I Don't own Bleach or it's character's, Kubo does.
If I get some reviews out of this I might actually continue.
I came up with this idea when we found out the consequence of the Final Getsuga Tenshou, but before we saw it play out. The way I saw it, there were two ways it could go: 1) Ichigo would lose his Hollow with his Shinigami powers, and 2) Ichigo would lose his Shinigami powers leaving only his Hollow. Kubo went with #1. This is a "what if" A/U where I go with #2.
Rated M for violence and language, and maybe other adult content, depending on how the story goes.
Note: I try not to go against Manga canon. As for Anime filler, I will pick and choose at my own discretion.
######
Ichigo shook his head. He was really getting tired of this. Aizen had just gone through another transformation; but this time a Hollow–like visage literally ripped itself out of his face. It was like his true self was coming out. Six wings, mounted with hollow heads and with an eye in the heart of the wings membrane, sprouted from his back. His face, hands, and feet were black, while the rest of his body was white.
Aizen, convinced that he was the greatest, threw several attacks at Ichigo, starting with a ball of energy from the mouth of one of the heads on his wings. It had burned most of the skin of his forearm, blocking that. The next was a physical attack followed by the most bizarrely constructed attack he had ever heard of. Rings of Reiryoku, which seemed to be trying to restrict his movements, surrounded him, while Aizen held his neck.
Pathetic.
"Is that it?" Ichigo asked, shattering the bizarre, Reiryoku rings. Aizen pulled back, staring in apparent shock.
"Let's end this, Aizen. I'm sick and tired of your logic." Ichigo said, wearily. "Let me show you the Final Getsuga Tenshou."
Ichigo pulled Reiryoku from deep within his soul, massing it all into circulation, and finishing his merge with Tensa Zangetsu. Blackness covered everything around him.
"Wha… What is that form?" Aizen asked, sounding shocked.
"This form is when I become Getsuga Tenshou." Ichigo said, cloaked in his own black Reiryoku. His hair had grown out and turned black, his eyes turned red, much of his body was wrapped in dark grey bandages, and his left arm was covered in twisting tattoos.
His rite arm was radiating Black Reiryoku, flickering like flame.
"If I use this technique, I will lose my Shinigami powers. That's why it's called 'Final'."
Aizen stared at him without expression, like he was stunned or deep in thought. Suddenly is expression twisted into rage and he began to scream at Ichigo. "Impossible! How can such a thing… How can a mere human surpass me? It's…"
Ichigo razed his arm, channeling the raging energy into a black blade of Reiryoku forming in his right hand. "Mugetsu!"
And the world turned black.
######
Urahara stared at the immense wave of black energy. It was truly terrifying. That boy who had been running from him with the broken handle of a Zanpakutou less then one year ago had just released an attack so powerful he couldn't even read it.
The blackness began to fade away, revealing Ichigo, falling to a soft landing, the bandages wrapped around his face breaking away. Aizen landed not far from him, much of the transformation undone. He no longer had any wings, and his face was back to normal, save for the "teeth" on the right side of his face.
"Still regenerating?" Ichigo said, which Urahara knew because he was reading Ichigo's lips.
Suddenly the remainder of his Final Getsuga Form shattered off Ichigo, leaving him in nothing but a tattered, black Hakama, and he fell to his knees. Ah, his Shinigami powers are fading.
Aizen stood and began to gloat over Ichigo. It really was pathetic. Aizen's self confidence had been so trampled that he felt the need to prove himself. He was pointing out the fact that his Zanpakutou was crumbling; claiming that the Hogyoku had decided the weapon was unneeded.
Idiot.
A spike of light suddenly drove through Aizen's chest. Then two more followed.
"What's this? Kido?" Aizen asked, shocked. "When did he…?"
"So it finally activated." Urahara said, finally making his presence known.
"Urahara Kisuke" Aizen growled, turning and seeing him there for the first time. "This is your doing?"
"Yes." Urahara said, unapologetically. "That Kido was hidden within another Kido that I used on you shortly before you achieved a full transformation, when your guard was lowest."
"Back then?"
"That is the seal." Urahara said, feeling almost bored. "Predicting that killing you would be impossible after you fused with the Hogyoku, I developed a new Kidou to seal you"
"I see." Aizen said, darkly. "Well that is rather unfortunate for you." He smiled, and then began to shout. "Look, I am about to achieve another level of evolution. Do you actually believe a Kidou of this level will seal me?"
Suddenly a mass of light-spikes pierced his torso and the white coating on his skin shattered, flaking away. Aizen looked absolutely astounded.
"What? What is this!" Aizen screamed, gazing at his hands in shock. "My power. All the power I've gathered. It's disappearing!"
"That is the will of the Hogyoku." Urahara said. "The reason the seal I put on you hours ago finally activated is because your power has weakened. Basically, the Hogyoku no longer sees you as its master."
"Impossible!" Aizen screamed again. "How can that… How can that be?" Suddenly the spikes erupted and sprouted from his back, each one forming a crossbeam to prevent their removal, it made him look like someone had stabbed him with a bunch of crucifixes. "Urahara Kisuke!" Aizen screamed, bent over in pain. "I hate you! Why does a man of your intellect do nothing? Why? Why do you allow it to control you?" He was trying to ignore the light that was flowing over him, turning into a solid white substance. Incasing him.
"It?" Urahara repeated, surprised. "You mean the Spirit-King?" He knows more then I thought. "So, you've seen…"
Aizen just glared at him, as the seal grew larger, the light reaching his chest and several of the "crosses" in his back joining into thicker versions.
"Without the existence of the Spirit –King the Soul Society would fall apart. The Spirit-King is the cornerstone. Without the cornerstone, everything will collapse." Urahara said, calmly. "That's just the way the world is."
Aizen straitened, trying to fight off the Kidou, and glared at Urahara, one of his eyes' sclera was still dark violet while the other was normal. "That is the logic of a Loser! One who seeks victory must think not off how the world is, bur rather how the world should be!" He screamed, the Kido rising to take him over. "I…!" With a rush, the light of the kidou spread over his body, and compressed, leaving three intersecting rods.
Well that's done with. He thought, turning to Isshin's son. Ichigo's Hakama began to shred, falling and blowing away in the wind, leaving him wearing nothing but a fundoshi loincloth and the tattered remains of a shitagi, hanging around his hips like a kilt. "Well done, Kurosaki."
Ichigo looked up at him with tired eyes. "Whatever…" Suddenly he started coughing, leaning over with on hand on his knee, and splattering his other hand with blood. He began to wheeze, making a rasping noise in the back of his throat.
"This doesn't look good." Urahara said aloud, pulling out the small, glass bottle with a dropper as the lid. "I was hopping I wouldn't have to use this."
Ichigo suddenly began to scream; or, rather, roar. His body began to fade, until he suddenly disappeared. Urahara closed his eyes, searching for the place Ichigo would reform.
Suddenly, he turned to his left just in time to see a white form appear from nowhere. It had clawed hands and feet, a hole through its chest, and a long, lizard like tail. A mask quickly covered Ichigo's face, horns protruding forward. Its Reiatsu was as high as a Gillian, even though it didn't have his Shinigami side to boost it.
Shaking his head, Urahara Shunpoed over to it, pulled out the dropper, and, before the Hollow that had been Ichigo could respond, splashed the fluid in it's eyes.
Howling, the Hollow flung itself away from Urahara, clawing at it's mask and swiping it's tale around and around in rage. It raised its head and gave a roar so powerful, several nearby boulders shattered. Then it turned, ripped open Garganta, and rushed through.
This is going to be troublesome.
Five years later
Hitsugaya Toshirou, Taichou of the 10th Division of the Gotei 13, stood on an endless plain of Ice, staring at the immense ice-dragon before him. Hyourinmaru was a truly impressive site. He was a giant dragon of ice, with blood red eyes, and a serpentine form almost a mile long.
Hitsugaya raised his hand, and Hyourinmaru shattered.
He had done it. He had finally won after years of repeating this same battle. It took a ridiculous degree of Reiatsu control to defeat Hyourinmaru.
Suddenly the Zanpakutou spirit was back, this time in the form of a tall man with wings if ice, clawed hands and feet, and a long tail. It was similar to how Toshirou looked at the moment, as he was using Bankai; but Toshirou's was far rougher. His was made of jagged shards of ice, while Hyourinmaru's ice was actually formed into feathers, scales, and claws.
"Well done Toshirou. Took you long enough." Hyourinmaru said, without any obvious emotion.
"Whatever. Good bye." Hitsugaya said, dropping out of Jinzen.
He opened his eyes and paused. His Bankai was wrong. He had never noticed before. He always had a hard time performing Tensou Juurin (controlling the water in the air around him) with any subtlety while in Bankai. He had finally, just now, been able to overcome that and mastered its use. Which promptly told him that his Bankai was wrong, and the wrongness of his Bankai was the reason he always had such a hard time. I feel like such an idiot. Hitsugaya shrugged, and released his Bankai. In order to get it right, he had to start from the beginning.
Resting he looked down into the pit he was next to. The Adjuchas inside was a truly terrifying creature. Its power was equal to a weaker Vasto Lorde. It was formed like a huge satyr, with animal like legs ending in split hooves for feet. It had huge claws and forward curving horns.
Some of the others still called it Ichigo, but not Hitsugaya. This was a Hollow. Worse, it was an Adjuchas, the second level of the Menos Grande. Ichigo was long gone, and, despite Urahara's theories, that wasn't likely to change. Hitsugaya shook his head as the Adjuchas tore into another one of its kind, consuming it in its fear of regression and lust for evolution.
Turning away, Hitsugaya spiked his Reiatsu, using his new understanding in how he circulated it, and mentally released the floodgate.
"Bankai!"
The ground shuddered, a sudden wind built up blowing his hair and Haori around him, the air around him began to fluoresce in a silver glow, and mist rose with an explosive impact.
"Daiguren Hyourinmaru."
When the mist he was standing in cleared he bore wings of ice, but instead of the rough shards of ice, it was made of ice feathers, detailed down to the individual fibers. His left hand and both feet were covered in smooth ice talons, slimmer and more usable then they had been, and the tail was slimmer, more like a whip. He looked like Hyourinmaru. He felt so felt good.
Hitsugaya looked up and smiled, there weren't any flowers floating above his Bankai. There was no longer a time limit.
He felt very good.
######
Karin dribbled the ball as she made her way down the sidewalk. She had just gotten done with soccer practice. Seeing the little shop ahead she knocked the ball upward and caught it.
Adjusting the strap of the sports bag over her shoulder, she opened the door, entered the shop, and froze. She had been about to shout that she was here, except her sister was right there, with her back pushed up to a wall, kissing Jinta.
She was pretty sure they were using tongue.
Karin dropped her soccer ball and kicked it at the red head, the two of the jumping in response.
"Jinta, you bit my tongue." Yuzu whined.
"Uhg, way too much information." Karin said, collecting her ball.
"Sorry Yuzu." Jinta said, blushing and glairing at Karin.
"Well, hurry up. I want to get back home." Karin said, ignoring Jinta.
"Okay, just let me clock out and get my bag." Yuzu said, rushing into the back of the shop. Jinta glared at Karin for a few more seconds, but when it became clear that she wasn't going to look away, he followed Yuzu.
"Why, hello there~" Urahara said in a singsong voice. He was wearing a pair of green trousers and gi, a black haori, and a pair of wooden geta. His sandy hair and the brim of his green and white bucket hat shadowed his eyes.
"Hello, Urahara." Karin said, wearily.
"How are you this fine evening?" He asked, sitting down and giving his fake smile.
"Fine, I guess."
"And have you made your decision?" His eyes suddenly became extremely intense, sending a shiver down Karin's spine.
"N-no, not yet." Karin stuttered, filling even more nervous.
"Tell me when you do~" He said, his fake smile back. "Any thing I can get for you in the meantime?"
Karin thought about it for a second. "Well, I used that last Zeta whatever last week."
"Oh, yes. For sudden retreat when your attacked by a hollow, Electric Capture Ball: Zetavol-tan!" He pronounced, like he was on the worlds lamest commercial, and posing to increase the humiliating effect.
"Yeah, that."
Urahara went into the back room to get the prodoct and Yuzu and Jinta came out. "Ready!"
"Just a moment, I'm getting something." Karin said.
"Hoooo… You have a sweet tooth?"
"One of the special products, Yuzu." Karin sighed.
Before Yuzu could say anything, Urahara came back, tossed the colorful box into a bag and handed it to Karin, waving her off when she reached for her wallet.
"Must we do this every time? No charge for a Kurosaki!"
"Thanks." she said.
"Why don't I get anything for free?" Jinta asked, scowling.
"But you do! You get room and bored for free~." Urahara said, a dangerous glint in his eye.
"Oh, right." Jinta said, face going pale.
"Come on Yuzu." Karin said.
Yuzu stood on her tiptoes and gave Jinta another kiss before following Karin, her face scarlet.
When they made it to the sidewalk Karin couldn't hold it in anymore. Smirking, she turned to her sister. "So he's why you got a job there."
"N-no." Yuzu said, blushing. "He didn't confess to me until I had been working there for a few weeks."
"Oh, so your saying you weren't interested before that?"
"Karin!" She whined.
"Okay, okay. So, what do you see in that bozo anyways?"
"He kinda reminds me of Ichigo, Ya know? He has this whole tough guy act, and can act pretty dumb too, but he's really a great guy. He's very protective of people he cares about, and he's funny."
"More like an annoying jerk." Karin said, annoyed just thinking of the redhead. They turned to walk through a park.
"Come on. Give him a chance, Kar…" Yuzu began, before being interrupted by a howling roar.
A Hollow's roar.
Karin sopped, staring at the huge, red furred hollow charging towards them. It was like center, except it looked like a blending between an American bison and a silverback guerilla.
Karin pumped all of the Reiryoku she could into her soccer ball, dropped it, and kicked it strait at the monster. It raised its arm and blocked the ball, crashing through the miniature explosion like it was nothing. Shaking its head, it howled at her again.
"Karin…" Yuzu said, obviously terrified. She had only recently been able to see Hollows.
"Just a second." Karin said, reaching into the bag from Urahara's shop, ripping open the box, and taking out the Zan… whatever. "This should slow him down, and we can make a run for it." Karin said, squeezing the ball until it clicked and started vibrating. She threw the contraption as hard as she could. The moment it made contact with the Hollow, it began to send massive arks of lighting, most of it zeroing in on the monster.
Karin grabbed Yuzu's hand and began to run, trying to get her non-athletic twin to hurry up. The ground shook with the sound of a quick, staccato series of impact. Turning, she saw that the Hollow was still chasing them, and was catching up.
It raised one of its huge hands, and then swung it towards Yuzu. Karin, acting on instinct, turned her whole body, pulling on Yuzu's arm to get her out of the way. There was a nasty cracking noise, and Yuzu screamed.
In a rage, Karin tossed her sports bag off, pulled out a Boken, and attacked. She shoved Reiryoku into the wooden practice sword, like she had done with the ball, and struck. The Hollow blocked, but there was a sound of snapping bone.
Before Karin could celebrate, the creature slammed a blow into her, knocking her down, and lunged. She shoved all the Reiryoku she could manage into the boken and swung, meeting the rushing Hollow. The boken shattered, as did the right side of the creature's mask. Howling, the Hollow grabbed its face, stumbled backwards, and disappeared. Dropping the boken and throwing on her sports bag, Karin ran over to where Yuzu was lying down.
Her right leg was bent disturbingly a few inches below the knee.
######
Karin sat at her desk, staring at the picture of her brother. After his death she had taken his room, in part because she couldn't stand Yuzu's endless crying. Partly so Yuzu wouldn't see hers.
Ichigo had been the protector of the family sence they were young, and now he was gone. He had died taking down the greatest danger ever, apparently. But he was gone.
And now his burden was hers.
But she wasn't him; she wasn't as strong as he was. She lacked the strength to protect her family, let alone her friends or town. Karakura was practically a Hollow nest, and she just couldn't handle it. Oh, she could take down low level Hollows, but nothing large.
She had been afraid of this decision, as it would change her life. She had always wanted to focus her life on soccer, becoming a pro if possible. But that was for Her. That was only thinking of her own happiness.
Other people were involved in this.
######
Urahara was heating up some instant ramen when he heard the door open. He recognized the Reiatsu immediately. Surprised, he headed towards the front of the shop.
Why would she be here? He wondered, seeing Karin standing in the middle of the darkened room. Jinta had gotten a call from Yuzu, telling him of her injury, so he had taken off.
"Kurosaki-san~" He said, putting on his cheerful-shopkeeper act, "how unexpected."
"Urahara." She said, voice flat and eyes hard. "I've made my decision."
"Oooh~?"
"I want to be a Shinigami."
