Darkness.

That was what Ichigo saw when he woke up and found himself floating on his back in a pitch-black void, devoid of even a tiny glimpse of light. It was so black he couldn't even see his hands right in front of him. He inwardly sighed at his current predicament and went back to closing his eyes. Normally, he would try to move and shout out if anybody was there with him. Ichigo Kurosaki was not a coward, not by a long shot, but the reason he would do that was to see if he was the only one in this place. But he knew that wherever he was, he was alone in here and he didn't want to leave even if he wanted to. He didn't want to go back to the World of the Living (not that he could), and he certainly did not want to deal with traitorous Death Gods.

Speaking of Death Gods…

He felt two streams of tears fall down the sides of his face as his mind played the events that happened… he did not know how long he was in here as he did not know how much time had passed, it may as well have been an eternity. To him however it did not matter how much time had passed, he would still always remember what Rukia and his so-called friends did to him. He could give two fucks about the rest of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads since they would do what they did as long as it benefited them no matter how wrong it was. The two people he could not give two fucks about were the people he thought were his friends.

Right then and there, his sadness turned into pure rage. He still did not understand why they didn't say anything. Renji just stood there and watched like the coward he was. They prevented Rukia's execution together. They fought side by side against every single enemy they had faced. Hell, they even disobeyed Yamamoto's orders and to Hueco Mundo, where they were Hollows and Arrancars that were more powerful than them if they were to fight them individually, to save Orihime, whom they did not know if she willingly defected to Aizen's side. Rukia was the one who hurt his heart the most. To him, she chose the Thirteen Court Guard Squads instead of him. She chose duty over reasoning and logic. She chose the law over her friends. Just like her brother, who chose the law over his own sister's innocence.

Realizing that reminiscing was only going to make him even angrier, he began to think about the people who hadn't betrayed him and stuck with him through trials and tribulations.

Chad; the gentle giant who had his back from middle school and stood by his side for everything he had been through. Tatsuki; his childhood friend who protected him from bullies and the first girl he had a crush on. Orihime; the klutzy, bubbly girl who was always this ray of sunshine when he was around her. He just wished he told her how he truly felt about her. Uryu; his smartass rival and friend who always pushed him to do better. Keigo and Mizuiro; the comedic duo were some of his best friends and sometimes hung out with them, even if they were annoying as he was reminiscing about the people in his life, he felt himself frown when he thought about his dad…

'Live well, age well, and go bald well. And die after me. If you can… die smiling. If you can't, I won't be able to face Masaki. Sadness is a cool thing to bear, but you are still too young.' He once said as they stood over his mother's grave, and Ichigo had silently vowed to do what his dad told him to do. There was also the matter of Isshin's past that he promised to tell Ichigo during the fight with Aizen, but Ichigo told him that he would tell him when he was ready.

He felt himself frown deeper when he thought about Karin and Yuzu, his sisters. Who was going to protect them? His friends would, but they had their own lives to live. Dad could, he was a powerful Shinigami, but he wasn't going to be there forever. His eyes widened as he realized that the fuckers could go after his family next.

There was no way in hell he was going to allow that to happen.

A shooting pain that lasted an instant made itself known in Ichigo's head. He moved his arms and clasped his head with his hands, now feeling a cool substance on his arms as he did so. Suspicious, he moved his arms around and immediately concluded that he was somewhere deep underwater, and the fact that it felt very familiar to him even though it was pitch black and he was able to breathe underwater only confirmed his suspicions.

This was his Inner World.

He had no idea how and why it became like this, but he had to get out of there. He tried to leave his Inner World like he used to do, but every time he did so, it was something, some sort of barrier, pushing him back, not allowing him to succeed. He growled in frustration and decided the next best thing was to swim up to the surface. He did not know what was going to happen when he did so, but he had to try. He began to swim up to the surface, but nothing happened. He did not let this deter him as he swam as fast and as hard as he could. He did not stop when his muscles cried in agony. He did not stop when a voice of doubt began to scream in his head that he should stop once and for all and not continue to waste his time and accept his fate. He was going to abandon his fear. He was going to keep moving forward and never stop. He knew that he pulled back now, he would age. Die if he hesitated so he continued. He was never going to give up. He was never going to accept his 'fate.' He was going to change it. He was going to protect his friends. He was going to protect his family. He was going to protect everyone dear to him, and he was going to RIP OUT THE THROATS OF EVERYONE WHO TURNED HIS BACK ON HIM!

"Stop."

Ichigo froze. Was that a voice? And if so, where the hell did it come from? He tried to look around for the source of the voice, but he realized that it was futile. He couldn't even see his hands, how was he going to see the person who spoke? He was probably hallucinating since he was the only one down here.

"You are not hallucinating, boy. I am real."

Nope, this was a voice. It was a deep voice, similar to the Old Man's, but this was way deeper and more… soothing.

"Is it light you want?"

Ichigo couldn't bring himself to speak, so he just nodded weakly. There was silence for a few moments before a blinding flash appeared right in front of him, causing him to cover his eyes with his arms. When the light subsided, he slowly lowered his arms. The pitch-black void he woke up in was gone and replaced by clear blue water all around him. He was not paying attention to the background, he was paying attention to the man standing right in front of him.

It was safe to say that this was the strangest man the orange-haired hybrid had ever seen, and he had seen a lot of strange men. He was of average height, probably an inch shorter than him. He had flowing black hair that reached his lower back and was wearing a long white cloak that was fastened at one shoulder and covered mostly his upper body and one of his legs, which were both barefoot. What captured his attention the most was the eyes. They were white with four black irises in every corner. He also had six wings that had the same eye in each of them.

Ichigo was bewildered at the sight of this man, thing, whatever it was. Could it be an angel? It looked like one, but he remembered, angels were not real. The Shinigami were the closest things to angels (yeah, right!). Demons…well, he has met Hollows so he guessed they counted.

"Um…I do appreciate the light, so...thank you?" He half stated, half asked the man, no, thing that was standing in front of him. The glowing figure just stood there and said nothing.

"Who are you?" He asked. "What are you doing in my Inner World? How did you-?"

"Silence." The entity may have spoken in a whispered tone, but the amount of authority and danger that one word had made Ichigo shut his mouth instantly. "I understand that this is all confusing for you and that you have many questions to ask me. However, let me make one thing clear. I know that you tend to speak to other people disrespectfully, but I will not tolerate any behavior like that towards me. I am not your friend, only an ally. Do you understand me?"

Ichigo quickly bowed his head.

"Understood, sir."

He may have been a hot head, but he was not stupid. This entity seemed more powerful than Aizen or Yamamoto combined. The sheer power emanating from the being was enough to bring him to the bottom of the ocean and suffocate him to death, perhaps evaporate him from existence...but strangely enough, it felt warm, like a blanket wrapped around him. It felt like…it was a part of him for some reason.

"Good." The man monotoned as he got closer to him. "Before I answer your questions, let me ask you one of my own." He stopped when he was just a couple of feet away from him, his unique eyes staring into scared but curious chocolate brown ones. "Do you remember the exchange between Sōsuke Aizen and Kisuke Urahara?"

A tilted head was the answer he got. "You do not. Allow me to show you." Suddenly, with speed beyond what Ichigo was capable of in his Bankai form, the man tapped his forehead with two fingers, making the young man roll his eyes back and relive the exchange that the man was talking about.

(Flashback)

"Kisuke Urahara! I despise you! With a mind as brilliant as yours, why do you accept the status quo!? Why?! How can you let yourself be controlled by 'that thing'?!" Aizen yelled as he desperately tried to remove the red spikes that kept erupting from his chest with no succession.

Kisuke narrowed his eyes in realization. "'That thing?' You must be talking about the Soul King. So you've also seen it." The light blonde-haired man shook his head. "Here's something that you just don't understand, Aizen. The Soul King is the cornerstone of existence itself. Without that cornerstone, the structure that is all of existence will be rented asunder. That is simply the way of the world."

(End of flashback)

Ichigo's eyes rolled back to their normal place and stared at the man in front of him in shock and awe as he realized who he was. No, what he was.

"You're the thing and it that Kisuke and Aizen were talking about. You…you're the Reiō."

The Reiō nodded. "Indeed, although I would prefer not to be referred to like an object. You, on the other hand, may call me Your Majesty, or My Lord. Nothing more, nothing less." Seeing Ichigo nod, he continued as they both floated up to the surface, "Good. Now to answer your second question. The reason I am here is to save your life."

"Save my life? What do you mean, Your Majesty?" Ichigo asked, confused as to what the being was talking about.

"You died, Ichigo Kurosaki." He bluntly stated and shocked Ichigo as they shot up and out of the ocean of despair, seeing water as far as the eye could see. "You have been dead for three days. Too much blood loss, punctured organs, and slit throat, amongst other things. It was an impossibility that you would survive for long. The fact that you survived for as long as you did after what the Thirteen Court Guard Squads did to you is a feat on its own." He noticed the brief flash of pain and rage pass Ichigo's face. "I can tell that you have come to hate them."

"Hate them? Hate THEM?! OF COURSE I FUCKING HATE THEM!" Thunder roared and lightning flashed as a heavy downpour hit the both of them, causing the sea to be rough. "I DID EVERYTHING FOR THEM! I PUT MY LIFE ON THE LINE, FOR THEM! AND HOW DO THEY REPAY ME!? BY STABBING ME IN THE BACK! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO THEM?! RENJI AND BYAKUYA JUST STOOD THERE AND FUCKING WATCHED! RUKIA STRUCK ME DOWN! AFTER EVERYTHING WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH TOGETHER, SHE…SHE…I…WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO ME!?"

The Reiō watched impassively as the poor boy got on his knees and grabbed his head, weeping and having a mental breakdown as the Inner World started flooding once again. He did not know the emotion known as love as he had never experienced it. However, he did know when one loved another and this was one of those times. As much as he despised emotions, mortals on the other hand needed them to continue moving forward. He did not want his vessel to succumb to emotions so quickly but at the same time, he did not want the boy to be an emotionless killing machine who did not know right from wrong.

"You want to know why you are acting like this?" He asked, making Ichigo turn his attention to him. "It is simple: you are or rather were in love with Rukia Kuchiki." He stated and continued once he had the boy's attention. Ichigo wanted to protest, but quickly stopped as he realized that the Reio told the truth, no matter how much it stung to admit it. "Now, I will not lie to you and tell you that I understand what you have been through as I have never had those feelings. However, I can tell that this girl has hurt you deeply." Silently, he drained the sea and revealed the blue sideways buildings. "I can tell that you want revenge. You want to make them pay for everything they have done to you. You want to make them pay for taking everything from you." The Reiō then bent down, grabbed his arm, and hoisted him up with one hand. "I can help you get your revenge, but on two conditions."

"What are they?" Ichigo growled as he knew that it was too good to be true.

The god held up a finger. "One, you will not use the power I give you for evil. I chose you as my vessel because you would never harm innocents, you would never kill without reason and you know right from wrong, no matter how impulsive you may be. If you commit evil misdeeds however, I WILL take my power away and I WILL kill you."

Ichigo paused as he thought about the proposal. Judging by the narrowed-eyed glare, the god was being serious. He started thinking about the pros and cons of this deal. He was not going to do anything bad with the Reiō's power. He never harmed any innocents as a Substitute Shinigami and he sure as hell was not going to start anytime soon. There was the issue of cutting a deal with a being that he knew virtually nothing about, but the Reiō seemed noble and did not have any ulterior motives if the 'not harming any innocents' was anything to go by. After a few moments, he nodded.

"Good. The second thing I want you to do is kill a man for me." Never-mind. He just found it.

"Why?"

The Reiō smiled. It was an eerie thin line that felt out of place on the god's face. "I am glad you are not blindly agreeing to this." His smile dropped and his expression became resentful. "The man's name is Ichibēi Hyōsube. He is the leader of the Royal Guard and the most evil Shinigami you will ever meet, and he will probably be one of the first people you see when you wake up. Do not kill him then. I and I alone will tell you when to kill him." He growled, not realizing that he was slowly increasing his reiatsu. "I will never forget what he did to me."

"What…did he do?" The young man asked as he began to breathe a little heavily, but the Reiō just shook his head.

"I cannot tell you just yet. I will tell you soon enough. Time is running out as the ritual I performed on you can only last for 72 hours, we only have seconds to complete it." He extended his hand as he reduced his reiatsu. "Once you shake my hand, there is no going back." To his surprise, Ichigo clasped his hand and shook it firmly, sealing the deal and completing the ritual. 'That was quick. He did not hesitate at all.'

"I may be making a mistake by doing this, but I don't care at the moment." He growled darkly as his body began to fade away. "As long as I have the power to protect others once again and kill those who took my life from me, I could care less about your grudge with this Hyōsube guy. Make no mistake about it though." He leaned forward right as his upper torso began to disappear. "If you go back on your word, I will kill you, Reiō or not." He then fully disappeared, leaving an amused being in his thoughts.

'Fool. You are millions of years too early to threaten me, although I would like to see what he does when that happens, even though it is highly unlikely.' A tiny smirk made its way on his face when he felt two presences in the boy's Inner World.

'Highly unlikely indeed.'

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo groaned when he slowly opened his eyes. Since his eyes were closed for so long, the sudden brightness made his eyes hurt. He squinted as he slowly got used to the light and looked at his surroundings. He was on a very comfortable king-sized bed that was in the middle of a very lavish room that had plenty of very expensive looking furniture. As he scanned the room, he noticed that the room was covered in cloth that were all shapes and sizes.

He stopped scanning the room and began to think about the events that happened moments ago. Was all of that real, or just a very vivid dream?

'You already know the answer to that question.' The Reiō's voice echoed in his mind. So it was real.

'Where the heck am I?' Ichigo thought absentmindedly.

'I believe that question is reserved for the woman next to you.' Confused, Ichigo turned around and got the fright of his life, because standing right next to the bed was a tall and beautiful woman who was staring at him coldly.

"Took you long enough to wake up." The woman spoke in a cold tone, making the hybrid flinch slightly.

"Um…hello?" Ichigo asked uncertainty, now feeling uncomfortable under the woman's gaze, but the woman stayed silent and continued to stare at him.

'Reiō- I mean, Your Majesty?' Ichigo corrected himself, and in his mind's eye he saw the Soul King mod sagely. 'Do you have any idea as to why she is staring at me like this?'

In his Inner World, the being tilted his head in confusion at the question. 'Why do you ask me that question?'

'Because I, for some reason, have a gut feeling that you know this person.'

'Indeed I do.'

'…You're not going to tell me anything, are you?'

'There is no need for me to do that. She will introduce herself soon enough.' The Reiō responded, making Ichigo inwardly sigh.

'Is she always like this with other people?' He thought to himself as he was quickly becoming more and more uncomfortable at the stare, although it could also be interpreted as an actual glare he was receiving from the woman.

'Yes. She is a very serious individual who loves her work, does not like repeating herself and she absolutely hates it when an objective she had been given is not completed. There is only one thing I would advise you to do now.'

'And what is that?'

'Get off her bed and apologize. Immediately.'

He was confused to say the least, but he listened to the Reiō's advice and got off the bed. As he did so, he noticed that her glare softened, if only a little bit. "I'm sorry about lying on the bed."

The woman, Senjumaru, blinked and tilted her head in confused silence, clearly not expecting the apology. "It is fine, Ichigo Kurosaki." She finally spoke. "Follow me."

He watched in weary curiosity as she took out a sewing needle, stabbed it in the air, twisted it and opened the Senkaimon. Then without being able to say or do anything, Ichigo blinked once, just once, and found himself in a completely different room. He turned around to face the strange woman and opened his mouth to speak, but a blue light caught his attention. He looked past the woman and stared at the giant crystal hidden behind the curtains.

'My prison.' The deity monotoned before Ichigo could say anything. 'That is where Ichibēi Hyōsube sealed me after he helped the original Four Great Noble Houses rip off the power of my limbs, and in that crystal I remained for a million years, trapped and powerless with no way out.' The hybrid scowled as he continued to look at the clear blue crystal that was dangling off the ground, being held by a couple of ropes. He could never imagine being trapped in this crystal, limbless for millennia, unable to move, unable to do anything. It seemed like the Reio had suffered a fate worse than death, worse than him being stabbed in the back by the Shinigami. As hard as he tried, he simply could not place himself in his savior's shoes. It was unfathomable. Out of curiosity, he touched the crystal with his right hand.

"Seal him. Now."

"This is for your own good."

"You honestly thought that he was going to save you?! How foolish! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Can't allow you to do this, Osho. It ain't right."

"Help her, Ichi-nii!"

"Where's your instinct now, boy?!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO MY SISTER, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Why did you leave me?"

"I will show you true despair, my child borne in the darkness."

"You ought to thank me, you ungrateful spoiled brat."

"Show them why you are the Number One Guardian."

"YOU CANNOT SEAL ME FOR ETERNITY, RYUU! I WILL BE BACK!"

"Finish what you started, Kurosaki."

"Come, child."

"Ain't this some shit!"

"I missed you, Ichigo."

"You claim to be a protector, yes? Then do it. Protect everyone. I dare you."

"I leave the rest to you."

"BANKAI!"

"Save the Quincy, Ishida."

"No miracle can save you from me!"

"You better not die, Kurosaki!"

"Please... make it stop."

"I wish I had never met you. Get out of my life, and don't ever come back."

"I. AM. INVINCIBLE! KUROSAKI!"

Ichigo withdrew his hand back in shock and quickly clutched his head due to the headache he was getting. What the hell was that? All he did was touch the crystal, and his vision suddenly multiplied. He saw his sisters, friends, family and enemies he had never seen before. People with white clothing and from the brief glimpse he got, some of the people he saw were definitely nobles. Was that Old Man Zangetsu? And why did he have several pupils in his eyes? He wanted to ask the Reiō about those...he did not know what to call them. Dreams? Visions? But as he looked through his mind's eye, he saw the Reiō blink multiple times, showing that he too was surprised about what just happened.

"Enjoying the beauty of the crystal, eh?" A deep voice playfully asked. Startled, Ichigo turned around and saw four figures, not counting the woman who brought her here, standing in a straight line, looking at him. He quickly realized, that at least three of them were in his visions...

"Who are you people?" Ichigo asked.

"Before we tell you what we are, allow us to introduce ourselves individually." A woman spoke. "My name is Kirio Hikifune, the Ruler of Grain." Hikifune was a tall woman of fair complexion with green eyes. She had long, smooth purple hair reaching her mid-back that curled up at the ends and bangs framing the sides of her face. She wore black lipstick and had red swirl-shaped markings under both her eyes. She also wore the standard Shinigami Shihakushō with a white obi beneath a white, long-sleeved haori.

"Name's Tenjirō Kirinji, the Hot Spring Demon. Better remember it kid." Kirinji was a lean-built and very tall man with black hair arranged into an outlandishly large pompadour, or "regent" hairstyle, with tapered sideburns. He chewed on a small stick, much to Ichigo's irritation. Instead of the standard Shinigami shihakushō that the two women were wearing, he wore a waist-length white jacket that left most of his chest exposed, as well as the alternating circle and diamond pattern of a captain's haori along the bottom. His attire was completed by a black hakama, a large yellow sash around his waist and a pair of sandals.

"I am Senjumaru Shutara, the Great Weave Guard." The woman he met earlier spoke in an emotionless tone as she brought out her six robotic arms and waved them with a tiny smile on her face.

"What's up, Go-Ichi Strawberry?! How you doin'?!" One of the men shouted, earning a deadpan stare and multiple blinks from the confused teen. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! The name's Ōetsu Nimaiya, the God of the Sword, also known as the Number One Zanpakutō creator!" Ōetsu shouted as he hit a dramatic pose and making the others shake their heads in exasperation. Nimaiya was a dark-skinned man with thick, black hair that was shaven and dyed green on the sides of his head. Ichigo saw that the man wore a variation of the Shinigami shihakushō, featuring instead a green undergarment, and a shortened hakama that exposed his lower legs. Worn over this is a white, sleeveless puffer jacket that bore an emblem he had never seen before on its back, as well as the alternating circle and diamond pattern of a captain's haori along the bottom. His attire was completed by gold-framed sunglasses with blue lenses, and a pair of green slippers that were gold trimmed and had a shoe-like appearance.

"And I am Ichibēi Hyōsube, the Monk Who Calls The Real Name and the leader of the Zero Division." The man in the middle grunted in a playful tone, which the orange haired teenage thought it was creepy coming from him. Ichibē was a large and broad individual with a bald head, red eyes, bushy eyebrows and a long black beard. He wore the standard shihakushō beneath a white, long-sleeved haori. The top of his uniform is open enough to expose his hairy chest. He also wore a large set of red prayer beads around his neck and a pair of single-toothed tengu geta.

"Wait." Ichigo held up a hand before the man in front spoke. "Before you say anything, just wait a second. I don't know why I'm here, or why the fuck am I in the presence of fucking Shinigami," he said the word with enough venom that the Royal Guard immediately took notice, "but I need someone to explain to me what the fuck is happening!"

If the Royal Guard were offended about the way the boy spat the word Shinigami, they did not show it. Instead, Ichibēi smiled. "Calm yourself, young man. We might be Shinigami, but we are not your enemies." 'For now, at least.' he thought. "I see that the betrayal of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads have left quite a scar on you."

Ichigo tensed and narrowed his eyes, taking a step back in the process. Ichigo was sure they were not there when the Gotei 13 attacked him, so how did they know that they betrayed him? Were they watching him, and if so for how long?

The million year old Monk (although he was technically two thousand years old thanks to the Ōken) saw Ichigo take a step back and inwardly sighed. 'It would take quite a while in order for the boy to trust ANY Shinigami now.' "I understand you are curious as to how we know about you and your failed assassination at the hands of those down below. I will answer all your questions, but first..." he gestured to Tenjirō, "I would like for you to follow this man to the outside. He will take you to my island, where I will explain everything properly."

"Huh?! Why should it be me?!" The tall man growled incredulously as he leaned forward. "Why can't you do it?!"

The older Shinigami ignored the man and simply said, "See you on my island." He then walked a couple of steps forward, pressed his hand on his chest and closed his eyes.

"Disperse."

Right before Ichigo's very eyes, the man's entire body quickly became pitch black and fell down as if it were a person made out of ink. Too stunned to do anything, he barely noticed Tenjirō walk towards him with an annoyed expression on his face, stood right in front of him, and harshly poked him in the forehead, snapping him out of it.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"You were standing there gawking like a damn brat! What the hell was I supposed to do?!"

"I don't know, wave your arms in front of my face, or better yet, snap your fingers! Not poke my forehead with the force of a punch!"

"You should be grateful I didn't choose to punch you, otherwise you would be dead!"

"Is that how you treat people who come here?!"

"Newsflash, dumbass: NO ONE COMES HERE! EVER! YOU ARE THE EXCEPTION, YA BRAT!"

"WHY YOU-!"

"Ahem." Ōetsu cleared his throat, causing both men to look at him. "As much as we enjoy you lovebirds going at it…" he couldn't help but snicker when Tenjirō growled, "you need to take Go-Ichi to Osho's island. He's still waiting for the boy after all."

The healer stared at his comrade for a few moments, wishing he would punch the living daylights out of the dark-skinned man, but he knew he had a point.

But before that…

"Fine, damnit. Shutara, would you please?" he asked, pointing at Ichigo's private parts. Confused, Ichigo looked down, and turned into his namesake when he saw that he was naked. As he stared at his dick and balls, he slowly realized with embarrassment and horror that he had been speaking with these five people with no clothes on. He blinked and moved his hands to cover his dick and balls, only to feel fabric blocking his hands. He looked down at himself and saw that he was wearing a brand new shihakushō. He instantaneously looked up and saw that Senjumaru was holding her sewing needle and smiling knowingly at him.

'She… I… What…?' Ichigo was at a loss of words for the first time since he was betrayed. Was she the one who did this, and if so how fast was she?! What the hell was going on?! "H-How did you do that?"

The pale woman simply widened her smile. "Never underestimate the name of Senjumaru." She said, and before leaving, Ichigo noticed a slight smile on her face.

"Not bad, boy." That was all she said before literally floating away, leaving behind a blushing strawberry who understood what she was referring to.

(Outside the Royal Palace)

Ichigo had seen and been a part of a lot of bizarre and strange things in his life. The ghosts from when he was still a child, the Hollows when they attacked his family on that fateful night, the Shinigami, Zanpakutō spirits, mod souls, a talking black cat that could turn into a very beautiful woman, Arrancar, even a Hōgyoku-infused butterfly God. But nothing beat what was about to happen to him.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" he deadpanned as he stood on some sort of platform while Ōetsu, Senjumaru, Kirio and Tenjirō stood a couple of feet away from him with the stick chewing man holding a giant hammer in his hands.

"Are you deaf?" Tenjirō snarled as he raised the hammer. "If you wanna go to that Monk's island, just stand there and don't move. Otherwise, you are going to die! Do you get it now?"

"No, I don't get it!" Ichigo shouted, making Tenjirō's eye twitch. "Why don't you use a Senkaimon like Senjumaru did and-"

"Away we go!" The tall man yelled as he quickly put down the hammer, catching Ichigo off-guard and causing the hybrid to literally shoot off like a rocket towards Ichibēi's island.

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU PEOPLE TRAVEL LIKE THIS?!"

XXXXXXXXXX

The Reiō watched through Ichigo's eyes in amusement as the healer launched him towards the Monk's city. He never did understand why Tenjirō insisted on using that particular method of traveling when the Royal Guard could still use the Senkaimon, as far as he was concerned he had not banned the usage of them so to him it really boiled down to two things; either that man loved a dramatic entrance, or he was just plain crazy.

'Definitely not as crazy as Ōetsu though. That man is on a league of his own.' he thought as the city was slowly getting closer and closer, the boy still screaming and pleading with him to help, but the god paid him no mind for now. He was confident he would survive and if not, then he was going to be very disappointed at Ichigo for dying so easily.

Speaking of Ōetsu, he had no idea what to think of the dark skinned man. He had no negative feelings towards the man, but something about him was just...off. Not in a bad way, it just felt like that man always knew something the others didn't. It did not help when looking into the man's future using the Almighty, it always stopped where Ichigo was staring down...someone, a dark figure. After that, it was a blank slate.

His amused expression gradually disappeared from his face as he began to think about Ichibēi. He knew that the man was going to tell the orange haired hybrid about his version about the origins of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the history of the Soul Society thanks to the Perfect Almighty, and that angered him immensely. While the origins of the Gotei 13 were very accurate, the version of the history of the Soul Society that the treacherous monk created made it seem as though he was the villain. He was going to tell Ichigo the truth in due time...

...but first he decided to slow down time in Ichigo's Inner World and deal with the man who was currently holding a zanpakuto to his neck.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in Ichigo's Inner World?" A young voice, a male's voice, asked coldly.

The Reiō just smiled, not turning his head to look at the foolish person as said person would possibly take it as an act of aggression and decapitate him, not that it would kill him as he was immortal. "Oh my, seems as though your 'other half' has made you far more aggressive than usual." He then disappeared and reappeared a couple of feet away from the person.

The male pointed his Zanpakuto at the intruder. "You still have not answered my first question, and how do you know about my other half?"

The being narrowed his eyes. "Calm yourself boy. You will never defeat me even if you did foolishly attacked me, and it would be disrespectful to attack the man who resurrected your wielder, now would it?" When the man slightly widened his eyes, the Reiō's smile widened a fraction. "Yes, Ichigo Kurosaki died, thanks to Rukia Kuchiki and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. You would know this if you had time to check his memories, but you saw me and thought that I was a threat to your wielder, so I cannot fault for that. As for your previous question, I am the one who brought your wielder, and indirectly you, back from the dead. You may have heard of me, since Sōsuke Aizen wanted to be me."

The man's eyes widened a fraction more before narrowing his eyes. "You are the Reiō, the being that Aizen wanted to kill and replace."

"Yes." The Reiō nodded as he stared down the male. "I am the being known as the Reiō, and I formally welcome you back from the dead, Tensa Zangetsu."

While they were having their conversation, they were aware of a pair of eyes watching them closely from afar...

(With Ichigo)

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU PEOPLE TRAVEL LIKE THIS?!" Ichigo yelled as he flew out of view and headed towards the weird man's city. At one point he decided to look down and nearly fainted when he could see how far he actually was from the ground.

"Hey, Your Majesty?!" He panicked as the city started to become bigger and bigger. "I need a little help here!" When the Reiō didn't answer, he cried in frustration, and eventually pain, as he crashed hard on the platform. He groaned in pain as he tried to get back on his feet, only to feel and see all of his wounds heal almost instantaneously. Thinking that it was the Reiō's doing, he grunted and stood up, only to see Ichibēi staring at him from a couple of feet away, eyes wide and the creepy smile that was present on his face.

"Welcome to my city, Ichigo Kurosaki. I trust that you had a pleasant trip?" He asked.

The hybrid wanted to shout back at the man for saying that as his trip was anything BUT pleasant, but he still had this sense that this was a man he did not want to be on the bad side of, so he managed to growl, "If you call getting launched across the sky from palace to city while being countless of feet above the ground, then yes, Ichibēi Hyōsube, I had a very pleasant trip."

The monk chuckled, much to Ichigo's annoyance. "I see, though I think you should be careful with saying my name so carelessly, Ichigo."

Ichigo tilted his head in confusion. "Why do you say..., Ichibēi?" he tried to ask, but quickly noticed that his voice suddenly disappeared when he tried to say "that", but as quickly as it disappeared, it came back. "What the hell was that?!" he exclaimed as he lightly touched his throat.

Ichibēi blinked. 'That was unexpected. I never would have thought the boy would regain his voice almost immediately after losing it. Maybe it is because of the Reiō's reiatsu. Nevertheless, this boy is really something.' he thought. Snapping out of his thoughts, he silently gestured for the boy to follow him, thinking about the boy's strength.

(Temple)

As soon as they entered one of the Monk's temples up in the mountains, Ichigo started to feel his body become heavy, as if his body was pulled down by gravity, similar to how people were when a huge amount of reiatsu is slammed onto someone, making them fall to the ground and gasp for breath, sometimes rendering them unconscious. To him however, it just felt uncomfortable but the feeling quickly subsided and his body quickly got used to the pressure.

"Interesting." The teenager's head shot up at the Monk, who was stroking his chin. "To think you can withstand the spiritual density of this temple, and so soon." He waved if off. "No matter. It was bound to happen due to how powerful the Reiō was. (A/N: He, and most of the Royal Guard, think that the Reiō sacrificed his life to revive Ichigo. They do not know that he is still alive.) Now tell me Ichigo, do you know your heritage?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know the origin of your powers?" Ichibēi clarified.

Ichigo frowned. He had no idea why this man would ask him this question, but he figured he was going to find out very soon. "Um...no actually." He replied while scratching his head. "All I know is that I have...had, Shinigami and Hollow powers, the Shinigami powers I got from my dad, Isshin Kurosaki and the Hollow powers coming from the Shattered Shaft Hat-n-Clogs put me through." Ichibēi nodded at his explanation.

"I see. You are only half correct, my boy." He responded as he sat down cross-legged.

"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked.

Ichibēi gestured to the floor. "Sit down, my boy. I will tell you everything about your heritage, including your parents' past, so please don't interrupt me." An unreadable expression then appeared on the Old Monk's face, but it was so quick it could have a trick of the mind.

Ichigo widened his eyes, but nevertheless he quickly sat down, ready to hear what this man had to say, but not ignoring the warning his savior pushed into his mind.

'Take everything this man says with a grain of salt.'

XXXXXXXXXX

"What do you think?" Tenjirō asked his teammates as they were about to go through the Senkaimons they created.

"About what?" Kirio asked.

"The kid. Like Ōetsu and I were saying, Kurosaki is going to be fucking terrifying when he masters his powers, but I'm starting to think there is more to this than meets the eye."

That captured everyone's attention and seeing that everyone was listening, he continued. "Don't you find it strange that the Soul King suddenly chooses a teenager to be his successor? A teenager who not beat a Hōgyoku-infused Aizen, but has Shinigami, Hollow, Quincy and if he wanted to activate them, Fullbring powers?"

"Maybe it's because he's strong?" Ōetsu asked.

The healer raised an eyebrow. "Strong? Ok, let's go by your logic and say the Soul King chose Kurosaki because he was strong. There have been many strong people down below and throughout history, the old fart down below being one of them. Why didn't he choose any of them?"

"Because he was dying?" The plump woman tried.

"If that was true, Ukitake should have been the next in line to become the Reiō a long time ago. We all know why he is even still alive."

"What is your point?" Senjumaru asked with irritation in her tone.

"My point is that maybe, just maybe, the Reiō didn't just give the kid his reiatsu, power, lifespan, and abilities just because he's his successor. I think-"

"-he used Gisei to escape his confinement." Kirio caught on to what Tenjirō was saying. "I do not blame him though. I mean, you do know of his circumstances, isn't that right, Ōetsu?" She asked, staring at the dark skinned man.

"Are you implying something, Ms. Hikifune?" The creator of Zanpakutō smiled, even though it was clearly forced.

"Enough of this bickering. I'm leaving." Senjumaru monotoned as she entered her Senkaimon. After everyone stared at each other for a few moments, they two entered their Senkaimon and went to their own island.