"I am off then!"
Ichigo stepped out the door, the voices of his family calling after him.
"Be careful out there, onii-san!"
"He's just doing the grocery round, Yuzu. It's not a war mission. Ohy, Ichigo, remember to pick that yogurt I told you about".
"And see if you can find a good girl to bring home! Or two! One for you and one for your old man to…"
"Shut up, you old perv!" Ichigo slammed the door before the excuse of a living being that called himself his father could come up with something that made him regret having got up from bed.
After making sure he had everything with him, he walked out of the porch and into the street.
The crisp morning air was quick to banish any lingering annoyance. The young man inhaled with full lungs, then let out a satisfied sigh. Above, the sky was steadily losing its pinkish dawn color. Yep, Ichigo thought. A beautiful summer morning, of what prospected itself to be a beautiful summer day. Really, who could remain annoyed with that?
There weren't people out and about that early in the morning, apart from those which work required it. As he walked, Ichigo was passed by a garbage truck, the driver replying with a sleepy nod at his greetings.
He felt in high spirits. School had just ended and an entire summer opened itself before him. He could go camping with Chad and Orihime. Or maybe they would first have a barbecue at the big guy's house. Ishida would fuss and put up the snotty act but in the end, he would join them as well. And talking of the four-eyes, he really needed to find a way to drag him out of his damn house. They could hit the town at night for a chance. And forget about all the other things his classmates were up to. There was so much to do.
As he reached a corner of the street, Ichigo looked at the small flower pot on the concrete, carefully tucked away from any distracted pedestrians. The photo of a smiling young woman leaned against it.
Ichigo smiled. Good! Nobody had disturbed it.
Glancing around, he quickly found what he was looking for.
The phantom peeked at him from between the branches of a tree close by. The soul was a little thing, a sphere of light that could have been the size of his fist.
Ichigo waved at her, and she disappeared back inside her hiding spot.
He sighed and smiled. There were those like that as well. The shy ones. Welp, one couldn't hurry these things. She would come around eventually.
He watered the flowers and carefully fixed the photo, then he was back on his way.
As he went, he couldn't but smile.
Losing his powers after the battle with Aizen had been a hard blow for him, one that he wasn't sure he would ever be able to go past. It wasn't the strength that he really cried about; sure, that hurt since all the effort he had put to get it, but it didn't even come close at the wound seared in his chest from losing any chance of seeing his friends from the other side. That had hurt him, badly.
And that was why when a glimmer of his old powers had returned it had been a party. It was just a shred of what he had before as a Shinigami, nothing that could be turned to fight, but who cared? He could see them all once again. Rukia, Renji and all the others. Heck, even seeing that ugly mug of Kenpachi made him happy. Almost.
And so there he was, back where he started, a boy that could talk and hear ghosts and tried what little he could to make their supernatural life a bit better. Life came to full circle and all that. Hell, after everything he had gone through it, it felt sad. Or at least, that's what he had thought initially. Now, though…
"Ichigo!"
Ichigo turned, just as the black-clad shinigami landed on the concrete in front of him.
"Ohy, Rukia". He grinned at her.
His friend took a moment to compose herself, smoothing her Shihakusho and straightening herself up in a more "dignified" posture.
Ichigo rolled his eyes. He never understood that obsession of hers with looking clean and polite all the time.
Purple eyes fixed him with an annoyed look. "What?"
He blatantly looked away. "Nothing," he said, not meaning at all, and earning another glare. Rustling in his bag, he took out a bento box. "Busy night?"
The girl's eyes flashed at seeing it. "Not at all," she said curtly, snatching it from his hand.
"Glad to hear it". Ichigo grinned as his friend practically drooled at seeing the veritable army of homecooked snacks inside the box. "That thing may be an eyesore but it does its job at least". The direction he thumbed toward showed a most unusual sight: a great obelisk, rising from the cityscape like the finger of some ancient god. It was impressive, he wasn't going to lie about that, but damn if it was at odds with the cityscape.
"Have some respect!" Rukia stopped her culinary sightseeing to smack him indignantly on the chest. "The Gotei has devoted great effort and resources to build the Pillar!"
"And i am grateful for it, thank you, mad scientists-sama". Despite the irony, Ichigo was honest. That thing could be a punch in the eye but since it was there the reiatsu of the city had turned stable like the river. Hollow numbers had gone down like never before, both born into Karakura and those coming from outside.
He wasn't going to lie: he had his doubts at the beginning. The thing looked just like a big waste of space, and he wasn't keen on having giant obelisks over his city. Now, though, he had to take back his words. Even Rukia's usual "all calm tonight" stopped feeling like lies to make him feel at ease. Despite any prediction he could make, Karakura had actually turned into a calm spot for Shinigami. Well, as calm as a still very high-level hotspot of reiatsu could be. Still, it was nothing compared to the old days. The Shinigami on patrol still had to put their work in, but nothing happened that could truly be a hard threat.
Ichigo didn't feel at fault for mistrusting, though. Heck, couldn't they put something like that earlier? It would have made his life so much easier!
Also, not a chance he was going to confess it to Rukia. He had enough of her without being all smug and satisfied, thank you very much.
The girl put an end to his reveries. "Are you going to stand there and be disrespectful or are you going to let me eat? I am starving, fool!"
"Aye aye". Ichigo hung his head down, smiling.
They went to a close park, sitting on a bench. Neither said anything for some time, Rukia too busy chowing down on her bento. Ichigo didn't mind: the silence between them was companionable, and he enjoyed the sounds of the morning and the city coming awake in the distance.
Eventually, even the mass of meals cooked by Yuzu was vanquished. Rukia carefully put the empty box beside her on the bench. She hiccupped behind a kerchief, a prim and proper lady once more.
Ichigo arched an eyebrow, kinda impressed by the change from ravenous eater.
"You really were starving", he joked. "What, you cannon fodder don't get fed in the Soul Society?"
Rukia threw him a warning look. "The rations handed out by command are more than enough and nutritious", she intoned, all prim and proper like she was reciting from a poster card. She turned away, looking embarrassed. "I guess that i got a little too fond of Yuzu-san's cuisine…"
Ichigo needed a moment to register the implications of those words.
"Oh my god!" He exclaimed. "You got fat!" He burst out laughing, actual tears coming to his eyes.
Rukia watched him like he had just killed her childhood puppy companion with a sledgehammer.
"I-i am not fat!" She said in a hurry. "I just have been eating a little bit more!"
"Listen to the fatso trying to deny it!"
"Ichigo, i swear to God…"
"Ahahahahah!"
"Ichigo, shut up!"
Eventually, and after some good pinching from a very enraged Rukia to a very laughing Ichigo, they settled back down into their silence.
Neither spoke for some time, both watching the clear sky and enjoying the warm morning air.
When Rukia spoke again, she was serious. "I meant to ask", she said, turning to look at him. "How are you holding out?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Eh, good enough, i guess. The exams went as good as they could, and the clinic is getting good work. Between that and my odd jobs, no bill not getting paid".
"That's good to hear". Rukia nodded slowly. She kept watching him, serious. She never had an elder sister, but at that moment she gave him that kind of vibe. "And about the rest?"
Ichigo scratched his cheek. Oh, so that was had her walking on her toes these last days. Rukia could fake it as good as nobody he knew, but even she left slip her concern out from time to time, too much lately to not hide something heavy. Well, glad to hear it wasn't about Hollows or something like that.
Ichigo settled both elbows on the back of the bench, leaning down to watch the sky.
"May come as a surprise but good", he said after a few moments of gathering his thoughts. He sighed. "I mean, i am not going to say that i am happy. I miss it, you know? The sword in my hand, going with you guys to fight… i guess that i am a bit of a battle freak to say it, but yes, i miss it. A Lot.".
Rukia said nothing. She just watched him intently, expression serious.
Ichigo brushed a hand through his hair. "But hey, stuff happened and you can't take back what is gone. So i am making the best out of it. I am looking forward rather than backward. Trying to at least". He grinned. "After all, i think i did a pretty good job".
Rukia snorted. "You did indeed".
Ichigo hung down his head, smiling sheepishly. "I hope so!" He had never been big on flattering himself. He sighed. "It needed to be done. Someone had to stop Aizen, and if my powers were the price for it, i have no regrets. Heck, i'd do it again and again". He grinned at her. "So i guess that now i am satisfied. I did everything i could. Saved the world, defeated the big bad villain, all that. Honestly, i never expected i'd reach that far. I count myself lucky to having be able to do it".
He looked up, smiling wistfully. "Yeah, i think that it is enough. Can't ask for more, and i regret nothing. I had a good run, but it's better not to get greedy, right?" He turned to her and paused.
Rukia was watching him with a mix of fondness and pride.
"You said that you wanted to save a mountain of people", she said, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You did it".
Ichigo swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Don't you look at me like that," he grumbled, turning away. "What's with that look? You aren't my mom, you know".
"Almost!" Rukia chimed genially. "After all, you're always my kohai and i am always your senpai. And what senpai doesn't get proud when their kohai turns out to be surprisingly mature?"
"Is that your way to comfort people?" Ichigo was only half-amused.
"As if you need it, you tough guy". Rukia patted him on the head with a condescending smile.
Ichigo grumbled, secretly enjoying her support. They remained like this for a bit, just sharing the moment.
Ichigo felt a sweet kind of sadness swirl in his chest. He meant everything he had said, and Rukia knew it. He was truly at peace now, happy with what he had and with no regrets. The girl was immensely happy for it: his friend deserved that more than anyone else.
There was no need to say it. Instinctively, they knew each other's thoughts.
After a while, Ichigo grinned. "My senpai? You wish, shorty. First you have to grow at least another ten centimeters".
"You fool! You ruined it!"
Ichigo laughed.
After that, Rukia went back to patrol and Ichigo was left alone.
The young man watched his friend go with a smile. Good old Rukia. Even in a calm place like Karakura had turned into, she wouldn't shirk her duties for more than the bare minimum. Honestly, sometimes he wished she'd take it easy.
He sighed. Damn her and her concern. Now he was turning mopey. They both knew that she wouldn't be able to remain there forever. Soon, her accomplishments would carry her to become an officer and after that, no more patrol duty. How long they had until then? Two, three years? Ichigo wondered and dreaded the moment. Renji was already busy with his own work…
He pushed those bad thoughts away. Life was like that after all. People went their own ways. But that didn't mean they couldn't meet up. It would be just like having friends in another country. And those friends could hyper-speed their ways to you when they could.
"No point on moping about it…"
He looked up, shielding his eyes from the rising sun. Nope, he wasn't going to get gloomy. Better focus on the right here right now. And right now he had a grocery tour to make.
"Books for Hachigan-san, shonen jump for Love-san and Rojuro-san".
As he walked down a dilapidated sidepath, Ichigo was giving a last-minute review to his grocery list to make sure he hadn't missed anything.
"Porn for Lisa…" He didn't even bother with that. If that perv wanted stuff like that, she could go and get it.
"That music stuff for Rojuro-san…" He had no ear for music and had no idea who that band was, but a part of him couldn't but be vaguely impressed. Rojuro had this refined air to him that everything he asked him to buy felt like some kind of sacred art masterpiece.
"Jazz vinyls for Shinji". On the other side, there was this fucker asking him for the impossible. Where the fuck was he supposed to buy that stuff? He was 99% sure Shinji just liked to fuck with him by that point.
"Boot polish for Mashiro, and new laces". Maybe she wanted to star in some Power Rangers production. He wasn't going to ask. "Vinegar for Kensei-san". That one had completely thrown him off. He expected, dunno, chains, gauntlets, sandbags, or something. But, hey, Kensei was the cook of that gang, so he supposed that it made sense.
There was no item listed for Hiyori, the irritable girl having responded with a "got to hell!" to his question if she needed something. So he had gone and got her some takoyaki, steaming hot and straight of the kitchen. She would grumble and ramble but sure as hell she was scarfing them down.
"Yep. All done". He tucked the list into his pocket.
The Vizard compound was an old warehouse tucked away in an overgrown lot between dilapidated buildings. Ichigo had often wondered why those people just didn't try to get a better place to stay. They didn't want to return to the Soul Society, and that he could understand: certain wounds ran too deep for a handshake ad an apology to repair. But wouldn't have been nice to have heating? Or a true bathroom? Mah!
"Heyyy, Kensei-san!" He called as he stepped between the weeds. "I brought today's haul! Mashiro-san, i brought the thing you wanted!"
Unusually, nobody replied. They must have been bickering, as usual.
Sighing, Ichigo stepped toward the doors.
It was then that he noticed the dumbbells. They laid on the dirt clearing in front of the warehouse, clearly abandoned.
Ichigo stopped. Kensei held those dumbbells like treasure, not wanting anybody to touch them. He wouldn't leave them abandoned like that.
A bad feeling rising, he turned to the doors. Quickly, he walked toward them. Alarm surged. The barrier that Hachigan maintained was nowhere to be seen. He could perceive some leftover shreds of it there and then, but nothing more. Spiritually speaking, the place was…
The doors blasted open.
Ichigo cried out, jumping back.
Hiyori landed hard on the ground, both feet digging furrows as she slid to a stop.
Ichigo widened his eyes as he took in her condition. The short girl was covered in bruises and cuts. Her mask was splintered open, revealing an eye flashing with anger. Her sword was cracked and half-broken.
As she stopped, she tried to get back into a fighting stance, but her knees buckled and she slumped down with a cry, having to lean against her sword not to fall.
It was then that she noticed his presence.
"Ichigo!" Despite her wounds, she sounded more angry than suffering.
Shocked, Ichigo opened his mouth to speak. He never got the chance to.
"Run away, you dumbass!" She screamed.
Something darted out of the warehouse. Hiyori faltered. A great, skeletal hand had grabbed her. She cried out in anger as she was pulled off her feet. In a flash, she disappeared beyond the shattered doors. The moment after, her cry sharply cut off.
Silence remained.
Ichigo looked at the point where his friend had been a moment earlier. Only her broken sword remained there.
Slowly, eyes wide, he turned.
A figure emerged from the doors.
The man - or woman - was incredibly tall, having to lean slightly to come out of the warehouse. A heavy white cloak covered a frame completely wrapped by bandages. A great, skeletal hand emerged from an ample sleeve, holding up a small pile of white objects.
Masks, Ichigo realized with a shudder.
He stiffened as the creature came, slowly and ponderously, toward him.
It didn't touch him, instead, walking right past like an icy wind.
Ichigo panted. Slowly, he turned.
As he watched, too shocked to do anything else, the creature took a seat on a half-broken bench the Vizard had put in front of the warehouse, the seat groaning under its weight. Giving him its back, the creature set the pile of masks beside it, then took one - Hachidan's mask - and raised it to its face.
Ichigo shuddered as he heard a sickening crunch, followed by munching sounds.
"Ichigo Kurosaki". That voice was scratchy, raspy, but unmistakeably feminine. Ichigo felt it like an icy talon dragged across his back.
"I wondered when we'd meet…" More crunching, like gravel being mashed between iron teeth.
Ichigo swallowed, feeling his throat dry. "Who are you?"
The creature swallowed loudly. "I am Sol". She spoke slowly and deeply, calm, almost expressionless.
Silence.
Ichigo anxiously glanced back toward the warehouse. Sweat plastered his forehead. "What have you…"
Sol took another mask, Shinji's. "Not killed them", she droned. "Just ripped off the Hollow part. They'll live. Halved. In a couple of decades the missing part will grow back". Crunching, gulping.
"Halv…" Ichigo felt a know in his throat. "Why? Who are you?" His hand went to his back. He winced as he remembered that there was no Zangetsu to extract.
Sol didn't answer, too busy meticulously chewing. She swallowed, then sighed. "A new war be coming, young one. This one will change the age. Going to be a rough one", she added after a moment.
"What are you talking about?!" Ichigo found himself raising his voice. He didn't understand. He couldn't…
Sol hummed. There was some harsh sound of crunching and grating as she did something to the masks, then she lifted her closed fist above her head. Wide-eyed, Ichigo watched as she slowly opened the long fingers, letting a small waterfall of white fragments cascade down. More crunching, more gulping. A long sigh.
For a long moment, silence. Ichigo sweated hard, struggling to remain still.
"Funny how time passes". Sol's deep voice was thoughtful. "I still remember when there was only a hill here. Grass wherever you looked. And now, look at that". A pause. "Make you feel small how quickly things change". She pushed a long finger beneath one of the bandages covering her head, scratching slowly. "But that's not right. It's not as much as time as what humans manage to do". She hummed deeply. "I prefer the grass. Still, to build so much in so little time. I am envious. Never being able to build like that. Destroy, that i can do. But destroy is much easier than building".
Ichigo had no idea what her deal was. It was like she had forgotten he was there, just murmuring to herself.
She paused, mumbling under her breath. Then, suddenly, two words.
"Die, human".
The pressure that fell upon him was bone-crunching. Just as pain and panic jolted in, he recognized it: reiatsu, enough to crush him to bits. Ichigo let out a chocked scream. He tried to resist but it was like holding up a mountain. He could feel his bones clatter, his muscles tense, ready to snap. Blood filled his mouth.
Then it was gone.
Ichigo fell to his knees with a moan. He panted hard, his heart hammering in his ears. There wasn't a part of him that didn't scream in pain. And yet, a part of him was in shock at him being still alive.
With an effort that felt titanic, he lifted his head.
Sol was still sitting on the bench. She had her hand up, and something seemed to shine in it.
"…don't want?" He heard her say, muffled like she was talking from a great distance.
"Yeah, he took you out of Aizen, but…" He managed to catch only fragments. "He'll be trouble…" A moment of pause. "…fine".
The strange light disappeared, and Sol pocketed whatever she was holding. He heard her sigh heavily. Slowly, she got up. She turned, watching him with a single, brilliant eye. Ichigo could swear there was curiosity in it. The moment ended before he could be sure.
Without another word, Sol walked away.
Ichigo watched her go, too shocked and pained and confused to do anything else. His eyes rolled back and he fainted, crashing to the ground.
When he came back, it was night. Something that, as his watch told him, was impossible: it even wasn't ten am yet.
Something was horribly wrong there, and he needed to do something.
He found the Vizard strewn all over the warehouse, all ill-looking and unconscious despite his best efforts, but thankfully alive. He'd love to help them but he had no idea how. The only thing he could do was go search for help. And there was another reason for that as well: Rukia, he needed to warn her. There was an enemy in town.
Ichigo closed the warehouse doors, begging whatever god was listening for the Vizard to be okay while he wasn't there.
Turning, he faced the town. The quietly morning sounds were gone, replaced by a deadly silence.
He steadied himself, tried to. He was still shaken, but he was going to be damned before sitting back and let whatever was happening unfold without at least trying to do something. Was he scared? Yes, a lot. There was no sword unsheath here, but to hell with that. Sol or whatever that thing was, he wasn't letting her do whatever she wanted.
With that new determination, he started into a run, plunging into the darkened Karakura.