Past
The tantalizing smell of grilled pork filled the air, causing Ichigo's mouth to water slightly, and his stomach to growl, a sound thankfully covered up by the loud sizzling of oil.
This was a small, but rather famous ramen restaurant in Kyoto, with their specialty being serving grilled meat as a ramen topping rather than the conventional braised meat.
It wouldn't earn any Michelin Stars or anything, but it was very popular nonetheless, with a long line of customers, local and foreign, waiting outside from opening hour to closing hour, never seeming to decrease until the owner was forced to shoo them away.
Ichigo bemoaned the fact that he was not a customer, but one of the waiters.
He had spent 3 months travelling around Japan, taking in the sights and cultures, before finally returning to Kyoto.
During his travels, he had stopped by Kuou and Shuri's shrine a couple of times, just to converse with his new friends.
Daigo and Kasumi looked like they were considering trying again for a child, and Touji mentioned that he and his wife were considering having one of their own, though they had yet to come to a decision.
As for Baraqiel and Shuri…well, Ichigo wasn't too sure he wanted to know what they got up to at night, when they were alone.
There had been a very awkward moment when Ichigo had shown up at the shrine late at night, and had heard what could never, ever be unheard from inside.
He promptly did an about face and left, finding lodgings in the ancient capital instead.
He really, really had no interest in whatever fetishes the couple shared.
Once he was done travelling Japan, he set his sights on travelling the world next, but figured he should earn some money for it first.
So, he decided to get a job, and an apartment while he was at it.
He went to meet the real estate agent whose business card Yoruichi had given him.
The agent turned out to be a woman, a voluptuous woman with long black hair and yellow eyes, and a personality much like Yoruichi's.
Almost eerily so, in fact.
He could have sworn he saw her pupils turn into vertical slits for an instant, but when he blinked, they were just ordinary round pupils, indistinguishable from any other human's.
It was probably a trick of the light. Or at least, he hoped so.
He couldn't sense reiatsu anymore, but he got the feeling that the woman wasn't a human.
But even if she wasn't, there probably wasn't any problem.
Knowing he was bereft of all of his powers, Yoruichi wouldn't send him to anyone she didn't explicitly trust.
The real estate agent, Fuzen Ryouko, got him a pretty great bargain, a 2LDK apartment for a 30,000 yen monthly rent.
It was cheap, almost unbelievably so, considering that the apartment building was brand new and was located near Nijo Station.
It made him wonder whether there was something wrong with the apartment in question, but an inspection had not turned up anything that could be the cause.
And since it was new, he was pretty sure there weren't any Demi-Hollows attached to it.
Either she was better friends with Yoruichi than the former Captain had implied, or she liked him for some weird reason.
But either way, he finally had a place to tentatively call his own home.
Finding a job had been his next step.
He wasn't looking for a permanent job. Just one that was flexible enough to let him work just long enough for him to earn enough money for travelling, and maybe let him continue once he had returned to Japan.
Needless to say, with those conditions, it was exceedingly hard for him to find a job, especially considering he only had a high school diploma for credentials, not to mention his orange hair which had always served as a stigma against him.
On the fifth day though, he happened across an ad for this very ramen shop, looking for someone with cooking experience.
As he found out, one of the waitresses had gone on maternity leave, and was not expected back for about 3 months.
It may not have seemed like a huge problem, but this was a case where both the restaurant's size and popularity worked against it.
Because there were so many customers all day every day, the staff of this small restaurant needed all hands on deck to keep up with the orders.
Losing even just one waiter would slow the entire operation down immensely.
He approached the owner, who decided to take his chances with him, even overlooking his strange hair color.
He must have been pretty desperate at that point if he was willing to risk his restaurant's reputation with a supposed delinquent on the staff.
He had been doing this for about 5 weeks now, with no complaints from either the customers or the other staff, so he figured he must be doing something right.
He didn't do anything particularly fancy. He just directed customers to their tables, took their orders, served their food, clean the dishes when they left, and after closing, help to clean up the restaurant and wash the dishes.
Pretty standard, perhaps even dull by anyone else's standard.
It was perfect for him, and the pay was fairly decent for a menial job.
By the time the original waitress returned from maternity leave, he should already have enough to hit a couple of countries before needing more again.
*CLACK*
"Thank you! Welcome!"
Ichigo perked up at the sound of the wooden door that was the entrance sliding open, and yelled out the greeting as was customary in pretty much any Japanese restaurant as satisfied customers left the restaurant and were quickly replaced by the ones waiting outside.
He did pause for a moment, a tray carrying a piping hot bowl of ramen and of miso soup in his hand, when he saw a beautiful woman with golden blonde hair and matching eyes, dressed in a Miko attire of all things, accompanied by a young girl around the age of 6 or 7, who looked almost identical to her, probably her daughter, also dressed in the same clothes, enter the restaurant.
They were looking very out of place in a common ramen restaurant.
Ichigo frowned as he continued to study them, though he made sure to keep moving and serve the food he was carrying.
He knew most of the customers that came into the restaurant.
Leaving tourists, who obviously did not frequent the restaurant, the restaurant's customers were a pretty familiar crowd, the usual faces coming on the usual days, a large portion of which were female for some reason, and he had vaguely memorized all of them by now.
Despite their odd hair and eye color, these two did not seem to be foreigners, possessing Japanese facial features.
He had no idea who they were.
They could be newcomers from another prefecture who had come in search of the somewhat famous ramen, but somehow, he highly doubted that.
But for some reason, no one else, not the other customers nor the other staff, seem to think them odd, continuing what they were doing without a second glance.
That was pretty damn weird.
His suspicion increased when the woman's gaze fell on him, and her lips curled into a demure smile.
Something was definitely up.
The real estate agent, Fuzen Ryouko, had only seemed vaguely inhuman to him.
But there was nothing vague about this woman.
Even without the ability to sense reiatsu, she was giving such an immense feel of otherworldliness that it was truly a wonder that no one other than him was staring at her.
Extremely suspicious, in fact.
"Oi, Kurosaki, why're you just standing around? Show them to their seats!" One of the chefs hissed at him as he neared the counter to collect more ready dishes.
"Y-Yeah…"
It looked like he was the only one suspicious of the presumed mother-child pair.
Ichigo moved towards the odd pair.
Immediately, the daughter squeaked and ducked behind her mother, poking her head out to stare at him with an expression of awe and confusion.
Ichigo blinked, nonplussed at the odd occurrence.
The mother turned to look at her daughter with what could only be described as a chiding expression, causing the younger girl to pout back adorably in a manner that reminded Ichigo painfully of a younger Yuzu.
The bewitching woman turned back towards him, her smile returning.
Ichigo almost swallowed reflexively.
"Welcome. Table for two?" He managed to get out.
"Yes, please." The woman said in a mellifluous voice, causing a shiver to run down his spine for a reason completely separate from wariness.
"Right this way."
He quickly brought the pair to the recently vacated table in the center of the restaurant, pulling the seats out for them and quickly removing the previous patrons' dishes.
"Thank you." The woman expressed her gratitude, neatly holding her hakama before sitting down to avoid crumpling it.
"T-Thank you!" The little girl stuttered out as she did the same.
Ichigo smiled, hoping it didn't look too stiff, before indicating the menus laying at the edge of the table to them and bustling away.
He could still feel both of their gazes on his back, not even looking down at the menu.
"Hey, Iinagi-san, any idea who those two are?" Ichigo asked one of the other waiters, trying to confirm his suspicions.
"Hm? Nope. Never seen those two before. Probably tourists or something." Iinagi said after glancing at the pair and going back to what he was doing.
Ichigo's suspicions were all but confirmed.
Those two were not human.
Shinigami? Sent by Central 46 to track him down?
Or maybe Arrancar remnants from Aizen's army looking for revenge?
Neither possibility boded well for him, now that his powers were gone.
He looked back at them, meeting the older woman's gaze as she raised her hand, signaling that they were ready to order.
He looked around.
None of the other waiters seemed to notice.
Or more likely, she was doing something to make sure that no one other than him would notice.
He slowly moved towards them, taking his notepad and pen out, ready to record their orders, if that was really what they wanted…
"We'll have two Kitsune Udons, a bottle of sake, and a glass of orange juice, please."
…Which it apparently was.
"Understood."
Ichigo hurried away after taking their orders.
The rest of their patronage passed by normally.
He served them their food, went back to serving the other customers, moving back to the pair to refill their drinks when they asked for it.
Aside from them staring at him the entire time, it was so normal that it was actually making him even more paranoid.
He was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for shit to start blowing up.
He was pretty sure that even Central 46 wasn't crazy enough to start something when there were still so many humans around, but Arrancars had no such compunctions.
And the worst part was that he wasn't sure if he would be able to stop it.
He could have gone outside, but at this time of day, the streets were more crowded than the restaurant, especially since half of the pavement was dedicated to the waiting line of customers.
Going outside would just result in even more casualties if they started something.
There was literally nothing he could do.
His heart was practically about to rip itself out of his ribcage when the older woman asked for the bill.
If she was going to do something, it would be now.
His pulse quickened, the pounding of his heart audible in his ears as he watched her reach into her long sleeve…and pulled out a purse, pulling exact change from it and handing it to him.
Ichigo blinked, so disconcerted that his head was complete blank for a good five seconds, his body moving on autopilot to take the money from the woman.
By the time his brain rebooted, she and her daughter had already risen from their seats, moving towards the door.
…They weren't going to do anything?
Had his instincts been wrong? Maybe they really were just eccentric humans?
Somehow, Ichigo couldn't find it in him to believe he was that lucky.
*CLACK*
The wooden door slid open.
"Thank you! Welco-" Ichigo began to yell out the greeting, which quickly died in his throat when he saw the customers that were replacing the odd pair.
"Yo, Ichigo." A grinning tall man with brown eyes and long crimson hair tied in a high ponytail, tanned skin, dressed in a grey undershirt, an unbuttoned casual khaki jacket, dark blue trousers, and sneakers, greeted him with a wave.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" A short girl with purple eyes, black hair, light skin, dressed in a striped blouse, a denim miniskirt and loafers followed up with a smile.
Ichigo's two closest friends among the ranks of Gotei 13, Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Rukia, who he hadn't seen in over 3 years, had just walked in.
"You two…!"
They had changed quite a bit.
Renji's hair was even longer now, and his usual white bandanna around his forehead was now maroon.
Rukia's hair was slightly shorter and styled into a bob cut.
And most of all, the two of them were wearing normal clothes, instead of overly colorful out of style abominations that would have the fashion police all over them the moment they stepped out.
That was a result of Ichigo's painstaking attempts to get them to dress normally, and not attract unwanted attention every time they stepped out the door.
Soul Society's information on modern fashion was very, very obsolete, as had been seen when the Arrancar Response Team had arrived in the human world.
Rukia was fine, since she had stayed in the human world for more than a month.
Yumichika and Rangiku too, since they were probably the only Shinigami in all of Gotei 13 who possessed anything resembling fashion sense.
But Renji, Ikkaku and Toshiro…
The first thing he had done was show them what actual modern fashion was, and actually paid for the clothes out of his own allowance.
Anything to get them out of those fashion disasters they had donned.
He was glad the lesson had stuck, or they would be sticking out like sore thumbs even in huge tourist spots.
"We heard from Urahara that you were here, so we decided to pay a visit. Looks like you're doing well, all things considered."
"Let's catch up."
"Yeah! Boss! Sorry, but can I take a break?" Ichigo shouted towards the kitchen, where the owner was making the noodles.
"Don't take too long!"
A muffled yell came from the back.
"Alright. You guys wanna go somewhere?"
"Anywhere is fine. Neither of us has been here before."
"Hm…well, there're too many places in Kyoto to see in one day, much less in my break time, so I guess we should just go with the closest place?"
"Sounds good."
The three of them left the restaurant, Ichigo leading them to the one of Kyoto's many tourist attractions, the one closest to their current location, Nijo Castle.
"By the way, Ichigo, who were those two we passed by at the restaurant? The mother and child wearing Miko attire?" Rukia asked him suddenly.
Ichigo froze.
In his excitement at seeing his friends again, he had completely forgotten about the odd pair.
It…didn't look like they were around anymore.
"Why do you ask?" He asked back.
"I don't know whether it's because they have little of it in the first place, or because they're suppressing it, but those two…their reiatsu…weren't those of a Shinigami or a Hollow. It was unlike anything I've ever felt before."
Ichigo felt another shiver run down his spine at his friend's words.
Present
It was understandably hard to restore order after that bombshell, but once the Angels and Fallen Angels had gotten all of their panic out of their system, and Ichigo had made it clear that he desired nothing but peace between the three Factions, they were able to resume the meeting, albeit with a drastically risen atmosphere of sheer tension.
The over-the-top reaction was understandable though.
Satan was known as YHWH's equal and opposite.
The latter was gone, Heaven's Angels and the Grigori's ranks were decimated, and while the same could be said of the 72 Pillars, it really didn't mean much when the Underworld now had 5 Super Devils, making them easily the strongest of the three Biblical Factions.
As Sirzechs had said, from a pragmatic point of view, it wouldn't be illogical that the Devils would want to declare war with that much battle potential on their side.
In fact, even before Ichigo came along, the Devils already possessed enough power to crush their two rival Factions, thanks to the abnormal existences that were the current Yondai Maou.
The only reason the Second Great War had yet to occur was because the current Yondai Maou was advocates of peace between the Biblical Factions.
A law that had been in place since the formation of the Devils' council in the wake of the civil war was that when it came to major decisions that would affect the entirety of their society, such as the implementation of a new law or the official declaration of war against enemy Factions, both the Devils' council and the Yondai Maou have to agree to do so. If either side had a majority vote against the motion, it would be denied unequivocally.
It was thanks to that law that war had not yet erupted.
And they intended to keep it that way.
Not that Ichigo was objecting to their sentiment. He already had more than enough excitement to last him a lifetime, even one as long as a Devil's. He was fine with peace for the rest of his life.
Though, past experience led him to believe his wish for peace would likely remain as nothing more than an unfulfilled desire.
Trouble always found a way into his life one way or another, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it, so much so that Ichigo was beginning to wonder if he should give up on obtaining any semblance of a normal life.
In any case, the meeting passed without any further incident, and the Four Great Seraphs and the three leaders of the Grigori were now preparing to leave.
"Well, this has been a rather interesting meeting." Azazel commented lightly.
Among the 7, he had been the one with the least explosive reaction, only showing widened eyes and an expression of interest.
The Viceroy of the Fallen Angels was one cool customer.
"I'm not sure interesting is the right word to use…" Michael retorted, pinching his temple.
The same could not be said for the leader of Heaven, who had looked like he was about to shit his fancy robes when Sirzechs made the announcement.
Not that his two brothers and sister were much better.
Raphael and Uriel looked like they were about to attack him, and probably would have if Shemhaza and Baraqiel hadn't held them back, and Gabriel outright passed out, which meant that they had to wait for her to regain consciousness before Ichigo could tell them that he was a proponent for peace.
The other 2 Fallen Angels had not reacted quite as badly, simply allowing shocked and grim expressions to surface, but had reacted beyond that.
They had taken one look at Azazel, and seemed to decide that if their leader wasn't going to say anything, neither would they.
The 7, all of whom were actually siblings even after 3 of them had fallen, began to file out the door.
Ichigo thought it was weird that Ajuka and Falbium were rising from their seats as well, but Serafall and Sirzechs weren't following suit.
And since his King wasn't leaving, Ichigo took it to mean that he wasn't leaving either.
It didn't escape the other leaders' notice either.
"You three aren't leaving?"
"No, we have a meeting with Yasaka-dono soon."
"Kyoto's Princess…? Oh right, you owe them a favor for letting us use this place, huh?"
"That's right. Their condition was…a meeting with Ichigo-kun."
"Wait, what?" Ichigo cried out in alarm.
That was the first time he was hearing anything about this.
"I'm sorry, Ichigo-kun, but they were very adamant about this. In return for allowing us to use this meeting place, the Kyoto Youkai wish to meet you. Otherwise, they would extort an exuberant price from us like they usually do." Sirzechs said with an apologetic expression on his face.
Politics won out over individual rights, apparently.
"Why!?"
At that, everyone, literally everyone, from Michael and the other Great Seraphs, to Azazel, Shemhaza and Baraqiel, and even the Yondai Maou, stared at him with expressions of mixed disbelief and exasperation.
"Why, he asks. Have you perhaps forgotten what you did four years ago? Gained beyond godlike power? Defeated a madman hell-bent on fucking up Japan's soul cycle? Saved all of Japan, and probably the rest of the world in the process? Ringing any bells? They'll probably prostrate themselves before you, or maybe erect a giant gold statue of you." Azazel said.
Ichigo thought he was just joking, but judging by the serious look on his face, that wasn't the case.
The former human's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Was it really that big of a deal? Aizen was strong and all, but from what I've heard, there should be quite a number of beings who could have put him down just as easily as I did." Ichigo asked, thinking of the World's Top 10 Strongest.
If any of them were as powerful as they were made out to be, surely they could have kicked Aizen's ass pretty easily?
Even when fused with the Hogyoku, undergoing several evolutions and gaining immortality, one hit from Mugetsu had been enough to bring him to his lowest, allowing Kisuke to seal him with that delayed Kido of his.
If Ichigo could do that with a power he had obtained literally an hour before even using it, surely the Top 10, possessing immense powers and countless millennia of wisdom and experience, could have done the job as well?
"That's true, Ichigo-kun, even outside of the Top 10, I can think of a dozen beings that could have accomplished the same feat that you had, but the problem was Aizen Sosuke's evolution speed. Think back. How many times did he evolve in the span of just one hour?"
Ichigo paused.
If that chrysalis stage he fought Ichigo's father, Kisuke and Yoruichi in was counted, Aizen had evolved a grand total of 4 times in roughly 1 hour, give or take a few minutes, gaining even greater power with each evolution.
"Get it now? With that absurd speed, it's entirely possible that by the time anyone else responded and arrived at the scene, Aizen Sosuke would have already evolved to a level where only the Infinite Dragon God or the True Dragon themselves would be powerful enough to stop him. If you hadn't defeated him in time, the world might be in shambles by now. That's why what you did was a very big deal. Kurosaki Ichigo, we aren't exaggerating when we say that you saved the world that day."
Ichigo felt the blood draining from his face at Azazel's words.
He hadn't really thought about what would have happened if he had managed to learn the Final Getsuga Tensho in time to stop Aizen from going any further.
In hindsight, it should have been pretty obvious.
With one evolution, Aizen had gone from being pressed by his father alone to easily overpowering the combined forces of Isshin, Kisuke and Yoruichi, though admittedly, none of the three had used their Bankai to fight.
His reiatsu grew so monstrous that even Ichigo could tell just how unbelievably outclassed he had been at the time.
With a second evolution, Aizen's reiatsu had become transcendent, disintegrating human souls simply by being in close proximity to them, and able to damage the body of a competent Captain-class Shinigami like Ichimaru Gin with mere physical contact.
A third evolution, and Aizen's physical strength grew to the point where the mere swing of his sword had been enough to tear a good portion of the nearby ground apart, even when the blow itself had been stopped.
With the final evolution, Aizen had grown to the point where one of his techniques had been so immense that it had exploded with the force of a nuke, and had been powerful enough at point blank range to scorch Ichigo's left arm, even though the former Substitute Shinigami had obtained an even higher level of transcendence at the time.
He hadn't thought about it since he had defeated him, but if Aizen had been allowed to grow any stronger…how monstrous would he have eventually become?
Would the Final Getsuga Tensho have been enough to stop him?
Ichigo shivered at the thought of an even stronger Aizen Sosuke, and what that would have meant for Soul Society, and the rest of the world.
"So…that's why the Kyoto Youkai are interested in me?"
"Not just them. Every Faction around the world has had their eyes on you ever since that day. The Devils just happened to get you on their side first, and trust me, not a lot of people are going to be very happy about that."
Ichigo scowled.
"What the hell am I supposed to be? Some kind of new toy a bunch of kids are fighting over?"
Azazel chuckled darkly, a humorless smile appearing on his face.
"Hate to break this to you, kid, but to most of them, that's exactly what you are."
Ichigo walked up a long flight of stairs, Sirzechs and Serafall in front of him.
While the Four Great Seraphs, the three leaders of the Grigori, Ajuka and Falbium returned to their respective domains, the three of them proceeded even deeper into the strange city of Youkai.
Near the massive red Torii that they had passed through to enter this place, the buildings were rather modern, but as they went further in…well, it was time was regressing around them.
The architecture grew older and older the deeper they went in, proceeding from a modern Heisei Period city, to a Showa Period city, the Taisho Period, the Meiji Period, and when they reached what appeared to be the heart of this strange place, it appeared to have regressed back to the same Edo Period that Soul Society seemed to be perpetually stuck in.
He also noted that the cities were separated from each other by massive ramparts that stretched on further than he could see, and equally massive gates that seemed to keep going up and up to loom over him, heavily guarded by platoons of armed Youkai.
And the deeper they went in, the stronger the residents' reiatsu became.
In the Heisei Period city, the reiatsu permeating the place was a huge jumbled mess, varying in both quantity and texture, which Ichigo took to mean that they were different species of Youkai of differing age and power, though they all looked so human that normal humans who did not have the ability to sense the supernatural would not blink twice at them.
In the Showa Period city, the reiatsu was still a huge mess, but they all had similar levels of reiatsu, about the same level as some of the Middle-Class Devils Ichigo had met thus far.
In the Taisho Period city, their general level of reiatsu grew greater. Ichigo ranked them as the same level as most seated Shinigami, or the average High-Class Devil.
In the Meiji Period City, the residents were as strong as the average Lieutenant.
And here in the Edo Period City, the biggest of the five cities and the heart of the realm, the reiatsu levels were once again a huge mess, going as low as unseated Shinigami to almost as high as an average Captain.
And there was a lot, a lot of Youkai, as in somewhere in the tens, if not hundreds of thousands.
He also noticed that in the four inner cities, the residents seemed to have no qualms about assuming what he presumed were their usual forms.
Ichigo had walked past a Kasa-Obake, a Youkai possessing the form of an old bamboo umbrella, possessing a single eye, two arms and hoping around on one leg, a Nurikabe, a Youkai that took the form of a large concrete wall, supposedly appearing to impede travelling humans at night, and a Karasu-Tengu, an anthropomorphic crow dressed in a Jinbei, amongst many other Youkai.
Serafall explained to him that this was an artificial dimension that the Kyoto Youkai had created to live in, separate from the human world, though with multiple gates connecting them throughout the realm, taking the form of Torii gates, which were built to repel normal humans.
The layout of the realm was fairly circular, separated into 5 concentric circles.
The outermost circle, the city with Heishi Period architecture, was where the Youkai who interacted with the human world in some capacity lived. Most of the gates connected to the human world were also located there.
Deeper inside, the 3 middle circles, in other words, the Showa Period city, the Taisho Period city and the Meiji Period city made up the realm's lines of defense. During a time of crisis, like an invasion, the gates he had seen would be closed and locked, with Youkai taking positions along the ramparts to attack invaders.
That made sense, he supposed.
The residents of the three cities were all probably warriors, with each city having a certain level of power, with the Showa Period city having the weakest warriors and the Meiji Period city having the strongest.
If intruders broke through one line of defense, they would be met by another, stronger one, and if they broke through that too, they would meet the final, strongest line of defense.
And the massive Edo Period city they were currently in was the center of the realm, easily the biggest of the 5 cities, where most of the Youkai lived, from the common citizen to the nobility, which explained the huge range of reiatsu levels.
There were Youkai as weak as the average Rukongai resident, mostly commoner children who had yet to grow sufficiently to manifest any real power, and then there were Youkai whose reiatsu was as massive as any Captain, most of them concentrated at wherever the flight of stairs they were ascending led.
Speaking of which…
"Who exactly are we meeting again?"
"Yasaka-dono. She is the Princess, the leader of the Kyoto Youkai, the Kyuubi who governs the supernatural side of Japan."
"…A Kyuubi? As in a Kitsune? Like Tamamo-no-Mae?"
Ichigo immediately knew he had said something wrong, because both Sirzechs and Serafall winced.
"Ah, Ichigo-chan, just a word of advice when dealing with the Kyoto Youkai. Don't ever mention Tamamo-no-Mae, Shuten Douji or Emperor Sutoku to their faces. They really don't like that. Especially Tamamo-no-Mae. Do not ever speak her name in front of Yasaka-chan, or any Youkai for that matter." Serafall said with a shiver, looking slightly disconcerted, which was a huge turn for her, considering her usual overly cheery attitude.
There had to be a story behind that.
He also noted that the names she had mentioned were those of Japan's three most infamous Youkai, who had terrorized Japan in their own way.
Tamamo-no-Mae, the Golden-Furred White-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox, who had disguised herself as a courtesan and almost succeeded in killing the then Emperor of Japan.
Shuten Douji, a terrible Oni, who, along with a horde of his kin, had terrorized ancient Kyoto by kidnapping and eating the daughters of noble families alive.
And of course, the most infamous of the three, Emperor Sutoku, who had turned into a Dai-Tengu after his death, and cursed the royal family and imperial court who had usurped his position.
In fact, Emperor Sutoku's curse had supposedly occurred around the same time as the Tamamo-no-Mae incident, and it was reportedly the curses of the two put together that led to the end of the dynasty.
All three of them gave all Youkai in general a bad name, so he could definitely see why they were considered taboo.
"But, returning to your question, yes, Yasaka-hime is indeed a Kyuubi-no-Kitsune. One of the only two among the Kyoto Youkai, the other being her daughter, Kunou-hime."
"Only two? Are Kyuubi that rare?"
"Yes. There are only 2 ways to become a Kyuubi. The first way is the common method, but also the one that has seen little success. Most Kitsune start out with one tail, and only gain their second tail after 100 years, and their third tail 100 years after that, and so on. In other words, in order to ascend to a Kyuubi, the average Kitsune has to survive for 800 years. Furthermore, they cannot allow any of their already acquired tails to be damaged, or their ascension stops completely. Given those conditions, you can see why this method so rarely succeeds."
Ichigo nodded.
Those were some seriously strict conditions.
If the Kyoto Youkai had to deal with even half as much shit as he did during his tenure as a Substitute Shinigami, he imagined that didn't bode well for their numbers.
Hell, the Kitsune didn't even have to die. From what Sirzechs had said, if any of their tails sustained injury, they would no longer be able to ascend any further.
Ichigo mentally noted in the back of his mind that that was similar to how Adjuchas-level Hollows would not be able to evolve any further if a part of them was eaten by another Hollow.
"…You said that was the common method. Does that mean that there's another method?"
Sirzechs nodded.
"Yes. Much like how children conceived between Devils powerful enough to manifest multiple pairs of wings have a chance of being born already possessing the power to have multiple pairs themselves, the children conceived between Kitsune with multiple tails will also have a chance of being born possessing multiple tails. However, much like Devils, there is no way of knowing for sure how many tails they will have until they are born. A child conceived between a Hachibi-no-Kitsune and a Nibi-no-Kitsune can have anywhere from 1 to 8 tails."
"I see. In that case, a child born of a Kyuubi also has a chance of being born a Kyuubi as well?"
"Not just that. The firstborn of a Kyuubi will always invariably also be a Kyuubi. This holds true regardless of how many tails the other parent has. In fact, even if the other parent was a completely different species altogether, even a human, as long as one of the parents is a Kyuubi who has not had a child before, the firstborn will always be a full-blooded Kyuubi-no-Kitsune."
Ichigo blinked.
He was no biologist, but he was pretty sure there weren't any guarantees when it came to genetics.
Judging by how even Devils could have birth defects, the same probably held true even for the supernatural.
"There's no way that's natural, right?"
"Of course not. I have no proof, but I believe that this phenomenon is the result of a blessing upon the Kitsune race by the Shinto Gods to make up for the lost numbers."
"Lost numbers…does that mean that there were more Kyuubi in the past?"
"Yes. In fact, this ties in with why Tamamo-no-Mae's name is considered a taboo subject among the Kyoto Youkai. You must be aware of the legend that Tamamo-no-Mae had disguised herself as a courtesan and earned the favor of the then Emperor of Japan?"
"Yeah, it's pretty famous folklore. I don't think anyone alive in Japan today hasn't heard it at least once in their life."
"Then you also know of the part where she was exposed by Abe-no-Yasuchika, and subsequently chased and killed by a squad of soldiers, led by Kazusanosuke and Miuranosuke, in the plains of Nasu."
"Of course. It's part of the legend, and depending on which version you read, she embedded her own soul into a stone, turning it into a Sesshoseki, causing it to perpetually release poisonous gas until a Buddhist monk exorcised her soul from it."
"That part is a lie. Tamamo-no-Mae did not die on the plains of Nasu, though she did indeed curse a stone and turned it into a Sesshoseki. She fooled the soldiers into believing they had killed her, and escaped from them."
"…Say what?"
"To fully tell the story, I need to explain Tamamo-no-Mae's origin. Tamamo-no-Mae was born around three and a half millennia ago as Fumiko, the child of another Kyuubi, the ruler of the Kyoto Youkai 3 generations ago, Kazue-hime. I do not know how many tails she was born with, but she eventually became a Kyuubi. An exceptionally talented one at that, having a talent for Youjutsu, the mystic arts of the Youkai, never seen before. I believe that Kazue-hime would have named Fumiko her successor if she had not done what she did. Shortly after becoming a Kyuubi, she disappeared from Japan and entered China during the late Shang Dynasty. She disguised herself as a human woman, Daji, and became the King Zhou, the last King of the Shang Dynasty's favorite concubine."
"I think I've heard that story somewhere. She was famous for indulging in human torture, right?"
"Correct. Fumiko, or Daji, as she was known as at the time, reveled in the pain of humans, and thus invented many torture methods to satisfy her craving. The most famous is the Pao Lao, the Burning Pillar. Have you heard of it?"
"Um…no, but it sounds painful."
"It is. The Pao Lao is a large bronze cylinder covered in oil, heated to scorching temperatures by a charcoal fire beneath it. The victim is then forced to stand atop the cylinder. Because of the heat, the victim has to continuously shift their feet to avoid burning them. But because of the slippery surface , it is extremely difficult to maintain balance, and if they fall into the charcoal fire below, they will burn to death. Daji invented it so that she could watch her victims writhe in agony atop the cylinder before falling off and burning to death."
Ichigo grimaced.
That was sadistic.
"Thankfully, her actions were discovered by the Taoist Gods, who immediately sent a protest to the Shinto Gods, who in turn informed Kazue-hime of her erstwhile daughter's atrocities. Kazue-hime immediately disowned her and permitted the Taoist Gods to do as they saw fit with her. Soon afterwards, the forces of the man who would become the first King of the Zhou Dynasty, led by Jiang Ziya, a saint sent by the Taoist Gods, overthrew King Zhou. However, Daji managed to escape to the Magadha Kingdom in India, where she proceeded to disguise herself as another human woman, Lady Kayo, and became King Kalmashapada's consort. With a combination of her natural charm and mystic arts, she dominated his mind and caused him to commit unspeakable evils. Eating children and decapitating thousands of men were just some of them."
Ichigo's grimace turned into a full expression of pure disgust.
The torture had been bad enough, but making a man eat children?
That was just sick.
"She fled India once the Hindu Gods discovered her for some reason, and returned to China, where she lay dormant for 3 centuries to let the heat die down. Then, in 779 BC, she disguised herself as Bao Si, a beautiful woman who earned the favor of King You of the Zhou Dynasty, who deposed his own Queen and heir so that he could install Bao Si as his new Queen instead. Like she had with King Kalmashapada, she charmed King You, but did it with her natural beauty instead of directly manipulating him with Youjutsu to avoid attracting attention from the Taoist Gods. She cemented herself as a woman who rarely smiled, and in an attempt to make her happy, King You committed many acts of depravity and foolishness, including summoning the armies of his vassal states for no reason other than to let Bao Si laugh at them when they arrived expecting a battle, only to find nothing of the sort. Eventually, his vassal states and his own nobles and imperial court betrayed him, leading to his death, and her escape once again. This time, she laid low for more than a millennium before returning to Japan, where she disguised herself as the girl who would become known as Misukume, and then Tamamo-no-Mae. The legends of her told from this point up until the discovery of her true nature by Abe-no-Yasuchika are all true. However, like I said before, she was not killed on the plains of Nasu. She tricked her pursuers and escaped. This time, she returned to Kyoto. More specifically, she returned here." Sirzechs said, gesturing to the surroundings.
Ichigo choked.
She actually had the guts to return home after what she had done?
"Her intention was to install herself as the new ruler of the Kyoto Youkai. To that end, she started a war against the Kyoto Youkai of that time, and though she was eventually defeated and repelled, the cost was great. Despite being alone, she was older than most Youkai, and had the skill and experience to prove it. Many Youkai lost their lives in that war, including most of the elder Kitsune, and the ruler of Kyoto Youkai at the time, Nanami-hime. Another Kyuubi, Kazue-hime's granddaughter, the third child born of her third child. In other words, Tamamo-no-Mae's own niece. And also Yasaka-hime's mother."
Ichigo felt his heart sink as he realized the implications of Sirzechs's words.
"Yes, it is as you are thinking. On top of all of the atrocities she had already committed up to that point, Tamamo-no-Mae also committed familicide. All of her previous sins, her massacre of countless Youkai and the murder of her own kin are the reasons she is particularly despised by the Kyoto Youkai."
Ichigo certainly didn't blame them.
If he was in their position, he would hate her with a passion as well.
But, wait…
"If she was only repelled, does that mean she's still alive?"
"It hasn't been confirmed, but given that she has all the tenacity of a cockroach, yes, odds are that she's still alive somewhere, plotting her next move."
Ichigo scowled.
He didn't think he had ever wished someone dead before.
Not since Grand Fisher, anyway.
But Tamamo-no-Mae? She was quickly approaching that point.
If Ichigo ever met her, he made a note to take her out on principle.
"Ah, we have arrived. We will have to end the conversation here." Sirzechs spoke, turning back to face the front.
Ichigo noticed that they had finally reached the top of the long flight of stairs, passing underneath yet another massive red Torii.
And the moment Ichigo passed under the structure, he found himself before the massive ornate gates of an even bigger palace that made Las Noches look cute in comparison.
It was a traditional Japanese-style palace, just blown up to ridiculous proportions, surrounded by four tall stone ramparts with the ornate gate located on the wall they were currently standing in front of.
And standing at either side of the gate was a massive humanoid creature, one with red skin standing at the right side and one with blue skin standing at the left, wielding a proportionately huge spear in the hand closer to the gate and an old fashioned lantern in the other.
Ichigo recognized them as Oni, the Japanese equivalent of the well-known Western monsters, the Troll and the Ogre.
Most depictions he had seen of Oni had him picturing them as huge, rotund monsters that were bald and almost completely naked, save for a strange tiger-skin loincloth, wielding a Kanabo, a rather crude club-like weapon, with a savage gleam in their eyes.
The Oni in front of him were fairly different.
They were large, definitely, but they were also definitely not fat.
In fact, their musculature was well-defined, with huge builds that made Kenpachi seem like a twig.
They weren't dressed in the most sophisticated of clothes, wearing a simple brown happi each that thankfully extended down to their thighs, covering up the sensitive bits that Ichigo really did not want to see, but it was certainly a step up from a little loincloth.
And the serious light in their eyes at they stared unflinchingly ahead at seemingly nothing in particular made him think that they were more intelligent than most media tended to portray.
At least intelligent enough to expertly wield the spears they were holding and perform their duties as gatekeepers properly.
The three of them approached the gate, and the moment they got close enough…
*CLANG*
The two Oni shifted the spears in their hand, causing them to fall towards and intersect each other in an X-shape, the metal shafts clanging noisily as they met, blocking the gate.
"Halt. Only authorized personnel are allowed to enter the palace." Both of them growled in synchronized identical crushing voices, sounding like gravel grinding against each other.
"We are Sirzechs Lucifer, Serafall Leviathan and Kurosaki Ichigo of the Underworld. Yasaka-hime is expecting us." Sirzechs declared formally to the guards.
The Red and Blue Oni's eyes widened for an instant as their eyes flitted between the three of them, lingering on Ichigo the longest, before they frowned in suspicion.
"Unless you can produce proof that you are who you claim to be, we cannot allow you to enter the palace. Are you willing to submit yourselves to inspection?" They asked, still sounding extremely suspicious.
Ichigo frowned.
It was perfectly understandable that they would be hyper vigilant in keeping possible intruders out of the palace, but an inspection was a pretty big leap, not to mention a huge invasion of privacy, especially when the inspected were foreign dignitaries.
He would have thought they would at least first ask for someone inside the palace to confirm that their leader had indeed invited them.
Plus, leaving him aside, Sirzechs and Serafall should be pretty distinctive, considering they were 2 of only 6 Super Devils in existence.
Pretty hard to mistake them for anyone else, and vice versa.
Then, there was the whole 'every Faction around the world was interested in him' thing that Azazel told him about.
If he was really such a big deal, he would have thought that they would be able to recognize him on sight.
Maybe it was because he was now a Devil?
It was fairly recent news, so it might not have reached all ears yet.
Or was something else going on?
Judging by the frowns on Sirzechs's and Serafall's faces, they thought it was weird too.
"…It appears we have no choice. We agree to the-"
"There will be no need for that. Aomaru, Akamaru, stand down." An elderly, cultured voice ordered from behind them.
Ichigo turned to see a Karasu Tengu appearing from the Torii, clad in crimson samurai armor, looking rather dignified.
Well, about as dignified as an anthropomorphic crow could look without being ridiculous as well.
And trailing behind him, sulking with her face turned resolutely to the ground, was a blonde-haired, golden-eyed girl dressed in miko attire, with golden-furred vulpine ears atop her head and nine luxurious golden tails flowing behind her.
A Kyuubi.
Ichigo blinked, feeling distant bells ringing in his head.
Considering that Sirzechs had just told him that there were only two Kyuubi among the Kyoto Youkai, and her physical age, plus apparent childish personality, it wasn't hard to guess who she was.
Kunou, the daughter of the leader of the Kyoto Youkai.
But that wasn't what was ringing a bell.
He was sure he had seen her somewhere before.
"Yogarasu-sama." The two Oni greeted respectfully, and stood ramrod straight as the Karasu Tengi approached.
He must be some kind of bigshot.
"As you can see, I have found Kunou-hime. There is no longer a need for the heightened security. You may lower your spears." The Karasu Tengu spoke with a soft, but cultured and authoritative voice, one that had an underlying current of an immensely strong iron will.
"Yes sir."
The two Oni pulled their spears back, unblocking the gate.
"I apologize. Kunou-hime frequently leaves the palace unattended, but we cannot ignore the possibility that she had been abducted, which is why the palace is on high alert." The Karasu Tengu apologized as he bowed deeply to the three of them.
"Please, we understand. There is no need to apologize. Ichigo-kun, allow me to introduce you. This is Yogarasu-dono. He is Yasaka-hime's chief advisor and the head of the Kyoto Youkai's Imperial Guard."
"Um…pleased to meet you." Ichigo greeted and bowed.
"It is an honor to meet the hero who saved our country from its greatest crisis to date. Kunou-hime, please introduce yourself…Kunou-hime?" Yogarasu spoke, just a bit of awe mixed in with respect in his voice.
But when he had addressed Kunou, his tone changed into a confused one.
Ichigo looked down at the little Kyuubi, only to see that she had hidden herself behind Yogarasu, her head sticking out, and was staring at him with an expression of awe.
Okay, seriously, where had he seen that before?
"Kunou-hime?" Yogarasu asked again, this time sounding concerned.
"Hawaah!? W-What is it, Yogarasu!?" Kunou jolted and cried out in a slightly squeaky voice.
"Are you feeling unwell? If you are, I will call for Shiranui-sama to attend to you."
"N-No, there is no need for that! I'm perfectly fine!"
"I see. Then, please introduce yourself to our guests, Kunou-hime."
"G-Greetings, I am-No, I mean…We are Kunou, Princess of the Kitsune, daughter of Yasaka, the Ruler of Kyoto, Queen of the Kitsune and the leader of the Kyoto Youkai." Kunou said as she stepped out from behind Yogarasu and presented herself, correcting herself halfway through.
Ichigo noted the awkward use of the royal 'we', as though she wasn't used to saying it.
Yogarasu looked like he was having a headache.
"I apologize again. Kunou-hime is still in the process of learning etiquette, and has yet to progress very far. Though she would certainly be farther ahead if she did not frequently escape from her lessons." Yogarasu said with a slightly exasperated look.
He had muttered the last part, as though complaining to himself, but he had failed to lower his voice sufficiently, and everyone present had heard him.
Kunou turned bright red and started stamping her foot in an exaggerated manner as she pouted at him.
"Yogarasu!" She whined as she threw a tantrum, which was only serving to make her look less like a princess and more like a normal child of her age group.
Something clicked in Ichigo's head, and he finally remembered where he had met her.
"You…You're that girl from the ramen restaurant." Ichigo realized, remembering her, without the fox ears and tails, coming into the restaurant with an older, almost identical looking woman, making it literally the most heart pounding day of Ichigo's life since the end of the Winter War.
Kunou froze when she heard him speak, and turned to stare at him with an expression much like that of a deer caught in headlights, before blushing and looking down at her feet bashfully.
Sirzechs and Serafall looked at him, and then at Kunou, and then back to him.
"…You two know each other?"
"'Know' is a bit too strong of a word. We met once, about a year ago, when I was working at a ramen restaurant. She came with a woman who I assumed was her mother, but I didn't get either of their names, nor did they offer them. They pretty much just sat down, ate and stared at me the whole time." Ichigo replied.
Something about this situation seemed a little strange.
It was giving him a certain sense of déjà vu, like he had been asked the same question before.
As in literally just an hour ago.
"…Ichigo-chan, you aren't going to turn out to know at least one person from every Faction around the world, are you?" Serafall deadpanned.
Ichigo immediately opened his mouth to answer no, but thought better of it and closed it before he ended putting his foot in it.
He ended up meeting a Fallen Angel leader and the Princess of the Kyoto Youkai a whole year before he even found out who they really were.
And that was all within 3 months, in Japan alone.
Considering that he had spent the better part of the last year visiting parts of Asia and Europe, there actually was a good chance he had met at least one or two supernatural beings without even knowing it at the time.
He certainly had enough strange encounters abroad for it to be possible.
He was saved from having to answer when Yogarasu started talking.
"Ah yes, come to think of it, we did hear a report that you had settled in Kyoto for a short while. Yasaka-hime insisted on going to see you herself and brought Kunou-hime with her while we kept vigil from a distance. Yasaka-hime had a rather favorable impression of you." Yogarasu said as he stroked the feathers on his chin like an old man would a beard.
"Then, the woman back then was…"
"Yasaka-hime, yes. Shall we proceed? She is waiting for you."
Yogarasu gestured for them to follow him.
The Karasu Tengu led them through the gates and into the palace grounds.
It was a beautiful sight.
Ichigo had once seen the Kuchiki estate after Aizen's defection.
He had thought it was beautiful as well, with a massive promenade garden, filled with various plant life, some of which might not even be found on Earth anymore, and a koi pond, a staple in any upper-class Japanese home.
Byakuya did a good job of keeping the place beyond presentable.
But even that did not compare to the sheer grandeur of this palace.
Even the size of the garden here, flowers of various colors all in full bloom, alone already exceeded the entire Kuchiki estate, and this was only the part in his immediate surroundings.
Considering how massive it looked from outside the gates, the whole place might be as big as Seireitei itself.
As big as the Kuchiki estate was, it was still located inside the boundaries of Seireitei, and while the Four Noble Clans of Soul Society did each possess quite a considerable land space when compared to the rest of the citadel, it was still only a portion of it.
And the citadel was rather small if it were to be compared to say, Rukongai, which boasted an immense amount of land space despite the deplorable conditions of its residents.
Thus, as beautiful as the Kuchiki estate was, it really wasn't that much more splendid than a traditional upper-class Japanese estate in the human world.
This place was on a completely different level.
The Edo Period city that was the center of the realm was the biggest among the 5 cities. In terms of area, it probably had twice the amount of land space than the other 4 cities put together.
And while slightly over half of that land space was devoted to the homes of commoners and various commercial and industrial areas, the rest was devoted to this palace, and it showed.
Ichigo didn't think there was any private residence in all of Japan that had enough land space to build a full-sized pagoda, like the one he was looking at right now.
Furthermore, it wasn't even the centerpiece of this part of the garden.
It was located in a small isolated part, as though it was added as an afterthought, like a tiny ornament in an ordinary garden that didn't take up much space and easily forgotten.
If it was only in terms of land space, the Sitri estate, or even Serafall's personal estate might have this place beat, but most of their territory was undeveloped land, since a good part was left aside to be split among servants and peerage members.
It was almost something out of a fairy tale, something that couldn't be found in the human world, so much so that Ichigo couldn't help but stare.
He quickly snapped himself out of his daze and went to catch up with the rest of the group, who were entering the actual building without even glancing at the splendid garden.
The two Maou were no strangers to extravagance, and it was probably no strange sight for Yogarasu, considering that he lived and worked in the palace, especially if he was as old as Ichigo thought he was.
The same went for Kunou…
…Hm?
Ichigo noticed something wrong with the scene in front of him.
Yogarasu, Sirzechs, Serafall and himself.
That was four.
Someone was missing.
Ichigo turned around to find Kunou trailing behind him, staring at him with wide eyes, which grew almost comically huge when she realized that he had caught her doing so.
Ichigo quirked an eyebrow.
"Something wrong?"
"N-No, I'm-We are fine!" Kunou stuttered, correcting herself again to use the royal 'we'.
"You know, if that's too difficult, you can just speak casually. I don't mind. I'm not exactly a stickler for manners."
Kunou gained a complicated expression on her face when she heard his words, a sort of mix between elation, like she had just been told her birthday had come early, and horror, like she had just heard something incredibly blasphemous.
He supposed the importance of etiquette had been impressed upon her since the day she was born, so no matter how bad she actually was with it, suddenly being told that she didn't have to bother with it was probably rather jarring.
"B-B-But…"
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." He assured her, absentmindedly planting a palm gently on her head, just between her vulpine ears and rubbing the spot gently, like he would with the head of a cat or a dog.
"Hawaah!?" She cried out as she trembled beneath his palm, causing Ichigo to retract his hand like he had just received an electric shock.
"Sorry, did that hurt?"
"N-No, we were…I was just startled…" She muttered, her cheeks gaining a red hue as her hands moved to touch the spot he had been rubbing.
"If you don't like it, I won't do it again."
"No, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling…Y-You may continue if you like! I grant you permission!" She declared pompously as she placed her hands on her hips and puffed her chest out in an exaggerated swagger.
Ichigo smiled.
She reminded him mostly of Yuzu, but there was a part of her that resembled Karin as well.
He placed his palm back on her head and resumed the gentle ministrations, causing her to shudder before relaxing into the touch, her nine tails beginning to swish back and forth lazily through the air.
"Come on, let's keep moving." Ichigo said as he gently pushed on her scalp, prompting her to resume walking.
The two of them quickly caught up with the other three, entering the palace proper.
The interior of the palace seemed like an ordinary Japanese mansion, other than the fact that it was blown up to comfortably fit someone of Jidanbo's size.
There was a certain feel to the place, a type of ambient reishi that felt different compared to that of Soul Society, Hueco Mundo or the human world.
He had vaguely felt it ever since he entered this realm, but in the palace it was particularly concentrated, so much that he could feel it even without any conscious effort on his part.
That was strange, especially since reishi was supposed to be universal, not possessing unique properties like the reiatsu of individuals.
Rather than a different type of reishi, it was like there was something else mixed in with it.
Something similar, but ultimately different.
Something that felt like…well, nature, for lack of a better word.
Something that was missing from the human world, or rather, something that had been destroyed by civilization.
"Is something wrong? You're frowning quite heavily."
This time, his and Kunou's places were switched, with her asking him the question.
"No, just felt a weird energy in the air."
"Really? It doesn't feel any different than it usually does…"
"Then, it must be something unique to this realm. I've never felt anything like it in the human world."
Or in Soul Society, or Hueco Mundo, or Hell for that matter.
Soul Society and Hueco Mundo both had an immensely dense atmosphere of reishi, much more than the human world, but that was about it.
Hell had its miasma in addition to its own dense reishi concentration, and the miasma existed in such low concentrations in the Underworld, the part of Hell that the Devils and Fallen Angels lived in, that it couldn't be detected unless one were to purposely look for it.
Whatever this strange energy was, it was different from any realm Ichigo had been in.
"Hm…Oh, that's probably natural energy!"
"Natural…energy?"
"Yeah! This place has a lot of it! Come to think of it, when I went to the human world, I couldn't feel much natural energy…I asked Okaa-sama about it, but she didn't answer me. She just looked very sad…"
"Ah yes, the tragedy of human civilization."
Ichigo turned to look at Yogarasu, who was looking back at him with a forlorn expression.
"The human world once teemed with natural energy as well. However, those days have long since passed. You would be hard-pressed to find any location in the human world with a decent amount of natural energy these days."
"What is this natural energy?"
"It is exactly as it sounds. It is the energy of the world itself. To put it in Shinigami terms, it would be 'the reiryoku and reiatsu of the Earth itself'."
"…The Earth has reiryoku and reiastu?"
"Yes. Contrary to popular human belief, the Earth has its own sentience, its own soul. We call it Gaia." Sirzechs explained.
"Isn't that the Greek Primordial Goddess?"
"Yes, the soul of the Earth itself. A truly powerful being. As I have said, in the distant past, the world itself used to teem with natural energy. However, that was when Gaia was awake. Now, she and most of the other Primordial Gods have entered a dormant state. And when that happened, the connection between her and the actual planet weakened, causing a weakening the quality and quantity of the natural energy present on the planet. And with urbanization, industrialization and the general destruction of nature by mankind, the natural energy in the human world has weakened to the point where even the supernaturally aware would not be able to sense it unless they already knew it was there to begin with. It is the same as when a Chain of Fate is heavily damaged. The soul slowly loses its connection to its physical body."
"That explains a lot…But, why does this realm have natural energy? It's not part of Earth, right?"
"Yes, that is correct. However, this realm, as well as many others, is connected to Gaia in their own way. That is why passageways between those realms and Earth, such as the Torii you passed through to enter this realm, and the Dangai that connects Soul Society to Earth, exist. Admittedly, because of the metaphysical distance between these realms and Gaia, the natural energy in them is not as great as it once was on Earth. In Soul Society and Hell, you could not sense any natural energy either, correct? That is because those realms, and most realms of the afterlife are metaphysically far enough from Gaia that the natural energy present in them is rather negligible, especially after Gaia fell into a dormant state. This realm, being metaphysically closer, has a larger concentration of natural energy. And having performed rituals to strengthen our connection to Gaia over many years, you will find much more natural energy here than you would on Earth these days." Yogarasu explained.
"Is there a point to having this much natural energy around?" Ichigo asked.
He didn't see the point of performing rituals to strengthen their connection to Gaia if they couldn't utilize natural energy in some way.
"Ah yes, I suppose you would not know about Senjutsu…"
"Senjutsu?"
"Yes. Senjutsu is a category of mystic arts, such as magic. However, it functions slightly differently. Magic energy, or reiryoku, as Shinigami call it, is not enough to utilize Senjutsu. Energy first has to be mixed and balanced with natural energy, in order to create Senjutsu Chakra, which allows Senjutsu to be used."
"Mixing your own energy with a foreign energy? Sounds dangerous."
Ichigo thought about the Hollowfication process, the act of trying to remove the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow, and how it had almost ended up turning both him and the other Vizards into bloodthirsty monsters.
It had been a horrible process, and if Kisuke hadn't been around, who knew what would have ended up happening?
"Yes, indeed, it is very dangerous. Though she is in a dormant state, Gaia can sense what humanity has done and is still doing to nature. Her hatred towards them has seeped into and melded with natural energy. So, when a Senjutsu user takes in natural energy, they are also taking in that malice. If they are not careful, they will be overwhelmed by it and turn into a beast without reasoning. If that were to happen, it would be truly calamitous."
The hatred of an immortal being that has existed for as long as the planet itself, huh?
He could definitely see how a mortal would be overwhelmed by something like that.
"Is it really that dangerous? If it's only one person, putting a stop to them should be a pretty simple task, right? And barring that, I don't like saying this, but I don't think killing them should be too difficult either."
"Pfft…Ichigo-chan, you don't understand how terrifying Senjutsu really is. Among all of the mystic arts in existence, Senjutsu is one of the hardest to master. However, conversely, a master of Senjutsu is unimaginably strong. The best of them can even directly manipulate time and space, you know? Even the most rudimentary application of Senjutsu is dangerous, since it can directly attack life force. Getting hit even once could cause catastrophic damage to your body. And the worst thing is that there's almost no way to defend against it other than avoiding getting hit." Serafall said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Thankfully, owing to the sheer difficulty of mastering the art, the number of Senjutsu users is quite low. It is an art that requires an inordinate amount of talent to master. If one does not possess sufficient talent, it does not matter how hard they work. It is unlikely they will ever master Senjutsu even if they were to train for their entire lifespan. Even if that lifespan is measured in hundreds, if not thousands of years. That is insurmountably arduous it is to master Senjutsu. If I am not mistaken, the number of beings who can actually use the art is less than 20."
"And one of them is here in the palace?"
"Yes, Yasaka-hime herself. Even among Youkai, she is one of the foremost Senjutsu masters of the world, as would be expected from a Kyuubi."
"Even among Youkai? Does that mean all Youkai can use Senjutsu"
"Rather than all of them being able to use Senjutsu, it is more accurate to say that most Youkai have a certain disposition towards Senjutsu. Some species, such as Nurikabe, have an even lower affinity for it than the average human, while other species, such as Kitsune, have such a high affinity for it that it comes naturally to them. And even among Kitsune, Yasaka-hime is considered a prodigy, having reached the level of a master in just a few decades."
"Okaa-sama is incredible!" Kunou said with a haughty smile, as though she were speaking of her own achievements rather than her mother's.
"Does that mean you can do it too?" Ichigo asked the little Kyuubi.
The smile shifted into a pout, and her vulpine features drooped.
Ichigo had pretty much gotten his answer from her reaction.
Yogarasu chuckled.
"Unfortunately, Yasaka-hime has forbidden Kunou-hime from training in Senjutsu until she has matured. Before one can even begin training, they must fulfill two prerequisites. The first is a large reserve of power. No matter how perfect one's control over natural energy is, if they do not possess great power of their own, they will only be able to produce a miniscule amount of Senjutsu Chakra, which will not be able to achieve anything. Fortunately, Kunou-hime, having been born a Kyuubi, already possesses a considerable amount of power on her own. The second prerequisite is a strong body. As you can see, that is quite obviously something that Kunou-hime is lacking."
Ichigo looked down at Kunou.
He could see Yogarasu's point. The little Kyuubi barely reached his waist in height.
"Senjutsu Chakra is a very potent energy, especially in large quantities. Without a powerful body to withstand it, one would be torn apart if they were to attempt to perform Senjutsu. As talented as Yasaka-hime is, even she did not begin her Senjutsu training until her body had fully matured at the age of 87."
"…87? It took 87 years for a Kyuubi's body to fully mature?"
"That is already very fast by Kitsune standards. Usually, a Kitsune's physical growth is heavily tied to the number of tails they possess. An Ichibi would remain a toddler for most of their first 100 years. A newly ascended Nibi would have the body of a child. Likewise, a Sanbi would have the body of a pubescent, a Yonbi would be a teenager who has just left puberty, and a Gobi would have the body of a young adult. In other words, for a Kitsune to reach physical maturity, they would have to live for a minimum of 4 centuries. Yasaka-hime, who was born with nine tails, underwent the same physical maturation in almost a fifth of that time span. Kunou-hime, who was likely born a Kyuubi, will likely experience the same."
"…Exactly how old are you right now?" Ichigo asked Kunou.
"Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady their age? But if you must know, I am currently 23 years old." Kunou answered in a slightly cross tone.
Ichigo's jaw almost dropped.
Kunou, who was barely half his height, was older than he was?
…Somehow, he didn't think he was as surprised as he should be.
Toshiro, who was supposedly almost 2 centuries old, still only had the body of a barely pubescent body.
He really should stop applying human standards to supernatural beings.
"Ah, we are here." Yogarasu said as he looked back to the front.
They had been walking in a straight line down a corridor for a while, and had stopped in front of a truly impressive golden double door.
It was currently closed, but Ichigo could feel reiatsu radiating from the other side.
The person on the other side of the door, presumably Yasaka, had enough reiatsu to match one of the elder Captains.
She was not the only one.
There were six more reiatsu signatures inside the room, each only slightly lower than the one that was presumably Yasaka's, and each having a unique texture.
Multiple species, he guessed.
"Yasaka-hime is waiting inside. Kunou-hime, please return to your room. This meeting is of the highest confidentiality. You are not permitted to enter. And you left in the middle of a lesson. Please return and finish it."
"No, I don't wanna! Those lessons are boring! I wanna see Okaa-sama!" Kunou immediately protested, throwing a fit right then and there.
Right outside the room where her mother was.
"Kunou-hime, your esteemed mother already intends to punish you for leaving the palace unattended. If you continue to throw a tantrum here, she will hear you. I am sure you are well aware of how much worse your punishment would be."
Kunou froze, her expression seizing up into one of abject terror, much like a child fearing the anger of their parents.
Her temper cooled rapidly, and she visibly drooped.
"…Understood. I'll go back to my room." Kunou muttered with a dejected expression, trudging off down the corridor to the left, leading to other parts of the palace.
"…I will receive retribution for that later." Yogarasu mused as he watched her leave.
Ichigo held back a snort.
Children could be vindictive, and if the lore about the trickster personality associated with Kitsune was true, Kunou would be twice as wrathful, not to mention a lot more creative.
Yogarasu turned back to the massive door and knocked on it.
A heavy sound reverberated loudly throughout the corridor as the metal was struck.
"Yasaka-hime, I have brought the guests."
"You may enter." A female voice that practically screamed regality answered from inside.
Yogarasu pushed the massive doors open, rather easily considering their size in comparison to his own.
A gust of wind billowed out from the room as the doors slid open, bringing with it a certain scent.
The fragrance of roses, chrysanthemum, lilies, and just about every flower Ichigo had ever come across, along with many other unfamiliar, yet pleasant smells, blended together in a heady, exotic mix.
The chamber beyond the door was extravagant in a way that even the rest of the palace could not compare.
It looked to possess about the third of the length of the corridor they had just walked through, but with almost 10 times the width.
The wooden flooring of the corridor cut off abruptly at the entrance to the chamber, where it was replaced by polished stone.
A line of elegant white marble extended from the entrance to the other end of the room, spanning the width of two average humans, surrounded on both sides by black marble, making up the flooring of the rest of the chamber.
Along the edges of the chamber, decorated pillars of smooth red wood jutted from the ground to hold up the ornate ceiling far above.
Near the far end of the chamber, six people, three men and three women, stood facing each other in two short files along the borders where the white marble met the black, reminding Ichigo of the positions the Captains of Gotei 13 took when having an official meeting in the Captain Commander's chambers.
Each of them was unique in their appearance.
The first man appeared to be middle-aged, possessing long straight black hair that fell just past his shoulder and piercing black eyes, wearing a purple kimono with a white collar.
It wasn't obvious what kind of Youkai he was, as he possessed too human of an appearance for Ichigo to be sure. His reiatsu sure didn't feel like any of the Youkai he had come across thus far.
The second was a red-skinned, bald and black-eyed elderly man who still possessed a healthy physique, wearing a black kimono, a sash with small pompoms attached to it, and a small black cap atop his head.
However, his most distinctive feature was doubtlessly his very long nose, which was a pretty damn obvious clue as to what species of Youkai he was.
That was the characteristic of the Tengu, the long-nosed goblins, who were considered either harbingers of conflict or guardians.
The third was also an elderly man, but unlike the other, he was rather portly in stature, like the statues of Hotei, one of the Seven Lucky Gods that Ichigo had seen a few times during his travels in Japan and other parts of Asia, which was meant to represent prosperity and wealth. He was bald, had large brown eyes, wore a brown kimono, and had a conical straw hat hanging behind him and a bottle of sake hanging slightly precariously from his obi.
Like the man before him, it was also fairly obvious as what Youkai he was, as long as one's knowledge of Youkai folklore was decent enough.
He was probably a Tanuki, a mischievous Youkai much like the Kitsune, though their reputation wasn't quite as bad as the more infamous species.
Standing opposite them, the first woman had long and straight ice blue hair, matching eyes, wearing a pure white kimono tied at the waist with a lavender sash.
Even if he couldn't see the thin layers of frost coating the floor around her, she was probably the easiest of the bunch when it came to guessing her species.
She looked way too similar to the manifested form of Sode no Shirayuki, Rukia's Zanpakuto, to be anything other than a Yuki Onna.
The second woman was harder to determine, having long wavy white hair and yellow slitted eyes, also wearing a white kimono like the first woman, though hers had detached sleeves and was more revealing compared to the Yuki Onna's conservative appearance.
He wasn't too sure what kind of Youkai she was, but judging by her eyes, he was going to go with either something feline or reptilian.
The last woman was an even bigger mystery. For all intents and purposes, she looked like a normal human, albeit one with beautiful features like the rest, with long brown hair and red eyes, wearing a crimson kimono.
Like the first man, he could not even begin to guess what she was.
The six of them were staring at the entrance of the chamber, or more specifically, they were staring at him, Sirzechs and Serafall.
Especially him, in fact. Their eyes only regarded the two Maou for a while before they fell on him and never wavered.
Ichigo met their gaze evenly, and after a few seconds, they broke eye contact first, seemingly satisfied with whatever it was they were looking for in his gaze.
Their eyes shifted as one to look to the other end of the chamber.
Ichigo's gaze followed suit, and froze.
At the far end of the chamber, a booth-like structure was erected atop a dais.
It was hexagonal in shape, supported by pillars of lacquered wood at each vertex, holding up an elaborately crafted roof made of various metals, with gleaming gold standing out the most.
Atop the roof, there appeared to be a massive golden flower-shaped structure.
The six sides, separated by the pillars, were covered by curtains of royal purple silk. All but the side directly facing the entrance.
The curtains were parted to reveal the inside of the booth, where a throne sat, ostentatious even when compared to the rest of the chamber.
However, compared to the person languishing regally atop it, it may as well have been a wooden stool.
She was a true work of art, possessing an ethereal beauty that humans could never hope to achieve naturally.
Long locks of cascading gold framed a perfect heart-shaped face with eyes of the same color, but with a greater, burning intensity to them.
Her lips were curled into an angelic yet bewitching smile, causing heat to rise to Ichigo's cheeks despite himself.
Her body was covered in a decorated ceremonial robe, like what Ichigo would expect members of the Japanese monarchy to wear in the past, but even with that present, it was quite clear that she had quite the voluptuous body.
Nine tails of pure gold were present behind her. Four swished lazily from side to side, while the remaining five lay still on the excess space on the throne.
Yogarasu had already said that the woman he had met a year ago in the ramen restaurant had been Yasaka.
However, just looking at the manifestation of regal sensuality before him, it was hard to believe they were the same person.
She must have been seriously suppressing her true appearance, and Ichigo could not blame her.
Guys would have been all over her the moment she stepped out into the human world if they even caught so much as a glimpse of her true beauty.
Ichigo had met a lot of beautiful woman.
Orihime had been one, though having known her since middle school, he hadn't really noticed until much later.
Yoruichi was obvious, as was Unohana Retsu.
Hell, even among his enemies, there had been pretty ladies.
And more recently, there was Serafall, if one were to overlook her childish stature, which was not her real appearance apparently, her mother, Sana, Grayfia, of course, and a number of female High-Class Devils he had met at the party the Sitri Clan had thrown for him in celebration of his promotion.
But, all of them were outclassed by the sight before him.
Yogarasu motioned for them to wait here and entered the chamber, striding between the six Youkai and approaching the royal figure on the throne.
He bowed deeply, almost a full 90 degree angle, before rising and speaking to her.
What about, Ichigo had no idea. He was speaking too softly for him to pick up from the other side of the chamber.
The alluring Kyuubi nodded and graced the Karasu Tengu with a smile.
"You have done well, Yogarasu. Remain here. Gyuki-dono, Kurama-dono, Tamaki-dono, Setsura-dono, Hakuja-dono, Shiranui-dono, let us continue our discussion on a later occasion. As you know, this meeting takes precedence over all else." The exquisite creature spoke in an impossibly melodious voice.
Ichigo felt a shiver run down his spine.
He recalled experiencing a similar feeling when he last saw her a year ago, but it was dwarfed compared to the tingling he was dealing with right now.
Yogarasu bowed to the radiant Kyuubi and stepped aside.
The other 6 Youkai did the same before filing out of the room.
The 3 Super Devils stepped aside, unblocking the entrance and allowing them to leave.
The 6 Youkai glanced at Ichigo on the way out, but did not do anything else.
The 3 of them stepped into the chamber, and the doors shut behind them.
"Welcome, Sirzechs Lucifer-dono, Serafall Leviathan-dono, and of course, Kurosaki Ichigo-dono. We welcome you to our humble abode." Yasaka greeted them.
Ichigo twitched.
This oversized building was 'humble'?
"Thank you for the invitation, Yasaka-hime. Will we be beginning the meeting now?"
"Unfortunately, not just yet. We still await one more guest."
One more guest?
Judging by the looks of confusion that had surfaced on the Maou's faces, they had no idea who she was talking about either.
Ichigo turned towards the door, expecting it to open any moment.
Instead, movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
He turned to find a part of the air in the side of the chamber distorting, swirling like a vortex.
A special distortion.
Then, the air split apart and a set of Shoji doors appeared in its place abruptly.
Ichigo's eyes widened.
He would recognize that anywhere.
It was a Senkaimon.
But, that was impossible.
Senkaimon were dimensional gateways that connected Soul Society to the human world.
It shouldn't be able to appear here in a different realm.
…Now that he looked at it carefully, it did appear to be a different color than the usual Senkaimon.
Rather than the usual light brown color of dried bamboo wood, the wooden frame was red in color.
The Shoji doors slid apart, releasing a cloud of smoke from inside that quickly cleared, revealing the white light that had been behind the doors.
Then, a single figure began to emerge from it, shadowed by the blinding light.
Only when he had stepped out of the light and the Senkaimon closed behind him was Ichigo able to get a good look.
Standing there was a familiar old man, completely bald, but with long eyebrows and an even longer beard, and a very prominent pair of perpendicular scars just above his right eye. He wore an oversized Shihakusho under a Captain's haori, with the left sleeve very noticeably flat, and a gnarled wooden cane in his right hand.
"Jii-san…!"
"It has been a long time, Kurosaki Ichigo. You look well. You two as well, Maou Lucifer and Maou Leviathan." Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni, the venerable Captain Commander of Gotei 13, greeted the 3 Devils.
Sirzechs smiled genially at him, while Serafall grinned brightly and waved.
"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Yamamoto-dono. We have heard many things about you. Not all of them were good, but enough to make a favorable impression." Sirzechs said warmly as he extended his left hand for a shake, which Yamamoto firmly grasped with his gnarled, only remaining hand.
"I am sorry to say that I cannot return the sentiment. By both design and the mandate of our monarch, Soul Society is completely isolated from the rest of the world beyond the borders of Japan. What I know of you is simply what Urahara Kisuke and Yasaka-hime have relayed to me."
"I see. Judging by your presence, can I safely conclude that you are the final guest Yasaka-hime was speaking of?"
"Yes, that is correct." Yasaka answered.
"It truly has been a long time since we last saw each other face to face, Yasaka-hime."
"Far too long, Yamamoto-dono. You should visit more often."
"Unfortunately, my duties do not afford me much personal time. Certainly not enough to lave Soul Society. Especially not after our latest debacle 4 years ago."
"Is that so…that is truly unfortunate. She always expresses a desire to see you more often."
"If she wishes to see me, she can easily do so herself. There is no need for me to come here just for that."
"Hm. Well, let us leave it at that. She must be growing impatient by now." Yasaka said with a smile as she rose from her throne and exited the booth and descended from the dais.
"Who is this 'she' you have been mentioning?" Sirzechs asked the question that was on the minds of the 3 Devils.
"Ah yes, we have yet to properly explain to you. When you requested that we allow you to use our territory for your meeting, we asked to meet Kurosaki Ichigo-dono in return. However, we were not the ones who came up with that idea. That would be her." Yasaka explained as she turned around and pointed up at the roof of the booth.
Ichigo followed the direction of her finger, and noticed that she was pointing at the flower-like ornament on top of the roof.
The completely ordinary looking ornament.
That is, until it started spouting white flames.
"Um...is it supposed to be doing that?" Ichigo asked.
Expectedly, no one answered him, because all of their attention was focused on the growing conflagration atop the booth, the pure white luminescence somehow enhancing the beauty of the construct.
That was when Ichigo realized that it wasn't an ornament.
It was a pyre.
The flames shot upwards, spreading unnaturally into a hollow circle.
In the space in the flames, a hazy image began to form.
At first, he couldn't even tell what it was supposed to be.
Then, the image began to clear up.
Ichigo froze once more as he finally realized what, or rather, who, was in the image.
It was a woman.
She possessed long, straight black hair, styled into what was known colloquially as a hime cut, decorated elegantly with a golden crown-like hair ornament.
Her eyes, sharp yet kind and motherly, were the same shade of molten gold as Yasaka's, but possessing a depth of infinite wisdom, shining even more brightly than the Kyuubi's, burning as intensely as the midday sun, draped by long, gently curled eyelashes.
She was dressed in robes far more ornate and beautiful than Yasaka's, if that was possible, complete with a thin white sash that shimmered with each movement, floating in the air in complete defiance of gravity.
Ichigo's mind almost completely shut down when she graced them with a small, almost unperceivable smile that magnified her beauty almost tenfold.
Her entire person appeared to be glowing.
He did not mean that in the way that she was beautiful, though she most certainly was, beyond what modern linguistics could hope to describe.
He literally meant that she appeared to be actually glowing, her body giving off some sort of golden radiance.
Which only served to further cement in his head that this woman, impossibly beautiful in ways not even Yasaka could match, could not be of mortal origins.
It was only when he managed to tear his eyes away from her that he noticed that both Yamamoto and Yasaka had gotten down on a knee each, bowing in reverence to the woman.
"You have done well, Yasaka."
An ephemeral sound that could not be adequately described as a voice echoed in the closed chamber and seemed to resonate with Ichigo's very being.
"We thank you for your kind praise, Amaterasu-sama."
"What!?"
Ichigo had a minor meltdown when he realized exactly who the woman was.
Amaterasu-Okami, the most important deity in Shintoism, the Shinto Goddess of the Sun and the Universe, and the Queen of Takamagahara, the land of the Shinto Gods.
It was not possible to live in Japan without hearing stories about her at least once, considering that Shintoism was the largest religion in the country by a huge margin, almost 50% more than Buddhism, Japan's second largest religion.
Naturally, being the largest religion in Japan, Ichigo had grown up, hearing story after story about the Shinto Gods.
The creation of Japan by Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, the latter's death in childbirth and the former's failed attempt at bringing her back, leading to the animosity between them, the birth of the Shinto Trinity, Amaterasu-Okami, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto and Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the disappearance of the sun when Amaterasu went into hiding in Ama-no-Iwato when Susanoo heavily offended her and killed one of her attendants, and Susanoo's slaying of Yamata-no-Orochi.
To him, the Shinto Gods were more famous than even Angels, Fallen Angels and Devils, because for all of the influence of Christianity globally, it was still a comparatively small religion in Japan, only making up just over 2% of the population.
And Amaterasu was the most legendary of them all.
Said legendary figure was right in front of him.
…Well, technically, it was just an image.
But, if an image was already enough to elicit that much awe from him unconsciously, what would happen if they actually met face to face?
The image of the Head Goddess of the Shinto Pantheon shifted, her gaze moving to Yamamoto.
Her gaze softened, and became infinitely sorrowful even as her smile grew a fraction wider.
"…It has been a very long time since our last meeting, Shigekuni. It pleases me to see that you are doing well, but it pains me to see that you have aged so much. And that you have lived a truly hard life." Amaterasu spoke, her voice tinged with immeasurable grief.
"I wear my scars proudly. I prefer to think of them as a reminder of what I have protected, rather than of what I have lost." Yamamoto replied.
He didn't say it out loud, but pretty much everyone could tell that they were talking about his obviously missing left arm, lost in the battle with Aizen, rather than the numerous scars that Ichigo knew marred his torso.
"However…it pleases me to see you as well…Haha-ue."
Ichigo blinked once…and then again…and then a third time as he slowly process what Yamamoto had just said.
And then his jaw dropped.
Sirzechs and Serafall looked surprised, though not shocked to the same degree as Ichigo.
"You really should visit more often, my son. I do not get to see you nearly enough." Amaterasu spoke in a slightly more casual manner, her smile losing a bit of its sadness.
She was not refuting him in any way, which meant that Yamamoto was really…
"As I have explained to Yasaka-hime, I do not have the time for that. My duties…"
"You have served your duties for more than a millennium, Shigekuni. It is high time you select your successor and pass your duties to them."
"There is no one that is capable of replacing me yet. Of my two students, one is plagued by illness and the other lacks motivation. The other Captains…they either lack experience, or are simply incompatible with my station." Yamamoto immediately countered.
Even with most of his brain power still trying to process the relationship between Japan's most important God and the vaunted Captain Commander of Gotei 13, there was enough left over for him to acknowledge Yamamoto's point.
Ukitake was wracked by a terrible chronic illness that interfered with most of his daily life, forcing him to stay in bed most of the time and leave the work to his questionably capable 3rd Seats, and more recently, his newly appointed Lieutenant.
Kyoraku on the other hand just didn't seem fit for the post of Captain Commander. On ordinary days, he could be found lazing around Seireitei or Rukongai rather than sitting in his office and working like he was supposed to be.
He could be serious when the situation called for it, dangerously so, but the Captain Commander was required to be serious 24/7, if Yamamoto was any indication.
The other Captains…well, Gotei 13 would collapse in an instant if the likes of Kenpachi or Kurotsuchi became Captain Commander.
Toshiro was obviously too young. Even if one were to consider than he was over 200 years old, he was still the youngest of the Captains, and many, especially Aizen, had commented on his inexperience multiple times.
Ichigo personally thought that Byakuya was fit for the post, but in addition to his duties as a Captain, he was also the head of one of Soul Society's Four Noble Clans.
His schedule must already be as busy as Yamamoto's, and if he tried taking on any more duties, even he, calm and collected as he was, would snap under the pressure sooner or later.
Komamura was also someone who Ichigo could picture heading Gotei 13, but Yamamoto apparently considered him inexperienced.
Then again, all of the Captains seemed inexperienced compared to him.
Soifon was in a similar situation as Byakuya, being the Captain of the 2nd Division, the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukido, and the head of a minor noble clan that was subordinate to the Shihoin Clan that Yoruichi once headed, and even if she wasn't, Ichigo privately thought that she was a bit too…obsessed with her own former Captain to be fit for the job.
Ichigo also heard from Kisuke, Rukia and Renji that Shinji, Rose and Kensei had returned to Gotei 13 to once again lead the Divisions they had once been in charge of before being exiled due to Aizen's machinations.
Not even Central 46 could leave 3 Captains' positions open, or hand them to incompetent Shinigami, especially after the Aizen fiasco, so not even they could argue with the Vizards' return, but he got the feeling that if any of them became Captain Commander, there would be a huge uproar that could degenerate into civil war.
There was the rather obvious choice of Unohana, who had been around as long as Yamamoto had if the rumors he heard were to be believed, but there was a reason she was called Soul Society's greatest healer.
As in, the gap between her abilities and that of her Lieutenant, the second best healer in Soul Society, was immense.
In normal situations, she and the rest of the 4th Division would be enough, but if a disaster on the same level as the Aizen incident were to occur, Gotei 13 was going to suffer heavily with their best healer performing other duties.
As Yamamoto had said, there was no one who could replace him.
But, more importantly…
"Yes, Kurosaki Ichigo-dono, it is exactly as you have heard. Yamamoto Shigekuni-dono is the son of our Sovereign, Amaterasu-sama." Yasaka said with a smile, apparently finding the obvious shock on his face amusing.
"I consider all mortals born in the land of Japan to be my children. Naturally, that includes you as well, Kurosaki Ichigo. However, Shigekuni is my flesh and blood son who I gave birth to." The Lady of the Sun added.
"The son of the head deity of the Shinto Pantheon is the Captain Commander of Gotei 13? Forgive me if my words seem impertinent, but why is Amaterasu-dono's son performing such…unglamorous duties? If you wished to do so, I'm sure you could easily obtain a high station in the Shinto Faction…"
"Ufufufu, it's only natural that Shigekuni is the Captain Commander of Soul Society. I gave birth to him for that very purpose."
"…I'm sorry?"
"Hm…to explain this, I will have to recount the early days of my reign. You are, of course, familiar with the story of my honored father, Izanagi-no-Mikoto, and his wife, Izanami-no-Mikoto?"
"Of course. Izanami-no-Mikoto was burned to death while giving birth to their youngest son, Hino-Kagutsuchi, and her soul descended into Yomi. Izanagi-no-Mikoto, mourning her death, ventured into Yomi to revive her, but after bearing witness to her decaying form, he fled in terror, sealing the entrance to Yomi with a boulder, preventing her from chasing him."
"Indeed. And in anger and indignation at her husband's betrayal, Izanami-no-Mikoto vowed to end the lives of 1000 Japanese every day. In return, my honored father vowed to create 1500 Japanese every day. That cycle would continue for many years, until Izanami-no-Mikoto realized that she would not be able to take revenge on her husband that way. Instead, she decided to curse his beloved Japanese a different way. She interfered with the soul cycle. Kurosaki Ichigo, do you remember how Japan's soul cycle functions?"
"When a soul's Chain of Fate is severed, they can no longer return to their body and are considered dead. Shinigami have to perform Konso on them for them to move onto either Soul Society or Hell depending on the sins they committed in life. If a soul is left in the living world for too long, their Chain of Fate deteriorates and undergoes encroachment, causing them to turn into a Hollow, which are purified and sent to Soul Society when killed by a Shinigami's Zanpakuto. When souls in Soul Society are killed or reach the end of their lifespan, they are reincarnated into the living world again, repeating the whole cycle."
"Indeed. However, Japan's soul cycle was not always the way it is today. Millennia ago, before the birth of the Martyr the world knows as Christ, the son of YHWH, Japan's soul cycle was no different from that of any other part of the world. Souls would enter the afterlife, which, depended on their beliefs and sins, immediately upon death, without a need for the external stimulus that is Konso."
"…In other words, it was Izanami-no-Mikoto who interfered with that soul cycle and turned it into what it is today?" Sirzechs inferred.
"Yes. She cursed Japan and prevented souls from moving onto the afterlife naturally. In other words, she is the one who is behind the creation of the creatures you know as Hollows."
Ichigo grimaced.
So, the reason why Hollows existed was because of the grudge between Japan's creators?
"You can imagine that it became quite a conundrum. Now, there are regular Shinigami patrols to exterminate Hollows and send their purified souls to Soul Society, but Shinigami did not exist in the beginning. Hollows began to overrun Japan, devouring humans and increasing in power, and ultimately causing the balance between the living world and the afterlife to break down. The situation deteriorated to the point where Soul Society and Japan were about to spill over into each other. Thus, we of Takamagahara decided to act. We struck down the Hollows with our divine powers, and created the new lynchpin that would stabilize the new soul cycle, the Soul King, a Divine Construct containing the powers of the Gods of Takamagahara, possessing enough power to negate the curse that Izanami-no-Mikoto had cast on Japan."
Ichigo's eyes widened as the identity of the enigmatic Soul King was finally revealed to him.
"A period of peace was established thereafter. However, it did not last long, for a certain incident occurred that would destroy the delicate balance of Japan's soul cycle once more."
"A certain incident?"
"Yes. The Soul King, the lynchpin we created to stabilize the new soul cycle, lost control of his power, causing the soul cycle to break down once more."
Ichigo shivered.
The Soul King, the great monarch of Soul Society who Aizen had sought to kill, lost control?
"Having been created from the powers of multiple Gods, three of whom were my brothers and I, the Soul King was immensely powerful, even if one were to take into consideration that he is a Divine Construct. That power grew too great for him to control. As such, in order to contain his power, we of Takamagahara were forced to remove a large portion of the power we had granted him, causing his limbs and heart to wither and fall away from the rest of his body, descending to various parts of Soul Society. And to prevent the Soul King's power from overflowing into the other realms, we created the dimension known as the Royal Realm and placed it far above Soul Society, placing the Soul King in the Greater Palace that overlooked all else, and sealing what remained of him within a barrier that stopped his power from leaking out." Amaterasu spoke sorrowfully, mourning what they had been forced to do to their own creation.
So, that was the truth of the Soul King.
As grandiose as his title and role were, he was essentially a puppet.
Ichigo personally felt that it was necessary to establish peace, but if Aizen, who possessed a monumental ego, had discovered that he was subservient to a glorified marionette…well, it was no wonder he had revolted.
"However, that act in itself would have dire consequences. With the Soul King's power diminished, Izanami-no-Mikoto's curse was able to take effect once more, preventing souls from moving on and causing the resurrection of the Hollows. As such, we were forced to find another granted blessings to 12 powerful souls in order to create the first generation of Shinigami, one of whom would go on to create the weapons that served as the very mark of the Shinigami, the Zanpakuto. And I created and gave birth to the man who would become the leader of the Shinigami and restore order to the living world and Soul Society, Yamamoto Shigekuni, my son."
Amaterasu spread her arms wide open, as though to embrace someone.
"Ah, if only you could have borne witness to his power! It was truly magnificent! No matter the strength of his opponent, a single swing of his Ryujin Jakka was enough to utterly immolate and turn them to less than ashes! The man whose very name struck fear into the hearts of his enemies! Someone whose power is on par with my own! That is my son, Yamamoto Shigekuni!" Amaterasu gushed proudly, sounding less like an almighty deity, and more like a bragging mother.
If Ichigo's mother were alive to do the same, he would doubtlessly be incredibly embarrassed, though secretly happy on the inside.
Yamamoto showed no such reaction, his expression as blank as it always was.
But, still to think the old man was once that strong…
In that case, couldn't he have defeated Aizen pretty easily?
"Hmph. That was a very long time ago, when I was still in my prime. I am no longer that man, simply an old, decrepit shadow of what I once was. With this withered body, I can barely produce a tenth of my original power even with my Bankai." Yamamoto snorted.
Ichigo understood.
Back when he had just obtained his Bankai, just a few minutes of use was enough for it to start snapping all of his bones due to his lack of control over its immense power, but eventually, he gained enough mastery over it for him to use its full power without consequence.
Yamamoto's problem was the opposite. His mastery over his power was absolute, but his body was no longer capable of withstanding his own absurd power. No matter how masterful his control was, if he went over a certain limit, which was apparently a tenth of his true power, his body would rapidly break down.
That explained a lot, like the current huge reiatsu discrepancy between a Super Devil like him and Yamamoto, despite the old man supposedly being able to match a head deity. He had to keep his power suppressed to prevent his body from being destroyed by it.
"Hm…In any case, with the advent of the organization that would eventually grow into Gotei 13, the Hollow situation was suppressed, their numbers heavily culled, forcing their retreat into the once empty realm you know as Hueco Mundo. The trapped souls the Shinigami call Pluses are routinely sent to Soul Society by Konso, and the new soul cycle finally stabilized." Amaterasu continued, not looking particularly pleased at her son's self-deprecating words.
"But, of course, another incident that placed the soul cycle in jeopardy occurred. Kurosaki Ichigo, you should be aware of what that is."
"…You mean the Quincies?"
"Indeed. The group of humans who had been granted the power to destroy souls. To be honest, they were not a problem at first. However, both their numbers and power grew too great, and their Hollow exterminating activities became far too numerous to ignore. Perhaps the intentions of the majority of them were pure, wishing to exterminate the monsters that hunted their fellow humans, but it did not change the fact that their actions were damaging the balance of the soul cycle. And the worst of them was their King."
"King?" Ichigo asked with a frown.
He had never heard Uryu mention anything about a King of Quincies
"Yes. The First, the King and the Progenitor of all Quincies. He named himself Yhwach. However, his true identity is that of the Soul King's power that had overflowed into the living world when he lost control, having subsumed the soul of a human infant whilst it was still in its mother's womb, and therefore becoming his own unique existence."
Ichigo cringed at the thought of someone like that running amok in the human world.
"He granted power to humans around him in order to ingratiate himself to them, making them his loyal subordinates. Thus, the first Quincies were born. Rumors of their power attracted more humans to them, allowing Yhwach to grow his initially small group of Quincies into a team, then a platoon, then a battalion, a legion, and finally, an army. As I said, perhaps the intentions of the majority were pure, but Yhwach's true goal lay elsewhere, something he shared only with his inner circle. His true goal was to break into the Soul King's Palace and subsume his original self. In other words, his goal was to become the new Soul King."
In other words, a megalomaniac much like Aizen.
"…I assume by your use of past tense that he did not succeed?"
"Of course not. The Shinigami met the Quincies in combat, and decimated their numbers, with Shigekuni personally defeating Yhwach."
"Note the use of the word 'defeat' rather than 'kill'." Yamamoto added, sounding slightly grouchy now.
"You didn't kill him?"
"I could not. Despite my best efforts, he was too difficult to wound. It was only with my Bankai that I was able to inflict a fatal wound on him, forcing him to retreat and go into hiding. Assuming he somehow survived that wound and recovered, he should still be heavily crippled."
An Aizen-ish megalomaniac who could push Yamamoto in his prime into using his Bankai didn't sound like someone Ichigo wanted to cross paths with.
At least not until he was capable of controlling his new power.
Then again, he was apparently either dead or badly crippled, so the chances of that happening were extremely low.
…So, what was with the alarms ringing in his head? The sinking feeling in his gut? The premonition of impending disaster every time the Quincy King was mentioned?
"Ahem. We appear to have gone off topic. Amaterasu-sama, was there not a reason you requested for Kurosaki Ichigo-dono to be here?" Yasaka cleared her throat, trying to get the meeting back on track.
They had gone off on quite the tangent.
"Ah yes, of course. Kurosaki Ichigo." Amaterasu straightened her back, schooling her facial features into an expression of cool indifference, projecting an aura of regal elegance, reminding Ichigo that despite her earlier motherly antics, she was still very much an ancient head deity that had been around for far, far longer than any other being he had met thus far.
Which was why it was slightly disconcerting when said Goddess bowed her head deeply to him.
That was usually supposed to go the other way around.
"For saving our land from its greatest crisis to date, we of Takamagahara thank you." Amaterasu expressed her gratitude in a solemn voice.
"T-There's really no need for that…"
Ichigo became flustered, a somewhat rare occurrence for him outside of encounters with women with voluptuous bodies, and a worrying lack of both shame and a concern for personal space.
A certain former Captain and a certain busty Lieutenant came to mind.
Amaterasu rose from a bow and smiled radiantly at him, pride emanating from her.
"It pleases me to know that a child of Japan has grown so powerful. Which only makes the Devils' theft far worse." Amaterasu said as her smile turned into a cold frown and her gaze turned towards the Maou, who gazed back evenly.
"I'm sure you are already aware, Lady Amaterasu, that if we had not acted when we did, Ichigo-chan's soul would have been consumed by Hell itself. I hardly think that we deserve such a cold reception for saving him." Serafall said, her usual cheerfulness and bubbly tone replaced by a terrifyingly blank expression and a neutral voice.
Amaterasu sighed, grief coloring every contour of her majestic features.
"I am aware of that. It simply pains a mother to know that one of her children has left the nest and taken flight."
Amaterasu's molten gold eyes fell back unto Ichigo, and the Reincarnated Super Devil felt his gut twist painfully when he saw the clear heartbreak in her gaze.
He felt the urge to comfort her rapidly rise within him, but could not find the appropriate words.
His breath caught in his throat as Amaterasu graced him with a sad smile.
"However, know this, Kurosaki Ichigo. Though you may have left our side, our blessing shall remain with you. You will always be welcome within our land. Japan shall, now and forever, be your home." The Lady of the Sun declared, her golden orbs watering slightly.
And despite himself, he could feel his own doing the same.
A warm feeling enveloped him, very much like the hugs his mother would constantly give him when she was alive, that he would crave after her death.
He was absolutely certain now.
This was home.
More than Soul Society, more than Karakura, more than his own house had been for a very long time, and even more than the Underworld had been the past few months.
Ichigo could loudly declare this right here and now.
He was home.
And I'm done.
Sorry this chapter took so long. It was partly because I got addicted to Bloodborne, which I had gotten with my PS4, but never got around to playing until recently.
The other reason was because of another Bleach/DxD story on this site: Do Me A Wrong by ChaosEmperorNex.
Don't get me wrong, that story is truly fantastic, and I truly enjoy reading it.
The problem is that a lot of the author's ideas are very similar to mine, and I struggled to keep my own story different from his/hers.
I write because I enjoy it, so criticism doesn't bother me.
However, one of the few things I don't take kindly to is people accusing me of plagiarism.
So, again, sorry I took this long, but it's done.
Quite a number of characters have been introduced in this chapter, mainly the Kyoto Youkai and Amaterasu.
Don't think that I introduced them for no good reason.
The Shinto Faction will play an important role in the second book, where the bulk of the story takes place, an incident different from the one in canon.
Man, I really hope no one else manages to come up with the same idea until I get around to writing it.
That's all for now. As always, please read and review.
