The Black Side of the Moon~ Hurt
Ichigo's descent through the black hell was a long one. He floated lifelessly, still curled up in the fetal position. The pain of his shattered legs was nothing compared to the pain of his broken will, and his damaged mind. His frantic thoughts were now quiet. What little he did feel at the moment was impossible to describe in any simple way. He was betrayed by the highest order of Soul Society, for reasons he still could not comprehend. There was little he could do now as a powerless being. All of the battles that he had fought, all of the blood that he had spilt for the sake of Soul Society was now forfeit. His mind bore him no comfort. He could not even think of the ones he loved, even the one who dried the rain.
Tears fell from his sullen eyes. They were clenched tightly, his face was twisted in pain. In the lonely world he drifted through, none could hear his silent whimpers, and occasional screams of despair. He was alone, both physically and mentally.
What had he done to deserve such an unfortunate fate? Where did he go wrong? More importantly, what had his father done wrong?
In the void, he was met with no catharsis. Nothing in the way of answers to his questions came to him that ran silently through his mind full of pain and hatred.
He contemplated suicide. It crossed his mind more than once as he passed the dark. Biting his tongue maybe? That would certainly put an end to his torment. Nobody deserved the fate which he had been met with.
He shook his head vigorously, as if he were banishing the tainted thoughts from his mind. There was still hope. There is always hope, he thought to himself. Something had to happen, to pull him from his ill fate. Someone had to come and save him, right?
Nothing happened.
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o o o
.
Kyoraku Shunsui was a man who always contemplated his decisions. He planned them carefully, searching for the positives and negatives in every conclusion. He didn't usually regret many of his choices, there were few he had regretted in the millennium he had spent serving and leading the Gotei 13.
He was sitting in the chair behind his desk in the office in the new 1st Division barracks that had been erected as a temporary replacement.
He looked down at the note that a Central 46 messenger brought him earlier.
His face was a contorted into a deep frown, his eyes were hidden beneath his hat. His usual façade of jubilance was slowly cracking, revealing a side of him that he thought he long left behind him.
The note was classified under the strict jurisdiction of the Royal Guard, signed by all five members of the Guard, and apparently signed by the Soul King himself.
The contents of said note were as followed;
The traitor Kurosaki Ichigo, has been found and convicted of high treason by the Soul King, for conspiring with, and aiding the criminals Kurosaki Isshin, and Aizen Sousuke, who are also indicted for accounts including murder, high treason, heresy, and conspiracy. Hitherto, Kurosaki Ichigo has been under the close watch of the Royal Guard, and enough evidence was gathered to convict him of the previously mentioned charges. Wherein, he was sentenced immediately by the High Monk, Hyosube Ichibe, and banished to the shadow realm for all eternity. If anyone else is found to be in cohorts with the high traitor, their punishments will be decided immediately. This information is only to be relayed to the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, and Central 46.
Signed, Regem Animam
Cosigned, Kirinji Tenjiro, Hikifune Kirio, Oetsu Nimaiya, Shutara Senjumaru, Ichibe Hyosube,
The first signature was written in an unknown language to Shunsui, he assumed it to be of the "Soul King". He dismissed the very idea almost immediately. Something was definitely going on, something wasn't right. Even so, his choices were now limited. The future of Soul Society was looking dimmer every day. First the assault launched by the Wandenreich, the execution of the most powerful man, mentor, and friend he had ever known. Then the escape of the immortal and dangerous Aizen Sousuke, and now the banishment of Soul Societies defender and hope. Even his morale was thinning.
"This wasn't supposed to happen." Shunsui spoke lowly. He slammed his hands onto his desk before burying his face in them. He spoke slowly into his hands, "There has to be some misunderstanding. Ichigo has done nothing wrong. The only crime that boy was guilty of, was blindly following his heart and what he believed until the very end."
He sat in his chair, thinking furiously about what he could do to reverse this terrible mistake. He came to no conclusions. His power as the head of the Gotei 13 was but a shadow of the legal power that the Royal Guard had.
Suddenly, he remembered. He didn't know who Kurosaki Isshin was, that man was a mystery to him, but.
"Conspiring with and aiding Aizen Sousuke?" He read from the letter again. "Sousuke, maybe he knows something about this. He has to know what the hell is going on here."
Shunsui picked up the royal note, resealed it, and shoved it into the pocket of his shihakushou.
Truthfully, he did not know where to find Aizen. He would be impossible to find. He deduced Aizen would have to come to him if he had any chance at finding answers to his questions. Unfortunately, he decided that now was not the time to worry about Ichigo. It pained him deeply to come to this conclusion, but as the leader of the Gotei 13, he had other priorities. He would get to the bottom of this terrible misunderstanding eventually. First, he must reform the Gotei 13 and refresh the ranks as quickly as possible. Defense was the top priority here, and this time, they would be ready.
Shunsui gathered his belongings, and as he walked through the door of his newly appointed office, a thought came to him.
He feared the mystery of Kurosaki Ichigo would be answered for him in time.
He would be right.
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o o o
.
Kuchiki Rukia laid in her bed in the fourth division medical bay. Her wounds were now completely healed as far as she could tell, save for her paralysis. Even in her incapacitated state, she felt positive about the future. The death of her brother had hit her hard, harder than she would let anyone besides Ichigo know. She would now eventually be appointed the head of the Kuchiki Clan. Responsibilities past that of the Gotei 13 would now rest in her hands. This thought worried her. She realized she would inevitably be discharged from the Gotei 13, thanks to Kyoraku-taichou, who coerced them into agreeing to such an unprecedented request. Her incapacitation would not dampen her spirits, however. It would take a lot more than that to bring her down.
She thought of Ichigo. She smiled sheepishly to herself. She knew their relationship was ever changing, and even now it was molding itself into something more, something deeper. She always had a problem expressing her deepest emotions to others, to Kaien-dono, to Renji, even to her own brother. Ichigo was different however. She felt connected to him, like he understood her more than anyone else. She originally thought of their relationship as nothing more than platonic, but as of late, she has found that to be a slightly miscalculated analysis.
She felt her heart flutter at the thought, that she and Ichigo could become something more. This feeling was new, it was something she had never felt before. Her smile grew ever wider. Even in the most desperate and dire days, there was always happiness tucked away, even if you had to dig to find it.
Left to her thoughts, she squirmed in bed, she was uneasy. She again thought of Ichigo, specifically wondering how he was doing. She desperately wanted to see him. She wanted to see the goofy grins that only he gave to her. She wanted to see his obnoxiously bright hair, and most of all, she just wanted the warmth and comfort he provided her. She felt lonely without him, incomplete even, as if Ichigo was the other half of her.
She decided that the next time they were together, she would warm up to him more, maybe even drop him a few hints that their relationship was progressing.
She had heard from Kyoraku-tacihou that the Soul King had specifically requested his presence.
'He sure is popular'.
She rolled her eyes at her own thought. Inwardly, she wondered what the King of Soul Society could possibly want with Ichigo. She couldn't tell for sure, but she knew what she was going to tell him the next time she saw him. Her resolve was clear. She hoped it would be within the next few days, or at least the week.
However, it wasn't meant to be.
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o o o
.
Haschwalth paced himself at an even rate as he made his way up to His Majesty's throne. He had summoned him for immediate council. He couldn't guess what His Majesty wanted to tell him. They had only just conversed a few hours prior. His Majesty was still regaining his lost power, so he could operate outside of the shadow region of their home.
The throne was near. Yhwach received Haschwalth with a gesture of warmth.
"Haschwalth." He calmly greeted.
"Your Majesty."
"We have a problem."
"What is bothering you, Your Majesty?"
"Kurosaki Ichigo has come in contact with the Royal Guard."
Haschwalth stiffened at these words. He knew the importance of this event, for it was prophesized.
"As you probably already understand, he was not well met." Yhwach spoke, with a hint of disdain. "We must intervene immediately, and set in place the final chess piece that will end this miserable war that has spanned a millennium. "
Haschwalth nodded and agreed, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Yhwach stood tall, his cloak falling behind him in a billowing motion. His hands clenched in fists, resting at his side. He rose his head above Haschwalth, who immediately kneeled to the floor in the deepest respect, his eyes closed.
His reiatsu came to a head. It was so massive, and resolute, that even Haschwalth felt beads of sweat began to roll down his forehead.
"I will take care of this myself."
