Chapter IV

-Desperation-

Having the feeling hours had flew by Ichigo still tried to get out of the cage the Quincy Quilge Opie created. Ichigo got the call that Soul Society was invaded and decided to return while his friends still were in Hueco Mundo together with Kisuke. He got worried over Shizuka and wondered what she was doing while he tried to get out of the cage. His reiatsu was decreasing and he started to feel exhausted until he got a weird knot in his stomach.

He didn't knew why he had this feeling but knew it had something to do with his beloved girlfriend.

Having the feeling she was in danger his powers got boosted and with a roar he used Getsuga Tensho and the spiritual blast finally destroyed the cage he had been kept in.

He got through the Senkaimon and saw underneath a destroyed Seireitei. Nearly every building was nothing more than rubble.

Shocked Ichigo looked around until he saw Byakuya behind himself who was staggering to him.

"Are Rukia... and Renji... still alive...?" He asked. Although Byakuya was out of breathe and looked like he was about to die but still was more worried about others than himself.

Ichigo and searched briefly for Renji's and Rukia's reiatsu and also felt Shizuka's which gave him the longing to run to her.

"Yeah, they're alive... they're fine." Ichigo answered while he still worried about Shizuka.

"I see... I'm glad..." Said Byakuya. "I don't have much time left. As a captain of the Gotei 13, rendered helpless by these malevolent beings that trespass on Soul Society... resulting in the massacre of all these warriors... leaving nothing but an empty void in the families of my subordinates... without a doubt, facing the death under these circumstances brings a humiliation that echoes throughout every fiber of my being, if that weren't humbling enough, now you, a human boy, never meant to tread onto this battlefield... never meant to be here... in the end, please indulge this one last request... from this contemptible man standing before you, for having to place this burden on your shoulders. Please, protect Soul Society... Kurosaki Ichigo."

"I will." Ichigo said and followed the reiatsu of his girlfriend. Everywhere he looked were corpses inside of the rubble and he noticed how his anger rose.

He soon reached a charred battlefield, it looked like the whole place had been burning not long before. Ichigo saw a tall old man on the battlefield together with a blonde man. The old man looked really familiar to Ichigo, he had the feeling he had once saw him but didn't got an idea where from. He gripped the hilt of Zangetsu tighter and raised it above his head.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

He threw a blast of spiritual energy at the two men but the older one only raised his arm and dodged the attack.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. I don't know how you did it, but... I applaud you for escaping Kirge's jail. However, do you plan on fighting with me with your body in that tattered state." Yhwach said and smiled amused seeing the young shinigami in front of him.

"Are you... the enemy's leader?" Ichigo asked and squinted his eyes while he again gripped his Zangetsu tighter again.

"Enemy, huh?" Yhwach said and crooked his head. "Yes, and no."

"Don't fuck with me!" Ichigo shouted enraged. "I'm asking if you're the one who turned Soul Society into this!"

Yhwach smiled as he watched the rage of the shinigami and raised his hand.

"Indeed, I am. I was about to leave so you shouldn't worry I'll destroy it fully." He replied. "I have took what I needed already."

Ichigo only glared at him, he knew he had took so many lives but then his gaze fell on the blonde man close to him and immediately realized what he meant.

"Shizuka!" He gasped as he saw his girlfriend unconscious in the grip of the blonde man. He put his Zanpakuto down and bit down on his lip.

"Yes. Vandenreich will need her powers." Yhwach said with a smile while this made Ichigo only more enraged. Using Shunpo he tried to get closer to the blonde man to take Shizuka away from him but he went quickly some steps aside.

"I am sorry, but we can't let you have her. Her powers are unique, we can't let her being an ally of the shinigami." He said as he went back until he was next to Yhwach.

Angry that they were trying to abduct Shizuka Ichigo let his light blue reiatsu outburst which wasn't impressing Yhwach and his subordinate at all.

"Your Majesty..." The blonde shinigami begun but Yhwach silenced him as he raised his hand.

"As you can see... Haschwalth, there's no other option now." Yhwach said and smiled while watching Ichigo's rage. "Let's crush him."

Ichigo ignored him and pounced as him, cutting with his Zanpakuto through the air.

"GETSUGA TENSHO!"

He fired the cresent-shaped dark spiritual blast on Yhwach and Haschwalth who still weren't impressed and the attack also seemed not to hurt them as Yhwach hit the blast aside and grabbed Ichigo's arm which was holding the katana and hurled him on the ground, crashing it.

Ichigo tried to hit Yhwach with his free hand but the old man stopped it and raised his own arm with the reishi sword.

Ichigo – not being able to move – was only watching horror-stricken how Yhwach cut through his throat. Pain rushed through his whole body but then Shizuka's face popped up in his mind and he reminded himself that he wanted to save her from the grip of Soul Society's enemy and the next moment he saw Yhwach's face again. He could feel a weird power rushing through his body and collecting by the injury while he stared angrily at Yhwach who – on the other hand – looked surprised at Ichigo. With a quick movement Ichigo raised his arm and his katana finally gave Yhwach a cut in his flesh.

"Your Majesty!" Haschwalth called but Yhwach made a sign with his hand that he was alright. He stepped out of the explosion created by the outburst of Ichigo's reiatsu and seemed not to be wounded.

"...it was a mistake." Yhwach said as he went closer to Haschwalth

"You're calling it a mistake, just because I endured through one of your attacks?" Ichigo asked confused as he stood up.

"No, not that." Yhwach answered and raised his sword to attack Ichigo again who tried to get to Haschwalth to get Shizuka from his grip but Ichigo quickly turned around and blocked the slash with his own Zanpakuto.

"So that really was what I saw..." Yhwach said as he took his sword away and looked really amused at Ichigo who was confused about the things Yhwach was saying.

"W...what are you talking about?" He asked. Ichigo took a quick glance over to Shizuka who had a pale face and her expression was painful so Ichigo wondered if they had hurt her. In the back of his mind Ichigo searched for openings to get Shizuka away from them but couldn't find any.

"It was a mistake on part to send a pure Quincy to stop you... it would have been better to send an Arrancar or something... thanks to that... the memories within your reiatsu have been awakened earlier that I would have liked." Yhwach said and looked calmly at Ichigo who got more confused over his words. He stood stunned there and his eyes widen as he slowly came to realization what Yhwach said.

"Whilst imprisoned by Kirge's jail, you must have released your reiatsu to the very limit to destroy it. When all that reiatsu exploded out of you, the remaining reiatsu must have sucked in some of the surrounding as well when coming back to you. And when it reached the depths of your soul, Kirge's reiatsu must have awakened the memories within your reiatsu, from the very roots." Yhwach explained. "Kirge's jail was made to seal enemies... but it cannot seal a Quincy."

"What... what are you talking about? The memories in my reiatsu? I'm a Quincy?" Ichigo was stuttering out of confusion, his mind went blank by the idea he was a Quincy. He wondered from whom he could have inherited this. His father was a shinigami so it couldn't be he inherited it from this. But his mother...

"I see." Yhwach muttered. "You know nothing about yourself... or even of your own mother."

With a sharp pain in his heart to hear about his late mother Ichigo winced.

"What are..."

"I was hoping to slowly re-educate you after bringing you back. However, it appears it will not go that smoothly. I will overpower you by force... and drag you back." Yhwach said and was readying to attack Ichigo again.

"I'm asking you what you're talking about!" Ichigo shouted enraged as he also raised his Zanpakuto.

"Your questions will be answered when we return to the Vandenreich." Yhwach replied and tried to attack The young shinigami in front of him again but Ichigo dodged the attack easily. With his free hand Yhwach grabbed Ichigo's hair and tried to slash him with his sword.

"Next will be a thrust. You cannot depend on Blut Vene this time. I will release my power and..."

A shadow of the sword and arm of Yhwach appeared under the limb and weapon and the Quincy king stopped shocked. The black shadow got larger and went up his arm.

"This is..." Yhwach muttered as he watched the shadows getting larger.

"It's time, your Majesty. We have reached the time limit for operating outside the Schattenbereich area. Please, allow us to return to the Vandenreich." Haschwalth said, also the shadows appeared underneath him and Eliza who he was still carrying over his shoulder.

"Impossible, we should still have time..." Yhwach said but winced then when he came to realization how this happened. "I see... Sosuke Aizen... this is his doing. In the few minutes we were in contact he managed to disrupt my senses."

The king of the Quincies took a glance over to his blonde subordinate.

"Haschwalth... why did you not inform me of this if you had noticed?"

The blonde Quincy closed his eyes as he replied.

"Even if I were to attempt to stop your majesty, it would have been in vain."

"Fine." Said Yhwach said and was about to turn away from Ichigo. "Let's go."

"NOT SO FAST!" Shouted Ichigo and ran up to him. He couldn't let them leave with Shizuka, he had to save her. Yhwach however turned around to him.

"You really think I'll let you get out of here? After you just shit on Soul Society and trying to kidnap Shizuka? Do you fucks really think I'll let you leave unscathed...!" He said but Yhwach only turned around and went on, something which made Ichigo more enraged.

"Just try and take another step!" He yelled and tried to attack Yhwach from behind but this was when Haschwalth turned around and with a simple movement of his hand made Zangetsu break in two pieces.

"This is goodbye, Kurosaki Ichigo." Yhwach said while looking around to the shocked orange-haired boy. "I had taken for now what I wanted. I shall return for you in the future. Heal your wounds and wait for me. My son, born in the dark."

With this Yhwach disappeared with Haschwalth and Shizuka into nothingness and let Ichigo behind who fell shocked on his knees, right before Zangetsu's other half.

"FUCK THIS SHIT!" He shouted while he put his hands and head on the ground as he fell into depression not being able to save the one he loves most.

For some moments he stayed like this, weeping silently because he was not strong enough to save and protect Shizuka. After some time he sat up again and looked up to the sky while it had started to rain.

From the corners of his eyes he could see a Zanpakuto laying there and stood up to went over to the sheathed katana.

Ichigo noticed it was Shizuka's Zanpakuto which was laying there, Kyuketsuki no Yurei. He sat down in front of it and grabbed the Zanpakuto, leaning his forehead against it.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect her." He muttered as he continued to fall into depression and desperation.

Yhwach and Haschwalth meanwhile had reached the Vandenreich HQ and the Quincy king ordered Haschwalth to bring Shizuka over to one of these prison cells and Haschwalth followed his order and brought the captured shinigami down to the prison cells. Yhwach however made his was to his throne to rest.

Haschwalth already reached the prison cells and put their captive into a free one, putting her in chains. He knew how she would react upon waking up again; confused about the memory lost she would try to get away. Haschwalth was surprised the Amnesia Fist had actually worked on her but the shock to see how a strong ally had been easily killed probably made her prone to surprise attacks.

"Rest for now, Urahara Shizuka. Tomorrow you'll wake up as a new person." Haschwalth said upon leaving. Haschwalth immediately went to his chambers and found an attendant there, waiting for him.

"Welcome back, Haschwalth-sama. I hope you had a very successful mission." The attendant said as Haschwalth closed the door behind himself.

"Indeed, it was a successful mission. We have captured our prey." He said as he sat down on the couch. His eyes went over to the female attendant who was preparing him something to drink.

"I know I have no permission to give a piece of my mind on that case but isn't it too risky to have one of the enemies here?" The attendant asked while Haschwalth looked surprised at her.

"I can share your worry, I also doubt she would cooperate with us even through I have blocked her memories through the amnesia fist. I guess His Majesty will use his own will to make her our ally." Haschwalth explained as the attendant served him tea.

"So you mean he wants to brainwash her?"

"According to His Majesty's actions, I think... yes, he will."