Chapter 4: The Power of the Trinity

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach and these OCs are mine and TSDE.

Several weeks later….
Karakura Town

Ichigo hopped from rooftop to rooftop as the moon made its trek across the sky. His shihakusho was sticky with sweat…and not from the summer heat. Ochiru had just left the Kurosaki residence, in a less skimpy, but still sexy maid outfit, after "cleaning" Ichigo. Ichigo blushed at the growing amount of times he'd spent with one of the girls in his pants. The three had been constantly tempting Ichigo and each time was harder to resist the temptation. He felt connected to them and he knew that they were telling the truth when they each said they had a lot in common with the boy. Still, he wondered why exactly they were all obsessed with him. He'd yet to have any more startling dreams and the three had only given cryptic and vague notions about their true intentions.

"Ichigo!"

The substitute turned to see Uryu hop up to run alongside him. The Quincy pushed his glasses up as he looked at the boy. "You seem to be having a busy night," he said while giving him a look of disapproval. When Ichigo failed to retort a smart remark, he narrowed his eyes. "Having fun with our new classmates?"

"Rub it in, why don't you…."

Uryu shook his head as he hopped to the top of a water tower. "Look, Ichigo. Who you choose to have intercourse with is your own prerogative. But we know next to nothing about those girls and you've decided to just invite them into your bed!" Uryu knew of the three strange girls. He'd checked their soul ribbons and saw that they were red but…with a gold glow, signifying that they weren't normal.

"It's not like I intended to sleep with them!" Ichigo quickly said. "Things just…happened…." He looked away, suddenly ashamed at himself for letting the Quincy tell him off. "Look…I don't think they mean me any harm-"

"Be that as it may, I think it'd be best to steer clear of them for now," Uryu said, concerned for his friend. "We've just gotten things back to normal and the last thing we need is- "He was cut off when they both felt a massive burst of spiritual pressure. "What the hell?"

The Soul Reaper and Quincy looked up to see a massive hole in the sky open up, the biggest they've seen in a long time. "What the? A garganta?" Ichigo and Uryu hurried to the hole in the sky, winding up in the middle of a dilapidated factory, time having taken its toll on it. "Is it more arrancars to avenge Aizen or the Vandenreich?"

Summoning his bow, Uryu shook his head. "I doubt it. They've had plenty of time to get revenge on Aizen and Yhwach wasn't exactly beloved. No." His eyes widened when he saw figures emerge from the darkness. "These aren't arrancars; they're normal hollows."

But as the group of hollows descended to the ground, Ichigo noticed how small they are. "Uh…you sure they aren't arrancars? They look like humans to me? Uryu?" Ichigo turned to look at his friend, only to see Uryu's face turn pale. "Uryu?"

"Those aren't arrancars. They're much worse…they're Vasto Lordes!"

Ichigo drew his Zangetsu blades and scowled. "So? We've faced worse before!"

Uryu shook his head, wishing that Ichigo knew the danger. There were so many of them, at least thirty. And neither he nor Ichigo had fully recovered from their battle against Yhwach. Further, Ichigo was no longer at full power, having his inner Quincy and Hollow powers stolen by Yhwach. 'I don't think he understands just how much he's been weakened….' Uryu thought. 'Does his inner hollow even still exist in his zanpakuto anymore?'

Putting the question out of his mind, Uryu drew his bow and addressed the hollow directly in front of them. It was a short Vasto Lorde, with a voodoo witch-doctor-like mask. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"That weapon…" the hollow's eyes narrowed when it saw Uryu's bow. "So…you're one of the Vandenreich then? No matter. We were planning on killing everyone in this town anyway so it'll be more fun to start with you, Quincy."

Ichigo stepped in between them and glared. "You're gonna kill everyone here? Why?" he demanded. He knew that Vasto Lorde were strong but was confident he could handle them.

"To draw out the Soul Reapers. We had to deal with that infernal bastard, Aizen. Then we had to run for our lives from those damn Quincies. The lot of us have decided that it is the Soul Reapers who are to blame for this. Now we will wipe out this Spirit Enrichment Zone and draw out the captains. Once they're dead at our feet, there will be nothing to stop us from turning this world into our own playground!"

Uryu scowled. He knew that if Aizen had at least ten Vasto Lorde then he might have had a chance to wipe out the captains. And now, this hollow had gathered over thirty! 'No doubt the Soul Society has already been alerted to their presence. We should try to keep them boxed in for as long as possible until help arrives.'

That train of thought ended when Ichigo charged at the hollow. "I don't think so!" he shouted. The Vasto Lorde jumped backward and let its flunkies charge forward. "Kill this brat and bring me his heart!"

Ichigo braced himself as twenty-nine Vasto Lordes charged him. However, a large golden flash blinded everyone, including Ichigo and Uryu. When it faded, the two saw to their surprise Aibara, Ochiru and Asuka standing in front of them, dressed in black Shihakushos. Ichigo blinked in surprise, Uryu stepping backward out of shock and the Vasto Lorde all stared at the three interlopers. "Why are you three here?" Uryu asked, his face scowling. He did not believe in coincidences; it was no accident that the three were in the area right as an army of hollows just showed up.

Ochiru turned to Uryu and smiled. "We promised Ichigo that when he needed us, we'd be there. That's a promise we intend to live up to."

"Leave them to us," Aibara said, drawing her sword.

Ichigo shook his head. "Wait, I can't just let you fight them by yourselves!" But when he took a step forward Asuka stopped him, shaking her head.

"Ichigo. We've far more capable then you can imagine. Let us show you what we can do."

"Enough talk!" the voodoo Vasto Lorde barked. "It matters little if there were three hundred of you! We'll still tear you apart all the same."

"Guys!" Ichigo started to step forward when Uryu stopped him as the hollows resumed their charge. "But Uryu-"

"They said they can handle them. If you like them so much, why not have some faith?" the Quincy said. Balling his hands into fists, Ichigo kept himself rooted to the ground and watched as events unfolded before his eyes….

Aibara smiled as a group of hollows swarmed her. "For the most intelligent of hollows, you're not so bright…." She held her blade out horizontally and planted a hand on the pommel of the hilt. "Pierce the heart: Tenshi!" Glowing pink, the zanpakuto converted into a large, pink bow, with a heart at the center of it. In her left hand spawned a metal gauntlet. Pulling the string back, Aibara smirked as the Vasto Lordes neared. "Say goodnight!" A single pink arrow shot out of the bow as Aibara released the string, drilling through the nearest hollow. But the arrow didn't stop there after taking it out. The weapon zipped around until it'd went through the head of every other hollow, taking them all out in one move. "Just be lucky I didn't choose to shoot an entire salvo…" Aibara said, shouldering her bow. "That would've been a lot more painful than taking one between the eyes."

Ochiru turned to see several Vasto Lorde stalking toward her and grinned. "Alright then…Soar: Tsubasawashi!" Her blade breathed air before morphing into a pair of bladed fans, the blades shaped like eagle feathers. "Eat air!" With a swish of her fans, a sharp blade of wind materialized and cut the hollows in half with ease. Each swish of her fans brought more death to the hollows, leaving Ichigo and Uryu stunned as she cut them to ribbons.

Asuka turned to Ichigo and smiled, knowing she had his attention and stabbed her zanpakuto into the ground. "Cherish: Zōgehakushō!" With a bright flash of light, Asuka's zanpakuto glowed before wrapping around her arms, forming glowing gauntlets that shined with brilliant light. With ferocity that belied her kind nature, Asuka slammed her fists together, creating a shockwave of light. By the time it was over, all of the hollows who'd attacked her had been reduced to ashes.

Ichigo was so shocked that he almost dropped his zanpakutos. "What…how…" he sputtered. Words failed him as he watched as three girls, with blinding ease, dispatched twenty-nine Vasto Lordes. "They're so strong!" he gasped.

Uryu was likewise stunned. "Unbelievable! I thought they were strong but…they're…not normal, even by OUR standards!" he said, releasing his bow, satisfied that the threat was over.

But it was not over. The leader of the hollow-pack, the voodoo hollow, narrowed his eyes as he stared at the three girls. "So…you three Soul Reapers are quite powerful…." He turned his head to the side as his gaze went from each girl. "To defeat so many in so short of time. I'm impressed."

Aibara drew her bow and smirked. "You're next. Just hold still. This'll only hurt until you're burning in Hell!"

"Not quite, blondie!" The hollow raised a hand and snapped its fingers. "Do you really think that they were the only hollows I've recruited. I've learned from fighting Soul Reapers that when it comes to quality versus quality, attrition always wins." As he finished speaking countless Gargantas ripped open in the sky. And from them spewed hollow after hollow. And it was every type of Menos Grande under the black and white rainbow. Gillians thundered about as they stomped through the forest, Adjuchas soared through the sky as they scouted for prey and even more Vasto Lordes had joined their leader.

Summoning his bow back, Uryu cursed. "Damn! There's thousands! The group from before must've been just a vanguard!" Ichigo nodded as he steadied his grip on his Zangetsu blades. "Hang on!" he told the girls as they stepped forward. "We'll help."

Ochiru turned to Ichigo and smiled sweetly. "That's cute, Ichigo, but like we've told you before…" she said as her body, as well as the Aibara's and Asuka's, glowed gold. "We've got this." She held up a hand on concentrated, her special powers revealing themselves.

The ground beneath them rumbled as Ochiru exerted her power. All at once, it seemed like the whole planet had come alive at her whim. As the Gillians thundered toward them, the ground suddenly swelled up around them. The Menos roared into the air as they were sucked into the ground beneath them, not leaving a trace once they'd been consumed. Seeing a group of low-level hollows fly toward her, Ochiru put her hands together, her body once again glowing gold. Hearing a hissing sound, Ichigo looked down to see black sand seep up from the ground.

Uryu reached down and poked a finger into the black stream as it ran to its master. "Iron?" he hypothesized. "She converted the minerals beneath the town into iron!" Both he and Ichigo looked back up as the sea of black iron formed an array of spears. Pointing a finger, Ochiru launched one of them. It speared a charging hollow and then expanded, spearing its companions until none were left alive. Turning to the hoard above them, Ochiru started to fling her iron weaponry.

A group of wild-looking Adjuchas circled Aibara, who merely smirked at the deadly foes. Ichigo gasped when they all lunged at her, giving her nowhere to maneuver. Their claws reached for her…only to hit nothing. "What?" one hollow gasped in surprise. Ichigo rubbed his eyes. He was sure if she'd used the Flashstep or some variant he'd have seen it. It was like she'd vanished into thin air.

"Over here." The group of hollows turned to see Aibara standing behind them, waving at them. "Bye bye!" The hollows screamed as a cube of transparent energy appeared around them and closed in, crushing them until they had been destroyed.

Ichigo's attention was diverted once more when she saw Asuka standing on a nearby rooftop, a dragon-like Vasto Lorde appearing behind her. "Asuka! Watch out!" he shouted.

But his warning came too late when the hollow swung its bone-saw sword at the girl, cutting her in two. Then, to the amazement of it and the two spectators, Asuka's image dissolved into black shadows. The real Asuka materialized out of the darkness above it and held up a hand. Hot lava appeared around her and shot toward the Vasto Lorde, melting it in a violent death. She looked around to see Ichigo staring at her in shock. "Don't be too surprised, Ichigo. That's not all I can do…."

She flashstepped towards the Voodoo Hollow. "This can't be! You're no Soul Reaper! What…the hell…ARE YOU?!"

When Asuka smiled, Ichigo saw that her eyes became consumed by darkness. "I'm complicated." As she stepped forward her body changed in a way that Ichigo never thought possible; and he'd seen a lot in his time as a Soul Reaper. Black bat like wings shot out of her back as two pointy horns poked out of her black hair. Her attire transformed as well, leaving her standing there in a black bat-bra and black leather pants, her skin turning deep purple as she was advanced towards the hollow. Holding up a hand, she smiled at the frightened Vasto Lorde. "Fade into the darkness…."

As if she commanded the night itself, a black void appeared around the Voodoo hollow and began to suck him in. "No!" he screamed as he tried in vain to save himself. "NOOOOOO!" was its last cry before being swallowed by the night. Looking around at the vast legions of hollows, she held up both hands. Black lava erupted around her and shot towards the army, now leaderless and on the verge of defeat.

Uryu and Ichigo stood there in silence, not knowing what to say as the three girls annihilated the army of hollows. Soon, self-preservation became the only thing the hollows had left and what few remained fled back into the Gargantas, hoping that the three wouldn't pursue them.

The three stood together as they watched their enemies flee. Once the last of them were gone, the golden glow around them faded, Asuka turning back to normal. "Anyone else notice how Asuka looks like a slut when she transforms?" Aibara said.

Asuka seethed. "Hey! Don't hate! You're just jealous I get a killer body!"

Ochiru cut in between the two. "If you don't mind, girls," she turned to Ichigo and Uryu. "I believe we owe Ichigo some explanations…."

An Hour Later….
The Trinity's House

"What the hell was that?" Uryu demanded as he and Ichigo sat on the couch, the girls sitting in separate chairs facing them. "That was unlike anything we've seen before. And we've seen A LOT!"

Ichigo explained. "They're Soul Reapers from nine hundred years ago. They came into contact with a meteorite that gave them special powers."

Sitting back, Uryu pushed up his glasses. "I see. That explains why your spiritual pressures don't feel like a normal Soul Reaper's…" He turned to each one and assessed them. "You each gained agelessness and the ability to exert influence over an element. You gained magnetism and geokinesis ," he said, looking at Ochiru.

Turning to Aibara, he continued. "Judging from what I saw, you have the ability to manipulate time as well as to create dimensional shifts, which means that you can also manipulate space as well."

"Not bad, Uryu," the blonde said, sitting back in her chair. "You must've recognized my power from your fight with Kageroza Inaba."

"I did. The way you vanished seemed similar to his zanpakuto. But in your case, you'd stopped time instead of manipulating space." And then he turned to Asuka and his cheeks became red as he remembered her sinful transformation. "And you…have the power of darkness?" Asuka nodded. "But then, why do you also have the ability to manipulate lava? Shouldn't that be more of Ochiru's power?"

Asuka gave him a grin. "Well, that's mostly true. I can manipulate shadows and infuse my body with the power of darkness. As for how I can use lava, well…" She glowed gold and in her place was the Asuka-succubus, "Lust can be hot-blooded, if you know what I mean…" she said before turning back to normal.

Uryu's face turned into a scowl. "You have so much power. Why didn't you help when we were fighting Aizen or the Vandenreich? You just wiped out an army of hollows with nothing but a few gestures. So why didn't you help?"

"Because," Asuka said as she laid back on her recliner. "For years we felt detached from this world. What happened to it or the Soul Society was none of our business."

"So you turned your backs on everyone?" Uryu angrily accused.

"Would you prefer we be like Muramasa or the Bounts and exact our revenge for being wronged? You know, like all your other enemies have?" she retorted.

Uryu was silent and was forced to concede the point to them. "Okay, good point…."

"Anyway. Uryu, it's time for you to leave," Aibara said, annoyed at the Quincy's probing.

The Quincy narrowed his eyes. "What for?" he asked angrily. "I'm not going anywhere until I know what you have planned for Ichigo."

Ochiru looked at the boy with a compassionate look. "I know you're concerned for your friend but we have no intention of harming Ichigo. We care too much about him to ever lay a hand on him."

Sighing in exasperation, Uryu was forced to take them at their word. "I suppose that if you wanted to, you'd have killed Ichigo by now if you meant him harm." He turned to Ichigo and scowled. "Ichigo, I want to know exactly what they say tomorrow."

Ichigo was silent for a moment before nodding, figuring that his friend had earned the right. Uryu promptly left the house and swiftly made his way home. "Alright. Asuka. Ochiru. Aibara. I'm done waiting and I won't stand for anymore of you beating around the bush. What is it you want from me?" he asked, his eyes staring deep into the three as he gripped the sofa's arm. "You keep alluding to me making a choice. What choice? And why are you three so obsessed with me? It's time for the truth."

"I understand," Ochiru said. "I'll start where we left off:

After the three of us gained our powers, we soon found ourselves ostracized by the Thirteen Court Guard Squads for our unique gifts. Aibara had been demoted from her position from fourth-seat of Squad One when the Head-Captain became afraid she'd try to assume more power. Asuka was left all alone after the death of her father with nobody to console her and me…well, you know the story….

We didn't know where to go. The Stealth Force kept a close eye on us and it was only a matter of time until the three of us were thrown into the Maggot's Nest on trumped-up charges. So…we decided that we no longer had any wish to stay in the Soul Society. Aibara used her special dimensional powers to create a world completely separate from the Soul Society and the other two realms. And then we left without a word to anyone else. We stayed there for nine hundred years."

Ichigo took in her words and let them sink in. "You didn't say goodbye to anyone? Ochiru, Asuka, what about your mothers?"

Asuka shook her head. "My mother and I soon stopped speaking to each other when my father passed away. I know it probably hurt her when she discovered me missing but my mind was made up."

"And my mother was a witch," Ochiru spitefully said, her hands balling into fists. "It wouldn't surprise me none that she simply scoffed when she found me gone. I am sorry about leaving my father but…it's for the best. He would've begged me not to go and I couldn't say no if he did."

"So there you have it," Aibara said as she eyed Ichigo intently. "That's where we been during the past nine centuries. I used my dimensional powers to create windows into the World of the Living, Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society so we can keep up to date on what was happening. That's how we know everything that's happened to you."

Ichigo looked at Aibara and scowled. "You still haven't answered the most important question: Why are you three so…so…interested in me?" he asked.

The three looked at each other for a moment before deciding that Ichigo deserved an answer. Getting up, they walked over to Ichigo and sat down at his feet. "Ichigo," Asuka said as she stared up at the boy, her hand on his knee. "We've watched the three worlds for over nine hundred years. The amount of people we've seen is greater than the stars in the sky. But out of all those people, none have captivated us more than you."

"What do you mean?"

Ochiru took ahold of his hand and squeezed. "You caught our attention on the night that Grand Fisher attacked you…."

Years ago….
Pocket Dimension

Aibara was lying on a comfy couch, created when she spawned their new home. Outside, under the blue sky was a garden which sported a rainbow of colors, carefully tended to by Asuka. Their happy little home was more like a grandiose palace. It was the stuff that the three girls had always dreamed of having when they were small.

And yet, the three girls were feeling lethargic. They had longed for a companion who they could relate to but all they had was each other. And they quite often would get into fights that would routinely wreck one of the palace's rooms. The three were sitting in the viewing room, a large spatial bubble in front of them, created by Aibara, which acted like a window to the world they'd all but abandoned. Sensing a spike in spirit energy, Aibara changed the image to the source. "Awww…" Ochiru cried when she saw a young Ichigo Kurosaki lying on the riverbank, his slain mother's body shielding him. "Poor boy…"

"It's horrible," Aibara said as she sat up. "Yhwach picked the worst possible moment to get his powers back. In a way he's just as responsible for that poor woman's death as Grand Fisher…."

The three, feeling terrible for the boy, would routinely check up on him. Aibara and the others felt drawn to the boy as they watched him grow up, seeing him do kindly deeds for ghosts. Soon every day the three would spend their day watching Ichigo. It might've been borderline stalking but the three wanted to know more about this strange, orange-haired boy. He had a kindness that was rare to the three. He certainly was far more handsome than half of the men they'd served with.

As Ichigo soon became confronted with his destiny, the three girls were falling madly in love with him. Aibara saw someone who could match their strength and could possibly be as kinky as her. Ochiru saw someone who she could finally confide in, a friend who she could maybe dive deep into her devious thoughts with. Asuka viewed Ichigo as if he was her one and only, the only person who she could possibly relate to and who could understand her grief. The three had debated during the Vandenreich incident whether to go to Ichigo's aid but decided against it. This fight was personal for Ichigo and it was his and his alone. They found themselves sweating when Ichigo had given up the fight and Yhwach had all but won, wondering if it was possible for the egomaniacal tyrant to appear in their world. But thankfully Ichigo, with the help of Uryu and Aizen, had managed to defeat him.

The three were dead set on claiming Ichigo. To befriend him and let him know how they felt. But when it came to the question of children, the three had a very violent argument….

"I'm telling you, Ichigo needs a wife who can handle him in the bedroom. He'd probably break the two of you," Aibara retorted as they stood in their garden.

"Please! He needs a shoulder to lean on! Not an obscene pervert as the mother of his children! It should be me!" Ochiru screamed into her face.

"You're both wrong," Asuka angrily said, hating the fact that the two thought that Ichigo was theirs. "Ichigo deserves someone who can understand his pain! He needs a lover who can be the perfect mother. And besides, our children would look WAY better than yours."

Ochiru, seething in rage, grabbed a flowerpot and smashed it over Asuka's head….

Back to the Present….

"So then we decided that we'd let you decide." Asuka said, finishing their story. "We've watched you over the years and all three of us want you to be happy. You've earned the right to put away your swords and live your life in comfort and ease with us. We want you, Ichigo. That's why we're here. That's why we came to your aid twice. We love you."

Ichigo closed his eyes and sat back, letting the trio's words sink into his brain. The girls were silent as Ichigo sat there, wondering if maybe, just maybe, he was making his decision. When he opened his eyes and sat forward, the three saw that there was a twinge of anger in his eyes. "You know, for all that you've seen about me, you seem to be awful sure of yourselves…."

"What?" asked a nervous Ochiru.

Ichigo stood up. "No. You've used me as your little trophy toy. Not one of you ever considered how I'd feel about this."

Aibara stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Ichigo, that's not true!"

Ichigo shrugged off her hand and whirled around, anger growing inside him. "So for the past three weeks, you've been seducing me, all three of you, and you never considered that I maybe want to keep fighting? My friends are everything and you're asking me to abandon them so I can be your trophy husband in your magical palace so you can have a baby. My answer is no. I'm leaving."

"Ichigo!" Asuka and Ochiru pleaded. They could've forced Ichigo to stay with their powers but they didn't want to. "Please, just let us explain!"

"No," Ichigo said throwing the door open. "I don't want to talk to the three of you ever again!" he bitterly said, flashstepping away and leaving the three staring out at the empty night.

Closing the door, Asuka sat back down in her chair, close to tears. "This is horrible! Ichigo hates us!"

"This is all your fault!" Ochiru screamed at Aibara. "You just had to spill the beans all at once, didn't you?!"

"You're the one who said we should be honest!" the blonde retorted. "But you're the one who had to give him that sob story with your mother! Like he really cared!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Ochiru punched Aibara in the face who, in retaliation, grabbed Ochiru by the hair and dragged her to the floor. As the two punched each other's lights out, Asuka merely sat in her chair and cried, knowing that the boy she'd fallen in love with now thought she viewed him as nothing more than an object. When a stray kicked knocked her out of the chair, Asuka bristled and joined the fray, the three not stopping for three hours….

Meanwhile….
Ichigo's room

Ichigo hopped into bed and pulled the covers over his head. "They just used me. I'm nothing more than a trophy to them!" he bitterly said, tears forming at the edges of his eyes. The sad fact was that he had come to really like the three and now that he'd heard their explanation he felt betrayed and manipulated, a feeling he hated after Aizen, Ginjo and Yhwach. "I was stupid for trusting them! They're horrible…."

He knew one thing that was certain: school was going to be hell tomorrow….

To Be Continued….