Hey everyone! Man, I feel like I always say this but once again sorry for how long this chapter took to come out. My posting schedule for Book 2 has been pretty horrible but I'm very thankful for everyone who comes back and reads each new chapter. This is it. This is the finale of Book 2. It's taken a year and a half to get to this point and I'm very happy that it's finished. I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy the chapter.


Chapter 14: Light in the Dark


In her mind, Korra saw a black pathway. It felt solid beneath her but she could see no physical substance to it. On either side of the path was a black expanse of empty space that hummed with cosmic energy. The path did not go far. After winding for some ways in front of her, it eventually fell away into oblivion.

She tried to turn around and found that she could not. There was a presence behind her. It had no voice or smell but she could feel untapped power radiating off it like waves. It felt warm and almost familiar but also primordial and elusive. Korra tried to turn and face it but a voice pulled her back.

"They're over here!"

That was Tenzin's voice. Yes, Tenzin. Wait. Didn't Tenzin leave to go find Jinora? Wasn't she just fighting Unalaq? Didn't Ichigo… Ichigo. Oh no.

"Please. Wake up," Tenzin's voice prodded.

Korra's mind lulled back and forth between the unconscious path and the conscious sound of Tenzin's voice. She felt herself being lifted and then she heard another voice.

"They're going to be alright. But I need to get them into some spirit water right away."

That was Kya. Korra was carried through the Spirit Portal and placed into a calm river by the Tree of Time. The chill of the water and Kya's healing abilities brought her back to full consciousness. She burst out of the water with a gasp and beside her, Mako and Bolin woke up as well.

"Thank goodness you're all okay," Tenzin said.

Korra got up. "Did you find Jinora?"

"I was able to rescue her soul but she wasn't ready to return to her body yet. She sensed the world was in grave danger and that Ichigo had something to do with it."

Korra looked down. "She was right."

"Were you able to stop Unalaq and Vaatu?"

"No. They fused and then Vaatu ripped Raava right out of me and destroyed her. Ichigo almost beat him but then Vaatu abandoned Unalaq and fused with Ichigo. Vaatu won. I couldn't stop him."

"No," Bolin said. "I am too young to live through ten thousand years of darkness. Korra, can't you talk to one of your past lives or something?"

"When Vaatu destroyed Raava, he destroyed my connection to the past Avatars too."

Tenzin's eyes widened. "If that's true, then…"

"The cycle is over. I'm the last Avatar. I'm so sorry, Tenzin." Tears began to flow from her eyes. "Everything I've tried to accomplish has failed. My- my best friend betrayed me and now he's under Vaatu's control. I'm a failure." Korra broke down and wept as everyone stood and watched, not knowing how to comfort her.

"She needs you now," Kya said to Tenzin. "More than ever."


Pandemonium reigned in Soul Society. Half the Sogyoku was a massive heap of rubble that had fallen onto the streets of the Seireitei, killing who knows how many people. Smoke, ash and dust were everywhere and fires raged in the bloodstained streets. Byakuya got to his feet from where he had fallen.

"Renji!" He yelled.

His lieutenant was trapped under some debris and he helped heave it off him.

"What the hell is going on?!" Renji cried.

"I don't know. All I saw was the Sogyoku split in two. There's too much ash in the air to see anything. We have to regroup and find the Captain Commander." He coughed loudly.

"Are you alright, Captain?"

Byakuya winced as he felt blood seep into his white robes from a wound on his chest. "I must have been hit by some rubble. I'll be fine."

"Kuchiki!"

The two of them turned at the voice.

"Captain Hitsugaya." Byakuya acknowledged.

"Rangiku!" said Renji.

Toshiro Hitsugaya struggled towards them with an unconscious Rangiku Matsumoto on his back. There was a long gash on her forehead that was bleeding badly. He set her down on the ground and sank down beside her.

"This is a nightmare," he said bluntly.

"Is she alright?" Renji asked.

"I don't know. I have to get her to Squad 4 but that's virtually impossible right now."

"Did you see what caused this?" Byakuya demanded.

"It was a Hollow. Vasto Lorde, by the looks of it. I saw it for a split second before the Sogyoku hit the ground. I don't even want to think about how many people have died."

"We have to stop it."

"Where did this Hollow even come from?" Renji asked. "Didn't we defeat all the Espada?"

"It doesn't matter," Byakuya replied. "Let's go, Hitsugaya. This monster will not take any more lives today. Renji, stay with Rangiku until the ash and dust clears then take her to the infirmary."

"Yes, Captain!"

"Also, find Rukia. I need to know that she's safe."

Toshiro got to his feet. "Take care of Matsumoto for me."

"You got it."

The two captains lifted off into the air trying to break through the clouds of ash and smoke. They both held their breath and squinted desperately until they emerged. All around them was carnage. The ash and dust covered most of the area and half the mountain was gone. They could see the shattered boulders that remained on the ground peeking out of the smoke.

The screams of the wounded echoed in their ears. Above all the noise and commotion, they heard a loud screech. Near the mountain they could see a tall, thin figure hovering. It roared incessantly and unleashed powerful energy blasts from the two horns on its head.

"That's the Vasto Lorde," Toshiro said. "That's the thing that did all this."

Suddenly another figure burst out of the smoke and shot towards the Hollow.

"Captain Otoribashi!"

The long-haired, elegant Soul Reaper swung at the Hollow but the creature caught his zanpakuto in his hand and broke it in two. Toshiro and Byakuya watched in horror as the Hollow rammed its sword deep into Otoribashi's chest. Blood spurted from his mouth and fell, splattering onto the ground below.

The Hollow looked at him and stared deep into his eyes. Then with what looked like a smile, it placed its horns on other side of Otoribashi's face and fired its Cero, incinerating his face instantly. The creature let the captain fall and the remains of his body crashed down onto some rubble.

"Monster!"

Yamamoto Genryusai rose up out of the ash. His white robes were stained deeply with blood and his right leg was shattered. It looked like it had been crushed under a heavy boulder. Blood dripped from the back of his head and his movements were laboured. However, he held his sword aloft with no fear.

"What you have done here today will never be forgotten. No Hollow before has wrought such destruction upon Soul Society. Many lives have been lost today because of you. Those lives will be avenged. That is the will of the Gotei Thirteen."

Byakuya and Toshiro rushed to his side.

"Captain Commander! Your leg!" Toshiro cried.

"Is the least of my worries," he replied tersely.

"Let us fight the Hollow," Byakuya said. "Your wounds are too severe."

"Do not presume to command me, boy. Your pretentiousness befits your family name but will win you no favours with me. I would raze Soul Society to the ground before I let two children fight in my place."

The Hollow roared at them and fired a Cero. Byakuya quickly unsheathed his zanpakuto and allowed the flower petals of his Shikai to absorb the impact. But the blast was so powerful that it ripped through his defence and tore through Yamamoto's shoulder. The old man bellowed with pain and his sword fell to the ground.

"Captain Commander!" Toshiro drew his sword. "Reign over the frosted heavens. Hyorinmaru!"

He launched a scathing attack of ice at the Hollow but it held up its sword to block and roared again. Byakuya grabbed Genryusai and took him back to the ground. Captain Unohana Retsu was running an emergency infirmary. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people lay wounded on the ground as she and her helpers scurried around to tend to them.

"Captain Unohana!"

She looked up and gasped. "Is he alright?"

"His leg is shattered and his shoulder is gone. We were caught off guard by the Hollow. I'm leaving him here with you. I have to get back up there. Where are the other captains?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I only hope they're alive. Captain Komamura and Captain Zaraki were guarding the Senkaimon when the mountain fell so they're safe. I haven't seen anyone else."

"The Hollow just killed Captain Otoribashi. Renji is out there somewhere with Lieutenant Matsumoto. She's wounded as well."

"We found her. Renji went off to find Rukia."

"Good." He flew back up to where Toshiro and the Hollow were clashing furiously. Byakuya narrowed his eyes and looked at the sword in the Hollow's hand and the form it used to attack. A sinking feeling hit his stomach.

"Kurosaki?"


"The other Avatars may not be able to help you anymore," Tenzin said, "but, perhaps I can."

"No one can help me now," said Korra.

Tenzin looked down. "I know I haven't been the best mentor to you. But I realized it was because I had a lot of spiritual growth to do myself. There may still be a way for you to stop Vaatu and save Ichigo from him."

"How?"

He knelt down next to her. "Let go of your attachment to who you think you are and connect with your inner spirit."

"Haven't you heard anything I said? Raava is gone. I'm not connected to a spirit anymore."

"I'm not talking about Raava. Raava is not who you are. Come with me. I need to show you something."

Korra got up and followed him to the massive tree where Vaatu had been imprisoned.

"Why are you showing me Vaatu's prison?" she asked.

"Because this tree had a history long before it held Vaatu. This is the Tree of Time and the legends say that its roots bind the spirit and physical worlds together."

"And you think this tree can help me somehow?"

"Yes. I have read that long ago, the ancients would meditate beneath this tree and connect with the great cosmic energy of the universe."

He led her inside where Vaatu had been kept. The tree was hollow inside like a room with great winding roots at its floor that stretched up into its walls. Images began flickering and appearing when they stepped inside. She saw herself fighting in the Pro-Bending Arena, training to become an Airbender and meeting Mako and Bolin. The next image showed a thin, icy surface and she realized it was the place where she had found Ichigo.

"These are my memories."

"The Tree of Time remembers all. Korra, the most powerful thing about you is not the spirit of Raava but your own inner spirit. You have always been strong, unyielding and fearless."

The friendly face of the first Avatar passed before them.

"Avatar Wan," Korra said.

"Before he fused with Raava, Wan was just a regular person."

"But he was… brave and smart and always wanted to defend the helpless."

"That's right. He became a legend because of who he was, not what he was. He wasn't defined by Raava anymore than you are. Much like how Ichigo is not defined by Vaatu now."

A vast image showed Ichigo destroying a huge mountain that collapsed onto a city and him murdering someone who tried to stop him.

Korra gasped. "That place must be Ichigo's world. Everyone there is in danger. He's killing them."

"You have to help them, Korra."

"How? They're literally in another reality."

"Do as the ancients once did. Connect to the cosmic energy of the universe. Don't bend the elements but the energy within yourself. I think you'll find these two worlds are not as far apart as they seem."

She hesitated. "You really think I can do this? With Vaatu controlling Ichigo, I can't imagine how powerful he'll be. And without Raava, I-"

"You are not defined by Raava. You are the most powerful being in all the universe. I have no doubt you can do this."

Korra swallowed and hugged him softly. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

"I'm proud of you."

Tenzin walked back to the entrance of the tree and Korra sat down to meditate. A blue hue began to appear and grow against the browns of the tree around her. She heard the voices of Wan and Raava in her head.

"If you and Vaatu have the same fight every ten thousand years, why hasn't one of you destroyed the other?"

"He cannot destroy light any more than I can destroy darkness. One cannot exist without the other."

Then Unalaq's voice. "Find the light in the dark."

In her spirit, she returned to the great pathway surrounded by darkness. Her eyes opened and this time, she could turn. At the end of the path she beheld a giant, shimmering, black figure. It was her. It was her spirit. In its hands it held a bright, shining ball of energy. Korra steeled herself and walked right into it.

With her body remaining still, Korra's spirit rose up out of her body as an ethereal blue being that exited the tree. Korra's friends stared in astonishment. As she walked, Korra grew taller and taller until she towered over her friends like a giantess. She reached up and touched the arc of energy above the tree. A tear split open from her finger and through it she could see the devastation that Ichigo had caused. Like lightning she was sucked through the tear and into another reality.

Tenzin and the others gawked at where she'd stood, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"Uhhh… what did you say to her exactly?" Bumi asked.


Rukia stepped through the Senkaimon and entered the Soul Society. Her journey back from the world of the living had been the most harrowing and dangerous trip through the Dangai she'd ever experienced. There were gaps opening in the walls and the ground became sloped and slippery at times. Without her Hell Butterfly she would've certainly been lost.

She took a deep breath of relief and then coughed violently as the acrid smoke entered her lungs. Rukia looked around in astonishment. Soul Society was an absolute disaster zone. The Seireitei was covered in ash and fires and the rubble of the once pristine city lay all over the place. She stared at the empty space where the Sogyoku mountain had once stood.

Before her stood row upon row of a small army of Soul Reapers. They looked aghast at their home as the screams of the wounded and dying echoed through their ears. Above it all, the sound of clashing swords could be heard.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki!"

Captain Komamura Saijin strode up to her.

"What happened here?" said Rukia.

He clenched his furry fist. "Death has come to Soul Society. I've just received word that a powerful Vasto Lorde tore through from the sky and destroyed the Sogyoku mountain, killing thousands. We still don't know the full extent of the damage but Captain Otoribashi is dead and the Captain Commander is heavily wounded. Captain Kuchiki and Captain Hitsugaya are engaging the Hollow as we speak."

"My brother is fighting? Why aren't you there with them?"

"Captain Zaraki and I have been tasked with defending the Senkaimon at all costs. It is our only escape out of here should we need it."

"Rukia!"

Renji came running up to them and embraced Rukia tightly. "Thank God I found you!"

"Renji! I'm glad you're alive."

"Come on, we need to go. Excuse us, Captain."

He grabbed her arm and ran with her away from the Senkaimon deeper into the city. When they were a far enough distance from the army, Renji pulled her into an abandoned house and collapsed against a wall, panting heavily.

"What's going on?" Rukia asked.

"Sorry. I had to get you out of there so that the captains couldn't hear us. There's more going on than they know. Did you find Ichigo?"

"Yeah. He came back from that other world to ours but it was for the wrong reason. He abandoned his friends and left them to fight an evil dark spirit without him. I persuaded him to go back. That was the last time I saw him."

Renji swallowed. "Rukia, I don't know what to tell you. I don't know what's going on, or how it's possible, but I think that Vasto Lorde is Ichigo. It's the way it moves, the way it fights, it has long orange hair and it's zanpakuto looks exactly like Ichigo's. What was going on in that other world? What was the dark spirit?"

"It's called Harmonic Convergence. During that time, the two worlds are very close together and it's the only time when they're close enough for someone to cross over from their world to ours. I found out this information and then told Ichigo."

"How did you find out?"

"Someone had done research. A long time ago."

"So Ichigo came back here and then you convinced him to return. What about the dark spirit?"

"Ichigo called it Vaatu and he says his friends were fighting for their lives. If what we've been told about the Avatar is true, she's extremely powerful, at the very least on the level of the captains. This threat they're facing might even be more powerful."

"Is it powerful enough to take control of someone? Bring out their inner demons?"

Rukia looked at him with understanding. "You think the dark spirit is inside Ichigo now and that it's brought out his Hollow."

"Yeah. I do. And if this threat is as serious as you say, then the captains need to know."

"No! You mustn't tell them."

"Why? Rukia, thousands of people are dead already! How many more lives have to be lost to this thing?"

Her face scrunched up. "Take me to the Hollow. I need to see him for myself."


Byakuya squinted his eyes at the Vasto Lorde as he battled with Toshiro. His suspicions were turning into fears. The long, orange hair, the sleek, black sword and the sheer speed of the creature were all hallmarks of Ichigo Kurosaki.

"How is this possible…"

"Byakuya!" Toshiro yelled. "I could use some help right now!"

"Pull back!" Byakuya replied.

Toshiro landed a kick that sent the Hollow reeling and then shot back to Byakuya's side.

"What is it? Do you have a plan?"

"Look at it. Remind you of someone?"

Toshiro nodded. "It's Kurosaki. But how?"

"The Hollow within him must've gone out of control. The Avatar may have had something to do with it."

"Can we save him?"

"I don't know."

"Wait. What is he doing? He's just standing there."

Ichigo had alighted on a rooftop. He looked up into the sky and roared defiantly as a curious symbol began to pulse on his upper body. A red diamond shape formed around the whole in his chest as circular figures intertwined around it. The sky above them, already blanketed in smoke, grew darker as thunderclaps rolled across the sky.

Red forks of lightning twisted down from menacing storm clouds and connected forcefully with the earth. Slowly, small blue particles of light began streaming up from the ground where the lighting had impacted and flowed up to where Ichigo stood. A red shimmer emanated from his white skin as the particles made contact and his body started to grow.

"What is he doing?"

"He's absorbing reishi…" Byakuya realized. "Was that his goal all along?"

"He's growing. We have to stop him now. He's powerful enough as he is."

"Agreed."

The two captains stepped forward and bore their zanpakuto together. Ichigo shifted his view to them and swung his sword, unleashing his energy attack which passed in between them. They separated and flew in from different angles. Ichigo jumped off the roof and met Toshiro's sword with his own.

Byakuya came in from behind but Ichigo reached out and gripped his blade with his bare hand, swinging Byakuya around into Toshiro. Byakuya quickly dispersed his blade into the pink flower petals of his Shikai and swirled them around, trying to find a weak point. Ichigo clashed with Toshiro again and then shoved him away, slicing through Byakuya's attack at the same time.

The lightning continued to flash around them and reishi continued to flow into Ichigo's body, making him grow larger by the second. He reared his head and fired a Cero at Toshiro, forcing the small captain to block it with ice but the laser broke through it and seared through the top of his shoulder. He cried out and clutched at his wound as Ichigo moved in with speed.

Byakuya came in to protect him but Ichigo swatted him away with a flick of his wrist. As his size grew, so did his already immense strength. Byakuya hurtled across the sky and gritted his teeth. Ichigo bore down on Toshiro and swung hard. Squad 10's captain spun away from him and landed a kick to his backside.

Toshiro grimaced. "He's strong," he muttered. "Bankai! Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Instantly shards of ice travelled up his arm from his sword and formed a dragon's head around his hand. The ice stretched up and moulded on his back into giant wings and a tail. Three star-shaped purple symbols appeared behind him and he clenched his icy fist in anger.

"Ichigo… I don't know what the hell happened to you or even if you're still in there. But I swear to you one thing: I will put you down."

All he got was a roar in response and he charged in and clashed with Ichigo, sending shockwaves rocketing across the sky. They struggled against each other and then pulled away, clashing several more times before Byakuya wrapped his Shikai around Ichigo's sword arm, slashing into it with the flower petals. Toshiro saw his opening and stabbed his sword into the arm.

"Ryusenka!" Ice blasted out from the stab point and pierced into Ichigo's forearm, encasing it entirely. The Hollow snarled and tried to break free then Toshiro hacked into the arm, breaking the ice and the arm totally off. Ichigo let loose a scream that deafened their ears and his reiatsu flung them away like ragdolls.

"That's good," Byakuya said. "Let's keep this up. Make him angry."

A sudden flow of reishi surrounded the stump of Ichigo's arm and completely reformed it and then seeped into him, causing him to nearly double in size. Toshiro's eyes widened.

"We need more captains."

Byakuya held out his arm and dropped his sword. A pool of water appeared in the air and the sword sank slowly beneath it as energy rippled out like waves. Two rows of humongous sword blades appeared on either side of him and then dispersed into innumerable pink flower petals.

"Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. It would appear there are no more captains who can aide us, Captain Hitsugaya. We must make do with what we have. The fate of Soul Society lies with us."

"Yeah. Those people did not die so that we could lose to this guy, no matter who he is."

Ichigo was by now many times larger than a human being. He was at least fifty feet tall and his arms seemed to touch the sky. His feet stomped around on the remains of Soul Society and they could hear the screams from below.

"We have to take this fight away from Seireitei," said Byakuya. "He will continue to destroy things below us if we don't."

"Agreed. We can't drive him forward but we can lure him away. I don't think there's much going on in that brain of his."

"Perhaps not."

Ichigo turned his head to them. His white mask had now turned completely scarlet red and his mouth opened in a deep, low laugh. A powerful, haunting voice emerged from his mouth and the Soul Reapers widened their eyes in response.

"Lure me away? I'm right where I want to be, Shinigami."

"It talks!"

Byakuya swallowed. "That is no Hollow voice."

They advanced and Toshiro jammed his zanpakuto into Ichigo's left arm, flying up and tearing into it with ice. Ichigo swatted at him but his added size had crippled his speed and Toshiro dodged it but the pure wind power from Ichigo's hand sent him reeling.

Byakuya held back and dictated his attacks around Ichigo's head but they were doing little damage. The two of them were like bugs trying to take down an adult human. Ichigo swung Zangetsu and caught both of them as they blocked desperately but his sheer strength flung them across the sky and sent them tumbling to the ruins below.

Toshiro smashed through an already broken wall and Byakuya fell straight through the roof and they lay there, groaning in pain and panting for breath. Their robes were bloodied and their bodies were sore. Toshiro planted his sword into the ground and used it to pull himself to his feet.

Byakuya had a large gash across the top of his head that had let loose his long hair and it lay matted and wet with blood across his face. He opened and closed his hand slowly.

"This is unsightly." he muttered. "Two captains, left to lick their wounds in the rubble. This should not be how Soul Society falls."

Toshiro leaned heavily against a wall. "His power is overwhelming and our attacks aren't having any effect. What could've drove Ichigo to this point where he would seek to destroy Soul Society?"

"That voice wasn't Kurosaki's."

"No? Well that body is him and he's what's demolishing this place."

"We need to get back out there."

"We need to find more captains."

Suddenly a sonic boom rocketed across the sky. Byakuya struggled to his feet and the two of them stepped outside. A massive hole was torn open in the sky and a shining blue foot stepped through. They stared in astonishment as another giant figure, this one a girl, appeared in Soul Society. Ichigo turned towards her in surprise and roared.

She raised her fists. "I won't let you hurt anyone else, Ichigo."

"There is no Ichigo, Avatar. Only Vaatu."

Byakuya swallowed. "The Avatar."

"Fukinko…" Toshiro breathed.


Korra stared at the monster before her. He had increased many times in size since she saw him last and the two of them stood tall above the city like two monolithic statues of old. She studied his eyes. They held no feeling for her and were black as night with golden red pupils like small balls of fire. His once white skin was now a deep, dark red with black markings on his chest.

She recognized these as the same markings Vaatu and Raava had on their fronts when in physical form. In truth, the only clue that this creature was Ichigo was its long, orange hair that cascaded down it's back. The storms around them raged and blue particles of light flew up and absorbed into Ichigo.

Besides the carnage he had already wrought, she could see that the light particles were deconstructing buildings and streets and rocks and trees and everything in between. It seemed like this entire world was made up of this energy.

Korra raised her fists. "I won't let you hurt anyone else, Ichigo."

"There is no Ichigo, Avatar. Only Vaatu."

She charged forward and swung her fist wildly, connecting with his jaw and sending him reeling. She followed it up with a swift uppercut and then knocked him back with a kick to the chest. Ichigo staggered but didn't fall. With his head pointed at the ground he fired a Cero and slowly raised his head to direct it at Korra.

Korra crossed her wrists to defend against the blast and grimaced as it seared her skin painfully. Ichigo was on her in an instant, jabbing his sword at her side as she barely dodged. Gripping the sword in her hand, she pulled him closer and landed a solid hook against his face. He tried to pull away but she took hold of his right wrist and twisted it, causing him to drop Zangetsu with a crash.

Ichigo rammed his head forward and stabbed one of his horns into her shoulder and then stepped on her foot, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground with him on top of her. There were screams beneath them as they fell and a resounding boom echoed out when they hit the ground.

Korra struggled as Ichigo pummelled her face with his fists, roaring as he did so. With each impact she could feel herself being driven further into the ground. The last thing she wanted to think about were the potential people being crushed beneath her. Ichigo's rage was insatiable but she could feel power rise within her.

All of a sudden a blue arc of energy exploded out of her chest and blasted Ichigo off of her into the air. He bellowed with surprised anger and landed several meters away from her. Korra sat up and clenched her fist. Then she felt a surge of power next to her.

A small Soul Reaper woman stood next to her arm. Her eyes gleamed with fury and her muscles were tensed and taught. She had short dark blue hair and two white braids extended down from the back of her head. A thin zanpakuto was clutched tightly in her palm.

"Fukinko," she seethed. "I never would have thought to see our accursed enemy here in Soul Society. I shall relish finishing you."

"What? No, I'm not your enemy. I'm trying to stop him!"

"Your monster is stealing the reishi from this world, deconstructing it and perverting it for his own gain. I always knew Ichigo was a weak-minded fool. Now he is a traitor as well."

Ichigo's screech tore Korra's attention away from the little Soul Reaper and she got to her feet to meet his oncoming charge. Zangetsu still lay on the ground beside them and she planted her feet and caught hold of his wrists and withstood his assault. He swept at her with his horns but she held him too far away.

She squeezed tighter on his wrists and bent his hands backward, forcing him to his knees. He lashed out wildly but she held firm and then fired an energy attack from her chest right into his face. He screamed as the energy was split on contact with his face and carved massive crevices in the ground beneath them. He wrenched his scalding head away and bit down on her hand with his giant teeth.

Korra let go of his wrist and he instantly grabbed Zangetsu and jammed it right through her thigh. She cried out and let go of his other wrist as she staggered away from him, the huge sword still plunged through her leg. Ichigo jumped on his advantage and blasted her with a powerful cero to the stomach that launched her onto her back.

He stepped down onto her neck and kept her pinned there as he twisted the sword sadistically in her leg. His breath hissed through his teeth.

"How many people have we killed today, Avatar? Just how many lives have been lost because of us? Thousands, I reckon. Perhaps more. With every minute that passes, I gain more control of this body and this power. Raava is gone. You are all alone, little Avatar. The cycle that Wan created has been broken."

Korra coughed underneath his foot and clenched her teeth.

"It's not over yet, Vaatu."

"Oh, I'm afraid it is." He raised his sword in the air and aimed it's point at her face.

"Roar! Zabimaru!"

Suddenly a long, segmented sword wrapped itself around Ichigo's wrist and yanked it back away from Korra. Ichigo was surprised and his foot on Korra's neck lost its purchase and she pushed it away. Ichigo kicked out at the wielder of the sword and sent him flying.

Then Korra was on him and smashed her left fist against his jaw with a sickening crack. She gripped the back of his neck and brought his head to crash against her upraised knee. Ichigo reeled back with his head in a daze. Korra saw the massive breach that she had come through was still open. She tackled Ichigo and hefted him off his feet with the impact as she dashed towards the tear.

He beat his fist against her back and slashed at her with his sword but she would not stop. They reached the breach and she flung him into it, and landed a devastating kick to the chest that sent him through the portal back to her world.


As the ethereal purple and turquoise hues blanketed the night sky above Republic City, police airships and United Forces naval craft surrounded the city in defensive formations. Pema, Ikki, Meelo and baby Rohan were standing on their balcony on Air Temple Island, staring at their surroundings.

"Ooh, pretty…" Ikki said dreamily.

Above them in one of the airships, Beifong and President Raiko were standing at the radio.

"General Iroh, are your ships in position?" asked Raiko.

"Yes, Mr. President," answered the general. "But I need to know what kind of enemy we're dealing with."

Right on cue a beam of light shot across the sky and a truly gargantuan figure crashed down into the bay outside the city sending small tsunami waves in all directions from its position. Its cry thundered across the bay and it slashed out it's sword in frustration, cleaving through the legs of Avatar Aang's statue. The great monument slid off its island and toppled into the sea.

Vaatu stood up and began making his way towards Republic City where a row of warships was waiting for it. Iroh was inside and he stared incredulously at the monster before them.

"Fire!" he yelled.

The warships launched cannons of fireballs at the creature but he swatted them away with his hands and they landed harmlessly in the water. They kept up the barrage and Vaatu growled angrily as he could no longer block all their attacks. He ignited a cero and fired on the ships, blowing most of them out of the water and capsizing the other ones.

"Monster attack!" Meelo cried.

Aircraft soared overhead and Vaatu unleashed a Getsuga Tenshou which decimated the planes as Raiko and Beifong looked on from their airship.

"That thing is going to destroy the entire city," Raiko said fearfully.

Vaatu looked up at them and a grin spread across his red face. He fired a cero up into the back end of the airship, hitting its rear engine. It blew up in flames and started to fall to the earth. Inside, Beifong pulled a lever and opened the bay doors.

"We're going down!" She cried.

Her officers quickly exited the ship and she grabbed Raiko and fired her metal cables to wrap around a gargoyle and swung out just before the ship crashed. They landed heavily on a rooftop and stared back at the monster as it raised it's arms.

Several red tentacles had grown out from its body and it now plunged these deep into the water towards the shoreline of the city. Instantly hundreds of thick, green vines sprang up from the water and entwined themselves into the city as if they all had minds of their own.


Up in his prison, Varrick seemed totally ignorant of the events transpiring outside. He bent down and stretched his arms towards his toes. Zhu-Li was sitting calmly in a rocking chair, reading a book. They had the radio playing in the corner of the room.

"It's pandemonium in the streets! Giant vines are destroying everything! This is Shiro Shinobi signing o-aaagghhhh!"

The vines burst through the wall next to them and knocked Zhu-Li off her chair. Varrick looked up in surprise and peeked out the new hole in their wall. Pulling out some goggles, he placed them over his eyes with a grin.

"Zhu-Li! Commence Operation Winged Freedom!"

Behind him, she had hoisted a heavy contraption onto her back with two arms shaped like a bow and also a belt. She jogged over to Varrick and jumped onto his back, wrapping her legs round his waist and clipping the belt around his stomach to secure them. Then he jumped out the hole.

"Do the thing!"

Zhu-Li tugged at a cord and wings opened out the back of the contraption and they took flight, gliding away from their prison. Below them, Yumi broke her way out of her cell and into the streets. She looked around at the carnage around her and then stole off into the night.


Rukia peered out from behind the last-standing wall of what once was a house. Her face was covered in dirt and dust and she was bleeding from a small cut on her forehead. Renji sat with his back against the wall beside her, with a bandage wrapped around his knee.

The two of them had headed towards the battle when the Avatar had appeared but had struggled to make their way through the mounds of rubble. After the initial shock of the Sogyoku mountain going down, the Soul Reapers had recovered and gathered themselves to make war upon the massive titans above them.

The remaining captains assembled their squads and reported to the makeshift infirmary where the Captain Commander was holed up. Rukia and Renji had snuck past their comrades and made their way to the scene of the battle. When Ichigo was about to plunge his sword through the Avatar's head, Renji had popped out of hiding and used his Shikai to pull Ichigo's sword arm away and allow the Avatar to break free. Then he had been knocked away, injuring his knee in the process.

Rukia had bandaged him up and she now stared at the giant blue form of the Avatar as she prepared to exit through the tear in the sky where she had just thrown Ichigo.

Renji swore as he shifted position. "Saving the Avatar like that wasn't how I imagined this day would go," he grumbled.

"I don't think any of us did," Rukia replied quietly. "I never thought I'd see the Soul Society like this: destroyed, in ruins."

"And it was Ichigo that did it."

"That wasn't Ichigo."

"It was his body. That demon or spirit or whatever took over his body and used it to do all this. But we're the only ones who know that. The Captains have no idea."

"They're smart enough to figure out it wasn't him."

"Are they, though? To them, he's an enemy. He joined forces with the Avatar, with Fukinko. Then they came here and demolished everything. They're not going to forget this. They'll get their revenge."

"Then we tell them the truth."

"They won't believe us. We're Ichigo's friends. They'll think we're lying to protect him."

Rukia sighed and sank down to sit next to him. "We started this journey just looking for our friend. Now I feel like this is all my fault. I'm the one who told him how to return and about the two worlds in the first place. I convinced him to go back. Now he's possessed by an evil spirit."

"You can't blame yourself. You had no idea this would happen. Besides half the things we know about that world may not be true. We've been taught to hate and fear the Avatar but if what Ichigo says is true, she's not our enemy."

"The Captains don't know that."

"Do you trust him? Do you trust that Ichigo's right about her? With all his memory loss, his mind might not be working properly."

Rukia hesitated. "…I trust him. I trust him because I need to believe in something right now. I need to believe that there's still hope."

"Where does that portal lead?"

"Back to their world, I suppose. I just hope she's gone."

She peeked out behind the wall. "Oh no."

"What is it?"

"The captains. They've surrounded her."


Korra turned around and clenched her fists. The moment she had kicked Ichigo through the portal, several Soul Reapers dressed in white robes had surrounded her. Some of them were injured and haggard, with blood stains and bruises all along their bodies. They all glared at her fiercely with swords drawn.

One of them, an easy-going looking man with long scruffy hair and a wide-brimmed straw hat nodded to her and tipped his hat. His cloak was pink and decorated with flowers. He seemed tipsy but there was a steel behind his eyes.

"Young lady," he said amicably, "you have been declared an enemy of Soul Society. It would be best if you surrendered quietly so you may stand trial for your part in the destruction of Seireitei."

Korra held up her hands. "Please. I am not your enemy. I don't want to hurt you."

Another Soul Reaper, with the body of a giant fox snarled at her. "Don't want to hurt us? Tell that to the thousands of lives you have ended today, the homes you've destroyed and the history you have denigrated here."

"That's wasn't my intent. And it wasn't just me either!"

"Kurosaki Ichigo shall pay for his part in this. But I swear on my honour as Komamura Sajin, that you will not harm anyone else this day. Face me, Fukinko, and die by my hand. Bankai! Kokujo Tengen Myo'o!"

Suddenly, massive plumes of fire burst out of the ground behind him and a gigantic foot stepped out of it. The rest of the being followed suit. It was immense, at least as large as Korra was and much heavier. It wore hefty Samurai armour from head to toe and it's face was covered by a red cloth. In it's hand was a huge sword and it mirrored Komamura's movements exactly.

Korra stepped back and raised her fists hesitantly. She didn't want to fight him; but she had to at least defend herself. He came at her with a swipe of his sword and she sidestepped out of it's way, then landed a solid right jab to his face. It didn't seem to have much effect so she stepped back and returned to a defensive position. The other Soul Reapers looked on from the side, not getting involved as of yet.

Komamura came again, slashing down with his sword. Korra stepped into him and caught his sword arm with both hands. She struggled against the strength and weight of the creature and then felt the wind go out of her as his left fist crashed into her stomach. Korra wheezed and felt her feet leave the ground ever so slightly.

He continued to press down with his sword and she gritted her teeth. His left fist went back for another punch and she gave up on fighting defensively. A blast of energy was unleashed from her chest and it connected powerfully with the creature, burning into his armour and forcing him back. He stepped back awkwardly and Korra pressed her advantage, smashing her right fist into his jaw.

He groaned with the impact and staggered back. Below them, another Soul Reaper with a white and black painted face eyed their battle with pleasure. His teeth were long and yellow and he wore a white hat that jutted out in two points to the right. He cocked his head to the side and grinned.

"Yes, Avatar. Show us your power. When this is over, I shall enjoy picking you apart and seeing what makes you tick."

Korra pounded her opponents face with a left hook and followed it up with a boot to the chest. He crashed his sword down upon her and she used her wrists to block his blade. It cut into her and she winced with pain. With every second that passed, she knew that Ichigo was most likely wreaking havoc in her world. She had to get out of here.

Suddenly her leg and foot felt cold. She cried out as ice encased her right foot and looked down to see a small white-haired Soul Reaper with wings made of ice below her. He stared up at her with fierce eyes. Her wrists caved in and the sword cleaved into her shoulder. She felt a surge of power as another Soul Reaper yelled and slashed into her leg with a mighty laugh.

Korra felt her balance go and she crashed down onto her back. The Soul Reapers stood over her. It had taken three of them to bring her down, but it would only take one of them to kill her. They hovered above her and eyed her without pity.

"Please," she said. "I need to return to my world or Ichigo will destroy everything."

The small, short-haired female Soul Reaper she had seen earlier scoffed at her. "The two of you have already nearly destroyed this world. Unleashing you on another would just be cruel."

"I am not your enemy!"

"Then what are you?" The hat-wearing Soul Reaper said.

"I am a bridge. A bridge between humans and spirits. I keep peace in my world."

A Soul Reaper with long, white hair crossed his arms. "That is difficult to believe."

"She lies, Ukitake," the short-haired woman said. "We should end her now."

"No, Captain Soi Fon. I believe she should stand trial, just as Captain Kyoraku has stated."

"The Captain Commander would never be as indecisive as you two. You're nothing but cowards playing at being merciful. I'm taking her down. Now."

"No, wait!"

"Bankai! Jakuho Raikoben!"

A sudden pillar of energy shot up into the sky. When it faded, a giant golden missile launcher was encased on the woman's arm. She aimed it right at Korra's face and prepared to fire. Ukitake tried to stop her but he was held back by two other Soul Reapers. The others stood by and watched passively. Soi Fon raised her voice to a yell as her power grew. Korra knew she had to act and fire her energy attack. From this close, it would likely incinerate the Soul Reapers hovering above her. But she had no choice.

"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!"

A colossal discharge of ice came from over Korra's shoulder and crashed into Soi Fon, completely encasing her and several of the surrounding captains in ice. Korra saw her chance and swatted them all away with her hands before crawling to her knees. The giant creature that she had fought stood over her and prepared to attack but another assault of ice hit Komamura and blasted him into a wall, knocking him unconscious and causing the creature to disappear.

Korra turned to her saviour and saw a small, young woman with black hair and a beautiful white sword. Her big, purple eyes regarded her sternly and she waved her up.

"Come on, you have to go! I can only buy you a little time."

"Who- who are you? Why did you help me?"

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki."

"Rukia… you're Ichigo's friend."

"Yes. I helped you because Ichigo needs you. He needs you to save him. Please. Get up and go. You can still win this day."

Korra nodded and struggled to her feet. "Thank you."

The portal wasn't far away and she ran towards it as the cries of the Soul Reapers followed her. She turned her head and saw Rukia stand alone with her sword drawn as the oncoming Soul Reapers charged at her. Korra cursed and kept running. She turned against her own people to help me. I can't let her down. I have to save Ichigo. She reached the tear and plunged through it, leaving the burning ruins of Ichigo's world behind her.


Meanwhile, in the Spirit World, Tenzin, Mako and the others were standing guard in front of the Tree of Time where Korra's body sat meditating. Bolin glanced anxiously back and forth at her body while twiddling his fingers. Mako had his arms crossed as he paced around with his eyebrows knotted. Tenzin stood solemnly facing away from the tree with his arms clasped behind him.

The thought of Jinora was on his mind but he knew that more than ever, he had to maintain a level head to lead appropriately. Bumi sat with his back against a rock scratching his head while Kya stood with her hands on her hips in front of him.

"So explain it to me again," Bumi said slowly. "Ichigo is from another world?"

"Yes," Kya answered. "Haven't you been paying attention?"

"Well, no one mentioned it to me before!" he replied indignantly. "I mean, we've kinda been off on our own since the civil war started in the South, how was I supposed to know?"

"Maybe if you actually listened for once, you wouldn't be so out of the loop!"

"Hey, I didn't really understand this either," Bolin chimed in. "Up until Ichigo left I didn't really know what was going on."

"Me neither," Mako admitted. "How could he lie to us?"

"Perhaps he didn't," said Tenzin. "He did not have his memories for a long time. Maybe he didn't even know himself."

"Either, way he abandoned us. He abandoned Korra."

"I'm not disputing that. We've all made mistakes though, Mako. Who knows what he was thinking. I believe Ichigo spent so much time wrapped up in his own problems that he didn't ever seek to figure them out with other people. There's no doubt he should've trusted you all more."

"But he came back," Bolin interjected. "He came back and tried to save us."

Mako sighed. "I know. I just wish I'd understood him more. Maybe if he'd opened up to us, we could've helped him."

"These last few weeks must have been really difficult for him," Tenzin sympathised. "He most likely didn't know where to turn, or who to talk to."

Kya frowned. "What's that?"

In the distance, a long line of moving figures was heading steadily towards them. As they drew nearer, the sounds of hisses and snarls reached their ears. Tenzin let his hands fall to his sides and took a deep breath.

"Dark Spirits."

"They're coming for Korra!" Mako yelled.

The benders formed a defence line and readied themselves.


Ichigo shivered. It had been a long time since he'd felt this cold and alone. He couldn't move. His body was suspended in the air by a seemingly unbreakable substance. He had no idea where he was but he could tell just how empty the space was around him. It was nearly pitch black. Below him, he could hear the soft lapping of waves.

He clenched his fists. His arms were tied above his head and he hung there, suspended by the substance wrapped around his arms and chest. It was bitterly cold. His teeth chittered. The substance that trapped him felt like webbing. He didn't feel like he was in his physical body.

Ichigo breathed out a long slow draft of air. Because of the cold, he could see it. In front of him, the breath fogged something up. In the dim light, he saw that it was a window. Then it all began to make sense. The windows, the waves below him, this was his inner world.

Struggling against the webbing, he kicked out and connected with the window in front of him, shattering it. With quick reflexes, he caught a shard of glass between his feet and using his core muscles, he stretched up his legs and brought the glass upwards to his hands.

Suddenly, a burst of laughter sounded to his left. It surprised him so much that he nearly dropped the glass. Then behind him, another voice said something inaudibly. He focused his ears and let his legs drop down, still keeping the glass secure between his feet.

A third voice, this time female said something else. He couldn't make out the words. Eventually more and more voices joined the fray until they became a low cacophony of sounds around him. Below them all, he could hear a shrill laughter and a shift in the waters as if a great beast had awoken in the murky depths below.

"Zangetsu," Ichigo said quietly, "are you here?"

There was no response. "Zangetsu!" He repeated, louder this time. "Zangetsu, please! I need your help."

A chilling feeling like a hand on his shoulder startled him and he could feel a breath on the back of his neck.

"Zangetsu is not here," a familiar voice said. "There is only Vaatu."

Ichigo scowled. "Vaatu. Get out of this place. Get out of my head."

"No. Your body is a vessel for me to bring about eternal darkness. I've already more than doubled our power by stealing reishi from the Soul Society."

"What?!"

"Hmm, indeed. Your Soul Reaper friends must think the worst of you now. After you singlehandedly destroyed their city and ended thousands of lives. You personally killed a captain, incinerated his head in the sky for all to see."

Ichigo gritted his teeth together in fury. "No… no, no, no! You couldn't have! How could you do that?!" He screamed aloud desperately as two tears streamed down his face. He struggled valiantly against the webbing and ripped his right arm free and Vaatu's voice faded with a laugh.

Ichigo reached down and grabbed the glass, slicing through the rest of the webbing so that he fell and landed solidly on the side of a building. He collapsed to his knees and put his head in his hands. His shoulders shook as he fought back tears.

"This is all my fault," he said aloud. "All of this is because of me. If I had only told the truth from the beginning. If only I hadn't left. Korra and the others might even be dead right now." He let the tears flow. "Asami… Rukia… Korra… everyone… I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you down."

All of a sudden, a softer, more beautiful familiar voice invaded his consciousness.

"Do not give in to despair, Kurosaki Ichigo. There is still hope."

Ichigo looked up. "Raava. But how?"

"Come find me. We must give Korra all the help she can get."

"Korra? She's alive. Of course she is." Ichigo got up. "Where are you, Raava?"

"Follow my light. I have a small amount of power left."

A dim light began to spread across the building's windows and reflect back at each other. It illuminated his inner world and he could at last see the state of it. The inky, black webbing was stretched over nearly everything. The buildings were covered in it as if an infectious disease had taken root in this world.

The water below was dark and smelled awful. His senses were attuned here. This was the place where much of his power and training had taken place. He had regained his powers here before fighting Amon. That felt like a lifetime ago. Ichigo almost wished the threat level was as low as Amon's. Comparatively with Vaatu, Amon didn't seem like much.

He moved from building to building, following the reflected light and taking care not get ensnared in any webbing. He wondered where Zangetsu was and what had happened to him. Maybe he was trapped too? More than anything he wished he knew what was going on outside. Were his friends okay? What was Vaatu doing? Where was his body?

Ichigo tried to put these thoughts out of his head but they persisted. In the windows around him, besides the reflection of the light, he could see Vaatu's mirrored image watching him. He tried to understand what was going on. Vaatu was inside his spirit and had taken control over his inner world. The last thing he remembered was Vaatu flowing out of Unalaq's mouth and into his own. It was a frightening thought.

"Come on, Ichigo," he said aloud. "Keep going."

Eventually, the light became stronger. He jumped over a large gap between two buildings and peeled round a corner. The light was emanating faintly from inside one of the buildings. However, this building was totally encased in the black webbing. He dared not touch it, or it would suck him up and trap him again.

Ichigo looked around. For whatever reason, his zanpakuto wasn't on his back. He narrowed his eyes and focused his reiatsu on his hands. They flickered dimly but slowly lit up with power. Vaatu may be the king of this world, but Ichigo still had ways to fight. He closed his hands into fists and raised his power level.

His fists began to hum and vibrate. The webbing around the building grew thicker before him in retaliation. Ichigo raised his voice as his body shook. The building he was standing on trembled and the windows shattered. He raised his fists and burst across the expanse, smashing powerfully through the webbing and the window behind it.

Inside, Raava was held tightly by the webbing exactly like he had been. Her body was tiny and at the sight of him she dimmed her light with a tired sigh. The webbing had wrapped itself around her tightly, choking her mercilessly. Ichigo grabbed it with his hands and tried to rip it apart.

It held strong but he raised his reiatsu again and with a mighty yell he tore her bindings off of her. The spirit of light gasped with freedom and flew weakly away from her prison.

"Thank you, Kurosaki Ichigo," she said breathlessly.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. Korra needs us. Now that I am free, she should be able to find me again."

"How are you even here? What's going on?"

"When Korra and Unalaq were fighting, Vaatu tore me out of Korra and absorbed me into himself. When he fused with you, he took me with him and imprisoned me here in your inner world. Now come quickly. Vaatu will soon learn of my release. We don't have much time."

"Do you know where Zangetsu is?"

"No. He is hidden from me. But you will need your zanpakuto to win your battle in here. It's not just the physical world where war will be waged."

"But how? My sword is gone."

"Your sword is only as gone as you believe it to be. Where is your resolve, Soul Reaper? Don't tell me Vaatu has taken that from you too."

Ichigo scowled but said nothing.


Air horns were blaring across Republic City. Smoke was pouring into the sky from all the fires as Vaatu continued to force vines up out of the water and into the city. The army and police forces had been decimated. No ship or blimp remained that could challenge him. Vaatu smiled. He could feel his control over the planet grow more and more.

However, a nagging doubt gnawed at the back of his head. The Avatar was nowhere to be seen. He had figured that she would follow him through the portal but she hadn't. He could only assume that the Soul Reapers had stopped her. Little fools, he thought.

Right on cue, there was a shift in the atmosphere. A tear ripped open in the sky above him and Avatar Korra slammed into the water beside him sending him flying. She rose up, tall and strong as Pema and her kids looked on with shocked faces from Air Temple Island.

"Korra's back!" Ikki said.

"And she's a blue giant!" Meelo added excitedly.

Vaatu's horns poked up out of the water as he got back up. That nagging doubt persisted. He powered up as Korra did the same. His Cero met her energy blast in a titanic explosion that sent shockwaves and mini tsunamis echoing around the bay. They struggled against each other as the Airbender kids shielded their eyes from the brightness.

The sky was lit up in blue and red hues. Korra increased her power and overwhelmed Vaatu's Cero, launching him backwards into the water. She ran after him, her long strides ploughing through the bay. Vaatu roared and flung his tentacles out at her.

Korra caught them and used them to propel Vaatu forwards as she kneed him in the jaw. He reeled away from her but she pulled him back and lifted him over her head. Vaatu swung his sword wildly as Korra tossed him out of the bay into the side of a mountain.

She leapt into the air and crashed down on top of him, smashing her fist into his chest. The mountain nearly caved in beneath them. Korra mashed his head up against it and slammed her palm against his chest, searching frantically.

He chuckled. "You are looking for something that is gone." Korra yelled as Vaatu stabbed his sword into her side. She was already wounded from her fight with the Soul Reapers and her arms fell weakly to her sides. "Raava has been destroyed. Her essence has bonded with my own. Every last trace of her is imprisoned inside of me. There is no hope for you, Avatar."

Vaatu fired his Cero at point blank range. Korra screamed and collapsed to her knees before him.


Already the webbing was beginning to grow agitated as if it sensed that Raava was free. It twisted slowly around the two of them, trying to trap them once more. Ichigo and Raava kept their distance, moving from building to building, not staying in one place for too long.

"Where is Zangetsu?" Ichigo panted. "Do you think he's imprisoned too?"

"Perhaps," Raava replied. "But the only one who can truly know that is you. More importantly, is there a way out of here? Vaatu must know we've escaped by now."

"I don't know. This place seems to be endless. And it's not really a physical space either so it's not like there's an exit door or anything."

"How do you usually leave then?"

"I think I just get whatever I needed from here and then I'm released. But with Vaatu in control, I don't know what to do. We need Zangetsu."

"Well, he's your sword, isn't he? Can't you summon him?"

"Maybe if I meditate I can. Can you cover me?"

"For a little while. My powers are nearly diminished."

"Do what you can." Ichigo sat down with his legs crossed and closed his eyes. Raava hovered above him, shining her light brightly attempting to keep the webbing away. Ichigo took several deep, slow breaths and let his reiatsu spread around him.

Zangetsu, he thought, I need you. I need you now more than ever. I don't know where you are or if you can hear me, but please, I really need your help. We can win this if we fight together. Korra's putting her life on the line for us. If we don't fight with everything in return, we'll lose. I'll die and you'll die too. So please, Zangetsu, lend me your power one more time.

At first there was no response. Then, flipping through the sky, his sword stabbed down forcefully into the ground in front of him. Zangetsu said nothing. Ichigo got up and gripped the sword in his right hand, drawing it out of the ground.

Thank you. I won't let you down.

"Raava!" Ichigo pulled her aside. The webbing was almost on top of them and she was struggling. "Getsuga Tenshou!" His attack blistered through the webbing in front of them and ripped into the side of a building. Instantly the sky grew black. Even Raava's small light was extinguished.

"What's going on?"

"Vaatu knows we're here."


Korra toppled back as Vaatu hit her with another attack. She rolled backwards and landed heavily on her back and struggled to rise. Her eyes were shut and she lay still in the water. Her limbs fell tired and heavy. She had been fighting for what felt like days and her injuries were beginning to take their toll.

Get up. Get up, Korra. You cannot lose. You cannot let him win. You made a promise. Keep it.

She opened her eyes to see Vaatu's foot stomp down onto her chest. A weak gasp of air came from her mouth and she gripped his ankle as he increased the pressure, pushing her down into the sea floor.

"A bold performance," he said. "You've caused me far more trouble than I would have liked. You have reputed yourself well as the last Avatar."


By the Spirit Portals, Mako and the others were fighting valiantly against the dark spirits but they were being pushed back. They stood atop a mound of rocks right in front of the Tree of Time and made their stand. Bolin threw boulder after boulder, doing everything he could to keep the spirits at bay.

A spirit snagged his ankle with a tentacle and pulled him screaming down from the mound. Then a strike of water hit the spirit and released Bolin. Eska and Desna jumped down into the fray, shielding Bolin as he got to his feet.

"Leave my Bolin alone!" Eska yelled.

"I am so done with spirits," Desna added.

"Eska!" Bolin cried, "I love you!" He smooched her on the cheek and raised his fists. "Let's face the end of the world together!"

"You're so romantic," she drawled.


Inside his inner world, Ichigo held Zangetsu aloft, trying to peer through the darkness. Raava stuck close by him as the audible crawl of the webbing drew near once again. They couldn't see a thing. Raava was now so spent that she sat uselessly on Ichigo's shoulder with barely a whimper from her usual authoritative voice.

"Raava," Vaatu said audibly, "you're not supposed to be free from your cell. You kept me in a prison for ten thousand years. After I kill Korra, I'll make sure that you never leave yours."

"I won't let you," Ichigo responded firmly.

"How heroic," Vaatu scoffed. "Your body is mine, your powers are mine. Everything of value that you possess is mine. Now back down and obey your master, boy. It's all you're good for."

Ichigo jerked away as webbing clutched his leg and he sliced through it quickly. Some more latched onto his back and he spun, trying to dislodge it but more gripped his arms and legs. He flailed around blindly, slashing through everything he could with Zangetsu. Suddenly he heard a quiet yelp as Raava was snatched away.

"Raava! No!"


Korra struggled for breath as Vaatu pressed his foot down on her. He twirled his sword absentmindedly and then placed it's tip at her neck. Korra tried to move his foot and raise her power level to fire an energy blast but it was taking too long. Vaatu stared down at her from his cold, lifeless eyes and let loose a long breath.

"With you out of the way, I will be the one, true Avatar."

He pushed down with the sword slowly and she felt it pierce through her. Her limbs fell away from his leg and her energy levels dipped. She kept her eyes open and then squinted as she glimpsed a bright light above her. A curious and powerful energy source began to descend from the sky and Vaatu stepped away in surprise.

From Air Temple Island, Ikki was looking at the light through a scope.

"Mommy, look! It's Jinora! She's… beautiful."

"What? Let me see!" She gasped and raised her voice. "Be careful, sweetie!"

Time seemed to stand still as Jinora flew down slowly in between Vaatu and Korra. In her hands, she held a ball of yellow energy, where the light originated from and her face was calm and serene. She opened her eyes and the ball of energy left her hands and grew into a blinding outburst of light. Vaatu shielded his eyes as the light washed over the water and the city peacefully. He pulled away from Korra as she coughed and held her injured throat.


Ichigo swung Zangetsu with abandon, slicing and hacking at everything around him. He could see nothing of Raava and it only grew darker as the webbing closed in. Vaatu's laugh echoed around him as he fought. His leg got ensnared and he tripped, falling off the edge of a building and crashing onto another one where immediately the webbing came to bury him.

It caught hold of his legs and back and pulled him down, trapping his left arm as well. Only his sword arm remained as he whirled it around desperately. He stared up into the blackness as the last remnant of hope began to leave his heart. The webbing caught hold of his upper arm and pulled it down.

Then above him, a light shone. It's brilliance broke through the darkness of this world and he raised his sword into the air focusing all his reiatsu into his blade. It shone and hummed bright and blue, a beacon in this wasteland of darkness. His blue light met the yellow light above and the webbing retreated like it was burned.

"Raava! Go!"


A light started to shine and pound like a heartbeat within Vaatu's chest. He looked down at himself in shock and clutched at it but it could not be denied. Korra got to her knees and glimpsed the light. She could feel it.

"Raava."

Korra charged forward and battered Vaatu with her fist and then plunged her left hand into his chest to reach the light. It drew larger and nearer and when it touched her fingers, the light slipped out of Vaatu's chest and into the sky as the great spirit of light, Raava.

Korra began to bend the water around Vaatu and twisted the tendrils of water around his body just like Unalaq had taught her. Vaatu struggled but he could do nothing. The tendrils connected above him and white light began to purify him. He gave one final cry and then fell silent as he dissipated into particles of light.

Ichigo's body fell from the sky and Korra dove forward to catch him in her hands. She looked down at him. His eyes were closed and there were many wounds on his body. Korra remembered how he had abandoned them and forsaken their friendship. Raava flew onto her shoulder.

"Without the Soul Reaper, I would've never been able to get free. Despite his decisions, he played a pivotal role in this battle. You would do well to forgive him," she said gently.

Korra's eyes softened. "I want to," she said quietly.

"Harmonic Convergence is almost over," Raava said. "We must return to the Spirit World so we can fuse once again."

She and Jinora floated down into Korra's palm and she closed her hands over top of them, keeping the three of them safe as she shot up into the sky.


Mako helped Bolin into the Tree of Time as Tenzin covered them. The dark spirits had drove them back into the tree itself, right in front of Korra's body. Mako was hit by a spirit's arm and rolled back painfully. Tenzin leapt back and alighted on the ground next to Korra. The dark spirits began to clog the entrance as the benders attacked them desperately.

The arc of energy above the tree shimmered and hummed as Korra blasted down next to them. The dark spirits were instantly purified and all disappeared. Tenzin and the others crept up to the entrance to the tree and stared as she let Jinora and Raava fly free.

Jinora hovered down towards Tenzin as he smiled at his daughter with awe and pride.

"I'll see you soon, Dad," she said. Then she disappeared.

Korra placed Ichigo's unconscious body onto the ground and then her giant form dissipated into the blue particles that flowed back into Korra's body.


Back at the South Pole, Jinora was lying in a tub of healing water while Katara, Asami and Korra's parents sat at her side. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled at them. Katara helped her up gently and hugged her close.

"Gran Gran, I missed you," said Jinora.

"What about Ichigo and the others?" Asami asked.

"Don't worry. They're alright. Korra just saved the world."

"And Ichigo? He's alright?"

Jinora looked down slightly. "He will be."


Korra emerged from the tree and stared out at the Spirit World. Kya was tending to Ichigo as the others either gathered round him or stared up at her. Raava was behind him and had returned to her normal, massive size. The spirit came closer to the tree and Korra jumped on her back as they sailed gently up towards the energy arc.

Korra reached up her hand and touched it, causing it to spark and crackle with lightning. The arc separated into the two portals and the purple darkness that had spread across the planet fled and then totally disappeared.

The portals returned to their normal positions with beams shooting into the sky and Korra emerged from the light, glowing with Raava's white symbol on her chest. They were bonded once more. She descended down back to the ground.

"Her Avatar spirit has returned," Tenzin said solemnly.

Korra landed and her eyes glowed white briefly before returning to normal.

"It's over."

Bolin laughed and ran forward as Mako grinned and kissed her cheek.

"I don't even know what to say."

"You were amazing," Tenzin said.

"And the way you turned all gigantic like that, wow!" Bolin exclaimed. "I just wish Varrick had been here to film it! It would've been the greatest mover ever after the Nuktuk chronicles of course."

Korra looked down and then walked over to Eska and Desna.

"I'm sorry about your father," she said. "I couldn't save him from Vaatu."

"It seems cousin Korra is saddened by our father's demise," Eska said.

"I will not miss him at all," said Desna. "In the end he became a deplorable man."

"Agreed. But how will we explain this to mother? She will be quite annoying to deal with."

"But Ichigo-" Korra started.

"We hold no ill will towards him," Eska interrupted. "But we cannot speak for the rest of the world."

Bolin came up to them. "So, I was thinking. I'm not really a fan of the long-distance relationship thing so how about you move to Republic City with me."

"I do not think that will be possible."

Bolin sighed. "Fine. Desna can come too."

"I will not be joining you, Bolin," Eska said. "Desna and I must return home."

"But you said…"

"Eternal darkness was upon us. I became caught up in the moment," she said sadly.

"Yeah. I guess I did too."

"But you will always hold a special place in the organ that pumps my blood. I will remember you fondly, my turtle duck."

They smiled at one another.

Bumi turned as he heard a familiar twittering noise and then grinned as he saw his favourite spirit.

"Bum-Ju, you're okay!" He hugged him tightly. "I missed you, little buddy."

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes. Kya was next to him as he lay in spirit water, trying to heal his many wounds. His hair and robes were matted with blood. He looked around. Bolin and the twins were conversing while Bumi played happily with his spirit. Tenzin, Mako and Korra were smiling about something. Everyone looked happy.

"Is- is it over?" he croaked.

Kya smiled at him. "Yes. It's over."

Ichigo sighed. "Good."

The others had noticed that he was awake. Mako and Bolin eyed him with distrust and Tenzin's face was too difficult to read. Korra smiled gently and came over to kneel down beside him as he sat up. He stared into her eyes and felt the shame and guilt of abandoning her.

"Korra…"

"Don't." She took his hand and held it between her own. "Don't speak. You should rest."

"M-my world, is it true? Did I go there and destroy it?"

She pursed her lips and nodded. "Yes."

"My friends. Rukia. Is she alright?"

"I don't know. Rukia helped me. The others tried to kill me. Lie down and rest, Ichigo. Everything's going to be okay."

"I hope you're right."

Korra let go of his hand and he laid back down in the water. Mako and Bolin didn't approach him. They turned away instead and he stared at their backs in regret.

I suppose I deserve this, he thought. I betrayed their trust and abandoned them when they needed me most. Asami… I don't know what to say to her. I hope my sisters are alright. And all my friends in the Soul Society… I have no way to contact them or explain and apologise for what happened. They must hate me. But I deserve this. I was a fool.

Korra and Tenzin walked over to one of the portals. It's ethereal, golden glow shimmered peacefully. There was no evidence it had just been used to nearly bring about eternal darkness.

"Now that you're bonded with Raava again," Tenzin said, "are you also reconnected to your past lives?"

"No," Korra said despondently, "I think that link is gone forever."

"I see. Why don't you close the portals and we'll go home?"

She nodded and stretched out her hand. Then she hesitated.

"Maybe I shouldn't."

"What do you mean?"

"What if Unalaq was right when he said the Avatar shouldn't be a bridge between two worlds? What if Avatar Wan made a mistake when he closed the portals? What if humans and spirits weren't meant to live apart?" Korra pulled her hand away from the portal and turned to Tenzin. "Well, what do you think I should do?"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "I think you should trust your instincts. There is nothing else I can teach you. You are the Avatar. Whatever your decision, I support you."

Ichigo watched as Korra stared up into the portal and it flowed ceaselessly into the sky. She took a deep breath and then turned away. Kya and Bumi helped him to his feet as they prepared to leave the Spirit World. Bumi gave him a small smile.

"Thanks for coming back, kid. It can't have been easy going through what you did these past few months."

Ichigo blinked and then looked down. "Me coming back only made things worse."

"Don't tell yourself that," Kya reassured. "You were a victim. It wasn't your fault."

Ichigo bit his lip. "That doesn't make a difference to the people I killed. Vaatu turned me into a monster. I don't know how to move on from that."

Tenzin overhearing them, placed a kind arm around Ichigo.

"Darkness always brings out the worst in us. It's how you respond that shows your true character. I believe you will take this experience and learn from it. But you must be honest with yourself and with the people around you. Acknowledge the mistakes you made and begin to make things right."

Ichigo stared despondently into his eyes. He remembered their conversation from all those weeks ago when Tenzin and his family left for their trip and Korra renounced him as her teacher. He remembered the fatherly love he had seen in Tenzin's eyes and he saw it again now.

"Is- is it wrong of me to ask for help? I don't know where to even begin."

Tenzin smiled warmly. "It is never wrong to ask for help, especially of your friends. There's no shame in the guilt you feel right now. We will be here for you. All of us."

They left the Spirit World behind and Korra exited last, turning one last time to the Spirit Portals. Her expression hardened and she nodded. The military camp outside the forest lay in complete ruins and the remaining Northern soldiers had fled.

In the tundra beyond the camp, signs of the climactic battle between Korra and Unalaq had left the landscape strewn with crevices and holes. Unalaq's body remained in the snow and the twins stood over it with unreadable expressions on their face.

Ichigo saw his severed arm and the deep stab wound in his chest that had killed him. He sensed the residual reiatsu in the area and clutched his arms against himself.

"I did this…" he said quietly.

The twins said nothing and slowly began to bury their father beneath the ice. Korra took Ichigo's hand and addressed the others softly.

"Come on. Let's give them some time."

She led them away from the twins but Bolin stayed next to Eska with his hands behind his back, remaining as a reassuring presence. Korra and Ichigo sat against a snow bank and she kept her hand entwined with his. Only she truly knew what he had been through and what he must be feeling. He had destroyed his home and ended many lives. No doubt he had made himself an enemy of the Soul Society.

Ichigo stared into the horizon. He appreciated that Korra was sticking by him even as Mako and Bolin kept their distance. If there was anyone he had hurt by leaving, it was her. But here she was, selflessly comforting him. He clutched at her hand tightly.

"I'm sorry."

"I know. I know."

"You were right, you know? You could see that I had changed, that I was hiding something. I lied to you all for so long. Even to Asami."

She nodded. "I know. And I'll be honest, it may take you some time to regain everyone's trust. But you have to take that first step. You have to trust us now."

He looked at her. "I don't want to lose you, any of you."

"You won't. I got you. We'll figure everything out."

Ichigo offered her a small smile. "Thank you. I don't think that I deserve that."

"You've helped and reassured me so many times since we've met. I'm where I'm at partly because of you. I won't let this experience bring you down."

Above them, they heard the deep groan of a sky bison. Oogie came down from the clouds with Asami and Tonraq on board. Ichigo stared at Asami as they landed. An immense feeling of guilt weighed down heavily on him. Korra squeezed his hand.

"Go to her," she said.

Ichigo stood up slowly as Asami met his eyes with her own. A relieved smile lit up her face and she leapt down from Oogie and ran over to embrace him. Ichigo returned the hug and held her close as tears streamed down her face.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said.

"Yeah. I'm happy to see you."

"Are you hurt?"

"A little. I'll be fine."

She kissed him on the cheek. "You did it. I'm proud of you."

"Korra did it," Ichigo corrected. "Korra saved us all."

Korra embraced her father as he grinned happily.

"I'm so proud of you, my girl," he said warmly.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Is Jinora alright?" Tenzin asked.

Tonraq nodded. "She's just fine, Tenzin. She's a tough one."

Tenzin smiled. "Yes. Yes, she is."

Tonraq ushered everyone back to the sky bison as Eska and Desna made their way over from their father's grave. "What's that?" he asked.

"Your brother," Eska replied.

Tonraq's eyes softened. "You don't want to bring him back home to the North?"

"No. He will remain here in the South. Desna and I want to bring a new era to the North. We believe it's best if his grave is here."

Tonraq nodded. "I understand." He walked over to the mound and knelt down on one knee. "Goodbye, brother. I will always long for the days of our youth; when we would run and play and fight together." He paused. "I wish you well, wherever you are. And I promise to take care of your children so they will become better leaders than we ever could. Farewell."


Several days later at the city hall in the Southern Water Tribe, a large crowd of people had gathered outside to witness Korra's address to the world. They were still reeling from the traumatic events that had transpired but they were ready and willing to move on into a better future.

Inside the building, Korra was standing alone, preparing to speak. Her wounds had healed and she had given much thought to what she was going to say. Mako approached her from behind.

"Hey," he said, "can we talk?"

"Of course," she smiled.

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you about that fight we had. I know I said it wasn't that bad but that's not exactly true. I um… I- I broke up with you."

"I remember," Korra said.

"But I thought you said you lost part of your memory?"

"I did but being inside the Tree of Time brought it back. I'm sorry for blowing up at you."

He took her hand. "It's okay. I think we both said some things that we regret."

"Why didn't you just tell me the truth in the first place?"

"I know I should have, but I didn't want to hurt you all over again. I guess part of me wanted to forget about the breakup too."

"I think we both know that this, us, doesn't work."

"You're right."

"It's over. For real this time."

Mako nodded sadly and they kissed one last time as a single tear streamed down Korra's cheek.

"I'll always love you, Korra."

"And I'll always love you."

She let go of his hand and strode away towards the crowd. Bolin sidled up to Mako.

"You want a hug?"

Korra stepped outside and viewed the gathering before her. Tonraq, Tenzin, Jinora, Katara, Bumi and Kya were on the stage as well. A mic was placed on a stand in front of her and she placed her hands on it as she cleared her throat.

"The war of the Water Tribes is over. Unalaq has been defeated and the Northern fleet is returning home. The Water Tribes will always be allies but the Southern Tribe is now independent and the Southern Council of Elders has appointed my father, Tonraq to be your new chief!"

Tonraq stepped forwards and the crowd cheered their collective approval. After centuries of being secondary to their Northern relatives it was a great joy to finally be independent. And everyone believed that Tonraq was the right man to lead them forward. His bravery and sacrifice during the civil war had won him many admirers and there was no one else they would rather be their chief.

"I've realized that even though we should learn from those who came before us, we must also forge our own path. So that is why I've decided to keep the portals open. Humans can now physically enter the Spirit World and spirits will be free to roam our world. I will no longer be the bridge. Humans and spirits must learn to live together. My mission will always be to use Raava's light spirit to guide the world toward peace and balance. Harmonic Convergence has caused a shift in the planet's energy. I can feel it. Things will never be the same again. We are entering a new age."


Ichigo sat meditating in his cabin on a ship bound for Republic City. He had done his best to stay out of the public eye because he had no idea how the world felt about him or if they knew it was him who had attacked Republic City. The Southern Water Tribe still regarded him favourably as the Reaper and Tonraq had ensured that his image there was a positive one.

Mako and Bolin still didn't seem to know how to interact with him but they weren't unfriendly, just distant. He didn't know how to tell Asami about everything that had happened and that he had actually left and abandoned everyone. Even with everyone telling him to be honest and trust them, he still didn't know how to communicate his feelings with them.

Ichigo meditated deeper and descended into his inner world. The damage from his battles here was still evident. All the webbing had disappeared but the atmosphere and the reiatsu had changed slightly. Zangetsu sat cross-legged on a building with his head down. Ichigo went to him and they sat there in silence for several minutes.

"It's not like you to be this quiet," Ichigo said eventually.

Zangetsu laughed humourlessly. "Vaatu's possession affected us both, King. He used your body and mine like slaves. I don't think things will ever be the same down here."

"That monster I turned into, it was a Hollow, wasn't it?"

Zangetsu smiled. "Yeah. Your Hollow."

"My Hollow?"

"There's something you need to know about me, King. I'm not just a manifestation of your sword. I'm your Hollow too. A gift from your late mother. In the past, you learned to control me and we fought as one. Only once before have we become that thing. Vaatu's energy perverted us and turned us into that. I tried to stop it, but I was no match for him."

"It's weird hearing you sound so humble."

"Don't patronize me, King! Vaatu's presence will always linger here. He's infested this place."

"You mean he's not dead?"

"I don't think he or Raava can ever really die. She remained in here even after he killed her physical form."

"So what's next?"

"I have no idea. You need to get your act together. Your friends are right. Tell them the truth. Tell your pretty girlfriend how you abandoned her and her friends with an evil demon."

Ichigo scowled. "Don't tell me what to do."

"You have a chance to learn something here, King! Otherwise everything you've done, every single mistake you made will continue to haunt you if you don't put an end to it here. You're a damn fool if you don't see that."

Ichigo got up. "I'm done talking to you."

"That's it. Run away from your problems like you always do."

"You're wrong. I face my problems. I'm not scared of them."

"Then man up and don't be scared of the truth."

Ichigo swallowed. "I hate it when you're right."

A knock on his door woke Ichigo out of his stupor. "Come in," he said. Asami stepped through.

"Hey."

"Hey."

She sat down next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. I think all my wounds are healed."

She smiled. "Good."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. I'm glad this is all over."

"Yeah. Me too." He hesitated and then sighed. "Asami, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

He pursed his lips. "Before Unalaq took over my body, I… went back to my world."

"What? How?"

"When I spoke with Rukia at the North Pole, she told me how to go back. I left. I abandoned everyone there and I went home."

Asami looked down at the ground. "I see."

"I'm sorry. I never should've left. I should've told you everything. I shouldn't have lied. I was stupid and horrible and I don't deserve your forgiveness."

"I knew you were conflicted. I knew at least part of you wanted to go home. Why didn't you just trust me? I reached out to you so many times."

He shook his head. "I don't know. I don't have an excuse or a reason. I was wrong. You tried so hard to get me to open up."

"What brought you back?"

"Rukia convinced me to return. She told me how wrong I was for leaving you all to face Vaatu alone. She's the one who told me how to get home but she's also the one who got me to come back."

"I don't know what to say, Ichigo."

"If you need some time… I understand."

She took his hand. "Ichigo, you're all I have. My father's in jail, my company is in ruins, I have nothing. I don't want to let you go. Maybe I'm being stupid, forgiving you for all this. Maybe I'm just selfish."

"You're forgiving me?"

"Not yet. You need to earn it. But I would rather take that step together with you than apart. It's a new world out there. And I want you by my side."

Ichigo felt tears sting his eyes. "I don't deserve you, Asami."

"No. You really don't."


Silence reigned over the Gotei 13 as the remaining captains stood in the ruins of what once was their meeting place. The roof had caved in in several areas and the once pristine ground was pockmarked by holes and rubble. Outside, the Seireitei lay in ruins as the Soul Society gathered themselves and prepared to rebuild.

Captain Commander Yamamoto was sitting in a chair, his extensive wounds did not allow him to stand. He slammed his cane against the ground and the captains stood to attention.

"A deep stain has been left upon Soul Society," he began. "Never before has our home faced such wanton destruction. But we will survive. And we will have our revenge. The Avatar and Kurosaki Ichigo will pay for the damage they caused and the lives they ended. Captain Kurotsuchi, what are the developments with the other world?"

"After Harmonic Convergence," Mayuri said, "the connection between the two worlds has increased tenfold. With a bit more research, I believe we could send entire armies over there to subjugate it. For now, we can send but a few."

"And send them we shall. Soul Society was humiliated today. We shall not rest until our enemies are defeated and brought to justice."

"Captain Commander," Toshiro said, "send me. Rangiku and I will find Kurosaki and the Avatar and bring them back here to face trial."

Yamamoto scoffed. "Your connection to Kurosaki Ichigo will be your downfall. He may be able to corrupt you to his side. No. We need someone with unwavering loyalty to the cause and to Soul Society. Captain Soi Fon will take a squadron of her stealth troops to the other world and bring the two of them here. We will execute them and justice will be served."

"But sir, you can't!" Toshiro protested. Byakuya gripped his arm.

"Be quiet, Captain Hitsugaya. We will do as the Captain Commander has ordered."

"Indeed," Yamamoto continued. "The rest of you will work on recovering your squads and building up their strength. More battles may be on the horizon."

Soi Fon stepped forward with a stern expression. "We shall not fail, Captain Commander. Kurosaki Ichigo and the Avatar will be brought to heel and the destruction of Soul Society will be avenged."

The other captains nodded their approval and Yamamoto dismissed them. Toshiro and Byakuya headed out together and met beneath an enclave. Hirako Shinji walked past them with a smirk.

"You best watch yourselves. The Captain Commander has his eye on you."

"You're friends with Ichigo," Toshiro said. "You know how the Hollow within him works. Surely you can't condone this."

Shinji shrugged. "It's up to Ichigo to maintain control and he didn't. If he can't contain his Hollow, he has to be put down. It's too dangerous otherwise. See ya around."

"We have to get a message to Ichigo."

"Agreed," Byakuya said. "Our hands are tied. I will send Renji to inform Rukia and free her. It will be up to her to get the information to him. We cannot interfere."

Toshiro nodded. "Do it."


Rukia sat with her back against the cell wall. After she had saved Korra from the captains, they had detained her in here, citing her as a traitor to Soul Society. It was a familiar spot for her. After all, the event that first brought Ichigo to the Soul Society was her imprisonment.

But she had no regrets. She knew helping Korra was the right thing to do. She could only hope that she had been able to save Ichigo in return. Sudden footsteps alerted her to someone's presence. She stood up and went to the cell bars. There was a sound of a quick scuffle and then a solid thud.

Renji came running up to her cell door.

"Renji! What are you doing? They don't know you helped me. You have to go!"

"No, Rukia. I don't care about any of that. There's something you need to know. It's urgent."

"Is it about Ichigo?"

"Yes. The Captain Commander is sending Soi Fon and her men to the other world to capture Ichigo and the Avatar and bring them back here to be executed. If they're going to be killed anyway, I'm sure that he's given Soi Fon the licence to bring them back dead or alive. I have to stay with Captain Kuchiki but I'm here to set you free."

"Why? What can I do?"

"Get the message to Ichigo. Go to the World of the Living."

Rukia nodded. "You're right. If Urahara and Ichigo's dad help me, I can warn him myself."

Renji broke through the cell bars and she dashed out.

"Thank you, Renji."

"Thank me later. I'll cover for you. Just go!"

The sound of guards running up the steps sprang her into action. There was a large opening in the prison wall outside her cell and she jumped onto it now. The prison was in a high tower overlooking the city and she stared down at the ruins far below.

Renji had run to meet the guards and she could hear him directing them away from her. She took a deep breath. I'm coming, Ichigo.

Then she jumped.


End of Book 2.


And that is the end! Thank you so much to all of you who have stuck by the story so far, I appreciate every one of you. Book 2 was sometimes a struggle to get through. As much as I enjoyed writing it and believe it to be better than Book 1, I understand all the complaints about the story this time around. This Book had a ton of drama and conflict and indecision and I know the 'will he, won't he' thing can get a bit old. Thanks again to everyone who has continued to read this story.

Now, regarding Book 3. I've been getting some questions about it and as you can probably tell by the cliff-hanger ending of this chapter, it is coming. I want to get working on the prologue soon and I'm really excited about this new Book. However, so many times I've made promises or have tried to make a posting schedule and I just haven't stuck to it. My goal in the end was just to finish this chapter before the end of the year and I'm literally releasing it on New Year's Eve. So I don't want to make any promises that I won't be able to keep. Just know that Book 3 is coming!

Also, I will be replying to all the comments on the previous chapter here again.

With all that said, thank you again for reading. I hope you all have an amazing New Year's and I wish you all the very best in 2020!


Comments

Comment from Jimmy K.I. 7: Always welcome to read this story again!
It was total awesome chapter especially mentioning the Vaatu's characteristic must be this way better than drama series.
And didn't expect Vaatu Hollow would attack Soul Society instead of Republic City.
Anyway, thank you for update of this story.

Reply: Thanks for reading and I appreciate your kind words! Yeah I really wanted to bring the Soul Society more into this story so him attacking them made sense. I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Comment from Raximus: A worst case scenario for everyone... Including Vaatu, i will enjoy see him getting his just deserves.

Reply: Haha it was fun to write him getting those just deserves

Comment from Just Phantom: I really hope you don't break up Asami and Ichigo no cap

Reply: Yeah, I really like them together as well

Comment from Lucian Fullbring: You. . . You can't do that. Can he do that? So how long does that bakudo last if he was able to go through twice. Will ichigo casto lorde match Yamamoto's bankia or is killing it with fire still a solution for everything? Too many questions no answers. ANOTHER CHAPTER

Reply: First of all, cool username. To me the bakudo lasts until he's gone from their world and then it can be reused. Killing it with fire is always a solution but we didn't get to see that this time HERE'S THE CHAPTER

Comment from Count Metaphor: I wonder if Asami will show up where Vasto Lorde Ichigo is destroying Soul Society or Republic City...
I think it is a best part of where she stops him like The Incredible Hulk.

Reply: "Hey big guy, sun's getting real low" – Asami in some alternate universe to this story haha

Comment from Guest: I'm the Guest who said about Korra & Asami's relationship (still sucks...)
The story was dramatic except Korra & Asami's relationship (really sucks...)
Here's online you can read any comics...
After Season 4, opening new Spirit Portal & Octopus Human caused Human vs Spirits...
/Comic/Nickelodeon-The-Legend-of-Korra-Turf-Wars
Even Kuvira's defeat, still Earth Empire Builder still resisting...
/Comic/Nickelodeon-The-Legend-of-Korra-Ruins-of-the-Empire

Reply: Ya I feel like Korra and Asami's relationship could've been a lot better, maybe if they had devoted more time to it? And oh sweet I wanna read those. I read the comics from after Avatar: The Last Airbender and they were great, hopefully these are alright

Comment from ThFlash: Great chapter! It's nice to see this story still going strong.
I'm surprised we haven't seen anything from Shiro Zangetsu. He would definitely rip Vaatu to shreds for trying to mess with Ichigo's soul. I guess it can still happen since Vaatu only attacked Ichigo's soul at the end.
How will Ichigo's power development in this fic compare to the Bleach canon? Will we get to see him with Quincy powers or maybe his merged hollow form? Also, is he ever going to get his true shikai?
Building off that, how will the 1000-Year Blood War arc play into this story? Personally, I'm a supporter of it not existing in this story. I'm a huge fan of Ichigo's development throughout it, but pretty much everything surrounding Yhwach is bs.

Reply: Thanks! I wanted to give Vaatu full control even over Zangetsu but that is gonna have consequences going forward because as you can tell, Zangetsu ain't happy about it and he's probably gonna get angry again soon.

I'm not entirely sure about his power development going forward tbh. Books 1 and 2 were pretty straightforward, get his powers back, then get his Bankai back. I think with his hollow coming out again there could be some developments in that. I haven't thought much about his quincy powers or his true shikai yet

Yeah I've read the whole thing and I liked parts of it like Ichigo's character as well but I don't think it will play a part in this story

Thanks for all your questions!

Comment from Mr. Question: So Ichigo is Dark Avatar when he turn into Vasto Lorde?
And he is the enemy of Soul Society?
This Vasto Lorde will give more threat to Avatar & Republic City & Spirit World.
Do you have a plan on this great threat on next Season 3 & 4?

Reply: We meet again, Mr. Question. And yes essentially he is. Vaatu's presence triggered the vasto lorde to come out and throughout the chapter, Vaatu is growing stronger and gaining more control and yes he is definitely an enemy of soul society haha

I have some plans on the threat our characters will face right now it's looking to be Soi Fon and her stealth forces but Ichigo's vasto lorde could play a role because of how unpredictable it is

Comment from Guest: I, Review Master, totally DISAGREE with this Guest about korrasami...
Ichigo x Asami is best!
Yes including Orihime too!
He is very responsible man who can make happiness to both of them! (With their children)

Reply: Whoa whoa whoa Ichigo's gonna have two girls? I mean, I'm sure he can handle it but kids too? whoa haha

Comment from Count Metaphor: If you you think suffering builds people to become stronger, then does he has to get more suffering on next season 3 & 4 even he doesn't wish?
I want to know because Ichigo never afraid of himself before.

Reply: I don't think it's the only way to get stronger but if you're able to rise up out of suffering I think it makes you stronger than most other things yeah and yes he will have to deal with some things in books 3 and 4

Comment from Raptor Rapist: In all honest I had a feeling that Vaatu possessing Ichigo was going to be one of the potential routes for this story. I'm just surprised that you're actually going through with it. None the less love the story, and I hope you're willing to write books 3 and 4 as well.

Reply: Yeah I'll admit that it's a pretty obvious way to go with the story but it triggers stuff with the soul society and is one of the catalysts for some of the plot in Book 3 and yes I'm hoping to write books 3 and 4

Thanks for your support!

Comment from Saint Damz: its unique the way you linked the two worlds together and I'm enjoying this fic. there aren't many bleachlegend of korra crossover fics and i feel both happy this fic was recently updated and sad i binged it just after you updated...awaiting your update

Reply: Thanks I appreciate that! I agree I wish there were more crossovers between these two series I think there's a lot of potential there. Thanks for binging btw I think that's really cool. And also if you wanna check out more Bleach Korra fics you should try Kindred Spirits by BlueShard20 if you haven't already. It's only got 1 chapter but it's really interesting and it has a great premise. BlueShard loves bleach and I'm sure his story is gonna be awesome

Comment from Guest: Me too, Saint Damz

Reply: Thanks!

Comment from Master Yoda: Fear, do not, young Korra.
This young man has darkness inside and also, good inside his heart, there is.
Believe in him, you must. Hmmmmmm.

Reply: Master Yoda?! A surprise to be sure but a welcome one;)))

Comment from Guest: Update please ~!

Reply: Here is your update, hope you enjoy!

Comment from RaptorRapist: Wise words master yoda, Very wise indeed.

Reply: Hmm yes, very wise

Comment from Book Driller: It's hard to dig in to expect the last episode, because Vaatu trying to destroy Republic City but it's not.

Reply: Well he eventually does, but Soul Society has to fall first

Comment from Guest: So Ichigo was brought to Korra's world even he intended to visit there...
What exactly Ichigio, his dad, & Urahara planed something?
Some research of investigation? Deal with something or someone?

Reply: You're asking all the right questions! But I can't answer them yet! But you're on the right track for sure well done!

Comment from Guest-Questioner: It has been over a MONTH..., since I began reading this...
and now, at the end of the line..., its over!
I wish to see more, whenever possible..., Please!?

Reply: And more you shall receive!

Comment from Guest: Do you think Bleach anime will continue?

Reply: I really, really hope so. It was one of the first anime I ever watched and I love it. I honestly think it makes total sense for them to bring it back because it would be really marketable because Bleach fans are some of the most passionate and loyal fans out there.

Comment from Guest: I thought Vasto Lorde go to Republic City first.

Reply: He does eventually but Soul Society comes first

Comment from Guest: Can you reply when you can update, please?

Reply: I can't actually reply to guest comments but sometimes people will pm on this website and I try to answer their questions as best I can!

Comment from Guest: 2 months…

Reply: Became 5… sorry!

Comment from Guest: Aiya!
What are you thinking are you doing?!
Update now!
Go to the Republic, Ichigo!
Become spirit and save your best-friend-brother & world now, Korra!

Reply: Yes Ichigo! Yes Korra! Yes me I updated!

Comment from Just a potato: Retiring the story?
Or keep continue the story?

Reply: Continuing!

Comment from O: Please don't stop this story it's a master-piece please.

Reply: Hey, O. Really honestly appreciate that, and I ain't stopping!

Comment from Guest: Flake

Reply: batman and goku die at the end of rise of skywalker