Of Gods and Demons.
Chapter 1. Remembering who you are.
Spartan B-312 gasped for air as he threw away his damaged helmet.
He had fought, for hours on end after he watched the Pillar of Autumn escape from Planet Reach. Fighting against Grunts, Jackals, Brutes and Elites as he paved the very ground in blood and bodies of the Covenant. His body, though enhanced by the groundbreaking serum created by the U.N.S.C., could only help him so far as hordes of Covenant infantry rushed to kill the last surviving Spartan, Reach held in her loving hands.
As now the Covenant boasted in laughter as they watched the last Demon of the planet stumble and fight for it's own survival.
It was the final kick to the gut by a Zealot that made the horde surrounding Noble Six roar in triumph.
The sound of laughter and garbles of the Covenant speak was all Noble Six could hear as he spit out the blood filling his mouth.
He was numb, so cold and close to death Spartan B-312 could only watch with one good eye as the Zealot that kicked him, grabbed his chest plate and bored his snake like eyes into the glazed sapphire blue eye of the Noble.
'So this is it?' He asked himself as he spit blood onto the Zealot's face. 'Emile, Jorge, Jun, Kat, Carter.' He thought as he listed the names of Noble team as the Zealot raised it's gauntlet high and activated the energy dagger inside.
'You really think this is the end king?' He heard from all around just as the flow of time stopped and the Zealot's energy dagger came close to piercing his neck.
It was only a split second, but in that time Noble six lone eye blinked and from where he once lied in the once charred grounds of reach, now he lied on the roof of a city he once knew as home.
He blinked. Once, then twice. With both eyes.
He watched as the clouds moved about slowly above him.
"What happened?" The Spartan questioned as he picked himself of the roof. He looked himself over, his Mjolnir armor was fine like it was brand new. No plasma burns nor chunks of pieces missing about.
He felt no aches or pains, his left eye he could see out of. Like he hasn't spent the last few days fighting against an unstoppable force.
"Are you going spend all your time admiring yourself or are going to talk the guy that just saved your life?"
Like clockwork, the Spartan through himself into action and pulled an assault rifle from his back and aimed it at the one whom was speaking.
An assault rifle that wasn't there to begin with.
His sight was true as he aimed the rifle straight the being who spoke. The being who looked like a carbon copy of himself... Only white.
"Woohoohoo!" The being laughed as he raised his hands up. "Now, now kingy, is that really necessary?" He said to Noble Six as he grinned. "Though I have to say, I love the new you. Better than that little crybaby I had too constantly save from dying."
"Enough!" A second voice yelled as he made his appearance known by slowly walking up to the white unarmored version of the Spartan.
This figure drabbed in a black overcoat, long black hair, dark sunglasses and and patchy beard bored his covered eyes at the white figure before he spoke. "Quit playing around. Don't you have a job to do?"
The White version simply gave a laugh as he looked back to the Spartan. "Heh, guess you're right." He said with a crazed smile. "Time to show these Covenant bastards what it's like to mess with a real demon they can't kill. Adios kingy, I'll be seeing you later..."
And with that, the white being merely began fade away. Like dust in the wind.
Noble six stood their confused on what just happened. Though as he watched the white version disappear, his rifle was still up, but this time the barrel faced the figure dressed in black.
"Safety's off, I have questions and I want them answered." The Spartan spoke.
"Of course Ichigo. I have always been here to help you, never hinder." Noble Six looked at the man and raised his brow questioningly to these words. "Yes Spartan. Your true name is Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki."
The Spartan's eyes narrowed as his finger slowly let off the trigger.
"I understand you have questions Ichigo. And make no mistake I will do everything I can to help you, but first..."
The man dressed in black let off as he looked away from the Spartan and too the city beside them.
"Look out there Ichigo, tell me; what do you see?"
The Spartan known as Ichigo lowered his weapon as he slowly took his eyes off of the man and looked out to the town before him.
There were no words that Noble Six could say as he gazed at the town. There a was cord that strummed with him that told him... Something. He couldn't truly place it. To him the scene he looked out to.
He felt as if he had been there before.
"Do you recognize it Ichigo? This place, this town. You once called it home."
The Spartan merely stared at the sight of the small town before him. There was something there, in the back of his mind that told him what the man said, was true.
"The name." He said as he looked back to the man dressed in black. "What is it?"
"Karakura Town." The being said.
!
Noble Six fell onto his knee as he clutched his head in pain. The Spartan within told me to stand back up, to point his weapon at the man before him.
Though a memory flashed in his mind just as he was about to stand.
A memory of four people. Two young girls, one with onyx colored hair and a scowl, the other a blonde with a smile that made the Spartan crack a smirk.
There was a man that had a lewd smirk on his face as he scratched his poorly shaven beard.
And the last person, a beautiful woman with silk blond hair with a smile that made the Spartan freeze.
This feeling inside him, he didn't know what it was. He felt a pang in his heart. A feeling he couldn't describe.
The man dressed in casually walked up to the Spartan, no fear in his step as he moved closer. The man slowly bent down, his eyes took a soft look as he peered down at the Spartan before him.
"Tell me Ichigo, what did you see?" He asked.
The Spartan said nothing as the woman's smile never left the forefront of his mind. There was word he wanted to call out, a word that hung on the tip of his tongue.
But for the life of him. He just couldn't say what it was.
Spartan B-312 took in a quick breath just before he stood up and looked back out to the town now known as Karakura.
He stood there silent as the night as those same four faces flashed in his mind.
"Four civilians. Two young girls, one with black hair, the other blond. An older man stood beside them, and standing next to him was a beautiful woman with blonde hair, the same as the young girl." Ichigo looked towards the man beside him. "They looked like a family."
"Your family Ichigo."
"...What?" Ichigo questioned as he tightened his grip on the assault rifle. "It can't be, I'm an orphan. I never knew my family." He finished hardening his eyes on the other being.
"No Ichigo, that is your family. The two young girls, Karin and Yuzu. Your sisters. The man with the beard. Your father, Isshin and your mother Masaki."
At the mention of the last name, Noble Six fell into a heap as clenched his helmet. An agonizing pain rushed through the Spartan like no other.
The sting of bullets nor the burning hot plasma on flesh couldn't compare to the pain that spread through Ichigo's very soul as each inch of his body burned hotter and hotter.
"AGHHH!" Ichigo screamed in agony.
The man in black watched this event as he too felt every bit of the agonizing pain Ichigo was enduring.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE!" The white version of Ichigo yelled as he returned.
"His memory's are returning at an alarming rate. Right now they are fighting against the indoctrination Ichigo went through to become a Spartan."
"What!?" The white version yelled. "Then stop him! I don't want that baby back! Always crying and complaining about not being strong enough and all that crap!"
"That's enough Zangetsu He won't go back, the indoctrination to becoming a Spartan was too well made. At the end of this, Ichigo will have his memories'. But he will not go back to what he once was."
"Oh thank Kami!" Zangetsu yelled out to the heavens.
"What of the Covenant?" The man in black asked.
"The hell you talking about Yhwach? I came here to see just what the hell is going on. I have Ichigo's body on autopilot. Should be bringing down the Covenant Super carrier any minute."
The man now known as Yhwach turned to Zangetsu and simply stared.
"What? Nothing a Gran Rey Cero couldn't take care of."
"Gran Rey Cero?" A voice asked from below.
Both Yhwach and Zangetsu turned towards the voice of Ichigo as the Spartan lied there panting for breath.
Ichigo stopped speaking. He slowly picked himself off the ground of the rooftop. He said nothing as he took off his helmet. Letting his long shaggy orange hair cascade down to his shoulders.
He took in a heavy breath as he looked at his once home of Karakura town.
"Zangetsu."
"Yes Ichigo." Yhwach answered.
"Not you." Ichigo quickly replied but not turning back. "The real Zangetsu." With that said, Yhwach bowed his head as the real Zangetsu stepped forward.
"Well, well king. So after all this time you finally know who your real Shinigami power lie with?"
"That's not important right now."
"Oh?" Zangetsu questioned with confusion. "And what is important king?"
"Your job." Zangetsu stood there more confused then he had ever been over Ichigo's words. "As of now I'm giving you free rein, I want you to go out there and destroy the Covenant. Any means necessary.
Zangetsu was dumbfounded. Never had he heard Ichigo speak like this. Even when there was no contact he never spoke like this. But then again he is a Spartan now.
Zangetsu gave a crazed laugh as he raised a familiar Zanpakuto over his shoulder. "Gotta say king. This new version of you is way better then the last."
"I'm not finished."
"Eh?" Zangetsu said confused. "Well? What else then."
This time Ichigo turned and looked straight into the eyes of Zangetsu, never blinking, never looking away. "Save Reach. Save my home"
Zangestu stood there quiet as the night. He blinked once then twice before giving another crazed laugh just before he stabbed the air right beside him.
And just like Ichigo remember long ago. A Garganta opened, inside the hole, an aery blackness swallowed any given light it could envelope.
"Like I said king, love the new you. Much better then what you used to be."
Ichigo only gave the Hollow a nod before turning back to man he use too call Zangetsu, letting the other go back to Reach.
"Oh and before I forget." Ichigo turned back to see Zangetsu smile. " I found those two other Spartans you were with."
"Emile and Carter?"
"Yeah. Lucky I found them before they kicked the bucket. Little help from your Reiastu and they should be good as new within two hours"
"Zangetsu, thank you. To defeat the Covenant we'll need all the help we can get."
The Hollow hybrid simply smiled before turning back to the Garganta. "You're a real king now Ichigo. Don't ever change." Zangetsu whispered to himself as he stepped into the Garganta. "Heh heh heh. Time to have some more fun."
Ichigo and Yhwach both watched as Zangestu disappeared from Ichigo's mind scape and out too the real world.
"Now it is your turn." Ichigo said firmly as he looked towards Yhwach. "You paraded yourself as my Shinigami powers in the past. But now I know that my Hollow side was truly both my Shinigami and Hollow powers. That just leaves you, Yhwach."
Yhwach grew Frightened as he took a single step back, and sweat dropped from his brow.
"How do you know that name Ichigo?"
Ichigo's crystal blue eyes stared straight into Yhwach's brown as he spoke.
"As my memories came back. That didn't mean I couldn't hear what you and Zangetsu said. Now." Ichigo walked forward, right too Yhwach, only standing an foot away from the darkly dressed being. "You will tell me. Everything."
End Chapter 1.