Hello everyone! How are you this fine... Tuesday. Doesn't have quite the same ring does it? Oh well. Here we are again, but before I get into anything, let's take a look at some responses to your reviews:
pyromania101: Yes, the intro was rather depressing, wasn't it? Sadly, this chapter won't be a bundle of laughs either, but I promise things will get lighter in tone. Pairing? It's a bit early for that, and I honestly haven't given it any thought. As for brutality... sometimes he will be brutal, and sometimes he won't. He'll never kill a mortal human; he's still Ichigo after all, but that doesn't mean criminals won't get the shit kicked out of them.
Dark Vizard447: Glad you liked it! This takes place a bit before the first episode of the Justice League.
Mark Of Cain: Glad you like it! I hope this chapter is the same!
snow299: Glad you like it, and here you go!
exillion: Eh, maybe so, but the bit about corruption was mostly a joke. Azien is a cool villain, but he got less interesting in terms of character as time went on. As for the second part... I shrug. It worked well enough when I needed it.
Seb20: The best on the site? Well... wow. Thank you. I hope this continues to meet that high bar. Ichigo is 21 in this story, though he looks SLIGHTLY older. Make of that what you will. As for pairings... I do not know.
Zangetsu Ossan: Glad you like it! I update as quickly as I can. As for his level compared to Superman... I'll get back to you on that.
drake202: Glad you like it. This takes place just before the start of the first JL episode.
cronamaka: I'm glad I started it too. Glad you liked it.
AzaeliaSandybanks: Glad you like it, and I hope you continue to.
dragonheart967: Glad you like it. I update when I can. At this time, I do not have any pairings planned.
Baron von Nobody: Glad you like it. Well you'll get your wish, because that is what I have planned. Just not this chapter...
shadow juubi overlord: Glad you like it. Here you go.
baltz00: Yeah, I was surprised there weren't more stories like this. Whenever I picture Ichigo, it's generally with shorter hair. Ichigo's outfit will match his sword (this statement explained in chapter). I do not know if there will be pairings.
GrayHeart: Thanks. A little before episode one. He looks slightly older then he did in canon. Ichigo can manifest his zanpakuto as any of the sword he used in the series up to this point (shiki, bankai, time-skip shiki, time-skip bankai, fullbringer). Glad you like it, and I hope you continue to like it.
Well, there you go. Now then let's get somethings out of the way:
This chapter takes place 6 Months before the start of Episode One of the Justice League.
At this point in time there is no planned pairing.
This chapter is meant to fill in the gap between Ichigo's arrival, and the events of Episode One.
In all honesty, this chapter was actually very hard for me to write. I wanted to get right into the good stuff with the League, but it felt like I would be rushing things to fast, which I didn't want to do either. So I made this sort of... I guess I have to say it: filler Chapter. This is meant to answer questions like: How will Ichigo bridge the language barrier, or Where will he live. Oddly enough, these were questions no one asked. Mostly you asked about pairings and whether or not Ichigo was stronger then Superman, so maybe this chapter will be for my own sake more then yours, who knows. I really want this story to turn out well, and I want people to like it. That was why I felt this chapter was necessary. After this, we can get into the actual Justice League adventures.
I'll talk to you more after the chapter. Until then, let us dig into another (hopefully) amazing chapter of...
Guardian of the League: Chapter One: Picking Up The Pieces
6 Months after the Incident:
It was raining. He hated it when it was raining.
He sighed as he rested his head against the cool glass and watched the world below. The people scurrying about, all with their own lives and problems. None of them like him.
Him. Ichigo Kurosaki, age 21, resident of apartment 37B.
Soul Reaper? Not in the strictest definition.
Vizard? Well, closer, he could certainly be one when he wanted to be.
Full-Bringer? Yeah, he'd been that too, for all of… what was it, three days? Four? Couldn't have been more then a week before things had gone to hell, and the shit storm that was his life had started up again. The start of a war. A war that lasted until the end of time… or at least the end of his time.
He stepped away from the window glass and walked back into the shadows of his apartment. It had been hell to get, since he didn't have any money, and he barely spoke english. That had been a shock, waking up in a place that didn't speak the same language as him. Of course, he'd had a passing understanding of english (at least what he'd payed attention to in school), but it wasn't enough to take away one of the many shocks he'd received after he found himself in this world.
Flashback: The day of his arrival:
Ichigo slept through the entire night, and most of the morning afterwards. When he finally did awaken, he found his entire body aching from his trip across dimensions.
Slowly sitting up, Ichigo discovered to his horror that he was not wearing his Soul Reaper clothes. Instead, he was wearing the cloths he had worn as a mortal. Ichigo had a brief panic attack, wondering if the trip across time and space had managed to do what so many couldn't: kill him.
"You are not dead Ichigo." the wise voice of old man Zangetsu rang clearly through his head.
"Well, if I'm not dead, then why am I not wearing my Soul Reapers uniform? Why can I barely sense my own spiritual pressure?
"The reason is simple, Ichigo. Your reserve of spiritual pressure is critically low right now. A combination of exhaustion from your previous battle, and the stress of traveling dimensions. It should return in time. For now, you must be patient." Zangestu explained at length, making Ichigo sigh in relief. To have traveled so far, only to be rendered powerless again, would have been quite the blow to his already dampened moral.
After a few hours, he found he was able to stand without feeling the urge to vomit. Shakily, he made his way through the foliage, looking for some sign of civilization. It didn't take him too long, and in a matter of hours, he found himself walking out of the woods to find himself surrounded by a large city. At the time, he wasn't able to read it, but there was a large sign near the public entrance to the place he'd spent the last few days sleeping in:
Central Park.
Of course, Ichigo didn't really take note of the sign. No, he had noticed something else altogether more interesting. As he walked, people were looking at him. They could see him.
That should not be possible!
In all his time as a spiritual being, no one without spiritual awareness was able to see him! And yet, as he walked, he constantly saw people looking at him! And it wasn't in a weird way, like you would when you saw a ghost, because he wasn't a ghost! He was wearing the same casual cloths he'd worn before he left his body. Without spirit energy to cloak him, he'd reverted back to casual attire. Wasn't that thankfully convenient.
His body which was, in all likely hood, gone; along with everything else in his universe.
Flashback End:
That had been a shock right there, realizing that his real body was, for all intents and purposes, dead and gone. Clearly, the rules of this universe were different.
The fact that people saw him, and the fact that he would at times bump into objects or people as he wandered the town, told him something: somehow, his trip through the portal had solidified his spirt, turning it into his real body. This meant he had all the powers he'd had, but could now no longer be hidden from the rest of the world. If he used his spirit powers now, everyone would know.
It had taken him a long time to find a proper shelter. After nearly seven hours of trying to talk to random people on the street, and trying to convey what he needed, he finally found some relief. He spotted an elderly couple speaking his language, and was able to ask them for help. They were very pleasant people, after they realized he wasn't some random street punk coming to rob them (once again the work of his orange hair). They pointed him to a part of town where nearly everyone spoke his language.
Once there, things had started to look up. As it was starting to get late, he managed to find a small apartment building where he could get settled, provided he got a job in the very near future to pay for it. He got the feeling the landlord was weary of letting him have a room, but ultimately didn't argue. Ichigo was glad, quite sure he didn't want to try sleeping on the streets.
Flashback: Ichigo's first night.
He sighed, looking about the meager room. It was all he could afford, having no job and all. He would have to find one tomorrow. It was strange to think, this was his life now. No friends or family to fall back on. And no Soul Society to call on him. He didn't know why, but he'd always felt as though it would go on forever. That there would always be something to fight for. And now it was gone.
"That isn't true kingy and you know it." His inner hollow commented, his voice ringing snidely through Ichigo's head. "The target may have changed, but the purpose remains"
Ichigo frowned, walking over to the bathroom mirror. Instead of his own reflection, his hollow's pale visage gazed back at him. "I don't have time for your riddles. Speak like a normal person or shut the hell up!" he said, his trademark scowl deepening.
The hollow smirked "I'll let the attitude slide, what with what's been going on and all, but do try and cheer up. Your so boring when you're like this!" H-ichigo noticed Ichigo's tightening fists, and rolled his eyes.
"Look, your entire reason for living is to protect. It's in your instincts, it's in your blood. Hell, it's practically hard wired into your DNA. All you ever wanted was to protect your friends."
"What is your point" Ichigo growled, not wanting to think about his friends right now. He knew he would have to deal with their deaths eventually, lest it eat him up inside. Just… not now. Not now.
"That desire to protect is still there. That well of strength is still there. It just needs something new! You need to find something new to protect!" H-ichigo said, as though he'd just done some grand magic trick.
"Are you suggesting I go out and replace my friends!" Ichigo had to keep from shouting at the mirror, lest the neighbors decided he was crazy.
H-ichigo frowned at him, a deep scowl outlining his normally cheery face. "That is not what I meant. And you know it." he said, his good mood gone. With that, he vanished, replacing his image with Ichigo's own reflection.
Ichigo, now tired from a long day, collapsed on the bed. He passed out almost immediately. But unlike the sleep after his crash, this sleep was fraught with dreams. Dreams that, though he would never admit it, made him weep.
Still a flashback, but the next day:
It was hard to find a steady job. He had no credentials in this world, so nothing that required any certification was open to him. And a lot of places wanted to at least see some ID when you applied; which he didn't have. This meant he ended up with manual labor jobs. He did a few here and there. He ran errands for people who needed them, he hauled crates, he swept floors. He did what he could for any bit of money. He had rent to pay after all. And things to buy. Not just groceries, but books. If he was going to live in this world, he would need to learn about it.
The fact that he spoke no english was a slight issue, but he found that most places of knowledge (like libraries) had computers that could function under different languages. And God bless the internet. It was thanks to it that he made the most startling discovery of all:
Superheroes were real!
Honest to God superheroes! Like the kind in a comic book! Men from space who could fly and bend steel with their bare hands! A man who dressed up like a bat and used an array of tool! And a man who could move faster then any car or plane! At first he had thought it was all a joke, but after seeing actual news footage of the heroes in action, he could not deny it.
A part of him scoffed at the villains though. Freaks like the Joker, Parasite, and the lamely titled Mirror Man would never pose a real threat in his world… but he supposed he wasn't in his world anymore.
Apparently anyone could be a superhero if they had the power or at the very least, the skill. He could easily use his powers to take down crime. He could protect people, like he loved, and make sure no one would come to harm if he could help it.
On the other hand, this was his chance to step back from the hero game. This world already had a multitude of able bodied heroes, it didn't really need another. This could be his chance to live a normal, peaceful life. He could settle down and… and…
And who was he kidding? He could never live with himself if even one person got hurt and he had the power to prevent it. As much as he may try to kid himself, Ichigo just wasn't cut out for a life of peace and tranquility. It just wasn't in his nature. It was in his nature though to be a hero, a protector, a guardian.
Flashback End:
Ichigo walked into his bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. His reflection was his own. His hollow was not haunting him tonight, as it sometimes did.
Looking down at his hand, he performed the same ritual he had ever since the day he had decided he would become a protector for this city.
Let it not be said that being forcibly de-aged and then re-aged did not have some perks. Besides the fact that it made him look a little older then he actually was, it had also had an interesting effect on his ability to call on Zangetsu. The large cleaver had appeared in his hand as soon as he willed it too. He loved his shiki quite dearly, but knew he wouldn't get a chance to use it as often as he would like. He had no doubt that if he went around town with this hulking cleaver, people would be more likely to assume he was chop happy villain then a hero.
But the best was yet to come. With a thought, Zangetsu shifted before his eyes. The sword with which he had protected so many shifted through every form it had had: Shiki, Banki, the fullbringer version, and even the serrated blade that he had summoned after he'd gotten his powers back to fight Ginjo. Each blade, while all being Zangetsu, were all different in their own way. Some were better for speed, others for defense, and some for straight up combat. And every time his sword changed, so did his clothes (Old Man Zangetsu had explained it was because the blade and his robe/armor were spiritually linked, and could not be changed separately). He'd have to think strategically which blade he wanted to use each time he fought (something his Hollow assured him he'd be lousy at… damn Hollow).
Ichigo looked up in the mirror, not even flinching when he saw his ghastly visage. The Hollow Mask that encompassed his face was not the one he had mastered as a Vizard. Instead, it was the Mask that he had called into being after Ulquiorra had technically killed him. The two horns still sharp as spear points, and the Hollow assured him could be used to gore someone if necessary. Or hold them long enough to blast a Cero through their flesh (his inner Hollow had never mellowed out and gotten less violent, despite his fondest wishes for the opposite).
Of course, once he had decided to become a hero, and had trained his powers until they were sufficiently back in working order, he'd found himself stuck. He didn't know anything about patrolling or how to find a crime in progress. He'd always relied on his ability to sense spiritual pressure to point him in the direction of the ass he needed to kick. But here, where apparently no one had spiritual pressure for him to sense, he had been stuck gliding around the city, looking for crime to stop. You'd think that in a place like New York, that shouldn't be very hard!
But fate has a funny way of operating. Sometimes the situation just falls right into your lap…
Flashback: Fourth Month After Arrival
Ichigo sighed as he crossed the street, heading towards the Bank. He needed to cash his paycheck (which for convenience was made out to Cash), pay his bills, buy this weeks groceries, then see if he could get some training done before 'patrol' (which really just consisted of him flying over New York at high speeds, looking for someone to beat up or save). Training wasn't so bad, as long as he kept his normal senses open so he could hear if someone approached his position. He had been using abandoned sewer tunnels, and decrepitate warehouses as his training ground so far (which there was a shocking number of).
But just as Ichigo neared the bank, he heard the sound of gunfire, and the screams of people. People around him screamed and ran, few stopping to think of calling the police. From his position he could make out several armed thugs, wearing ski masks, robbing the bank.
In a burst of speed, Ichigo was in an alley to the side of the building. In a burst of black fire, Ichigo assumed his disguise. It wasn't much different from what he used to wear in bankai mode, but now with his horned mask to cover his face. He figured to deal with these basic armed thugs, he'd just use his bankai blade, incase he needed the speed to save the hostage.
Focusing his spiritual energy, Ichigo released a powerful Getsuga Tenshou on the wall before him, completely destroying it and causing his body to be obscured by a cloud of smoke and rubble. He could hear the robbers shouting in alarm, along with the people inside.
A single step turned into a flash step, and Ichigo was right beside one of the crooks. He grabbed the man by the back of the head, and slammed it against the plexiglass next to him. The glass, along with the man's nose, cracked. As the man's hands flew to his face, Ichigo punched the man in the sternum, resisting the urge to use his full strength and simply tear the man's heart out. The man gasped, and Ichigo finished it by throwing him through the plexiglass, where he continued to fly until he collided with one of his accomplices.
One of the thugs tried to open fire with what looked to be an assault riffle. Ichigo was behind him in an instant, a kick to the back of the leg bringing him to one knee. He wrapped his arm around the man's head and used his other arm to point the gun at the ceiling, the bullets not striking anyone. Eventually lack of oxygen caused the man to pass out, and Ichigo let go before he killed the man.
"Stop right there or the bitch dies!" another nameless thug says behind him, Ichigo turning to see a handgun pointed at himself, while a middle aged woman was held close to the robber's chest, knife at her throat.
Ichigo turned, allowing his full visage to be seen by everyone in the room. There were only four robbers left to deal with, and Ichigo could hear the sound of sirens on their way. One of the tellers must have managed to trip the silent alarm before the thieves rounded them up. Good.
"What the hell are you!" the man with the hostage asked, his voice shaking as he took in the sight before him. A tall, thin yet muscular man, dressed in black robes and a white cord-like belt. That was the most normal part of him. In his hand he held a long thin looking sword, like something he'd seen out of the karate movies as a kid. It was solid black, and he could swear flames were flickering across the edge of the blade. But it was the face… the face was the stuff of nightmares: It was like a horrifying skeleton. A grin that would have made the clown from Gotham proud stretched across its visage. From the crown of the had down to the cheeks were blood red marks. Then, on either side of the head, thick horns, like some devil from the bowls of hell, curled thick horns that ended in spear-like points.
The… thing took a step forward, the chain that he hadn't noticed before on the end of its sword clinked, sending a shiver of fear up his spine. He stopped the shaking of his as he kept the gun trained on the beast. "I said stay where you are!" he cried, pressing the knife against the woman's throat. He could feel her heart beating fast against his chest, beating in time with his own fear. Hers' was fear of dying at his hand. His was fear of dying at the creature's.
The creature seemed to tilt its head as it looked at him, and the thief watched as his fellow robbers trained their guns on him, though none of them fired off a shot for fear of either hitting each other or provoking the monster. The thing seemed to lean forward slightly, then it was gone in a blur.
Before he could shout in alarm, something grabbed his wrist while something else sliced across his back. The pain he felt was excruciating, as though something had pierced him to the very core of his being. It was too much for him, and his eyes rolled back into his head as he passed out.
Ichigo raised an eyebrow as the man keeled over. He looked down at Zangetsu, the black energy flickering like a fire. He had never hit a living human with his blade before. He wasn't even sure he could, it being a weapon of a spiritual being and all. However, it looked like the weapon could easily effect the body of a mortal man.
"Not only that, Ichigo, but the wound inflicted was two-fold" Zangetsu's voice rang out as the world slowed down, and the colors muted to grays as the two conversed in Ichigo's head.
"What do you mean?" Ichigo thought, not needing to say anything aloud now.
"While my sword form may inflict physical wounds, it is still, at its heart, a weapon of the soul. Thus, the wound dealt to this man was, as I said two-fold. One to his physical body, and one to his soul."
"Damn. That sounds painful. It's not fatal is it?" Ichigo asked. He only wanted to hurt the man a little for endangering innocent lives. He didn't want to kill him. From his research, heros tended not to kill on this world. He only wanted to kill if absolutely necessary.
"The wound to his soul is only as lethal as it is to the body. This man will live, but you have dealt him a serious pain he will carry for sometime." Zangetsu said seriously.
Ichigo nodded as the world returned to normal. Two of the remaining three looked on as their pal collapsed, and raised their guns to fire. Ichigo knew that if they did, there was no way he'd be able to protect all the hostages. So, with a thought and a flick of the wrist, he unleashed a wide Getsuga Tenshou towards the two.
They could only stare open mouthed for a second before they remembered to fire. But by then it was too late. The black and red energy knocked their guns aside like toys, throwing them high into the air, and threw the two thieves back into the wall with a thud. They slid to the floor in a heap.
That left only one thug to deal with.
Said thug was really starting to panic. It was suppose to be easy! They had had it all planned out! But they had never expected a… a… monster to show up and beat the shit out of them! A monster who could apparently move faster then they could see and was brutally vicious.
Stanley (the only thug left) had never been one much for guns. He could never fire one properly to save his life. No, in this team of robbers, his job had been far more… destructive. He had built the bomb that was meant to blow the vault door. And given the thickness of your standard bank vault, the bomb was sure to deliver one heck of a blast, and would most likely be fatal if you got caught in the blast.
So the way Stanley figured it, this monster clearly fancied itself a hero, and would want to protect the hostages. So maybe he could distract it, and then make his getaway.
"Get back! I've got a bomb!" he screamed, making the monster halt its advance. Seeing it stop, he gave a shaky smirk "If you care about these hostages, you'd better get them out of here; cause this thing is gonna go off in" he pressed the timer start button "forty five second!" he said, tossing the bomb at the creature before making a break for it.
With a single flash step, Ichigo caught the bomb, and a second took him in front of Stanley. Seeing Ichigo suddenly appear in front of him made Stanley want to piss himself. "No… wait, please don't hurt me!" Stanley pleaded. Ichigo responded with a punch to the face, which laid poor Stan flat.
That left the bomb problem. Now, Ichigo could admit he knew nothing about bombs, or how to stop them. And since there wasn't enough time for someone more experienced to get there, he'd have to put the bomb somewhere it couldn't hurt anyone.
A flash step put him outside the bank, and thirty seven seconds to go. Looking up, he took off into the sky, rising higher and higher above the buildings. When he thought he was high enough, he tossed the bomb away from him even higher, and followed it with a Getsuga Tenshou.
The black energy collided with the bomb, detonating it, but thankfully it was high enough that the explosion didn't harm anyone.
He quickly flew back towards the bank, both to make sure the people were okay, and to make sure none of the crooks had regained consciousness and somehow managed to get away.
Apparently the explosion in the sky was enough to get plenty of attention, and he could already hear sirens closing in. He could hear people crying out when they saw him, his monstrous masked visage getting a plethora of reactions. Some called for him to stand down, others asked what his name was. He ignored both in favor of his task. Casting an eye over the hostages, he could see that despite being shook up over the experience, they didn't appear to be in any serious harm. That done, he calmly walked out of the bank, ignored the officers pointing guns at him, and flash stepped away, leaving behind a stunned crowd.
Not bad for a first day's work.
Flashback End:
The bank heist was quite a way to start a career, and the news had been all over it. Apparently superheroes were like celebrities in this world. But unlike Don Kanonji, the heroes here could pull off their claims.
The general consensus was that his appearance in the city was a good thing. Some people argued that his methods were violent, and that he wasn't the type of person they should be idolizing as a hero. However, they were quickly shouted down by all the supporters, especially the people he'd saved.
They were, however, having trouble coming up with a name for him. That was something Ichigo had found strange, as he had never needed to hide his identity from anyone before. It was kind of like when he had hid his spiritual powers from his family, but on a much larger scale. He had considered calling himself Zangetsu, in honor of his Zanpakuto, but he doubted anyone would get that.
Well, since he hadn't left the people he'd saved a name, they had taken it upon themselves to do the deed for him. Seemed people wanted to put a name to the face of the hero that saved them. Right now two names were very popular: One was the Reaper, in regards to his appearance, and the way the criminals described the feeling his spiritual pressure made them feel. The other was The Guardian, coined by the woman he had saved from having her throat cut. She said that when he had wrapped her in his arms, she had never doubted for a moment she was safe. She had said he was like a guardian angel, and the name stuck. Well, except for the angel part, that was quickly dropped after a while.
Since then he had gotten a lot better at patrolling. It had taken him five months, but he had trained his spiritual pressure to sense the intent of mortal humans, allowing him to pick out hot spots of danger. It wasn't perfect, as in a city as large as New York, there was plenty of negativity to go around; especially in high crime areas. These were the parts of the city he tended to spend his time in, as the odds were pretty good he would find someone in need of his help.
Sadly, one harsh lesson he had learned was one all heros had to learn sooner or later: You can't save everyone. He couldn't hope to be everywhere at once, and no matter how much he did, there would always be more. Sometimes, he just wasn't quick enough. When he had first been training his senses, he often came upon the scene of the crime after the worst had happened. When that happened, he was thankful for the size of his mask, as if often hid the tears he shed for the victims he could not help.
And that brought him to where he was today. There had been a string of arsons in the neighborhood he frequented, and he had been beating himself up over not being able to catch the scumbag who was behind it. Many people had been left injured or dead, and those that hadn't had still been left homeless.
But tonight would be his night. Ichigo looked over his shoulder, noting that the rain had stopped. Good, he never cared much for the rain. Looking in the mirror, he saw his human face gazing back at him. He would maintain his human form until he got outside, then… Zangetsu appeared in his hand, ready for use. Ichigo smirked; this certainly wasn't what he had been expecting his life would be like a year ago. Which reminded him…
Ichigo walked into his bed room and looked at the corner farthest from the bed. There, on a little stand, were a few candles and some flowers. He hadn't had any pictures on him when he came through the gate, so this was the best he could do. Every night, before he went out, he stopped for a moment and prayed to his fallen family and friends, hoping that wherever they were, that they were happily looking down on him. He knew it wasn't the perfect life they might have wished for him, but he was doing the best he could.
Ichigo wiped away a tear as he thought of his little sisters. Every day he wished he could have somehow taken them through to the other side with him. But he knew that was impossible… but that didn't make it any less painful. And it was one of the reasons he had to keep soldiering on; for the little girls of this world, so that they might grow up and live the lives his sisters now never would. Ichigo let out one last shuddering breath before standing, and wiping a stray tear off his face.
He was ready now.
As he left the apartment, he made sure to turn off the TV behind him. The TV had been on mute anyway, which was surprising given the story. Guess he'd just been to busy thinking. Apparently this world had a way better space program then his had; because a bunch of astronauts had just left Earth. And not for the moon either! No, these guys were heading to the Red Planet. They were off to explore Mars….
End of Chapter 1
Well there you have it! This chapter filled in the major points of Ichigo's life between his arrival and when he'll join the League. As the last paragraph should tell you, the events of Episode One are right around the corner. So expect Ichigo to be fighting some white martians come next chapter. He'll also be meeting his future teammates, and a whole bunch of other stuff. But you guys get why I had to make this chapter right? Wouldn't it have been weird if I had just made the next chapter where he joins the League, without explaining all of this? It'd be weird wouldn't it! Now, it's not an exact recount of every moment, and I will have flashbacks if I think I need to fill something in. But for now, I think this is good. Ichigo has a house, a city, an alternate identity, and a clear grasp on what he wants to do with his life.
Now, why New York: One, I'm lazy and I didn't want to think up a brand new city. Two, I thought a city with some instant name value would be good, as opposed to some no name town in the middle of nowhere at some point in the US. Also, as a major city, bad stuff is as likely to hit it as it is Gotham or Metropolis. You notice I didn't name many New York landmarks outside of Central Park... that would be because I do not live in New York, and am not intimately familiar with it. Trust me, not a big deal.
His Hero Name: Amongst the good guys, he'll mostly be called the Guardian. It's a play on his name, and way better then calling him Strawberry. Would you look up to a hero called Strawberry? I didn't think so. Now, people familiar with his rather aggressive nature may call him the Reaper. It's fits, it's frightening, it works. Ichigo didn't pick it himself, so it's subject to the public he protects.
Ichigo's Sword: Okay, I cheated here. I used the temporal havoc played on him in the last chapter to allow this. Ichigo can use any sword he's had from the start of the series to this point. But for the reasons mentioned in chapter, he won't be using the Shiki much, unless he's facing a weak monster; never a human opponent. He'll mostly stick to Bankai and the Fullbringer sword. His outfit will also change to reflect this. When he uses Bankai, he has the Bankai robes and the glove thing... when it's the Fullbringer sword, it's the weird bone armor. I copped out because I like both outfits, and I think both would work for different things. As it said in the chapter, a wound dealt by the sword inflicts a wound to both the body and soul (which is extremely painful).
Ichigo's Mask: This appears whenever he uses his powers. It is the horned mask. He cannot use the two powers individually.
And that's about it. Yes Ichigo was kind of mopey this chapter, but give the guy a break, he just lost his whole family. I assure he won't be this way in every chapter. Alright, that should do it. I hoped you all liked it, and I hope you'll all stick around for the next chapter. If you did like it, please leave a review (as always, no flames).
Join us next time when we enter into the territory of Justice League; Episode One: Secret Origins. Or as I like to call it:
Ichigo and the Martian Invasion.
