Bleach Fanfiction: Internal Destruction
by Teccan
-This fanfiction is based on the manga, but not as far as the manga as of October. This will only include parts of Rukia's return and the realization of Aizen's creations. There are spoilers, but not the huge ones. For reference, my fic begins at the end of Volume 24, Chapter 213. Also, references from the Bleach OVA will be included.
Chapter 1
The wind howled noisily as the morning storm began to brew. Taking this time to himself, the substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, found himself attempting to rest. For most of the day, especially after the long night against the Arrancar, Hollow activity was low...and Rukia seemed to be on his mind. Her appearance and display of power caught Ichigo off-guard, especially since Rukia's image had been ingraved in his head as a helpless woman in need of his protection. But now...she was a true Shinigami, taking her place as the 3rd seated of her division.
Laying on his back, restless on his bed, Ichigo could only stare at his hand in dismay. Could he promise that this hand would never do anything he didn't wish it to do? Was it possible to simply believe that everything would be alright? He had no problem understanding the torment within him, but he had a problem with realizing that he was slowly losing his grip over his body. The young 15-year-old sighed heavily and looked out his window. That world...that city that he had sworn to Rukia and himself to protect...he knew...that without the control, that promise would shatter instantly.
The self-inducing torment was driving him to the point where he didn't even want to be alive...but he had much to live for. He guessed as long as he had that, he would be able to survive this problem that he had. He turned over on his stomach and sighed again, this time with an additional emotion.
"Ichi-nii!"
The head of the orange-haired kid still laid within the pillow his bed.
"Ichi-nii!"
Still no movement.
"Ichi-niiiiii! Breakfast is ready!"
Bursting into the room came Kurosaki Yuzu, the brown-headed child that took more after their deceased mother than the other children. "Ichi-nii...wake up!"
Ichigo rubbed his head into his pillow and pushed up. Noting the worried look on his kid sister's face, he quickly put on the facade that he had been keeping up for the last few months. "My bad, Yuzu. I'll be right down," he said, getting up. Shoving his pain aside, he stretched and yawned before leaving his room to wash up.
How pathetic Ichigo...first you try and take my move and now you're like this...pathetic. You're mine, Ichigo!
After he had left the room, Yuzu walked in to change the sheets, only to find something wrong with Ichigo's pillow. There was a damp spot in the pillow. How strange...Ichi-nii doesn't normally drool... With a confused face, the young girl began her daily cleaning in wonder of Ichigo's seemingly new habit.
-----
The storm outside had only filled him with peace, rather than the agitation that it caused those that could not see him. The wind blew through his short black hair, and though he really wanted to become a part of the society there, he had already found himself in a situation where just being revealed would cause problems between him and Soul Society. A lot of conflict had occured here in this city...and like a fly to the flame, he was drawn to it. He felt that a battle was going to begin, but when...? That, in itself, would be revealed in due time.
He yawned loudly and threw his head back into the wind. Man, Ichigo...after all you've been through, you still haven't learned your lesson...
Chuckling to himself, he let his trenchcoat open and the wind blow it, revealing only a bit of who this man really was. A hilt could be seen from the openings, and a white shirt showed underneath. He looked upon the city once more, but his vision had changed. It was like the city was under a white hue, and the people walking the streets faded into it. However, a light grey wave spread all over the city slowly and surely. From his point at the lightpole, the mysterious man could see the black dot of which the grey wave belonged to.
The fact of the matter is...your spirit force oozes out...that guy, Banjin...he told you before and you destroyed him without even thinking of how you got into trouble in the first place.
Something interrupted his thoughts. He felt another spirit force...not as strong, but it was oozing out as well. As he looked, he saw a dark-skinned young man with brown hair. He looked quite built, and though it was interesting to the city's spectator, he was obviously not one of the prime interests.
Your spirit force has affected those around you...and have put them in danger...and yet you still fail to understand. Ichigo, your spirit force is flowing all throughout the city...soon everyone will absorb this energy and create a Hollow haven for you to fight again.
Knowing that none of this would ever reach Ichigo, he laughed to himself and closed his trenchcoat. Let's get to work, then. With a flash, he was gone, stepping away from his previous post.
---
Silence, an unfamiliar sound in the Kurosaki household, swept through it as breakfast was eaten at the table. Ichigo didn't make eye contact with anyone at the table, much less talked to them. Fact was, Ichigo was afraid. Knowing that he no longer had the ability to protect his family, he felt that he had no reason to look at them with those eyes that had promised protection not too long ago. It hurt him knowing that he would eventually give in to the power that had been once a blessing, but now a curse. Thinking about it was making him grow more and more ill.
He rose from the table, and again, looking away, muttered something about not feeling well and going back up to his room. Each step he made felt heavy all of a sudden, as if all his strength was being drained away from him and the effort of simply walking took a large amount of his stamina.
Finally reaching his room, his heavy body landed upon the newly made bed. Face first into the sheets, he felt a need to sleep...but he didn't want to wake up. His closet door opened. Slowly at first, but then as if certain that no one was around, it slammed the rest of the way. Two thumps were heard and the cocky and proud boyish voice spoke.
"Oi, where's my breakfast, Ichigo?"
"I wiwwn't wet awy."
"What the...Ichigo!" The smaller female jumped on top of Ichigo's back and landed on one foot. "What did you say?"
Ichigo's head popped up. "I said, 'I didn't get any!'" He screamed. Pushing off the bed, he forced Rukia off of his back and stood up. "I'm tired. If you want food, just go through the front door and tell them you're here to see me and make up some excuse why you didn't eat breakfast.
"Why should I go through the trouble of doing all that? That means I'd have to dress up! I shouldn't have to do that just to have breakfast!" Rukia yelled. Of course, this was always playful between Rukia and Ichigo.
"Just go! I don't want to deal with you today," Ichigo said quieter, lying back down. Rukia frowned and grunted. "I'll just wait for you to do it."
"I'm not doing it," Ichigo responded, lifting his head. Again, Rukia grunted. "You will."
"No, I won't!"
"Yes, you will!"
"No, I won't!"
"Yes, you will!"
Ichigo sighed and reached into his back pocket. "I don't have time for this. I need some time alone." Pulling out his Shinigami badge, a shockwave of spirit force separated body and soul. Ichigo, in his Shinigami clothing, was already on the window sill. "Get Kon to take care of my body, and get your own breakfast." The young Shinigami looked out to the city. "Later."
"Ichigo! Where are--"
Ignoring her calls, he hopped from house to house, fleeing his home. Thoughts raced through his head. More like he was only in his mind, and his body was following muscle memory of the city as he attempted to solve the internal conflict within his powerful yet unstable soul.
What am I going to do? There's no way I can control this on my own...
Remember the conversation with Rukia last night, he recalled himself mentioning Uruhara's inability to aid him in his problems. But that also meant that Uruhara knew more than what he could chew...and that meant he had something else to offer Ichigo. The stubbornness of the young boy, however, prevented him from questioning Uruhara's intelligence on his situation and moved forward, hoping that a Hollow would show up and take his mind off of the Hollow force inside of him. But none appeared, and his badge remained silent.
With nothing else to turn his mind, he returned to the battle within his world...a place he had begun to hate.
---
Looking to the sky, it was like he could sense the calamities that would soon rain upon the peaceful yet spiritual city of Karakura. Being a man that wielded the powers of the great calamities, he could sense forces that had a likeness to his own. With his Zanpakutoh at his waist, he began to move toward Ichigo's somewhat random yet determinable location. It would emerge there...a problem that Ichigo would once again have to face.
Ichigo, do you really understand what you're doing? You're doing this...
With determination painted on his face, the stranger moved quicker, attempting to intercept Ichigo before it was too late, but without wasting his power. Being in the human world, he had to keep his spirit power to a minimum while trying to complete his goals. With knowledge of Ichigo's influence, he knew that it was a bad idea to release any more than he needed to unless of emergency.
---
A loud howling noise could be heard throughout the spiritual side of the city as Ichigo traveled on to his unknown destination. But what he soon realized was that there was an obstacle. Looking up to the sky, he heard yet another howl as numerous portals from Hueco Mundo opened. Familiar with this scene, he didn't dare hesitate a moment as his Zanpakutoh was released from its self-bandaging sheath. But in the time it took for him to unsheath his sword, the Hollows had already emerged from the portals and more followed. The numbers grew and grew, with Hollows of all different shapes and levels of power. Before long, they had grouped up and tossed themselves toward Ichigo.
Damn! What the hell is going on? Normally they search before attacking...but for some reason they're working--
With less time to talk, Ichigo quickly raised his spiritual pressure high enough to repel the weaker Hollows in the front line while the rest charged through. Surrounded on all sides, Ichigo jumped into the air and looked down as the Hollows came together at his recent point. The young Shinigami raised his sword into the air, channeling spiritual force into it.
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
A slashing force of spirit force came down upon the congregating Hollows, killing several while cutting through. Landing on another building, Ichigo watched as the building fell apart into two. Surprised, he was almost unable to defend himself from the attack from behind as a flying Hollow attempted to scratch through him. Turning quickly, his large sword stood firm in front of his body to block the blow. Then pushing against the sword, the substitute pushed back the Hollow, slashing through the mask. However, it wasn't enough. He had wasted too much energy on that one Hollow, and by doing so, he was piled on by tens of Hollows. The force of them coming from above pushed him through the roof of the building, forcing Ichigo to fall through the building.
A battle cry could be heard as Ichigo attempted to pull himself away from the Hollow's grasp. He could hear the whispers of the Hollows..."food...delicious...tasty..."
The whispers were more than enough. Ichigo burst his spirit force outward, trying to break them off of him. They broke away and dissolved due to the damage to their mask. Ichigo's burst shot him towards the ground, forcing him to land on his back, knocking the wind out of him. Panic raced through his body. He was actually fighting for his life here...but he wasn't going to let that stop him. He hopped back up and shot above and through the building, only to get tackled by another flood of Hollows from his right flank. They pushed him on his side, forcing him across the sky. Ichigo's anger was growing.
With his Zanpakutoh in his right hand, he couldn't move enough to defend himself. i These Hollows...why are they so troublesome...? I should be cutting through these! /i
"Sansai o Umidasu...(Bring the Three Calamities!)"
Ichigo's eyes opened wide. Who was that voice?
"Kusanagi!"
An explosion occured, pushing Ichigo farther back, but loosening his load. Ichigo almost hesitated, but managed to slice upward through the rest of the Hollows, purifying them. With the confusion gone, Ichigo flipped backwards onto the nearest building. He looked to his savior with arrogance. "Who are you?"
The man's sword glowed with flame, but quickly dissipated. The actual sword looked no bigger than a katana, but upon closer inspection, three rectangular holes could be seen within the sword. "Don't worry about that. I was trying to stop you," he said, looking up. "But I guess I was kinda late. Was trying to stay low-key but I guess a Shikai cannot be helped."
"Eh...I had it," Ichigo said, grunting. "The name's--"
"Kurosaki Ichigo. I know. I've been feeling the pulses of your reiatsu since yesterday."
Ichigo grunted once more and looked up. The Hollow were retreating...or were they...? As one could tell from Ichigo's position, they were retreating. But Ichigo remembered that formation before...something big was coming...and they were going to spectate.
---
Ichigo...
From the fight that was currently happening, Ichigo's spirit force was detected simutaneously by the spiritually adept. All Shinigami, ex-Shinigami, Quincy, and spiritual human had felt the pulse from Ichigo. Strangely enough, many of these had never felt a pulse like this. The pulse was created out of desperation...as if the very depths of his soul had created it. This pulse was so startling that the spirit force of the mysterious one was masked.
Before another word could be said, the Hollow alarm finally went off. Though the phones opened, only one image could be seen, and that was the direction of the Hollows. Hitsugaya tapped the screen on the phone from his location at Orihime's. "Damn it, it froze...stupid junk."
Knowing that the Hollow appearance would be linked to Ichigo's spirit pulse, he followed the procedure of removing his faux body and running to the scene. And as he expected, he was joined by the other Shinigami who were recently stationed on the real world. With nothing on the situation, he gave no orders and instead motioned them to take caution.
---
What the Hollows were converging on was now a gaping hole in the sky. And what was to emerge from the hole was something that Ichigo had already imagined...a Hollow. Not just any Hollow, and Meno Grande Hollow. Just like the time before, when he Ishida had challenged him to that duel, this was the moment. A Gillian was to appear. Ichigo clenched his hilt tightly and prayed silently that he wouldn't lose control.
The mysterious man with the burning blade now relaxed slightly and held his Zanpakutoh out in front of him. His spirit power could be seen flowing around the sword in a circling motion, like water flow. Afterwards, the spirit power became water and continued the flow. "Be careful. Whatever comes out of that hole needs to go down fast."
Despite the warning, Ichigo refrained from using Bankai. He was starting to learn what went on with the Hollow inside of him. It became clearer and clearer. The Bankai he had learned weakened him the more he pushed it, allowing the Hollow to, little by little, attempt to take over. He was sure this man didn't know of his Bankai, so he kept the secret of Tensa Zangetsu to himself.
The hole opened wider, and a figure could be seen. As the two young Shinigami looked up, they saw a humanoid figure. Instead of relief, Ichigo felt even more tense. He knew that he could take down a Gillian with his current power, but not an Arrancar.
Silence followed, and the figure did not move for a moment. Then, from the hole, a devilish voice filled with hatred and desire spoke. The pitch was high, as if just a boy.
"Hey...I found you...little Shinigami. It's been a while..."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes and clenched his hilt even tighter. "Who are you?"
Laughter was the first answer to Ichigo's question. The figure moved forward and out of the hole, showing an Arrancar with a body similar to that of a small child, but with Hollow mask pieces over his eyes and the right side of his forehead. The portal closed. "I'm an old friend. Last time we met you cut me all the way up to my face, but you couldn't kill me. But that shit hurt, you know? So I vowed to kill you the next time I met you. Knowing that I couldn't let it happen again, I--"
A blast of water pushed towards the kid and seemingly knocked him back. The Shinigami stranger had attacked with his sword, and once again, the second of the rectangular holes were covered. "You can talk when we're not in the position to attack," he said, now allowing the water to reform around the sword.
The blast had pushed the Hollow-Shinigami fusion back, but not enough to indicate sufficient damage. The child-like being of evil smirked and stood tall once again, standing on spiritual power in the air. b i "You're kidding, right? Let me finish, and THEN I'll kill you." /b /i
But time was not on the Arrancar's side as in the distance spots of black could be seen against the sunrise. More Shinigami...with quite powerful pressure... The smirk left his face as a more serious visage took hold. "We'll have to continue my story someplace else, with a better view. And I have just the place..." He spread his arms out and allowed the hole in his stomach to create a projection of itself with spirit energy. The projection then widened and spiritual force had begun to pull inward. "Come, come, my friends..."
Without fair warning, Ichigo and the other man found themselves being pulled into the vortex that had been created by the Arrancar. With only a split-second to react, they had nothing to grab to and fell into the vortex, taking one last look outside as if attempting to grab the last bit of light the real world had to offer them before it closed. The last thing Ichigo saw was a silhouette of he thought was the woman who had changed his life...
---
"Damn it!" Rukia screamed, lunging for the closing hole. Partially knowing that she wasn't going to make it, she retained her balance and landed safely on the building lower. The others, Captain Hitsugaya, Vice-Captain Matsumoto, and 3rd seated Ikkaku arrived only seconds after she did, not realizing the full situation at hand. "Kuchiki Rukia," Hitsugaya began with a commanding tone. "What happened here?"
Regaining her composure, she turned to him with a lowered head. "...I don't know much. I just got here myself." She sighed loudly before beginning her explanation. "I'm pretty sure I saw Ichigo and some other Shinigami with an Arrancar, who then swallowed them into a hole."
'You don't recognize the other Shinigami?" Matusmoto asked.
Rukia shook her head. "No...I'm not even sure if he was an ally or foe. All I know is that Ichigo had no problem being at his side, so he has to be an ally." She looked up at Hitsugaya, allowing him to acknowlege that her report had been finished. "I have no idea where they could've went."
Yet another sigh flowed from Hitsugaya, and his facial expression as just as depressing. With the amount of stress on his back, you had to believe that he definitely carried the weight of someone who looked older than the kid Shinigami appeared to be. The all-too-friendly Matsumoto spoke up. "We should get working on reporting this to Soul Society."
Hitsugaya shook his head. "With everything going on these days, I don't want them to panic unnecessarily. If Kurosaki doesn't emerge by sundown, we'll report it." He turned around. "Let's go."
The other 3 Shinigami followed, but Rukia turned back towards the previous direction of Ichigo's last presence. Sending up a silent prayer, she turned and took off, attempting to live through the rest of the day...as if that was possible with the worry that her mind was feeling. Jumping from building to building she looked down on the minor spirit force she felt. It was Orihime and Chad. Of course, they also noticed the Shinigami hopping from roof to roof, but they noticed Rukia in particular...and meeting nearly eye-to-eye with them spiritually, she shook her head and continued on, motioning the update on the situation.
The two spiritual humans changed direction and headed to Uruhara's home, the place in which they could regroup.
---
"How do you like my little home, Kurosaki Ichigo?" A slight light, emitting from the Arrancar's eyes was all that could be seen. Ichigo and the other man were blinded by the darkness.
"Let's see just how much you've grown in comparison to me...Ichigo-niisan..." he mocked as he silently and stealthily moved in. "I bet you're even more delicious than what you would have been before..."
----
Glossary
Shinigami A Soul Reaper
Arrancar Creations of Aizen with the Hougyoku. They are fused with Shinigami powers, giving them human-like appearance.
Ichi-nii "Nii-san" would be older brother, but Yuzu calls Ichigo "Ichi-nii" instead of saying "Ichigo-nii-san".
Banjin From the Bleach OVA. He was fused with his Zanpakutoh and sucked Ichigo's power in order to perform Bankai and create an explosion to separate his body from his Zanpakutoh. Reason why he stole Ichigo's spirit force was because it "oozes out". This OVA also mentions Ichigo's inability to suppress his large spirit pressure.
