It had all been a normal day for Asami Sato, president of Future Industries and Avatar Korra's girlfriend.
She woke up, ate breakfast, said a fond farewell to her girlfriend and went to work as usual.
Everything was going well until she felt a distant tremor and, looking out the window, saw explosions happening in a distant part of the city.
Her first thought was to go there and help, as it was clear that Korra and the others would go there immediately to find out what was happening, but considering the distance, it was very likely that they would arrive long before her and, by the time she got there, everything would have been resolved, so all she could do was simply trust that her girlfriend and friends would be able to fix things quickly.
After enough work and securing several things, Asami immediately set off back home, or rather hers and Korra's, as she was sure that after the problem was solved, she would return home and she wanted to be there so she could find out what happened before and if she could help at all in case something bad happened.
Therefore, as of a few minutes ago she had been in her home office so that she could continue to work from a distance while waiting for her girlfriend to arrive.
Despite the situation, she maintained a focus on her tasks as, in addition to being a girlfriend, she was also a businesswoman and had to make sure that things in her company were going well.
DING-DONG
It was then that his concentration stopped when she heard the mansion's doorbell ring and it didn't take her long to go to the front door, intuiting who the caller was.
And she was right, for as soon as she opened the door, she saw her girlfriend.
"Korra!" exclaimed Asami with a smile.
"Hello, Asami." said Korra.
At that moment, Asami noticed the presence of Mako, Bolin and Opal.
"Guys? What are you doing here?" asked Asami curiously.
"It's a long story." said Mako.
"Does it have anything to do with the incident that happened earlier? I could see it from my office at the company." said Asami.
"Well yes and also with him." said Bolin pointing his thumb at someone behind everyone else.
There Asami noticed another person with them, a boy with orange hair, black clothes and a big sword on his back.
"Huh? I don't get it." said Asami confused by it all.
"We'd better go inside. I'll explain everything." said Korra.
The group of six went to a room where they could talk in more privacy.
For the next few minutes, Korra and the others were telling the engineer everything.
From Mako coming to ask Korra for help to the part that led them to the now.
"So let me if I got this right. That guy…" began Asami pointing to Ichigo who was sitting in front of the others. "defeated an army of benders, including Kingkie, the leader of the Komodo Rhinos, who is also famous for his amazing strength?"
"Yeah. You had to have seen him fight. It was like 'pow', 'pam' and they were 'ow', 'ay', 'ah'." said Bolin as he gestured and made expressions for emphasis.
Opal couldn't help but chuckle at her boyfriend's antics.
"Which brings me to my next question." began Korra before focusing her gaze on the substitute shinigami. "Who are you?"
"As I said, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki." said Ichigo.
"How do you do. I am Asami Sato. I guess you already know my girlfriend, Korra. The others are, Bolin, his older brother, Mako, and his girlfriend, Opal." said Asami introducing the rest of the group.
"Honestly, I didn't think you could really take them all down." said Mako.
"Well, they're not the first gang I've faced, nor are they the strongest." said Ichigo.
"But still, it was amazing. Especially when you did that thing with the sword." said Opal.
"Can I ask you something, Ichigo?" asked Korra receiving a nod from the substitute shinigami. "Are you… a spirit?" asked Korra to the surprise and confusion of her friends.
"What? A spirit?" asked Asami.
"What makes you think that?" asked Bolin.
"From the first moment I saw him, I felt a strange, but familiar energy coming from him. I didn't know what it was until he decided to attack with his sword and that's when I figured it out. It was spiritual energy and very strong." said Korra.
Ichigo was a little surprised that she was able to sense it, though he shouldn't be given what he heard about her and her abilities.
"Wait, so you really are a spirit then?" asked Mako.
"I guess you could say yes." said Ichigo.
"Well I've never seen a spirit like you before and I've seen many all over the city." said Opal.
"Of course you haven't. I'm not just a spirit. I'm a shinigami." said Ichigo.
"A shinigami? I've never heard anything like that before." said Bolin.
"Of course you haven't. Because it's something that doesn't exist in this world." said Ichigo.
"You mean you come from the spirit world?" asked Opal.
"No. I come from another world that is different from this one and the spiritual one." said Ichigo.
"Really?" asked Asami in surprise.
"Normally, I wouldn't believe in such things, but after seeing what you did, I don't doubt it" said Mako accepting the revelation easily.
"What exactly is a shinigami?" asked Korra wanting to know more about that word.
"Shinigamis basically are spirits, but unlike the rest, they have an important job which is to maintain the balance of life and death." said Ichigo.
"How do they do that?" asked Asami.
"By helping the spirits that roam the world of humans so that they can go to the afterlife, as well as purifying the hollows." said Ichigo.
"The hollows?" asked Bolin.
"They are human souls who ended up corrupted by negative feelings, causing them to literally form a hole in their heart as well as a bone mask on their face. They are basically savage beasts that feed on human souls, both the living and the dead." said Ichigo.
"That's horrible." said Opal in horror.
"I know and it is a shinigami's duty to wipe them out so they can purify themselves so they can travel to the afterlife in peace." said Ichigo.
Korra couldn't help but be shocked.
She remembered the first-time years ago when she encountered a dark spirit, but her uncle, Unalaq, taught her a purification technique that brought the dark spirit back to normal.
She knew that the Avatar was the bridge between humans and spirits and for years, she used the skills learned from her treacherous uncle to purify the dark spirits so they could go in peace.
Now she had just discovered that there was a group of people with a similar mission to her, the hollows being the equivalent of dark spirits.
It was like a larger, extended version of the Avatar, for while she protected the balance of the world, they protected the balance of life and death.
"And… are there more shinigamis like you?" asked Korra completely interested in the subject.
"Well, yes. There are many more shinigami and they all come from the Soul Society." said Ichigo.
"The Soul Society?" asked Mako.
"It's the afterlife that people go to when they pass on, as well as the home of those who are born there." said Ichigo.
"So that place is like the spirit world, right?" asked Asami.
"Yes, though unlike yours, it has a completely normal appearance." said Ichigo.
"You were in the spirit world?" asked Korra.
"When I first came to this world, I had no idea why spirits were so attached to humans and the fact that some people had special powers, so I went there to investigate. There, I met an old man who told me all about this world. The spirit portals, the benders, and most of all about the Avatar." said Ichigo.
"An elder in the spirit world? Do you mean…?" asked Korra sensing that the person who helped him was an old acquaintance of her.
"Anyway, spirits who have the necessary skills enter the training academy and become part of one of their main forces, like the 13 divisions." said Ichigo.
"The 13 divisions?" asked Mako.
"They are, basically, groups of shinigami. Each with their own leader and second in command, as well as a particular function." said Ichigo.
"So, you are like an army? That's impressive!" said Bolin with a smile.
"And you're from one of those divisions?" asked Asami.
"No. I'm a special case. A substitute shinigami to be exact." said Ichigo.
"Substitute? What does that mean?" asked Opal.
"Unlike the others, I wasn't born into the Soul Society. I was born as a human, but due to certain events, I gained shinigami powers and take on the duties of one." said Ichigo.
"Wait, you said you were a spirit. How can you also be a human?" asked Korra.
"That's because, by using a special pill, I can separate my spirit from my physical body and that's when I can use my shinigami powers." said Ichigo.
Korra was amazed.
When she separated her spirit from her body to go to the spirit world for the first time, she found that she couldn't use her bending powers and could only use them in that world when she was physically.
But for Ichigo, the opposite was true, since, being human, he had no shinigami abilities, but when he separated his spirit from his body, he could use the proper abilities for those duties.
"Wait a minute. You said you came to this world, how did that happen?" asked Asami.
"Well, it all started one night in my hometown. Karakura City. I was sleeping when I sensed something and went out to investigate. That's when a garganta appeared." said Ichigo.
"A garganta?" asked Bolin.
"It's the portal the hollows use to travel from their world to the human world." said Ichigo.
"Do hollows have their own world?" asked Korra.
"Yes. They usually live there when they aren't busy wandering the human world. Unlike the Soul Society, it is a vast endless desert where night is eternal. That place is known as Hueco Mundo." said Ichigo.
A part of Korra couldn't help but feel an interest in that place.
One thing was the spirit world, which seemed like a paradise.
Another thing was the Soul Society, which, according to Ichigo, looked like any other place.
But a different thing was Hueco Mundo, where the hollows lived and looked like a hell in its own way.
She began to wonder if, somewhere in the spirit world, the dark spirits had their own territory and if they did, how many would be there?
"Okay, I'm taking Hueco Mundo off my list of places to visit in the future." commented Bolin.
"The thing is, several hollows came out of that gorge at first, but my friends and I took care of them when an arrancar showed up." said Ichigo.
"Arrancar?" asked Mako.
"They are hollows that ripped off their masks, becoming almost human-like in form and shinigami-like in power." said Ichigo.
"Are they that strong?" asked Opal.
"It depends on the particular arrancar. Some can be a bit stronger than a regular hollow, but others can be truly powerful. I faced several of them and was lucky to come out alive a couple of times." said Ichigo recalling the arrancar he faced since entering Hueco Mundo.
That surprised the group, as they (except Asami) had seen what the substitute shinigami was capable of in front of a huge group of benders.
They may not have seen his full power more or less, but that didn't take away from the fact that those arrancar were a real danger, much more than a dark spirit.
"So… what happened next?" asked Asami.
"We had a confrontation and managed to corner it, but it decided to escape. In an attempt to avoid it, I ended up hitting the garganta directly, causing some sort of accident that caused it to suck me in and end up in this world. The rest is history." said Ichigo.
"So, you don't know how to get back to your world?" asked Korra.
"No, but I wouldn't worry too much. I know someone very smart in my world and I know that, with her help, my friends will find a way to come here and help me get back." said Ichigo with a smile.
"In that case, why don't you stay here in the meantime?" asked Korra with a smile, much to the surprise of the substitute shinigami.
"What? Are you sure?" asked Ichigo.
"Sure. You won't mind, will you, Asami?" asked Korra.
"Not at all. It's always a pleasure to help someone who needs help and we have room to spare." said Asami.
Ichigo was surprised that they agreed to let him stay at their house.
Truth be told, it was a long shot for that to happen.
"Alright. If it's okay with you, I'll take you up on the offer." said Ichigo.
"Thank you." said Asami.
"By the way, I have one last question." began Bolin drawing the attention of the others. "What's with that massive sword?" asked Bolin pointing at Zangetsu.
"Oh, that. It's a zanpakuto. The shinigami's personal weapon." said Ichigo picking up his sword and presenting it to the others.
"It looks like a good sword. Whoever forged it must be an expert." said Mako.
"Actually, I believe it." said Ichigo.
"What? How?" asked Opal curiously.
"Not naturally as you think. The zanpakuto are a manifestation of a shinigami's soul." said Ichigo.
"So, is that sword a part of you?" asked Asami.
"Yes and at the same time, no. Each zanpakuto has its own personality and is independent enough to be considered a partner in the fight." said Ichigo.
"So, that… zanpakuto is like a spirit of its own?" asked Korra.
"You could say yes and its name is Zangetsu." said Ichigo.
"Zangetsu." said Korra softly as she gazed at the substitute shinigami's sword in which she could see her reflection.
Korra stood as if mesmerized as she felt the power coming from the sword when suddenly her reflection changed to one of Ichigo, only he had completely white skin and hair along with black eyes and a sinister smile.
Immediately, Korra blinked a couple of times before rubbing her eyes to see her reflection again.
She was genuinely confused, wondering if what she saw was true or just a figment of her imagination.
"And can't you make it smaller if it's part of you? You draw too much attention to yourself. In fact, you were lucky you didn't get arrested for illegal possession of weapons." said Mako.
"If I wanted to, I would have, but unfortunately, the size of a zanpakuto is proportional to the power of its wielder and I can't handle the size of mine due to the fact that I'm unable to control my own reiryoku." said Ichigo.
"Reiryoku?" asked Asami.
"In simple terms, it is the spiritual power one possesses. In fact, in my home world, only humans with large amounts of reiryoku can see and interact with spirits, shinigami or hollows." said Ichigo.
That made them understand two things.
One was that their world was truly different from theirs, for there they could see and interact with spirits, though they began to wonder if that was because the spirit portals were open, as happened when the airbenders began to resurface.
And another was that Ichigo was clearly more powerful than he looked if the size of his sword was any indication.
"What else can one of those zanpakuto do?" asked Opal.
"Every zanpakuto has two forms. Zangetsu's current form is the shikai, which is level 1 and only activates when you learn the name of your zanpakuto." said Ichigo.
"But didn't you name it yourself?" asked Bolin confused.
"No. You have to know it from the spirit of the zanpakuto itself." said Ichigo.
"What is the other form?" asked Asami.
"It's called bankai and it's the final form of a zanpakuto. To get the shikai, it takes the zanpakuto and the wearer to communicate with each other, but to get the bankai, it takes defeating the spirit of the zanpakuto in a fight or test to be able to use its full power." said Ichigo.
"Unbelievable. How many people can use a bankai?" asked Korra.
"At the moment, most of the captains of the 13 divisions, as well as a couple of my friends and myself." said Ichigo.
"Wow, man. You're really powerful." said Bolin.
"I don't like to brag about it, but yeah." said Ichigo with a shrug.
For Team Avatar there was no doubt that the person they had just met was truly extraordinary and they couldn't help but wonder what else they could learn from him.
I guess, until their friends arrive and find him, they could use that time to do so.