Prologue
The sky was a deep crimson, the air still and silent. It was the wake after the storm, where thousands of souls were condemned to a grisly death by the machinations of an evil megalomaniac – Sousuke Aizen. The war was won, but the survivors would never be the same again. The haunting cries of the mourning and bereaved filled the air continuously after the battle had ended. The battle between the hollow forces and Seireitei. Seireitei was now a barren wasteland, never the serene Court of Pure Souls ever again.
The savior dropped to his knees in a broken, drawn-out wail that seemed to resonate in the very Earth. He conquered the evil traitor – but at what cost? His friends were all dead and mutilated beyond recognition. The hollows feasted upon their remains as if they were just carcasses left to rot. As the revered protector, he could do nothing to save those whom had mattered to him the most – his only remaining family. Oh, the irony of it all! The vaunted savior had failed forevermore and in saving the world, condemned his family to a devastating death.
He stared at the desecrated corpses of his sisters, with their hands holding each other, united in their final moments. Gruff but soft-hearted Karin, crouching protectively over sweet Yuzu in a final and ultimately futile defense. Her eyes were gouged out by scavenger hollows, her stretched out lips a disturbing parody of a smile, teeth forcibly torn out.
Ichigo could not bear to look at Yuzu, the sister who always gave the warmest hugs and the sweetest pecks on the cheek. He could never again feel the comfort of his sister's cooking after a long day nor listen to the other's sarcastic banter. Oh, to hear their sweet voices again! It was a melody beyond compare, that soothed his soul after a long day battling hollows.
He had no one else to blame except himself for their deaths. His father had sacrificed himself for Ichigo to Aizen's blade in battle and died with a contented smile on his face, telling Ichigo to live on, to protect his sisters. Ichigo had failed him. Irrevocably.
There was no redemption or salvation.
With a last sad glance towards the burnt out husk of his house, Ichigo took hold of Zangetsu and plunged it into his chest resolutely, willing it to cut through flesh and bone. Zangetsu relented sadly, knowing his master was broken beyond repair.