Hey, everyone! I'm back! First off, I'm really sorry about how long this chapter took to come out. I don't like giving excuses but I'll just say that this chapter was pretty difficult to write and I've been busy in my personal life. This chapter is very long, the second longest in this story and a whole bunch of stuff happened so I'm really excited for you all to read it. Once again, really sorry about the four month wait, I'll do my best to be better. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
Edit: I'm now replying to comments! Check down below after the chapter, I'll be replying to every comment on the previous chapter. I've never done this before so I hope you all like it!
Chapter 13: Darkness Falls
Ink. That was the first thought that came to Ichigo's mind when he observed his surroundings. An inky, smoky mass that pressed in painfully on all sides. He was being tugged forcefully through it and an overwhelming sense of the colour purple saturated his vision.
All he could think about was what Rukia had told him when they were speaking at the North Pole, "When Harmonic Convergence happens, the portals will connect or something into a beaming arc of energy. You must fly into this energy and theoretically, it should send you back to the place where you were last here."
Suddenly, he was thrust out of the ink and into an open area. His eyes widened. Is this the Dangai? He couldn't confirm it because he was plunged into another mass and his eyes squinted shut from the pressure. It crushed his body and held his head like a vice, causing him to scream.
Then it was over. He felt a twinge of cold and he gasped for breath amidst the pain. Finally, he opened his eyes. He was lying prostate on an uncomfortable surface. The space around him was huge and covered with rocks and dirt. Above him was a ceiling and to his left was a giant blue wall with a tiny ladder that stretched up to a hole in the ceiling.
His fingers clawed in the dirt and he rolled over onto his front. Beads of blood and sweat dripped from his forehead onto the ground as he rose to his knees. Clenching his fists, he pushed himself upright and struggled to his feet. He gasped again and spat out more blood.
Ichigo staggered his way over to the ladder as his body recovered from the beating it received in the journey here. It still hadn't struck him what had just transpired. He was too in shock and his mind didn't want to accept what he'd done to get here. Not yet.
He climbed up the ladder, each rung seeming further away than the last one. At last he reached the top and thrust through a wooden door above him and emerged in the cold back room of some small building. He heard something clatter to the floor and he looked up to see a little red-haired boy staring at him in total astonishment.
The boy stammered initially and then found his voice. "Uh… uh hey old geezer! Get in here!"
"Jinta, please don't raise your voice while I'm serving a customer. I'll be just a minute."
"No seriously! Get the hell in here!"
"Ugh, alright, I'm coming. Have a good day, miss." A man came round the corner into the room and stopped in his tracks. A smile broke out across his face. "Well now, guess who's back in town." He patted Jinta's shoulder. "Go get the others. And get Ururu to brew some green tea. I feel like we might be here a while." He regarded Ichigo with a glint in his mischievous eyes. "Welcome back, Ichigo."
"Urahara," Ichigo said. "Yeah. I'm- I'm back."
Urahara tipped his hat down and leaned against the door frame. "So, what was it like? That other world?"
Ichigo's eyes narrowed in confusion. "You knew?"
"Of course I knew."
"Then why didn't you tell Rukia where I was? Why didn't you tell my family or my friends?"
"Ichigo, you know why. It was for the sake of the mission."
"The mission? Aagh!" Ichigo clutched the side of his head in pain and stumbled forward.
"Ichigo? What's going on?"
Ichigo ignored him and lurched through the doorframe and out into Urahara's shop. He went outside and took a breath of fresh air. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was all here. The buildings, the streets, the smell of the air and the constant chirping of the cicadas. He was back. He was home.
Ichigo began walking away from the shop and then he held himself against a lamppost as his head began to pound. His mind was filled with images of the world he'd left. The triumphant expressions on the faces of Vaatu and Unalaq. The shock and disbelief written on Mako and Bolin's. The betrayal on Korra's.
He continued to walk, stumbling about as if he was drunk. He didn't know where he was going but his feet continued to move. After some time and many familiar twists and turns, his feet stopped. He looked up.
A green roof. Yellow painted walls. A blue sign. Kurosaki Clinic, it read. This was it. This was his house. His father and sisters lived here. Suddenly the dreams he'd had in the nights previous bombarded his mind. Images of their bloody bodies filled his consciousness. Ichigo rushed past the gate and threw open the door.
Korra stared. She stared in a mixture of disbelief, horror and betrayal. She stared at the space where Ichigo had just hovered above them; the space where he'd disappeared from. She couldn't comprehend what had just happened. He was gone. Just like that. He'd abandoned them. She turned her furious gaze to Vaatu. The dark spirit drifted solemnly in the sky but his brooding visage was overcome with triumph and delight.
"You." She said. "You did this."
"Me?" Vaatu replied. "This was his doing, not mine."
"You manipulated him! This is all your fault!"
"Raava, always so quick to lay blame. The seeds were already planted in the boy. All I did was tend to the soil and then when the time came, I reaped the harvest. Kurosaki Ichigo made his choice. He chose to abandon you in your greatest time of need. He chose to betray you."
Korra's face rumbled with rage. Her teeth grinded and she yelled ferociously while Vaatu and Unalaq watched in amusement. Mako and Bolin just stood dumbfounded, still confused about what had just happened. Vaatu began inching towards Unalaq and then Korra acted.
Blasting fire at the spirit, she forced him back and then flung Unalaq through the portal with airbending.
"Don't let Unalaq back into the Spirit World!" she ordered.
Mako and Bolin snapped out of their stupor. "We're on it!"
Her attention returned to Vaatu. He was right about one thing. Ichigo had betrayed them. The signs were there and she should've seen them but she hadn't. She thought that learning about Wan and Ichigo's mother had shown her the true side of her friend. But there was another side to his life and his mind entirely that he hadn't shown her. He hadn't shown anyone. She was all alone now.
That just means I can go all out on this guy.
Vaatu swooped in to charge and Korra entered the Avatar State.
It's all or nothing now.
"Jinora!" Bumi called. "Jinora's spirit, do you hear me? It's your uncle Bumi!"
He, Tenzin and Kya were walking through the Spirit World in search of Tenzin's daughter. They were in a brownish forest populated by red trees with full, blue leaves.
"Ugh, this isn't working," Tenzin said. "We can't just randomly wander the Spirit World, call out Jinora's name and expect to find her."
"We just need to apply the simple rules of tracking," Bumi ventured. "First we locate her footprints, then we follow them."
"Do you even know what spirit footprints look like?" Kya said. "Do spirits even leave footprints? Face it. Your tracking skills won't work in the Spirit World. Let me try something." She sat down in a meditating position and began to hum. "Jinora is over there," she pointed. "I feel a lot of spiritual energy coming from that direction."
"We're in the Spirit World!" Bumi countered. "There's spiritual energy in every direction."
"Enough!" said Tenzin. "We can't do this by ourselves. We need a spirit guide."
They headed towards a particularly large tree where a giant hole had been dug into the trunk and the ground around it. A light shaped like a star bobbed back and forth inside of the darkness of the hole.
"There!" Tenzin exclaimed. "Spirit, I'm sorry to disturb you but I am in need of your assistance."
Eight sinister red eyes opened and a raspy voice answered him. "You dare wake me, human? Humans in the Spirit World belong in one place only!"
It rushed forward, revealing a hideous spider-like creature. The children of Aang fled screaming and toppled off of a cliff as the spirit gave chase, landing in a heap on the ground below. Tenzin blew them all to their feet with airbending and they brushed themselves off.
"Well that didn't work," Bumi said matter-of-factly. "Now where are we?"
"We're completely lost," said Tenzin.
The leaves were motionless on the trees of the Kuchiki Family Manor. The little river gurgled quietly while the sporadic clouds lolled passively overhead. Kuchiki Byakuya sat cross-legged on a small cushion on his wooden veranda that looked out over his garden. His eyes were closed and he breathed deeply in and out, meditating with his zanpakuto placed upon his lap and a small cup of green tea on the wood beside him.
He could feel the reiatsu shifting and twisting around him. The reiatsu had been quite different in days past. In essence it was the same but parts of it were missing like a building with some of its floors removed. It was as if they had drifted away and a strange scent now alighted on the reiatsu, making him and the other Soul Reaper captains apprehensive to say the least.
Ever since the disappearance of Kurosaki Ichigo, things had been more on edge. They had been informed that he had chosen to travel to Europe but any Soul Reaper with a functioning brain had to question that one. It was as if his reiatsu had just disappeared one day. But on occasion, it strayed back into their consciousness, back into their realm.
Byakuya's forehead twitched and he opened his eyes slowly. There were ripples in his koi pond. On a windless day. Most likely Yachiru and the Soul Reaper Women's Association, he grimaced to himself. They never left this place alone for long. He put the ripples out of his mind and went back to meditating.
He coughed. The cup full of green tea fell onto its side and then rolled off the veranda, smashing on a rock below. That jolted him up. The ground around him began to shake and sudden lightning flashed across the sky.
"Brother!"
Byakuya whirled around as Rukia approached. "What's going on?" he said.
"It's Ichigo," she replied. "It has to be."
"What?"
"Captain!" Renji Abarai joined them on the veranda. "The Captain Commander is ordering all captains to convene in the First Division Headquarters for an emergency meeting!"
Byakuya nodded. "I will leave immediately."
Rukia watched him as he left and Renji grabbed her arm. "It's Ichigo, isn't it?" He said. "He's trying to come back."
"I have to get to the World of the Living," she said.
"What, why?"
"If Ichigo returns, he'll be there. I have some idea of what's going on in that other world right now."
"Shouldn't you tell the captains?"
"No. I don't trust them with this. I have to go. Now."
He sighed. "Alright. You'll have to take a Jigokuchi."
"The Hell Butterfly?"
"Yeah. The Dangai is really unstable right now, it's paths are beginning to twist and tangle like they never have before. Even Squad 12 has no idea what's going on. Can't you at least tell me what you know? All you've told me is that he's in that other world."
"I did some research on how he could return and I found a way. But that way coincides with a major event in that world that must be happening right now. That's all I can really tell you. I have to go."
"Alright. Be careful, Rukia."
"I will. Thank you, Renji." She dashed off and headed for the Senkaimon.
Byakuya stood with the other 12 Captains of the Gotei 13 in silence. Soi-Fon looked angry and determined, ready for duty. Unohana, Captain of Squad 4 bore her usual smiling expression but there was a hint of steel behind her eyes today. Shinji Hirako, the man who replaced Aizen as Captain of Squad 5 looked lazy and his eyes drooped as if he'd just woken up.
Komamura Saijin was stoic as always and Shunsui Kyoraku looked slightly less drunk than normal. Toshiro Hitsugaya bore a frustrated expression and his hands were clenched at his sides while Kenpachi Zaraki had his mouth wide open in a wicked grin and his eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri seemed highly displeased and Jushiro Ukitake looked grave and tense. At last, Yamamoto Genryusai, the Captain Commander of the Court Guard Squads, stamped his cane against the wooden floor boards and all attention in the room turned to him.
"You all know why we're here," he began. "There has been a massive shift in the reiatsu of the Dangai gateway. We've had tremors in the recent past but nothing to this magnitude. This has only happened once before in our history – exactly ten thousand years ago. It was at this point that we began hearing legends about Fukinko, the Avatar."
"Oh come on," Kenpachi said. "You're really bringing up that old wives' tale?"
"It is no wives' tale," Ukitake countered. "It is real. That entire other world is real."
"He's right," Mayuri seethed. "Kuchiki Rukia came to me not long ago asking about it so I did some reading. The other world was never my true interest but with the disappearance of Kurosaki Ichigo, I became intrigued. All those legends, those wives' tales as you call them, they're real. The science proves it. There can be no doubt anymore. It's now become the worst kept secret in all of Soul Society. It's quite literally written across the skies; have you seen it? Purple, green, blue, yellow, red, these colours are now evident above us. They have crossed over from that world."
"Alright then, what's our next move?" Kyoraku said.
"Our decision must be contingent on Kurosaki Ichigo's actions," Yamamoto said.
"What does he have to do with all this?" Toshiro demanded.
"Tell them, Jushiro," Yamamoto looked to Ukitake.
The white-haired man sighed. "Rukia believes that Ichigo is in that other world right now."
"What? How?"
"We don't know. But we can confirm that he has made contact with the Avatar and he is allies with her."
"He allies with our accursed enemy?" Soi Fon raged. "That monster would have all Soul Society destroyed if it could. If this is true, then Kurosaki Ichigo is a traitor."
"Don't be so hasty," Komamura said. "Kurosaki Ichigo is an honourable man. I do not believe that he would betray us so easily. Captain Ukitake, how did you come upon this information?"
"Rukia confirmed to me that Kurosaki was in that world. I warned her immediately about the threat of the Avatar. I did not want to do this, but to be safe I had her followed. She met with Ichigo through some psychic connection. It is through this that I learned that he and the Avatar are allies."
"Does that mean I get to fight Ichigo again?" Kenpachi said excitedly.
"Hopefully it won't come to that."
"And what will it come to?" Toshiro said. "What can we do here? What should we do here? Are we in any danger from this other world?"
"Aizen was always the expert on that place," Shinji drawled. "Maybe we could ask him."
"No!" Yamamoto slammed his cane against the floor. "Sosuke Aizen will not be consulted. We shall wait and see what transpires next. It is entirely possible that nothing will happen and things will go back to normal. But we must be on our guard. Prepare your squads for battle. We may need to raise our swords once again. This meeting is adjourned."
Byakuya walked out quickly and Renji met him outside.
"What's going on?" His lieutenant asked.
"Inform the squad that a battle may be upon us. Where is Rukia?"
"She went to the World of the Living."
"Why?"
Renji hesitated. "I… I don't know."
Suddenly the skies above them cracked open with lightning and the wind buffeted across the city. Renji's eyes widened. The reiatsu had shifted once again.
"Ichigo…" he whispered.
"Yuzu! Karin! Dad!" Ichigo cried out as he burst through the front door of his house.
The warm afternoon light filtered through the windows and illuminated the dining room. No blood. No body. The house was as well-kept as always, void of dust and dirt. It smelt of life. There was no odour of death here. Everything was as it should be.
There was a clatter of footsteps on the second floor and somebody emerged at the top of the flight of stairs.
"Son?"
Ichigo looked up. "Dad?"
A wide grin broadened across his father's face and the man came down the steps with his arms spread wide.
"You've returned at last!" he said and embraced Ichigo tightly.
Ichigo felt his lips curve into a smile and he hugged his father back. Isshin pulled back and then regarded his son with a big toothy grin. "I've missed you, my boy."
"I've… missed you too, Dad. I'm just surprised you're not attacking me right now."
Isshin chuckled. "There's a time and place for everything, son. Just watch your back. Besides, I figured you'd have been attacked enough on your travels."
Ichigo's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean by travels? And where's Yuzu and Karin?"
"They're at school but they should be on their way home by now. And I think we both know what I mean when I say travels. Come on, let's sit. We have a lot to discuss."
Ichigo sat down and Isshin brought out two beers. "You look older now than when you left. Well, I suppose that would make sense. You've been gone for a year, after all. God, has it really been that long?"
"Yeah, it really has."
"I suppose that means you're old enough for this then," he indicated the beer. "Drink. Hopefully it'll loosen your tongue."
Ichigo eyed him warily. "What?"
Isshin shook his head and smiled. "Nothing. I just want to enjoy a drink with my son, that's all." He took a long swig. "Tell me about the other world."
"So you knew as well," said Ichigo.
"Yes. You know that I did. I'm hoping you woke up in the correct time and place."
"I couldn't tell you, Dad. When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything. All I had was a name and an age."
Isshin's jovial mood shifted. "What? You couldn't remember anything?"
"Yeah. Even after a year, I still don't have it all back."
"And what about the mission? Surely you completed the mission? You wouldn't have returned if you hadn't."
"Urahara talked about the mission too. No, I don't remember."
Isshin's voice grew cold. "So, all our work, all our preparation and hope, has been for nothing? It still lives?"
"I guess your mission wasn't very important if I didn't remember it."
His father bashed his fist against the table. "You fool! You failed the mission! How could you go to that world and not understand why we sent you? How could you not understand the threat?"
"So you sent me?"
"Of course we sent you! What, you couldn't remember that either?" He stood up abruptly in anger.
Ichigo clenched his fist in frustration. "I gave up everything just to get back here! And this is the welcome I get. You want to talk about failure? You lied to your own daughters about where I was for over a year. You said I was Europe! I'd say that's a failure as a father."
"You think I wanted to, son? You think I liked lying to my daughters? There is far more at stake here than telling them the truth. They couldn't know or understand where you were. The mission was all that mattered. And you failed."
"I didn't even know what it was! How was I supposed to complete it? What was it anyway?"
"Not like it matters now. You failed. That's all you need to know."
Isshin headed dejectedly back up the stairs and Ichigo was left to watch him. He looked down at his hands. There's still so much I don't remember. I don't remember Wan. I don't remember the mission. Was all I did in that world to get back here really for nothing? I did so much. I sacrificed so much. And this is what I get. Ichigo tried to force images of his friends, particularly ones of Asami from entering his head. I had to leave. I had to.
He heard footsteps and some female voices.
"Huh? Why is the door open?"
"I bet Dad dropped a stinker and has to air the house out."
"Karin, that's gross!"
Someone laughed. "I always have to air out my house when I cook. I don't understand why though…"
Ichigo turned to the door and his thoughts faded as they walked in. Yuzu. Karin. Orihime. They stared at him in shock.
"I'm back," he said.
"Ichigo!"
His sisters ran over to him and enveloped him in a tight embrace. "We missed you so much!"
"I missed you too!" He held them close and looked over to Orihime who stood with her hands covering her mouth, and a few tears falling from her eyes. He smiled wide and she ran over to join the embrace.
This is it. This is what I came back for. This feeling. This happiness.
They pulled away and he regarded them all with contentment. "I missed you all so much. It feels like forever since I saw you."
"How was Europe?" They asked eagerly.
"It was- it was good."
"Did you make any friends?"
Ichigo's heart faltered. "Yeah. A few."
Korra battled furiously against Vaatu, throwing all of her bending prowess against the evil spirit. Earth, then fire, then more earth. Her teeth ground against each other as she poured all her anger and frustration into every attack. Vaatu was on the defensive and she was pummelling him.
Her eyes glowed as she entered the Avatar State and flames swirled around her like a mini tornado. She blasted right through the spirit, tearing a hole through him that quickly reformed. Vaatu lashed out and then fired a purple beam at her from his chest, launching her back painfully into a rock. She grunted and then struggled as Vaatu formed tight vines that twisted around her and trapped her.
"No!" She cried.
Mako and Bolin stood in a small clearing just outside the Spirit Portal, fists raised, waiting for Unalaq to make his move. Korra had flung him out of the Spirit World and he had landed somewhere in the trees that surrounded the clearing.
Suddenly, ice shards were shot at them from behind and Bolin quickly made a wall of earth to shield them while Mako peppered a few shots at where the attack originated. Nothing happened. Then more shards were shot at them opposite from the first attack, catching them completely by surprise.
Mako rolled to the left and firebent at the second attacker but Bolin was hit and flung onto his back, sliding in the snow to his brother's feet. He got up and raised his fists, breathing heavily.
"I don't know if we can win this fight," he said.
"We don't need to win," Mako said. "We just need to stop Unalaq from getting back in the Spirit World."
The brothers braced for impact as more ice shards came.
Tenzin, Kya and Bumi wandered aimlessly through a forest in the Spirit World. Eyeing a neon-coloured plant dubiously, Tenzin stopped.
"We're walking in circles," he announced. "I've seen that same spirit mushroom five times!"
"That's not the same mushroom," Bumi argued.
"Yes, I am!" The mushroom chipped in.
"See, even it knows we're lost," Tenzin said.
"Oh, sure. Listen to a fungus over your own brother."
Something sounded overhead and Kya grabbed her brothers. "What's that?"
"Mushroom? Is that you?"
"Nope, wasn't me," it said.
A figure walked up to them from the darkness and they all gasped. It was Iroh. His smiling face greeted them pleasantly. One of the foxes from Wan Shi Tong's library was with him.
"Iroh?"
"How? Where? It's been so long," said Tenzin.
"Almost forty years," Iroh said with a nod. "It's nice to see you again."
"How did you know we were here?"
"My friendly spirit fox told me you were lost. I came to show you the way out."
"Iroh, we are grateful but we're not looking for the way out. We're looking for my daughter."
"I'm sorry to hear that. But you shouldn't be here. Vaatu has escaped and darkness threatens to take over."
"I'm not leaving until I find Jinora."
"I understand. But I beg you to be careful. If you travel too deep into the Spirit World, you could end up in a place where only the lost will ever find you."
Aang's children all looked at each other in confusion but when they turned back to Iroh, he was gone. Tenzin stepped forward and narrowed his eyes in thought.
"A place where only the lost can find you. That's it! I know where to find Jinora."
Ichigo sat with his sisters and with Orihime at their dinner table, enjoying a quick meal and spending some quality time together. Orihime had immediately texted all their friends to come over as soon as possible. Ichigo smiled wide at every sentence the three girls uttered but his mind drifted elsewhere and he did his very best not to speak of his travels.
The doorbell rang and Yuzu ran to open it. A young brown-haired guy burst through the door and slid on his knees towards the table.
"Ichigoooooo!"
Ichigo smiled. "Hey, Keigo."
His school friend stood up, shocked. "What? No clothesline? No brutal assault on my well-being? You just say "hey"? Man, Europe must've turned you soft, buddy."
"Maybe he's just matured a little in the time he's been gone," said another voice. "A feat you've clearly been unable to replicate, Keigo."
"Mizuiro," Ichigo said and gave his friend a quick hug.
Another figure stepped through the door. "Chad! Hey, big guy."
His quiet friend nodded and waved. "It's good to see you," he said.
Ichigo suddenly felt an arm go round his throat and he was thrown to the floor and held in a fierce chokehold.
"Glad to see your pitiful fighting skills haven't improved at all, Ichigo."
Ichigo coughed and tapped at her hand. "I yield, Tatsuki."
She let him go and he sat on the ground subbing his sore neck. "Don't you know any other way to greet me? You're worse than my dad."
Tatsuki laughed. "Just keeping you on your toes."
A peculiar odour began to emanate from the kitchen and everyone turned fearfully to see Orihime bring out a dish with a broad grin across her face.
"Hey, guys, since I invited you all here, I figured I would make dinner!"
Keigo cringed. "What devilish concoction has she made this time?"
"It's my classic red bean paste with sour cream!"
"That doesn't sound so horrible."
"Mixed with garlic fudge and microwaved fermented anchovies!"
"Mixed with WHAT?!"
Ichigo felt a shift in the reiatsu outside his house and Uryu Ishida walked through his front door. The room went relatively quiet and the Quincy eyed everyone then nodded at Ichigo.
"Kurosaki."
"Ishida."
Eager to break the awkward silence, Orihime piped up.
"Glad you could make it, Uryu! I guess you got my text, huh?"
"I didn't need a text to know Kurosaki had returned. All of Soul Society must be in uproar right now."
"Aw man," Keigo said. "Why do you always gotta be such a downer, Uryu? Ichigo's back! Let's party!"
Uryu looked disdainfully at Ichigo. "You haven't told them, have you?"
"Told us what?" Tatsuki asked.
"Kurosaki never went to Europe at all. No, he was in a far more remote location."
"Ishida," Ichigo said darkly. "Don't. Now's not the time."
Uryu pursed his lips. "Let's step outside."
Everyone watched in confusion as the two men walked out the front door and shut it behind them.
"You weren't seriously planning on keeping this lie up, were you?" Uryu asked.
Ichigo shrugged. "I have a lot on my mind. I didn't want to ruin the moment."
"Selfish to the end, huh?"
Ichigo ignored the snide remark. "How did you know? How did you know that I was in another world?"
"I used my brain. When you disappeared, your father began telling everyone that you were off in Europe. I didn't think people would actually believe him but they did. It was all too sudden from my point of view. Plus, your reiatsu had disappeared entirely from the world of the living. At first I assumed that you might've been on a mission from the Soul Society but after some time, I abandoned that theory. All your friends and family here seemed to accept your father's story. But not Rukia. She never stopped searching for you. And neither did I. I spent weeks doing research in old Quincy books and I brought my findings to my father. He confirmed my suspicions and told me all about this other world."
"So your old man knew about it too… so did my dad. Urahara as well."
Uryu nodded. "I think most of the older Soul Reapers know."
Ichigo sighed and sat down on a bench. "This situation is so confusing."
"I agree." Uryu's voice went quieter. "Tell me about the Avatar. What's it like? Can it be killed?"
"What?"
"Ichigo!"
The two of them looked up at the new voice and saw a girl standing atop a streetlight. A black butterfly alighted on her shoulder and she regarded them with stern eyes.
Ichigo let himself smile again. "Rukia."
She shot down to them and grabbed him by the ear. "You're coming with me."
"Huh? Hey, wait!"
They shunpoed away and landed on a faraway rooftop. Rukia let him go and looked him straight in the eye.
"What did you do?"
"Huh?"
"What did you do?!"
Korra continued to struggle as the vines constricted around her. Opening her mouth and entering the Avatar State, she blew a gust of fire which forced Vaatu away from her and she produced a similar breath to burn the vines. Vaatu recoiled as she peppered him with hits, striking holes through his body and keeping him on the back foot.
Korra rose up on a tornado of air and encased Vaatu in the same element. Adding the three other elements to the cage, she forced him slowly back towards the tree.
"I'm locking you away for another ten thousand years, Vaatu."
Outside the portal, Mako and Bolin took cover behind some rocks.
"Unalaq?" Bolin called. "You out there?" He turned to Mako and shrugged. "He must've gone home?" Peeking around the rock, he shrieked as she appeared right in front of him with a smile. It was Eska.
"Hello, my feeble turtle duck," she said and knocked him back with a wave of water. Mako looked up with surprise and then he too was hit back by Desna. They got up and faced Unalaq's children but were totally unprepared for the onslaught of water that crashed into them and knocked them unconscious.
Unalaq emerged from the trees. "Don't let them escape this time," he said and walked back into the Spirit World.
"Are you sure this is the best way to find Jinora?" Bumi whispered.
He, Tenzin and Kya were standing in front of the nest of the huge spider spirit that had chased them off a cliff when they first arrived in the Spirit World.
Tenzin nodded. "Trust me." He blew a gust of air into the nest. "Hey, you! Spirit! Wake up!"
"You again?" It screeched.
Next thing they knew, the three children of Aang were being dragged along the ground by the spirit, wrapped up in its stick, smelly webs. The spirit stopped and then hauled them off the ground, hanging them in front of its face by its tail and showing them their destination.
Before them was a vast, chilling canyon with stone mesas shaped like pincers atop the walls of the abyss. A thick, virtually opaque fog settled upon the surface of the canyon, preventing them from seeing what lay below.
"I thought we were being taken to a prison," Kya said.
"This is a prison," Tenzin replied.
"Welcome to the Fog of Lost Souls," the spirit said menacingly. "You will never escape."
With that, it flung them through the air and into the void below.
A white light started to emanate from the Tree of Time as Vaatu was moved closer and closer to it. Korra was gaining ground, steadily progressing one step at a time. She was on the cusp of ending it all.
Suddenly, a surge of water caught her by surprise from behind and she tumbled to the ground. Vaatu instantly broke free of her trap in a burst of light and she turned to see Unalaq attacking once more. She rose sluggishly to her feet and was hit again into the dirt.
Eska and Desna dragged Mako and Bolin's limp bodies away from the portal. Bolin glanced surreptitiously over at his brother who nodded. The brothers sprang their play, using their bending to catch their captors off guard and dashing back into the portal with Eska and Desna in hot pursuit.
Vaatu soared alone above the Tree of Time as Mako and Bolin ran towards Korra's fallen form.
"Stop!" Eska yelled.
The waterbenders halted them in their tracks, encasing their bodies in ice. Korra opened her eyes. Ugh, this would be so much easier if Ichigo were here. No. Stop thinking about him. You're stronger than this. You're stronger no matter what he did to you. I can do this. She mentally forced herself to her knees and her body slowly followed suit.
Looking up, she saw Vaatu looming over Unalaq, the two of them preparing to fuse. She threw a weak attack of fire at them which Unalaq easily batted away. Then Vaatu descended on the evil waterbender and disappeared inside him. Unalaq yelled with pain and his eyes turned red as the fuse was completed. Korra was helpless to stop him as Unalaq placed his hand on a portal and purple energy flowed from it onto his body. He screamed and an impulse of power shot from his mouth into the sky.
Korra stared in horror as the light from the energy dissipated and Unalaq stood tall and proud before her.
"We are now one," he declared. "Now a new era for spirits and humans will begin. And I will lead them all as the new Avatar."
Korra stepped forward. "Well, I'm the old Avatar and my era's not over yet!"
The two of them flared their powers and then clashed mightily, sending a shockwave rocketing across the dark landscape.
Ichigo stared into Rukia's eyes. They weren't the kind, welcoming ones he had been expecting. Instead, they were alight with adrenaline and they bored strongly back into his.
"What do you mean what did I do?" He said. "I came back. Just like you wanted me to."
"There are storms raging across the Soul Society and the Gotei 13 are on high alert. The Dangai is unstable as well. What's going on?"
He swallowed. "Harmonic Convergence."
Noticing his change in tone, Rukia let him go and stepped away. "I thought so," she said. "What's happening over there?"
"Crazy stuff. Can we go back now? You kinda just interrupted my reunion."
"No. No, I think we need to talk."
He groaned slightly. "About what?"
She sighed and leaned back against a wall. "You know how much I wanted you to come back. I looked for you for over a year and I finally found you. I'm happy. But I didn't want you to hurt the friends you'd made there by leaving. I just want to know if this was worth it?"
"I didn't have any issues coming back," he lied. "So yeah, it was worth it."
"Ichigo, I know that's not true. You had a girlfriend there. That doesn't sound like no issues to me. And this whole Harmonic Convergence thing as well. I read that it's an event that happens every ten thousand years. That also doesn't sound like no issues to me."
"Can you just leave it alone? Like can't you just be happy that I'm back?"
"I won't be happy if you're not, Ichigo."
"Oh my God." He stepped away a few paces and put his hands on his hips. "Why is everything so damn complicated? I worked my ass off to get back here and what do I get? I'm accused of lying and failure, my dad freaks out at me and now one of my best friends isn't even happy that I'm back."
"Which is exactly why I'm asking if it's all worth it. Ichigo, you were there for a year. You basically had to restart your life there because of your memory loss. You can't expect me to believe that you just left with no problems. Tell me the truth, Ichigo."
His head drooped. "Alright. I did have some problems coming back. I had a lot of conflict in my head. But I made my choice. Even if… No."
"Ichigo… what did you leave behind?"
"It doesn't matter. Not now. Not ever."
"It matters. This isn't you, Ichigo. You don't abandon your friends. If you betrayed them to get here, or if you lied to them to get here, you were better off staying there."
"You don't know what it's like. You don't know what it's like to remember nothing, to be nothing. To struggle with memories of faces you didn't recognize, names that would fade away the instant you recalled them, and having an evil voice inside you be the only clue to your past."
She shook her head. "Don't pity yourself. It's shameful."
Ichigo felt like he had been slapped. He turned away in disgust.
"Did you abandon them?" She pressed.
"Why do you care? They weren't your friends."
"Because I would rather you stand by who you are and what you believe in rather than you changing yourself just so you can get back here. That is how much I value you! Because I know the kind of man you truly are. Now, no more lies. No more fake happiness. Tell me the truth. What did you leave behind?"
His voice went quiet. "I left them at the Spirit Portals, fighting the dark spirit Vaatu for the fate of their world. I sent my girlfriend back to safety without ever telling her the truth. I lied to her and to all of my friends."
"So you did abandon them. Betrayed them, even."
"I- I didn't," he sighed. "Yeah. I suppose I did."
"And how does that make you feel, Ichigo?"
He bit his lip. "Like I betrayed more than them. It makes me feel like I betrayed myself as a person. I tried to hide it when I got here. I was happy to see everyone. But every second that I looked away, I was reminded of what I'd left behind."
Rukia's big eyes softened "I'm sorry."
"For what?" he said in confusion.
"I'm the one who told you about the two worlds. I'm the one who gave you all the information to come back. It's because of me."
"No. You gave me a purpose. You shook up my entire world and put me on a new path. It seems like you've been doing that since the day we met."
She afforded him a small smile. "Do you regret it? Do you regret leaving?"
He looked away. "Don't think I've been away long enough to experience regret. Am I sorry? Yes. Would I do it again? I don't know. Earlier I even tried to block out any thoughts I had of them. I got lost in the moment and feelings of seeing everyone again. But that world changed me. I still don't remember everything. There's a giant hole in my memory that I can't seem to fill no matter what I do. Maybe that's where Wan is."
"Who's Wan?"
"The first Avatar. Apparently, I spent some time with him and then I was presumably frozen in ice for ten thousand years."
"That's crazy."
"I know. But Korra saw me. She saw me in the past. I'm sad that I don't remember him. She tells me we were good friends."
"So what happens now? Will you stay or go back?"
"I don't think there's a way to go back. So I don't really have a choice. No matter what I feel."
"You always have a choice."
"You're being technical."
"You got to that world from here somehow. It's a shame that you don't remember."
"Yeah," he said. His thoughts drifted to the reactions of his father and Urahara when he'd returned. They'd sent him here. Maybe they could-
"I guess we should go back," Rukia continued, interrupting his thoughts. "Wouldn't want Orihime's food to go cold."
"Don't worry. No one's gonna eat it anyway."
"What kind of prison doesn't have any bars or walls?" Bumi said incredulously. "We could walk right out of here."
"The Fog of Lost Souls is a spirit prison for humans," Tenzin explained. "I read about it in an ancient text. The fog is actually a spirit that infects your mind and slowly drives you mad; imprisoning you in your own darkest memories."
"How long can you be trapped in here?"
"I am Zhao the Conqueror. I am the Moon Slayer. I will capture the Avatar!"
The three siblings jumped with surprise and turned at the voice. In the midst of the overwhelming fog they glimpsed a man dressed in decayed Fire Nation armour. His grey hair was stringy and tied in a matted, loose topknot. His breath and gait were haggard; his features crusted and unsightly. But there was no mistaking him. This was Zhao, the Fire Nation officer who had hunted down their father Aang all the way to the North Pole, where he had been swallowed up by a great spirit and never seen again.
"I am Zhao the Conqueror!" He repeated, louder this time. "I am the Moon Slayer! I will capture the Avatar!"
"Hopefully we're not trapped in here as long as that guy," Kya said.
Zhao's maniacal eyes fixated on Tenzin. "You. You're him! The last Airbender!" He gripped hold of Tenzin's robes.
"Agh! No! Get off me!"
"You've grown. But I will still defeat you!"
Bumi and Kya ripped him off of Tenzin and flung him to the ground away from them. They pelted away as his hoarse voice growled almost in desperation. "Come back, Avatar! Face me! I am Zhao the Conqueror. I will capture you! Victory will be mine!"
Once they felt they had left him behind, Tenzin stopped them and tied them all together with a thin, long cloth.
"If we stay together, we'll find Jinora and then we can get out of this fog."
Bumi and Kya nodded and they continued on.
Korra and Unalaq exited the Spirit Portal and into the Northern Military camp, both riding on huge cyclones of air and water. Their momentum took them outside the encampment and into the tundra beyond. Korra defended and launched into attack, sending great boulders hurtling at Unalaq.
He slashed through them with tendrils of water, his bending prowess being heavily boosted since bonding with Vaatu. The dark spirit's power amplified his own and he encased Korra in ice and flung her to the ground with a great crash.
She groaned and lay still as Unalaq fell to the ground below. He split the ice around her into a thin crevice which she slipped into and was trapped. He began closing the ice around her, intending to crush her.
"Give in," he seethed. "Your time is over!"
Korra struggled desperately but couldn't move any limbs as the light above her grew smaller and smaller. Her teeth grit against each other and her eyes squeezed shut. Then a calm voice pervaded her consciousness.
"Korra," it said. "This fight is not over."
"Raava," Korra whispered.
"Vaatu cannot win. Do not give in to ten thousand years of darkness. You are the Avatar."
Korra's eyes lit up and an eruption of fire sent Unalaq toppling back into the snow. He shielded his eyes as the ice was blown away and Korra emerged into the sky, bathed in an ethereal golden hue.
"You cannot win," she declared.
Ichigo stepped outside into the cool night breeze on his patio. He and Rukia had returned to his house where his friends were still gathered. They had talked and laughed long into the night until one by one they began to leave.
His sisters had gone to bed a while ago and his father was nowhere to be found. Rukia had retired to his closet. Ichigo was alone. He sighed and leaned against the railing. There had so far been no contact from any Soul Reapers besides Rukia. Urahara hadn't chased him earlier today and he hadn't seen his father since their argument.
The neighbourhood was quiet. Unbefitting that their loudmouth family should live here. No wonder everyone thought he was a delinquent. He had probably disturbed the peace many times here over the years with his fights and so forth. The air smelled different here. The largest body of water was the river where his mother had died and the nearest suspension bridge was in an entirely different prefecture. Karakura was a far cry from Republic City.
Ichigo looked to his right. Normally, he thought, the great statue of Aang would've been a couple hundred meters away. The Pro-Bending Arena, only a ferry-ride or waterbending-assisted swim from Air Temple Island. His reminiscing was cut short as someone opened the screen door behind him.
He turned around. Orihime stood in the patio entrance, her hand awkwardly twisting the hair around her ears.
"Orihime," he said.
She blushed ever so slightly. "You- You've never called me by my first name before."
"Oh, sorry. I've just gotten used to first names I guess."
"A Europe thing?"
"Yeah. A Europe thing. What are you still doing here? I thought you went home."
"I stayed to do the dishes. I'll be heading home now."
"Okay. Goodnight," he smiled.
She smiled back. "Goodnight. It was really nice to see you."
Ichigo nodded. "It was nice to see you too."
He glanced back out over the city and then went inside. Heading upstairs, he went into his room for the first time since coming back. It looked exactly the same. There was no dust as if it had been cleaned recently. He could hear Rukia's light breathing through his closet door.
Getting into bed, he shut his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. There was something in the air tonight. He didn't know what it was. The memory of it resided in that empty hole he couldn't fill in his mind. He breathed again and then suddenly in his mind's eye, he glimpsed the back of someone's head. The person turned, revealing a friendly face with a big grin. A familiar face.
"Hey there, friend. Long time no see."
"Who are you?"
"Don't you remember? Ten thousand years ago, you were my best friend. It's me. It's Wan."
Ichigo gasped. He felt like he was being sucked into the hole in his memory. His mind was assaulted with images. Flying lion-turtles, Vaatu and Raava fighting, a great fire, many different spirits and one constant through it all: Wan.
"I remember. I remember you."
Wan smiled. "It's been a long time."
"Wan. I'm so sorry. I abandoned Korra. I abandoned her with Vaatu."
"Yes. Yes, you did. And as we speak, the dark spirit is destroying the past Avatars. We don't have much time."
"How is this possible? How are you speaking to me?"
"Many things are possible through Harmonic Convergence. I've been waiting for you for a long time. Raava promised me that I'd see you again. And here you are."
"Is this a dream?"
"Of sorts. More like a vision, to be honest. This is weird. Even for me. I watched the lives of countless Avatars from beginning till end and you never came. Raava told me that I'd see you again in one form or other and I began to lose hope. Then Korra found you frozen in ice that one day. I guess it's fate that her lifetime coincided with Harmonic Convergence, the same as mine."
"Fate," Ichigo muttered. "Was it fate that I'd get sent to that world?"
Wan shrugged. "Maybe. Or some deep, dark magic overruled it. I don't know whether the two worlds were meant to be kept separate or not. All I know is that my world is in danger and perhaps yours too. Korra needs you, Ichigo."
Ichigo scowled. "I'm not the man she needs. I abandoned her, I betrayed her. I was selfish, and cruel and I lied to get what I wanted. She deserves something better. They all do."
"Ichigo, the fact that you even acknowledge that about yourself shows that you're the one she needs. It's true that you've changed a lot. You're not the man I knew all those years ago. But he's still in there somewhere. His values are still there."
"So what do you expect me to do? Go back? There isn't another way."
"Then how did you get to my world in the first place? There must be a way."
"Wan, I-"
"Please, Ichigo," he interrupted. "If our friendship means anything to you, please find a way. Otherwise everything we know and love in that world will be lost and your world will be next. Eternal darkness will reign across the universe."
"You don't know that."
"Your family will die. Your friends will die. Asami will die, Ichigo. Are you going to let that happen?"
Ichigo's eyes smouldered. "You're asking me to give up everything again. Right after I got it all back."
"Yes. Yes, I am. I cannot force you, however. The decision must be yours."
"Sad, isn't it? We haven't talked in ten thousand years and once again we're talking about the end of the world. You told me once that you wished we had another lifetime to be friends. Guess we'll never get it, huh?"
Wan smiled faintly and his voice softened. "But we did get it, Ichigo. Every moment that you've spent with Korra has been shared by me. I live on through her. And when my spirit is destroyed by Vaatu, I will be grateful for the time that we had. I will have no regrets; no pain tethering me to the past. I will be free. All I wish is for you to feel the same."
Ichigo gazed at his friend. "I have to do this, don't I? I have to go back."
Wan put his hand on Ichigo's arm. "If you feel that it's right, then yes."
"Of course it's right! It's right because I'm wrong. I've been wrong for a long time. About everything."
"So was I," Wan said tenderly. "You know that. I don't have much time left, Ichigo. You must find a way on your own."
Ichigo nodded. "I'll do it. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the hurt I've put Korra through."
Wan shook his head. "It's okay. No matter her feelings now, she was very happy to have you as her friend. As was I. You showed and taught me so much. I'm just glad I was able to find you and talk to you one last time."
"I'm glad too."
Wan suddenly embraced him. "Thank you."
His body began to fade away into dancing spots of light. Ichigo held him tightly.
"Leave Vaatu to me," he said. "I promise I'll save her."
Wan sighed with contentment. "When Vaatu's darkness blankets the sky and all hope is lost, the warrior in black will rise again. Through trial and sacrifice he will prevail and the light of Raava shall shine once more. Goodbye, Ichigo."
Ichigo swallowed deeply. "Goodbye."
With that, Wan's body faded away entirely and Ichigo's eyes opened slowly and he sat up in his bed. He clenched his fist.
"I won't let you down."
Tenzin, Bumi and Kya wandered through the immense fog, tied together by their makeshift rope. They called out Jinora's name but they had been here for some time now and the effects of the spirit fog were being to reveal themselves.
"Jinora!" Tenzin shouted.
Bumi put his hand on his shoulder. "Wait a second," he said.
"What? Do you hear something?"
"Yes." Bumi's eyes were wild and bulbous. "They're all around us. The cannibals. They're everywhere." He began to jitter and moan anxiously.
"Bumi. You must focus your mind right now. There are no cannibals."
"Yes, there are! They're gonna eat every last one of us!"
Kya suddenly screamed. "Who are you two?"
Tenzin gripped her shoulders. "Kya. We're your brothers. You must remember before the fog infects you."
"No, you are just a vision. I have no family. You can't tie me down!"
"They're closing in!" Bumi cried. "I gotta get outta here!" He untied himself and ran off.
"Bumi! No!"
Kya screamed again and ran off as well, leaving Tenzin all by himself.
"Bumi! Kya! Come back!"
He blew several drafts of air, trying to clear the fog about him but it only enclosed around him, even denser than before.
Bolin and Mako were immobile; every part of their bodies besides their heads were encased in solid ice. Eska and Desna strode up to them.
"Please," Mako pleaded. "Let us out."
"His grovelling is pathetic," said Desna.
"But I do enjoy the sweet scent of desperation," Eska agreed.
"Come on!" Mako said. "Your dad has become an evil monster. He's trying to bring on eternal darkness. Why would you protect someone who doesn't care about you at all?"
Desna skewed his lips slightly in thought. "Father was going to let me expire when we tried to open the Northern Portal. Perhaps we should rethink our position."
"Yes!"
"No," interrupted Eska. "Don't listen to him. His words are poisoning your mind."
Bolin suddenly let out an exaggerated cry of despair. "What's with this outburst of emotion?" Eska said.
"Sorry. I can't help it. It's just so sad that I'll never get to be with you again," he sniffled dramatically.
"What? Explain yourself further."
"Eska. I've always loved you. And I've always wanted to be with you but now that the world is ending, I'm never gonna get the chance!" His words deteriorated into whimpers and cries and Eska came up to him.
"We could've been together but you left me at the altar."
"No I- I was scared! I was scared of my true feelings for you. I should've never left you. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry that we'll never be able to rekindle the dying embers that was our love into a big fire of love flames!" He cried some more and Mako and Desna looked at each other awkwardly.
Eska's eyes widened and she ran forward to kiss Bolin, simultaneously melting the ice around him and his brother. She pulled away from the kiss.
"You'll never defeat my father. But should you survive, perhaps we can spend eternal darkness together."
Mako grabbed Bolin and the two brothers ran off towards Korra.
"Wow!" Mako exclaimed. "That was the best acting I've ever seen. You completely fooled her!"
"Yeah, right. That was- that was acting," Bolin said, wiping away a tear.
Eska and Desna watched them run through the portal.
"They will certainly perish," Desna said.
When they emerged into the spirit forest, they saw Korra and Unalaq fighting beyond the military encampment. Korra burst through an attack with fire and fell away from her air cyclone, twisting in mid-air to fling heavy rocks at her opponent.
Unalaq pulled away and lashed out at her but she dodged his attacks, hand-springing away just in time and launching herself into the air with earth to pepper him with tongues of fire.
He avoided these and latched onto her arm with water but she quickly turned it to ice and ripped him off his cyclone and into the ground. Both of their arms were now connected with water. Unalaq's eyes flashed orange and he pulled her closer.
The two Avatars struggled as they advanced towards each other and then their hands met. The earth beneath them rumbled and quaked, sending shockwaves booming around them from their power. The ground cracked and split as the pressure increased.
Then Unalaq's head twitched violently from side to side as Vaatu's red tentacles came from his mouth like a tongue and snaked its way towards Korra's face. Her eyes widened and she started to blow fire at it but then Vaatu entered her mouth and totally covered her face. She crumpled to her knees as the dark spirit sucked on her face and began to pull Raava out of her. Korra stared from the ground in horror as Unalaq trapped Raava in water and Vaatu receded to his body, revealing a sadistic grin.
The sun had not yet risen when Ichigo woke up. After his vision and conversation with Wan, he'd gotten a few hours sleep and then got up in the early hours of the morning for a run to clear his head. He had no idea how things were progressing in the other world but he knew that he needed a solid plan to get back there.
The only thing he could think of was Urahara and his dad. If they had sent him there before, they could send him again, especially if Harmonic Convergence had increased the connections between the two worlds.
After his run, he'd gone back to his room and sat at his desk, listening to Rukia's soft breathing from his closet. He sighed and pulled a pen and paper from his drawer. If he was gonna leave, he at least needed to make an effort to explain things to his family and friends. He wouldn't just abandon them like he'd done to Korra and the others.
Birds chittered outside his window and the sun shone brightly through his curtains by the time he was finished writing. His closet door opened and Rukia swung her legs out, yawning hugely. Ichigo glanced over and couldn't help but laugh at her explosive bed hair.
She scowled and chucked a pillow at him. "Don't piss me off right after I get up," she grumbled.
"Good morning to you too," Ichigo replied. "Get ready as soon as you can. We have a lot to do today."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm going back. And I need your help."
Her eyes lit up slightly and she afforded him a small smile. "Okay."
Ichigo went downstairs and made his sisters breakfast. They came downstairs, yawning and stretching, tired after last night's happenings.
"You made us breakfast?" Yuzu said. "But you never make us breakfast."
"What did Europe do to you?" Karin said suspiciously.
"Hey, it's not that weird!" Ichigo protested. "Dad's been gone since yesterday afternoon so I wanted to."
"But Ichigo, Dad doesn't cook either." Yuzu said.
"Whatever. I made you guys lunch too. Also, you're gonna be late for school if you don't hurry so eat up!"
The two girls hurriedly gulped down their breakfast while Ichigo and Rukia sat in the kitchen. Ichigo was watching them with a sad smile and Rukia nudged him.
"Aren't you going to tell them?"
He shook his head. "I don't have the heart to. I've left them a note. You and Uyru can explain the complicated stuff."
She blanched. "Really? You're putting that on me?"
"Well, yeah," he said awkwardly. "I just want them to be happy right now and I don't want to ruin their day right from the get go. If you tell them that I left to save my friends, I'm sure they'll understand."
"I hope so," Rukia replied. "With the Soul Society getting affected, I'm not sure how things are going to play out from here."
Yuzu and Karin finished their breakfast and grabbed their bags. "We're heading out now. Bye, Ichigo! Bye, Rukia!"
They headed out the door but Ichigo ran after them. He bent down and hugged them both tightly. Karin tried to push him away.
"Ichigo, this is embarrassing! You're acting just like Dad."
"Oh, let him be," Yuzu said. "This is nice."
"I'm really glad I got to see you guys again," Ichigo said. "I've missed you both so much." He took a deep breath and pulled back to look both of them in the eyes. "Have a good day at school."
"We will!" His sisters kissed him on the cheek and then ran off. He stood up to watch them go. Saying goodbye to Asami and leaving the others was a lot harder than this. I think now that I know I'm doing the right thing, I don't feel as bad for leaving them. I trust that they'll be safe. And who knows? Maybe after Harmonic Convergence, I'll be able to see them again.
He went back inside and had a quiet breakfast together with Rukia.
"So what's your plan?" she asked after they'd finished the dishes.
"The only way I know to get back is the same way I came and that's by getting Urahara and my dad to send me there."
"But you haven't seen your dad since yesterday, right?"
"I'd bet my life he's with Urahara right now."
"Well, let's go then."
He nodded. "Wait for me outside. I'll be just a minute."
Ichigo walked around one last time in his house and made sure the note he'd left was secured in an obvious place on his desk. Then he headed out the door and he and Rukia made their way to Urahara's shop.
Jinta and Ururu were outside the shop when Ichigo and Rukia rounded the corner. The red-haired boy reared his head and yelled, "Old man! He's back! And he brought Rukia!" Ururu ran over to him to give him a shy hug and then ran back into the shop.
Urahara stepped outside the door and the shadow from the brim of his hat covered the upper half of his face. Isshin came next, his stern eyes fixing on his son immediately.
"So," Urahara drawled. "You've come back. Ready to talk now?"
Ichigo looked at him warily. "I need your help."
Urahara laughed out loud. "A bit much to ask for my help when you couldn't complete my one request." He spread his arms. "But I am ever forgiving. Come inside! Make your case."
Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other then slowly went through the door. They all sat down at his table and Urahara looked at them while drumming his fingers on the wooden surface. His features spread into a smile.
"I've missed times like this. Been well over a year since we sat here last. So, what's the story? How I can help you?"
Ichigo glanced at Isshin who eyed him apprehensively then returned his gaze to Urahara.
"I need you to send me back to the other world."
Urahara's eyes widened. "So soon? But you just got back."
"Yeah. Big mistake."
"Oh? Tell me more."
Ichigo hesitated but then Rukia touched his hand and nodded. He swallowed. "Right now in that world, my friends are fighting for their lives. There is a cataclysmic event happening right now as we speak and I used that event to get home, abandoning them in the process. I was wrong. So I want to go back to help and right my mistakes."
Urahara pursed his lips. "Ah. So a classic Ichigo dilemma, huh? It always has got to involve protecting your friends in some shape or other. You raised a good boy, Isshin."
"He gets it from his mother," Isshin replied brusquely.
Ichigo felt a surge of pride at his father's words. "It's part of who I am I suppose," he said. "I know the two of you sent me to that world once. I need you to do it again."
Urahara sat back with a light chuckle. "You make it sound so easy."
"Please," Ichigo said. "Please help me."
Urahara got up. "Follow me."
He led them to the back of the shop and down the ladder to the immense training area he had underground. "This is where you woke up, right?"
Ichigo nodded.
"The reason for that is this is where you entered the gate." He pointed to a huge, square archway in the distance and continued talking as they neared it. "Do you remember the 'fake' Senkaimon that I made down here to send you and your friends to the Soul Society? You travelled through this again roughly one year ago."
"But this just sends me straight to the Soul Society. How would it send me to the other world?"
"Ah, so there is a brain in there," Urahara teased. "The key is the Dangai. We are taught to fear the Dangai, especially the sweepers that come through there every so often. We're told to get in and get out as quick as possible. What people don't know is that the Dangai is malleable. It can be influenced to suit our needs. This must be done very carefully; the Dangai is of course extremely dangerous and the slightest miscalculation could lead to infinite possibilities. To travel through the Dangai to this other world, your body and spirit must be bound by a certain Kido. This Kido requires the power of two captain-level Soul Reapers to perform. Your father and I performed this Kido on you and it obviously was successful."
"So do it again," Rukia said.
"Yes, about that. I'm all for it, honestly. But it takes two to perform this Kido and I don't believe Isshin is willing."
Ichigo turned to his father in fury but the older man wouldn't meet his eyes.
"Dad," Ichigo said. "I need to go back."
"You had your chance," Isshin said. "I regret even sending you in the first place. If what we're hearing is true, Soul Society is on high alert; and that's never a good sign. You may have ruined everything by coming back here."
"What's gotten into you? Do you think Mom would be proud of the scared, angry man you've become? Listen to yourself, old man."
Isshin scowled. "Do not use your mother against me."
Rukia stepped forward. "Fine. If he won't do it, teach me the Kido."
"Rukia," Urahara chided, "it's a very difficult Kido to learn. And like I said we need two captain-level Soul Reapers to-"
"Are you saying my power is not sufficient?" She interrupted venomously.
"N-no," he stammered. "Not at all."
"Then teach me. We're losing time."
Ichigo took Isshin aside while Rukia trained.
"Why won't you help me?" he asked. "Is it because I failed your mission?"
Isshin sighed. "It's difficult to explain. Ever since Aizen's defeat, we've been learning more and more about this other world and the people who live in it. We've always known about it and had legends about it but we've never actually done much scientific research. That is until one day we discovered entire books filled with notes and research about it. That's where we found this Kido. Someone else did the research and made it."
"Who?"
"I don't know. It could be the Soul King himself as far as I'm concerned."
"That still doesn't explain why you won't help me."
His father looked down. "I think it's because I'm scared. I agreed to send you there rashly and you came back with severe memory loss and seemed like a completely different person. I've already lost someone that I loved very much. I don't want you to be the second."
"Dad, you don't have to worry about me. You know I can take care of myself."
"I don't want to be a part of sending you to your death. But I won't stop you either. You're your own man. You're free to do as you please."
"And what about the mission? Why won't you tell me about that?"
"The mission… is something I think you need to discover for yourself. One day, you'll realize why it was necessary."
Urahara clapped his hands. "Ready when you are!"
Ichigo turned towards them. "Coming! Take care of Yuzu and Karin," he said to Isshin. "They're gonna need you."
"I will. Good luck, son. Remember who you're fighting for."
"I remember. And I won't forget ever again."
He strode over to Urahara and Rukia. Urahara tipped his hat and took a deep breath. "The spiritual energies are extraordinarily high right now across both worlds. This should be an easier trip than last time. Are you ready, Rukia?"
She nodded.
"Good. Well, then. I suppose this is it."
"Thank you, Urahara. You don't know how much I appreciate this."
"Thank Rukia. Without her, you'd be going nowhere."
Ichigo turned to his friend and her tender eyes met his. They embraced tightly and Ichigo held her close.
"Thank you for bringing me back. You showed me how wrong I was and finally opened my eyes. Thank you."
"You're doing the right thing," she said. "I'm thankful for that."
"Me too."
She pulled away and smiled at him. "Go get em', Strawberry."
He grinned. "You're so annoying."
"You're worse."
Rukia stepped back and she and Urahara stood on either side of him as he faced the massive gate. It shimmered and pulsed with spiritual energy and the two of them raised their arms and started the incantation.
As they spoke, Ichigo could feel the energy shifting and turning around them. It felt familiar. I'm doing the right thing, he thought. It feels good to even think that and be sure about it. For so long, my thinking has all been about coming back here and what that would mean for my friendships. I guess I finally understand that friendship trumps any and all of my selfish desires. I don't know how they'll all react when I get back. But I can't worry about that now. I have to be ready for anything. I'm really thankful for the time I spent here. But now I'm ready to go back. I'm coming, guys. Just wait a little longer.
Urahara and Rukia suddenly finished the incantation and shouted the Kido out loud with all their might as the energy reached it's apex.
"BAKUDO NUMBER 100: SEKAI!"
A ribbon of energy wrapped itself around him and then connected with the gate, pulling him through. He was thrust through the doorway and was immediately blinded by light. Immense pressure crushed his body and he blacked out.
Tenzin walked alone in the fog with his head downcast. He did his best to remain concentrated and to keep his mind from floating away.
"You must stay focused," he said to himself. "Remember who you are, Tenzin. You are the son of Avatar Aang. You are the hope for future generations of Airbenders. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders. But what if I fail?" He looked around as doubt began to seep into his consciousness. "Then your father's hope for the future dies with you. I can't fail. You will. Agh! Stop it!
He fell to his knees and gripped his head, repeating his words like a mantra. "I am the son of Avatar Aang. I am the hope for future generations of Airbenders. I am the son of Avatar Aang."
Suddenly a figure appeared in the mist before him.
"Hello, my son," it said.
Tenzin stared in astonishment. It was his father, just like he remembered him. His features were well-aged and weary and a thick brown beard circled his jawline. But his eyes were still filled with the same knowledge and kindness as they'd always been.
"Dad. I failed you. I am no spiritual leader. I've let the world down. I'll never be the man you were."
"You are right. You are trying to hold on to a false perception of yourself. You are not me. And you should not be me. You are Tenzin."
The image of Aang flickered and was replaced by an image of himself. Tenzin nodded and got to his feet.
"I am not a reflection of my father. I am Tenzin. I am Tenzin!"
At his words, the fog receded and the valley was laid bare for the first time. Dozens upon dozens of prisoners meandered about aimlessly. Tenzin ignored them, eyes only for his family. Not far from him, he saw a little girl on her knees in orange robes.
"Jinora!"
He dashed over and hugged her tightly to his chest. Picking her up, he walked around, finding Bumi and Kya and led their lethargic bodies out of the valley. As soon as they exited, the fog rolled back in behind them. Bumi and Kya soon returned to their senses.
Bumi groaned. "What happened?"
"I think our brother saved us," Kya replied tiredly.
"Dad," Jinora smiled.
Tenzin hugged her again. "You're going to be okay, sweetie. I'm here."
"What happened?" A little spirit butterfly alighted on her arm. "The last thing I remember is dark spirits taking me away."
"You were trapped in the Fog of Lost Souls. But I wasn't about to let you stay there."
"I'm so happy to see you, Dad."
Unalaq held Raava captive inside a ball of water. On his right arm, water formed like a sharp whip and he prepared to strike at Raava.
"Korra!" Mako yelled.
"He's got the light spirit!" said Bolin.
The two of them came running through the snow and launched an attack on Unalaq. The dark Avatar looked slightly annoyed and blocked their first assaults with ease. Then his mouth twisted into a smile and he unleashed a torrent of ice that crashed into Mako and Bolin, sending them flying into the snowbank, completely unconscious.
Raava had fallen to the ground beside Korra and she reached out desperately. Then a tendril of water wrapped around Raava and flung her against a harsh rock. He repeatedly struck her brutally and with every hit, Korra's body convulsed with extreme pain.
In her mind's eye, she saw the past Avatar's begin to be struck down, their spirits evaporating into a million dancing lights and all their memory, all their wisdom, knowledge and power extinguished in a second. Aang was gone. Then Rokku and Kyoshi. Avatar after Avatar, those she knew and those she didn't were slashed and erased from existence.
Raava's light force grew weaker and weaker and Unalaq's grin grew wider and wider. He raised his arms for one final assault and Raava was split in two. Korra clawed along the ground as the last remaining Avatar, Avatar Wan faded away. Her eyes went dim and closed in defeat.
Unalaq stood over her, a sick smile spread across his face. He had won. The Avatar lay immobile before him and her friends were scattered in the snow. The Soul Reaper was gone, never to return and he had slain his immortal enemy, the light spirit Raava.
His hands tingled with triumph and formed savage shards of ice around them as he loomed above Korra, preparing for the final blow. But something stopped him and he hesitated. The wind shifted and the purple haze above them seemed to shimmer weakly. Then a sonic boomed rocketed across the frozen tundra, shaking Unalaq to his very core and nearly causing him to stumble. The ice on his hands shattered and he stepped backwards in surprise.
Korra's eyes drifted open. Black fabric swirled in front of her and the tip of a black and white sword dragged along the ground. She looked higher. It was him. But his presence brought next to no joy like it used to. His orange hair only brought upon feelings of anger and betrayal.
Ichigo stood tall and proud. He shielded Korra with his body and glared ferociously at what stood before him. After blacking out, he had found himself lying on something cold. It was the ice below the arcing beam of energy that he'd passed through to leave. To his left was the tree where Vaatu had been imprisoned. It still stood empty. All around him, there was evidence of a climactic battle. But apart from the pulsing energy around him, it was silent in the Spirit World.
Getting to his feet, he had quickly slapped his combat pass to his chest, changing into his Shihakusho. The whole experience felt surreal and he could literally feel his head spinning. But he had a job to do. And a promise to keep. Step by step, he made his way to the Spirit Portal. He took a deep breath and then he flew.
Exiting the portal, he saw the destruction of the Northern military encampment and signs of the battle in the snow beyond. His eyes zeroed in on Unalaq standing over Korra's fallen body. Ichigo drew his sword and streaked across the sky, cutting through the ice on his hands and landing in between the two Avatars.
Unalaq stared at him with disdain. "You truly are a fool, Kurosaki Ichigo."
"What happened to you?" Ichigo said.
"Vaatu and I have bonded. We are one. We are the Avatar."
Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "Looks like I got here just in time then."
Unalaq laughed derisively. "You could've had your happy ending. It was right there and you took it. But you came back. And now you will die. Just like everyone else."
"It would've been an ending, yes, but not a happy one. I could've never lived on knowing that I betrayed my friends and left them with you. You poisoned my mind since the first day we met. But you failed. Your time ends now."
"Do you think they'll remember you, Kurosaki? Will the Soul Reapers cry out for you when I cross over to subjugate them? What will they say of the warrior in black then? I will stain your legacy like blood and display your head for them all to see."
Ichigo gripped Zangetsu tighter and smirked, echoing the words of his great friend. "Haven't you heard the legends? The warrior in black shall prevail."
"Using Wan's words like a pretty mantra will not save you. You will stand no chance against me."
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that."
Ichigo raised his right arm. The ground began to shake. He placed his left hand on his right forearm and the white band that trailed from his zanpakuto wrapped around his arm. A blue light emanated from his eyes and Unalaq took two wary steps back as the winds picked up speed. Ichigo raised his voice in a yell as his power grew.
"BANKAI!"
The spirit butterflies clung to Jinora's shoulders as they headed away from the fog. Jinora turned around with concerned eyes.
"The world's in trouble," she said.
"What are you talking about? How do you know?" Tenzin asked.
"I can feel it."
"What happened?" said Bumi.
"It's Ichigo." She gave one of the butterflies to Tenzin. "This light spirit will guide you out of the Spirit World. I have to find help." Her body suddenly began to fade away and then she disappeared entirely.
"Jinora, wait!" Tenzin cried.
Mako and Bolin pulled Korra off the ground and placed her arms around their shoulders. They had been blown away again by Ichigo and were now a fair distance from him and Unalaq. Korra was unconscious and the brothers propped her up against a snow bank.
"Is that Ichigo?" Bolin said.
"Yeah. That's him."
"So he came back?"
"I have no idea anymore."
Ichigo stood defiantly against Unalaq in his new form. His robes were tighter around his chest and billowed out into tattered ends around his legs. Zangetsu was now long, thin and sleek and totally black. White wrist guards crisscrossed up from his wrist to his forearm and black gloves adorned his hands.
"Tensa Zangetsu," Ichigo said.
"Bankai…" Unalaq whispered, almost in awe. "So, this is the full power of a Soul Reaper."
Ichigo shot forward, catching Unalaq off guard. He swung hard and fast at his face and Unalaq rolled to the side just in time. A wave of water sloshed towards Ichigo and he shunpoed out of the way and then behind Unalaq. The dark Avatar hurriedly protected himself with ice and launched into the air on a swirling tornado.
But he couldn't compete with Ichigo's speed. His cyclone was slashed in two and Ichigo appeared behind him, cutting a deep gash into his back. Unalaq yelled with fury and entered his Avatar State, blowing Ichigo back with his power. Sudden shards of ice bulleted after him but Ichigo sliced through them all like lightning.
The power he was feeling was exhilarating. The speed, the ferocity, he could remember how it felt, but after being shackled by his powers and his memories for so long, his body now felt free and loose.
Unalaq's orange eyes twitched and he rose up on another cyclone. His strength was renewed by the Avatar State and he caught hold of Ichigo's leg with a tendril of water, lashing him into the ground. Ichigo got free and darted backwards, swinging Zangetsu into a wide arc.
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
Black energy with a red outline ripped out of his sword and streaked towards Unalaq who just managed to deflect it with a thick wave of water. The attack continued rising into the sky and it seemed to split the heavens above. Ichigo heaved for breath and was nearly hit by Unalaq's next attack.
He shunpoed behind him again but Unalaq was ready with blades of ice on his hands and they exchanged blows, sword to sword. Ichigo cut through one but then felt the other ripple through the cloth on his side and draw blood. He zipped back and held Zangetsu with two hands. Something was wrong. His speed was slipping.
Unalaq came again and Ichigo swung wildly, slicing through some hair but taking a heavy hit to his gut. With a backhanded fist, he knocked Unalaq away but then grimaced as a shard of ice slashed a cut in his sword arm.
Come on, he thought, I'm faster than this. He remembered what Yoruichi had told him when he regained his Bankai back in the Spirit World. "Your body right now is not strong enough to support your Bankai for an extended amount of time." He cursed. Forget that, I have to win.
"What's wrong, Kurosaki?" Unalaq mocked. "You're looking slower than usual."
"Shut up."
Ichigo beamed forward once more, sweeping low with Zangetsu and nearly catching Unalaq on the leg. Unalaq bashed him with a fist of ice and stomped on the ground, causing it to split open under Ichigo. He lost his balance and was hit by an attack than sent him sprawling.
Unalaq fired more bullets of ice and Ichigo shunpoed away. They clashed and pushed against each other, their power generating shockwave after shockwave. Unalaq head-butted him strongly and Ichigo held firm. Then Unalaq swept his feet out from under him and mashed him into the ground, trapping him with ice.
As Ichigo struggled to break free, Unalaq leapt away and then began to slowly raise his hands. The ground beneath Ichigo began to shift and you could see the strain it was putting on Unalaq's body. Both of his arms were quivering and his teeth were grinding hard against each other from the effort.
Cracks appeared in a circle all around Ichigo and he felt himself rising. Those cracks became crevices as he rose higher. Unalaq had completely separated a gargantuan amount of frozen water that Ichigo lay on and he elevated it above the ground.
He began to yell from the effort and Ichigo struggled harder. Unalaq slowly began turning the block of ice upside down. Ichigo, realizing his plan, finally broke his arm free but it was too late. The huge mass of ice slammed down into the earth with him underneath it. The weight above him was unlike anything he'd ever experienced and he screamed loudly.
Ichigo found himself lodged beneath the block in a small cranny within the ice. He began to panic. He was totally trapped and his sword arm was still encased in ice. His free hand ignited with reiatsu and he beat at the rocks around him, trying to gain at least a little bit of space. Unalaq gasped for breath and his sadistic grin returned.
Focus! Ichigo commanded himself. Focus, Ichigo! You can do this. You can win this.
He bashed the ice around his sword arm, breaking it free. Then with the space he had, he jammed Zangetsu up into the ice above him and started to power up his reiatsu. It seeped into his right hand but he could feel his body waning. He needed to finish this now.
"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"
He blasted up his attack through the ice and exploded out of it. Unalaq yelled in defiance and charged at him. Ichigo landed and then rocketed towards his enemy. With a mighty heave, he broke through Unalaq's attack and then swung back down quickly as his sword met flesh.
Unalaq let loose a wretched scream as his severed arm flopped onto the ground. His power faded and he sank to his knees, holding what remained of his arm in agony. Ichigo collapsed and stabbed Zangetsu into the ground, propping himself up with it. All his energy was spent, he didn't think he could've gone on much longer.
Korra's eyes opened and Mako and Bolin helped her to a sitting position. They looked across the tundra and saw Ichigo next to a shrieking Unalaq. The landscape around them was completely decimated.
"Did he- did he win?" Bolin panted.
"I think so," Mako said.
Korra said nothing.
All of a sudden, Unalaq's head jerked up, and the same red spirit tentacles spilled out of his mouth and slithered themselves around Ichigo, trapping him instantly. He yelled in surprise and struggled against them but they were much too strong and his strength was already spent.
Unalaq's eyes went white as more and more of the spirit poured out of him. The tentacles wrenched Ichigo's mouth open violently as the black spirit entered him through it forcefully. His body began to glow as the spirit bonded with him. It left Unalaq entirely and Ichigo thrashed about, clawing at his face, trying to get it off. His muffled cries did nothing and the spirit flung him to and fro, beating him into submission.
It was Vaatu. The great spirit of darkness had left Unalaq and now battled with Ichigo, trying to fuse with him. Unalaq saw their struggle and looked down at his hand. Then he reached up and touched his face, for the first time realizing what had happened.
"Vaatu!" His voice screeched out desperately. "Don't leave me! Please! You promised me! You promised that we'd return the old world together! You can't leave me now, we're so close! Please! Do not abandon me!"
Vaatu pulled up Ichigo's head and when he opened his mouth, Vaatu's voice came out.
"I promised you nothing. My goal was all that ever mattered." He tugged Ichigo's arms away from his face. "Cease your struggling, Soul Reaper. Your spirit cries out to me. I have awakened something within you. Bond with me!"
"No!" Ichigo croaked.
Vaatu strangled his neck. "This was meant to be. Prophecies are so untrustworthy. All I knew is that you were the only thing that stopped me from destroying Raava before. When you actually did return, I knew that my only options were to send you away or to bond with you myself. Now you are mine. The light of Raava has been extinguished."
Ichigo's body pulsed with energy as the last of Vaatu seeped into him. Mako and Bolin ran into the fray but Ichigo swatted them away like flies. Korra stared brokenly at him as his skin began to turn a stark white. His face disappeared, replaced by a demonic white mask with huge fangs and black slits for eyes.
His orange hair grew long, at least down to his waist and huge crooked horns sprouted out of his head. A gaping hole opened in his chest and black markings stretched across the white skin around it. Red energy flared and the earth seemed to shake.
The creature reared its head and unleashed a bloodcurdling roar that echoed around them for miles. Unalaq cowered back into the snow, holding his arm. Ichigo strode towards him menacingly, his mind now completely taken over by Vaatu and the monster he'd become.
"Please…" Unalaq said weakly. "I beg of you. I served you all my life. I devoted everything to you and our dream. Please don't ki-"
His last words were cut short as Ichigo drove his sword deep into Unalaq's chest. The Chief of the Water Tribes didn't even scream. His mouth fell open and blood dribbled out like drool. He fell onto his side as Ichigo withdrew the sword and his blood seeped into the snow. Unalaq took a few more shattered breaths and then he ceased.
Korra forced herself to her feet weakly as what once had been Ichigo roared again. She didn't even know what to think. She stayed watching in silent horror as the creature boomed off towards the Spirit Portal and then disappeared.
The Soul Society was in disarray. Every squad was gathered in the city, preparing for battle. The captains marched to and fro, barking orders to their subordinates. They didn't know what was happening, but the fierce reiatsu and the broken sky had made them ready for anything. The Senkaimon was heavily guarded with Kenpachi Zaraki himself standing there ready to defend the city from any attack.
Suddenly, a massive thunderclap reverberated above them and a terrifying crack appeared in the sky. Everyone looked up to see the Sogyoku mountain split in two and the crack widened into a massive tear. Through it, they could see another reality. Two beams of light arcing up and meeting above a cragged old tree.
One half of the Sogyoku mountain crashed down onto the city and the other half broke through the huge Senzaikyu Palace that stood beside it, demolishing it to rubble. A lone figure flew high above them all, staring down at the ruins.
"What is that?" someone asked the Captain Commander.
Yamamoto Genryusai swore. "Vasto Lorde."
And that's the end! I'm really happy that I finally finished this and was able to post it. I know a ton of stuff happened in this chapter but I hope that it flowed well and made sense. Next chapter, the Book 2 finale! I don't know when it's coming out and I don't want to make any promises I can't keep. But I'm fired up again about this story and I can't wait to get started on the finale, it's gonna be insane! As always, thank you all so much for reading and tell me what you thought about this chapter. I'm really happy to be back. See you next time!
Replying to comments here! I'll be replying to them in chronological order and I'll copy out the comment I'm replying to as well for context.
Comment by Isaiah: No not now
Reply: Yes right now
Comment by Andromeda: He should better change his mind and come back. Maybe Raava could say something to him so he goes back
Reply: Pretty sure this chapter answers that question;)
Comment by Raximus: The final battle is about to begin and Ichigo is away. He will either regret it or the mad scientist will open up a portal. Either is plausible.
I want MORE!
Reply: Here's MORE! But wow you were pretty much right on the money haha
Comment by Jimmy K.I. 7: Oh boy.
Too bad, he doesn't remember anything, there's no other choice by the dream and others that conflicted him strangely.
Only if he remember why he was sent...
Reply: Ikr? Stupid memory problems...
Comment by Guest Isa: Tease
Reply: ;))))))
Comment by Guest: He must has been enjoyed his life with new friends. On the contrary, he couldn't take it any more when he had terrible vision of dreams and Rukia's conversation.
Reply: Yeah, I totally agree. With all that's going on in his life, it's really tough to make the right decision.
Comment by Mr. Question: Wait a minute, I didn't know that Mr Dark Spirit has family, has he?
Vaatu can speak evil voice to give despair but how can he speak like understanding Ichigo's feeling because all he can say evil logical unlike Raava?
Reply: Vaatu is a master of deceit. He says these things to Ichigo and lies about how he feels only to manipulate him. And yeah I don't think he has a family either, he's just saying "if I did have a family, then I'd want to get back to them too", it's just more deception. Hope that answered your question, Mr. Question!
Comment by Guest: Is that Unalaq's voice like that or Vaatu's?
I thought Vaatu is going to say that, you know he's been imprisoned inside tree over 10,000 years.
Reply: I remember this comment! You actually pointed out a mistake I made and I fixed it afterwards so thank you!
Comment by Mr Please: Oh boy.
Since he doesn't remember,
Korra was trying to make up with Ichigo but not working.
Betray Asami?
His spirit is getting weak...
Hope he will find the way to restore his memory and his dream is not come true...
And will he come back for Asami?
Reply: So many questions, so much going on haha. Hopefully this new chapter answered all those questions. Thanks for the comment!
Comment by Mr. Question: I'm not sure why Ichigo was brought to this world more than he insisted to travel that world?
Reply: Hmmm, I wonder...
Comment by Guest: Without memory, he of course wants to go home first.
What will make him to go back?
Reply: Probably Rukia;)
Comment by Guest: Is Ichigo still going to stay in his world on next episode?
Reply: For a little bit
Comment by Neato: It's great to see "What To Live For" update again.
Reply: Glad to see you enjoy the story!
Comment by Guest: IchigoX KorraX Asami ship
Reply: Someone wants a threesome hahaha seriously tho, not sure if this'll ever happen but I never say no to a good idea:)
Comment by Guest: Did he just betrayed Korra?
Reply: Indeed he did.
Comment by Guest: I hope the gang will be fine...
Reply: Me too...
Comment by Love Bleach: It's been 2 months...
Reply: Yeah those 2 months turned into 4... I love Bleach too btw - one of the best series and best fanbases around!
Comment by Dragon44pride: I am very hope you have more updates on the way?
Reply: Indeed I do. Hope you enjoy it!
Comment by Earthly Entity: This is so confusing with Ichigo desicion making
Reply: Yeah I totally understand why you think that. Sometimes it's tough to keep up with everything that's going on in this story but I do my best to have it make sense and not be too confusing
Comment by Guest: I read comics of Korra & Asami relationship.
First of all, that was worst.
So I'm really glad you wrote this story better than that.
Thank you.
Reply: Yeah, I heard about those but never read them. Are they worth reading? Also, thanks so much for your kind comment I really appreciate that:))
Comment by Guest: Please Update Next New Chapter
Reply: I Have Updated Hope You Like It!
Comment by Count Metaphor: It's hard to think to wait next update because this character Ichigo is suffering more than imagine.
What are you going to do?
To keep continue writing or not?
Reply: First of all, I love your username. And yeah I agree, Ichigo really goes through a lot of stuff in this story. But suffering builds character and he'll only become stronger because of it. And yes, I will continue writing. I love this story and I want to finish it!
Comment by Reality: Bitch, update!
Reply: Bitch, I just did! Haha hope you enjoy the chapter m88
Comment by Guest: To Reality,
That's so rude to author.
I was waiting for 4 months & not in good mood (waiting 4 chapters) but must be patient.
Reply: Thank you for defending me I really appreciate that! Also I'm sorry that I made you wait so long but your patience has been rewarded. Thanks for the support!
Comment by Andromeda: Please update finally
Reply: Well Andromeda, I have updated. I know you've been leaving reviews and reading this story for a long time so I just wanted to say thank you! I'm always excited to hear what you have to say and I hope you will keep reading:)))
And there we go, those are all the reviews from the previous chapter. Let me know if you guys like me replying to your comments. I actually had a lot of fun doing it and it's a nice way for me to interact with all of you a little bit more. I appreciate every single comment you all leave and most of all I'm just grateful that you like this story. See you next time!
