A/N: WARNING! Spoilers for the last manga arc aka 1000-year Blood War!
Thanks for the reviews! Oh, and I edited the previous chapter slightly, nothing big, just a couple of words.
Isame Kuroda: I know how the pairing you don't like can ruin the fanfic, so no, no shipping in my story. Well, maybe mentions of past canon pairings (like Kaien/Miyako) but nothing else. I prefer everyone as friends/family anyway.
LunaBianca: Ah, I apologise. I sometimes assume that everything I know the other people know as well. To warn you in advance, there will be mentions of Zanpakuto Rebellion arc and the story is tied to Hell Chapter movie (those were the only ones I've actually seen). But since it is an AU of quite a lot of canon plot points, I was going to put a lot of explanations anyway. Can't explain everything at once since it would kinda kill the mystery, but if something bothers you, feel free to point it out and I'll try to elaborate in later chapters.
CelestialxXxAngel: For the main characters it's after the Quincy arc, for everyone else... well, the story does have 'time travel' in its name.
Tahaku: Sorry, no pairings here, but if you want IchiHime, I'm writing a oneshot now, and its kinda turning out this way. I think, I'll finish it soon enough.
Now, onwards to the story! And 'Bleach' does not belong to me, if it was, some of the characters I liked wouldn't have been killed.
Chapter 2: Talking to the Voices in Your Head
Each burst of Sonido caused a painful stab of headache, and Ichigo glowered jealously at Ishida and his floating platform of reishi. He briefly toyed with the idea of using a similar method of transportation, but he had always sucked at reishi manipulation-
'Or Quincy powers in general,' Tensa oh-so-helpfully added from within his mind.
-And considering that right now he couldn't even seal his Resurreccion, it was better to stick with tried and true flash step. …Maybe he should try to power down first? Perhaps without horns his head would feel less heavy…
'When did you become such a pansy, King?' the annoying voice of his Hollow snickered.
'Somebody, please, shut him up!' Ichigo growled fighting the urge to descend into his Inner World and throw a couple of Ceros at the albino. 'I'm so not in the mood for your comments right now, Tensa!'
'Jeez, what's your problem?' the Hollow grumbled then yelped, 'Hey, lemme go!'
'Ichigo asked to shut you up,' a sly voice of his Zanpakuto commented.
'Like hell you will!' he snarled back.
At the following sounds of a scuffle and things breaking Kurosaki growled, 'Don't you dare destroy anything there! I don't need any more of a headache!'
He was answered with the sound of swords clashing, glass breaking, and the whine of a charging Cero. However, the fight quickly ended with twin yelps of surprise and vehement cursing from the Hollow. Curious as to what – and how – could stop the avatars of his Shinigami and Hollow powers – though he had his suspicions – Ichigo concentrated and felt the time slow down before it stopped completely. With practiced ease he stepped into his Inner World and glanced around.
The destruction that greeted him inside his mindscape was an unwelcome sight though the one Ichigo was expecting. Unexpected was the state the spirits of his Zanpakuto and Hollow were in. Both were pinned to the side of the building with glowing arrows that pierced through their white clothing. The trapped spirits were glaring daggers at Zangetsu but the unflappable Quincy was not affected in the slightest though he had yet to lower his bow.
Ichigo shook his head at the scene and thanked the dark man for stopping the two before addressing them with a scowl, "The hell is wrong with you?"
"Too many things to count," the Zanpakuto said dryly with a look at the Hollow.
"Pot, ever looked in the mirror?" he snapped back.
Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose. "Honestly, I expected this from Tensa…" The albino rolled his eyes. "…But you? Why the hell are you fighting when our mindscape is already half-destroyed?!"
The Zanpakuto spirit nearly said something like 'He started it!' but bit his tongue realizing how lame of a comeback it was. Instead he tried to look as composed as usual – not an easy task considering the circumstances – and replied in a measured tone, "It is quite possible that the damage done to our mind is affecting my judgment…"
The Hollow's cough sounded suspiciously like 'bullshit'.
"…And it is impossible to exist in such close proximity to Tensa without at least trying to punch him," he finished with a smirk.
Ichigo burst into laughter, and even Zangetsu was hiding a smile. The Hollow groaned at their reaction, "Feeling the love already."
With a smirk the embodiment of Ichigo's Quincy powers let his bow and arrows dissipate thus freeing the two spirits. The Zanpakuto dusted his clothes off then hid his long-nailed hands in his pockets assuming his usual stance that practically oozed with arrogance. The Hollow scowled at him and sat cross-legged on the ground throwing stray locks of his waist-length hair behind his back.
Ichigo shook his head at the antics of his companions, the previous irritation all but forgotten, but frowned at the destruction surrounding them. Under his gaze the broken glass and metal moved by itself, repairing the side of a skyscraper his inner spirits had damaged until it was as good as new. It was a natural process and one he was quite accustomed to, considering how often the fights broke out. Quite worrying though was the fact that the damage caused by the mysterious event had yet to be restored.
Jumping to stand high in the air, Ichigo took a better look at his mindscape. As usual, upon entering his Inner World he landed right in the middle of it. Turning his back to the urban landscape that was unquestionably his, the orange-haired young man looked at the three quarters of his mindscape that belonged to the other residents of his soul.
To his right the buildings gave way to trees, the lush green forest where Zangetsu preferred to dwell stretching on to the horizon. To his left were the white desert sands and crystal trees similar to those outside his body. The Hollow had always liked the simple landscape of Hueco Mundo. Right in front of him the calm blue ocean stretched out with broken columns his Zanpakuto liked rising from the water.
However those parts were damaged as well. Long gashes carved into the desert dunes had yet to fill with sand, many of the trees in the forest were broken as if after the storm, and the ocean was impossibly shallow, the low-tide exposing the floor.
Ichigo shook his head. He'd seen far worse destruction after their training fights, so why was it refusing to heal…?
The smooth voice of his Zanpakuto interrupted his thoughts, "The damage was done on a much deeper level. What you see here are the symptoms, not the disease."
"Can you repair it?"
"While my abilities include manipulation of the mind, it is preferable to let it heal on its own. My invasion of your memories may prove to be detrimental."
"Our memories," Ichigo corrected testily but slumped in defeat. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to wait." This strange amnesia was getting on his nerves and frankly he was beginning to worry. He knew how powerful they were, so what in the world could do such a number on them?
Shoving those thoughts away as he remembered his other problem, Kurosaki vanished in a blur of Shunpo reappearing beside his bleached white reflection. "Oi, Tensa, get rid of our Resurreccion."
The Hollow smirked, "And you can't do this yourself why exactly?"
"You know damn well why!" Ichigo snarled.
The usual grin widened. "Pansy. Can't even deal with a little headache, ne, King?" Tensa ducked the punch thrown his way and let out a theatrical sigh. "Well, since you ask so nicely…"
Ichigo felt the flow of Hollow energy lessen considerably as Tensa retracted his powers. He knew that the moment he returned to his body, the Resurreccion would crumble. With a nod of thanks to the albino, he glanced around. Something else was missing…
As his gaze fell on the shadow of a building, Ichigo nearly jumped. "What about him?"
"Still asleep," Zangetsu replied from his usual perch on a flagpole.
The young hybrid sighed in relief but frowned immediately running one hand through his long orange hair. How in the world could he forget about the newest resident of his soul…? As he paid his surroundings a little more attention, he could see the shadows that had nothing to do with any source of light. The tendrils of darkness crept across the streets, wound around the trees both normal and those made of stone alike, and sank into the water stretching over the ocean floor.
Reaching to the nearest shadow, Ichigo let his fingers brush the darkness. The power hidden within it felt sluggish, unlike the strong currents his Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy aspects carried. Of course, it was no surprise that the avatar of his Demonic powers was deep in slumber. Wait, why exactly was it so…?
With dawning horror Ichigo realized that he had no idea whatsoever why his Demonic self was so exhausted. He couldn't even remember how he got those powers in the first place! A quick question to his companions confirmed that they had no idea either. With a deep frown Ichigo pressed his hand to the inky blackness. He was sure that the memory loss was somehow connected to his Demonic powers and, by extension, to Hell but…
/"Scream for me, little boy," the female voice giggled. "I want everyone to hear what happens to those who dare to oppose me."/
What. The fuck. Was that?
With wide eyes Ichigo jerked back, almost stumbling, but the shadows clung to his skin carrying the disjointed memories within.
/The light burned through his skin, and her smile turned sadistic at the sight of his exposed bones./
Who was that woman?
/"Isn't it so very fitting for the Goddess of light to destroy the Demons of darkness?"/
Goddess..?
/"I am the Sun, little boy, the Sun of the damned, and this entire world is mine!"/
A kick to the back sent him tumbling, but at least it stopped the disgusting voice. Drawing sharp breaths Ichigo tried to calm down and raised his head looking at the concerned faces of his companions.
"Feeling better, King?" Tensa, the one to shake him out of the strange trance, had asked.
"No," he rasped. "Who was she?"
The three spirits had free access to his thoughts as usual, but the voice and the smile of the mystery woman – /enemy, enemy, she was a monster wrapped in sunlight/ – were not familiar to them. It seemed that the only one who held the memories was the avatar of his Demonic powers… who was also very inconveniently asleep.
Ichigo gritted his teeth and reached into the darkness again. He needed those memories…!
/The skeletal monsters moved through the buildings like ghosts they definitely weren't./
Kushanada, Hell's Will, the sentinels and guardians of Hell dimension. The knowledge was dry and empty. He couldn't remember where he got it, how he learned about…
/The orange lava coalesced into a familiar figure. The man grinned, "Told you, we just get reborn again and again."/
The souls too evil for Soul Society were sent to Hell where they would suffer for eternity. Togabito, sinners, trapped in a vicious cycle of death and rebirth, chained to the dimension itself, it would never let them go…
No, not true, not anymore.
/The chains broke, and the startled man looked in wonder at the shadows coalescing at his feet. "…How?"/
Those souls who truly repented for their sins would lose their chains and become Demons. And once they died, the Demons would be reincarnated as humans in the World of the Living. Then why were there only sinners in Hell…?
/"They are here, little boy. Every Demon that stood against me, that is, all of them, is here." With angelic smile that was rotten to the core she patted the large crystal filled with swirling darkness. "And of course, I can't let any more of them to be born, now, can I? The Togabito will stay the way they are now. Why should such a silly thing like 'repentance' give them freedom? No, no, little boy, they are mine now, and I decide what to do with them."/
Who was that woman? The name was just on the tip of his tongue. If only he could remember…
/"I swear, I will stop you!"
"As if you can, little boy! I am the Goddess!"/
What happened…? He had to remember…!
/The crystal shattered under his sword, and the inky shadows pouring out of it threatened to drown him./
Was this how he got the powers of a Demon…?
/"No, you cannot stop me! I am the Goddess of the Sun! You can't destroy my light!"
"If you are the light, then I'll gladly become the darkness to stop you."/
The flow of memories finally ceased, and Ichigo fell to his knees trembling slightly. Damn, was that all? He was left with more questions than answers. Why was he in Hell? Who was the Sun Goddess? Was she the reason for his memories being so screwy?
…Did he manage to defeat her?
The last question was the one he needed to find the answer to the most. The mystery woman was insane. What if she was still out there somewhere….?
"We will find out, Ichigo," the embodiment of his Quincy powers said placing a hand on his shoulder. With a sigh Ichigo wrapped the dark cloak fluttering on nonexistent wind around himself and pressed his back to the old man's legs. He stayed like this for several minutes trying to put his rampant emotions under control. Finally the young hybrid rose to his feet sending a feeling of gratitude to Zangetsu and turned to the other two spirits standing nearby.
"I will start the search immediately," his Zanpakuto assured. "However, I must warn you that you might experience flashbacks of any memory I touch. Also, you have to refrain from calling upon my powers as it might hinder my work."
Ichigo nodded, "Sure. We are in Hueco Mundo anyway. It's easier to rely on Hollow abilities here."
Tensa looked at him with seriousness, the usual smirk gone, "My power is yours, partner, you know it."
With a slight smile he nodded, "I know."
Without further ado Ichigo stepped back into his body and shook his head getting the dissolving pieces of his mask out of his annoyingly long orange mane. At first he tried to cut off his hair to the more manageable length, but every time he entered Resurreccion it always grew back, so later he just stopped caring and got used to it. Unfortunately, he had much bigger problems now than his untamable hair.
"Ishida. What do you know about Hell and Sun Goddess?"
A/N: Wow, another chapter so soon? If this is the result of my flu, I should get ill more often. Though I'm kinda surprised at what this fic is turning into. It was supposed to be a silly three or four chapters long story (I had the ending written and all) but it's becoming serious. And long. Oh, the horror! I hope I won't run out of inspiration before I finish it though.
I wanted to give everyone a piece of the chapter like in a previous one, but Ichigo just had to go and hog all the spotlight. At least I managed to cram some plot here. Oh, well. And I'm keeping Zanpakuto's name secret for now, though it's kinda obvious who he is.
The mystery woman is an OC but she is evil and will be killed with extreme prejudice, so don't worry about her becoming a Sue.
Till next time!
