Hello Fanfiction! This here is the first story I have ever started writing for fun ever, so I apologize if it sucks. A few disclaimers before reading:
- This story takes place in an alternate timeline of the Bleach universe, after Ichigo finishes training with the Visards, and before going he goes to Hueco Mundo to save Orihime.
- It is not an exact retelling of the events of The Walking Dead with Bleach characters. So don't expect it to be word for word or action for action.
- The story's timeline will have events from The Walking Dead T.V show and the comics mixed together. So if you only watch the show, or only read the books, some events may not be familiar to you. A few events are originals by me.
- As for which character from Bleach is representing whom from The Walking Dead, you'll have to figure that out yourself. Don't worry, its not too hard.
- There will be one original character down the road. He's no Mary Sue/Bobby Stu kind of guy though, not even close...
- I do not own either Bleach, The Walking Dead, or quoted song lyrics. All characters, events, themes and lyrics are properties of their respective owners. I am merely borrowing them for entertainment purposes.
Alright, that's all I have to say! Read and Enjoy!
"If the world stopped spinning tomorrow,
I'll never shed a tear,
I'd rather be anywhere, anywhere,
Anywhere but here..."
-Five Finger Death Punch, "Anywhere But Here".
"Rrrrraaaaarrrraaarrrraaagh!"
"He's losin' control! We gotta do something!"
"Hachi, Mashiro, get Hiyori outta here! Lisa, Kensei, help Love and Rose keep him back!"
"Dammit, he's too stron-"
*SNAP!*
"AAGH!"
"Love!"
"Ichigo!"
"Wha- Orihime! Get outta here! It's too dangerous!
"What's happenening to him, Shinji?!"
"I don't know, just get back! GO!"
"ICHIGO!"
*GASP!*
The room was quiet. All was still, except for the dripping of an I.V tube, which lay beside the arm of a now conscious Ichigo Kurosaki, who's short, quick breaths broke the silence. The Substitute Soul Reaper glanced around the empty room, dazed and confused. Everything looked fuzzy and unclear, as if he had been drugged.
'Where am I?' was the first thing that came to his mind, but quickly realized he was in a recovery room. Still disoriented, Ichigo made a quick self-checkup to make sure everything was still present. He looked down towards his feet; they were still there.
'Good,' he thought, 'At least I'll be able to walk'. The hands were next. Slowly, he curled his fingers into a fist, a sharp, tingling sensation going up through his arms as he did so. An uncomfortable feeling, but at least they weren't broken. The same sensation occurred again when he lifted his arms. Ichigo looked over his chest, searching for wounds, and noticed a very crudely stitched scar over his heart.
"What happened to me…" he whispered. Ichigo was now sitting on the side of the hospital bed, rubbing his forehead as if it would help recall the events that led up to this. Using the cabinet beside the bed, he lifted himself up, and stood weakly. He needed something to help him stand, like a cane, or Zangetsu, or…
"Zangetsu!" Ichigo thought aloud as he frantically scanned the room for his zanpaku-to. It was nowhere in sight.
'Whoever took Zangetsu is gonna pay…' As he thought of ways he could exact revenge upon the thief, Ichigo then realized he may not be alone. There was only one way to find out.
"Hello?" he rasped. No response. "Hello, is anybody here? Hello?"
Since no one seemed to be around, Ichigo figured the best thing to do was to search around.
'If no one wants to answer me' he thought, 'I'll just go find them myself!' After slowly pacing the length of the room to regain strength in his legs, he walked over to the door, turned the knob, and slowly began to open the door, when-
"What the-MMMPH!"
*SLAM!*
The smell that shoved its fist right up Ichigo's nose was the most putrid, vile scent he had ever encountered. Think of the foulest thing you have smelled in your life, throw it in a sewage treatment plant, and multiply the odor by a hundred; it still would not be as bad as what the poor Substitute Sour Reaper encountered when opening that door. He was NOT going back into that hallway, even if Aizen would appear behind him that very second and he would be forced to use the "hall of death" as an escape route. His only other exit was the window. Grabbing the laptop from the doctor's desk, Ichigo took a few steps back, spun twice, and flung the machine straight at the glass.
*SHATTER*
"Hope nobody minds the damage," Ichigo said to himself as he climbed out the window. Looking down, he saw that he wasn't quite as high up as he thought.
'At least I'm on the second floor!' he cheerfully thought. It was a foggy morning, so he figured he should just kind of slide out of the window and hope to land on something soft. Falling two stories to the ground, he landed right in the hedges below, which actually hurt more than he thought they would. Rolling out of the shrubbery and onto the sidewalk, he got back on his feet and turned around. What he saw next through the clearing fog can be simply described with one word: Armageddon.
A tipped ambulance was only a few feet away, flames spewing out of the open doors. A small pileup of cars was also burning, as well as a bicycle, of all things. Trash, more like quickly discarded possessions, littered the parking lot. A small stuffed lion lay face down near Ichigo's feet that looked very familiar to the Substitute Soul Reaper.
'Oh no, please, please don't be him…' was all he could think. With shaking hands he picked up the plush, and slowly turned it over to look at its face. Thankfully it wasn't Kon – that little pervert would never wear bright green buttons as eyes. A smile of relief appeared on Ichigo's face, as he tossed the stuffed lion onto the pavement. His relief soon disappeared as his other friends came to mind, their faces flashing through his mind.
"Rukia…" he breathed, his fists clenched.
"Uryu…" His knuckles began to crack.
"Orihime.." The muscles in his legs went weak again.
"My family!"
Ichigo was now on his knees, hands to his face, holding back tears. Others appeared in his mind, but he couldn't stop his thoughts.
'Wake up Ichigo, wake UP!" But he didn't. This was real. Everyone he knew could be dead right now. Not Soul Reaper dead. Permanently dead. He brought his hands down from his face, looking up at the carnage, and then…
Then he saw it.
The thing was standing near the pileup of burning cars, unfazed by the heat. It was pale, hunched over, moaning, and looked like a small boy. The creature was short, only about half of Ichigo's height. Black hair covered its blue eyes, themselves empty of emotion and life. The thing was staring at Ichigo, drooling, with a starved look on its face. Ichigo stared back at it, eyes wide, not believing what he was looking upon. His mouth trembled as the thing took a step forward. It was a good ten feet away, but Kurosaki had no idea how fast it could possibly be. The more he looked at the creature, the more it looked familiar, like someone he knew. Realization finally hit him. The thing was wearing the robe of a Soul Reaper.
The thing was Hanatoro Yamada.
"H – Hanatoro?" Ichigo stammered. The creature responded with a raspy snarl, and quickly walked (rather, limped) towards him. Panic came over the substitute Soul Reaper. He crawled backwards, until he could feel the hedge's leaves on the back of his neck. Hanatoro was only a few feet away, close enough for Ichigo to kick him away. One solid boot to its stomach knocked the small monster onto its back.
'I gotta do something,' Ichigo thought, 'something that won't hurt him too much… wait!" Remembering he was part Hollow, Kurosaki brought his hand to his face, and pulled his mask down.
Except that the mask didn't appear.
"Wh-what?" Ichigo stammered. First Zangetsu disappeared, and now his mask. In fact, he couldn't feel any spiritual pressure in him at all either. It was like he had been stripped of all his powers…
The Substitute Soul Reaper didn't have much time to ponder of what happened to his powers, because the thing that was once Hanatoro was on its feet again, coming towards him again. Out of options, Ichigo kicked at it again, but he missed his mark, and accidentally kicked Hanatoro in the leg, causing the infected medic to fall on top of him. Ichigo struggled to keep the thing from biting him, holding it by the throat, only a foot away from his face. Saliva dripped from Hanatoro's gaping mouth onto Kurosaki's clothes and face, its smell was enough to make him vomit.
'It can't end like this, it can't!' was all Ichigo could think. His arms were becoming weak again, the muscles in them felt like jelly. Hanatoro's mouth was nearing Kurosaki's face, ready to begin its feast. Ichigo closed his eyes, knowing that death was coming ever so closer…
*BANG!*
His eyes opened. Ichigo recognized the sound of a gun, and immediately looked over at his infected friend. Hanatoro lay beside him, a raspy moan coming from its mouth, far from dead (well, double-dead). Once again, he set his sights on Ichigo and began to inch towards him.
*BANG!*
Fragments of pavement flew into the air, the gunman missing his mark. One particularly large piece of stone smacked Ichigo in the head; it was enough to send the Substitute Soul Reaper into unconsciousness. As he fell to the ground, all of his senses numbed, Ichigo thought he heard a small argument between what seemed to be a man and a small, somewhat bratty, child, standing a few feet away.
"You missed. Twice. I thought you said you had the shot."
"I did! The biter was just moving too much! Besides, I hit it the first time. Not sure where though..."
"Whatever you say, Lilynette…"
*BANG!*
Then everything went black.
In Memoriam:
Hanatoro Yamada
"Poor guy never did amount to much..."