Sukai no Rimitto [スカイのリミット]
Summary: The Sky's the Limit - Born 5 years ahead of canon, Kurosaki Ichigo was known for three things: her protectiveness, her strength, and her loyalty. What people forget is that beneath that tough girl exterior, is just a fragile girl trying to desperately keep up with life, struggling mentally and emotionally to get by. Fem!Ichigo
Main Character: Kurosaki Ichigo
Sides: Inoue Sora, Inoue Orihime, Kurosaki Karin, Kurosaki Yuzu, Kuchiki Rukia, Kuchiki Byakuya, Ulquiorra Cifer, Grimmjow Jeagerjacques, Urahara Kisuke, Shihoin Yoruichi, Yasutora Sado, Arisawa Tatsuki, Ishida Uryu
8.2.15
- スカイのリミット- -
She didn't know what to think. Orange hair, tangled and wet, tumbled over her shoulders, her body swathed in a slightly large sweater and a pair of simple cotton sweats. Tossing her towel into the hamper, she sighed. What happened earlier… it was a mess. She remembered seeing the shocked light brown and black eyes of her younger sisters stare at her, both dressed in black shihakushou, swords in hand.
She felt like such a coward, vanishing in a modified sonido after killing purifying Sora-kun. When she had collapsed onto her futon, heading straight into her inner world, and began crying of all things, she felt weak. She had become weak. Something she promised she would never become all those years ago when her mother had died. But she didn't feel a burning resolve in her, nor did she feel the cold fury she expected when she found out that a Shinigami involved her sisters in their chaos. All she felt was a deep emptiness echoing inside her.
| Tch, fuck, Queenie, get out of this damn rut you are throwing yourself into! | Haku shouted, the mind link with her zanpakutos more solid than any others. Ichigo saw them as parts of herself, like a mirror reflection. Haku Zangetsu was her instinct, her anger, her fury, her darkness, all the parts of her that grew ever since she first stepped into society. Those moments when she was ostracized for her hair color and attitude, those moments when she was bullied for her tomboyish personality, those moments when she was isolated because of her ambition and drive, her mother's death, the false condolences at the funeral, the fights and gangs, the supernatural, it all got funneled into Haku, who fed off her emotions and became all that much stronger from them.
| The hollow is right, Ichigo. Where is your resolve? Where is your will? Where is my wielder and why has she been replaced with whoever you are? | Tensa's voice echoed in her mind, making her feel cold. Tensa Zangetsu, cold, efficient, pragmatic, the brunette was her at her most apathetic state, where she no longer cared for anyone – Tensa's only exception was Ichigo herself. This is where her fury at the world got channeled into, her hatred of everything, life, death, ghosts, hollows, Shinigami, herself, Tensa collected it all and fed it to his cold icy persona.
She still had no idea why her partners, her other halves, were male when she herself was female, but Haku and Tensa would only give her a sad glance before brushing her off, only saying that she would understand when they got to that point in time. Tensa would apologize then, but she always rebuffed him, saying that he was not at fault for whatever he was sorry for. It's not like she really cared that both of them were outsiders that found a place with her and melded into her very being. Shiro the hollow, born into her soul since birth and residing in the broken crescent left behind by her mother's death, rebirthed into Haku. Each Shinigami loses a part of their soul to gain a zanpakuto, its fact. The broken soul would meld with the zanpakuto and make them partners for eternity. For some unspoken reason, neither of her halves would explain why she has had them since birth, especially since according to them, she is a rebirthed soul born from a previous soul world cycle – meaning before the supposed apocalypse that restarted the world back to the Paleolithic age. No one ever remembers reincarnation, and when Ichigo asked the white haired and black haired males why they seemed to know so much about the afterlife and its dealings, they would remain silent.
She did not forget, even if her partners believe otherwise, about the offhand comment Haku made about how each zanpakuto is an offspring of the host soul and another drifting fighter soul created once they have died.
How can she have both of them since she was born - because she remembers the time a white haired boy always seemingly watching over her when she was walking home from school and not reporting the stalking because she felt no danger when beneath his gold eyes – if she never entered the afterlife? The both of them remained tightlipped, only mentioning that it is not their secret to tell. Tensa would never appear directly, but he was like that little voice inside her head as a kid who told her right from wrong and made her rethink a lot of her decisions. She was glad she followed his words and didn't ask to stop her culinary and housekeeping lessons from her mother. After her death, dad didn't really know how to care for her or her sisters, so she had to step up.
Her duty was to protect, and she will take any opportunity offered to her to do so.
- スカイのリミット –
A knock on her door startled her out of her reverie. A light brown head peeked out from behind, shy. "Onee-sama?" Yuzu asked, "Can Karin and I come in?" Her voice trembled a bit, unsure, because the person she saw last night, ruthless and cold, was hard to connect with her beloved onee-sama.
"Sure," Ichigo replied, running her fingers through her hair to comb it into some semblance of order. "Come in, I have been planning to talk with you soon anyways."
Light pink lips pursed at Ichigo's words before she popped back into the hall, running down to her and Karin's room and retrieving her sister.
Ichigo wanted to fall back on the futon and just hide her head under the covers. Even if she needed to talk with her sisters, it didn't mean she wanted to. It would mean shattering their innocence. It would mean destroying whatever nice and benevolently protective image of her and replacing it with the dangerous monster she knew she was as a hybrid.
"Onee-sama…what happened last night? Was that Sora-nii?" Karin asked. Watching her one-sama slice her brotherly figure into pieces was traumatizing in a way because she knew it hurt Ichigo. She saw those warm brown eyes close off, and she knew something in her onee-sama broke. Sora-nii, despite being around so often, was less important than her onee-sama's happiness, and if she had to choose, she would have done the deed herself – even if she knew her onee-sama would have never let her do it.
"Sora-kun…he turned into a hollow from too much grief and unresolved commitments." Ichigo finally said, after staying silent, staring out the window. "Acidwire was not Sora-kun, he was what Inoue Sora became after death." It hurt her to get the words out, but it was the truth. That hollow was not the Sora-kun she fell in love with. He looked like Sora-kun, had Sora-kun's voice, had the same mannerisms and personality, but he was not Sora-kun because he wasn't the person she harassed and pursued for years.
| Denial isn't good for you, aibou~| Haku whispered into her ear. She felt warm arms wrap around her, Haku's chin resting on her head.
"Onee-sama!" Karin shouted, eyes wide as a strange figure materialized behind the redhead. Her black eyes took in the messy white hair, several strands reaching past his ears to frame his face, many more over his forehead to cover his eyes while the rest hanged down to just below the nape of his neck. His skin was as pale as his hair, and when his colorless lips parted, she spotted a blue – blue! – tongue peek out. One of his arms were wrapped around Ichigo's waist loosely, the other resting on her forearm, as if to still her movements. The black nails were sharp, but the way he positioned them made sure they weren't digging into the redhead's skin. It was his eyes though, staring straight into hers, that shocked her the most. Gold on black eyes stared through her, as if searching her very soul.
"Guess you finally see me, eh? Shirosaki, nice ta meetcha," Haku purred, tightening his grip on Ichigo.
"Shiro…" Ichigo groaned, but did nothing to move out of her zanpakuto's arms. He was like her older brother, someone she could rely on. Which, considering how she was often the one protecting instead of being protected, was a welcoming experience because she could let her shield down with him. Tensa, on the other hand, was a mix between a fatherly figure and brother, the former mainly because Kurosaki Isshin, despite his love for his family, was not someone she can feel she can go to when she needs help. - And why Shirosaki, Haku?- she asked mentally.
| 'Cause no one can call me that but you, aibou. Ev'ryone else can call me Shirosaki.| Haku replied, not once letting his gaze drop from Karin.
"Shirosaki-san?" Yuzu hesitantly asked. "How do you know onee-sama?"
"He's my zanpakuto," Ichigo answered for her partner, nudging him sharply in the stomach as he opened his mouth, cutting off his warbling laughter.
"Zanpakuto? I thought they were just swords used to get rid of spirits," Karin said, confused.
"That Shinigami didn't explain?" Ichigo said furiously, throwing Haku's arms off of her as she began pacing. "What in Amaterasu's name was she thinking? Throwing you guys into this goddamn fucking mess."
"Onee-sama," Yuzu began, "what did Rukia not tell us?"
Ichigo paused, looking at the two of them before sending Haku a look. He vanished. She sat down on her futon, patting the space beside her as the two twins scrambled to her side. Yuzu laid her head down in Ichigo's lap, cautiously looking up and Ichigo acquiesced. Her slim fingers began to run through the light brown strands as Karin leaned against her body, getting lulled into the warmth of safety always surrounding her whenever in Ichigo's presence.
"A Zanpakuto is more than just a sword, it's your spirit partner. You know what reiatsu and reiryoku is, yes?" Ichigo stopped, taking in the frown and solemn headshake before breathing in deeply. When she gets her hand on that damn little slip of a girl… "Reiryoku is your spiritual power. Only those with high enough levels can even glimpse spirits or ghosts. It is present in everyone, the only differences is power levels. The more powerful souls have immensely dense reiryoku and reiatsu, being in their presence can completely annihilate weaker souls from existence. Reiatsu is the leaking reiryoku, the condensed spirit particles of your power."
"So it's what allowed Karin and me to become Shinigami? This reiatsu?" Yuzu said inquisitively. Brown eyes looked down before nodding.
"Zanpakuto weapons are basically condensed reiryoku and reiatsu formed into a tangible form. An asauchi is usually used to allow Shinigami in training to learn how to mold the shape and practice fighting. Zanpakuto spirits are souls that have been cast out of the reincarnation cycle for many reasons. Perhaps because of their profound impact on the Living World while alive or for actions that do not fit them in Soul Society, Hell, or Hueco Mundo, these souls mold with the broken parts of another spirit and bond with them, becoming their partner. This is the bond between a Shinigami and their zanpakuto. You have not learned the names to yours?" Ichigo trailed off, listening to the steady breaths of her sisters as she realized the two had fallen asleep. They must not have gotten any rest last night, she realized. Nightmares? She though sadly as she slowly extracted herself from their embrace. Tucking them in, she gave a final glance back before exiting her room, heading off to make herself a small snack.
- スカイのリミット- -
This doesn't really further the plot much, but it does lay the foundation for a bunch of theologies and concepts I plan to incorporate into the story.
Now, since the response for this have been more than I expected, I'll TRY – key word: TRY – to update bi-weekly.
Please understand that I really feel conflicted on which story I should spend time on, since I don't have a lot of it, admittedly. Plus, my muse tends to drag me along for random rides and make me write another story instead of updating another. And she – I'm pretty sure it's a girl at least – also is spiteful enough to leave me with writer's block often too, so if I end up churning out a short chapter or nothing for a while, sorry.
So… I don't really see romance coming up until past the Fake Karakura! Arc at least. That means I am still undecided on the pairing until then, so review, tell me your thoughts, and submit a pairing!
-SilverReplay