CHAOS, ASSASSINS AND GODS
Chapter 1:
Ichigo Kurosaki

Pale yellow sunlight streamed in through the open window, a gentle breeze lifting up brown curtains and making them billow and fluff up playfully. The leaves of the tall oak tree outside the window cast rippling shadows across the room, creating a mesmerizing effect of constantly moving and shifting patterns on the wall.

A ray of sunlight landed on a small chest in the corner of the room, making the bright silver of the lock glint and shimmer faintly. The small, innocent chest belied the sinister contents inside it. The chest hid many secrets, none of which were particularly pleasant. No one has ever viewed the contents of the small chest, except for the sleeping occupant of the room.

Speaking of which, the man with the sunset hair was sprawled upon the small bed in the corner of the room. His lithe arm was thrown over his face, blocking the light from his shut eyes. His strongly muscled torso was uncovered and bare, his defined chest and six pack clearly visible. A light brown blanket was tangled among his legs, making a messy combination of legs and blankets. His brightly colored hair was fanned across the bed, spreading across the rest of the available space on the bed. Quick footsteps could be heard approaching…

The warmth on my face was annoying, the light even more so. I groaned and rolled over, throwing my arm across my eyes. My body ached a little from the 'activities' last night and I didn't really want to get up. I could tell that it was getting rather late, almost close to 11 a.m. already. I really should get up and start my day's activities, but my body just didn't want to co-operate with me.

Suddenly, my ears were assaulted by a loud shout from the doorway. With my eyes still closed, I rolled out of bed and deftly avoided the blundering mess that was my father, a sigh escaping my lips.

"MY DEAR SON! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP! DON'T YOU WANT TO JOIN YOUR BELOVED PAPA FOR BREAKFA-"

"Shut up baka. It's way too early for your bullshit."

"DON'T YOU LOVE YOUR PAPA ANYMORE! HOW COULD YOU IGNORE YOUR PAPA?"

I ignored the wailing that was coming from the idiot that was my father, preferring to walk out the door and ignore him cry out about how much his son has grown up and all that nonsense.

"Ichi-nii! Breakfast is ready!"

"Sure Yuzu, I'll come down soon."

I smiled to myself. Life was normal, no one else aware of his previous night's activity. And life was always better with Yuzu preparing breakfast in the morning. I walked quickly to the bathroom, locking myself inside.

I quickly relieved myself, turning to the basin to wash my hands. I splashed some water onto my face, before looking up into the mirror above the basin. I watched the droplets slowly slide down my skin, before gathering at my sharp chin and dripping off. My brown eyes stared back at me, speaking of the anguish that last night's activity had caused.

It was not easy to be an assassin. It was worse being an assassin in order to trace the cause of my mother's death. I knew that the raid was not by chance. It was planned, but the problem was, by whom? Who would do such a thing? Over the years, I have been slowly been tracing the mastermind behind that raid. I'm sure that I'm close now. Last night's victim had admitted much, and spilt valuable information. As much as I hate it, I have to continue to hunt these murderers. My mother deserved that at least.

I smirked to myself, my full lips lifting in a small smile. At least all that self-training had some benefits. I let my gaze travel south, admiring the strong definition of my rock hard abs and chest. I had been puny in the past, but now I'm one of the strongest, if not the strongest fighter in the village. The only annoying thing was that I was mistaken so much for a girl. My lithe but defined body was balanced on the edge of feminine and masculine, somehow managing to look both at the same time.

It didn't help that I had such long hair either. I heaved a sigh, and gathered my hair together in a high ponytail, slipping on a thin leather tie to hold it in place. I had never been able to cut my hair. My mother had called it beautiful, and I never had the heart to cut it. She loved the sunset orange of it, telling me that the sunset was her favorite part of the day. She would brush it every day, and she loved to touch the soft tresses that lay upon my head. But, I had another reason for not cutting it.

It hurt to cut it.

And I mean that it physically hurts me to cut my hair. It had been that way since I was young. Once anybody tried to cut my hair, the moment the scissors touched my hair, I would be overcome with pain. The pain was not a slight pain that you could endure. It was an incapacitating type of pain. I could do nothing but gasp as the pain racked my body. The tears would stream endlessly down my face and I could hardly breathe. No matter who tried to cut it, the pain would be there. I couldn't even cut my own hair.

It got better with the years, or maybe I just grew a much higher pain tolerance. Now, if I were to attempt to cut my hair, I would still feel pain, but I could ignore it altogether if I concentrated hard enough. But it was too much trouble, and the sentimental value was much too high. I was used to the long length of it swinging behind me anyway.

The only problem with it was when I was on a mission. It had to be tightly bundled up and tied to my head. It was much too noticeable and recognizable, as I was the only one with such a shade of orange that I've heard of. Thus, it had to be hidden. It was a hassle to tie it up, and it always turned wavy when I untied it. Fortunately, the hair would straighten by the next day during my sleep. I didn't want anybody to realize that my hair would change every time a murder took place.

I combed my fingers through my ponytail, working out the slight tangles and knots within it, before walking out the bathroom door. I padded quietly down the steps, before peeking into the kitchen. Yuzu was there, setting down a plate loaded with bread and fresh fruits.

"Good morning Ichi-nii! What took you so long?"

"Mornin' Yuzu. I was just brushing my hair."

Yuzu giggled and smiled, pointing to the plate she just set down and turning her back to me to wash the dirty dishes. I sat down at the kitchen table, pulling the plate towards me, letting the plastic table cover squeak in protest.

I propped my head with my palm, my elbow against the table top, and gazed at Yuzu. Her back was to me, her long light brown hair hanging loose and practically shining in the sunlight coming from the window in front of her. I knew that her kind brown eyes would be focused on the dishes in front of her, and that she would wash them perfectly clean. She had picked up the mantle once mum had passed on, becoming a mini-mother at 10. She took care of all the household chores and cooked and cleaned for all of us, and she did it well. She would become the perfect wife eventually.

I let my gaze fall back onto my plate. Eight years had passed since that incident, and everyone had changed so much. For the better or for worse, I don't know. Sighing, I picked up a slice of bread and spread some jam on it before folding it in half and biting it in half quickly. Breakfast passed in silence and I became preoccupied by my thoughts.

I know who to go after right now. But should I go tonight? It might be too early, and I don't want anyone to become suspicious. Hmm… maybe I should wait for a few days… yeah; I probably should wait some time. Can't have anyone becoming suspicious at this point of time. I'm so close to unraveling this entire mystery.

I sighed again, thinking of when and how to access the place where my next target would be. I looked up, and was startled by stormy grey eyes staring at me from across the table.

"Morning. Whatcha' thinking about?"

"Morning. Nothing much. I'm just kinda tired. I just couldn't really sleep yesterday."

"Tch. Then don't go out till so late. It's your own fault then."

I scowled at my other sister, Karin. Karin and Yuzu were twins, but you wouldn't really be able to tell looking at them. While Yuzu had light brown hair and kind brown eyes, Karin had jet black hair and stormy grey eyes with the strength of steel. Karin was also still much of a tomboy, and completely unlady-like. At least at the age of eighteen, both sisters were considered very pretty already.

"I'm going out to meet Jinta, and if that baka asks where I went, don't tell him. He'll get so annoying when I get back."

Yuzu nodded at her and I smirked knowingly. Karin glared at me and got up from her chair, crossing the room in long strides. She had to get past me to get out, and while passing me, she whacked me on the side of the head, quickly walking out into the hallway.

"Don't do anything… naughty."

From down the hallway, there were spluttering noises and Yuzu blushed heavily.

"SHUT UP BAKA! IT'S NOTHING OF THAT SORT!"

Karin quickly stomped out the room, ignoring the laughter coming from me in favor of getting away as soon as possible. I continued laughing, the muscles on my stomach rippling along with my laughter. Yuzu walked over to my side of the table, pushing away the bangs that slanted across my eyes and kissed me on my exposed forehead.

"I'm going to the market. Do you want me to get anything for you?"

When I shook my head, she smiled at me and continued to walk out the doorway. I could hear her pulling on her sandals and taking her small purse from one of the cupboards in the hall. After the door closed behind her, I popped the last grape in my mouth and placed the dish in the sink. I gazed at it for a few seconds, debating whether or not to wash it. Heck, I'm way too lazy to do that.

I walked back upstairs into my room. I could hear that baka that was my father wailing in his room, and he was probably on his knees in front of my mother's portrait, wailing about what a horrible son I am. I ignored his stupid complaints and pulled off my sleeping pants. I grabbed a sleeveless grey shirt and pulled it on, then continued pulling my orange hair free from the inside of the shirt. I picked up a pair of loose black slacks and some underwear and quickly pulled them on as well. I swept my long fringe to the side, out of my eyes and placed some money in my pocket. The short hairs on the top of my hair spiked out defiantly, happily defying gravity.

I slipped out of the house quickly, pulling on my sandals and stepping on the long dirt road leading to Las Noches. I took my time walking to Las Noches, taking the time to admire the scenery and happy chirping of the birds in the forest. Karakura was always bustling, due to being right next to the capital, Las Noches. Las Noches was only a short one hour walk away, or 10 minutes on a horse, if you hurry.

Greece was ruled by Aizen, and his castle was in Las Noches. He was a horrible ruler, using his skill with words to manipulate and trap others. He could weave illusions with just his words alone, and there was talk that he was not just using his words, but that he had magical powers as well. Everybody was afraid of him, as he would not hesitate to kill anyone would dared to outright defy him.

Everyone was afraid of Aizen, due to his highly trained army, called the Shinigami. The Shinigami had no choice but to follow his orders, or be killed along with their entire family. The Shinigami were highly specialized fighters, skilled in both hand-to-hand and swordsmanship. They were the elite fighters, essentially the crème de la crème. They were undefeatable to most, except for a few skilled people who refused to join this elite group of fighters.

Ichigo Kurosaki, could easily kill majority of them quickly. I'm not boasting or anything, but it's true. Due to my vigorous self-training, I'm incredibly strong and fast. Ever since young, I could pick up things very easily and I was always very agile. I could be considered a genius in this field, already this skilled when I'm only twenty-five.

However, I had been trying to gain access to this elite group, but I've been rejected countless times. Aizen doesn't seem to want me to join this elite group, as if I've personally offended him. Every day for the past year I've been trying to prove that I can join the Shinigami, and every day Aizen finds a new opponent for me to defeat.

I need to join the Shinigami to access more information. If I was in the Shinigami, I could find out the mastermind much more easily. Aizen just refused to let me into this group! I had no idea why that stupid bastard had such objections against me joining. I would add so much power to his army!

A low groan escapes me; I don't want to keep fighting the losers that he keeps throwing my way. They lose in the first few seconds anyway! If I have to fight, I would rather take it as an opportunity to train and fight a skilled opponent! I wish he would stop wasting my time already.

While lost in my thoughts, I had already reached the main gates of Las Noches. The entire of Las Noches was surrounded by a high wall, about 3 meters high with guard patrolling at the top. Las Noches was almost a fortress, with its imposing wall and guards. I walked through the huge steel doors that marked the entrance to Las Noches, nodding to the guards as I went through the large but short tunnel leading into the city. I had come by so often, the guards already recognized me.

I quickly walked out from the dank tunnel into the city proper and I gazed around me in appreciation. As much of a bastard that Aizen was, the city was constructed extremely well. The roads were paved with beautiful white rock and the buildings built in an organized manner. The city bustled with the activity as the crowds moved around, purchasing groceries from the market and whatnot. I made my way to the centre of the city, where a huge stadium was constructed.

A huge crowd was already gathered there, awaiting my arrival. As they caught sight of me, loud cheers erupted from the crowd and they parted, giving me access to the centre of the stadium. Aizen was seated high above the crowd, in his throne above the rest. By his side were multiple guards, standing there stiffly at attention.

Halfway to the centre, Renji grabbed my hand, pulling me to a stop. Renji was my best friend, and also one of the captains of the Shinigami. He was a bright redhead, his flaming red hair always pulled up into a spiky ponytail that reminded me of a red pineapple.

"Be careful Ichigo, today's opponent is a little… different. He'll be stronger than what you've faced before."

I nodded at his grim face, and continued through a short tunnel to the centre. At the centre was a huge empty patch of fine white sand and as I stood there, I could see the crowd assembled amongst the seats provided. I could feel the white sand shifting under my sandals and I stood straight, proudly gazing at Aizen. I didn't believe that I couldn't win today's match.

"Citizens of Greece, you have assembled here to watch the testing of Ichigo Kurosaki. Today, we have a special fighter that I've asked to participate in this test. Proceed."

Aizen's smooth tenor slid over the crowd, quieting them at once. Everybody turned to face the tunnel leading into the stadium grounds and waited silently. Finally, a dark shape appeared in the tunnel. A huge hulk of a man stomped out of the tunnel, waving a chipped and scratched sword in the air lazily. Everyone in the stadium gasped, not expecting that this person would come just for the testing. This person was involved in the war, and was considered one of the war heroes.

His name was Zaraki Kenpachi.

I smiled in anticipation. The adrenaline was really rushing through my veins now. This really wasn't what I was expecting. I wonder what Aizen had given him in order to persuade him to come and join in this pointless testing. This would be a real match. A match with no holding back, for the opponent was strong. A match where I would finally be able to train at the same time!

Zaraki approached me with a manic grin on his face, a tattered white coat hanging off his broad shoulders. His hair was spiked up in crazy spikes, with bells attached to every spike. Every step he took made the bells tinkle, but it wasn't stupid or anything. If anything, it was downright creepy.

"Are you ready squirt? Ready to die that is."

Zaraki cackled loudly, his grin somehow growing even larger.

"Be careful Ichigo, this one is dangerous."

"Heh heh. Finally a real match! Let's go king!"

I just grinned back at him, the voices in my head urging me on. He should be the one getting ready. He finally stops about fifteen feet away from me, holding his sword loosely by his side.

"Begin the match!"

I quickly drop into a low crouch, my twin daggers already unsheathed and held in my hands. I am determined to win this match. I will not lose no matter what! I could feel the leather grips of my daggers on my palms, worn and smooth. They fit perfectly into my hands, the blades almost like extensions to my own body. I'm ready.

I inhale deeply, the hot air rushing into my lungs, fueling my pumping heart. The adrenaline rushing through my veins heightens my senses, and I can see everything clearly, can almost feel the tension in the air as the crowd watched on.

I release the breath in my lungs, and leap forward.

AN: Hello! I wrote this in a much faster time than I expected, simply because I was too excited! Thank you people for alerting my story, and adding my story to your favorites! It really means a lot to me. :D I hope this chapter helps you understand a bit more about the plot. Or at least a little background for the whole story! In case anyone can't picture the image I'm using for Ichigo, it's his final getsuga tenshou hair. The only difference is that it's still orange!

You can expect future chapters to be about this length, or shorter! I doubt that I will write extremely long chapters, cause I think you guys want faster updates with short chapters rather than slow updates with long chapters.

Thank you Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo for your review! Your review made me want to rush this out! Haha. :D

Reviews? :D Help me improve my writing! ^^ And motivate me to write more!