Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin or Bleach

Chapter 3 – That Day

Kaien had seen many things in his life. He had seen both beautiful things and horrendous things. The world that they lived in was made up of the two. The day that his brother had died from the plague and the day where he found his sister-in-law's corpse were the most horrific things that he had seen. However the darkness, that those horrific scenes inflicted, was kept at bay with the beautiful things that he had seen. His beautiful girlfriend and the nights that he made love to her. His adorable little nieces and the pride he had in his nephew. They made it worth living in this tough world.

Right now however, Kaien didn't know whether he was witnessing something beautiful or horrific. Ichigo just seemed to explode with power and he could feel the invisible weight of it trying to crush him. He saw some kind of broken mask form on the left side of his nephew's face and Kaien felt a shiver go down his back at the sound of Ichigo's voice.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!"

Kaien could only watch in awe and fear as Ichigo simply threw the blade that he had picked up straight into the Titan's right eye. The giant screamed out in pain, it was fortunate that this one seemed to have a low tolerance for pain, and then Ichigo sprinted past the Titan. It definitely wasn't Ichigo's natural sprint however as he was running at a pace that Kaien had never seen a human run at before.

Ichigo skidded to where there were two blades lying on the floor and Kaien saw that, once again, Ichigo didn't flinch when he picked up the blades.

Ichigo cackled loudly, "This isn't what I meant when I told you to call for me, King! Still I may as well have some fun!"

Kaien noted the steady blood that was running down both Ichigo's hands now but his concern for Ichigo's injuries didn't last long because Ichigo just performed another marvellous feet. The young boy simply jumped high onto the Titan's back and before the Titan had the chance to try and shrug him off, Ichigo slashed both blades at the weak spot and the Titan fell forward dead. All those times that Kaien had told Ichigo about the Titans and where there weak spot was seemed to have paid off.

Ichigo jumped off the corpse and onto the floor and Kaien saw that he was panting heavily and that he had some of the Titan's blood on his hands. It was a dead give away with the small amount of steam leaking out of his hands.

"Shit..." Kaien head Ichigo mutter, "Sorry King, but your body right now is just too weak to handle this power."

As Kaien tried to contemplate just what Ichigo was talking about, the mask on Ichigo's face broke away, his eyes, that had been yellow, reverted back to their natural hazel colour. Ichigo collapsed onto the ground and Kaien felt the force pressing down on him lift, much to his relief. Kaien gingerly got back to his feet and he trotted over to his unconscious Ichigo as quickly as his body allowed him.

Kaien, with some difficulty, picked up his nephew and he flung him over his shoulder. The rumbling footsteps signalled Kaien that more Titans were approaching and Kaien knew that they must have felt that force generated from Ichigo. As he ran, albeit a lot slower than he normally would due to his injuries, Kaien's thoughts were firmly on his nephew. He had no idea what that power was that he had displayed but all he knew was that a nine year old boy killed a 12 metre sized Titan without the use of the 3D Manoeuvre Gear. Not only was it critical that he got his nephew to safety but Ichigo could be a key to defeating the Titans in the future.

Kaien looked back over his shoulder to see a few 10+ metre Titans converging at Ichigo's house and Kaien knew that he needed to fill up his empty fuel tank. Titans were drawn to large groups of people and that is why the Shiganshina District had been created. It made it easier to man the wall. However they were drawn to the power Ichigo exhibited like they were drawn to large groups of people and Kaien had to wonder if there was a connection between the two.

Fortunately for Kaien, he was able to find a relatively full gas cylinder. The unfortunate thing was that it had to come from a fellow comrade and good friend to him. His name was Dave and Kaien saw that he had been killed from some of the rubble that had been flying in the air from when the huge Titan had kicked the gate it. A large chunk of timber had pierced his neck.

"I'm sorry, my friend." Kaien murmured sadly as he swapped his almost empty cylinder for the full one.

The first thing that he did was to rip up some of the wire from his deceased friend's equipment and he tied Ichigo onto him securely so it would be easier to use his 3DMG. Just when he had finished connecting the new gas cylinder, Kaien heard a loud and fast rumbling noise coming from behind him and he quickly spun around to see a 9 metre Titan charging towards them.

'That must be an Aberrant, damn it!' Kaien swore mentally and he quickly shot into the air thanks to his 3D Manoeuvre Gear and he managed to get on top of a building much larger than the Titan.

'That was close.' Kaien sighed in relief. His relief didn't last long however as suddenly the roof shook fiercely and large cracks began appearing. The building lost all stability and Kaien realised what just happened. The Aberrant was so desperate to get them that it simply ran through the building and it began to fall apart.

Kaien fired his right grapple hook onto the building a few metres away and he propelled himself into the air just as the building crumbled to the ground. He then headed straight towards Wall Maria without any difficulty thanks to the remnants of the building falling on top of the Aberrant which slowed it down immensely.

"You and I are going to have a long talk when this is all over, Ichigo." Kaien murmured as he swung through the air.

Wall Maria Gate

Mikasa had a firm grip on Hannes's right hand as he led them through the Wall Maria Gate and Mikasa glanced to her right where Eren had a strong grip on Hannes's other hand. Eren's eyes were wide and emotionless and Mikasa's would be too if she wasn't so concerned about Ichigo, Akira and Tsukiko. It was because of her worry for them that prevented her from falling into the dark pit of despair from Carla Yeager's tragic death. Mikasa had to admit that she was afraid of how her foster mother's death will affect Eren. She had personal experience on what it can do to someone and so did Ichigo. However Mikasa couldn't find the right word to describe her foster mother's death... seeing her being eaten was the most horrific thing that she had ever seen. This world was cruel... both man and Titan were cruel forces of the world.

Up ahead she could see a large crowd of people all surrounding the edge of the river bank and they were trying to get onto a large ship. Preventing a steamroll of people charging onto the boat was a squadron of Garrison soldiers.

"Hannes!" a familiar voice shouted which caused both Hannes and Mikasa to turn back to see Kaien landed gracefully only a few metres away. Eren didn't react and instead he just kept staring emotionlessly ahead. Mikasa's eyes widened when she saw that Kaien was holding an unconscious Ichigo and fear began to consume her, especially when she noticed the blood dripping down his hands. If Kaien had only brought back Ichigo... did this mean that Akira and Tsukiko had been killed as well? Mikasa didn't think that she could handle it if something had happened to them too and she knew that their deaths would destroy Ichigo completely.

"Kaien?!" Hannes gasped in relief at the sight of his comrade, "Is Ichigo alright?!"

Kaien nodded breathing heavily, "Yeah, he is just unconscious but he needs some medical attention to his hands."

Hannes nodded, "He can get some on the boat."

"What about Akira and Tsukiko?" Mikasa spoke up with unconcealed concern.

"They're fine, I think." Kaien answered her much to her relief. "Hopefully Anka got them here safely."

"We don't have time to talk." Hannes said hastily and he glanced towards the open gate. Any moment now, the Titans might appear at the gate and Hannes wasn't about to let these kids deaths be on his conscience like Carla's. "Let's get the kids onto the boat quickly."

"Can you take Ichigo?" Kaien asked him, "I need to go help any stragglers."

"Are you sure?" Hannes asked him worriedly.

"I don't have a choice." Kaien snapped, "My job is to protect the people inside of these walls from the Titans! If I don't at least try, then I will never be able to look at myself in the mirror again! I've had a nice and lazy job until now... I have to perform my duties!"

Hannes reluctantly nodded; he had to admire the courage of his friend. Courage that he wished that he possessed, then he might have been able to save Carla. "Okay, I'll take him."

Kaien nodded gratefully and he handed his nephew over to Hannes and the blonde haired soldier noticed the wounds on Ichigo's hands. With a close up look, it was easy to tell what had caused those injuries.

"Did Ichigo get these wounds from the blades that we use?" Hannes couldn't help but ask him.

"Yeah... he managed to kill a 12 metre Titan." Kaien informed them solemnly much to everyone's shock. That statement caught Eren's attention and his once emotionless eyes snapped over to Kaien and Ichigo's uncle could easily identify the burning hatred within them. Mikasa was focused more on Ichigo and her mind wandered back to when he had saved her from those robbers. Afterwards Ichigo had insisted that he didn't remember killing two of the men and Mikasa had to assume right now that something similar happened.

"H-he is j-just a kid..." Hannes stuttered in disbelief and he looked at the young boy that he was holding in wonderment.

"I know." Kaien sighed heavily, "That is why you have to make sure that he makes it to safety. If he can kill a Titan at his age, just imagine what he will be like when he is older."

"That's a good point." Hannes acknowledged, "Make sure you come back alive, you got that!"

Kaien nodded with a smirk, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Get going!"

As Hannes dragged them all off towards the boat with Ichigo in his arms, Mikasa glanced back to see Kaien swing up the wall. She really hoped that he came back for Ichigo's sake.

Shiganshina District

Kaien had immediately leapt back into the fray when he swung over Wall Maria and he managed to slice through a couple of smaller Titans. He still couldn't believe that this was happening. Houses were smashed into rubble, there was blood flowing on the ground and the stench of the Titans and the dead bodies was easily the vilest thing that had ever hit Kaien's nose.

He flipped onto the ledge of a building to regain his breath and he scoured the area. Fortunately he couldn't see any Titans heading towards the gate from the flanks and he could hear the sounds of canon fire coming from the gate. No doubt they were being fired at Titans that were heading straight towards the gate.

He took a moment to think of the power that his nephew had unleashed. He wasn't really in a situation where he could think about this clearly but he couldn't get it out of his head. He decided not to tell Hannes about Ichigo's power because he didn't want the higher ups, especially those within Wall Sina, to discover this power. While the Titans needed to be destroyed, especially now that they can breach the Wall, Kaien also knew that humans could be worse than Titans. While the large humanoid monster were deadly and powerful, they were predictable. All they do is devour and kill humans. It was their nature. Most of them anyway, aberrant were strange, after all. Humans on the other hand, weren't so predictable. Some might try to use Ichigo's power for their own purposes or some that will fear his power and try to have Ichigo killed.

Kaien swung around for a few more minutes and he didn't find any more stragglers and so he decided to fall back to Wall Maria. When he approached it hurriedly, he noticed that they were already closing the gate.

'What are they doing? There aren't many Titans that have reached the wall yet? So why are they closing it?' Kaien thought confused.

The answer came immediately when he heard the sound of powerful footsteps and judging by how fast they were going, Kaien assumed that whatever it was, it was sprinting. He shot towards it quickly, flipping over buildings and sliding through alley ways until he came across an unbelievable sight. He landed on the ledge of a building and he saw a large and powerful Titan charging towards the Wall Maria Gate.

Kaien thought that it must be at least 15 meters tall. Its whole body, except the muscle tissue behind its knees, elbows, and its feet, is covered in hardened skin.

Even from the top of the building, Kaien could feel the tremors that were created from the Armoured Titan and it didn't take much brain power to realise just what that Titan intended to do.

"Shit!" Kaien snarled and he shot towards the Armoured Titan as fast as he could. He managed to get within a few metres of the Titan and he knew that this was his only chance. In order to go at the pace to catch up with the Titan, Kaien had to expend most of the fuel in his 3DMG and with a fierce roar he spun and slashed at the Titan's neck with his two blades. Unfortunately he didn't manage to connect because he was suddenly slammed in his right side and he crashed onto the top of a small building.

"Now, now... I can't let you do that."

Kaien groaned painfully, his ribs are throbbing before he looked up at the person that had interfered land on the ground a few metres from him.

His clothing is casual in the form of a pair of black trousers and a white shirt with a black jacket. However the noticeable features are that he held a katana with a black guard in his left hand and he wore a strange looking mask. Kaien noticed that his mask is similar to the one that had formed on Ichigo but it this one looks like some kind of black tiger or panther. The most staggering thing was the hole in the middle of his chest. His jacket was zipped down to the middle of his torso and his white shirt was cut around the hole. Kaien could see through to the other side... how could that be possible? However Kaien couldn't see the person's hairstyle because it is covered by the hood from his jacket.

"That was suicidal of you. The Titans armour completely protects it and all you would have accomplished his shattering your blades." The masked man mocked him. "Today, the Titans are the victors... there is no stopping it, well I probably could... but I won't."

Kaien only had to wait a few seconds before the meaning of what he is saying to sink in. The sheer volume is enough to get his attention and with wide eyes, he looked over in the direction that the crashing sound came from. In place of the Wall Maria Gate is nothing but a large hole and Kaien could easily see the frantic people through it and the boat that he hoped the rest of his family is on.

"Why..?" Kaien whispered in horror before that horror ignited into pure unadulterated hatred, "WHY?! Despite that mask, you're human, aren't you?!"

Kaien's furious response is suddenly cut off when a hand closed around his neck tightly and he is lifted into the air.

"I am more than human!" the man growled furiously, "My boss wants Wall Maria to fall and so I will see it done!"

He threw Kaien back onto the roof of the building and he kicked Kaien's blades away.

"Who... What are you?" Kaien gasped in the air as he massaged his throat.

"I'm one of the few humans that have evolved beyond the normal capabilities and my boss and brethren are going to take over. We will control the world." The man informed him.

Kaien didn't think of the reason why he is getting his answers so easily and he asked furiously, "How can you control the world by allowing the Titans to break through Wall Maria?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" the stranger laughed, "Have you seen what has become of humanity?!"

If Kaien could see his face, he would be sure that the man is smirking. However he knew exactly what he is talking about. He has been guilty of it... the laziness and arrogance that humanity had succumbed to. They actually believed that they wouldn't have to worry about the Titans again.

"I don't know how these Walls were put up." The stranger admitted, "I do know though that they weren't put up for us to hide behind them. Humanity had the chance to prepare and grow stronger but instead they all accepted that they were safe inside the Walls and they wouldn't have to worry about the Titans at all. They had a hundred years to prepare to fight back against the Titans and they blew it. Now we are going to take over... we are going to obliterate the way humanity currently is along with the Titans."

"You still haven't answered my question... why did you stop me?"

The stranger rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Do I have to spell out everything? With our current numbers we can't defeat the Titans and so we need the rest of humanity to sharpen up. We will use all of you to defeat the Titans before we take over."

"So you're going to sacrifice thousands of people just to sharpen up humanity for your own purposes?!" Kaien groaned in revulsion.

The stranger scoffed, "Not my own purpose. I am simply following my boss's will. Besides you defend all of these people including the royal family but what do you think is going to happen when the people of Wall Maria all fall back to Wall Rose?"

"What do you mean?" Kaien retorted.

"The space within Wall Rose is far smaller than Wall Maria... with all of these refugees coming in; supplies are going to be short, aren't they? In fact, it will be too short. There is no way humanity can survive with the people from Wall Maria fleeing into Wall Rose. So what do you think they will do to rectify this?"

Kaien didn't give him an answer because the question's answer is obvious. It sickened Kaien but he knew that it will be needed to be done.

"I take it by your silence, you know... so how can you defend them knowing what they will do to all of those scared and weak people?" the man asked mockingly.

"Shut up!"Kaien spat angrily,"It is horrifying but for humanity to survive it will have to be done but what you're doing is different! You just said that you could've prevented it!"

"For humanity to survive?" the masked warrior asked in disbelief, "You did not just say that..."

"What about it?! It's the truth!"Kaien snapped angrily at him.

"Until the moment that armoured Titan smashed down the Wall Maria gate... humanity wasn't worth saving!" the masked stranger snarled furiously, "100 years behind this fucking wall and humanity couldn't even come up with a half decent evacuation plan!"

Kaien flinched at the man's retort and he couldn't come up with a sufficient reply because he knew that it is the truth. That's how bad their arrogance had been.

"You're just like the rest of humanity. No, you're more like the definition of humanity." The masked warrior spat, "Such potential and yet you are lazy and arrogant! Although considering that you are here and that you tried to kill the Armoured Titan shows that you do not lack courage. So you're not completely worthless. Still there are very few humans that possess that courage and that time is now over, Kaien Kurosaki."

Kaien's eyes widened, "How did you know my name?!"

"I learned it after I investigated your nephew, Ichigo Kurosaki." The stranger answered him.

Kaien frowned in confusion when he detected the unconcealed venom in the man's voice and he wondered why he seemed to detest his beloved nephew.

"Why? Why would you investigate Ichigo?" Kaien asked in confusion.

"Do you remember those men that he killed a year ago? One of them was my big brother." The man informed him coldly, "It's my responsibility as a younger brother to avenge my older brother."

"I'm not going to let you." Kaien growled as he got back to his feet, "I will protect him."

"You don't need to worry about him... yet." The man informed him coolly, "I have some principals and one of them is that I don't kill children. So he still has a decent five to six years before I come for him. You, on the other hand, will die here. The reason why I stopped you from attacking that Titan... was because I wanted to kill you myself."

Kaien didn't even get the chance to prepare a defence before a large beam of red energy pierced his chest. Kaien collapsed onto his knees and he fell forward and he desperately braced the rooftop with his hands to keep himself from collapsing completely. In a few seconds since he collapsed, he coughed up a large amount of blood. He desperately sucked in big breaths of air but it all proved futile because he choked on his own blood. The man lowered his hand before he simply vanished before Kaien's blurry eyes. No matter how desperately he tried to get back up... he needed to warn and protect Ichigo from this man and he needed to warn Commander Pixis about this.

'Damn it! Get up!' Kaien thought determinedly and he futilely tried to get back to his feet but all that did is make him cough up more blood.

Darkness began to creep into his vision but he kept persisting.

'I have to protect him!' Kaien thought desperately but darkness began to creep into his vision and his limbs started to get numb. Blood poured from his chest and the soaked the rooftop.

'Satoshi... Izumi... I will protect your children!' Kaien swore but no matter how strong his resolve was... his body wouldn't respond and his arms gave out which caused him to crumple face first to the roof floor. In the end, Kaien Kurosaki bled out.

Within Wall Maria

The large crashing sound of the Wall Maria gate breaking brought Ichigo Kurosaki back into the land of consciousness. With blurry eyes, Ichigo realised that he was resting his head against Mikasa's right shoulder and he felt her right arm across his shoulder. Ichigo didn't know how he got onto a boat but he noticed that everyone on it were all looking in the one direction and, even though Mikasa was holding him, she didn't even notice that he was awake.

"The gate...!"

"Wall Maria!"

"They've busted through!"

"This is the end... humanity is finished!"

"The Titans will devour us all!"

Ichigo heard all of the horrified and fearful muttering and he finally noticed what had gotten everyone so spooked. The Wall Maria gate had been completely shattered and the hole was easily big enough for the Titans to fit through. He also took in the sight of the Armoured Titan that had broken through the wall but it was only for a second because it was suddenly encased in steam. Shockingly when the steam cleared up, the Titan had vanished into thin air.

"I will wipe them out!" Ichigo heard a familiar voice speak up. Although he had never heard such hatred and rage in his friend's voice before. He watched as Eren walked slowly towards the edge of the boat, he had tears falling down his face and he gripped the ledge of the ship harshly, "I will erase them all from this world!"

When Ichigo lifted his head off Mikasa's shoulder, the young girl took notice that her friend was awake.

"Ichigo... are you alright?" Mikasa asked him with a concerned whisper.

Now that he was fully conscious, Ichigo suddenly felt sharp pain in his hands and he saw that he had a bandage strapped tightly onto each hand.

"Hannes quickly strapped them up tightly in order to slow the blood flow. When we arrive at Trost, I can stitch it up." Mikasa informed him as she removed her arm from his shoulders..

Ichigo nodded and he immediately asked her, "Where are Akira and Tsukiko? Are they alright?!"

"They're over there with Armin and his grandfather." Mikasa informed him and she pointed to where they were. Sure enough, Ichigo saw that his sisters were leaning against the ledge of the boat and he assumed that they were still unconscious.

"What about my uncle?" Ichigo questioned her.

"He went off to help evacuate more people." Mikasa informed him softly, "I don't know anymore."

"I see..." Ichigo murmured and he leant his head against the cabin wall behind him.

"What about you, Mikasa?" Ichigo asked her gently. Now that he looked at her, he could see that the only emotion shining through her eyes was sadness. Combined with the hatred in Eren's voice and the tears that fell down his eyes, Ichigo could easily connect the dots.

Mikasa looked away and tears began to form in her eyes. Now that Ichigo was awake and safe, the realisation of what had happened really hit Mikasa. Ichigo carefully placed his arm around her shoulders and he pulled her to him and allowed his friend to rest her head on his shoulder. Mikasa didn't move from that spot the entire boat ride and she mourned the loss of her second mother. Life was cruel.

Trost District

It was a week after the ship arrived at the Trost District at Wall Rose that Ichigo learned of his uncle Kaien's death. It had been Kaien's girlfriend, Anka that had informed him that Kaien never returned. Now Ichigo was alone. All of the adults in his life had been killed... his father to disease, his mother to murderers and Kaien to the Titans. If Ichigo had been overprotective about his younger sisters before the Titans had invaded, it was nothing compared to how protective he was of them now. He rarely let them out of his sight and usually it would have bothered them immensely, but considering that they had almost been killed, had to flee from their homes and their uncle had been killed, they didn't seem to mind Ichigo's overprotective nature... for now.

Eren had changed significantly since the Titans had invaded. He was a lot more sullen and angry and all he cared about was killing every Titan in existence. Ichigo rolled his eyes more often than not when he heard Eren claim that he was going to wipe out all of the Titans. Ichigo seriously doubted that Eren was the only human in history to want nothing more than to wipe out the Titans.

Currently the group that consisted of Ichigo, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Akira and Tsukiko, had found themselves a small abandoned building for the night. It wasn't something that would stay private for them as many of the refugees were still coming to Trost, so they had to enjoy the peace while it lasts.

Ichigo easily identified that it was past midnight and the rest of the group except him were fast asleep. They had been able to find some discarded blankets that were sufficient enough to keep them comfortable while sleeping on the floor. In the corners of the room they had some lanterns lit up that enabled some light to penetrate the darkness in the room. Ichigo looked to his right where his younger sisters slept. They slept together on a large red blanket and they held each other tightly to keep warm but Ichigo could see they were shivering slightly. Ichigo's eyes softened at the sight... they had been through so much and he hated the fact that he could no longer see the innocence in their eyes. None of them remembered the tragic days of their parent's deaths that well but now they had seen how cruel the world is. Ichigo removed the blue blanket that he had been laying on and he covered them with it.

"Ichigo..." a soft voice cut through the darkness.

Ichigo looked over to his left where Mikasa lay only a few feet away. Eren and Armin were asleep to Mikasa's left.

"What is it, Mikasa?" Ichigo whispered.

"Come over here and sleep." Mikasa told him, "It's too cold to sleep on a brick floor. You will freeze."

Ichigo sighed and he relented. There was no use in arguing with Mikasa on these matters. The white blanket that she lay on was big enough for the both of them and there was only a few centimetres separating the two.

"You've been really protective of them." Mikasa noted.

"You're one to talk." Ichigo smirked at her, "You have been really protective of Eren as well."

Ichigo remembered earlier today when Eren tried to throw away the bread and in his anger he had snapped harshly at Armin. Mikasa finally put him in his place by telling him that all he could do right now is to survive because he didn't have the power to kill a Titan. This of course led to Eren asking Ichigo about how he killed a Titan. Ichigo had been flabbergasted at the question because he had no recollection of it and, at the time, he had missed the narrowing of Mikasa's eyes.

"He's my family. He is the only family that I have left." Mikasa told him simply.

"I can relate." Ichigo agreed sadly.

"Your uncle..." Mikasa began and she stopped for a second when she saw Ichigo tense up but she persisted, "he was a good man."

"I know." Ichigo sighed sorrowfully. This had been the first time that Mikasa had brought up his uncle in the past week. No doubt she was waiting for him to come to terms with it before bringing it up.

"What are you going to do?" Mikasa asked him unable to hold in her curiosity. She knew that Eren would join the military and she would follow him in order to protect him. However she couldn't deny that she was worried what would happen to her friendship with Ichigo if he didn't join the military with them. He had planned to join the military before the Titans attacked and after everything that had happened, she was unsure if he was still planning on joining. He was more than a friend to her... he had saved her life and together, albeit with Ichigo doing more of the work, they had avenged her parents and his mother. He was the closest thing that she had to a hero. Plus he was the one that she opened up to the most and she was afraid of losing that bond with him should they go in different paths.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo whispered in confusion, "I intended to get some sleep at some point tonight and I will worry about tomorrow when I get up."

Mikasa rolled her eyes good naturedly, "That's not what I meant. Eren will join the military when he is old enough and Armin will most likely follow him. Since Eren is going, then I will have to go in order to protect him. What are you going to do?"

Ichigo looked thoughtful for a moment before he gave her an answer, "I am going to join the military. It is the only way to protect my sisters."

Mikasa nodded and with a diminutive amount of sadness in her voice, she said, "To join the Military Police." Eren was going to join the Scouting Legion and Mikasa would have to go with him. That meant that at some point in the future, she and Ichigo will have to go their separate ways.

"No... I have no more interest in joining the Military Police." Ichigo shocked her with his answer. Ichigo looked into her eyes and he answered the obvious question that her eyes held.

"It's amazing how much things change. If I join the Military Police, I can get my sisters into Wall Sina." Ichigo whispered to his best friend, "And for what? Just to keep them alive for a few more years. Seeing those Titans up close... their disgusting faces and their sick grins... the heat that they give off and I will never be able to forget the smell of them. They were terrifying... disgusting... vile monsters..! If I join the Military Police, then they will be stay alive and be safe for a few years... If I do that, what kind of big brother am I?"

"A good one..." Mikasa whispered back urgently, "You want to protect them. It's understandable that you believe that the best way to do that is to take them to within Wall Sina." She knew that if she could, she would take both Eren and Armin to Wall Sina and keep them away from the Titans but she knew that it wasn't going to happen.

"Am I? I take them a to Wall Sina so that they can live peacefully for few more years... that sounds like a shitty big brother to me." Ichigo told her bluntly and he could see the confusion in her eyes, "What kind of brother says that he will only protect them for a few years? Once Wall Sina is breached, that is the end of humanity and the end of my little sisters. No, a good big brother protects his little siblings forever and the only way to do that is to defeat the Titans."

"So you're going to join the Scouting Legion just like Eren." Mikasa assumed.

"Not just like Eren." Ichigo responded sharply, "All he wants is vengeance... not that I can blame him... but all I want is to make sure Akira and Tsukiko never have to experience the fear of being devoured by a Titan."

"In order for you to do that you have to defeat all of the Titans." Mikasa said.

"We both know I won't be able to do that. Just like we both know that Eren's goal is impossible as well. Eren isn't the only one that will have a burning vengeance to slaughter the Titans. Humanity is on the brink of extinction." Ichigo informed her and then with a small grin, a grin that Mikasa had only seen once since Wall Maria had been breached, Ichigo told her, "Besides if you are going to be protecting Eren and Armin, someone has to protect you. Just like I promised you when we first met, remember?"

Mikasa blushed slightly and she nodded. There was no way she would ever forget the promise that he had made her all the way back then. Eren was her brother, someone she had vowed to protect no matter what, but Ichigo was something more to her. He had saved her and they understood each other better than anyone else. She couldn't pin point exactly how she felt towards Ichigo but she knew one thing... there was no one that she trusted more than him.

"This is all in the future though... like you told Eren earlier today, for now all we can focus on is surviving." Ichigo told her.

Mikasa nodded in agreement, "If you don't believe that you or Eren can defeat the Titans... then what is the point in fighting them? If we are all going to die, why don't you be a shitty big brother and go live in peace with your sisters for a few years?"

"I can't bear the thought of Akira and Tsukiko being devoured by those monsters. It will break me completely." Ichigo admitted sadly, "I know this will sound pathetic and it is horrible to admit but... I would rather go out and try to defeat the Titans and die rather than living and seeing them being devoured. At least in death I will know that I tried to give them a life without the Titans instead of dying uselessly alongside them."

"I don't think that it is bad to say." Mikasa replied softly, "You're too hard on yourself. I didn't know your parents but I know that your uncle Kaien would be proud of your decision."

"Why do you say that?" Ichigo frowned at her, "I'll be leaving my sisters without any protection to go off fighting the Titans... I think he would be disappointed in me."

"We're still just kids." Mikasa reminded him, "You and I have had to grow up far quicker than we should. You're making a decision to try and give your sisters a future because like you just said, humanity at the moment doesn't have a future. Kaien was very proud of the way that you raised your sisters in the past year, he told me so himself. He would be very proud of you; I know it from the bottom of my heart."

"Thank you, Mikasa." Ichigo said sincerely with a small smile.

Mikasa smiled back at him. She was glad to see the smile back on his face. It had been his smile that had lit up the darkness in her heart. Whenever the darkness would creep up on her, it was always Ichigo and his smile that removed it.

"Enough about me... how are you coping, Mikasa?" Ichigo asked her in concern.

Mikasa looked away for a moment and she raised her right hand to her forehead and she grimaced for a second, "It hurts. It hurts knowing that I won't be able to see her again. She took me in and she treated me as one of her own and I never told her how much it truly meant to me. It felt like I had a mother again and I regret deeply that I never told her that."

"What did his mother say to you when Eren informed her that he wanted to join the Scouting Legion?" Ichigo asked her curiously.

Mikasa looked confused at the change of subject but she told him, "She told me to look out for him and to help him out."

"Then she knew." Ichigo informed her, "There was only one person that she knew that would look out for Eren and that was you. That's the kind of request that a mother asks any of her children."

That hit Mikasa hard. A tear fell from her right eye and Ichigo gently wiped it away and she smiled at him gratefully. Ichigo was right and knowing that her second mother was counting on her only strengthened her resolve.

"Who knows?" Ichigo grinned at her, "Maybe we will get some miracle that will help us defeat the Titans."

They stayed for a few more minutes before Ichigo finally fell asleep leaving a drowsy Mikasa the only one awake. Just before her sleepiness took hold of her, she thought back to what Ichigo had recently said about a miracle helping them to defeat the Titans. Ichigo, at nine years old had been able to rescue her from a group of people and he had killed most of them himself. At ten years old, he had managed to take down a 12 metre Titan according to Kaien. Both times resulted in Ichigo blacking out for a moment. Perhaps, Mikasa thought, Ichigo was the miracle that humanity was hoping for.

Year 846 – Trost District

Over the course of the year, Ichigo and the others had to do work on a farm where they had been staying. It had been a very difficult year for the group and the tension increased when a new decree from the royal family came out at the start of the year. They launched a military campaign to retake Wall Maria by using 250,000 refugees from Wall Maria, but it ended in disaster with only 100 people surviving. Over half of them had crippling injuries. The mission successfully dealt with food shortage that had plagued the remaining walls containing humanity, but Armin's grandfather was one of them men that had been forced to go and he didn't return.

Anka took it upon herself to visit them every month whenever she got the chance. At first it was because of obligation she had felt since they had been close to Kaien but slowly she grew to care for them, especially Akira and Tsukiko. Since Ichigo had been planning on joining the military next year, he had requested Anka if it was possible for her to take in Akira and Tsukiko and she fortunately had agreed. Ichigo kept Anka at an arm's distance and she understood why, but he encouraged his sisters to open up to her. Ichigo had told her that it wasn't too late for his sisters to still have a mother like figure in their life but for him, he was at the stage where he wouldn't open his heart to any adults, including her.

It was three weeks after the Titans had invaded Wall Maria when Akira and Tsukiko finally told Ichigo off for his over protectiveness. Eventually Ichigo relented n the condition that his sisters learned how to fight and defend themselves. So over the course of the year, with Mikasa's help, Ichigo taught them how to fight, both armed with small knives and without a weapon. Ichigo had been able to scrounge up two small knives and he instructed his sisters to keep them with them at all times.

As for Eren, Mikasa and Armin... things hadn't changed much except for Armin's sudden desire to join the military after he had learned of his grandfather's fate. Each day, Eren's patience was being put to the test as he anxiously waited until he could join the military. His hatred seemed to increase every day. Also his father had seemed to disappear but Eren fully believed that he was still alive. Mikasa was the only one that wasn't bothered by the waiting time before they could join the military. Ichigo knew that Mikasa enjoyed the days that they had since they had begun working on the farm and she would continue to enjoy it until they joined the military. The day that they joined, was the day that their temporary and fragile peace ended.

Year 847 – Military

He was finally here. Ichigo stood next to Mikasa in his military uniform that had been given to him after he had signed up. It was the same design as the one that his uncle wore except he didn't have the 3DMG attached and he didn't have the same logo. Instead of the symbol of roses that the Garrison members had, the trainee's logo was of two swords crossed over each other.

There was a large amount of people that had signed up for the military training. They had been lined up in rows and Ichigo counted 13 rows of people in total and he estimated that there were about 20 people in each row. There were a bunch of supervisors standing behind the final row of people and in front of the first row. One of the men stepped forward; he is bald, with a wheatish complexion and he has wrinkles on his forehead. His most notable feature was the dark circles around his eyes which made him look quite imposing. He wore a dark grey shirt with an open greenish/brown overcoat and he wore white pants.

"We now begin the enlistment ceremony for the 104th Trainee Corps!" the man shouted in a powerful voice, "I am Keith Shadis, and I have the misfortune to be assigned to train you bastards! And I'm not here to welcome you all! Right now you're mere cattle, fit for nothing but Titan food! No, less than cattle... In three years, we'll take you worthless pieces of crap and train you! We will give you the means to fight the Titans. In three years, when you stand before a Titan, will you still be food? Or will you be a noble wall, shielding the King? Or perhaps, will you be one of humanity's glorious soldiers that slay Titans? You will decide!"

'Yes... That's what I'll be,' Eren thought determinedly, 'and I will kill every last Titan in existence!'

'So it begins...' Ichigo thought, 'I wonder how far I will go? Will I even make a difference when it is time to fight the Titans? Or will I be devoured as easily as a crippled animal?'

End of Chapter

If you liked this chapter, then please leave a review behind. If you didn't like it, then don't read it.

Answering the Readers:

C: I can't believe his sisters didn't get killed or eaten. It's sad that you're not sticking to the horror theme. You should make things even more difficult for Ichigo because of his powers, not easier. Like, make his body like be hollow bait, but for titans or something.

R: I can understand your disappointment and I did initially plan to kill them both off but in the end it was just too much. What Ichigo would have become if that had happen, would have been extremely similar to what Eren is. The last thing that I wanted to do is make Ichigo the same as Eren just with different abilities. At no point will things be easy for Ichigo... in fact having his sisters alive will make things much harder for him and you will see why later on in the story. As I have hinted at in the previous chapter and in this chapter, when Ichigo uses his power, Titans are drawn to him. If a Titan is about to grab and devour a normal human when suddenly they feel Ichigo's power, they will ignore the human and attack him. Why that is... I will explain further in the story.

C: If Ichigo did become a titan shifter, his form would resemble more of the hollow than any other titan and really be scary no doubt. But yeah he would become overpowered since he is considered unique in his original universe. Would've been badass if he did.

Do have to ask however if we will see Ichigo use a form similar to a titan form? If this is the case I'm really hoping that that this titan form is the same in appearance to Ichigo's Vasto lord form the one he fought Ulquiorra in Hueco Mundo (minus the hole in the chest) or if he will get to use a hollow mask only in this case he turns into the Vasto lord form (only weaker maybe only letting him use bala attacks and stand on air while staying the size of a human).

R: I knew the prospect of Ichigo having a Titan form would come up but no, I'm sorry he won't have one. He would be far too overpowered if he did have on. As for his Hollow powers... I don't want to give anything away about it yet, but they will play a big part. However, because I too think it would be badass for Ichigo to have a Titan form... I might do some alternate one shot's on Ichigo having a Titan form instead of his Shinigami and Hollow Powers. For example, I might post up a one shot on how a fight between Ichigo in a Titan form and the Female Titan would be like. Let me know if you're all interested in that.

C: I'm also curious as to what sort of abilities Ichigo will have, I mean I'd love to see him mix it up with his Getsuga Tensho variations (the regular one, the holding it in his blade to power up his physical attacks, and the black one) but I'd also like to see some variation and new original attacks as well.

R: There will be, I can promise you that. If anyone wants to recommend some new original attacks for Ichigo, I'm happy to read it.

C: I was at first slightly worried that it was going to be a case of reincarnation "oh look Ichigo is now Eren Jaeger" sort of story.

R: That's part of the reason why I didn't kill off Ichigo's sisters. It would have been too much like what happens to Eren.

Q: Just how much will Ichigo remember and will the relationship between him and Zangetsu be the same? Will it weaken? Or will it become stronger in this new world?

A: Ichigo won't remember a thing about his previous life. Not a single thing. As for the relationship with Zangetsu... I'm not saying anything but let's just say I am excited about writing it.

Q: I had a feeling when I read the part with the gifts Ichigo got from his sisters that they were going to have something to do with his powers, I am happy to say I was right in my guess. I'm guessing he has parts of his different powers sealed in each of them?

A: Not exactly sealed. Ichigo's powers are similar to Fullbring but it is a bit more complicated. They are more like a vessel for his powers.

C: I would love to see that Ichigo and Mikasa pairing come through (it's the relationship that I would really like to read and analyse; both are unique characters and how they will come together will be really interesting!

R: I hope you like it so far. Before I go into detail about their relationship, I just have to warn you that if you didn't read above their might be a change. I might make Ichigo paired with Annie or with both Annie and Mikasa. However, to respond to your comment, I'll give away some details if Mikasa remains a pairing for Ichigo. Right now they're really close friends and for them to open up to each other is easy and comfortable. There will be times however when it won't be easy for them to open up to each other because of their own personal issues. They have both suffered cruelly and they both have latched onto someone to protect in order keep themselves sane. Their relationship is going to have a lot of ups and downs and there will be plenty of soul searching, especially for Ichigo, before they realise how they feel about each other.

Q: Why do I get the feeling something awesome is about to happen?

A: Probably a bit anticlimactic. Don't worry; this won't be the first time that Ichigo goes berserk with his Hollow powers. I have some really badass scenes where Ichigo is Hollowfied planned out.