A Song for the Reaper
"What is this army doing here?" Sarea flinched, shoulders pulling together at the voice of her new Khal and Master.
She glanced over her shoulder as she continued to walk, not quite knowing if she should or should not sway her hips. He was a strange man, dressed in strange clothes, and oh so terrifyingly frightening.
There was something so unsettling about this orange haired boy, beyond his frightening strength. Sarea thought she had gotten used to cruelty, that she had become numb to fear. She thought that she had faced her terror before when she learned to keep eye contact with Khal Drogo whenever he bid her to visit his tent.
But none of that was true. Not when her new Khal was so much more terrifying than Drogo ever was. Standing next to him was suffocating. And his brown eyes, they were as sharp as any dagger. Those were the eyes of a man much older then his body would claim. Eyes that had seen things, what things Saera could not say.
"Khal Drogo was leading his Khalasaar to the Free City of Pentos." Saera said meekly, keeping her gaze firmly to the front even as she heard the Great Khals footsteps behind her. "The wealthy Magisters of the City promised Khal Drogo a wife of exceptional beauty, and he was going to collect her."
It may have been Saera's imagination, but she could have sword that she felt the air become heavy upon her shoulders, which made her walk quickly to reach Khal Drogo's former tent.
"Here we are, great Khal." She turned around to face her new Master, and said nothing as he walked past her into the tent. He stopped for a moment to take a look around before settling his gaze onto the plush, slightly raised bed placed along the far side of the tent pall.
As Sarea watched her Master place down the girls he had been carrying, tucking them into the bedding gently and with great care, she had a hard time recognizing this boy as the man who killed this Khalasar's greatest warrior with such brutal ease.
As she watched him place soft kisses onto the brow of each girl, she could not see the man who dominated a horde of bloody and viscous warriors with his mere presence alone. Omitting an...an aura(?) the likes Saera had never before experienced. Frightening and awe inspiring.
Not now. No, now he looked as gentle as a lamb. Caring like no warrior should be, and she felt jealous. She could not help it. She had never seen a girl be treated with such care as those two were being treated with by their older brother(?), had never known that any man would be able to show such love to a woman that he had not fucked before.
Not in this accursed world.
Yet she stayed there, still and hardly daring to breathe as she beheld her Master show care and love so freely, and whence he finished, once the girls were tucked in and wrapped in furs and blankets, her new Master rose and faced her with a questioning look upon his face.
She squared her shoulders and stood a bit straighter as her Master seemed to search for his words before he voiced them. "You will have to explain some things to me. Who are these...Dothraki? Who was this Drogo, and what do you mean when you said that he was out to collect his wife?"
"That is a long story, my Khal-"
"It's Ichigo. That's my name, please use it."
Saera gulped but nodded, "very well Kha-" She cut herself of upon noticing his eyes narrow in displeasure and was quick to correct herself. "-Ichigo, where to begin?"
"It doesn't matter where, just tell me everything you know."
And so she did, even as fear and hope grew in her heart as she beheld the expressions of anger and fury on her Masters face grow the more she shared about the Dothraki, their customs, the former Khal of this Khalasar, and about the bargain that had been struck with the Free City of Pentos.
Ichigo sat on the throne-like chair of Khal Drogo, the weight of the information he had just learned heavy on his mind.
It was just his luck that he ended up here, and Kami above, he didn't know what to think about it.
How could things have turned out so pear shaped? He just wanted to visit his friends in Soul Society, and now he was the defacto leader of a different worlds version of the Huns or the Mongolians he knew.
And worse still, he dragged his sisters into it.
He looked over at their sleeping forms, anger and sadness warring within. His sisters were not meant to experience something like this. He didn't want them to be confronted with the horrors of a world still stuck in the past.
'They are strong, Ichigo, and you are doing them a disservice with such thoughts.' The old man spoke from within, reprimanding Ichigo lightly. 'Your sisters are no longer the little girls you once knew. Yuzu has been helping your father in the clinic for years, she has witnessed injuries and death with her own eyes. And Karin has come face to face with the monsters of the afterlife. Don't insult and belittle them so by thinking them weak.'
Ichigo knew that old man Zangetsu was right. His sisters were strong but the older brother in him still didn't want them to come face to face with history. It's one thing to read about the atrocities of the past in a book, it was another thing entirely to experience it first hand.
"Ichigo?" He looked up and over at his sisters to see that Karin was sitting up and looking around in confusion. "Where are we?"
"The tent of Khal Drogo." He answers which gained him just another look of confusion. "The tent of one of the men I killed."
"...so it's real then." Karin murmured to which Ichigo nodded.
"Yes." The word was a whisper that escaped Ichigo's lips. "The Dangai threw us out in a place called Essos. It's not on Earth."
"How?"
"I don't know Karin." Ichigo ran a hand through his hair. "I really don't. All I have is conjecture and I don't really understand how the Dangai works myself, so everything I could tell you is pure guesswork."
"But they'll come for us, right? Your friends I mean." It pained Ichigo to hear Karin sound so timid, so he nodded firmly towards her.
"Of course they will. Kisuke, he is the smartest guy there is, and he should know that something went wrong by now. They'll come for us. It's only a matter of time until they do." He said in a strong and reassuring voice.
"But until then, what will we do?" Karin asked while running gentle fingers through Yuzu's hair.
"...we'll live." Ichig said after a moments thought. "You don't need to worry about a thing, I'll make sure that we'll live comfortably while we wait for Kisuke and our friends to come get us."
"...how can you be so sur-" Karin looked at Ichigo, really looked at him, and saw boundless confidence there. "I believe you."
"You better." He smiled and Karin took comfort from that smile.
"But what will we do? And what about those...people? Where is that girl that called you...Khal-something? I'm so confused."
"Those people are called Dothraki. They are this worlds version of Earth's Huns or Mongols, though also not. They are steppe warriors and in their culture they only value strength, their horses and little else. They are, very weird, and very brutal people. Raiders." Ichigo explained, a hint of disdain coloring his voice.
"And you are really their leader now?" Karin asked.
"I suppose so." Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "I killed their leader, a man named Drogo, he was the Khal of these riders."
"But that's…stupid!" Karin exclaimed none too quietly, "Why would they follow the guy who beat their leader? That's dumb."
"I agree, but from what I've heard these guys aren't the smartest bunch around." Ichigo admitted.
Karin let out a disbelieving giggle, "so you are the Khal of a bunch of dumb horse fuckers?"
"Language young lady!" Ichigo scolded her playfully before nodding, "but yes. I'm still shocked by how dumb these people are as a civilization. Sarea told me that their entire culture revolves around strength of arms. They are constantly warring with each other and anyone else that get's involved, and they keep themselves alive by pillaging and raiding. They are slavers, rapists and dumb murderers."
At the end of his tirade the air in the tent became heavy as Ichigo's spiritual pressure fluctuated wildly with his rising anger before he took a deep breath and forcibly calmed himself down.
"I'm not sure how much of that is true, but for now we have to assume that these men are nothing but monsters."
"That's bad." Karin shuddered as she imagined the kind of people that the Dothraki seemed to be. "Really bad. I don't think that we should stay here if that's true."
"I know, but for now, we'll stick around." Ichigo said, "at least until we know more about this world. But don't worry, I won't let any of them close to Yuzu or you."
Karin nodded before another question popped into her mind. "That Sarea, is she that translator girl?"
"Yeah. She told me everything she knew about the Dothraki while you were asleep."
"Is she one of them?"
"No," Ichigo shook his head while once more running a hand through his hair and letting out a slow breath. "She's a slave. Drogo's favorite."
Karin paled and said nothing for a long moment. "...shit."
"Yeah." The siblings were silent for a while before Ichigo spoke up once more. "I wasn't sure how to react to it either. Was I supposed to be furious? I am, but I'm also not sure what I should do with that anger, you know? I've been thinking about it, and I know that we weren't better on Earth either. A few hundred years ago we too had slaves in Japan and this world is still stuck in that time."
"That doesn't make it better, right?" Karin asked.
"It doesn't, I know that. If I hadn't already killed Drogo, I might have after learning about it."
"Me too." Karin growled low in her throat before she gave Ichigo a hard look. "Change them."
Ichigo blinked at Karin, "change who?"
"Who do you think, moron?" She sniped at him with a glower. "Change the Dothraki. You are their leader now! Tell them that slavery is gone now that you are in charge!"
"Karin, I don't think that abolishing slavery is as easy as that. Not when the culture of these people revolves around it. It took hundreds of years to abolish slavery on Earth and it sill exists in third world countries."
"That's different! The only reason why slavery took so long to abolish back home was because rich and powerful people had their fingers in it and profited off of it! If Ghengis Khan had told his people that slavery was over, then it would have been over!"
"Or he would have been murdered by his second in command for being weak." Ichigo countered.
"But you are you!" Karin glared at her brother, "you are strong! Stronger then anyone I've ever known! You can put these fuckers into their place by just using some of your Spiritual Pressure! What are they going to do if you ordered them to man the fuck up and clean up their act? Try to attack you? You could whoop their asses, all however thousand there are!" Karin panted lightly after her tirade before looking at her brother pleadingly.
"Karin is right, Ichi-nii." Yuzu said as she too sat up, brushing off the blanket and furs that he had draped over her. "If these people are really as bad you said they are, then change them. Show them that there are other ways to live, even if they don't like it at first."
Karin nodded and looked at Ichigo intently, "that's right! If we have the power to make a difference, then we should do it!"
"We won't be staying long enough to make a difference, girls."
"So what? You might still be able to make a difference with those people. And even if they go back to how they were before you tried to change them, you can at least say that you tried."
"Karin is right!" Yuzu nodded, her eyes bright and passionate.
'What will you do, King? Are you going to take the princesses against their will to some place save where you will simply wait it out, or are you going to man the fuck up, take the crown and carve your name into the annals of history?'
"You just want me to act like the King you think I am, horsey." Ichigo shot back at Shiro Zangetsu, which made the hollow spirit cackle in good humor.
'You aren't wrong King, but for once I'm not the only one!'
Ichigo sighed, looking away from the eager eyes of his sisters, "I'm not a leader."
'Perhaps not a trained one, yet you have the natural charisma to lead. You have done so before, and you can do so again.' Old man Zangetsu said, and Ichigo could feel his feeble excuses crumble to nothing. 'You are a born protector, a born guardian, and this world may be in dire need of one.'
'So what's it gonna be, King? Are you going to hide away like a coward and let the people suffer just because you are afraid of facing something new, or are you going to become the King I've sworn to carry into battle?'
"Fine," Ichigo took a deep breath and once more looked at the twins, "I suppose you two are right. It wouldn't be right if I didn't try to do something. I don't know what, and I don't know how, but I'll give it a try."
"Don't worry big bro, we'll help you!" Karin said, smiling, while Yuzu nodded along.
"Hell no!" Ichigo shook his head and made a big X with his arms, "until I figured out how to deal with this situation, I don't want the two of you anywhere close to any of those murderous raping bastards!"
"And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Karin asked, her voice getting heated. "Sit here and act like demure girls, like the girls of this world are meant to act? Fuck no!"
"Karin! Language!"
"Sorry Zu, but my point stands! I won't be locked up like some fragile doll! We can help too! I bet Zu has more knowledge in medicine than anyone else on this planet, and dad taught me a thing or two as well, and besides that, someone needs to show the women of this world how to stand up for themselves!"
"We aren't little girls anymore, Ichigo." Yuzu said firmly, "if I can do something to help you, then I will. Even if I have to do it without telling you."
Ichigo wanted to scream and shout, to tell them that it wasn't safe, but the fire in their eyes stopped him firmly in his tracks. It was painfully clear to see that his little sisters were growing up. All but 13 years old and yet they were already ready to make their own choices.
He'd just have to keep a close eye on them. "Fine, but whenever we are among any of those men, you stick close to me, do you understand? I still know far too little about those people, and what I know paints them as hardly anything more then worthless barbarians, and I wouldn't trust any of them further than I can throw them."
"...which would be pretty far." Karin mumbled, remembering what little she had seen of the "battle" that her brother had with the Dothraki Khal.
"...ok, so I wouldn't trust them further then Yuzu could throw one of them." It was a bad joke, he knew that, but still, it got a small smile from both girls so it was worth it. "but are you both sure that you want to do this? That you want to get involved in a world that we don't belong in? I could take the three of us to some safe place somewhere, I could easily provide for us so that we could live comfortably until Kisuke comes to get us back home."
"We know Ichi-nii, but we should at least try." Yuzu said and Karin nodded her head firmly in agreement. "Back home I sometimes wondered how history might have changed if the people from back then had the knowledge we have."
"And besides, how often does something like this happen to anyone?" Karin asked with a little grin on her lips, "it's like straight out of a manga, so I think we should make the most of it!"
Ichigo allowed himself to smile at the girls even though he had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that things wouldn't be as simple as his sisters imagined them to be.
Before Ichigo could rebuke Karin for likening their situation to a manga of all things, the tent flaps rustled and were pulled aside before Sarea entered, carrying a tray of food and a pitcher of something to drink.
"I've brought some food and drink, Kh… Ichigo." Sarea shuffled into the tent and placed her offerings onto a low table next to the throne like chair that dominated the center of the large and lavish tent.
"I see, that's very thoughtful, thank you." Ichigo said and immediately frowned when he noticed the girl blink owlishly at receiving just the barest compliment, a sense of righteous anger growing in his belly that he was quick to stamp out before he gestured to the twins still sitting on the bed. "Sarea, these two are my sisters, Yuzu and Karin."
She nodded but gave the twins no real attention, "...Ichigo, your men are growing restless. Many wish to challenge you for the position of Khal, and I regret to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the remaining Bloodriders of Khal Drogo have taken their leave from this Khalasar, thousands have followed them."
Ichigo blinked, not really knowing how to feel about what he had just been told. "I see, I guess that's fine. Fewer people for me to worry about."
"My Khal!" Sarea's voice grew urgent and worried, "when a Khal is killed in a duel, it is the bloodriders duty to avenge him. Khal Drogos bloodriders have taken many men with them and they will gather more, and they will come for you, my Khal. They will not rest until they hold your heart in their hands," she glanced over at the twins before looking back at Ichigo, "and they will not rest until all that is yours is theirs. They will not show mercy."
There was silence as that information settled into Ichigo and the twins minds before Sarea continued.
"You have erred, great Khal." She said, almost accusingly. "You should have had the bloodriders killed quickly, the bloodriders, their sons and slaves, but you did not. They will ride quickly and they will carry the word of Khal Drogo's death to Vaes Dothraak, to the ears of Khal Drogo's rivals and friends alike. And once they come for you, they will be riding at the head of another Khalasar, screaming for your death."
"How was I supposed to know any of that?" Ichigo asked befuddled, still trying to grasp the situation he found himself in.
"You should not have killed Khal Drogo then!" Sarea shouted before shrinking in on herself and looking away. "Forgive me, great Khal, but you should not have killed Khal Drogo. His Khalasar was the mightiest in the entire Dothraki Sea, the mightiest in four hundred years. And now it is fracturing. His bloodriders left with nearly half of all men, and the ones remaining only do so for the chance to kill you and take control of that what is left. And even if you manage to take control by beating back all those who would stand against you, the other Khals will know that Drogo is no more. They will come for us with tens of thousands of screamers."
Ichigo wantde to be shocked, but the only thing he could focus on was Shiro Zangetsu's mad chackles coming from deep within his soul. 'King, please, once those fuckers come for you, let me have control of your body, just for a bit, pretty please? I'll be so good afterwards! I promise! But can you imagine it!? Thousands of lambs are coming to the slaughter! Of their own free will no less! HAHAHAHA!'
"Moron, we don't have our badge!"
'So? If worst comes to worst, they kill your mortal shell and unleash our true power and then they are fucked. I'm sure Kisuke will be able to make you a gigai so you can still go to school once we are back home.'
"No, we aren't even going to think about killing my human body just to go Bankai on a bunch of backwater barbarians."
'Pity, but it doesn't matter. Just because you are trapped in your body doesn't make you weak. If you let me take over I show those morons the meaning of fear!'
Both Ichigo and the calmer side of his Zanpaktuo could only sigh in helpless irritation as the source of his hollow powers salivated at the thought of wanton destruction and slaughter.
But all the same Ichigo was thankful for the distraction as it allowed him to think straight and realize that his sisters might be more than just a bit worried and as he looked at them he was proved to be right going off of the sight of their pale faces.
"Don't worry you two, I won't let anyone hurt you." Ichigo reassured them and smiled when he noticed them relax.
"How can you promise that?" Sarea asked, her voice a helpless plea.
"Sorry, Sarea, but you don't know me, or what I am capable off, and you likely wouldn't believe me if I told you. Just know that I'll think of something." That that something might end up being a slaughter this world had likely never before seen was left unsaid.
He wouldn't like it, and if it came to a fight then he would in all honesty allow Shiro to take over, but he would do what he had too, just like he always did.
A/N: Hello people, long time no see, eh?
Sorry for the long phone silence, but shit happens and all that.
Anyways, this chapter was really hard on me. I haven't writing anything in so long, and every word was fighting me as I wrote, so I'm not sure about the quality and tone of the chapter, and I'll let you be the judge of it.
I'll try to update again quicker this time, and hopefully I'll manage.
Until then, see ya, and all the best to y'all!