Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Ichigo Kurosaki watched with shock and awe as Sōsuke Aizen was sealed away by a special Kidō that Kisuke Urahara created specifically for the brown haired man. Because Aizen was infused with the Hōgyoku, he could not be killed.
"I hate you, Kisuke Urahara! I demand to know why you, whose intelligence is equal to if not greater than mine, let yourself be controlled by 'that thing'!" Aizen yelled as he desperately tried to remove the red spikes that kept erupting from his chest with no succession.
Kisuke narrowed his eyes in realisation. "'That thing?' You must be talking about the Soul King. So you've also seen it." The light blonde haired man shook his head. "Here's something that you just don't understand, Aizen. The Soul King is the cornerstone of existence itself. Without that cornerstone, the structure that is existence will be rent asunder. That...is simply the way of the world."
"Preposterous!!" Aizen shouted. "That is the reasoning of a loser!! Victors must always speak of the way the world should be and not the way it is! I-" He didn't get to finish his statement as he was completely sealed by the Kidō.
Silence ensued for a few moments as the men continued to stare at the seal. Kisuke watched as the Substitute Soul Reaper stood up on his feet and continued to watch the seal. Mr Hat-and-Clogs walked up to Ichigo and stood next to him.
"Ichigo."
Ichigo turned to look at his mentor, who had a serious face for once. He knew the question that he was going to be asked before it was asked.
"Where is the Hōgyoku?"
Ichigo looked at Kisuke for a few moments before raising his left arm and unclenching his fist, revealing a small blue orb that pulsated in his hand after successfully ripping it off Aizen's chest before the seal took effect.
Kisuke spoke, "Please give it to me so I can seal it away, or destroy it if the first option doesn't work. I have to make sure that it is not used for evil ever again."
The orange haired boy just nodded and Kisuke took the Hōgyoku off Ichigo's hand and putting it in his pocket. Kisuke noticed that his student had reverted back to looking at the seal that held the man who was responsible for basically EVERYTHING that happened in his life.
'I'm surprised that he didn't tell you. He hid the truth from you, all the way until the end. I wonder why?'
"I'm sorry."
The sudden apology made Ichigo turn his attention to the man next to him.
"Why are you apologizing?" Ichigo asked in a monotone voice that didn't go unnoticed by the light blonde haired man.
Kisuke seemed to hesitate for a moment, but continued, "I'm apologizing because I am the one responsible for your predicament right now."
"Kisuke-"
"Please, let me finish." Kisuke interrupted. "If I was not so selfish, you wouldn't be involved with the war with Aizen." To the Substitute's surprise, Kisuke got on both knees and bowed his head, his hair covering his eyes.
"If it wasn't for me, you would still have your powers right now. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't come across death and nearly escape multiple times. Because of me, you had to fix the mess that I created. So from the bottom of my heart, I truly am sorry for all that has happened to you." The battlefield became quiet for what seems to be the longest time as Kisuke waited for Ichigo to speak.
"Look at me, Hat-and-Clogs." Kisuke did just that and was surprised to see a hand in front of his face. He looked up at Ichigo, only to see a small but sincere smile on his face. "I don't regret the path that I have chosen, nor do I regret losing my powers. You have nothing to apologise for, Kisuke, so please stand up."
Kisuke was shocked at the response that he got, but nevertheless, grabbed Ichigo's hand and hoisted himself up. Before he could speak, they were surrounded by the captains of the Gotei 13 excluding Zaraki, Yachiru, Ikkaku and Yumichika. Renji, Rukia, Isane and Sasakibe (who was carrying Yamamoto's cane) had arrived with the captains. Ichigo frowned when he saw some of them were seriously injured, particularly Hitsugaya, but he was glad that they were alive, albeit barely.
Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, an old man who was surprisingly muscular, had scars all over his torso and no longer had a left arm thanks to Hadō #96, Ittō Kasō, looked at the two men in front of him, more particularly Ichigo as he felt nothing coming from him.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, why do I not feel any spiritual pressure from you?" The old man asked. It was Kisuke who answered though, "Ichigo no longer has his powers, Captain-Commander. He lost them during the battle with Aizen." Upon hearing this, the old Soul Reaper opened both his eyes.
'Interesting. If what Urahara says is true, then this would make things easier.'
Yamamoto looked at Ichigo and almost felt pity for what he was about to do. Key word here: almost. At the end of the day, even if it meant killing the man who saved the Sereitei time and time again in order to preserve the peace and prosperity of the Soul Society while also eliminating a potential threat, then he would gladly do it, over and over again.
The Captain-Commander barked, "Kisuke Urahara, you are to return to your shop and work on sealing or destroying the Hōgyoku. It must not fall into the wrong hands again." Kisuke nodded and used Shunpo to head back to the shop. Yamamoto then turned his attention back to Ichigo, who had turned to look at the seal again. "Ichigo Kurosaki, we of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads extend our gratitude to you. I-"
"No need, old man." Ichigo interrupted the old Soul Reaper. Everyone except Yamamoto, Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake and Byakuya Kuchiki widened their eyes in shock while the four men just shook their heads. The hybrid continued, "There is no need to thank me, Gramps. I'm a protector. It's in my nature to protect those I care about. That's all there is to it." Upon hearing this, everyone except Yamamoto, Kurotsuchi and Suì-Fēng looked down at the ground or looked somewhere else, something Ichigo immediately noticed, but whether it was from fear or something else entirely, he wasn't sure.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Yamamoto took a deep breath and sighed. "Alas, Kurosaki, it seems there is one more threat that must be taken care of."
That statement really confused Ichigo. He thought that every single Arrancar and rouge Captain that came to the fake Karakura Town was defeated and judging by the fact that Byakuya, Mayuri and Unohana were right in front of him, it seems like all the threats have been eliminated, so what or who was the old man talking about?
"Okay, so who is it?'' Ichigo asked, thinking that it was an Arrancar that the Gotei 13 could handle. The answer that he received shocked him to the core.
"You."
Before Ichigo could even react, he suddenly felt intense pain all over his body. His eyes widened to the point where it looked like they were going to come out of their sockets when he saw that almost all the captains had stabbed him all around his body and punctured most of his organs. He looked at the people who didn't participate in this assassination. Unohana and Isane found quite an interest on the ground when they saw that he was looking at them. His eyes darted over to Rukia and Renji, the former had tears in her eyes and the latter was looking at him with guilt. The captains removed their zanpakutō from his body and stepped back, letting his body fall as he muttered one word.
"Why?"
Rain started to fall, as if the sky itself was crying over this betrayal.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, for the safety, peace and security of the Sereitei and the Soul Society as a whole, we the Thirteen Court Guard Squads have deemed you a potential threat and must be put down. Rukia Kuchiki, third seat of Squad 13, as the one closest to the boy, it will be you who shall deliver the final strike." The old Soul Reaper ordered.
Rukia hesitantly unsheathed her zanpakutō and slowly walked towards Ichigo, who was struggling to get to get to his knees and looking at everyone he thought would stop the Captain-Commander's order with a certain amount of rage and hatred that he never knew he possessed:
Renji
Rukia
Toshiro
Rangiku
Byakuya
He knew that Kurotsuchi, Suì-Fēng, Ukitake, Kyōraku and Unohana were loyal to the the old man and would follow the orders that they were given, no matter what they are.
Those people however were not relevent at the moment. The only person that was relevent at the Shinigami-Hollow hybrid was the one standing in front of him.
The woman he had saved again and again.
The woman he loved.
Rukia stepped back in alarm when she saw Ichigo stare at him with different emotions fighting within his eyes: rage, shock, disbelief and confusion. Eventually, only one remained. Sorrow.
"Rukia. Don't do it."
She didn't respond, merely looking at him with the most pained expression on her face.
Ichigo yelled, "Don't listen to him. You shouldn't do this to me! You CAN'T do this to me!"
His voice then changed into a whisper, "After everything we have been through, are you really going to turn your back on me?" he asked, desperately hoping and praying that this was all a dream, and that he will wake up soon. The pain he felt however was slowly shattering that illusion.
He looked at Byakuya and Renji, who looked down. Well, the red haired man looked down while Byakuya merely closed his eyes.
"Byakuya! Renji!"
Renji opened his mouth as if to speak, but then closed it, shaking his head. Byakuya didn't hesitate to speak, "When we met on Sōkyoku Hill on the day of Rukia's execution, I told you that I would always uphold the law of the Soul Society." He then opened his eyes and Ichigo no longer saw Byakuya the stoic noble, but Byakuya the merciless killer.
"You are no exception, Ichigo Kurosaki."
The orange haired teenager then turned to Yamamoto's former students.
"Guys! Talk to him! Don't let him do this to me! Please!"
Ukitake continued to look down while Kyōraku lowered his hat to cover his eyes. In a somber tone, he said, "I'm truly sorry, kid. I really am. But Old Man Yama's words are final."
Ichigo could not believe what he was seeing and hearing. The same organization that he had saved multiple fucking times had betrayed him. After everything that they had put him through! Kageroza. Muramasa. The Bount. The Dark Ones. Ulquiorra. Grimmjow, and now Aizen.
After all of that, they betrayed him when he was at the most vulnerable.
Ichigo turned to see Rukia and was taken aback by what he saw. The tears on her face were no longer there, although it was hard to tell because of the rain. Her expression however was stone faced, mirroring her older brother's. She then slowly raised Sode no Shirayuki above her head, looking at Ichigo with cold eyes.
"Goodbye, Ichigo." she said in a tone that eerily reminded the hybrid of Byakuya and sent chills down his spine, although the teen swore he could hear tiny bits of sadness in that tone.
"I'm sorry."
Crimson red liquid flew everywhere as Rukia gave Ichigo two nasty cuts on his torso, creating an X shape. Ichigo looked at the scars and shed tears of blood, his brain still processing the fact that the woman he loved had just wounded him. He then saw her feet turn around and walk to the other reaction. He was about to call her name, but Captain Suì-Fēng, a petite woman with two braid that had rings tied at the back and was also missing an arm, appeared in front of him and with swift and great precision, slit his throat with Suzumebashi, having been annoyed that the boy was still alive after seeing the Kuchiki girl deliver slashes that should have been fatal.
Ichigo didn't move. He didn't choke on his own blood or try to stop the bleeding. He just fell on his face and a pool of blood oozed from under him. 'Finally, the boy dies. Good riddance.' thought the woman as turned to walk away. She never liked that boy to begin with. She had begrudging respect for him for all he had done, but that's where it ended. She always wanted the Ryoka to be eliminated sooner than later before he became a threat and turned. Suì-Fēng hadn't even talk a step before she felt something grab her ankle. Shocked, she turned, looked down and saw Ichigo grabbing her ankle with a bloody hand.
'Impossible! How in the hell did he survive that?' She narrowed her eyes. 'He is a pain in the ass, but Captain Kuchiki did tell us that he would be excruciatingly difficult to get rid of.'
Suì-Fēng forcefully removed her foot with shock, anger and disgust evident on her face. Meanwhile, Captain-Commander Yamamoto reached into his pocket and pulled out an average amount of Hollow bait, crushing it. Immediately, numerous Gargantas opened as many Hollows, mainly Gillian and Adjuchas, made a beeline for the captains and lieutenants down below.
Yamamoto spoke, "It is truly saddening to see you like this, my boy. On behalf of the Gotei 13, we thank you for everything you have done for us." Then they all Flashstepped away as the Hollows closed in on them, leaving a defenseless and vulnerable Ichigo alone.
'They betrayed me. After all I've done for them, they betrayed me. Rukia... you didn't even try to contest the order.'
'I won't tell you again. I came to rescue you, Rukia.'
He clenched his fist with the hand that grabbed Suì-Fēng's ankle.
'I hate them! I hate all those fucking Soul Reapers! I HATE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!'
Those were his last thoughts before he succumbed to unconsciousness after seeing a blinding light.
(Silbern)
In another dimension called the Schatten Bereich, there is a wide, two-tiered building. The bottom tier is supported by six thick columns, while the upper tier is roughly half as wide and long, instead being held up by pillars; it also features windows consisting of two thin slats in the wall on either side. The ground below it has a set of stairs leading up to the lower tier, and the entire complex is surrounded by an angular barrier with octagonal joints.This buildingis framed by two gutted, curving, tusk-like structures arching toward each other in front of it, and is dwarfed by a large, rectangular tower with a cross on each side rising up behind it. The entire area is covered in varying amounts of ice, giving every surface a jagged look with dozens of stalagmites.
This is Silbern.
When someone enters the building, they will find that the rooms within Silbern vary drastically in size and purpose, ranging from spacious assembly halls to training rooms and private quarters. There was one room that was different from the rest. In a dark medium-sized throne room, sitting on a throne was a man. It is a tall man with a long face, broad chin, and pronounced cheekbones. He has long black hair, which reaches to his lower back, and reddish-brown eyes with thin eyebrows. He has well-kept mutton chops and a connected mustache, but is otherwise clean-shaven. His usual attire consists of a white, double-breasted trench coat, which has the Wandenreich symbol on the middle, with large buttoned cuffs and lapels, white trousers, and trench boots. Over this, he wears a tattered, ankle-length maroon-black cloak, which has a red ribbon near the neck and is fastened to the left with a single large button.
This was the progenitor of the Quincy and the son of the Soul King.
Yhwach.
The Sealed King of the Quincy. After 900 years, he would regain his heartbeat. After 90 years, he would regain his intellect. After 9 years, he would regain his strength and after 9 days, he would regain the world. Right now, he was just shy of 5 years before accomplishing the second to last and final verses. He was currently watching the assassination of Ichigo Kurosaki using devices to watch his enemies, the Soul Reapers, quite literally from the shadows. He didn't know how to feel about the sudden development.
On the one hand, he was irritated that he could not get talk to his 'son borne in the darkness' and take his power. On the other hand, he was, in a way, relieved that the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had some of the first generation in them. He respected the very first Gotei 13 because they were Balancers in name only. In reality, they were a bunch of ruthless thugs and killers who would do anything in order to win, even sacrifice their own family members. He despised the current version because it was weak, especially from the following members:
An old man who sat around and did nothing for so long, he became rusty.
A kind woman who hides her dark past very well.
A prodigy whose power is immature.
A bloodthirsty maniac who made himself weak so that he could enjoy the fight.
A sadistic and immoral scientist who sits in his lab all day and uses poisons to win battles.
A Soul Reaper who disowned his entire clan because of how he looks.
He turned off the monitor because he didn't need to see what happened when someone gets devoured by a Hollow, and turned another one with a list called the Special War Powers. He decided to change it because of the recent events and a gut feeling that told him to not underestimate his enemies.
The original list was as followed:
Special War Powers
Ichigo Kurosaki (War Power: Latent Abilities)
Ichibē Hyōsube (War Power: Wisdom)
Kenpachi Zaraki (War Power: Combat Prowess)
Sōsuke Aizen (War Power: Reiatsu)
Kisuke Urahara (War Power: Resourcefulness)
The list now looked like this:
Ichibē Hyōsube (War Power: Wisdom)
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto (War Power: Fire)
Kenpachi Zaraki (War Power: Fighting Power)
Sōsuke Aizen (War Power: Reiatsu)
Kisuke Urahara (War Power: Resourcefulness)
Yoruichi Shihōin (War Power: Speed)
Tessai Tsukabishi (War Power: Kidō)
The moment he finished updating the list, the door and in walked Haschwalth is a tall, young-looking man with a thin build and long blonde hair, which descends past his shoulders, and blonde eyelashes. His attire is a variation of the Sternritter's typical white uniform, consisting of the order's signature hooded-cloak, a calf-length trench coat commensurate of his rank with dark green fur running down from his left collar to the front of the coat, a green belt with a golden belt buckle,along with white trousers and shoes. This was Jugram Haschwalth, second-in-command of the Wandenreich and Yhwach's 'other half.' Haschwalth bowed his head upon reaching the throne.
"Your Majesty."
"Haschwalth." The elder grunted. "I have updated the list of the Special War Powers. Memorize the list and tell the other Sternritter."
The blonde haired man walked over to the list. He quickly noticed that Ichigo's name was not on the list. He tilted his head in confusion.
"Your Majesty, if I may, why did you remove Ichigo Kurosaki's name off the list?"
"He is dead."
Haschwalth whipped his head around so fast, it's a miracle he didn't get whiplash.
"What?"
"Yes, killed by the very same people he saved. I was surprised when they turned on him. He even pleaded for mercy but they gave none to him. It's good to see that the Gotei 13 still have some remnants of the first generation in them."
Haschwalth quickly snapped out of his shock and spoke, "Yes, but thanks to them, they have unknowingly eliminated one of, if not, the biggest obstacle in your plans."
"My thoughts exactly. That reminds me, why are you here?"
"I came here to tell you that we have found his location, Your Majesty."
"Good, bring him to me as soon as possible. All of my children must return to their father."
A/N - Hi guys, this is PreacherB, former known as PastorB. I must clear up a few things before we move on. I'm sure some of you have been searching for my other story called the Evolution Of A Vengeful Protector but couldn't find it, that is because it was deleted. My petty brother decided to, in a fit of rage, delete my story, chapter and bookmarked/saved stories. He even deleted my backup chapters. I felt some type of way about that, and now he's leaving with my dad, living me all by myself. This is a revamp of the original, but there are going to be some changes.
1. I have to rewrite every single chapter, so it might take me a long time to post in between.
2. The time travel part has been removed.
3. Final list of harem (inspired by GHETTOKINGKAI);
Tia Halibel, Yoruichi Shihōin, Kirio Hikifune, Senjumaru Shutara, Isane Kotetsu, Yachiru Unohana, Orihime Inoue, Tatsuki Arisawa and Neliel Tu Odeschwanck.
4. The story will have some changes to it.
Let me know if you liked this chapter. Review and comment (be cordial and constructive. No flames.)