Author's Note:
Hello all, I am Getsuga Goon. Welcome to the first ever what if story/fanfiction.
First off, writing in merely a hobby for me as I am a full-time engineering student, which is insanely time consuming. That said, writing is definitely not my forte and I am a novice at best, so any and all constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!
The story has gone through many revisions already thanks to such constructive critiques and I'm learning a lot about how to create a more enjoyable story for you all.
Acknowledgements: Takes inspiration from the Bleach Fanfiction named "White" by Melkor's Mercy, which has not seen an update for over 3 years as of 5/13/2023. The following is my attempt at a rewrite/reimagining of this scenario to be more consistent with the canon timeline, but many ideas will be carried over.
Find the original fanfic here: s/11021904/1/White
The following are a general list of things I plan to change being as spoiler free as possible:
Heavier inclusion of characters not focused on or even included at all in the original fanfiction, the most egregious example being the Fullbringers
Heavier focus on the relationships the Kurosakis build with other characters.
White is initially less powerful than in the original fanfic… but he WILL snowball later on into becoming easily one of the top tiers (should go without saying to be honest).
Speaking of, let's talk about White's character. I'm trying to balance raw hollow Ichigo (the Zanpakuto) with actual Ichigo, so I'm sorry to say this but White isn't going to be quite as savage in this fic but will still definitely have his moments. At the heart of Ichigo is being a protector, so having him kill everyone in sight, especially those in pain/who need help is a no go for me, no matter what the context!
Ichigo will not have a harem.
I must stress, Yuzu and Karin are just as much of main characters in this story as Ichigo is, which I felt was a fault in the original White fanfic, as they ended up getting a bit sidelined in comparison to Ichigo, I think. If you came here expecting a fic solely focused on Ichigo, you might be disappointed.
Lastly, expect some exposition here and there. I have this to assist more casual fans about the more abstract lore for the Bleach universe, as I notedly plan on including elements from the light novels in this story.
TLDR: Please be patient, I am cooking. With that, read my story if you want, it will pick up around chapter 27.
The story is going through revisions, early on in specific. I will be reposting the later chapters after I am finished with all the relevant revisions and editions to the earlier ones. Apologies but I want to ensure my story has a good level of quality to it.
Chapter 1: Death and Rebirth
Karakura Town
In this world, there is an afterlife—multiple afterlives to be exact, which come with their fair share of spiritual beings that mortals like to call ghosts. Shinigami are the death gods known to protect and preserve the natural order involving the afterlife, a task which they have done for over a million years. Rukia Kuchiki is one such being, taking the appearance of a young raven-haired girl in a samurai outfit—which is the signature look of all Shinigami.
Rukia is currently patrolling the streets of Karakura Town, a suburb of Tokyo, per the instructions of the captain of her company, Jushiro Ukitake, having sensed strange spiritual pressure in the area. However, after about an hour of searching, she starts to get lost in thoughts about her former Vice Captain, Kaien.
"Captain Ukitake… would he really have killed Kaien?" The woman shakes her head and slaps herself mentally for getting so lost in thought while on duty. "Besides, thinking about what ifs won't change what happened. What's done is done…"
Just then, her spirit phone goes off, alarming her that an evil spirit appeared in the area. However, it's in a completely different part of town from where she is now, so she rushes towards its position, praying it doesn't harm any Humans before she gets there.
Kurosaki Clinic, Karakura Town
Ichigo Kurosaki is an orange haired high school student who is often insulted for his hair with names like 'Strawberry'. The boy has the unique ability to see ghosts, something only a handful of mortals can ever dream of doing.
Ichigo returns home late after straightening out some punks who desecrated a memorial for a Child who died recently, which greatly upset the Child's spirit. Just as he opens the front door, he is assaulted by a familiar foot to the face and is knocked on his ass.
Isshin, Ichigo's dad, starts scolding him, "You shouldn't let your guard down!"
Ichigo counters, "That's no way to welcome someone home after helping a spirit pass on!"
They continue bantering as Isshin remarks, "Just because you can see ghosts and I can't does not make you man of the house!"
Yuzu, Ichigo's younger sister, pleads, "Would you two please stop fighting?! Come over and eat dinner before it gets cold!"
This prompts her twin sister Karin to reply, "Let them fight. It means more rice for us." Karin promptly grabs more rice with her chopsticks, placing it in her bowl.
Isshin is making to punch Ichigo, which the teen plans to counter with a kick to the face. However, a chill rushes down Ichigo's spine that causes him to flinch and take the punch. Isshin celebrates his victory, while Karin, now wide eyed, asks, "Ichigo... Did you feel that too…?"
Ichigo is about to respond when a giant hand bursts through the walls of the house and grabs Karin. It's a bestial creature, the likes of which Ichigo has never seen. The force of its fist going through the wall was enough to knock both Isshin and Yuzu out cold, which greatly angers Ichigo. The boy then promptly grabs a chair to assault the monster who dares attack his family.
Ichigo moves to slam the chair into the hollow but is easily knocked back as the monster hits him with its fist. The beast sniffs the air briefly, as Karin is still shouting at it to let her go.
Suddenly, the creature drops Karin and turns towards Ichigo. The boy falls to his knees as the monstrous, masked beast crushes his body under its fist.
Karin wails at the sight, crying hysteric tears at the sight. The boy's crumbled body is lifted up by the beast, blood leaking out from nearly everywhere imaginable. The creature squeezes Ichigo's body between its hands, causing the boy to feel the life leave from his body as darkness overcomes his being.
After what feels like an eternity to Ichigo, the boy can once more see his surroundings clearly, his lifeless body on the group in front of him in specific.
The orange-haired boy can't help but gasp, "T-the hell?! AM I DEAD?!"
Ichigo notices the severed chain hanging from his chest, a sure sign that his soul is no longer tethered to his body. The beast turns to Ichigo again, letting out a deafening shriek. The beast takes a step towards Ichigo, and before the boy can react, grabs him by his orange hair before dragging him away. The teen desperately attempts to resist as he slowly watches his body get further and further away from him.
From the corner of his eye, Ichigo can make out the terrified expression of his sister Karin, who can do nothing but watch helplessly as her brother is taken away.
This causes Ichigo to grimace, "Damn it! I'm her older brother! I'm supposed to protect her!"
Karin begins to rise to her feet, appearing as if she is going to attempt and give chase. Ichigo, however, shakes his head while makes direct eye contact with his sister. No words were said, but the message was clear. The girl's tears now fall freely at the sight of the monster dragging her brother's soul away.
In this moment, Ichigo can't help but feel a plethora of negative emotions, "I can't be dead. This can't be happening! What the hell is this thing anyway?! What is dad gonna say when he… sees my body? Damn it! I was too weak… too weak…"
At this moment, Ichigo's negative emotions leave him, instead replaced by a sickening contentment, "But this is what I deserve… after all, I was the reason she died…"
Ichigo doesn't bother to resist anymore, not even caring to take note of the beast opening some kind of strange doorway. Darkness was all he could see as the monster took him inside.
Regaining her bearings, Karin looks on in horror as her brother disappears alongside the beast. It should go without saying that the girl is devastated.
After a minute, Isshin, having just regained his consciousness, walks out, gasping in horror at the sight of his son's mangled body.
Isshin rushes to his son's side, calling out, "Ichigo? Ichigo! Speak to me, PLEASE!"
Karin, sniffles, muttering, "It's no use… he's—"
Isshin shifts his gaze on his daughter, "What happened?!"
Karin mutters dejectedly, "Some kind of monster attacked us… it had me but let me go… Ichigo stopped resisting… it took him away… he's gone…"
The man starts to cry, wiping his eyes as he whispers to himself, "Damn it… not again…!"
Isshin thought his whispers went unheard by Karin, however, that was an incorrect assumption. The girl, however, chooses to pretend she didn't hear it, staring blankly into the distance as tears continue to fall from her eyes.
It's at this time that Rukia arrives. The woman quickly sizes up what happened and realizes, to her dismay, she was too late.
The Menos Forest
In the lowest depths of Hueco Mundo, otherwise known as the land of the hollows, lies the Menos Forest—a harsh, desolate place that serves as a nest for the Adjucha and Menos Hollows. Only hollows of the Adjucha class can ever hope to leave the Menos Forest, as the surface of Hueco Mundo is full of even more power Adjuchas and the legendary Vasto Lordes—the total number of which one could count with the fingers on their hands.
It is in this place that Ichigo fully feels himself being consumed by the hollow, feeling the last remnants of his humanity leave him. Strange visions where all the boy can see invade his psyche—dark visions the invoke a feeling of emptiness. The boy no longer has any idea of what he was or who he was anymore. Visions of an orange-haired human flash throughout his mind. The creature sits at a wooden desk reading some kind of book.
Who is he?
There is a moment of clarity surging through his otherwise mindless thoughts.
Suddenly, hundreds of different visions flood through the boy's consciousness all at once. Some were of people, animals, and strange masked creatures. It was as if he was simultaneously remembering all of these beings.
They're… us? We are one?
His clarity quickly vanishes as he cannot hold focus on one particular memory. This continues for some time until a vision of the orange haired person comes back to him. This time, he sees the person's soul. As he homes in on the hollow hole in the orange-haired boy's chest, his mind quickly felt a commanding affinity for this person.
Why do we remember this one more than the others?
As he continues to look at the orange-haired person, he notices the soul looking back. The individual has yellow eyes with black sclera—quite the menacing look.
He's… me.
Not long after that, the being falls back into slumber.
In the midst of the Menos Forest there stands a towering behemoth of a hollow, pitch black, save for its white mask with black tribal-like markings running down each side through the eye slits. A Gillian the likes of no other has been born.
The being can think far more clearly than it could before, "Where am I?"
Looking around, confusion overwhelms the creature's senses, "What was I doing? Have I always been here?"
The being looks around, instinctually noting a powerful presence approaching.
A group of Gillians led by a Bird Adjucha approaches the new Gillian after having sensed its birth.
The Adjucha declares, "You there! Yeah you, the new Gillian! This is my territory and therefore you must be subservient to me… or else die!"
The Gillian simply stares quietly at the bird Adjucha.
The Adjucha chuckles, "Nothing to say? Ah, well of course you don't! You are just a Gillian, after all."
Instinctually, the new Gillian opens its mouth and fires a massive blast of hollow energy, known as a Cero, at the Adjucha, who takes it head on.
Steaming after the blast, the Adjucha remarks, "That managed to somewhat hurt me… although you showed real back bone by defying an obviously superior being. You must be something special… it would be a waste for you to die so early on in your lifespan."
The Adjucha is silent for a moment before continuing, "We shall be partners for now. To celebrate, we all will go to the Living World and feast!"
The World of the Living
At a neighboring town to Karakura Town, the violence-hungry Captain of Squad 11, Kenpachi Zaraki, with his tiny, pink-haired sidekick, Squad 11's Vice Captain, Yachiru Kusajishi, perched on his shoulder, sits on a tree incredibly bored as this last bout of Hollows were way too weak for his liking. A distance away, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa, Squad 11's respective 3rd and 5th seats, finally finish off the remaining Hollows after an hour of fighting, when they would normally be able to beat them in less than 5 minutes. Of course, this is Squad 11, so every battle is extended to its utmost duration, as once the fight is over, so too is the fun.
Kenpachi sighs as Yachiru remarks, "It looks like it's time to pack up and go home, Kenny…"
Kenpachi leaps off the tree, "I wish we were stationed in Karakura Town instead of that Kuchiki girl. I heard that a lot of strong spirit energy fluct—fluct… uh…"
Yachiru notices Kenpachi struggle, so helps, "Fluctuations?"
Kenpachi nods, giving his Vice Captain an appreciative look, "Yeah, those. A lot of those occur there, which means strong opponents! But instead, we are out here in the boonies!"
Just as one of the Squad members is about to call for a Hell-Butterfly, to return to the Soul Society, a rift in time-space occurs and a fleet of giant hollows rush out.
"Menos Grande?! Perfect!" Kenpachi squeals in delight as he unsheathes his sword for the first time of the night.
One after another, the Gillians are brutally cut down as Squad 11 all cherish the chance to go all out, especially their Captain who is leading the charge. This continues until Kenpachi notices two particularly strong looking Hollows in the center. An odd-looking Gillian and an… "Adjucha! Now THIS will be FUN!"
Yachiru climbs off his back and attacks a weaker Menos behind them as Kenpachi charges off towards his new prey. The Bird Adjucha doesn't even have time to fly off and avoid the strike as Kenpachi cuts straight through its Captain-level Hierro, a hollow's protective skin, like a knife through butter, removing one of its wings. The Hollow screams in pain and slashes Kenpachi across the chest with its talons, which prompts Kenpachi to get even more excited, slashing at it again, which grazes part of its mask, removing a piece of it. Kenpachi is about to deliver a fatal blow, but before he can an enormous blast of red Hollow energy rains down on him, forcing him to a knee. As he attempts to regain his bearings, a giant foot kicks him across the forest they're fighting in.
"Captain!" Ikkaku calls after cutting down another Gillian.
The Adjucha looks up in disbelief as the Gillian definitely did not have that much force in its previous Cero—wait, could that have just been its way of trying to communicate before?!
Just as fast as he was kicked away, Kenpachi comes back and is right in front of the Gillian's giant mask, about to deliver a slash right in its face, but is grabbed by its hand and thrown to the ground. The Gillian isn't done, though, as it continues by launching three ceros in succession causing the entire forest to shake from the sheer intensity of it.
Once the Gillian is finally winded, Kenpachi stands in the crater left, his Captains coat completely burned away and Shihakusho in ribbons.
He gives another one of his signature toothy grins, "Now THIS is what I'm talking about! Why can't there be more Hollows this strong! This is what I live for!"
The Adjucha, truly recognizing that this is NOT the average Shinigami Captain, shouts to the Gillian, "Run, you fool! Leave me behind or else you'll die!"
Only one feeling remains of the boy—an instinctual, aggressive NEED to…
Protect!
The Gillian grabs the grounded Adjucha gently in its hand, holding it such that the Shinigami can't attack it.
Yachiru wonders aloud, "What kind of Gillian protects an Adjucha…?"
In this moment, Yachiru's eyes open wide as she looks at Kenpachi excitedly, "Hey Kenny, don't ya think we should give it a name?"
Kenpachi frowns, "Eh? Not really… it's too weak for me to remember anyway…"
The Gillian growls before uttering angrily, "I'm not weak…"
Ikkaku's jaw hits the ground, "D-did that Gillian just talk?!"
Yachiru's smile widens at this, "See Kenny! That one's special! We gotta get him!"
Kenpachi smirks, "I can see that… you might be worthy or remembering after all. You gotta name?"
The Gillian is quiet for a moment before answering instinctually, "White."
Just then, the Adjucha opens another rift, known as a Garganta, for the two of them to escape before the Gillian can protest. Kenpachi leaps towards them, attempting to reach them before the portal closes, but just as he is within arms reach the Garganta shuts in his face.
"Damn…" Kenpachi laments for a moment.
Yachiru walks over, "I hope that Gillian is stronger next time we see it, don't you Kenny?"
This causes Kenpachi to grin, "Yeah."
The Menos Forest
Once more in the depths of the Menos Forest, the Gillian is confused and slightly irritated as it thought it was going to keep fighting that strong opponent. Its attention is grabbed by its wounded Adjucha companion calling for it to… feast upon his remains?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
That is the message it gets across by intensely flaring up its reiatsu, however, the Adjucha continues, "You truly have the potential to become the strongest of all Hollows… should you evolve into a Vasto Lorde. To do so, you must feast on me."
The Gillian is still rejecting the idea as the Adjucha follows up, "That's the way things are in Hueco Mundo—the strong prey on the weak. If you don't like that, you will need to become strong to change things…"
The Gillian still hesitates.
But… I have to protect you…
The Gillian manages to utter, "Protect…"
The bird seems surprised by the Gillian's response, "Protect? Protect me? Hmm… you're a strange hollow. You'll find Hueco Mundo isn't a merciful place for the weak. Those that protect others become targets. Protecting me would have gotten you killed if you had been weaker…"
The Gillian is silent as it waits for its companion to continue.
The Adjucha wheezes before continuing, "Although, I can't say protecting the weak is a bad thing… just naïve, I guess… But from what I've seen, I have this feeling, that you are the one we've all been waiting for—a hollow whose strength is only matched by his compassion—his… heart."
The Adjucha chuckles at the irony as Hollows have lost their heart but this is lost on the Gillian who seems to still be registering his words.
The bird regards the Gillian seriously, "Just promise me one thing… destroy the Shinigami!"
The Gillian makes a nodding motion, although still seems to be hesitating in devouring him.
The Adjucha growls before yelling at the Gillian, "Devour me now! If you don't, someone else will! If that happens, I doubt you will ever evolve! Follow your instincts! Become strong!"
"Become strong…", the hollow can't help but find the idea appealing when considering the vision of the crumpled heap of flesh that was his body when he died.
The Gillian, spurred on by its companion's cries, picks up the Adjucha's body before devouring it whole.
Feeling a surge of energy and a greater feeling of emptiness than before, the Gillian realizes that it is hungry for others of its kind, so viciously feasts on any other Gillian it can find in the area.
Every time he eats another Gillian, he feels himself able to think more and more clearly. Brief flashes of his mortal life return on occasion, which only seem to spur on his hunger even more. The Gillian continues its viscous feast, feeling itself become more complete after each meal.