Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. It's property of Tite Kubo.
Summary: Thank you everyone who read my first entry for the IR Month. I hope you're enjoying it so far! You can check more fanfiction, fanart and edits in Tumblr. Also, I want to thank everyone who reviewed this story yesterday, followed it and put it in their favorites. Thank you! Now, today's prompt got me very emotional. I started re-reading early Bleach chapters and I remembered the reason why I loved Bleach so more. Character design, funny moments, clever dialogue, and interesting characters as well as plot got me hooked in a way Naruto, which I started reading before, didn't. Every day I read Bleach until I caught up with the current chapters, and then I read it every Wednesday. Soon my routine became as follows: on Tuesdays I watched the most recent episode, on Wednesdays I read the next chapter, and the rest of the week I wrote fanfiction, look up theories, and more. Bleach got me through a lot of crappy events in my life. Some days in which I was very sad, Bleach was updated and I got to laugh or become distracted by the plot. Somehow I felt that Ichigo, Rukia, and the rest of the cast helped me get through heavy stuff with their example. So this one-shot is a homage to Kubo and the beginning of this amazing series. It doesn't matter that the ending was so awful, if we keep what we love about it. I really hope you enjoy it!
Until tomorrow!
And Thus the Blade…
Prompt: Back to the very beginning
Summary: One Boy. One Shinigami. The accidental encounter. And so the story of destiny began one fateful May night.
It was supposed to be an easy mission, but Karakura Town had proved to have more surprises than Rukia could have ever imagined. There was a high concentration of souls which attracted hollows, making her job much more difficult. She was currently searching for one, which she had sensed during the wee hours of the morning, but hadn't been able to localize it yet. She had spent the better part of the day looking for it too.
"Tch. It must be near." The Shinigami said grumpily, as she hopped from one building to another. "This is getting ridiculous." She kept complaining. How could a hollow have evaded her for such a long time? Rukia worried that some poor soul or worst, a human, had gotten eaten by the loose monster.
And here I thought they sent me here to distract me. Kuchiki Rukia could be many things, but she wasn't a fool. She knew that Captain Ukitake and even Kiyone and Sentarou had been worried about her ever since the incident. They probably thought it'd be best if she was sent to the Human World at least for a little while to clear her mind and heal. Truth be told, the wound was still fresh, and being able to escape the place where everything reminded her of him was soothing. Here her mind was occupied and she didn't have the time to dwell on other things. I wonder if nii-sama got angry that I left without letting him know. Her adoptive brother was also a complicated matter in her life, which she had escaped from. Probably not. He hadn't looked at her in the eyes since he adopted her, and that had been 40 years ago.
Rukia sighed. She had lost the trail again. The last time she had been sent to the Human World, she had fought against three, maybe five, hollows. They had been pretty scarce, and her job had been peaceful. Yet this town kept surprising her. There was more job to do here than in other places, which was very strange. She wondered if the sou-taichou knew about it. Maybe they wanted her to find out on her own and report back. This town certainly needs a Shinigami that will stay here for a few months at least. I wonder if I'll be chosen to remain here. Well, it's not like anyone would me miss back there. Memories of a red-haired man assaulted her, a man she hadn't spoken to in decades. Focus, Rukia. She reprimanded herself. She was on a mission. This wasn't the time for a pity party. She really needed to find that hollow before it started attacking souls. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused her reiatsu to find the hollow's. She opened her eyes and smirked. "Found you."
Ichigo sighed. His family was insane. He wondered why his father continuously tried to make his life more difficult than it already was. Despite his looks and grumpiness, he actually tried to be a good son and respect the household rules. But he couldn't ignore when anyone was in need, especially kids, even if they were already dead. Could his father even imagine the burden he carried? Talking to ghosts was exhausting. They always asked him for help, but there was little he could do. Ichigo was only a human, after all. Albeit one that could see, hear, and touch ghosts. However, there was so much he could do about it. He couldn't protect them all. He had known that for a very long time, the poster downstairs being a constant reminder of it. I'm utterly powerless. He thought grimly. What was the use of seeing ghosts if he couldn't help them? Why was he granted such power? I want to be stronger.
The current situation piqued his interest, though. I wonder how ghosts can go to heaven, and why they seem unable to do so by themselves. And speaking of which, there had been a large amount of souls appearing before him for help lately. It was unusual. Had people been dying a lot lately? Or was there a problem in heaven? He shrugged. There was no way he could know about it. Although it was getting annoying having so many ghosts around. Perhaps there was a god out there or something that could help the poor souls.
He continued walking to his room, unaware that his life was about to change.
"Jeez, why's everyone in our family like that?" He complained out loud. Then a strange occurrence caught his attention. "A black swallow-tail butterfly?" He questioned as his eyes focused on the insect. "What is this? Where did it come from?"
From the corner of his eye, Ichigo saw something coming through his room's wall. He turned fully to see what was going on. Wide-eyed, he saw a person with black robes walking in through the wall. The strange person was short, had black hair and a sword at his side. "What─?" The boy mumbled, quite shocked.
"It is near." The strange person said, completely ignoring Ichigo's existence.
"'It is near' my ass!" Ichigo shouted, as he kicked the person.
That surely got his attention. As the boy yelled one question after another, the person seemed surprised at Ichigo's presence. "Y-you can see me…? I mean to say, did you just kick…?" The stranger stuttered.
"Huh? What the hell are you talking about? Of course I can see…"
Then, of course his father interrupted him, kicking him for making a ruckus. When asked about the stranger on Ichigo's room, Isshin was clueless.
"It is useless." The stranger spoke. "It is not possible for ordinary men to see me. I am a Shinigami."
The boy was the most peculiar being Rukia had ever met. He was a human, but he possessed the unnatural ability of being able to not only see Shinigami, but to also touch one. He seemed used to being able to see ghosts on a daily basis as well, which was uncanny to put it simply. But to her annoyance, this human boy didn't want to believe she was no ordinary spirit, but a death god itself.
"Dad couldn't see you, so I'll acknowledge the fact that you're not human. However, quit the Shinigami crap. Got it, you little brat?" His words made Rukia's eyes twitch. Oh, he was so going to pay for daring to talk to her in such a way.
"First restraint, obstruction!" The Shinigami used kidou to restrain the boy. He had it coming. She smirked as his body tied itself together and he fell down. See if you don't believe me now.
"What did you do?!" The boy complained. Rukia stepped on him, still smirking.
"You cannot move!" She laughed. "This is called kidou, and it is an advanced incantation only Shinigami can use." She explained. "Even though I look like this, I have been alive almost ten times longer than you have. And you dare call me a brat? Usually, I would kill fellows like you, but spiritual law states that one cannot kill humans they have not been ordered to kill." Rukia bluffed. She had never killed a human before, but the human boy didn't need to know that.
After performing konsou on a soul, Rukia figured she better explain everything to the boy. He looked utterly confused, and she pitied him. It seemed that, even if he possessed the power to see the dead, he was as clueless as the rest of humans. A guy like this could very well be the meal of a hollow. Better prepare him. "In this world there are two types of spirits. One is called plus and it is the most common spirit. You can say that the 'ghosts' you usually see are these. And the other type is called hollow. Hollows attack living beings and dead beings alike and eat their souls. These are what you call 'evil spirits.'" She used drawings to illustrate each of them, hoping this would make the explanation clearer for the human. "Do you have any questions so far?"
"Ummm… Can I start by asking why your drawings abnormally suck?"
You little! She took revenge by drawing a moustache on the boy.
"Ah! Damnit! Just 'cause I can't move!"
"I will continue the explanation, your highness Mr. Baron." Rukia mocked him. "We Shinigami have two duties. One is to guide pluses to Soul Society using konsou as you have seen. The second is to extinguish hollows. That is my current mission."
"Wait a minute. If you came here on your mission, does that mean the thing called hollow is around here?"
"That would be the case." She nodded.
"Are you stupid?! Why are you loitering in a place like this? Hurry up and go get rid of it!" The boy yelled angrily.
"Well… you see… I do not know why, but I cannot feel its presence anymore." Rukia answered. It was very strange. She had been so sure it was in close proximity, but she had quickly lost sight of its reiatsu. What is going on? How did I lose it again?
"What do you mean?" The boy asked, and then grew awfully quiet. Rukia wasn't paying attention to him anymore.
"It is as if a great power is hindering my senses." She muttered out loud.
"Hey! Shinigami!" The boy suddenly yelled.
"What?" Rukia said grumpily.
"What do you mean what?! Didn't you hear that huge voice just now?!"
She was surprised by that statement. "Huge voice? What…?" And then she heard it. It was loud and deep. A noise that could quite literally chill your soul. The unmistakable sound of a hollow's roar. Unbelievable. How had the human boy heard the voice before her? Then they heard the cry of a girl, the boy's sister. Crap. I need to act fast or they'll die. "I will go and get rid of it! You stay here!" She said, ignoring all of his protests. This boy truly has a death wish. She opened the door and came across a girl, lying on the floor and with noticeable wounds on her body.
"Ichi-nii, you okay?" She asked, and then proceeded to explain the situation.
This is bad. Rukia thought. The father is hurt, as well as two girls. I need to be quick. "Do not worry. She is just unconscious. Her soul is still…" Rukia started explaining, but then she noticed how the how started struggling. "Stop it! What are you doing?! You cannot release that incantation with a human's power! If you force it, your soul will…" However, she was interrupted. The boy broke the kidou and started running downstairs.
Just… what exactly is he? Rukia wondered, completely astounded.
Ichigo had seen many strange things during the fifteen years he had been alive. Yet, this, this thing was the weirdest, scariest being he had ever lay eyes on. What was worse was that the monster had hurt his family and was about to eat his sister. He couldn't hesitate or be scared, he needed to act, and fast. So before the monster could hurt Yuzu more than it already had, he launched to attack it, armed only with a baseball bat. However, his attempt was ineffective and resulted in the hollow hitting him. He landed painfully on the ground, and had only time to see the monster approaching him. On the last second, the Shinigami reappeared, cutting down the arm which held Yuzu. Ichigo dashed and caught the unconscious girl.
"Yuzu! Hey! You okay?" He asked, moving his sister a little bit to get her to open her eyes.
"Do not lose focus, boy!" The Shinigami yelled at him, sword at the front of her boy, in a defensive position. "None of your family members have had their souls eaten."
"None?" Ichigo questioned, caught of ward. Are they all still alive?
"Yes, even your father lying over there."
"Wait a minute! Don't hollows attack people to eat their souls?! Then why did it attack my family?" Ichigo asked again.
"Hollows wander searching for souls with high spiritual concentration… For that arbitrary humans are attacked…"
Ichigo gulped. He already had an idea where this was going. "What do you mean?"
"…I have never seen or heard of a human who could see Shinigami and defeat kidou on their own… or a human with such high spiritual concentration…" She said cryptically. "Most probably, its target is you."
Those were the words Ichigo was dreading to hear. Because of me! Because of me they're hurt! No, not again. Not again! His mind screamed. "He came for me? So does that mean this is my fault? The reason my dad's over there almost dead… The reason Karin and Yuzu are covered in blood… It's all…" His heart broke. Suddenly, in his mind, it was raining, and it wasn't just his father and sisters who were hurt, but a beautiful woman, drenched in blood, rain and tears.
"Wait!" The Shinigami said alarmed. "I did not mean…" She got distracted and got hit by the hollow, landing on the ground with a painful thud.
"Shinigami!" Ichigo yelled worriedly. Fuck, it's even my fault that the Shinigami got hurt. This made him mad. Ichigo faced the hollow, anger pulsing in his veins. "That's enough already!" He yelled at the monster. "Hey, you want my soul, right?" He said. "Then fight me face to face! No one else has anything to do with this! Try killing me and taking my soul!" For dad, Yuzu, Karin, and the Shinigami. He readied himself for the impact, which never came for the Shinigami jumped at the last minute, taking the blow for him. Blood spilled from her body, and she fell on her knees, sporting a terrible wound on her abdomen. She had sacrificed herself to protect him. "Shinigami!" Ichigo screamed. This can't be happening.
"You idiot." She gasped, voice raspy. "I already told you your power is no match for it. Or did you think that everything would be over if you gave him your soul to eat? Either way you're an idiot!" She scolded him.
Ichigo felt foolish. She saw right through my motive and knew I'd fail. "I'm sorry… I just─"
"Do not worry about it, is what I would like to say…" The Shinigami said between heavy breathing. "Unfortunately, I am no longer able to fight the hollow… Now all of us can only wait until we become its food." She said with such finality, Ichigo knew it was the truth.
It's my fault everyone'll die. He thought in agony. He had gone and done it again. The Shinigami watched him carefully, as if weighing down something.
"Do you want to save your family?" She asked.
"Is there a way?! Tell me!" Ichigo exclaimed.
"There is a way… No, to be exact there is only one way." She explained, then grabbed her sword and pointed it at him. "You need to become a Shinigami."
"What are you saying? How can I?"
"You can! Pierce the middle of your chest with this zampakutou and I will insert half of my Shinigami power! That way you will attain the power of a Shinigami temporarily and will be able to fight it on equal terms."
"Is it really okay to do something like that?" Ichigo asked, knowing there must be a catch.
Rukia sighed. "I do not know… Of course this is a plan set up anticipating your high spiritual levels… The percentage of success is not high. If it fails, you'll die. However, there is no other way. There is no time to deliberate!" She admonished him. Ichigo gulped. Then he heard Yuzu calling for him and knew his mind was already made up. Why are all of them worrying about me when they're about to die? Makes me who's being scared of himself look stupid.
"Give me the sword, Shinigami!" Ichigo said with resolve, walking towards the spirit. "Let's give it a try." She smiled at him.
"It is not Shinigami. It is Kuchiki Rukia." The Shinigami introduced herself.
Ichigo smiled. "I see… I'm Kurosaki Ichigo."
Thus the blade is swung down.
A/N: I got inspired by Bleach Chapter 1 and 0. Side A and B.
