AN: Now I know that I said that I'd update Saiyan DxD first, but class was canceled, and I had a spur of inspiration. Anyway, enjoy! Btw, if you're looking for a voice to associate with Mizuki, her voice is supposed to sound similar to Misaka Mikoto from A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun.
Chapter 2: The Ice Queen Returns!
"Onii-chan!" I heard a voice call.
"What is it Mizuki?" I yelled back.
"Can you come her for a sec?" she replied.
"One sec!" I yelled back, getting up from behind my desk. For the past 18 years I've been sitting at home. To keep with my story, I'm a student at an elite private boarding school, who, starting tomorrow will return to classes at Karakura High. Though, Mizuki doesn't know that part yet. I walk across the hall to Mizuki's door. I knock. She opens the door, and motions for me to come in. I sit down on the bed.
"What is it Mizuki?" I ask.
"Somehow you look the same way you did when I was born. If you had aged appropriately, then you would be like 35 or something. How is this possible?" she asked. She's a smart one, that Mizuki. I guess it's time to tell my sisters, huh.
"Alright Mizuki. I can answer your question, but if you've noticed, Yuzu and Karin have probably noticed too. So I'll explain it tonight to all three of you," I replied. She nodded. "On another note, Mizuki. You mentioned a few years back that you wanted to be a Shinigami?" I asked. Her face perked up, and she looked at me.
"Yes I did Onii-chan," she replied.
"I've decided that this weekend, we're going to go and get your powers unlocked. We'll go to the Soul Society, get an Asauchi, and then help you properly channel them," I replied. Her face scrunched, confused at the terms. "I'll explain it later," I replied. Saying so, I got up off her bed, and then walked out the door.
- - LATER THAT NIGHT - -
"So, Onii-chan, you said you'd explain your youthful appearance?" Mizuki asked me. Yuzu and Karin looked at me, puzzled, while Oyaji and Kaa-san were shocked. I nodded.
"What I'm about to tell the three of you is strictly confidential, OK?" I asked. The three girls nodded. "Now that that's settled, I'll tell you about myself. I am Kurosaki Ichigo, born June 15th, 1994. I have two sisters, named Yuzu and Karin," I said. Mizuki was shocked.
"What…what about me, Onii-chan?" she asked.
"Let me continue. You three know about Shinigami, and Hollows right?" I asked. They nodded. I continued, "When I was 15, I became a Shinigami. Since then, I've fought in two wars, in which many of my friends and family died. I lost the love of my life. Even Oyaji died protecting Yuzu and Karin. In despair, I shut myself in my room. Though we won, the cost was high," I paused.
"What happened to Okaa-san?" Yuzu asked.
"Kaa-san died when I was 6. Remember the day you learned about Shinigami Mizuki?" I asked her. She nodded. "That day, I killed the Hollow that was supposed to kill Kaa-san. If I had not been there, she would have died protecting you," I explained, leaving shocked looks on the three girls' faces.
"So, Ichi-nii, how do you know about these events?" Karin asked.
"I'm getting there, Karin," I replied. "Anyway, about 2 weeks after we won the war, Urahara-san came to me and told me that he had developed a time machine."
"A time machine!" Mizuki cried out, shocked. "So that means…you're me, from an alternate timeline!"
"You figured it out quickly, didn't you, Mizuki-chan," I said gently, using her childhood nickname. She blushed, and then continued.
"So then, when you came back, the timeline altered, and so that's why I'm a girl, right?"
"Yes," I confirmed. "Since then, I've asked Urahara-san to prevent me from aging, in order to maintain the appearance of your older brother," I concluded.
- - THE NEXT DAY - KARAKURA HIGH - -
- - Mizuki P.O.V. - -
"Mizuki-chan, did you know? We have a transfer student!" I heard Hime-chan say enthusiastically.
"Hai, hai, as usual you're overexcited for everything, aren't you Hime-chan?" I replied. She grinned, laughing sheepishly.
"OK class, settle down!" I heard Ochi-sensei yell. After we were all in our seats, she continued. "I'm sure many of you have heard about this, but we have a transfer student! Come on in young man!" she yelled. At this I saw a young man with bright orange hair…oh…NANI! WHAT THE FUCKING HELL IS BAKA-NII DOING HERE! IN MY CLASS! AAAAAAAAAAARGGH!
- - Ichigo P.O.V. - -
As I walked in, I saw a girl with bright orange hair…oh. So this is Mizuki's class huh. Well then.
"Introduce yourself, young man," I heard Ochi-sensei tell me.
"Alright, Ochi-sensei," I replied, as she wrote my name on the board.
"Yo. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, and before you ask, yes, the hair's natural, and yes, I'm Kurosaki Mizuki's older brother. I'm older by three years, but I've been in private school. Because the material didn't quite match up, I've been held back three years. Anyway, I hope to get along with all of you," I finished, to see jaws dropped. Some people had already anime-fainted.
"EHHHH! You're Mizuki's brother? Really?" I heard the class yell. I looked to Mizuki. Her face was red.
"Oy, Mizuki," I called. The class immediately became silent.
"What do you want, Baka-Nii?" she asked.
"You never told your friends about me? Oh well. At least do a good job this time," I replied. I turned to Ochi-sensei. "Where do you want me to sit, Ochi-sensei?" I asked her.
"Just sit in the desk next to Arisawa for now," she replied. Tatsuki, huh? I can get along with her pretty easily. I walked over to the designated seat, and sat down.
- - LUNCHTIME - -
AN: I'm skipping stuff because there's really nothing plot-related happening during classes. So yeah.
As soon as the lunch bell rang, I was swarmed by girls who thought I was hot. Apparently, the hair growth from the Dangai training I did made me look attractive and not like a delinquent. Oh well. Then, I felt a hand grab me by the arm, and pull me out of the crowd. It was Mizuki.
"Come on, Baka-Nii," she called. "I'll introduce you to some of my friends. Plus," she whispered, "your friends from before the time traveling business should be there too." At this I tensed. Inoue, Chad, and Tatsuki may warm up to me quickly, but Ishida would be difficult. Oh well. I'll cross that bridge later. As we came up to the roof, I saw Inoue, Tatsuki, Chad, and a few girls sitting on the roof.
"Hey guys, this is Ichigo, my older brother," Mizuki told them. They smiled at me.
"Hey Chad, Tatsuki, Inoue, Ogawa, Kunieda," I called.
"How do you know about us, Kurosaki? And I don't remember giving you permission to call me by my first name," Tatsuki told me.
"First, it's Ichigo. I'm not into all that formality crap. And second, Mizuki's told me a lot about the two of you. I remember days where I'd go with Kaa-san when she was picking up Mizuki from the dojo. She'd always be saying, 'Bye bye Tatsuki-chan!' or something like that," I explained. As I said so, both girls blushed.
"Well, alright then. It's OK," Tatsuki replied, still blushing. What the hell's up with this Tatsuki? She's not supposed to do this. She's supposed to be another one of the guys! A tomboy! A karate girl! This is not how the second strongest girl in the country acts! Aaaaargh!
"My name is Sado, but if you want to call me Chad, that's OK with me," Chad told me. I smiled, and then nodded.
The rest of the school day passed uneventfully, but I did enjoy seeing all my friends' faces after 18 years. There is one thing that worries me though. Six years ago, I promised Mizuki that she could be a Shinigami or a Quincy, or even both. She'll probably hold me accountable for fulfilling my promise. But how am I going to get her an Asauchi? That'll certainly be problematic. I know that Urahara-san won't have any, and neither he nor Yoruichi-san can go back and get some. Oyaji probably could, but he lost his powers. The Soul Society here doesn't know about me yet, so that's out of the picture. But if I let Urahara use the Shattered Shaft, there's a chance that the manifestation of her Quincy powers may suppress her Shinigami powers like Zangetsu-ossan did initially, so that's out of the question. Rukia losing her powers is also out of the question. This is troubling indeed. And I absolutely cannot tell the current Soul Society that I'm from the future. If Aizen finds out, then the advantages I have will suddenly disappear as he changes his plans to try to surprise me. But how do I get an Asauchi? Wait…could I somehow re-enter the King's dimension and get one from that batshit crazy blacksmith guy who reforged Zangetsu? But how would I do it? Maybe Urahara-san might know. Deciding to act on this thought, I got up from off my bed, and headed downstairs.
"Kaa-san! I'm heading to Urahara-san's place!" I called.
"OK, Ichigo, just don't be late for dinner!" Kaa-san called back as I closed the door. As I was walking, I pondered this question. How to get Mizuki an Asauchi? But I couldn't find an answer. Not surprisingly, Ururu and Jinta were outside the Shoten, sweeping.
"Hello Ururu, Jinta," I called. "Is Urahara-san around?" I asked.
"He's inside, in the basement" Ururu replied. I nodded, and opened the door to the Shoten. After greeting Tessai-san, I once again made my way to the basement, where I saw Urahara-san.
"Ah, Kurosaki-san, what brings you to the Shoten today?" he asked me.
"I need some way to get an Asauchi for Mizuki. Can you help me with that?" I asked.
"An Asauchi, huh? Let me think...ah, I know! Let me call some of my old contacts," Urahara-san told me, pulling out a Denreishinki. He dialed a number (those things can actually call?) and then waited a few moments.
"Moshi moshi, Hikifune-san? This is Urahara Kisuke," I heard him say. Wait, Hikifune-san? Isn't that the lady who fed Renji and me food in the King's dimension? As I mulled this over, I heard Urahara continuing his conversation. "Why am I calling? Well, the verdict passed on us by the Central 46 for Hollowfication experiments was not justified. We were framed for that, and we were using the Forbidden Kido to try to save their lives. But that's not why I'm calling. This is about Shiba Isshin...yes. His daughter wants to become a Shinigami, and as such, he wanted to get her an Asauchi. You can? Thank you, Hikifune-san. Where should I pick it up? A representative will come here? Thank you so much Hikifune-san. Oh, and Hikifune-san, don't tell the Central 46 to revoke our status just yet. The one who framed us is still out there, and we don't want to reveal Shiba-taichou's daughter to him just yet...You'll do that? OK. So I'll expect you here when? 5 minutes from now? Wow. Alright then. Bye bye Hikifune-san!" he concluded, ending the call. He turned to me.
"The Asauchi will arrive here in about 10 minutes or so. You wait here, I'll go get it," he told me. While I waited, I thought about the future. Rukia cannot lose her powers, yet she has to stay here. Similarly, the Hogyoku cannot be placed inside her soul. I'll ask Yoruichi-san to do her Bankai training, and Urahara-san to do basic training. Kaa-san doesn't have her powers anymore, so I'll drag Ishida over here, and he'll do her Quincy training. I'll beat it into Hirako's head, and he'll help with her inner Hollow. After that, I'll help her with maintaining the mask and Bankai for long periods of time. By the time she goes to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia, she'll have to have her Bankai and her mask freely available.
"Here's her Asauchi, Kurosaki-san," I heard Urahara-san told me.
"Hold on, Urahara-san. I'll call Mizuki here, and then she can start her training," I told him. He nodded. I took out my cell phone, and dialed Mizuki's cell phone.
"Moshi moshi, Mizuki? Hai. You know where the Urahara Shoten is right? Can you come down here? Alone?" I asked her.
"Is it time, Onii-chan?" she asked.
"Yes it is. It's time for your training to begin," I replied, ending the call. A few minutes later, I saw Mizuki run up to me and jump me.
"Arigatou, Onii-chan! I can't tell you how much I've been waiting for this!" she yelled, excitedly.
"Alright, calm down, Mizuki. The first step is to enter your inner world. Place this on your lap," I directed, handing her the Asauchi. She complied. I then continued.
"Then, try to synchronize your mind with your Zanpakutou spirit's mind." She nodded, and then began to focus. Slowly, she achieved it. Wow. I'm impressed.
"She has entered her inner world, Ichigo, and is now conversing with the manifestation of her Quincy powers," Zangetsu-ossan informed me.
- - MEANWHILE, INSIDE MIZUKI'S INNER WORLD - -
- - MIZUKI P.O.V. - -
I awoke to see a city at night. The moon was beautiful. I guess I live up to my name, don't I.
"Mizuki," I heard a male voice say.
"Who are you?" I asked, turning to face him. "Are you my Zanpakutou spirit?" At this, he chuckled.
"A very good guess, Mizuki, but not quite correct. I am not your Zanpakutou spirit. I am not unique to you. Your brother has an entity similar to me within his inner world, though he considers that entity part of his Zanpakutou spirit as well. You see Mizuki, I am the manifestation of your Quincy heritage. I am represented here as a younger version of the Quincy Emperor, Juha Bach," he told me.
"If you're my Quincy powers, then where's my Zanpakutou spirit?" I asked him.
"Right here, Queenie!" I heard a voice call. This voice was female, but it sounded similar to mine, yet distorted, and dark. When I turned to face her, I was shocked. I saw a version of me, entirely white, with black sclera and golden eyes.
"So you're my Zanpakutou spirit?" I asked her.
"Yes, Queenie. Good to see you figured it out, unlike your idiotic brother, who took forever to realize that my older brother was his real Zanpakutou. But then he had to go and consider both of them as his Zanpakutou," the girl sneered.
"Don't make fun of Onii-chan!" I yelled. "Anyway, what should I call you?" I asked her.
"I am actually an amalgam of two beings, Queenie. I am both your Zanpakutou spirit and your Hollow powers. But you can call me...Getsuryu!"
"A moon dragon, huh? Cool!" I told her. Her jaw dropped.
"So you think my name's cool, huh? Well, why don't I teach you how to use me." she said.
"What do I need to do?" I asked.
"Just return to the outside world. Focus, and you'll be able to do it. We'll start with the Shinigami powers, and we'll work on the Hollow ones later. You seem a lot more accepting of me than your brother is of my brother, huh Mizuki?" she remarked, as I blacked out.
- - Ichigo P.O.V. - -
After about 10 minutes of waiting while Mizuki's in Jinzen, she opens her eyes, and looks at me.
"I'm ready, Onii-chan!" she calls. At this, I smile, and then get up, ejecting my soul in the process.
"Mizuki, unsheathe the Asauchi," I command. She complies, and then holds it in a traditional Kendo stance.
"Now, the best way to learn something like this is through real combat. Urahara-san, do it," I say, turning to Urahara-san briefly. He nods, and then ejects Mizuki's soul. She holds the Asauchi in a traditional Kendo grip.
"See if you can achieve Shikai, Mizuki," I tell her. She looks confused, and then starts nodding. Looks like she's talking to her Zanpakutou. After a good 5 minutes, she readies herself again.
"Ready, Onii-chan?" she asks. I nod, pulling out the blade on my back.
"Mezamero, yozora no shihai-sha o, Getsuryu!" she yelled. As she did so, she burst into a large cloud of reiatsu. She did it. My sister is a Shinigami. But her Zanpakutou. Moon Dragon huh. Kind of a cross between me and Toshiro. As I was absorbed in my thoughts, I saw Mizuki emerge from the cloud, wearing standard Shinigami attire. I turned to see her sword, or actually, swords. Her sword had changed shape. The guards were now shaped like dragon heads, and the blades were both of equal length.
"Good job Mizuki, you've achieved Shikai," I informed her. She blushed at the compliment, and then prepared herself for my attack. But then, I stopped. I turned to Urahara-san, and then said, "Urahara-san. Can you train her? At least until she has some control over her reiatsu," I asked. He nodded, drawing Benihime from inside his cane. As the fight between Mizuki and Urahara-san went on, I sat down nearby, observing the fight. For a first-time Shinigami, Mizuki was good. As good as I was back then. But if she has 'that'..."
"GETSUGA TENSHOU!" I heard her yell. Holy shit. A Getsuga already? Her growth curve is even more monstrous than mine! What the hell? As I saw Urahara-san's trademark hat drifting towards me, I caught it, and then handed it to him as I walked over to Mizuki's sleeping form. She certainly exhausted herself today.
- - TIMESKIP - 2 MONTHS LATER - -
It's been two months since Mizuki began her Shinigami training. And boy, is her growth curve something. She's already mastered Shikai, her Hollow mask (she can go up to 3 months at a stretch with it on), Cero, Bala, even Resurrecion. Apparently, her inner Hollow is my inner Hollow's younger sister, just like Mizuki is mine. She's also mastered her Quincy powers, with the exception of Letz Stil and Vollstandig, but she won't really need those. Ishida was kinda miffed about helping a Shinigami, until I told him that we were Quincies too. Then, he was indifferent about it, though he did say Mizuki was like a prodigy or something. Oh well. But I'm not going to start her on Bankai yet. Once Rukia is here, and in on the whole time travel story thing, then I'll have Yoruichi begin Mizuki's Bankai training. But even now, without Bankai, Mizuki is powerful enough to take down at least a Fukutaichou level opponent. Or Kenpachi, the only taicho without a Bankai. Speaking of Rukia, tonight's the night she shows up, isn't it?
Because her training is complete for the day, Mizuki and I walk home together, where she hits the shower while I hang out in my room. While I'm preoccupied with my reminiscing, I hear noise from Mizuki's room. I rush over, and open the door.
"Mizuki!" I yell. "What the hell is going on in here?"
"Oh, Onii-chan. I'm stopping a robber, who claims to be a Shinigami," she replied. I looked over, and saw the love of my life. Rukia. My heart was throbbing in pain with how much I've missed her.
"Oh, I see her Mizuki. Hey, Shinigami, what's your name?" I ask, closing the door behind me as I enter Mizuki's room and sit down on the floor across from Rukia.
"My name is Kuchiki Rukia," Rukia replied. "And I am a Shinigami."
"Hey, Rukia, is anyone monitoring what you say right now?" I ask.
"No. Why?" she asks.
"Good. That means I can tell you the whole truth," I replied. And so I began my story, which started in my timeline, at this exact minute, and ended now, in this timeline. Rukia's jaw dropped.
"So you're saying that you're from the future of an alternate timeline, and that in this timeline, I was in love with you?" Rukia asked.
"That's about it, Rukia," I reply.
"That's all believable to me...along with flying pigs and the tooth fairy! What's next, your mother's a Quincy?" Rukia asked, laughing.
"Actually, Rukia, that's true," I replied. She looked at me.
"Huh?" she asked.
"I said that my mom is in fact a Quincy, Rukia," I confirmed. She sighed.
"So you two are powerful Shinigami, Aizen-taicho, Tosen-taicho, and Ichimaru-taicho are traitors, but the latter two later repent it, and your mother's a Quincy whose power was taken by a Quincy Emperor,' Rukia summarized.
"That's about it," I reply.
"What now?" she asked.
"First, you have to pretend to lose your powers. Mizuki?" I call.
"Hai, Onii-chan?" she asks.
"A Hollow will show up outside the house soon. Take care of it OK?" I ask.
"Alright, Onii-chan!" she replies, ejecting her soul and Shunpo-ing out the window, leaving Rukia and I alone.
"So now, tell me. Why do I have to pretend to lose my powers?" Rukia asked.
"If you don't, the events that are supposed to happen, especially those concerning us rescuing you from your execution won't happen, and we'll lose the advantage we have against Aizen," I answered. She nodded, understand. I then walked up to her, and then silently gave her a hug.
"Wha...WHAT ARE YOU DOING ICHIGO!" Rukia yelled, blushing madly.
"I'm sorry, Rukia. I know that this version of you has only just met me, but I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to see your face, and to hear your voice. I've missed you for 18 years, Rukia," I whispered gently. I could tell she was about to demand that I stop hugging her, but her mouth shut itself, and then she leaned into the hug, surprisingly. After a while, she spoke.
"Alright Ichigo, I'll stay here, if only to help you stop a traitor to the Soul Society. And who knows, I might fall in love with you all over again in the process," Rukia told me softly.
"It's strange, Rukia. That's exactly what the version of you from my timeline told me as she was dying. Her last words were 'if I met you again, I'm sure that I'd fall in love with you all over again, Ichigo.'" I told her. As I did so, Mizuki came in through the window. So she took care of that Hollow already. huh?
"Oh...Onii-chan, you and Rukia-chan do seem to be getting comfortable like that, don't you?" Mizuki asked teasingly. At this, Rukia blushed, and pushed herself away from me. I guess this Rukia still isn't fully comfortable with me, is she?
"Alright, Rukia, the first thing we have to do is to get you a gigai. Mizuki, take her to the Shoten and get her a gigai," I commanded.
"Hai, Onii-chan!" she said, grabbing Rukia's wrist and Shunpo-ing out the window. Now that she's gone, I have some planning to do. One thing is that I need to retrieve Kon. I don't want that pervy Mod Soul anywhere near my sister's body. And second, I need to get the Gillian to show up. Maybe I'll get Ishida to use it as a test of her Quincy powers or something. But I have plenty of time for that, don't I?
AN: And that's the end of the chapter that marks Rukia's return! Now that we've actually entered canon, there's going to be fewer timeskips and more detail into what happens.
