A/N: Heellooo! Yes, my faithful Readers, I'm back on stage! Wadup? I present you: another chapter. I know, I know two chapters in a row! I'm not making any promises when the next will be posted tho, my muse is...complicated...Anyways: Enjoy. Also thanks for still sticking around and all the lovely Reviews, seriously they give me life.
How a Story is made: Beepboop *processing Story* *Posting Story* Bing *Story is ready for consumption*
Thanks to my friend BBC for joining me on writing this Author's Note. (Yeah she sat next to me while I was writing and decided to contribute...)
Previously:
"It's about the upcoming war." Ukitake told him softly.
"Yes?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow at them. Kyoraku leaned forward, his face clouded in shadows he spoke.
"We think we have a traitor among us."
„Wrong!" Ichigo yelled, making a loud buzzing noise at the end.
Ukitake and Kyoraku almost fell out of their chairs at his sudden admission.
"Wrong…you say? How would you know? Shouldn't you at least listen to us until the end?" Ukitake asked, hair sticking up at odd places.
"Nah, no need. I already know you're wrong so why should I waste both of our time. I already told you that the Quincy are everywhere. Literally. They could be listening in right now for all we know. A traitor wouldn't help them in the least. So calm your tits alright?" He asked, leaning back in his chair and balancing while staring into space.
"I…see." Kyoraku said, with a sigh he scratched himself beneath his hat and looked at Ichigo. "You got it all figured out, don't you? I wonder how it is…that you know all these things."
"I wonder how! I wonder why!" Ichigo begand singing, his voice as grating and off key as always as he screamed the lyrics to 'Lemon tree' and skipped away, leaving behind a pair fo partially deaf captains in his wake.
"I hope those Quincy at least heard that too if they were listening in right now…" Ukitake said, scratching the inside of his ear as he pulled a face.
"Haahh?" Kyoraku asked, ears still suffed with part of a napkin and his fingers. "Did you say something?"
Ukitake shook his head and groaned. He really hoped this 'war' would be over soon.
Meanwhile Ichigo was skipping though Seireitei, the song had died on his lips the second he had been out of earshot of Ukitake and Kyoraku, starting to sing was always the best way of escaping a uncomfortable question. There was no need for them to know who he truly was or where he came from. He was here to protect them. Always protect them…No matter how tired he grew, how much he wanted to…die already.
Maybe this time. Maybe in this reality he'd finally be granted some peace and quiet. Constantly fighting, constantly moving. Always knowing that he had a duty to fulfill. Defeat Aizen, defeat Yhwach. Move on. Move to the next dimension, or reality or 'outcome' and do it all over again. Some things might change, some people turned traitor that he hadn't expected to, other his friends and lovers.
He still remembered the first time he switched realities. The despair he felt. The hope at maybe…just maybe being able to end everything if he did it all again. The sense of doom and dread when instead of it finally ending, he found himself in yet another place. That first time…he had gone to Kisuke in that dimension. Hoping against hope that the brilliant scientist might be able to help him, to send him back where he came from.
He should have known that it was impossible when Kisuke hadn't been able to come up with a solution. He had tried again and again. With every supposed brilliant person, he had ever known of.
Kisuke Urahara, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Szayelaporro Gantz. None had been able to help him. None had been able to stop it.
So instead of suffering, suffering the repeat of letting people to far in, of falling in love, of making bonds…Now he just couldn't be bothered, those that wanted to be near him would be, even when his personality was all over the place and his sanity had left him many, many dimensions ago. There was only so much one man could take. Only so much suffering and grief one could suffer before breaking down.
"Honesty might be the best policy, but insanity is the best defense." He mumbled.
"You." A voice to his right said. He turned, surprised despite himself that he hadn't sensed the person standing this close to him before. His surprise only grew when he saw Soifon of all people glaring at him.
"Hello there, kitty in training. How can I help you?" He asked, bowing low in an overly flamboyant way and looking at her, silly grin stretching as he stood back up and took in her annoyed expression.
"You could always go home. Nuisance." She said, contempt obvious as she gave him another venomous look.
"Ahh such lovely eyes, you'd be way prettier if you weren't always looking like you were searching for the best way to slit my throat while nobody is watching." He said.
"Heh. Didn't know my thoughts were that obvious." She snapped back.
"Oya! Would you look at that, the kitty in training has claws. Raawwrr." He said, voice deadpan and grin having vanished.
She only shot him another glare before walking away.
A small smile stole its way onto Ichigos face, softer than the others before. He still remembered…years ago. How he had been with Soifon. She was fierce and strong, cute and gentle.
He had loved her.
It had hurt even more that he had had to kill her in the following dimension. A cruel joke. That she of all people would turn out to be one of his enemies. That it had to be her blood that coated his blade, her small body growing colder in his arms as he cried his heart out onto her cold shoulder.
He turned away, another melody on his lips, this time not sounding as off key and terrible as before. He pulled out a cigarette lighting it with a few snaps of his lighter. Taking a deep drag he blew out the smoke.
"Ichigo!"He heard a voice, with raised eyebrows he turned towards it.
"Hello there!" Rose yelled, coming up towards him. He was being flaked by the rest of the Vizard.
"General Kenobi." Ichigo gave back automatically, the Star Wars reference just tumbling out of his mouth. Love almost bent over with his chuckles.
"You know you should really stop smoking." Mashiro said, reaching up towards his cigarette. He leaned out of the way.
"Why is it that everything you love it either unhealthy, addictive or has several restraining orders against you?" He complained, frowning behind his fringe and pouting.
"No, I think that's just you." Kensei said, sweat dropping as he looked at the orange haired man.
"Anyways what are you guys doing here?" Ichigo asked.
"Ohh well since we are about to fight in another war…we decided that coming to the Seireitei is the best option." Love answered.
"Ahh I see." Ichigo mumbled, taking another drag. "Well Kurotsuchi and Kisuke are probably already busy setting up our stage for the fight. This place should he flooded in light soon. When the time comes the Quincy won't know what hit them." At the end of his sentence his grin grew sharper.
"Good to know." Shinji said, grinning lopsidedly as he took in the murderous aura surrounding Ichigo.
"You seem to be quite pissed at them. Any reason for that?" He added.
Ichigo twitched. He had though years of killing the bastard would help but he was still pissed at Yhwach. It didn't help that it had taken Ichigo very long in the last dimension to kill him.
By the time he had finally crossed swords with Yhwach all the people he had sworn to protect were dead or taking their last breaths. Apparently, he was still pissed about that. And also, apparently Shinji was just at good at picking up on his mood as always.
"It's his fault." Ichigo hissed, biting down on his cigarette and balling his fists. "Everything is his fault, if it weren't for him-" He stopped himself, letting his cigarette drop to the floor and stepping on it as he turned away.
"He's mine to kill." Were his only words as he turned away and way gone in a burst of Shunpo in the next.
"It is time." Yhwach called, clad in a black coat as he stared down at his army of Quincy. "Their defenses will not be enough to keep us out. Now, let us go and take what was meant to be ours from the beginning."