Evolution Of A Vengeful Protector - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
(Soul Society, 5 years later)
"I have called upon this captains meeting because Squad Zero is about to arrive at any moment, so prepare yourselves, and be respectful at all times, especially you, Captain Zaraki. No fighting ANY members of Squad Zero. If you do, it will be the most humiliating defeat you have ever experienced in your life. Do you hear me?" Yamamoto barked at the captains.
"Yeah, yeah old man. I hear you." Zaraki replied nonchalantly. He hated to admit it, but life was boring without Ichigo. He was always chasing after the Strawberry for a rematch, but he didn't stop the hybrid's assassination. Now Ichigo was gone, and he will never see him again. A reincarnation sure, but that is not as best as the real thing.
Kenpachi Zaraki never regretted anything he did.
But now he had one regret.
His biggest regret.
Not stopping the assassination of Kurosaki Ichigo.
His thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of the doors opening, and the five Shinigami that walked through the doors.
Squad Zero walked down the hallway, towards the Head Captain, and all the captains and lieutenants knew something was different about this specific visit.
Captain Commander Yamamoto began, "As always, it is an honor to be in the presence of the five strongest Shinigami in the history of Soul Society. So, to what do we owe this pleasure, Osho?" Even the old man had noticed the members of Squad Zero's peculiar behavior, especially Osho and Senshumaru.
They did not look happy. AT ALL!
Ichibei Hyosube, the leader of the Zero Squad and the man who gave everything their names, in a somber tone, began, "Just so we are clear, Genryuusai, we do not want to be HERE any more than we already want to. The sight of all of you makes me want to vomit, after what you did to your savior, the young man who saved this place multiple times and risked his life to protect this place, young Kurosaki Ichigo, and you stabbed him in his back."
He then paused, turned around, pointed at Rukia, and continued, "And then you have the nerve, the audacity, young lady, to go to his family with that young man, Renji Abarai, and lie to his friends and family that he sacrificed himself to defeat Aizen. You should be ashamed of yourself." Rukia looked down in shame and guilt.
Shinji Hirako stepped forward, "What are you talking about, sir? The kid did sacrifice himself to keep the Soul Society safe, didn't he?" He looked around and saw the rest of the Vizards looking as confused as he was. He then looked at the Gotei 13 who, save for Yamamoto, Mayuri, Kenpachi and Soi-Fon, were looking down at their feet, not able to meet his gaze, especially Rukia and Renji.
Tenjiro Kirinji, also known as 'Lightning Fast Tenjiro' because of his Houhou skills, then spoke, "Are you Shinji Hirako?"
Shinji nodded.
Tenjiro continued, "Okay then. Since you and your Vizard friends don't know and you are the only ones we kind of trust in the Sereitei, let me tell you about the truth about that boy's death, Captain Hirako. After the defeat of Aizen, Ichigo was then attacked by all the people in the room, excluding you Vizards. She," he pointed at Soi-Fon, "slit his throat in an attempt to finish young Ichigo after he survived her, " he then pointed at Rukia, "finishing blow, slicing him across his torso. Then that bastard, " he finally pointed at Yamamoto, "used Hollow bait to summon hollows to finish him off. You see that bald man with the large beard, Osho?" he said while looking at Osho, who at some stopped pointing at Rukia and instead was glaring daggers at her, which made the petite girl shift uncomfortably.
Tenjiro continued, "Our leader doesn't get mad. In fact, he NEVER gets mad. Even in battle, he rarely shows frustration. In fact, he feels the opposite. The amount of anger that Osho has now is unprecedented. The only people who didn't participate in the assassination are Retsu and her lieutenant, Isane."
He then walked up to the captain and lieutenant of Squad 4, and stopped right in front of Unohana. He then said, "I guess, I should say thank you for not taking part in that assassination." Unohana was looking up at Tenjiro with an impassive expression on her face, while Isane was trying to melt into the floor from the attention.
Shinji dropped to his knees. He couldn't believe his eyes and ears. The only reason they, the Vizards, rejoined the Gotei 13 was because they felt indebted to the orange head, and now to find out that the same organization he was working for was the one that killed Ichigo. He then looked at the rest of the Vizards, who had similar looks of shock on their faces. They looked back at him, and they all nodded.
Without saying anything, they all walked out of the meeting, tearing their Haoris and lieutenant armbands off in the process.
Oetsu Nimaiya then walked up to Kenpachi and glared at him. Zaraki looked down at him and asked, in a menacing tone, "Do you have a problem, small man?"
The creator of zanpakuto, who is known to be cheery, random and unpredictable, was actually serious and not intimidated at all. "Yes, I do have a problem, Kenpachi Zaraki. Multiple, in fact. Let's list them off, shall we?" he said, and then held up a hand. He started counting down each finger off, "1, you want to fight opponents stronger than you. 2, you are a bloodthirsty maniac. 3, you made yourself weaker by sealing away a large portion of your power.. 4, you don't know the name of your zanpakuto because you didn't even try to communicate with it, and finally, you wanted a rematch with Ichigo but yet you didn't stop his assassination. You are unworthy of the title of Kenpachi, Zaraki."
Kenpachi Zaraki actually had the decency to look down in shame, which was suprising to a lot of people who were there.
Senjumaru Shotara, who created the clothing that Soul Reapers wear, walked up to Juushiro Ukitake, captain of Squad 13, and his only response was to look down. Senjumaru scoffed and then said, "Huh, it would seem that there are some of you who are actually remorseful about your actions a year ago. Good, you should be."
Kirio Hikifune, who was the last person to join the Zero Squad because of the invention of the Gikon then spoke, "By the orders of the Soul King, we have come to deliver a warning. The son of His Majesty, the Quincy King, Yhwach, has awakened."
Captain Commander Yamamoto opened both his eyes in shock while Unohana, Ukitake and Kyoraku looked at each other with worry in their eyes.
"Impossible! I killed him a thousand years ago! I made sure of it!" Yamamoto barked.
Ichibe chuckled darkly, which for reasons unknown, unnerved everyone including Zaraki and Yamamoto. The monk spoke, "No, you did not. All you did was put him in a thousand year coma. You only made him drain all of his power trying to survive Tenchi Kaijin. He has resurrected and is planning soon with a new army of Quincy and is going to start a war, that the Thirteen Court Guard Squads must prepare for. You have to prepare yourselves as much as possible. That is all."
Hee started walking away towards the door, and the other started doing so, not noticing Yamamoto's eyes widen and his hand gripping his cane tightly.
The Zero Squad suddenly stopped in their tracks. Osho, without looking back, then said, "Your job is to protect the Sereitei. Our job is to protect the Soul King and the Royal Palace. The only time we will 'help' with this war, is if Yhwach tries to go after the Soul King. Oh, and two more things I have to say before I leave. One, you have doomed yourselves by betraying that boy."
He then opened the doors to reveal a portal waiting on the other side.
"Two, the Soul King has summoned all of you to his palace, right now and it is not optional."
Zero Squad then walked through the portal.
Without anything else to do, the Gotei 13 followed them and walked through the portal.
(Royal Palace)
The Thirteen Court Guard Squads had never been to the palace of the Soul King before, so they were in awe. The throne room was easily one of the largest rooms they had ever been in and it was richly furnished up. The lieutenants could only count themselves blessed to be in the home of the Soul King.
Speaking of which, he was sitting (or hovering, depending on your perspective) in his crystal, looking at them with narrowed eyes. Captain Commander Yamamoto bowed to the Soul King and, "It is a huge honor and blessing to stand before the Soul King in all his glory. Now, if I may ask, why have you summoned us today, Your Majesty?" This action shocked everyone in the room, except for the Soul King, because of one simple fact:
Captain Commander Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto bowed to NO ONE.
Although, to be fair, this is the Soul King, so even he can do an exception.
The Soul King was looking at them intently, not making a sound for several seconds. He finally spoke:
Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, it is a pleasure to finally meet the man they named "The Dragon."
"Thank you, sir."
Now, the reason I summoned you here is because of two reasons, mainly being the upcoming conflict with the Quincies, and your actions against Kurosaki Ichigo. But first, let's start with the Quincies. Yamamoto, you have fought my son, Yhwach, the king of the Quincies, a millennium ago, right?
Yamamoto nodded.
So you have a chance at defeating him again because you know some of his strengths and weaknesses. But that cannot happen if you have one hand. You need to go to that human, Orihime Inoue, and restore your hand. Now, all of you, hear me, current Thirteen Court Guard Squads. There is a specific elite group in the Quincies called the Sternritter. There are 26 members, and all of them have two powerups; the Schrift and the Vollständig, which is equivalent to a bankai for a Quincy. Mayuri Kurotsuchi, you will need to find ways to counter their technology. They have devices that travel through shadows and medallions that steal Bankai.
Kurotsuchi widened his eyes and grinned maniacally in interest.
Only captains and lieutenants will engage with these members. Seated and unseated members will deal with the army soldiers known as the Soldats because they will be fairly easy to defeat. Are you all with me so far?
Everyone nodded.
Good, now another thing that must be mentioned. Yhwach has two moves that will be detrimental to the war; his Schrift 'A' which is the Almighty, and his Auswählen. His 'Almighty' can not only predict the future, but he can also control which future occurs. You will know that he is using the 'Almighty' when you see multiple pupils in his eyes. You must not allow him to use 'The Almighty', under ANY circumstances. His Auswählen can give him a massive boost in power, but it will all kill some members of the Wandenreich if he deems them useless. You can use that to your advantage and sway the ones that are not killed to join your side in fighting Yhwach. That is the plan. Does anyone have any questions?
No one spoke up.
Good, now to address the second issue of your summon. Kurosaki Ichigo, does that name ring any bells?
Most of the Gotei 13 immediately looked down and said nothing.
Hm, it would seem that it does. Now approximately more than 5 years ago, Substitute Soul Reaper Kurosaki Ichigo had defeated Sosuke Aizen, an ambitious but intelligent man who was looking to create the Oken by sacrificing Kurosaki's hometown, Karakura Town, which had 100 000 souls and land filled with spiritual pressure, which was the town to kill me. The young man sacrificed his power, so that the Soul Society as a whole can be safe, and you repay him by stabbing him in the back, both figuratively and in the literal sense and using Hollow bait to summon hollows in order to finish him off. Explain your actions.
Yamamoto replied, "I will repeat the same thing I said to Kisuke Urahara. Kurosaki Ichigo had grown too strong, too fast. He had too much potential to be even stronger, and if not stopped, he could become power hungry and destroy the Sereitei, like Aizen attempted to do. He had to be put down, your Majesty."
The Soul King looked out into space as if in thought.
Mmm, I hear you, and I must say, I understand where you are coming from, but you have forgotten one crucial fact, Captain Commander.
Yamamoto looked confused. "Which is what, your Majesty?"
The young man had so many chances to cause a lot of damage to the Sereitei. The best example is the Ryoka incident. If that boy arrived after Rukia was executed, he would have unfathomable rage and most definitely have gone after Byakuya Kuchiki, the one who took her in the first place, and damaging the Sereitei in the process.
Rukia looked at her brother, who was looking down while closing his eyes and listening, as usual.
Byakuya Kuchiki.
The stoic man's eyes shot open and looked at the Soul King.
Do you regret turning on Ichigo Kurosaki? Now before you say anything, I need you to think about your answer, boy.
The Kuchiki clan head was silent for a few moments, but then he replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. I do."
The Soul King tilted his head to the side.
Why are you remorseful now? Are you not the one who told the boy that you would uphold the law of the Soul Society, and that he was no exception?
Byakuya stayed silent.
The Soul King then looked at Rukia, who was looking down.
Rukia Kuchiki.
She looked up and shouted, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Soul King chuckled. For some weird reason, Rukia found his chuckling...soothing. The Soul King quickly turned serious again.
Do you regret betraying Ichigo Kurosaki, girl?
Tears started falling down her face, and she didn't stop them. She knew she was going to be reprimanded by her brother, but she did not care. Hell, she could be dishonorably discharged and dumped to the lowest slumps of Rukongai.
She did not care.
She quietly spoke, "Every day for the past year, Your Majesty."
The Soul King closed his eyes in acknowledgement. The answer that came from Rukia was expected really, considering their history together.
Is that so?
Rukia weakly nodded.
Very well, then. I see you are truly remorseful, Rukia Kuchiki. Now listen, Thirteen Court Guard Squads. The very first Gotei 13 was the strongest. If possible, I want all of you to train hard and exceed them. Every single one of you who have not done this, you MUST achieve and master Bankai. Gather as many allies as you can. The fate of all the realms depends on it. Understood?
"YES, YOUR MAJESTY!!" All of them except Zaraki and Kurotsuchi shouted.
Good, now you may leave. You will return to the Sereitei by using the special Senkaimon that my Royal Guard uses. Go now.
Everyone but Ichibei and Oetsu remained with the Soul King.
Ichibei spoke, "I truly want to see their reactions when they find out that boy is alive."
Oetsu interjected, ''It would be a very satisfying sight indeed, however I still have one question. Are you sure unlocking his full potential AND giving him that much power is a good idea? I understand he fits the bill to replace you, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid he may turn on us. The kid is scary enough as it is."
Do not worry, Nimaiya. The boy still knows right from wrong. He will not turn on us. I have faith in him, so I suggest you do the same. Which reminds me, Ichibe?
"It is time, Your Majesty."
The King of Souls smiled slightly.
Bring him to me.
(15 minutes later)
The Soul King looked down on Ichigo Kurosaki who was dead, being put on a wooden bed-like frame by Tenjiro. The tall man was ordered to perserve Ichigo's body for as long as possible. Kirinji, Hikifune and Shutara quickly returned to the palace after Hyosube talked to them about the King's intentions via telepathy.
The Soul King focused and intertwined his mental link with Ichigo's.
Ichibe bowed his head, followed by the others, and spoke, "I speak on behalf of the entirety of the Royal Guard, it was a honor serving you, Your Majesty."
The Soul King just smiled. He then took a deep breath and began to chant:
Flower gleam and glow
Let your power shine
Make the clock reverse
Let existence intertwine
Heal what has been hurt
Change the fate's design
Save what has been lost
Exchange a life for mine.
A glowing flowersurrounded Ichigo, who was in the center of the flower. Symbols began to form glowing, as if they were burning into Ichigo's skin, then the symbols took the form of a very large tattoo that easily took up Ichigo's chest. The Soul King's body began aging during this process, becoming very old to the point it looked like a gust could knock him down, but he still kept his smile and he kept on going. The Royal Guard, with the exception of the old monk, watched in awe.
Bakudo #100, Gisei.
A rupture of light suddenly erupted around the Soul King and Ichigo. It was so blinding, the members of the Zero Squad closed their eyes or covered their eyes with their arms.
Then...the light disappeared.
They all opened their eyes.
The Soul King was no longer there.
He sacrified his life to bring Ichigo back and give him his powers and knowledge.
Tenjiro looked at Ichigo's body with excitement. He grinned, "Terrifying."
Oetsu smirked, "I know right?! He was already scary, but now, with the amount of power he has now? It's terrifying to even think about."
Ichibe looked at Ichigo with an inquisitive look.
'Indeed. With the amount of power and knowledge he has just gained from the Soul King, along with the latent Shinigami, Quincy and Hollow abilities from his heritage and the training he will get from that monster, he is unstoppable. If he were to master all of his abilities, I do not think even my Shirafude Ichimonji would even work against him, let alone defeat him. I do not think ANYONE can defeat him now.'
His inquisitive look turned into a frown.
'You knew, didn't you Aizen? You wanted this boy to be the strongest out of all of us. That is why you did all of this. This was your dream, you wanted this boy to surpass you and more. Your dream may have just become reality.'
His frown deepened.
'Your son truly is terrifying.'
A/N - I need to warn you guys about 2 things.
1. I will be pretty inconsistent with the updates, what with my job and my studies.
2. Expect some pretty graphic scenes of fights, deaths and lemons.