I think it's stupid to say this, but I do not own anything related to the shows/manga Bleach or Highschool DXD. If I did a lot of different shit would be canon; author's note at the bottom. I'd apologize for the unannounced hiatus, but I'm not going to because shit happens, and I was powerless to control it. When I did find the motivation to write, I had writer's block. That was why I uploaded a BNHA one-shot a few months ago to try and cure it.
This chapter was initially over 20,000 words, but I was advised to break it up into two. If you want to leave a review, great, I love hearing your thoughts and opinions about the story. Please do try and make any negative comments into constructive criticism; you being a hateful internet troll helps no one. If you don't like the story and are going to be shitty about it, write your own story and leave my followers and me alone.
Comments since the last chapter will be addressed at the end
Urahara Shoten
Kisuke was in his lab in the main part of the store, looking at the Jar that contained the Mysterious energy that had kidnapped his friend. It had been three weeks since he had started the Kido spells and if his calculations were correct then the spells should almost be done.
While he was waiting for the spells to finish tracking the mysterious energy back to its originator's location. Kisuke was lost in his thoughts thinking about the last three weeks. The Kurosaki twins and Tatsuki Arisawa took to their training like a fish to water. Yuzu has already shown tremendous skill in Reishi manipulation, even Ryuken was praising her and the man was a hardass.
Karin and Tatsuki were taking to their Shinigami training with absurd ease, it actually reminded the scientist of Ichigo's staggering growth curve. While their growth curve was nowhere near as steep as Ichigo, it was well beyond what would be considered normal.
Both girls do have their differences though, Karin has shown a prodigious talent for Zanjutsu and Tatsuki has shown a prodigious talent for Hakuda. That is not to say they did not do well in other aspects of their training, but the girls shined in those two areas.
Now that Kisuke thinks about it, when they find Ichigo again, his siblings and childhood friend will be the ones protecting him. Kisuke could just imagine the scowl that Ichigo would have.
So lost in thought was the scientist that he did not notice the Kido spells surrounding the jug begin to change from a dull red color to a dark purple color before it flashed erratically. This drew the man out of his musing to see that the Kido spells had finished. Scrambling to get over to the jug quickly before the tracking Kido faded, Kisuke started casting more kido at an almost frantic pace. After five minutes, the dark purple Reishi started forming letters.
Kisuke watched the floating letter in anticipation and after another few moments, the Reishi spelled out one simple word.
"Takamagahara"
Kisuke started to sweat when he read that Ichigo was in the home of the Shinto Deities, but he was not sweating because of where Ichigo was, but because of where he would have to go. The only entrance into Takamagahara for unaffiliated guests was in Kyoto at the Shrine of Amaterasu in the Youkai territory.
'Well, I am glad that Ichigo is there compared to some of the more vile godly domains, but did he really have to get abducted by a Shinto god? Couldn't some other faction have kidnaped him!' Kisuke lamented to himself. After another minute of sulking, Kisuke returned to the cavern ladder and flash stepped down.
When he got to the bottom, what he saw was something that was quickly becoming the norm. He found Tatsuki practicing her Hakuda forms under Yoruichi's unwavering gaze. It was scarce that Yoruichi had to correct the young martial artist, she had a true gift for unarmed fighting.
Karin was practicing her Kido under the watchful eye of Hacchi because that was the area she was the worst in, so she saved it for last in her daily training. While Kisuke was observing Karin, he watched as her Hado became unstable and exploded in her face. This made her fly back several feet, where she landed on her butt before quickly getting up and starting over. Nobody would ever be able to say that the young girl did not give her all into whatever she was doing.
Yuzu was a little further away, but Kisuke could still see her as she used Hirenkyaku to dash around, making her look like a blur of white because of her Quincy outfit. While dashing around, she fired arrows at Ryuken, trying to hit him. So far she has not succeeded, but the fact that she can use the Quincy version of the flash step already is nothing short of impressive. She also had managed to refine her bow to a similar level as Uryu when he went to the Soul Society.
Kisuke looked over to find the Visoreds chilling on the rocks, either watching the girls train or reading, in the case of Love and Yadomaru. Isshin could be found doing Jinzen by the Visoreds, probably trying to patch things up with his neglected spirit. Speaking of Neglected spirits, Kisuke probably needed to check on Yoruichi's progress with her spirit.
Deciding it was time to get started, Kisuke got everyone's attention by casting a simple Kido that made red sparks fly up. It was a pretty useless Kido for everything besides getting someone's attention. When everyone saw the flash of red, they looked towards the source of it to find Kisuke with an uncharacteristically severe face. They all decided to head over knowing that whatever made the scientist serious was very important.
When everyone had gathered around, Ryuken included. Kisuke finally spoke. "The Kido spells have finally finished, I know where Ichigo is. Thankfully the being that kidnapped him probably doesn't have any negative intentions for him. So with that said, Yuzu, Karin and Tatsuki will be coming with us because I do not predict a fight happening for them. So we leave in five minutes for Kyoto; make sure you have everything you need in case it does come down to a fight."
Usually the group would ask questions about some of the things said, but now was not the time. It was time to get their friend back. While everyone was preparing to leave, Ryuken pulled Yuzu aside to speak with her. He told her he must return to his hospital but would see her and her brother when they returned. Yuzu was very understanding and simply bid her sensei goodbye.
Once everyone was outside the Shoten, Kisuke stepped before the group. "Alright, listen up everyone, we are headed to Kyoto to try and get Ichigo back. Now I know we all have different degrees of skill with Hoho and want to get there as soon as possible. We need to stick together in case it comes down to a fight, also I am the only person here that knows where we need to go. Alright everyone ready? Let's Go!" Kisuke spoke to the group before turning around and flash stepping away. He did slow himself down considerably out of courtesy for the three youngest members in their group. At the pace they were going, they should reach Kyoto in little over an hour. Normally the Shinigami-empowered people would have to exit their bodies or Gigai. Kisuke however, had invented a unique device that allowed them just enough power to flash step and perform basic Kido. It took the appearance of a plain non-descript silver arm band.
Takamagahara (two weeks earlier)
Ichigo had spent the last couple days combing through his inner world looking for the other half of his soul. He had already searched every inch of his inner world and still had not found Zangetsu or Hichigo. While thinking about his frustration towards his situation. Ichigo felt a massive earthquake shake his inner world. Nothing was damaged, but it was still cause for alarm.
'The earthquakes are getting worse, I wonder what they mean?' Ichigo thought to himself. After another two hours, Ichigo's patience had finally run out.
"Where are you Old Man!" Ichigo yelled at the sky, before slumping down and sitting on the side of one of the sky scrapers. 'This would not be so hard if I just had a way to track him down.' Ichigo thought to himself sullenly, before his eyes widened and he shot up.
"That's it! I can use the spirit ribbons to find Zangetsu!" Ichigo said to himself, excited that he finally had an idea of how to end his futile search. Closing his eyes for a second, he imagined the spirit ribbons. After a minute of visualization, he opened his eyes to find four ribbons. Two of them were leading towards the forested area, one was a dark green and the other a fiery red. The other two were leading towards one of his skyscrapers. There was a navy blue one and a half black/half white one, Ichigo decided to follow these two first. He could not explain it, but he knew these were his spirits. What Ichigo barely caught was a curious royal purple spirit ribbon floating above his head that did not lead to any place in particular. Deciding to investigate that later, Ichigo left.
Following the ribbons, Ichigo found himself back at Zangetsu's flagpole. The ribbons were circling the pole creating a sort of barrier. Ichigo walked through the ribbons before sitting and leaning against the pole. He slowly looked over his inner world, studying every detail. He sat there for hours lost in his thoughts, before thinking to himself.
'They obviously do not want anything to do with me, I suppose I should settle myself in for a long wait. I need to get rid of this water though, Old Man Zangetsu would scold me for this. Wait, how do I get rid of this water? It is tied to my sadness, does that mean I have to find inner peace?' Ichigo thought to himself before trying to restore his mindscape to what it should be.
With his resolve now set, Ichigo closed his eyes and meditated on everything that made him sad since the Winter War. He thought about the SS abandoning him once he lived out his purpose, he thought about his Shinigami friends who abandoned him once he saved their lives from a megalomaniac, he thought about his human friends that had turned their backs on him. That last one had a silver lining: it rekindled the bond between Ichigo and Tatsuki, making them best friends again. Unnoticed by Ichigo, his heart sped up just a little bit thinking about the martial artist.
He remembered how the Urahara Shoten crew and Visoreds had scarcely been around, except for Yoruichi, who he had not seen since the fight against Aizen. The Shoten and Visoreds being distant did not bother him as much as the SS abandoning him because he at least still saw them occasionally and they were always very kind to him. The fact that he had not seen the flash goddess in a year and a half caused a wave of sadness to hit him. He couldn't help it; he had a huge crush on Yoruichi, which is part of why it made him so sad. He decided that he would give her a chance to explain and then determine how he should feel about her.
He then thought about how he could no longer help the various spirits around Karakura find peace. But was he really helping them because the afterlife, for the most part, was a shit hole. The more he thought about that, the more he got pissed at the SS for allowing that. He made a mental note to discuss that with Tsukoyomi.
He thought about the pitying looks his father would give him and how he was now treated like a porcelain doll. This pissed him off even though it shouldn't have; his dad had always been absent from his life during critical moments, so why should the last year be any different. Even in the good times, he isn't the most doting father, but Ichigo could take solace in the fact that he was a much better father to the twins.
Finally his thoughts turned to Zangetsu and Hichigo, he mentally apologized for taking them for granted, not listening to their advice, and not taking his training as seriously as he should have. If he had trained in his hollow powers more, or learned the other Shinigami arts he would not have had to use the Final Getsuga Tenshou.
All these thoughts swirled around his mind and he meditated on them for days without moving. He finally concluded that the Shinigami were never his real friends. Otherwise, they would not have abandoned him no matter what. He applied this thought to both his Shinigami and human "Friends." He then resolved to train with everything he had so that he never had to make his spirits upset again.
He was so lost in his meditation that he did not notice the water begin to drain away slowly. He only saw the water was gone when he heard someone else speak behind him.
"Well, don't you look like shit king, better be careful or I might just make you my horse. HA-HA-HA!" Spoke the unmistakable voice of his inner hollow; Ichigo spun around so fast to face the voice that he got a little dizzy. If he was wondering if he was just hearing things, those thoughts vanished when he saw Hichigo sitting in the same manner, he was against the pole facing the other way. That is before he turned his head and shot him that insane-looking grin. It took Ichigo a second to process everything, when he finally did he saw Old man standing on his pole looking down at Ichigo with a slight smile.
"It has been far too long Ichigo, it is good to see you again," Old man said while looking down at the young man who had been through so much hardship. Ichigo was frozen, like he could not comprehend what he was seeing. After a few seconds, he smiled while looking at the other half of his soul.
"It's good to see you guys again as well, I know you probably already know this, but I have missed you both greatly." Ichigo said while still praying that this was not a dream. Wait, could he sleep and dream in his mindscape?
"Old man and I were starting to get worried with how long it was taking you to figure out why we did not appear immediately," Hichigo spoke while turning around completely to face his doppelganger.
"Indeed Ichigo, despite us wanting to show ourselves to you from the first moment you entered your inner world. We also realized that you had some lingering thoughts that needed to be addressed before that. I hope now you see why I did not want you involved in the supernatural." Spoke the Old man while looking down at his partner. Ichigo thought about what they both said and realized they had a valid point.
"No I understand, I will not repeat what happened with the Soul Society again. My involvement with the Shinto will inevitably cause our paths to cross, but I will no longer be the naive boy that was a doormat for the SS." Ichigo spoke while sitting cross-legged and looking at his two spirits.
"We are pleased that you have matured greatly in our time apart. But seeing as this is a "Fresh" start for us. There is something I must tell you, I am not Zangetsu." Spoke Old man while stepping down from his pole to stand beside the hollow.
Ichigo was momentarily stunned by the news, but several things from the past finally clicked. He turned towards his hollow counterpart, who could tell his king had finally figured it out.
"That's right King, I am Zangetsu! You should have listened to me from the beginning!" Spoke Hichigo, while still having his customary grin on his face. Ichigo was mildly embarrassed if the slight blush on his cheeks was any indication.
"I am sorry Zangetsu, I should have realized it sooner. That said, if you are not Zangetsu, who are you old man?" Ichigo said to his hollow before directing his question to the now unknown spiritual entity.
"I am a manifestation of your Quincy powers Ichigo, I used my natural proclivity towards Reishi manipulation to form the fake Zangetsu you used. I hope you can forgive me for the charade." The Quincy spirit spoke, while staring Ichigo in the eyes.
"I forgive you old man, but what do you mean Quincy powers. Nobody in my family is a Quincy. How can I have the same powers as Ishida?" the confused Orangette asked.
"Let me explain then. It all started…" Spoke the Quincy spirit.
One Long Ass Explanation later
"Ok let me see if I have this right, My mother was a pure-blooded Quincy who lost her powers because of the Quincy king stealing them, you are a manifestation of the Quincy King from 1000 years ago, and Hichigo you are a result of my natural Zanpakuto spirit merging with a hollows spirit that was inhabiting my mother till I was born. Did I miss anything or did I get it all?" Ichigo could be seen rubbing the back of his head while looking back and forth between his two spirits after all the information they just threw his way.
"Yes Ichigo, you have the basics, but there is still much for you to learn." Old man Zangetsu said from atop his pole.
"So if he is Zangetsu and you are a manifestation of my Quincy powers, what do I call you now old man. I mean you are still one half of Zangetsu to me, but is there something else you'd rather be called?" Ichigo directed his question while pointing at Hichigo. Nobody could see it, but Old Man Zangetsu had a tiny smile at his host saying that he thought of him as half of Zangetsu. After his deception, he worried that Ichigo would reject the part of his soul he represented.
"Old man is fine or you can call me Bach. Now before you wake up Ichigo there are a few more things that you need to know. First, the Shinto Pantheon is much more trustworthy than the Soul Society, but you should still be careful. Second, you need to ask Tsukuyomi for an Asauchi for us to bond with. Otherwise, the sword will feel lifeless and will not be as powerful. The Soul Society likes to credit someone else for the discovery of how to make Zanpakuto, but the real truth is that the Shinto Pantheon are the ones who came up with the process. They just don't have much need for them, but they should have a few laying around. There is a lot of history there that we are not the most informed on. So later you need to ask Tsukuyomi about it. Next, you need to find a teacher for the other Shinigami arts because there are things that are coming that you need to be prepared for. Finally, I have not been completely forthcoming regarding certain things." Bach said while looking Ichigo in the eye before pointedly looking away at his last admission.
Ichigo was understandably confused but made a motion with his hand telling Bach to go on. The Quincy spirit finally looked back at Ichigo and if one looked super close, one could see a small bead of sweat on his forehead. "You see Ichigo, My desire to keep you away from the supernatural saw me take ill-conceived steps that could have had potentially disastrous effects. You see, Ichigo, the God of the Bible, wanted to give humanity a way to fight against the supernatural beings of the world that were naturally stronger than them. He created something called sacred gears and via a random process, humans the world over are gifted powers that allow them to fight against the supernatural. Now I'm telling you this because you possess a sacred gear. I don't know which one, but I can say that they have formidable strength. It took a vast amount of my power to suppress it, but it is actually thanks to the spirit that we are all standing here. You see Ichigo, when you used the Final Getsuga Tenshou, you used a power that few before you had. So the effects were not well known, but since you were also a human at the time. Using this power causes your soul to be forcibly ripped apart in order to hide the power deep inside you. Which is normally dangerous for anyone, but because I had suppressed part of your soul, it put on due stress on it. This caused your soul to shred to pieces. Thankfully all the bits of your soul stayed within your body, but it took a considerable time for Hichigo, Your sacred gear, something else and myself to mend your tattered soul. If it had been just Hichigo and myself, restoring your powers would have taken a massive surge of Reiryoku."
"Your sacred gear hasn't manifested yet because of all the years it was repressed, but you should meet the spirit of it sooner or later and make sure you tell it thank you. For now though, with your Hollow, Quincy and Shinigami powers to master, You will have plenty of things to learn. There is another thing I need to tell you, but it can wait for later. For now though, you need to awaken and speak to Tsukuyomi about the Asauchi so that we may begin training correctly this time." When he finished speaking, Bach stepped off the pole, and Hichigo walked up to Ichigo before shoving him, causing him to jolt awake in the bedroom the Moon god had given him.
Ichigo took a second to stretch his cramped muscles before standing for the first time in several days. After a momentary search of his soul for his powers and finding them there, Ichigo turned to take a shower.
After freshening up in the shower and changing into some comfortable pants reminiscent of his Shihakusho and a kimono top similar to the one he had on when he left the Dangai. Ichigo set off to find the Moon god, which after an hour of wandering around with zero success, he finally came across a familiar pair of twin fox servants.
Akagi and Kaga had been on their way to check on the young master when they saw him walking towards them. Both girls took a quick moment to appreciate his handsome appearance, but it was something more than that. It was how he walked so confidently and after taking a second to feel his power. Both girls were stunned silent at the sheer waves of power they could feel radiating from him. So absorbed in their thoughts, it took them a moment to realize that the young master was speaking to them.
"-llo Akagi and Kaga, I was wondering if you could help me find Tsukuyomi?" Ichigo said while maintaining eye contact with each girl. Something that surprised them because every male they knew would glance at their chest, including Ichigo's godly father. This just further endeared the young master to them. Both twins shared a glance and grew mischievous smiles before turning back to Ichigo.
"Of course young master,"
"We would be delighted to help you"
"Find him" Akagi and Kaga said while alternating who was speaking. Then they stepped beside Ichigo before both of them pulled an arm into their cleavage. Akagi on the right and Kaga on the left, both twins giggled at the fierce blush that developed on Ichigo's face. Deciding that they have had their fun, the twins started pulling Ichigo through the temple towards the patio where Ichigo initially spoke to Tsukuyomi.
After another few minutes of walking, Ichigo managed to get his blush down to a small streak of pink across his cheeks. They found Tsukuyomi sitting at the same table drinking tea with a woman and based on her beauty, she was possibly a goddess. The woman appeared to be in her early twenties with extremely long blonde hair in a high ponytail tied with a pink ribbon that reaches her feet where it is curly at the end with bangs swept to the right side, purple eyes that have slit-like pupils, and dark pink lips. She was wearing a dark purple kimono with a black border covered in flowers with the right side down by her waist because she did not have an arm through it, the kimono was held closed by a white rope belt and the only other noticeable garment was a cloth wrap covering her substantial bosom.
Ichigo could see the relaxed, but prepared way that the woman held herself as she sat there. She might have been relaxed, but she would be ready to spring into action immediately. Both the woman and Tsukuyomi turned simultaneously to see a blushing Ichigo being dragged by the two beautiful but mischievous fox girls. Who quickly let go of Ichigo to bow before claiming his arms again. Tsukuyomi was the first to greet them while the blonde woman just observed him.
"Hey Ichigo, glad to see you managed to reconnect with your spirits! It took you considerably less time than I thought, but you are my son." At this Tsukuyomi flashed him a cheesy grin, thumbs up and winked at him. Ichigo could have sworn he saw a sunset for a second. Tsykuyomi would have continued being a goof, but the woman clearing her throat brought his attention back to the topic at hand. "Ah yes sorry Bisha, I tend to get distracted. Ichigo, this is the goddess of war and goddess of fortune Bishamon. Bishamon, this is my son Ichigo and he is why I called you here. Ichigo here is a soul reaper, yes I know your protests to the whole soul society fiasco, but could you do me a favor and train him." Tsukuyomi made introductions before giving the war goddess puppy dog eyes.
Bishamon sweat dropped at the childish antics of one of the elder gods, but she supposed she owed him one or two…hundred favors. Instead of answering him, she just turned her gaze to Ichigo, who was still held by the twins. "Well whelp, what Shinigami arts do you have training in?"
"Um, I don't have any formal training in any of the Shinigami arts, I just kinda learned things as I needed to survive. Two former Gotei captains trained me, but the training was rushed and kinda bastardized." Ichigo said while looking at the blonde goddess and finally giving up his feeble struggle to remove the twins from his arms.
When Bishamon heard the whelps answer, she got a massive tick mark on her head, especially when the moon god looked away, whistling innocently. "That's…disappointing, not only do I have to teach you the proper way of the Shinigami, but I will have to correct poor habits. I can help you with Zanjutsu, Hoho and Hakuda, but the Kido will have to be someone else."
Before Ichigo could respond, he heard Bach saying he knew where he could get a Kido teacher…provided he kept an open mind. He gave a mental nod of acceptance before focusing on the goddess again. "I promise to surpass any expectations you set forth and one of my Zanpaktou spirits says they know where to find a Kido teacher. Also I forgot to mention, but I need an Asauchi and my spirits said that you could help with that Tsukuyomi."
Bishamin gave a snort of derision before saying she would see and telling him what time to meet her on her island tomorrow. With that the blonde goddess got up and walked past Ichigo to leave the temple. Tsukuyomi just had a fond look and laughed at the goddesses' antics before focusing on his son again. "Sure thing son, Akagi, go and fetch an Asauchi from the weapons room."
Akagi was about to protest, especially when she saw her twin gloat, Right as she started speaking. "BU-"
"Now, AKAGI!" Tsukuyomi thundered, the dark-haired girl took off like a bat out of hell…with its tail between its legs. Ichigo was briefly stunned having not seen this side of the moon god before. They all stood around in awkward silence until Akagi reappeared with her head down submissively. She offered the plain-looking katana to Ichigo and when he grabbed it. She resumed her place next to him again, but did not grab his arm again and kept her head down. Tsukuyomi had a brief look of regret on his face for yelling at the girl, he liked to treat his servants well. At the end of the day though, they were still servants and he would not tolerate them talking back to him. Thankfully his son seemed to want to break the tension as much as he did, so gently disengaging the white haired girl from his arm walked over to him.
"Alright Tsukuyomi, how do I go about making this into Zangetsu?" Ichigo said while studying the katana.
"Normally, you would have to wear it every day for a couple years to impart your spirit on it, but you can also brute force it if you have sufficient Reiryoku. Which is something you have in spades. Let's go down to the water though, because that much spirit energy produces a lot of heat." With this, the small entourage took the staircase to the side of the patio and moved towards the water's edge.
Once they were down at the water, Tsukuyomi signaled Akagi and Kaga to step back with him to prevent them from getting hurt by what Ichigo was about to do. When Ichigo saw the moon god nod at him, he channeled as much Reiryoku as he could into the admittedly dull-looking sword. Ichigo didn't see the three spectators' eyes going wide at the power being unleashed. Akagi and Kaga would have been brought to their knees if it wasn't for Tsukuyomi balancing out enough of Ichigo's power to keep them safe. Even Tsukuyomi was shocked and astounded at his son's strength. He had zero doubt that every deity in Takamagahara was looking towards his island right now.
After about five minutes, the spectators could see the waves of heat coming off of Ichigo, when suddenly Ichigo plunged his hands and the sword into the water. It took the entire body of water to dissipate the sheer heat that Ichigo had put out. When the steam finally disappeared, the three on the sidelines were greeted by a few things. One was the bedrock of the body of water, before it suddenly filled back up because it was part of Tsukuyomi's domain, Ichigo standing there in his regular Shihakusho uniform, except with a few differences. The top had no sleeves and the arms holes had a jagged ripped appearance, the front was partially open with the neckline plunging deep showing off his very muscular physique, he had a silver moon emblem on the front left side and two black x-mark braces on the backs of his hands. They then noticed the reasonably large black trench knife in his left hand and the huge black khyber knife in his right, which had a large cut out in the middle.
When Ichigo turned around his eyes were practically brimming with power. Tsukuyomi was about to speak to his son, but then he heard someone panting beside him. When he turned he was greatly amused to see both Akagi and Kaga with large blushes on their faces while they squirmed in place while panting. Ichigo's power must have had a type of aphrodisiac effect on them, given their partly animal anatomy, they see him as an alpha.
Tsukuyomi turned to his son to speak to him, but he was greeted by the sight of Ichigo falling backward. Moving quickly to catch his son, the moon god discovered Ichigo was unconscious, probably from all the energy he expended. Quickly picking him up in his arms and commanding the two girls to grab his swords. Tsukuyomi, with quick, purposeful strides, made his way to his son's room to let him rest. Gently setting him in bed and covering him, he commanded the two girls to place the dual-blade Zangetsu on the weapons rack in the room. He ushered them all out, then bid the girls a good night before making his way to his room. The twins followed his example, and if anyone had walked by the girl's rooms that night, they would have heard very loud moans followed by begging voices for Ichigo to take them. It was safe to say that the fellow servants were not happy with the twins for disturbing their sleep.
Takamagahara, Next Morning
Ichigo woke up the next day brimming with energy despite not getting much sleep, but it might be because of finally having his spirits back. After getting ready for the day, dressing in some sweats and a muscle shirt for the training later that morning.
Ichigo moved over to grab Zangetsu but paused for a second because his sword looked much different than it did the night before. A large Odachi sword was resting on the weapons rack with a blade twice the size depth of a normal Odachi, A silver crescent moon tsuba, a slightly longer tsuka and a dark/royal purple Ito-wrap. The saya was black with hints of silver and purple in it. The sword was a work of art and Ichigo's connection to the blade told him it was Zangetsu. Before he could wonder for too long, Hichigo decided to chime in, "King, now that you have accepted both of us and fused us with an Asauchi, your Reiryoku is controllable enough now, where we reverted into a sealed state. So later, find a good place to release us, I won't teach you our release phrase because you should feel it in your soul."
Old man Zangetsu also said that there was something that he would need to teach him to do later after his training and that he should ask Tsukuyomi for some blessed silver, whatever that means. Strapping the blade on his back, Ichigo exited his room to a funny sight. Akagi and Kaga were running away from a small mob of other servants, deciding to help the girls out, he said their names drawing everyone's attention.
"Hey, can you girls help me find Tsukuyomi again?" Ichigo was stunned when it looked like the girls teleported to his sides and grabbed his arms like yesterday. The look on the two girls' faces was one he couldn't place, but then again, he didn't know that he had saved them from a beating by their fellow servants for their *hem* actions last night. While not happy they couldn't exact revenge, the other servants put on their best smile before bowing at the young master and then leaving to fulfill their other duties, not before sending the twins another glare. Ichigo was unaware of this, but his actions just now endeared him to the two girls greatly. So with happy smiles, they began leading him to another section of the massive silver temple.
After several minutes of walking, they came to what appeared to be a small, informal dining room by this temple's standards but would be opulent anywhere in the mortal world. Tsukuyomi was at the head of the tale, as was his right, as this was his home. He was dressed similarly to how he usually dressed, but instead of silver, it was a midnight blue outfit. This caused the purple color of his pupils to really stand out. When Tsukuyomi saw his son standing there, ready for training, he gestured with his hand for Ichigo to take the seat to his right. Akagi and Kaga reluctantly released Ichigo and stepped up against the wall with their hands folded in front of their stomachs.
"How did you sleep Ichigo? You expended a lot of power yesterday and right after meditating for several days. You must have been exhausted." Ichigo just gave a so-so motion with his hands. He was exhausted yesterday but he was also pumped about getting his powers back, so his rest wasn't the best. "Well, hopefully it was enough because you have training with Bisha after this. So make sure to eat plenty, trust me, you will need it. That woman is a slave driver." Tsukuyomi gave Ichigo a half amused, half pitying smile.
At the mention of food, Ichigo's stomach gave a loud growl in protest for not eating, which served to amuse the other three people in the room. Tsukuyomi enjoyed the embarrassed look on his son's face for a second before snapping his fingers which summoned servants carrying plates loaded with food. It didn't go unnoticed how the servants gave the twins the stink eye.
When everything was on the table, Ichigo's jaw nearly dropped. There was enough food here to feed a couple dozen people with different dishes from around the world. After saying Itadakimasu, Ichigo started scooping rice on his plate before seeing that Tsukuyomi was selecting foods from a variety of different dishes. So Ichigo followed his da-Tsukuyomi's example and started getting a little bit of food from everything.
By the end of the meal, Ichigo discovered several new foods he liked, such as roasted tomatoes, pancakes, bacon, and something called a mandazi. With this he also ate a large portion of chicken for the lean protein, and he finished it all off with a cup of Colombian dark roast coffee. After the meal was over and the table cleared, Tsukuyomi stood before indicating Ichigo to follow him. Much to the girl's sadness, he dismissed Akagi and Kaga to complete their other duties. Ichigo and the moon god walked through the temple in comfortable silence before exiting out the front and standing close to where Ichigo first appeared several days ago.
"Alright Ichigo, it is time for you to head to Bishamon's island, which has a very large, spread-out mansion with an enormous courtyard in the middle. Now you can get there a couple of different ways, you can use that gateway over there to travel between the different islands to save time. They are predominantly used by the servants and such to deliver messages between gods. I can send you there with the snap of my fingers, but you could also flash step over there. Which after not having your powers for so long, I feel like is the best bet for the next couple days to shake the rust off." Tsukuyomi said pointing at a large island about halfway between Tsukuyomi's silver temple and the golden temple in the distance. Before indicating to a traditional torii gate with a bunch of symbols carved into it that Ichigo couldn't decipher. Ichigo was about to walk over when Tsukuyomi mentioned using his powers; he forgot that he would be able to flash step again.
Ichigo didn't acknowledge the moon god, but based on the knowing smile, it was a safe bet to assume that he understood Ichigo's decision without words needing to be said. Bidding his son good luck, Tsukuyomi turned on his heel and returned to the temple. Ichigo watched him for a second before turning and flash stepping away. While Ichigo didn't get a huge smile like most people would, he had a smile on his face that anybody who knew him would be able to tell how happy he was at this moment.
After not doing this for so long, the first couple of flash steps were awkward. Still, muscle memory kicked in extremely fast and within a minute, Ichigo was at the island Tsukuyomi had indicated. Ichigo did not have long to take in the manor because he could hear someone clearing their throat. Looking over, he saw a man who looked no older than 19 years old. He had short-cut brown hair and green eyes, He was wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and was dressed in what Ichigo would soon discover to be the standard uniform for Bishamon's servants. This consists of a black suit with red detailing and a purple tie. The man was standing at attention, but given that no one was around, that might have just been his usual way of standing.
"Are you Ichigo Kurosaki? Lady Bishamon is waiting for you in the courtyard. Let us not keep her waiting." The young man said before turning and striding away when he saw Ichigo nod. During the short walk, the man introduced himself as Kazuma and explained that he was Bishamon's aide and second-in-command. Ichigo got the sense that he was a nice guy, but just a little on the uptight side.
Arriving in the courtyard, Ichigo was greeted to the sight of Bishamon standing in the middle of the courtyard with what looked like a practice sword. She was dressed much the same as she was yesterday. Ichigo quickly scanned the courtyard and noticed several other people trying to do their duties while watching what was going on. Ichigo watched as Kazuma bowed to the goddess and quickly left to fulfill his other responsibilities. So mentally preparing himself, Ichigo made his way over to Bishamon.
Before he could take more than a few steps, he suddenly had to dodge to the side to avoid a downward sword swing that cratered the ground when it impacted. Before he could gather his train of thought, Bishamon redirected her blade up at Ichigo, which he had to flash step away to avoid. Right when he was about to yell at the crazy lady, she spoke.
"Your reactions are passable, not great, but not horrible. Your Hoho is acceptable; I will push it further, but for now it will suffice. Now draw your sword so that I may see your blade skills." Bishamon said while resting the practice sword on her right shoulder.
"What the hell was that about! Do you normally just attack people out of the blue?!" Ichigo yelled indignantly.
"Quit your bitching whelp; your father asked me to train you, and train you I shall. The first lesson, your enemies are not going to give you a heads-up before attacking. If what your father says is true about your previous battles then you should already understand this. Second, I need to gauge your skill level, which you could tell me. But that would be a colossal waste of my time because I like forming my own opinions and I would disregard anything you said. Now are you just going to stand there or are we going to fight?!" Bishamon received her answer when Ichigo unsheathed his sword and took a ready stance.
For the next several hours until around lunchtime, Bishamon tested Ichigo's proficiency in Zanjutsu and Hakuda. When she called everything to a stop, Ichigo was sweating heavily and having difficulty catching his breath. He was also sporting several bruises from getting hit by Bishamon. In comparison, the war goddess looked as fresh and rested as she did earlier.
"Your Zanjutsu skills are pitiful; there is not one bit of technique there. This makes it pretty unbelievable that you managed to survive that long with such a sloppy form. Granted, you have good instincts and I could see you improving as the match was going on. That speaks to me of your potential, which frankly, is astounding. Your Hakuda is a joke, you have skill with your street brawler style, but you will lose every time against anyone with actual training. Now we will break for a quick lunch before I start drilling proper form into your head." Bishamon turned and started making her way inside before she looked over her shoulder and gave Ichigo a sadistic smirk.
Ichigo was wondering if he was going to survive this training but decided that this was his best chance of protecting everyone and feeling like himself again, even if some aspects had changed. After a simple lunch with steamed white rice and some Wagyu beef, to make sure his body had plenty of carbs to burn for energy and the fatty protein for his muscles. Ichigo found himself back outside, mirroring Bishamon as she showed him all the forms and exercises she wanted him to complete. Typically you'd practice one at a time, but Bishamon said that if he couldn't remember even this much, she would refuse to train him any further.
So after an hour of learning all the various Zanjutsu and Hakuda forms, Ichigo started his sets of standard directional sword swings, a set amount of punches and a set amount of kicks before moving into the actual Martial forms. Every time he made a mistake, Bishamon would throw something at the back of his head. One, because she was a sadistic bitch; two, because it helped train his awareness, not that she told him the second part.
Several hours later
Ichigo could be found standing back in front of Bishamon's house with the lady of the house. "Today was…acceptable, but know that I expect you to come every day better than you were the day before. If you are no longer progressing at a level I deem acceptable, then I will immediately cease training you. Now for today and today only, I will allow you to use my portal to return to your father." Bishamon said with a straight face, nothing on her face betraying what she was thinking.
Ichigo considered it momentarily because he was exhausted but decided to flash step back. "I appreciate the offer, but I am going to flash step back because it's good practice and because I can't take the easy way out in battle if I'm tired. I need to be able to keep fighting and in the worst case, escape even when exhausted." When Ichigo said this he noticed a particular expression flash across Bishamon's face. The war goddess would never admit it to this whelp, but his answer caused her respect for him to increase a fair amount.
With a wave, Ichigo vanished to all but a few people who were able to track his movements. Because of how tired he was, it took Ichigo almost double the time to make it back. When he arrived, he found Tsukuyomi waiting for him with a large smile. "My son, how was your training with Bisha? I would imagine she put you through the paces. Let's get some fo-holy crap, you reek! New first order of business, you are bathing." Tsukuyomi said while Ichigo walked towards him before getting a grossed-out look on his face. Ichigo wanted to be offended, but he caught a whiff of himself before he could say something and cringed.
Following the moon god inside, who totally wasn't covering his nose with a handkerchief. While walking to Ichigo's room so he could use the bathroom, Ichigo remembered something he wanted to ask the moon god. "Tsukuyomi, I meant to ask you this morning, but where is my Shihakuso?"
Tsukuyomi gave him a strange look before comprehension dawned on him. "It's getting washed; don't you wash your clothes after wearing them. Though it is taking a little longer than usual because I am having them make a couple copies of it." Tsukuyomi had a teasing smile on his face when he answered.
When Ichigo told him that he had never had to wash his Shihakuso before, the uniform was clean and in perfect condition every time he exited his body. This confused Tsukuyomi for a moment before he had developed a theory. "Well son, I think your uniform was always fresh for you was because your spirits were manifesting the uniform. So basically, when you entered/exited your body, your Shihakuso was either being created or destroyed. That's why it's different now, you see when you came here, I might have tampered with the bond between your body and spirit. I had intended to make it were you could leave your body at your discretion without an aid, but inadvertently made it to where the separation is no longer necessary. You should no longer need to exit your body to use your powers. Your mortal body and Shinigami bodies are now one and the same or rather your Shinigami body became your normal body. Now before you freak out, you should be able to change into your uniform and summon your sword from your room here in Takamagahara fairly easily and if your spirits can't help you with that, it's a skill that I could teach you easy enough. You should also be able to switch between being seen and unseen. Spiritually aware people will still see you, but you will be able to vanish at will to normal people." Tsukuyomi said, which shocked Ichigo because now he wouldn't have to worry about giving control of his body away.
So with that squared away, they continued on to Ichigo's room. When they arrived, Tsukuyomi informed Ichigo that he would be in the same dining hall as earlier and told him that he would wait for him. Ichigo entered his room, unaware of the mischievous grin on the moon god's face. After making his way into the bathroom, Ichigo was again rendered speechless by how big it was. The tub looked like it could hold a dozen people and the shower half that. The floor space itself was the size of his old living room, the less he says about how expensive everything looked the better for his psyche.
After getting undressed, Ichigo decided to take a bath to help loosen up his muscles. He was sitting there for about five minutes with his eyes closed, and did not hear the door open. What finally snapped him out of his trance was feeling the water moving. When he opened his eyes, Ichigo nearly had a heart attack and his head looked like it was on fire. Standing in front of him were Kaga and Akagi in white silk robes that barely reached their thighs and the front was tied so that the valley of their breasts was completely exposed.
It took about two seconds for Ichigo's brain to reboot; when he did, he immediately shut his eyes and yelled. "Why the hell are you girls in here, AND WHY ARE YOU ALMOST NAKED!"
The twins looked at each other and giggled, which if Ichigo had his eyes open he would have been given a treat in seeing how the girl's breasts jiggled. Pushing their amusement down, they turned back to Ichigo who still had his eyes closed. "Young master"
"It's our job to"
"Take care of all of your needs"
"Including, helping you bathe"
"We are wearing these robes because its traditional for a bathhouse servant to wear these"
"If the robe is the problem, we can take it off as well" The twins took turns speaking, and at the end, their hands moved to the sash holding their robes closed. Where they then started undoing it. Ichigo's eyes flew open at what they said and yelled at them not to take off the robes. The girls shared a mischievous grin before telling Ichigo that they would remove their robes unless he let them help him bathe. They also stipulated that he couldn't keep his eyes shut.
Grumbling to himself, Ichigo acquiesced, though he did his best to look away. The girls grinned in triumph before they started to help him wash, giving his muscles and scars a very meticulous wash (1). Ichigo was unaware that the girls chose these robes intentionally because when they got wet, they became incredibly see-through. After washing his back and shoulders, the girls moved around the front. That's when Ichigo caught sight of the now transparent robes that clung to the girls like a second skin. Ichigo pointedly looked up at the ceiling to ignore the girls, making them pout. They decided not to push it anymore tonight; if they aren't careful, the progress that had been made could be ruined.
"We will"
"Let you finish up"
"Alone young master"
"But anytime you need us"
"We will be there to help you with"
"Anything" the girls said in the unique twin-speak thing they did, before saying the last word together in a seductive whisper. Shocked but also happy that they were going to give him privacy again. Ichigo looked down, forgetting about the robes, but when he saw them again. He almost gave himself whiplash from looking up again.
The twins left the tub before Ichigo heard them snap their fingers, followed by them bidding him farewell and the sound of them leaving the room. Ichigo was unaware that the girls had done a wardrobe change with a little bit of convenient magic.
Ichigo continued taking a bath for another half hour or so, partially to finish cleaning himself and mostly because he was waiting for some muscle stiffness in certain areas to disappear.
After getting out and drying off, Ichigo flipped through the provided closet in his room before finding some soft navy blue hakama and a kimono top which he tied very low exposing his muscular physique. He then left his room and headed towards the dining room, totally not relying on his spirits to help him remember the path.
When he got there, he found Tsukuyomi waiting for him at the head of the table with Akagi and Kaga standing against the wall. After gesturing for him to sit at his right side, the moon god signaled for his servants to bring out the food. While they ate different dinner-type dishes from around the world, to which Ichigo found something he loved called creole-style cooking. Tsukuyomi asked his son about his training and congratulated him on getting a tiny fraction of Bishamon's respect.
After dinner, Tsukuyomi told Ichigo that the blessed silver would be on his bedroom desk and then bid him good night. When Ichigo returned to his room, he found three ingots of silver, but they were different because they seemed to give off a faint silverish light. Bach informed Ichigo that for the next week, every night before bed, he would pour his Reiryoku into the silver until he was commanded to stop.
After going to sleep, he found himself in his inner world, where his spirits informed him that every night after he went to sleep. He would come to his inner world to practice both his Hollow and Quincy powers. For the next week Ichigo fell into a routine, get up and get dressed in his workout clothes, eat breakfast with Tsukuyomi, flash step to Bishamon's island. Where he then trained with Bishamon before eating lunch, followed by more training afterwards, then flash step home. Where he bathed while being subjected to the twin's antics (Which he would never admit to, but was getting more comfortable with), eat dinner with the moon god and discovering many new foods he liked, go back and put his Reiryoku into the blessed silver, go to bed then train in his other powers.
A week after he started this routine, Bach informed him that he would need to postpone his morning training session because he needed to do something. So before breakfast, Tsukuyomi informed Bishamon that Ichigo would not be there until after lunch. They were eating when they could hear angry foot stomps coming their way; when they looked up, they found a fuming war goddess glaring daggers at Ichigo. The only thing that kept Ichigo from bodily harm was that Bach had him inform Bishamon that he was going to be forging a weapon.
When she heard this she relented a bit, but was still peeved at Ichigo for the last-minute notice. She joined them for the rest of breakfast, before watching Ichigo leave the room being directed towards the forge by the twins who were holding his arms. After she couldn't hear their footsteps, the war goddess turned back to the moon god. Tsukuyomi noticed the look on Bishamon's face that said she wanted to talk. After asking her what was on her mind, she sighed before speaking.
"What the hell kind of monster did you create Tsukuyomi? That brat's potential is absurd, everything I show him he damn near masters it instantly, his combat instincts are the sharpest I've ever seen and his endurance is inhuman. In the last week he went from a whelp that I could easily beat to someone I almost have to release my divine form against, he is pushing me that much. Now I know I'm not the strongest god around, but I am in the top couple hundred. If it wasn't for other reasons, I would be very attracted to him because of his power alone." Bishamon said while shivering a little at the thought of the monster she was training. Before throwing a shy, discreet glance at the moon god who was looking at his plate.
When the moon god looked up, Bishamon saw a smug grin that made her instantly regret her question. "Well my dear Bisha," Cue a blush appearing on the war goddess's face. "I didn't really do anything to make Ichigo as strong as he is. I mean sure having your soul created by a god would make anyone stronger. However, I think that even without my help, he would have been one of the strongest beings around, he will one day soon surpass everyone in the Shinto Pantheon. A vast majority of his strength comes from what most supernatural beings consider a weakness. His humanity is what gives Ichigo such potential. Their ability to adapt and overcome obstacles is awe-inspiring. If you think he is a monster now, you should see him when he releases the seal on his sword or uses his other powers. Then there will be the strength he gets from tapping into the power of my domain. That is a topic for another day, for now, do you think he is ready to be introduced to the rest?"
Bishamon considered the question while trying to ignore what the god said about the strength Ichigo would one day possess. "He still needs a lot of work to become the strongest he can be, but now would be an acceptable time to introduce him. He will need time to grow into his role; the sooner he meets the pantheon, the sooner that happens."
Tsukuyomi nodded his head before he and Bishamon finished their breakfast and afterwards heading to the golden temple on the other side of Takamagahara. While this was happening, Ichigo was in the forge underneath Tsukuyomi's temple, melting down the silver in a large smelting pot. Under his Quincy spirit's detailed instruction, Ichigo started to carve a design into a mold. The process took about three hours and when he was done with the mold, Ichigo instantly recognized that he had made a Quincy cross, but it was slightly different.
Unlike the simple blunt star that he had seen Ishida use. The one he carved out had the standard blunt star, but it was overlapping a second pointed star that had its points in between the rounded ones and was slightly shorter, in the middle lined up with the blunt star was a star reminiscent of a gold star your teacher would give you and finally all the blunt star tips where connected by a ring.
Now that the mold was done, Ichigo put the two halves together before following Bach's careful instructions while pouring the blessed molten silver into the mold. When the mold was full, Ichigo started to say prayers Bach was telling him were essential to forming a Quincy cross. After two hours of prayer, Bach told Ichigo that he could break the mold open and remove his cross. (2)
Ichigo would be lying if he said that he wasn't the least bit excited to have something that brought him closer to his mother. So breaking open the mold, Ichigo was amazed at how beautiful the cross turned out. Gently removing it from the broken mold, he inspected it for imperfections. Finding none, he started looking for some standard molds that Bach said would be here for a chain to attach to his cross, there was no sense in wasting the rest of the silver. After ten minutes of searching, Ichigo found the mold, which he filled with silver. Leaving the mold on the table while he headed up to get lunch, Ichigo discussed things with Bach.
'With the completion of your cross Ichigo, you can now begin using your Reishi bow manifestation in the outside world. Let me say this, that I am extremely proud of how seriously you are taking your training Ichigo. You are making tremendous strides towards mastering Quincy techniques that some masters struggle with. One thing you should know is that your Quincy power is different from any other before you. Because of my proximity to Zangetsu, your Quincy powers have taken on an aspect of your soul reaper side. When you exterminate a hollow with your bow, it won't be destroyed like when Ishida did it. It will be cleansed as if you used your sword on it.'
This news made Ichigo very happy because he was apprehensive about destroying innocent souls that had no choice but to become hollows. Making his way into the dining room and not seeing the god, Ichigo decided to go into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich so that he didn't bother the servants. He had just started to make himself something when one of the servants caught him.
"Young master, what are you doing!?" questioned an older male servant who looked similar to the captain commander, just with a full head of hair.
"I was just going to make myself a sandwich so I did not disturb you guys." Ichigo had a questioning expression on his face because he didn't know what the big deal was. Based on the look on the servants face, he guessed he shouldn't have tried to do it himself.
"Young master, we servants live to serve our god, and as Lord Tsukuyomi's son, you have just as much right to ask anything of us. We would prepare enough food for a hundred people if you so wished. So please never feel like you are bothering anyone with your requests. Now, please tell me what I can prepare for you today." The kind but stern old man said.
Seeing that he wasn't going to win this one, Ichigo asked for something simple that would provide him enough energy during training. The old man smiled while sending Ichigo back into the dining room. After a simple lunch of white rice with Mongolian beef and scallions. Ichigo was about to head to Bishamon's island when Tsukuyomi entered the temple.
"Ah Ichigo, I was hoping I'd run into you. Something came up, so Bishamon won't be able to do your training tonight. Also, you will be introduced to the rest of the pantheon and meet Amaterasu tomorrow." Tsukuyomi said with a big smile.
Ichigo was stunned for a second because with all the training and everything he had been doing, he forgot that he would need to meet the other gods and goddesses. Figuring that now is the best time since he does not have training, Ichigo prepared himself to learn as much about Takamagahara as he could. "Da-Tsukuyomi, since tonight I don't have training, can you teach me more about the Shinto and Takamagahara? I meant to ask a couple days ago bu-".
"It's fine Ichigo I understand, you don't have to apologize for not learning this stuff yet. Honestly, I'm just happy that you are willing to be a part of the Shinto and want to learn about us. I will be honest though, focusing on getting stronger will be more impressive to the Pantheon than knowing a bit of history." Tsukuyomi said while mentally doing backflips because he heard his son almost call him dad.
The corners of Ichigo's mouth twitched up just enough for it to be called a smile. Tsukuyomi then beckoned Ichigo to follow him, and after a few minutes, they were back on the patio where they first talked. After sitting down and receiving tea along with pen and paper for Ichigo from Akagi and Kaga. Tsukuyomi started telling Ichigo about the many things he would need to know in depth one day. However, for now the basics would suffice.
The moon god talked about how Takamagahara was formed, about the primordials, about his parents Izanami and Izanagi, various gods and their relations to each other, major conflicts on both the mortal realm as well as heavenly, the soul king being expunged from the Shinto and being sealed for his treachery, a bit more history of the Soul Society. Right as dinner was being served in the typical grand buffet style. Tsukuyomi got a sad look on his face, which was the first time Ichigo had seen this expression from the moon god.
"Then there was my greatest mistake I have ever made, the reason that Amaterasu and I are no longer married. Several hundred years ago Amaterasu sent me to a banquet, in her place, hosted by the goddess of food, Ukemochi…our sister. Well at the beginning of the feast, Ukemochi served food that she had spit from her mouth. She spit out fish and game before finally coughing up rice. The food looked incredible, but I was so disgusted by how it was made that I couldn't eat. Ukemochi kept pressuring me to eat and at some point I lost my temper and…took her head. When I had calmed down, I realized what I had done and mourned for my sister for days before returning to Takamagahara to find that I could no longer enter my sister-wife's temple. All of Takamagahara received a missive stating that we were no longer wed and that the sun and moon would forever be separate in the sky. It wasn't till about 50 years ago that she would allow me to stand in her presence without an important meeting taking place. Even now she still looks at me with hatred not that I could blame her, its because of this that I havent spoken to any of our children in many decades. So not only did I lose my wife, but I lost our chirdren, a fitting punishment for an immortal being. To spend eternity scorned by those you love." At the end Tsukuyomi shed a tear while looking at his son who was shocked.
While Ichigo knew some of the history, this startled him, despite barely knowing the moon god. He felt he was a pretty good guy, but I guess everyone has a dark side or things they are trying to find redemption for.
'Talk about the dark side of the moon; damn that was unexpected." Hichigo accurately summed up.
Everyone was quiet for a half hour or so before Tsukuyomi started speaking again, filling Ichigo in on several more things that would be important. They talked long into the night, when Ichigo excused himself to go to bed. He stopped after a few feet before looking over his shoulder at the moon god who was still highly subdued from earlier. "We all make mistakes that we can never atone for, but as long as you try to better yourself and never repeat your mistake. I won't think of you any different for past sins."
With his piece said Ichigo made his way inside, first going to the forge to grab his chain and then going to his room. If he had looked over his shoulder, he would have seen the tears streaming down the moon god's face and the grateful look in his eyes. 'Thank you son, you have no idea how much that means to me.'
I'm giving Ichigo the scars from some of his more grievous wounds, Personally I think it's stupid as hell that Anime MC hardly ever get scars. Yeah I get that plot armor has a hand in it. But this is my story and I'm deciding to give Ichigo scars. If you comment bitching about this, I will delete the comment. I don't have the emotional bandwidth to deal with petty ass trolls.
I have no idea on how a Quincy cross is formed, so I went with something kinda neat, but also really pretentious for the process. Can you guess who Ichigo's star is modeled after, it should be easy to figure out.
One more thing, If you are going to comment and leave a shitty review or otherwise be a dickhead. At least have the balls to create an account with a name. Don't be a pussy and comment as a guest.
If you want to join the discord server for this story, to either talk or give constructive criticism that I can more easily respond to. The link is in the previous chapters and will be posted again in the next chapter. That will be posted when I have fixed the grammar issues.
Reviews:
I-Nex-I: Yes that is Akagi and Kaga from Azur Lane, who are quickly becoming a bigger part of my story than I had initially planned. Amagi will be a minor character in service to a different god/goddess.
Ulttoanova: I personally did not like the theory much either in the beginning, but I saw a lot of entertaining things that could happen. Yes the TYBW does go in depth on the Zanpaktou aspect, but the theory was the only way I could explain Yoruichi being shown with two different zanpaktou. Seems we think alike on the logical next step for Karin's Zanpaktou. I was unaware of some of that history regarding it, so that just makes it better. I'm glad you enjoyed that comment. Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations and sorry for the long wait.
Guest-Questioner 1: You seem to be unaware of the purpose of fanfiction, I mean for the love of God the title is literally FAN FICTION, as in fiction written by fans. If I wanted to keep the story exactly the same, I could have just read the manga! If you don't like it, write your own damn story. Ok despise it all you want, doesn't change a damn thing. I really don't have to defend my choices in the story, you want to discuss this any further, join discord and message me. Never said I was having Ichigo save Rias, that has been done so many times, I am going a different route. Which will probably piss off more DxD fans than Bleach fans. I also never said that Rias would be head of the harem, you are jumping to conclusions about plot points involving characters that haven't been introduced.
Guest-Questioner 1 Continued: Yes time could potentially pass differently, but I get tired of stories where they train for years in only an hour or some stupid shit. So yes, time differences will undoubtably happen, but not for training purposes.
Jose4Andres7: I am well aware of the fact that it was a specialized uniform, I chose it because I wanted to. Sure that is one hole in the theory, but explain why Yoruichi was shown with two different zanpaktou in flashbacks. As dated as the Gotei 13 is, do you really believe they would allow someone to be a captain without a zanpaktou. That second part of your comment is a lot to answer to, I would be able to answer that much more easily in discord. The short of it however is, yes I know all that and am aware. But do you realize how many freaking limitations that would give me? You raise a very very stong point, which I'm going to have to ignore for the sake of being able to actually write a story. Hope I don't lose you as a reader.
Majin Othinus: I hope this chapter did not disappoint. I loved going to the Philippines to Scuba Dive.