Chapter two

Memoirs of the wanderers

*Sphere Dancer Karin Kurosaki.*

"At first, it was so weird to be alone. But as time went on, it became a comfort."

You see unlike my father who found comradeship with other Shinigami or my sister who got taken in by a group of survivors, I was left to fend for myself when the demons invaded. There was no time to do anything except run for my life as Karakura Town got overrun dismantled.

I didn't have time to say goodbye to my family and friends. I didn't even have time to grab anything of use except my soccer ball and for the longest time I thought I was doomed to wonder alone, the only remaining member of my family alive.

I ran about doing whatever it took to survive, and my brief experiences with fighting hollows with my soccer ball came in handy whenever I encountered an enemy.

After the great upsurge of the cycle of rebirth, and things began to settle down for the time being, I took to travelling and exploring. It was fascinating, seeing the world as it transformed. It was cool to see the realms blended together. I don't know but this new world felt…right. It felt more natural to me.

I remember when the gathering was called forth. People from all around the planet were implored to come to this gathering. Everyone was requested.

Not everyone went.

I had no interest in such a thing. I had grown too use to my solitude. My lifestyle allowed for complete freedom. It allowed for me to train and travel, experiencing new wonders that my previous life would never have been able to grant. It allowed for my abilities to grow in ways that I never could have produced had I decided to…domesticate myself as my powers began to manifest and evolve. Rejoining a society meant possible returning to a life of routine and false normalcy. What use did I have for things like school and finding a job and other such things? In this new world I knew those things would be useless to me. So I didn't go. I willingly skimped out on the opportunity to be part of something again.

When the demons came again I still didn't join a society. I struck out on my own. My abilities began to manifest in very strange and very powerful ways as I continued to engage the demons. And the more I fought, the stronger I became until it just seemed like I wasn't even trying anymore. Demons began to recognize me, even started calling me by a specialized title that described my fighting style really well. It was so exhilarating and fulfilling, finally being able to do something about the monsters the plagued the world. I wondered if this was how Ichi-nii felt whenever he was fighting.

Of course it wasn't long before I was discovered.

I had never seen another fullbringer before. For a long time I thought I was unique, like my brother in my powers. But when they approached me, bearing so many similar characteristics as I, I couldn't help the feeling of disappointment when they told me what they were and what I apparently was. I did take solace in the fact that I was stronger though. I could feel their spiritual power in comparison to mine and they paled. I'm not a prideful person usually but it was comforting to know that if I was apparently more generic than I wanted to be, I at least was on a different level.

I listened to them as they waxed on and on about their nation, how I as a fullbringer had a destined place amongst the rest of my kind. They also told me that someone of my power would be most effective with the backing of the fullbringer nation. I listened to them as they listed reasons why I should join them, and when they finally paused to await my answer, slightly smug looks on their faces I shrugged and told them, "Nah I'm good."

Like I said, I was too used to being a solitary combatant, and I could already see where my joining these people would lead.

With power hungry, jealous assholes trying to control my life. So I told them no thanks and I left them to their own devices. Well, I would have if the leader of this little recruiting party hadn't opened his mouth.

"Go on then, arrogant bitch. You wouldn't ever amount to your family anyway. It's no wonder lady Yuzu or Lord Isshin never mention you. You must be the shame of the family."

Now, don't get me wrong. This guy's insult, if it could even be called that, was weak as shit. I didn't stop, turn around and smack him upside the face with my ball because of that. No, I did it because of what else he'd said. Oh, he also tried to smack me. Big no no. So I decided it was time to get some info. It took some…convincing but he eventually caught me up on current events. To learn that goat chin was apparently a damn Shinigami and had always been was a shocker. It also pissed me off. But to learn that my sister not only was alive, but had become some kind of hell queen demigoddess leader of the Togabito shocked me completely silent. I needed to see for myself.

I needed to see them again in person.

So I agreed to go to the fullbringer nation temporarily. That was where I also saw Chad again. Holy crap I couldn't believe it! I was happy as hell to see him alive as well. He hadn't changed much at all, except for the 'spirit hair' and his arms being completely covered in bandages, oh and his eyes glowing like flashlights, he was virtually the same. He arranged for me to see my family again, all too happy to help me do so and it wasn't long before I stood before Captain Commander Isshin and Will of Hell Yuzu. It wasn't exactly a tearful reunion but we did spend hours catching up.

Afterwards, I bid Chad, Yuzu and Dad goodbye for now, opting to continue my wanderings. I promised to keep in contact and even promised chad that I'd pop in every once in a while to give pointers to some of the younger fullbringers in training.

*Zanpakuto Guardian Rukia Kuchiki*

When the demons came, it was with a cursed cage designed to hold beings of great power and a burst attack of raw demonic energy. We had been in the midst of fighting Juha'Bach and the rest of the Quincy empire, Ichigo himself had been engaged with the emperor on top of the soul palace when they struck.

I don't know the full details and I can't remember a lot, but I do know that the attack that came caught us all completely flat footed, so flat footed in fact that Neither Inue Orohime nor Abari Renji had any chance to even thing about reacting, and neither did Ichigo or Juha'bach. Renji and Orohime were engulfed in a blast of green energy that looked like a giant laser beam, utterly erasing them from existence in an instant. It was only by luck alone that Chad and I weren't caught in the blast as well, not that it mattered, because not even a second later, their trap sprung to life around Ichigo and Juha'bach, trapping them in a cage which was then abruptly sucked into another dimension. I don't remember much after that. There was a backlash as the demons forcibly ripped their way into our realm. The force of the explosion knocked me unconscious and sent me careening off of the soul king's palace and down to the ground below. When I awoke, it was to the chaos of demonic invasion and the realms thrown together in a mixed chaotic war. Everyone was fighting everyone. There were no sides… Countless lives were lost.

I was swept up in the violence, fighting non-stop for days in a desperate attempt to merely stay alive. As the years went on, and the war with the demons became a priority for the world, I was left alone. I became closed off to the world and everyone in it, so lost in my own issues that I never even had time to properly get over what had happened. I ended up wondering the world, lost and despondent, ruthlessly slaying any demons or anything else really that dared to oppose me.

I didn't even bother to try and listen when the call for the gathering was spread throughout the world. What was the point in joining the Shinigami again? All serving them had ever done for me was bring me pain and loss. No, I would do my own thing from now on.

And for a while that's how it was. I would encounter people here and there, would even aid them in battle if it was needed, but I never hung around. People tried to get to know me, tried to ask questions but I made sure to ignore their inquiries.

Then, about three years after the upsurge, I encountered something that would alter my sense of purpose.

She was lying there in the snow, barely alive, suffering of starvation or something very close to it. I recognized her instantly as one of the Zanpakuto spirits of Oetsu Nimaiya, the harsh one named Mera. I rushed to aid her and to get answers. The tale she told me was one of suffering and death. None of the royal guard had survived. The soul king was slain, and the demons had plagued the world badly enough that the cycle of rebirth had destabilized enough to almost annihilate everything. And she told me of the Zanpakuto that had been left to wither and die after their Shinigami had died.

It was then that I changed. It was then that a new purpose formed inside. So after pushing some of my reishi inside of Mera, restoring her somewhat, I told her to come with me and we would rescue the non-aligned Zanpakuto. We began to traverse the world, gathering of the blades of fallen Shinigami and placing them in a safe haven of my creation way down at the bottom of the world. We encountered numerous blades, many of which were in a similar state of existence as Mera, requiring a steady supply of reishi to continue to exist. Eventually I settled down in my haven, with only Zanpakuto as my company and I made it my mission in life to protect them, to guide them and who knows, perhaps even find them new wielders. Until then, I would provide them what they needed to live, it was taxing, extremely so but eventually it became easy.

I will say this. There is nothing like constantly feeding your reishi into hundreds of living swords to get you to grow stronger. I wouldn't know this of course for a long time until the demons returned to Earth and tried to take my home and the spirits living here.

Later on, I learned of the survivals of several friends such and Chad and Yuzu, I was overjoyed at first, then I was filled with angry despair at myself for acting like a selfish emo all this time. I could have been there, helping but instead I had chosen to isolate myself from the world, wallowing in my own self-pity. It was only the words of Mera, Sode no Shirayuki and several other Zanpakuto that I was able to get over myself. Although I still opted not to join the Shinigami, or any of the other nations that had sprung up, I did make sure to keep in contact with those I considered my friends. It was a simple but pleasing existence.

But I had no idea what was in store for the world still...

*Final Sternritter Bazz-B*

Join the Quincy?

Are you fucking kidding me? Hah! That's a laugh!

Even if I wanted to do something like that it'd never work. I'm a leftover, a remnant of an era that didn't even last that long but had done enough damage to the world during its existence that people remember. It don't matter that I ultimately wanted to kill Juha'Bach in the end, I was still one of his unnatural freaks of nature.

I observed them of course. The Quincy that remained after the demons had been nearly wiped out by the cycle of rebirth. I watched that kid Ishida work to build the Quincy back up into something respectable, out from under the thumb of that asshole emperor, and I watched as he slowly gained his people the acceptance of the other races and the trust back of those he'd betrayed in his goal. It was a noble thing, and I felt a smidgeon of respect for the guy, but I knew I had no place in that new utopia. First of all who the hell builds a kingdom up in the friggin frozen north? No thank you on that bullshit. Second of all, even to this day I get looks of guarded wariness at best. You really think I wanted to surround myself with a bunch of idiots who couldn't get over themselves on a twenty four hour basis? Hell fucking no!

I was rather well respected by the Togabito though so there's that. Yuzu is pretty good ass company.

I didn't need the Quincy. That part of my life was over and done with. Besides I rather like the idea of being a lone wolf, a man who answers only to himself and does whatever the hell he wants.

Unfortunately my wandering also allowed for me to be in the wrong places at the right times and therefore, gave me a front row seat to a couple of things that I would have rather not had to be a part of. First and foremost was the return of Ichigo Kurosaki and fuckin Juha'Bach.

Motherfuckers practically emerged in my damn back yard, lookin all kinds of scary as fuck! And comin from me that's saying something! I had no idea what the two of them had been doing all this time, but when I saw them, especially Kurosaki I practically shat myself. And of course there was no hiding from them. I was still connected to Bach despite the ass reabsorbing his soul fragment from me and almost killing me, and Ichigo seemed to have gained a remarkable sensing ability. So it was me who was forced to tell them the shit they'd missed out on and what was currently going on with the demons and whatnot.

A few months later the Hollows returned.

I bet you can guess where I was when this happened.

I'll say this once so you know how serious I am about this.

Grimmjow pisses me the fuck off. And so does his little queen. Both of them need some sense smacked into them. The Hollows came suddenly, sweeping down upon the burning legion like ravenous beasts, eager for their lives. That was all well and good and everything, but of course the first two hollows I had to encounter after years would be their new leader and his hanger on. Grimmjow called a gathering of leaders, and told them a story of how the Hollows had been in hiding, trying to control the burning desire to feast of demonic souls. On top of that was the desire to attack the world itself and gorge themselves on the potent spirit energy and the people living here. The arrival of Grimmjow himself was what quelled them. Well most of them. The girl who had been in charge at first, a little slip of a thing named Apachi had been barely holding things together, a full on mutiny was brewing. Grimmjow had put an end to that and those who were involved. He then proceeded to spend the next few years whipping his…kind into shape before finally re-emerging to rejoin the world. It was quite the story. And it would have been good, if he hadn't spotted me and said something about sternritter freaks spying on a meeting of kings.

Yeah…

My first meeting with Grimmjow didn't exactly go well at all. Especially after I singed Apachi's hair and laughed about it.

*Kaizo Konpaku*

Yeah yeah I know what you're thinking.

How the hell did this idiot survive all this bullshit!?

Well screw you!

Just because I act the way I do does not mean that I forgot what I was created for. And occupying the human body of Ichigo made things easier. I'm a mod soul…well I used to be until all of this other craziness went down. I was built to fight. I know how to do so. When the demons came and flooded the world I was forced to do what needed to be done. I was keeping watch on Ichigo's body when it started, was taking care of it while he was off in the spirit real fighting gods and monsters, so I was damn lucky when they came. Ichigo's sisters were forced off in different directions and I myself was pinned down, caught in the initial struggle for survival as the demons attacked. It took no time for my original programming to kick in and I started using Ichigo's body the way I was supposed to be using it.

By the time I had any reprieve there was no sign of anyone else around. I was lost and scared but I had no choice but to soldier on. For years it went on like this. I started helping those in need and took to traveling in random directions trying to aid in any way I could.

Then the upsurge happened, creating a whole new slew of problems.

Everyone else might comment on how the upsurge provided a reprieve from the burning legion's invasion, and I would be inclined to agree.

However they were so focused on themselves that they didn't pay much attention to the world itself as it changed.

I was right in the middle of it all. I saw firsthand some of the wondrous and terrifying changes the world had gone through.

Especially with the plants and animals.

Much like fullbringers, the animals gained powers, abilities and crazy transformations. Runnin around became a hazard greater than anything in the past. I can't tell you how many times I almost got friggin killed by something that previously was harmless. Jungles were the worst I tell ya!

But you know what?

I came to enjoy it! It was so wonderful to see all of this…life! Call me a hippie or whatever but it truly warmed my heart to see such flourishing wilds. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't suddenly become a hermit secluding myself deep in the woods and acing all like some kinds of nature freak or anything, but I was more and more reluctant to venture into cities. It didn't help that I was still wearing Ichigo's face. More than once have I run into someone who knows him and it gets old after a while explaining to them who and what I am. So I kept to myself.

There is one thing though.

I was there when the humans returned to the battle. I was asleep at the time when a startling presence suddenly snapped me awake.

"Hey…Ichigo,"

It was Tatsuki. I remember her from back in the day. She was so different now though. It was crazy to see her…

But to see that kid, Keigo standing beside her utterly blew me away. He was a far cry from that goofy slightly idiotic boy from school, or that spiritually broken young man who tried to lock himself away after his sister and vest friend were killed by demons. Both of them stood before me, hardened veterans who had been past the line of insanity and had clawed their way back.

"We did it."

Tatsuki drew me into a hug before I could say anything, happy tears spilling from her eyes, and though I was so very tempted to sit there and enjoy the feel of her breasts pressed up against my face, I had to let them know.

"Umm, sorry to disappoint you two, but I'm not Ichigo."

Oh man the following explosion and discussion took hours.

AN: Hey yall. Sorry it took so goddman long. It was a bitch and a half to get this typed. Next chapter will be out a lot sooner I promise. We'll finally be getting to the point where the azerothians enter the fray. This version is so different than the original two and that's why it's so difficult to get this typed. I just wanna jump right to introducing the horde and the alliance to the denizens of Earth lol so it's hard to focus of getting the setup built up. This chap is a bit shorter than I'd like but it had to be done. I have plans for the wanders and that's why there was whoel chapter dedicated to them. Tell me what ya thought.

Until next time.