Chapter 2.
Hogyoku headache
"Ichigo...where ARE you?" Yoruichi bemoans softly as she mopes around the roof of a sushi restaurant. "Hmmmng...I have a good idea WHERE he is...but I just cant FIND him..." "Meow!" The cat turns to the sound of the meow, and finds one of her 'minions'. "Hm? Who am I looking for?" She sit up and curls her tail around and lightly pokes her chin.
"Well, he's about six foot two a solid two hundred pounds.." A faint blush mark appears as she starts to fantasize. "Row!" Yoruichi yips slightly. "Oh, sorry. Orange hair and brown eyes." She turns to the orange and black tabby. "Sound familiar?"
"Mereow! MEOW!" Yoruichi takes a slight step back. "What? What are you talking about?" The tabby stomps its paw. "Mew meow reeow mrew!" "A red skinned she demon?" The tabby nods. "Meow mow merewow!" "...A FISH man?" Yoruichi holds up her paw. "Ok, ok, just tell me where you usually see them."
(Line break)
A black and silver garbage truck with NYC. Sanitation emblazoned on the side calmly drives through the city streets, inside said truck five people sit in awkward silence remembering the revelation relieved earlier. (Flashback) Professor Bruttenholm looks to Ichigo with slight trepidation. "Unfortunately I believe you may be right Ichigo."
"Wait a minute! What the HELL is the Soul society?" The professor turns to his adopted daughter and sighs slightly. "You are all aware that there are multiple levels in the afterlife, correct?" They each nod in agreement. "And each level assumes that THEY are the one true Heaven, or Hell." The professor nods in agreement at Abe's statement.
"Yes, and as we all know, TRUE Heaven cannot be reached by any mortal, or immortal means." Liz raises her hand. "But professor, what does this have to do with Ichigo?" Ichigo turns and gives Liz and the others a grim look. "I believe it's time to explain what happened to me eight years ago, and why I have this." He reaches into his shirt and pulls out a small purple hexagonal shaped orb with a strange cloudy center tied to a chain around his neck.
"Uh...Carrot boy, I've seen yer good luck charm before." Ichigo chuckles slightly at Hellgirls monotone remark. "This isn't a good luck charm Red, it's the reason my friends and family are dead." Ichigo starts to weave his tale, mostly follows cannon, except for the greater friendship with Renji, whom was dating Rukia.
His relationship with Yoruichi, and how she started as a teasing and annoying mentor, but slowly their relationship grew to love. The biggest change from cannon was the final battle.
"The pillars that protected Karakura from the war where faulty, and the excess retsu leaked...killing my sisters." Each of his friends took a look of shock and horror at the news, Even Johann placed his head in his hands muttering softly about the horror of war. "Ich-Ichigo..." Tears welling in her golden eyes, Hellgirl hesitantly reaches towards Ichigo.
"One by one my friends fell to the Arrancar that stayed loyal to Aizen." (Grimjow survived their battle and joined the shinigami, Harribel was unintentionally saved by Ichigo, as her attack coincided with Ichigo's response to Renji's murder.)
Ichigo runs his hands threw his hair. "At the time however, as I struck the killing blow to Aizen." He holds up the Hogyoku again. "THIS little monster attached itself to me." Abe cocks his head slightly. "Forgive the intrusion Ichigo, but how could an inanimate object 'attach' itself to you?"
Ichigo looks to the professor. "Go ahead son, tell them." He turns back to the group. "As I explained with Zanpakuto's, this too is sentient. The hogyoku needs a host to survive, and truthfully I'm GLAD it chose me." The group looks confused again. "After the war the Hogyoku kept me off the shinigami's radar as it slowly recharged my retsu, along with working on my control, the reason I was not reunited with Zangetsu though, was because the final getsuga killed him."
"As the years passed, I grew more suspicious of my father's role in the war and how suddenly Yoruichi and my few surviving 'friends' from the Soul Society seemingly refused to visit me. In my sleep, the hogyoku would show me things, the REAL story of it's creation and how Urahara purposely put it into Rukia's gigai." He looks to the floor griping his hands. "The sincher was when I met a man named Ginjo Kugo who offered to 'Help' me regain my powers.
"I pretended to believe his obvious lie and followed him. As I met the monsters in human skin who called themselves 'Fullbringers' the changes that the hogyoku made in me came to surface." "Unt ju could read their plans like an open book, Ja?" Ichigo nods to Johann. "He was another Aizen, just ONE MORE example of how the arrogance of the soul reapers let a monster roam free."
"In my anger I killed most of them by firing a Gran Ray Cero point blank with the combined power of about fourteen Vasto Lorde Hollow." Ichigo grins fiercely and gives a dark chuckle. "I sure surprised Ginjo, little coward had to call his trump card Tsukashima." Hellgirl bounces in her seat slightly, and grinning like a mad woman interrupts Ichigo. "Is this when the reapers appeared?"
Ichigo nods. "They had assumed that I would require their 'help' in defeating Ginjo so they appeared in the 'Nick of Time' to offer assistance. Assuming the powers I used where fullbring, and that Ginjo had already consumed them, they arrived to return me to the fold." Ichigo leans back and looks to the ceiling. "Real pretty scene to, me standing there in the Rain, and Yoruichi appears behind me stabbing me in the chest with a retsu sword they created to 'help me'."
"The hogyoku quickly informed me of how tainted it was after absorbing it and cleansing the MULTIPLE amounts of control kido's they laced into the sword. Instead of being the happy little solider they wanted, I was an enraged monster with the power of a god in my system. I obliterated Ginjo and Tsukashima after launching a flabbergasted Yoruichi into the building across the street with a palm strike."
"Musta been one HELL of a palm strike..." Ichigo chuckles at Hellgirls muttering. "I thought of turning on the Shinigami then and there, but instead I teleported out of the prefecture to a safe house I put together in Tokyo. After laying low for a while, I hopped onto a plane for the states, and...the rest is history."
"But Ichigo, what about your Zanpakuto? Where is it?" Hellgirl nods in agreement at Liz's remark. "Did ya get a new one?" Ichigo just chuckles slightly, but it's Abe that responds to the girls question. "He has had his Zanpakuto the whole time, infact you two have seen it multiple times." He points to Liz. "You have seen it when you clean his quarters, or put him to bed after he collapsed training to hard." He points to Hellgirl with a small smile. "And YOU have seen it when he found you in his room looking for the 'comic book' he borrowed from you." Hellgirl meeps in alarm as Ichigo chuckles.
"I still don't know why you would think I put my comix in my underwear drawer." Hellgirl's face turns from it's normal cherry red to a deep maroon as she slumps in her seat. "The Hogyoku noticed something about Zabimaru, and decided to lace it to my soul, effectively replacing Zangetsu as my blade."
"And sa reason ju never use it...is because it was his..." Ichigo nods in conformation to Johann's realization. "It hurts to even look at it...but there are just as many good memories as there are bad." Hellgirl stands up with a jolt. "THAT DOES IT!" She grasps Ichigo by his shirt and hauls him to his feet. "Ich-Ichigo...I know she hurt you, but, but love...love isn't somethings you should close yourself off from.." She looks up to Ichigo, her molten gold eyes shining with true and unconfused emotion.
"I...I...I l-l-l-l-l-lo-lo-" As poor Hellgirl struggles through her confession, memories of Yoruichi flash in his minds eye. 'No my master, not this one, she would rather die a thousand deaths then betray you. Accept her...please..' The fog of anger and regret fades from his mind as he looks upon Hellgirl for what she really is, a fragile young girl confessing her true and total devotion to her one true love.
Ichigo smiles softly and lays a gentle hand on her shoulder, "I'm so sorry Red, I should have noticed long ago." He leans down and and gently kisses her feather soft black lips. Hellgirl almost melts into Ichigo's arms as one of her biggest dreams have come true. "Geez Red, with how much your tails wagging, you'd think you where part puppy."
As the rest of the group laughs at her and Ichigo's expense, Ichigo pulls away with a smile. "I love you too Red." His soft smile turns to a playful grin. "And don't listen to the peanut gallery, I think your tails cute."
(Flash forward)
Hellgirl looks to her new love with a frown. "Ichi, don't worry do much, what ever it is that's causing this." She pauses to flex her arm proudly. "They gotta get through ME first!" This silly little action breaks the tension. "Thanks Red." Leaning closer he kisses her cheek. "Kick some major ass today and...maybe...I'll reward you" Hellgirl's eyes alight at the prospect. "You got yerself a deal babe!"
(Line break)
Standing on a streetlight Yoruichi alights in happiness as she spots the trucks she's been searching for. "THAT'S IT!" With a quick flash Yoruichi lands on the roof with a light paff. "Ichigo, I swear, even if I have to share you, I WILL prove to you I was innocent...and...and that I still love you..."