So I'd just like to clarify, in this fic Ichigo may become way OP. The nature of the story is not fighting. It is just some drabble revolving around Ichigo on his quest to be able to protect everyone. With that said, enjoy.
Kisuke was hard at work in his lab. Thanks to his research assistant, Mayuri, he had obtained all the aspects of a Quincy's power. From watching that kid train he knew this was the key. Every day he was coming closer to completing the hollowification. All his observations proved to him that the zanpakuto was the thing he needed to hollowfy. It was proving difficult and he saw evidence in some hollows of someone trying to make them more like soul reapers. Taking the opposite approach but the work was admirable.
"Damn, another failure. Mayuri, do you have any more of the Quincy arrow extract?"
"No, the subject we happened to obtain it from died as well."
"Then you better go collect another Quincy."
Kisuke hated that he had to keep collecting Quincy. It was really a pain. All they ever did was bemoan their fate. They didn't understand how important this research is. They didn't understand that this could restructure the whole universe and all the laws that govern it. Some day they might. Some day they might all understand the true implications of the work he was doing here.
….
Ichigo had seen Yoruichi go into the branches. He had heard her say that when you travel through them the tree forces you to master hakudo or die. She also said that the tree might send him to another world and then call him back. In his short life he had seen things most couldn't imagine. He had reached a level of power no one in the universe could match him. This tree scared him. It radiated a sense of eternity in a way even death did not. He knew that in worlds unexplored there were things that could fight on par with him. No one had said this, but that's what he felt from the tree. He was powerful, this tree was eternal.
Before he was going to actually train in the branches he was supposed to meditate in between the roots. Yoruichi said that he would know when the time came to go up. He hoped she was right.
As he sat at the tree's base he could feel the tension from the spirits in his blades. When he actually started to meditate he started to have a vision unlike any other he'd ever had before. It felt like he was falling into his inner world, but the world around him was chaos. There would be no other way to describe it. The sky was red, the ground was rolling and fire was spewing forth from a hole in the ground. The flames were white and spiraled upwards, hotter than anything he'd ever felt. They gave off more heat than even Yamamoto's bankai. There was staff made of a wood that gave of a sense of power just like the tree he knew was really behind him. The flame and power however was coming from a ring. It was a pure white.
Suddenly it was dark. "Boy, I am the creator and master of the world you just saw. The tree you are at now is in every world and universe. It is the one tree." The disembodied voice held such power that Ichigo knew then he could stand no chance against such a being. If the Soul King was anything like this being than Ichigo could not understand why he would need a protector.
"Beings such as me cannot lift our hands in our own creations. It would be wrong. We can be banished from our creations. I was once by a being known as Lord Foul." The pain in the voice was evident. "That is why humans are of such importance. You small trivial things can take on more power than any other being. What you bore witness to was a man I called forth to defeat Foul. Using the chaos magic of white gold and a staff from one of the incarnations of the one tree, he will break the arch of time, destroy Foul, and I will be able to repair it all." The voice gave a sense of pleasure with that thought.
"What does that have to do with me?"
The voice thundered off laughter, "Just as I must repair a broken world so must the Soul King. In your battle you must know things will be destroyed. Things that a creator like myself can easily fix."
Ichigo felt like he was spiraling down again. It stopped and everything was different again, he was in a noisy polluted city standing in a vacant lot. But that's all he could take in because the rose sitting in the middle was beautiful. He understood then that this was also the tree. As he came to that realization the rose seemed to bloom and show him the universe. Not the universe he was in but all the universes, all the worlds. He knew then that there was one at the center, and one point at the center of that. It stood as a tower darker than anything Ichigo had ever seen. He knew then that certain things could not be destroyed. He was an ant before the gods. The ones who planted the seeds of the roses and trees that were portals to all the worlds and the ones who built that tower.
He had never felt so insignificant. His world and all the worlds he visited were so much less than the totality of everything. This tree was just one thing connecting the worlds he knew to all the others. There were beings of such power, places of such magnitude, that no matter how powerful he became he wouldn't be able to even scratch them.
Every spun around him. It blurred and melded together. When it stopped he was standing in by another vacant lot in what was obviously a small town. Ichigo could see a mist coming closer. He could feel dark terrible things hidden in the mist.
"This is what happens when a creator interferes too directly. Ichigo, look forward. Do not turn back. In this world because of the broken nature of I can come with all my power. However, so can they. This is the reason you can't let the tree be broken or me expunged. Those things would trample the worlds you love."
Ichigo caught glimpses of monsters that were hollow like, but these things were obviously never human. They struck even Ichigo with paralyzing fear. The things started to let out sounds more horrendous than anything any human had ever imagined.
"Who are you? What are they?" Ichigo would never stop moving forward from fear, not anymore. Zangetsu would always be there even when he failed to help him move forward. But these beings struck fear in his heart in such a primal way. When Ichigo reached his conscious to Zangetsu he felt their fear of them. They were ready to fight, but even the spirits of his blades had no hope of winning in their hearts.
"Ichigo, you know me as the Soul King. My real name would kill you, just as a glimpse of my true form would." The mist was so close now. The beings hadn't attacked them yet but when the mist engulfed them Ichigo felt they would be ripping into him. "The beings and mist come from the void. They are made to break worlds when the beings on them either trifle in the areas of gods, or gods meddle with mortals."
"This would come to our world if you or the tree are destroyed." It wasn't a question. It was something Ichigo knew deep in his heart.
"There are other ways for them to come." Ichigo felt something in the voice. It was a gravity in the words that hadn't been there before. "If someone became too strong they could break the constructs keeping these creatures out. But should that happen person could fix those constructs as well."
"I shouldn't become powerful if it will destroy the world."
"You wouldn't break it without fixing it. Watch for the one who would try to change it."
The mist was about to swallow them. Ichigo had his hands on his swords with the name of his blades ready in his lips. The first creature lunged in attack. It was like a giant spider with eyes all over its body and 16 legs. It was more putrid then hollows of the same nature. Ichigo drew his swords.
"Fight through fear, Zangetsu!" Just as the blades transformed and were about to meet the skin of the thing flying at him, the world spun. It spun for what felt like hours the scenery was something he could make out. It wasn't something he recognized but he did know that it was different versions of many worlds. All that were connected by the tree, that the tree was old and immensely powerful. Its power was useless against someone who tried to destroy it though. It could never defend itself.
The world solidified. What he saw before him was the Soul King in the form he had taken in the Royal Realm. He was addressing five men.
"You five shall be considered nobility. Your families will be considered nobility. I will grant you and your descendants more power than most. In return, your houses will carry out certain tasks for me. Shihoin, you shall take these artifacts and defend against traitors. Watch from the shadows and be true. Go forth and lead those who will follow in my name." With the dismissal the first of the five simply vanished.
"Kuchiki, to you I give peace. You will guard the laws of the government and the universe. Never let them be broken. Never allow them to be corrupted, and always follow the spirit for many laws which your clan must uphold are not written. Let the serenity guide you and go forth and lead those who will follow in my name." Ichigo saw now that the men were not vanishing, they were being sent away by the Soul King using his reaitsu to transport them.
"Shiba, to you I give the gift of elements. You must guard their balance and protect even the skies. You must also protect all the greatest feats of nature over the universe. See what is before you, and never let it fall. Now go forth and lead those who will follow in my name." Ichigo knew that his ancestor had just had a vision of the tree. He didn't know how he knew but he knew that he had.
"Uchiha, to you I grant these scolls. In it the history of the Seireitei will reside. I ask you to guard all knowledge from tampering. To enlighten all who seek wisdom. Go forth and lead those who will follow in my name."
"Tachibana, I bestow upon you these to you I give responsibility over watching the courts. Be true to the practices and enforce the rules governing the 46 law makers. Ensure laws are not broken when they are made. Now go forth and lead those who will follow." With that said all the men were gone. And Ichigo fell back.
….
Ichigo came awake under the tree. It was dark out. His visions fresh in mind he went into his inner world to speak with Zangetsu. As he slipped into it he immediately noticed a change. The city that once was only a concrete jungle had a large park in it. If Ichigo had ever been to New York he would have seen something reminiscent of Central Park. Zangetsu was looking at him but it wasn't the Zangetsu Ichigo knew. He looked older, almost by a whole decade. His face had a beard that just looked so wrong on him.
"Nice to see you again, Kingy."
"What happened to you Zangetsu?"
"The tree aged you and therefor it aged him. He is after all your reflection."
Old man Zangetsu hadn't changed at all. Though his face looked more haggard.
"The tree did that to you too?"
"The force of your core strengths has done this to me."
"When you saw the marking of the noble houses you understood didn't you?"
"I got it. You told me my powers were water. The Soul King gave the Shiba clan powers over elements."
Old Man Zangetsu looked away.
"You actually have to aspects of it. The rain expresses your sorrow and can diffuse long range attacks. The water on the ground can increase your speed and make it hazardous to your enemies if they try to move at full speed."
"I'm sorry Ichigo that I kept this from you as well. You must understand though, your rain can make a Quincy's power fall greatly."
"So I can use this to weaken a Quincy?"
"I'm sorry but this is hard to say…. It would weaken you as much as it would strengthen you." Old Man Zangetsu looked into his eyes with a look of determination. "Your getsuga tenshou would be dispersed, you wouldn't be able to draw in any reishi, and any cero would be dispersed. You wouldn't be able to use any Quincy defensive techniques or hierro."
"It's a double edged sword, king. It could help in some ways, but it might get you killed."
"So how long were we going through the visions?"
"We don't know."
"The thing is, King, was the immensity of everything. That strained your mind and your body to the point in the terms of your soul you aged over 150 years."
…
Yoruichi could see that Ichigo had changed positions. She couldn't describe how much that meant to her. For years before he had started his meditation they had been closer than she had ever been with anyone. Kisuke was close before he started his research, but Ichigo was more to her than just a friend. Though she doubted he felt the same.
Ichigo opened his eyes to see Yoruichi before him. 'Weird she isn't supposed to be here for at least two weeks. Was I out that long?'
"What are you doing here so soon?"
Yoruichi beamed at hearing his voice. She jumped at him and wrapped him up in a tight hug. "Waiting for you to wake up." The look of content bliss on her face made Ichigo consider his next words wisely. He felt strongly for Yoruichi. She was the only one who ever seemed to care for his wellbeing now. His only friend and maybe someday she would be something more.
"Well I hope I haven't been out of it too long. If you're here that means it has been over two weeks."
Yoruichi had a sad glint in her eyes, "It's been almost five years."
The news floored Ichigo. He hadn't expected anything like that. The visions had felt like they had only taken minutes. "That… That can't be."
Yoruichi placed her hand on his face. She directed his face towards hers, instantly bringing his attention to her. "It was. I don't know what you saw, I don't want to. It must have been something terrifying and amazing. I don't envy you, but I hope you know that I'm here for you. I always will be."
Yoruichi was looking directly into his eyes. The way they sat she had to incline her head sharply to do it, but it accentuated how close they were. It gave her a feeling of closeness she had experienced few times in her life. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
"Thank you," his breath came hoarse and shallow, "Yoruichi."
As quickly as she had hugged him, she removed herself. "I need to be going, but I'll be back soon."
That's when they felt it, a disturbance in the air. Reaitsu that was neither a hollow or soul reaper. Yoruichi wanted to run towards it. Ichigo wanted to as well but he knew the reaitsu that was out of control. It was the Visards and this must have been the night of their creation.
"Don't," Yoruichi looked at him disbelieving what he just said, "this is the night Aizen creates the Visards. You need to be at a Captains meeting and then you need to help them escape."
So everyone, I know this might be hard to follow. If you don't get the references read the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. Also the Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever Series. Any questions can be sent to me by pm or review. I will try to answer them all.