselves against a group of my strongest blank asauchi. They would be allowed a three-day time limit where they essentially have to survive. In the end, if they do make it out standing, I'll agree and forge their blade the following day."
Ichigo sweatdropped at his carefree attitude as he described the challenge.
"No worries though Chan-Ichi. There's no need for you to go through that anymore, since you got my first question right. Only those who really feel love towards their zanpakuto can tell the difference between you and me versus them," he nodded over towards Mera and Nonomi, "had you answer incorrectly, then I would have kicked you into the pit, you get me?"
"I understand."
They began walking back inside.
"By the way, are you aware you only have one Zangetsu?"
"Huh? What do you mean? They both told me they were Zangetsu."
Nimaiya adjusted his sunglasses, "I see. Seems like you have a mischievous spirit in you. You'll see the true Zangetsu when we finish forging the asauchi for him."
Nimaiya disappeared into a side room, leaving Ichigo in the mainroom to observe the heating flame.
"In the meantime," he returned with an asauchi, "this is for her."
Ichigo caught the sword when it was tossed at him. It was a normal katana with a navy sheath, the tsuba was oval shaped, and the tsuka was wrapped with a navy cord. As blank asauchi which was given to every academy shinigami. He unraveled the cord wrapped around the sheath and used it to tie the katana to his back.
"Sit back and enjoy the show Chan-Ichi! It's about to get real hot," he exclaimed as he flipped his glasses off his head.
Mera walked up to the fire and inhaled a big gulp of air. Adjusting her stance into something firmer, she prepared to release the air in her lungs, but instead of air it was fire. She breathed more life into the inferno in front of her. At the same time, Hasuka moved to stand next to Nimaiya.
"Wait, why'd you take your sunglasses off? Don't you need them?" Ichigo questioned.
Nimaiya smiled back lazily, "It's so I can see the colors of the flame."
They all watched as the flame became impossibly hot.
"It's almost time," the welder states. He unzipped his white vest and handed it to Tsumiko and was handed a large hammer.
Ichigo watch with rapt attention as Nimaiya and Hasuke worked in tandem. She moved and flipped the metal material and Nimaiya brought the hammer down rhythmically.
He thought about Nimaiya's comment of him having one Zangetsu, but that's not possible because there were clearly two Zangetsu's and there will always be two.
If he was forging Zangetsu, will he only forge the real Zangetsu? Where will the other one go?
Ossan was the first one he met in his inner world. He taught him his bankai and stood by his side throughout it all. Shiro, on the other hand, was there as well and was clearly his hollow side, but even he claimed to be Ichigo's true zanpakuto. They both weld Zangetsu's blade and both said they were part of his soul.
Ossan
"Ichigo. You have become strong. I have had the pleasure of standing by your side all this time, watching you grow. What greater happiness can there be? I am satisfied."
Shiro
"Shit. Looks like your instincts, and your desire to fight, aren't completely gone. Guess there's no way around it. You got me. I have to recognize you as the king, for now. But don't you ever forget! Don't forget that either one of us can become the king or the horse. If you ever give me the chance. I'll drag you down and crush your skull! And one last warning. If you really want to control my power, make sure you don't get yourself killed before I come back!"
Perhaps Shiro wasn't as graceful, nor encouraging as Ossan, but deep down beneath all the insults he truly did care for his king.
Ichigo stood there thinking while watching them work for kami knows how long.
It was nighttime out now, but the space outside was still brightly illuminated. The stars and moon here seemed to be a lot closer and stronger than the night sky in Soul Society and Karakura.
The sky reminded him of all the times his family and friends would gather for the fireworks show dressed in yukata's in the later summer weather. His childish dad would direct them all to the location he staked out the previous night and they'd all run in that direction.
Observing the welding process, he was surprised to see the vague shape of a sword, instead of a long flat rectangular shaped metal.
Tonokawa and Nonomi were going back and forth, filling a wooden tub full of water.
Ichigo watched all this happen from the center of the room, standing a good distance away from all the activities.
Something in his soul urged him forward.
"Your spirits are locked deep within your soul. They need to be pulled out."
That's what Nimaiya told him when he first arrived.
Ichigo's eyes sharpened. He watched as they placed the blade back the flame to heat up, making it more malleable.
Ichigo glared intently at the bare handle of the katana barely sticking out of the flame.
"Oi King, I don't know if you understand or not,... but, Zangetsu and I have always been one and the same. Both Zangetsu and I are a part of your spiritual power, and I was apart of Zangetsu! We all share the same body"
A driving force pushed him forward.
He walked past Tonokawa and Nonomi, sidestepped Mera when she tried to stop him. And walked past the curious gaze of Nimaiya.
From this close, he would feel the flames licking his face almost numbing it instantly. He stared at the battered and incomplete asauchi, with the metal burning orange. There were countless dents, and the blade itself didn't lay flat on the surface yet.
Thankful that he had access to reiatsu again, he took no time gathering the spirit energy from the deepest part of his soul into his palms.
With a moment to brace himself, he shot his hands froward.
"Wait! Stop, are you crazy! You'll burn yourself," Mera's voice shot out.
"No, let him be. This will…"
Nimaiya stopped the girl while saying something, but he didn't hear all of it because he was focused on drawing out Zangetsu.
If someone was looking closely, they would have seen glowing blue veins spreading from his hands to his forearms. There was also a hit of black creeping onto his eye as his pupils briefly flashed yellow.
Ichigo felt the familiar tug on his soul as he was pulled into his inner world for the second time that day.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in his underwater city.
Automatically, he sensed a presence located in the center. Utilizing the flash step he arrived on a bridge. There on the other side was a figure he could easily recognize in his sleep. He let out a huge sigh of relief as he eyed Tensa-Ossan standing there as the bottom of his jacket bellowed in the currents.
"Tensa," Ichigo greeted knowing he didn't like being called Ossan in his younger form.
"Ichigo, it's been a while," he nodded his greeting while still keeping his distance.
"I'm glad you're alright," he gave a small smile, "but where's Shiro off to? I thought he would be here as well."
He didn't see nor sense him anywhere nearby.
"Do not worry about him. He'll be here in a moment," he brought a hand up to his side, "in the meantime," a glowing blue sword made completely by reishi was grasped in Tensa's hand, "prepare yourself, Ichigo."
"What?" his eyes wide, "What are you doing? And what is that?"
"Tell me Ichigo, who is Zangetsu?"
He eyed Tensa standing there with a blue cross-shaped sword.
"What are you talking about? You and Shiro are both Zangetsu."
Tensa stared at him calmly, "I believe you were told that there was only one Zangetsu. You were informed correctly."
In a flash, they clashed blades. Ichigo looked down at his right hand and saw his bankai sword manifested in his hand blocking Tensa's attack.
Ichigo scowled, "Then who are you?" he pointed his sword at the younger looking man. Impatience painted on his face.
"You mean, you still haven't figured it out."
"That doesn't answer my question, Tensa."
He attacked again and Ichigo defended himself from the barrage of slashes and strikes.
"If you want to know, then I'll tell you. I am the representation of your Quincy powers," he provided after a brief standstill.
Ichigo froze, "Quincy? Like Uryu? You mean to say I'm a Quincy?"
"I would not be here if you were not."
He wanted to roll his eyes at how sassy Ossan's younger version was.
"Smartass," he muttered.
Ichigo was knocked back by a surprised kick in the chest. There was a slight pang of betrayal in his chest the the admission.
"Then why did you claim to be Zangetsu my zanpakuto?"
"I did not want you to get involve in their world."
"Why not?"
"You were born a human. You should have had a normal life. Go to school, getting a job, having a family, and die an old age. I did not want you to get involved."
"You were just trying to protect me? But why imitate being my zanpakuto? Why not explain the truth from the beginning?"
"It was the logical choice. Being your zanpakuto and your voice of reason, I was able to train you to you stronger. I needed to see your devotion. Your power and your mind- I needed to see if you had what it takes to become a warrior, of not only strength but of knowledge as well. We both know how Shiro is when it comes to logic. If not I, then who would have guided you?"
He struck again bringing the blue sword down at a vertical slash. Ichigo flashed a step back and knocked the sword off the side. Zangetsu pointed at Tensa's neck.
"I see your point."
Tensa stared straight into his eyes.
"So, what now?"
"My only goal was to make you more powerful. You have surpassed my expectations. There is nothing left for me to teach."
There was a slights upwards twitch of Tensa's lips as his body began to disappear.
"Good bye."
Ichigo hated the finality in his tone.
"Wait! God dammit wait you bastard," he reached for his remaining arm and held it tightly.
Obvious surprise washed over Tensa's face as his body began reforming.
"Tch, nothing left to teach me," he scowled deeper at the other man, "You just told me a few minutes ago that I was a Quincy and you admitted that you were the Quincy half of my soul," he glared, "Uryu's no longer here, in case you forgot. And if I were to guess, I'd say that my mother was a Quincy. Why wouldn't I not want to learn more about my heritage? Nothing left to teach me, you said. Well there! You can teach me Quincy techniques."
Tensa's shock melted away and was replaced with a gentle smile. He didn't think Ichigo was interested in learning more about the Quincy Art's since he never really mentioned anything about it to Uryu.
"If that is what you wish. Then I will remain here, Ichigo."
"You can bet your ass you'll stay here. I just got you back and I'm not about to let you go through a disappearing act. You're a part of me as much as Shiro and her."
Tensa blinked, "Ah, I knew I sensed another presence here."
"Yeah, I'll have to introduce you guys to her soon. She's waited a very long time to meet her other tenants," he smiled.
Tensa agreed to the meeting.
"You should return soon Ichigo. I do believe the others in the room are beginning to get concerned."
"Oh shoot, you're right," he hoped his hand wasn't melting off the bone.
Ichigo stared at Tensa again, "I'm glad your back Tensa."
"I am glad to be back as well," he flicked his blue sword out of existence.
"Look, I want you to understand something before I leave," he made sure Tensa was paying attention before continuing, "Both you and Shiro will always be a part of my soul. You are Zangetsu as much and Shiro is Zangetsu. You may be my Quincy manifestation, but you are also my zanpakuto."
"I understand."
"Good," he placed a hand on Tensa's shoulder, "I missed you guys a ton, but I gotta get going. I'll be back soon. If you see Shiro, tell him not to cause too much chaos," Ichigo laughed and vanished.
...
...
"Tch, who does king think I am? An animal? I don't cause chaos everywhere I go," a white figure appeared leaning against a building with his arms crossed over his shoulders.
Tensa stared at him, "Shiro."
The hollow pushed himself off the building and rolled his shoulders, "Told ya king wouldn't mind. Why would he? Shoulda just said so from the start."
"I suppose you're correct."
"Of course, I am! I'm a genius," he stepped in front of the Quincy.
Tensa suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, "It's good to see you again."
His grin was feral, "It's good ta be back," he glanced at the underwater city, "sort-of. Well I suppose it's better than being locked up in darkness," he shrugged.
"I agree."
The grin widened impossibly further, "Hey, what say you and I spar. It's been far to looooooong and I'm bored. Come on!"
Shiro pulled out Zangetsu while Tensa had an unimpressed look on his face.
Meanwhile in the Soul Palace with Nimaiya and the others.
They all watched as the reiatsu levels Ichigo emitted increased with every passing second. He was literally pouring his soul into his zanpakuto.
Nimaiya grinned as Ichigo returned from his inner world. The sword welder could feel the asauchi taking shape. Whatever Ichigo did or say during his trip to his mind seemed to come to a resolve. His zanpakuto spirits are resonating strongly to his reiatsu.
"Now draw it out Ichigo" he urged, "your zanpakuto,"
Ichigo gritted his teeth as he heaved his arms upwards, "Grraahhh!"
The ocean outside surrounding the building evaporated.
"Has this happened before?" Tonokawa questioned with a hand resting on her chin in concern.
"No! Never!" Nonomi responded.
"Your zanpakuto was extremely hot with reiatsu that it took and entire ocean to cool down, you get me?" Nimaiya informed Ichigo while flipping his sunglasses back onto his head.
"Yo check it out Ichigo. How's it feel to wield those Zangetsus?"
Ichigo stood there holding a large khyber blade in his right hand and a small trench blade in his left. He could feel Shiro's and Tensa's power vibrating in the blades.
His true zanpakutos.
Tossing his trench knife into the air, he caught it with the khyber knife and watched as it transformed into a blade similar to his previous bankai blade. The blade was completely black along with the guard and the chain which hung from the pommel. The only difference was the wrapping on this hilt which was black and midnight blue.
The following morning, Ichigo woke up in his room. He walked over to his new zanpakuto's and caressed Zangetsu's and the asauchi's sheaths. The sheaths were the same glazed dark blue color.
They all spent a good amount of time during the night in his inner world. Shiro jumped around in excitement as Ichigo showed them the giant sea serpent, while Tensa looked impressed at the towering creature. All three of them journeyed together to the underwater palace where they met the newest spirit. They sat around the garden and talked while Shiro hopped from one place to another observing the different fishes and octopuses. Ichigo had to stop him a few times when Shiro wanted to kill a few creatures to taste them.
All in all, he was glad to finally have his partner's back.
"Good ta be back, aibou."
"Agreed."
Grabbing his folded shihakusho off the table, he walked into the bathroom and had the scare of his life, again.
Face... Check
Eyes (or eye)... Check
Ears… Check
Hair… Ch-
He looked in horror as his gripped his hair.
The first thought that occurred to him was that he looked like his dad, because he now apparently had black hair. What?
His hair was still styled the same, long and messy, but the color just randomly decided to change over night.
"Oh dear, that may be my fault."
'"What do you mean?" he asked while setting his panic aside for later.
"I believe this happened since you accepted me back into your soul, Ichigo."
"But I don't understand."
"It's because I carry a fragment of your past life. Part of it must have seeped out into your soul and took form in your physical body."
"Oh."
"AHAHAHA, King actually looks normal now! How dull. You're just like that old goat" Shiro crackled in the background.
Ichigo rolled his eyes.
At least his spirits got along.
"Shiro, be kind" Tensa reprimanded, "Ichigo, this may work in your favor."
"Tensa?"
"If we are to travel to the past, your new appearance will help you blend in more. No one will mistake you for someone else. Considering how rare your original hair color was."
"I see your point."
"I apologize Ichigo. This was not my intention."
"Don't worry about it," he reassured her, "If anything, I would prefer black over white."
"HA! You'd look stupid with white hair," Shiro supplied.
Silence.
"Is he stupid?" Ichigo indicated towards the hollow.
"He does project himself like that sometimes, doesn't he?"
"Sometimes I have to wonder if he has a brain in there somewhere."
"Oiiiiii!"
Ichigo felt sympathy for the newest member in their group, "You'll have to excuse him. He has very few brain cells since he kills most of them off during his fights."
"Talk about rude, King"
On the actual day of the time travel, the Royal Guards and Ichigo met in the throne room.
Ever since Ichigo's unplanned makeover, Tenjiro wouldn't stop glaring daggers at him. It was just as Nimaiya warned him. Ichigo wouldn't be surprised if Tenjiro managed to procure an eye patch somewhere and smack it over his own eye. In fact, he'd probably cover both his eyes with eyepatches just to up him one.
Ichigo was tempted to replace his hairspray with a pink hair spray dye. It's an idea for another day.
In the room, the curtain was drawn back, but the King was nowhere to be seen. Kirio was off on one side of the room where a large machine sat. She fiddled with keyboard while staring intently at the screen listing all the readings.
Ichigo was ready and had both zanpakutos strapped onto his back in an 'x' formation. Nimaiya and Senjumaru were standing near him while Ichibei stood next to the stone.
"So, how's this going to work?"
No one ever provided him with the specifics of their time travel.
"Here!"
A bracelet was tossed to everyone by Kirio. It was relatively non-descript.
Ichigo rotated it in his hand. The entire thing was chrome black. There was a one inch circular casing in the middle which probably encased the mechanisms responsible for sending them back.
The scientist continued to answer Ichigo's earlier question, "As agreed upon earlier, we will be sent back in time before the time Aizen got his hands on the Hogyoku. Preferably two years before then, if not more. I would go back earlier, but altering time is very complicated procedure and the energy required would be too great. Not to mention the strain it would put our souls in."
The group listened to her intently as she continued.
"Our current souls will overwrite our past souls in order to prevent universal continuity. In other words, there will be no doubles of ourselves. This will make our jobs a lot easier."
"Okay, but what are we going to do when we arrive? Are we gonna go after Aizen right away?" Ichigo asked.
"Not exactly."
"Why not? He'll be weak, and we'll have the advantage."
"Ichigo, I assume you were informed by the Soul King that bigger trouble lies after Aizen."
He nods.
"We need to use that time for information gathering and to increase our own strength because this new enemy has the potential to destroy the universe. If you thought Aizen was trouble enough, well," she shook her head "You haven't seen a thing."
"That's right Punk! You," He pointed an obnoxious finger at him, "need ta get stronger. You're too much of a weakling. A liability."
Ichigo glared at the pompadoured man, "Fine, then I'll get stronger."
"That's the spirit Punk! As the King's right hand, you need ta get a hell of a lot stronger. We can't follow you and protect you from everything."
"Hey Chan-Ichi, maybe after your training with us, you can become an official Squad Zero member."
"Oi, don't get the kids hopes up Oetsu," he fanned his hand in front of his face in a 'no go' motion.
Ichigo's brow twitched at the obvious movement, "Whatever, it's not like I want to be a member anyways."
"Sorry kid, but it's too late for that. Ya see, you've been a member ever since you received that," Nimaiya pointed at the eye patch, "Currently, you're our squads apprentice until you pass your training."
"Hahaha Strawberry-Chan's an apprentice. Go fetch me some udon noodles," Tenjiro teased.
Ichigo roughly grabbed the front of Tenjiro's shihakusho and shook him back and forth, "I told you to stop calling me that! Do that again and I'll kill you, consequences be damned."
He got a snort in reply, "Those were the exact words of my ex. girlfriend, yet here I still am. Alive and well. But I'll be glad to see you try," he grinned, "St-raw-berry-Chan!"
Before Ichigo could punch him, Tenjiro flash-stepped near the time machine automatically guaranteeing his survival, for now.
"I think you would make an excellent squad member Ichigo," Senjumaru's quiet voice rung through the air.
"Oh, uh, thanks."
They all waited a few more minutes as Kirio checked the last of her calculations.
"Okay everyone! Put your bracelet on and make sure it's on snug. We wouldn't want it to fall off during the journey and lose you in limbo," the scientist spoke with a bounce in her step.
Ichigo and Tenjiro sweatdropped at the limbo comment and tightened their bracelet until they couldn't feel the blood circulation.
Nimaiya helped Ichibei place wrap a long reiatsu-enhanced rope around the stone the Soul King lived in.
When they were all set, they came together and stood in a small circle.
"We'll have a minute til the machine kicks up," Kirio states.
They could hear the beep of the countdown.
30 seconds
"GOOOOOOOD MORNING ICHIGO!"
"What the hell! What kind of dad attacks their own son when he's lying helplessly on the bed"
"Arg, well done my son. Looks like I have nothing left to teach you."
25 seconds
"Hey Ichigo, wanna be my goalkeeper?"
"Sup Karin, what about your friends?"
"Eh they're busy."
"Sure thing. Let me get changed and I meet you outside."
20 seconds
"Hey Ichi-nii, what do you want for dinner?"
"Hm? Oh hey Yuzu, anything's by me."
"Oh come on Ichigo, you're no fun. I'm letting you choose, so pick something."
"Well in that case, what about donkatsu?"
"Okay! It'll be ready in thirty minutes!"
15 seconds
"How was that? Did you understand everything?"
"How the heck am I supposed to understand your poor excuse of a drawing. Kon can do bette- ACK! Why'd you kick my shin, midget! That hurt."
"That was for insulting my honor."
"Damn, you and Byakuya and honor. OW! That was my other shin, you little-"
"That was for calling me a midget, strawberry."
10 seconds
"Hey, you idiot you're going in the wrong direction"
"Don't call me an Idiot Renji. I know where I'm going."
"Ha! Your sense of direction is almost worse than Zaraki Taichou."
"Shut-up! Last I checked yours wasn't any better either, pineapple head!"
"What was that Strawberry?"
5 seconds
"Ichigo, your clothes look terrible."
"Yeah, I know. Damn Hat & Clogs and Yoruichi wouldn't stop chasing and attacking me in the training ground."
"You know, I just so happened to have a spare set of clothes I made the other day. You can have it if you want."
"Ahh, no thanks Uryu. Capes really aren't my thing."
"Why not?"
"..."
"Trust me on this, Uryu."
"Your loss Ichigo."
4 seconds
"Sup Orihime"
"EP! Oh Ichigo it's you."
"Yeah, It's me."
"What are you doing here?"
"Eh? Oh I'm just picking up some ingredients for Yuzu. What about you?"
"Oh! I'm trying something new. I'm going to make teriyaki chicken with raspberry jam and coconut gravy. Want me to save you some? I was planning on inviting Tatsuki over for dinner."
"Uh, wow… That sounds, uh, interesting. I think I'm good for now, thanks. Tell me how it goes, yeah?"
"Will do! See you around Ichigo."
"Yeah, see you."
3 seconds
"Hey Ichigo."
"Hm? Oh hey Chad, how's it going?"
"Good, you?"
"Yeah same. I don't have much planned for break. You?"
"No."
"Oh hey, that new movie came out last week. The documentary of Manny Pacquiao. Want to go see it over the weekend? I heard the reviews were pretty good."
"Sure. I'd like that."
"Great! It'll be like old times."
2 seconds
"What do you think?"
"Ichigo darling, it's beautiful. Thank you."
"Really? I saw it while I was swinging, and it reminded me of you."
"I'll always treasure it."
"Really?"
"Really."
"I love you mom."
"I love you too, my sweet little boy."
1 second
The ache in Ichigo's chest returned.
All of his family and friends were gone and Ichigo was about to abandon them.
It didn't feel right.
Warmth blanketed him.
"Relax aibou. You're doing this for them. For a future."
"We will be there with you."
"We will always be with you, Ichigo."
Ichigo loved them.
He closed his eyes as he felt an invisible force tug them through a dark vortex.
"See ya guys on the other side," Tenjiro shout out.
