Hello and welcome to my first full on Bleach story in anticipation of the Bleach anime returning. Now as my description mentioned, this is a bit of a reimagining of Bleach that asks the question "What if Ichigo got his powers from another Soul Reaper?" and the subject for this one is Rangiku. Now before I go any further and actually get into the story, I just like to clarify a few things to know about this fanfiction.
1: Squad 10 will look after Karakura Town while Squad 13 will look after Naruki City.
2: Because Rangiku will replace Rukia in this, many key events will be altered from their original versions.
3: It's very possible that I will not be doing the Soul Society Arc, but I haven't set anything in stone yet so keep that in mind.
Now with all that in mind, let the story begin.
A.N.: This story was influenced by Ichigo's Secret Trainer by whackybiscuit.
Chapter 1
Chrysanthemum and Strawberry
"We stand in aw before that which cannot be seen. We respect with every fiber that which cannot be explained."
As several figures crawl about in a dark world, a young woman dressed in a black kimono stands atop a telephone pole in the Human World. She senses a strong pulse and proceeds to jump forward. As she falls forward, a message appears stating, "And so the sword of fate had fallen."
Elsewhere, an orange-haired high school student fights with a small gang of skateboarders after they knock down a flower vase placed on the grave of a young girl. After he scares off the skateboarders, he proceeds to pick up the vase and tells the girl's spirit that he'll bring more flowers tomorrow before saying she should hurry up to Heaven.
On his way home, the student calls himself Ichigo Kurosaki, admitting that he has had the ability to see spirits for as long as he could remember. Upon entering his home, his father greets him with a kick to his face. His father tells him that he is late, and that dinner is served at seven o'clock every night. Ichigo argues, asking if that is any way to treat his son who just helped a spirit find peace on his way home. While the two argue, one of Ichigo's sisters tells him that he has a new friend, a spirit, to which Ichigo says that no matter how much he exorcises them, they just keep coming back. His other sister becomes jealous of Ichigo and Karin's ability to see spirits, while she only can sense them. Karin tells her that she doesn't believe in ghosts, saying just because she can see them doesn't make her believe in them. After his fight with his father, Ichigo decides to go to his room rather than having dinner.
The following morning, Ichigo notices a news report of an accident that occurred close to where he lives. While delivering flowers to the spirit, he suddenly hears her scream and rushes to find her being chased by a large monster that resembles a giant mantis.
"Help me," said the girl.
"Run, hurry," Ichigo ran with the girl as the monster gave chase.
"What is that thing," the girl asked.
"I don't know," Ichigo replied.
Suddenly the girl tripped and Ichigo stopped and tried to help her back on her feet, but it was too late. But just as the two were about to be devoured by the monster, a black butterfly appeared followed by a woman in a black kimono and wielding a katana. The woman struck the monster with her sword, causing it to bleed from its mouth. The monster tried to counter attack, but the woman made quick work of the monster by slicing it right down the middle, vanquishing it and the monster vanished without a trace. Once the monster was gone, the woman disappeared for whatever reason and everything went back to normal.
Later that night, as Ichigo is reflecting on the events of the day, he found himself wondering who that woman was. "Who was she? I can't make any sense of what happened out there today.
Suddenly, another black butterfly showed up and the woman from before appeared in Ichigo's room and stood upon his desk. It was then that Ichigo got a good look at her and from what he could see, the woman had long and wavy blond hair, blue eyes, full lips, and a beauty mark located under the right side of her mouth. Looking down, he couldn't help but take note of her curvaceous figure; of which her most distinctive trait was her very large breasts, which Ichigo swore did not give him a nosebleed. The fact that she let her robes hang loose for her ample bosom to be revealed didn't help as it left little to the imagination. She wore a thin golden necklace tucked between her cleavage and a long pink scarf over her shoulders. In addition, Ichigo noticed she had an armband worn on her uniform's sash and carried her sword behind her back.
"What the hell are you doing here," Ichigo questioned.
But the woman didn't answer, as if she were ignoring Ichigo and grabbed her sword.
"Put that thing away," Ichigo said defensively. "You're not slicing me up!"
The woman continued to ignore Ichigo and jumped off of his desk, as if looking for something. Ichigo tried to get her attention, but she assumed that he was talking to an imaginary friend or something.
"It's getting closer, but no sign of my target," the woman thought.
"Grand Fisher, where are you," said the woman.
Then without warning, Ichigo came up behind the woman and literally kicked her ass while shouting, "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT…?!"
The woman fell to and lied on the floor facedown while Ichigo turned on the light.
"If you think you're a burglar, you're not a very good one," Ichigo shouted. "For starters, you shouldn't talk to yourself!"
There was a moment of silence.
"Uh, hello," Ichigo asked out of worry.
Moments later, the woman rose up gasping for air.
"That was close, I almost died," the woman sat on her butt.
"How, what happened," Ichigo asked frantically.
"I can't breathe if I lie face down because of my boobs," the woman complained. "Don't you know what that feels like?!"
"Uh, no I don't," Ichigo sweat dropped.
"Well you should have more sympathy young man," the woman pouted. "It's not easy being a girl and being beautiful. Lying face up causes my boobs to fall to the side and hurt."
"Oh shut up," Ichigo complained.
Suddenly it hit the woman. "Hey wait a minute, you kicked me and I talked to you just now. But I can't be seen by ordinary humans. Are you saying that you can see me?"
"Well, considering that was my foot I just shoved up your ass, which by the way is almost as big as your bosom, you tell me," Ichigo told her.
The woman then got back up on her feet and stood almost as tall as Ichigo, if only two centimeters short. "You're that boy I saw in town earlier. I remember."
"Boy, nothing gets by you," Ichigo noted, trying his best keep his eyes focused on her eyes and not let them wonder down to her cleavage.
The woman then began inspecting Ichigo. "How very strange, you look normal and handsome might I add, but you have to be defective in some way."
But Ichigo didn't take this too well. "I'll show you defective you bimbo!"
Ichigo tried to kick her again, but the woman was ready and easily dodged his attacks, knocking him to the floor.
"Who are you," Ichigo questioned while getting back up.
"Oh, you want to know," the woman turned to Ichigo. "Then I'll tell you, I'm a Soul Reaper."
The Soul Reaper then went through the processes of telling Ichigo what Soul Reapers are and what they do.
"Alright, so you're something called a Soul Reaper," said Ichigo. "And you were sent here on a mission by something called the Soul Society to deal with demons like the one we saw in the street today which was chasing after that girl's soul."
"Right on all parts," the Soul Reaper told him.
Ichigo then told her, "Well that's all believable to me, ALONG WITH FLYING PIGS AND THE TOOTH FAIRY…!"
"So, you refuse to believe in Soul Reapers despite the fact that you can see spirits," the Soul Reaper questioned teasingly. "That is farfetched."
"Well I've never seen or heard of Soul Reapers before and frankly your whole story is just too incredible," Ichigo told her. "I don't believe in anything I can't see."
"But you can see me, can't you handsome," the Soul Reaper suggestively teased after getting back up.
"Well, that's true and I'd agree with the fact that you're not human," Ichigo admitted while attempting to avoid getting too close. "But why don't you and your bosom go play your Soul Reaper game somewhere else, okay old lady? So run along."
But the Soul Reaper didn't take that comment lightly. "I'm an Old Lady, huh…?"
The Soul Reaper then shoved Ichigo's head into her cleavage, cutting off his access to air. "Look kid, I may have lived between 10 and 20 of your life times, but that doesn't mean I'm an old lady! Would an old lady have a cleavage as endowed as mine?! I don't think so…!"
Ichigo frantically tried to break free, but couldn't help but get a good feel of the Soul Reaper's cleavage. But as amazing as they were, he knew that he needed air and was finally able to break free.
"What the hell," Ichigo complained while panting. "I could hardly breathe lady…!"
"Well at least now you know how I felt when I was laying facedown earlier," the Soul Reaper smirked. "Be thankful that it's against my orders or I would have killed you on the spot for your insults no matter how handsome you are."
"You've got some nerve," Ichigo complained.
"And now," the Soul Reaper then took out her katana and bonked the back of the hilt onto the old man soul.
"Hey, it's that ghost from yesterday," Ichigo gasped.
"No, please don't," the soul begged. "I don't want to be sent to the underworld."
"There's no need to worry," said the Soul Reaper with a friendly smile. "You're going to a better place, the Soul Society. There, your soul will be at peace."
The Soul Reaper then removed the hilt from he soul and a mark appeared where the hit hat touched. Moments later the soul disappeared in a pool of light and another of those black butterflies appeared and flew away.
Ichigo was dumbfounded by what he just witnessed. "Where did he go? What did you do to him?"
The Soul Reaper sheathed her sword before answering, "No need to worry handsome. I just sent his spirit to the Soul Society, one of the many duties of a Soul Reaper. People here sometimes call it passing on. Anyway, now I'll explain to you why I'm here, but I'll use small words so you can keep up. I just wish I didn't have to use Rukia's amateur drawings to tell you."
The Soul Reaper then took out an art book, though Ichigo could tell that she had a look of embarrassment. Once she took out the book, she began to explain.
"Okay to start off, there are two types of spirits in this world," the Soul Reaper started, using the drawing. "The first kind are the normal ones known as Wholes. These are the ghosts you usually see. The second kind are evil spirits known as Hollows. They attack anyone living or dead in order to devour their souls."
Ichigo listened, but couldn't help but noticed that the drawings were of chibi rabits with hearts or lightning volts, depending on what they represented.
"Any questions before I go on," said the Soul Reaper.
"First of all, why do your drawings suck so much," Ichigo questioned.
"These aren't actually my drawing, to be honest," the Soul Reaper sweat dropped. "But do us both a favor and don't ask the artist who drew them that question. Trust me she won't be happy about it."
"Whatever," Ichigo told her.
"Anyway, there are two main jobs for Soul Reapers," the Soul Reaper continued. "The first it to lead Wholes to the Soul Society using a technique called Konso, as I just did, and the second is to exorcise the Hollows wherever we find them."
"That Hollow with the bug body this afternoon, why was it chasing that girl," Ichigo asked.
"That, I don't know," the Soul Reaper admitted. "We're still trying to learn all we can about the Hollows and we have yet to learn why they behave the way that they do."
Meanwhile, the little girl's spirit was being chased by another Hollow. As she ran, the Hollow pursued her, snapping some of the power lines and leaving footprints in the pavement as it followed her. Eventually, the Hollow caught up to her, but for some reason it didn't eat her and instead sniffed her.
"I can smell it, an especially tasty soul," said the Hollow. "It's nearby, and I also smell the scent of a Soul Reaper, and not just any Soul Reaper, a powerful one. It must be a lieutenant, or perhaps even a captain. If that's the case then I'd better be careful, after all I'm not a Menos or an Arrancar."
The Hollow then left the girl and headed off in another direction, towards Ichigo's house, shattering windows as he went.
At his house, Ichigo could hear something. "What was that?
"What was what," the Soul Reaper asked.
"There's something howling outside," Ichigo told her. "It's probably that Hollow."
The Soul Reaper was confused. "Are you sure because I can't hear anything?"
"How could you not hear it," Ichigo complained.
"Okay look, I'll go outside and have a look," the Soul Reaper then went outside.
Upon exiting Ichigo's house, the Soul Reaper could feel the spirit energy and hear the roar of the Hollow. "This is a strong presence, but why couldn't I sense it earlier? Whatever's going on, I'd better prepare for the worst."
The Soul Reaper then took out her sword and prepared for battle. Next thing she knew, the Hollow showed up, looking hungry.
"So you're that Soul Reaper I smelled," said the Hollow.
"You're not getting anywhere near this house," the Soul Reaper told him.
From his window, Ichigo watched the Soul Reaper as she fended off the Hollow. "What the hell am I watching and why hasn't she killed that Hollow already?"
Suddenly there was a second roar and Ichigo took notice.
Outside, the Soul Reaper heard the second roar as well.
"There's a third Hollow," she gasped.
"About time you showed up partner," said the Hollow.
"Were you expecting less, Fishbone D," said the second Hollow. "You take the house and find the target, I'll hold off the Soul Reaper. Do what you want with the boy, but leave his sisters for me."
"Whatever you say, Mad Eater," said Fishbone D.
"You're not getting past me," said the Soul Reaper.
Inside, Ichigo was running towards his sisters in order to protect them, but by the time he reached them, it was too late. Fishbone D had broken though the walls and had grabbed both of Ichigo's sisters, Yuzu and Karin.
"Yuzu, Karin," Ichigo gasped.
"Found you," said Fishbone D.
"Hey, let us go," Karin cried.
"Ichigo, help us," Yuzu cried.
Acting on impulse, Ichigo grabbed a foldup chair and attacked Fishbone D, only to be flung away. Fishbone D then walked away to where his partner was battling the Soul Reaper.
At the battlefield, the Soul Reaper was going toe to toe with Mad Eater.
"You're strong for an ordinary Hollow," the Soul Reaper noted.
"And I'm about to become even stronger," said Mad Eater.
Fishbone D then arrived with Yuzu and Karin. "Here are the girls you wanted."
"Excellent," said Mad Eater.
"Oh, no you don't," the Soul Reaper then did something strange with her sword, something both Hollows noticed.
"GROWL: HAINEKO…!"
The Soul Reaper's sword turned to ash and with a flick of the hilt, she attacked Mad Eater with the ash. Within seconds, Mad Eater was surrounded by this ash and was destroyed instantly. The Soul Reaper then turned her attention towards Fishbone D.
"You really are a lieutenant," said Fishbone D.
"That's right and guess what," the Soul Reaper prepared her sword. "You're next…!"
But before she could attack, Fishbone D read the signs and retreated, leaving Yuzu and Karin behind. The Soul Reaper's sword then returned to normal as Ichigo arrived, worried for his sisters. "Yuzu, Karin…!"
"They're alright," the Soul Reaper reassured him. "The remaining Hollow left without devouring either of your sisters' souls."
"Are you sure," said Ichigo.
"Yes," the Soul Reaper confirmed. "Apparently it's seeking out a specific soul to eat, one with a much higher concentration of spirit energy. In fact, the Hollow earlier was hungry for that soul too, not the girl's. The only one that wasn't interested in that soul was the third Hollow, the one I just took care of. It was interested in your sisters' souls, which explains why the Hollow that held your sisters, the one that got away, didn't eat them."
"Buy why," Ichigo asked.
"I'm not sure, but for some reason, most of your spirit energy was hidden deep within you until now when you needed it to save your sisters," the Soul Reaper explained. "That's why I didn't sense anything unusual about you besides your good looks when I arrived. It also explains why the Hollows haven't come after you. The spirit energy you have bottled up inside you must have started to poor out when you made contact with that young girl's ghost, which means your soul has been exposed. Those two Hollows today detected you soul through that girl and they were using her to track it down. And that means, the Hollows are really after you."
Ichigo was horrified upon hearing this. "Those things want me?"
Fishbone D then reappeared.
"It's back," the Soul Reaper gasped. "Get out of here and take your sisters!"
"No," Ichigo retorted. "So the vicious attacks on that pore girl were because of me?"
"Well, that's one way to look at it," the Soul Reaper told him.
"And now my sisters could wind up dead and it's all my fault," said Ichigo.
"I wouldn't go that far," the Soul Reaper started only to notice Ichigo charging at Fishbone D. "Wait, stop…!"
But her words fell on deaf ears as Ichigo stopped just several meters away from Fishbone D. "Coward, quit attacking other…! It's my soul you want, so come and get it…! Fight me one on one, you ugly bastard…!"
"As you wish," Fishbone D complied and extended his neck towards Ichigo.
"That fool," the Soul Reaper moved quickly upon seeing Fishbone D extend his neck.
Right before Fishbone D could strike Ichigo, the Soul Reaper intercepted the attack with her body, striking the Hollow with her sword as she did. As a result, Fishbone D lost a tooth, but the Soul Reaper was injured from the bite. As Fishbone D reared back in pain, the Soul Reaper fell to her knees while blood trailed behind her.
"Soul Reaper," Ichigo gasped.
The Soul Reaper got up a bit to prevent suffocation by her breasts again before telling Ichigo, "You are a fool. Did you really believe you were any match for a Hollow? How could you possibly thought everything would be over if you gave him your soul? One soul won't satisfy them for long and you don't stop getting in the way, we'll all end up as its food!"
Fishbone D roared in pain for a moment, but quickly got over it and prepared to attack again. The Soul Reaper quickly got back on her feet and prepared to fight once more. However Ichigo could tell that she was too injured to fight right now.
"Damn it, I might be too injured to fight," the Soul Reaper admitted. "I may have to use Gentei Kaijo to take this one down."
"What's that," Ichigo asked.
"It's a limiter that's given to high ranking Soul Reapers like myself," the Soul Reaper told Ichigo. "If I release it, I'll become 5 times stronger, but run the risk of causing a lot of collateral damage to the area."
"Then don't use it," Ichigo told her. "Even if I get my sisters away, everyone else in the neighborhood would be crushed!"
"Do you have a better solution right now," the Soul Reaper questioned him.
Ichigo did not, but seeing that there was no time to argue, the Soul Reaper remembered something.
"There is one other way, but it's also risky, for me," the Soul Reaper told Ichigo. "Do you want to save your family?"
"Of course I do," Ichigo answered without hesitation. "If there's a way then tell me how!"
"It'll only be temporary and I'll be breaking one of the rules of the Soul Society," the Soul Reaper pointed her sword at Ichigo. "But you must become a Soul Reaper yourself."
Ichigo was confused.
"You must take my Zanpakuto and run it through to the center of your being so that I may poor my powers into you," the Soul Reaper explained. "Be warned though, I can't guarantee that you'll live, and if it doesn't work, it won't matter."
As Fishbone D walked towards the duo, Ichigo made up his mind. "Then give me that blade, Soul Reaper."
"My name is Rangiku, Rangiku Matsumoto," the Soul Reaper identified herself.
As Fishbone D charged at them, Ichigo identified himself to Rangiku. "And my name is Ichigo Kurosaki."
Rangiku then shove her Zanpakuto into Ichigo's body. There was a huge flash of light and spirit energy that stunned and blinded Fishbone D. Before he could regain his composure, something sliced off his left arm. As the light faded, Ichigo was seen wearing a Soul Reaper outfit and with a massive Zanpakuto.
"How could this have happened," Rangiku gasped. "I only meant to give a quarter of my powers but somehow he's taken almost half of it."
"This ends now," Ichigo announced.
"What kind of being is he," Rangiku questioned. "I've never seen a human with spirit energy this strong. It rivals that of a captain's, maybe even surpasses it. That must have been what was jamming my sense before. And I've never seen a Soul Reaper wield such a huge Zanpakuto. He obviously can't control his spirit energy, hints why he was jamming my senses and why his sword is so big."
"You will pay the price for hurting my family, you Hollow Scum," Ichigo told Fishbone D. "Now feel the wrath of my blade…!"
With one swing, Ichigo sliced Fishbone D in half and he disappeared.
"Could it be that this kid has his own Soul Reaper powers," Rangiku thought. "It would explain why he took more of my powers than I intended to give him. Whatever the case, I need to find out how this was possible, and while I'm at it, I think I'll have a little fun with this stud."
And that was chapter 1. Now as you can see, I haven't changed anything too much from the original source material yet. The only difference so far was Rangiku taking Rukia's place and Fishbone D partnering up with another Hollow named Mad Eater. For those who don't know, Mad Eater is a Hollow who has only appeared in the video game Bleach: The 3rd Phantom, and just for the record, no I have never played that game. The next chapter will have Rangiku interacting with Ichigo in a more playful manner than Rukia did, but there will still be seriousness in it.
A.N.: This story was part made do to writer's block on my other stories as well as anticipation for the anime adaptation of the Thousand Year Blood War Arc.
Chapter 2: The Soul Reaper's Work