Bleach Fanstory: A Bleached Honeymoon

By Michael Xu

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters in it, apart from OC I may create.

This is the sequel to Bleach: After the War, and follows Ichigo and Rukia as they embark on their honeymoon/mission around the world.

Story so far: After their wedding, Ichigo and Rukia were sent by Commander Unohana on a round the world trip to clean up spiritual hot stops. Things didn't turn out as they planned and they eventually stumbled upon the Nexus, the gateway between the King's realm and the real world. Before anything catastrophic could happen Ichigo and Rukia were reassigned to assist Ishida and Mayuri with their investigations. Upon entering a special Seireimon, they were instantly transported to a place in Poland, which turned out to be near Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former Nazi concentration camp. There they met Ishida and the three of them infiltrated the camp and discovered Mayuri's secret labatory. As it turned out, a group of terrorists had attacked the city of Warsaw, unleashing a deadly gas that turned hundreds of people into hollows. The perpetuators were caught and taken captive by Mayuri, who used the gas upon them. The experiment proved beyond doubt that the gas used by the terrrorists was the same hollowfication gas used by Aizen during the creation of the Vizards. In addition, Ichigo and Rukia made another frightening discovery: that hollowfication gas may have been used in the holocaust to kill the jews. Armed with this startling new piece of information, Mayuri returned to Soul Society. Meanwhile, Ichigo and Rukia follow Ishida on the road to Berlin...

Chapter 7: Berlin

Before Mayuri had closed down his laboratory and whisked back to Soul Society, Ichigo, Rukia and Ishida were far away from Auschwitz, heading along a highway in a north-westerly direction. Their ultimate destination was Berlin.

"It's two hundred miles to the German border, and then roughly another hundred miles from the border to Berlin," Ishida said as he was driving. "At the speed we're driving at, and with the time being only quarter to two, we can make it there before sundown." His prediction was not without some weight, for the Mercedes Benz was going close to eighty miles an hour along a four lane highway. After half an hour of driving, Ishida entered onto a major freeway that went all the way to the German-Polish border.

For much of the journey, all Ichigo and Rukia saw were miles and miles of rolling hills, farmland, small villages, woodland and scrub forests, and the outskirts of a few cities. Along the way, Ishida stopped several times at petrol stations to refuel. By about quarter past five they had made it to the Neisse River, which marked the border between Poland and Germany. Ishida had to stop in a bay flanked by two booths. Several officials, some German, some Polish, stepped out and asked for identification, travel documents and passports. Ichigo and Rukia panicked, thinking they were going to be caught out, but fortunately Ishida had everything prepared beforehand. He produced Visas which had the names and records of all three of them. After some deliberation and cross examination the officials finished processing their documents and gave them permission to pass. Cross over the Neisse River, Ishida continued along the freeway, following a north-westerly route to Berlin.

"Thanks a lot Ishida," Ichigo said. "You really saved our skins."

"That was certainly smart thinking of you," Rukia added. "I wonder how you were able to obtain visas for the two of us."

"It was quite simple," Ishida smiled. "Your father emailed my father copies of your travel documents shortly after you left Tokyo. He and I had just arrived in Paris, and we were able to get fabricate visas that were completely genuine looking." Ichigo and Rukia were a bit surprised by his explanation but they accepted it. The journey to Berlin proved quite swift and just half past six Ishida had reached the outskirts of the city. As they entered the boundaries of the city proper, they passed by the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, the main airport that serviced Berlin. The freeway snaked its way through the outer suburbs, crossing over and then running alongside a canal. After a sharp left turn the freeway became a tunnel, running for a mile underground. It became a freeway again and after several miles Ishida, Ichigo and Rukia finally arrived at the end of the freeway as it terminated in a spaghetti junction. They turned left onto a busy suburban road and headed north through the bustling inner suburbs. Within a few minutes they were in the middle of a busy shopping district. Numerous stores lined both sides of a main road. What caught Ichigo and Rukia's eye however, was a hexagonal shaped tower, a badly damaged cathedral and then another hexagonal shaped pavilion, all standing in the middle of a large public square.

"What's with that cathedral?" Ichigo asked. "It looks half-destroyed and about to collapse at any moment."

"I think it was hit by allied bombers during the Second World War," Ishida replied. "Nobody was willing to rebuild it so apart from structural renovations the church was left untouched and became a memorial site."

"Ah, I see," Ichigo nodded. Ishida drove to the end of the road and rounded the corner. Near this intersection of several major roads was a majestic building shaped like a colosseum. Ishida drove the car down into a car park right under the building and quickly found a parking spot. He, Ichigo and Rukia got out of the car, grabbed their possessions and headed for the nearest lift.

"This is the Swissotel," Ishida said. "One of Berlin's finest hotels."

"Are we going to stay here for the night?" Rukia asked. Ishida nodded.

"I already booked two rooms prior before I left for Poland." The three of them arrived at the front foyer and walked up the booking counter. When Ishida inquired about his reservations, the hotel staff nodded and produced a pair of keys. After they filled in their accommodation details, Ichigo, Ishida and Rukia were directed by a concierge up another lift. Upon arriving at level two the three of them were directed to a pair of rooms side by side. The concierge helped them open the doors of both rooms and then proceeded to carry their luggage in. When Ichigo and Rukia entered their room they were astonished at how modern, clean and spacious it was. There was a full king size bed, a lounge suite, a massive widescreen television, a computer with internet access and a personal bar. But the best feature was the view from the room, for with windows to the west and the north they could see a vast arc of Berlin. Compared to the hotel in Beijing, this was a whole class above.

"Wow, this is one impressive room," Ichigo said. "It must have been hellishly expensive to even book one."

"Not really," Ishida smiled. "My father has some business connections with this hotel, so they gave me a discount when I booked here. Anyway, I'd better let the two of you settle down." Ishida exited the door and went to his room. Ichigo and Rukia unpacked their luggage. Having not had a shower in four days they both eager to have a bath. Upon seeing the gigantic spa Ichigo suggested they have a bath together.

"Are you just using it as an excuse to see me naked?" Rukia glared at Ichigo.

"Of course not!" Ichigo protested whilst laughing. "Besides, now that we're married, shouldn't we be comfortable at seeing each other's bodies?"

"You're just like other men," Rukia sighed. Even so, she admitted to herself that she enjoyed sharing an intimate moment with Ichigo such as this. The two of them quickly and awkwardly got undressed and hopped into the spa. Much to Ichigo's disappointment, the spa was smaller than it looked and he and Rukia could barely fit their bodies inside. They spent half an hour in the spa, either cleaning or staring at each other. After getting out of the spa they quickly got changed and went down to the foyer where Ishida was waiting. The three of them went out to one of the nearby restaurants, where they had a taste of traditional German cuisine. Roast pork, roast chicken, roast potatoes, and stewed vegetables were not what Ichigo and Rukia would have liked to eat, but they stomached it. Beer was also served, but no one bothered drinking it. The total bill came out at over three hundred euro, a figure which Ichigo thought was far too high for such a simple meal. Nevertheless, Ishida paid the sum. Afterwards the three of them went straight back to the hotel. Having been on the road the whole day, Ichigo and Rukia felt exhausted. Within minutes the two of them were tucked in the bed and quickly fell asleep.

On the next day, Ichigo and Rukia woke up early, feeling refreshed after one of the best night's sleep they ever had. They got changed and went downstairs to meet up with Ishida. The three of them got in the Mercedes and then drove out of the hotel.

"Where are we going?" Ichigo asked Ishida as he drove down the same road they had gone through yesterday.

"To a house east of Mitte," Ishida replied. "Before I went to meet the two of you and Mayuri, I was searching for a certain woman who may have links to the Quincies. I discovered her phone number and address and arranged to meet her in person."

"How can you be certain that she isn't a fraud?" Rukia asked.

"I'm not so sure. But if my hunch is correct she might be proof that there are more Quinicies out there than my father and I." Ichigo and Rukia pondered Ishida's words in silence as they glanced out of the window. Ishida turned left and headed north into a vast park land area. Soon they reached a roundabout where Ishida made a right turn and headed onto a long and majestic avenue.

"This is the Strasse de 17th Juni, Berlin's main thoroughfare," Ishida said as he drove. "The park we're in is the Tiergarten, whose name derives from the zoo that is contains." Ichigo appreciated Ishida's tourist guide explanations, but Rukia was completely baffled by all of the names and wondered what Ishida was talking about. Up ahead was an immense and majestic structure, consisting of six massive columns dozens of feet high. The structure resembled a gateway to the city. When Ichigo asked Ishida about the structure, Ishida explained that this was the Brandenburg gate, which not only marked the symbolic centre of Berlin but also served as an entrance way to Unter den Linden, the eastward continuation of Strasse de 17 Juni. Ichigo stopped asking further questions about the city's landmarks as Ishida drove through the central business district. They winded their way across the maze of streets and lanes until they ended on the eastern side of the city. Ishida stopped the car beside a row of plain brick apartments.

"Let's see...I think I've got the right address," Ishida said as he got out of the car. Ichigo and Rukia followed him up the road until they reached a door which had the number '501' written on it.

"Are you sure this is this is place we're meant to go?" Ichigo asked.

"There's only one way to find out," Ishida said. He knocked on the door. A few seconds later they heard footsteps. The door opened and they were greeted by a brown-haired middle-age woman about the same height as Rukia.

"Guten tag, what are you folks after?" she asked in a combination of German and English.

"Guten tag to you, fair miss," Ishida replied back. "Are you by any chance the daughter of Maria Rosenfeld?" The woman nodded. She told them to wait outside as she ran down a hallway. A few minutes later she came back and directed them inside. As the three of them walked into the kitchen a blue energy arrow was suddenly shot at them. Ichigo and Rukia managed to dodge it as it slammed into the nearby wall. Stunned, they looked to see the person who had fired it. It was an old lady, well into her seventies. She had gray hair and wore a pair of glasses. But what instantly caught Ichigo, Rukia and Ishida's attentions was the object dangling around her right arm: the trademark Quincy cross.

"Who the hell are you people?" she asked angrily. "Clara, I told you not to let strangers in!" The woman beside her quivered with fear.

"But, the man in the white shirt said he was a Quincy," she replied.

"A Quincy? Are you serious?" the woman, who Ichigo presumed was Maria Rosenfeld, gazed at Ishida. "Why would a Quincy be accompanied by a pair of Shinigami? Those fleshy disguises are no use; I sensed your reiatsu from the moment you stepped in the door." Ichigo and Rukia were both taken aback. Ichigo considered reaching for his gikongan, but Ishida forced him to stay his hand.

"Wait a moment, I can explain everything," he said. "I am Ishida Uryu, and these two Shinigami are actually my friends. It's a long story, but in short the two of them are not like the Shinigami you're familiar with."

"Is that so? I'm interested in your story then," Maria said. "You said your surname is Ishida. Are you by any chance related to the Eshid family?"

"I am. My great grandfather was Ulysses Eshid, who migrated to Japan after the Second World War and changed his surname to Ishida."

"Aha, I thought so!" Maria exclaimed happily. "Why don't you all sit down? It's been a long time since I've seen a fellow Quincy, let alone one belonging to the exiled Eshid clan." Ichigo, Rukia and Ishida sat around the table.

"The exiled Eshid clan?" Ichigo asked in confusion. "What's she talking about Uyru?"

"Well, my family originally came from Europe, from Poland actually," Ishida replied. "My ancestors fled to America at the end of the Quincy Wars. Then after the Second World War, my great grandfather, who presumably was a diplomat, migrated to Japan along with my grandfather. He married a Japanese woman and gave birth to my grandfather."

"Gosh, I never knew you had such a convoluted family history," Rukia said.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg Shinigami," Maria laughed. "The history of the Quincy clans is so convoluted one could write entire tomes about them."

"Perhaps you can explain to us what really happened in the Quincy Wars," Ichigo said. "I've heard stories about it from various Shinigami who witnessed it first hand, but I'm guessing the Quincy perspective on it might be totally different." All of a sudden, Maria and Ishida were silent. It was understandable that they rarely discussed about the Quincy Wars.

"You Shinigami might think we Quincy were doing the wrong thing, or you might be thinking we were innocent victims of some Soul Society manipulation," Maria said. "The truth is somewhere in between. I too never witnessed it first hand, but from the stories my grandfather told me, we Quinicies were indeed responsible for initiating the conflict. It all began at the dawn of the French Revolution. Back then, there were five major clans, including Rosenfeld and Eshid. Each of them had existed for countless centuries, blending into common society whilst slowly developing their Reiyoku. Only rarely did they ever openly demonstrate their powers. That was until the legendary Syrus Belasco rose to power and declared that Shinigami were useless. With a charismatic voice, he convinced many of our people to start hunting hollows and killing them. Of the five clans, only the Eshids managed to resist Syrus' words. They kept out of the whole affair and eventually fled abroad to America. Sadly for the rest of us, we were so caught up in a crusading zeal to exterminate all hollows that we weren't aware of our actions drawing the attention of the Soul Society. They sent a few emissaries down to beg us to stop killing hollows, as we had inadvertently caused an imbalance between the real world and the Soul Society. Syrus and his group refused to listen and promptly killed the emissaries. Then he mustered the greatest army of Quincies the world would ever see. Just as Napoleon invaded Russia, Syrus' army went on a crusade through central Asia and in the process killed millions upon millions of hollows. They were eventually stopped by Soul Society, who sent its greatest captains to kill Syrus. His death caused the entire group of fall apart. The most fanatical of Syrus' followers fought to the bitter end. Others hid in the shadows and planned a revenge attack upon Soul Society. For the majority of the Quincies though, we had learned our lesson. The survivors retreated back into society. Never again would we demonstrate our powers on such a scale." After Maria finished telling her story, Ichigo and Rukia were left silent for a long time, as they took in everything they heard.

"There's still some things I don't get though," Rukia said. "From what I heard most of the Quincies perished in the wars. You make it sound like a lot of Quincies survived."

"The majority of Quincies did die during the wars," Maria explained. "At least the pure blooded ones did. In the aftermath of the wars there weren't enough purebreds around to sustain future generations. They were forced to intermingle with ordinary people. Hence over time the blood of the Quincies was gradually diluted until there weren't any genuine Quincies left. Nevertheless the clans had recovered their numbers prior to the Second World War, and could claim membership in the thousands." Ishida was astounded by Maria's words. This was something that his father and grandfather never mentioned. He always assumed that by the time Mayuri began his experiments on the Quinicies they were already few in number.

"So then, if the Quincies recovered their numbers, then what caused all of them to be wiped out?" he asked Maria directly in the face. The old woman looked into Ishida's eyes and sighed.

"The Holocaust," she said. That one word so stunned Ishida that he fell back onto the chair in shock.

"Impossible! Are you telling me that the Quincies were all massacred by the Nazis?"

"Yes. Your family might have forgotten it, but the five great clans were all descendents of the Jewish Magi who fled Jerusalem after the Romans sacked it. No matter how much diluted our blood became by the eve of the Second World War, we, like the other Jews, were marked for genocide."

"But then didn't any of the Quincies use their powers?" Ichigo asked.

"Most were still afraid of drawing the attention of the Shinigami. But even the few who used their powers were no match for the Nazis. After all, Quincies are still living humans." After Maria finished speaking, the whole room fell silent. Ichigo, Rukia and Ishida tried to comprehend this new revelation, one that completely contradicted everything they had known about the history of the Quincies.

"Well, I think that's enough of a history lesson," Maria said after drinking tea from her cup. "I'm interested to know why a Quincy would be close friends with a couple of Shinigami." Taking it in turns, Ichigo, Ishida and Rukia recounted the events of the past four years, from the moment Ichigo became a Shinigami to the downfall of Aizen and the end of the Heavenly War. They tried to keep it as simple as possible. Despite this, their story utterly amazed Maria and her daughter.

"What an astonishing tale," she said. "I never would have guessed that such world-shaking events were taking in place up there. For me, the Soul Society was always my idea of heaven or the afterlife. What you've told me just now makes it seem less inviting."

"We're doing our best to make it better, which is why Ichigo and I have come here," Rukia said.

"Is that so? Well then, I look forward to seeing what it's like when I die," Maria laughed. She was chided by her daughter.

"Pardon me, Frau Rosenfeld, but after all of this talk we've failed to mention why we specifically come to see you," Ishida said. He paused a bit to push up his glasses. "Yesterday my friends and I were investigating the terrorist attack in Warsaw. During the process we made a disturbing discovery. The terrorists had used hollowfication gas upon the people and turned them into hollows. Soul Society's had experienced with hollowfication gas before, many of them involving a dangerous Shinigami by the name of Aizen Sousuke. We've already mentioned him in regards to the events in the past four years but there is evidence to belief that this man has had operations in the real world."

"Hmm...now that you mention it, I do remember seeing some images of someone who looked like him," Maria said. "Please wait a moment here whilst I search through my archive." Ichigo, Ishida and Rukia waited whilst Maria and Clara went into another room. Sometime later they came back with several folders' worth of photos. Maria placed them on the table and started flicking through them. Eventually she found the photo she was looking for. It was a very old photograph, depicting a close up view of Adolf Hitler at the Nuremberg Rally in 1935. Maria showed it to Ichigo, Ishida and Rukia and made them look at it closely.

"From the first moment I saw this photo as a young girl, I thought something was wrong with it," she said. "Every time I looked at it, I saw a person in the photograph that didn't resemble the others at all. I showed it to other people at the time but nobody could understand what I was talking about. It wasn't until I started manifesting my Quincy powers that I realized that only my family and I could see it. I initially thought the mysterious person was an apparition or a figment of my imagination, but in a lot of other photos and even some early video recordings of Hitler the same man kept on showing up." Maria stopped talking when she saw that her three guests were utterly frozen, staring blankly at the picture.

"There's...no doubt about it. It's Aizen in that photo there with Hitler," Ichigo said.

"But how can that be? From what Byakuya nii-sama recalled Aizen was a fairly model captain at that time," Rukia said. "Surely if he went to the real world the Soul Society would have noticed."

"You're wrong. Soul Society was blind to Aizen the whole time until I came to rescue you," Ichigo said. "Urahara told me about it in the forest of Menos. Aizen had already cast Kanzen Saimin on all of the senior officers of the Gotei 13 when he first became captain, and presumably he also had control of the Central 46. But the most important fact is something Aizen mentioned when I fought him in the King's Palace; his Bankai has the power to make direct clones of himself, each one possessing all of his powers, his intelligence and a portion of his reiatsu. He could have easily had these clones disguised as other Shinigami or even humans and sent them down to the real world to manipulate dictators such as Hitler."

"But then how would Aizen make himself visible to ordinary humans?" Rukia asked. "I'm sure he didn't have Urahara's gigais with him."

"Making himself visible would be an easy task," Ishida sighed. "Shinigami are spirits right? To ordinary humans they would either resemble the grim reaper or angels in disguise. Also, I've heard that deeply religious people have far greater ability to see ghosts than people who do not believe in god. I don't know if Hitler was a catholic, but he could have easily mistaken Aizen for god and listened to his preachings. Preachings such kill all of the Jews." This time it was Maria and Clara who were in utter shock. They could not believe that there existed a Shinigami more evil and cruel than a dictator such as Hitler.

"Does this mean that Hitler was nothing more than a puppet of this Aizen?" Maria asked. Ichigo, Ishida and Rukia all nodded grimly. "Well, I don't know what to say. You people have really opened up a whole new perspective on the world that is perhaps a little disturbing."

"I'm just as amazed about this as you are, Frau Rosenfeld," Ishida said. "Until now I assumed that the Quincies were massacred during the Quincy Wars, and then the remaining survivors were experimented upon by a Shinigami who killed my grandfather. But it appears that the real culprit behind the downfall of the Quincies was Aizen, again." Ishida clenched his fists in anger. Ichigo could tell the frustration building under his friend's skin.

"I think we should inform the other captains about this," Rukia said to Ichigo, who nodded in reply.

"Dearie me, look at the time!" Maria exclaimed. "It's quarter past ten, almost time for morning tea! Would you three guests like a little homemade snack?" Ichigo, Ishida and Rukia all heartedly agreed. As Maria and her daughter started up the stoves, Ishida's cell phone went up. He took it out and glanced at the screen.

"It's my father," Ishida said. "He's sent an SMS. Let's see now...'Meet me in Paris at 5.30pm tomorrow. I'll be waiting under the Eiffel. Bring along the Shinigami as well. Ryuken.' I appears that he's got something for us."

"Well, I suppose we could stroll around this city for the rest of the day and then head out early next morning," Ichigo said.

"That's a good plan. I suggest when we get there, we'll try to get in contact with Soul Society," Rukia said. Twenty minutes later Maria was finished cooking. She brought out three bowls filled with that appeared to be pudding.

"This is Rote Grüte, or red pudding," she said. "It's a dessert we commonly eat around here. I hope you'll all like it." Ichigo and the others savoured the pudding and thanked Maria for her generosity. Ishida jotted down their details so that he could remember them. Then they left the house and got back in the car. Ishida drove off, and the three of them explored other sites around Berlin.

Part two of the Bleach holocaust revelations. This chapter is important in not only revealing a major twist in the Bleach universe, but also estbalishing some important names and events that will be used as a basis for a future story based on the Quincy Wars. It does sound like a retcon to have Aizen be responsible for the massacre of most of the Quincies, but it fits the overall basis of what's happened in the story so far, plus the next two chapters will further reveal aspects of Aizen's true sinister actions in the real world. There are some terms which may be unfamiliar to readers so I shall explain them:

Berlin-Brandenburg Airport: Although this airport is still underconstruction, I've set the Bleach story at around 2020, so by then the airport should be fully up and running.

Kaiser Wilhelm Cathedral: This cathedral was half-demolished by allied bombers during WW2. The damaged superstructure was left in tact and preserved as a memorial whilst a newer church was built beside it.

Swissotel: This hotel is actually located near the cathedral.

Strasse de 17 Juni/Unter den Linden: This is probable Berlin's most famous road. The West Berlin section of the road was so called to commemorate the risings on 17th July 1953.

Tiergarten: Berlin's largest park. Also contains the Berlin Zoo.

Brandenburg gate: Originally the central gateway into the city. Also marked the most prominent point along the Berlin Wall during the Cold War.

The Rosenfelds: I throught it would be good to introduce more surviving Quincies, mostly as a way to give further background on the race. I based their surnames on a name that I thought sounded quite Jewish.

Syrus and the five clans: I'll probably explore their origins in a future Quincy Wars story, but their story is meant to parallel the origins of the French Revolution, with Syrus being a Napoleon-like character.