I plan on publishing stories that have already been written in full and then publish them weekly. I am going to finish all the stories I've published but when, I don't know.
For now it's a one-shot. Comment what you think about it.
"It's finally over." His shoulders dropped, reality still not being processed in his brain. Ichigo looked around with his tired eyes, Aizen laying down unmoving, debris everywhere, royal realm not looking too royal anymore. His sight returned to the black form on the ground.
It felt surreal, one moment he was falling into despair, being sure he failed and the second he won. But he couldn't help but wonder, was this really the end? If so, why it didn't feel like a victory at all?
'So, now what? Going back to school, acting like I just didn't face the end of the world and managed to save it?' He sighed and closed his eyes. 'I hope this is the last time, I don't think I can take it anymore.'
Suddenly, a black mass twitched, Ichigo immediately opened his eyes, his instinct telling his to react, to run. But nothing really happened.
'I'm too tired for this shit.'
But it was only the beginning. Heavy reiatsu attacked him the second he lost guard, choking him with emotions and power. And then it was all gone.
"Where the fuck am I?" Ichigo noticed he was laying on the ground and realising what just happened, he got up and reached for his swords only to realise they're not with him. He looked around with panicked eyes but only trees were looking back at him.
Fresh fluffy snow falling from the sky, making his skin cold when it fell on his face, he rubbed his cheek and pressed his hand against him chest, wounds still hurting from his fights.
'Zangetsu?' He asked but no one answered. He almost lost his focus, feeling like a child again, panic at the back of his head. But he took a deep breath and started walking.
Trees were old and tall, he wasn't the best at the biology and nature but he recognised them as spruce. Cold was biting at his uncovered skin, he started shivering. Deciding he needed to at least find a shelter, he focused on his surrounding, trying to find anyone else there.
Soon he started walking alongside the riverbank, memories of his mother and him walking on that memorable day coming to his mind. Adrenaline was slowly going away, tiredness creeping closer and closer.
He knew he shouldn't sit down and rest, his chances of survival would be smaller the more time has passed but he felt exhausted, his legs decided for him as they buckled and fell down. He turned and laid on his back, staring at clouds, soft sun rays touching his arm. It was weirdly comforting, the coldness feeling more and more away and warm getting closer and closer, he closed his eyes.
'Just for a moment, just a moment of rest.' He tried to convince himself. 'Just a minute...'
'Am I dead? Is it finally over?' were his thoughts as he felt warm and safe. He opened his eyes and saw he was laying in bed, covered with a thick blanket. He turned his head to the left and focused on the decor.
It definitely wasn't Soul Society, walls were made from stone and wood, some basic wooden furniture like chairs, table, drawer, it didn't feel like the place he should be in. On the table he saw some books but couldn't see what they were about. It even smelt different, it was like one of those candles Yuzu bought for Christmas.
He slowly sat up and noticed his bed was next to the window and outside were...
"Fuck." As much as he didn't want to believe it, Quincy soldiers were training outside. And the didn't look like the basic ones, he was almost sure some of them were Sternritters.
'Was I captured? If so, why am I alive...?' His thoughts were interrupted by someone opening the door, he immediately turned to see who it was.
Yhwach himself.
"I see you are awake." He braced himself, preparing himself to fight, even though deep inside he knew he wouldn't be able to win. Hell, he was sure one hit and he would be out. "Do not be afraid, child. You were found near the river. You almost died and it would be a shame to waste all the effort my medics did to save you."
'Wait, he doesn't realise who I am?' Feeling confused he just stared, waiting for more information.
"I can see you are unsure, child. My name is Yhwach. I am the king of this land and at the same time the king of Quincies." Ichigo nodded, already knowing that. "May you tell me your name?"
"...Ichigo." He said quietly.
"Welcome to my humble home, Ichigo." He couldn't help but shiver as he heard his own name from his enemy's mouth. "It seems you are one of us, I can feel my blood in you, however I do not recognise you."
"I don't know what happened." Ichigo said and looked down at his hands, hoping his body language didn't betray him.
"It is understandable, after such trauma I'd be surprised you knew anything." Ichigo frowned but didn't comment. "Are you ready to take a walk with me?" Curiosity got the best of him and soon he was following the enemy who he was fighting what felt a second ago.
After two months, Ichigo managed to connect some dots. It seemed like he somehow broke through the time and now he was way before his birth. He was currently in the main Quincy castle in the human world. How he managed to do that, he didn't know. Probably for the better for now.
Yhwach and no one else knew who he was but after confirming he was a Quincy as well them, they treated him as one of them. It felt bizarre, he was sure he killed at least one of these dudes and now he was training with them.
Ichigo formed his bow in a few days, everyone surprised but proud. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt better here than beside Soul Reapers. It felt too easy to befriend almost all of the Sternritters. His favourites activities lately has been bickering with Bazz-B, talking with Robert, drinking tea with Askin, even the Bambis were fun to be around. It felt weird being treated as younger brother by his former enemies but... It was a nice change.
Even Yhwach seemed nice to be around. At first Ichigo didn't want to do anything with him but as the time passed he realised they were similar. He didn't think about it too much, still remembering he killed Yamamoto in his timeline. Or was it just a dream? He shook his head, that was just ridiculous.
"What's the matter, Ichigo?" He looked up from his book and looked at Jugram, they were reading together in the library.
"Nothing, just a weird thought." Ichigo admitted and closed his book. "I think I'm just tired."
"You spar with Bazz-B too much." Ichigo snickered.
"Well, you always tell him no so I have to." Ichigo got up. "See you later."
Between his spars with different soldiers and just having a good time, Ichigo was slowly losing his grab on what was real and what wasn't. It was almost a year since he got there. Normally he didn't have time to dwell about the past but now he was staring at the same river he was found at and let his mind go, thoughts and dreams of people he once knew and those who he knows now...
He sighed, slowly walking away from the river. He didn't know what happened in the past but that was his present now. He figured nobody remembered him anyway as it seemed to be a different place and time.
He heard from Quilge about how they were preparing for war with Soul Reapers, that soon it was the moment for all of them to shine.
He knew he will fight along them against people he once considered his own friends. His heart felt conflicted but he hadn't seen them for what felt like eternity. He wasn't sure what he was going to do when he finally would see them.
Ichigo looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a white coat. In his hand he was clutching a Quincy cross. He took a deep breath and slowly released it. He covered his hair with a hood and left his room.
"Nervous?" He looked at Bambietta who smirked at him. "You should worry about keeping up with us, otherwise you'll be left alone." Corners of his lips lifted slightly and he nodded, focusing on what was happening in front of him.
Yhwach finished speaking a moment ago, Jugram was preparing the gate to invade Soul Society. Most of Quincies looked excited and ready to fight. But he wasn't so sure.
Memories of the past invaded his mind, remembering how he and his friends were saving Rukia, how angry he felt when Quincies invaded Soul Society and now he was doing the same.
"Go, my children." Was the only command Yhwach gave and the army of Quincies hurried to prove their worth.
Ichigo appeared somewhere close to Sogyoku Hill, looking down at the fight happening below.
He reacted on instinct, dodging a sword that almost cut his head off. His eyes met Yamamoto's lieutenant, Sasakibe.
"I-." Ichigo didn't let him say anything, choosing to attack instead.
The fight wasn't long, soon after it started it was over, the lieutenant laying in a pool of his blood, trying to stand up and fight back for his life and honour. Ichigo drew his black bow but a hand grabbed his wrist.
"What the fuck are you doing, Ichigo?!" He stared back in eyes of the same person he saved all of those years ago.
"Rukia?" Two trembling hands grabbed the front of his uniform and even through the rain he could see tears in her eyes.
"What are you doing, Ichigo?!" She tried to shake him but he wasn't moving. "Why are you wearing their clothes? You betrayed us!"
"W-wait."
"Roar, Zabimaru!" Ichigo was too shocked to react and felt Zabimaru's teeth tear through his coat. His head hit the ground and he blacked out for a moment but not for long enough to not be able to dodge another hit from Renji. "I trusted you!" Renji yelled while swinging his sword at him. "I almost died for you! We always had your back and you decide it wasn't worth it? That we aren't worth it?!"
"Stop-!"
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
Ichigo was laying on the ground, his breathing uneven, blood escaping his body at an alarming rate.
"It seems our judgement was wrong. You are indeed a traitor-."
"Nii-sama! Ah-!"
Ichigo opened his eyes and stared into As Nodt's. He noticed Mask and Meninas.
"Fuck-." Ichigo coughed, blood spilling from his lips. He looked to the right and noticed his previous friends were dead next to him, a gasp escaped from him as he stared into Rukia's dead eyes. "Fuck!"
"It seems we were also wrong." He tried to look at Yhwach who suddenly appeared but a sword that went through his back and pinned him to the ground didn't allow him to move. "I thought after showing you how your life could be under my wings you would follow my orders. Did you forget what you were supposed to do here?"
"I-." He yelled in pain as a sword twisted in his lung, making it harder to breath.
"It seems you forgot. But I'm sure you didn't forget what I told you not too long ago." He was roughly shoved on his back and he saw all of his comrades, people who he thought were his friends, who said they would have his back. All of them looked at him with different emotions. Pity. Anger. Disgust. "I told you I'll come back at the happiest point of your life."
His heart was being drowned in despair, how did he not noticed before? How stupid he was to believe-.
"I'll see you again, my son born in darkness."
Ichigo gasped, eyes wide, panic and despair fresh in his heart. His friends, his real friends died while thinking he betrayed them, that wasn't true! He... He..!
Tears fell from his eyes. Even when he closed them he felt tears fall. He tried to wipe them away, force them to leave but they kept coming.
'Am I in hell? Am I going to suffer for eternity?!'
He heard some noise outside. It felt too familiar, voices were too familiar, scenery felt too familiar-.
As he heard door knob open, he reacted before he realised, he broke the window and ran, ran far away from there.
'It must be another nightmare, it has to be..!'
When he couldn't feel anyone or anything familiar, he felt down to his knees, curling up and hiding his head and pain from the world that felt familiar and at the same time unknown.
He must have fallen asleep at some point because he woke up and it was dark, the moon was staring at him.
He sat up and his back touched the rough bark of some tree. His heart felt calmer but he knew it would never end, He would come back and make him suffer again.
He was too scared to use His name anymore.
He sighed and realised someone was near, someone he knew.
"Come out, Kuchiki Byakuya. I know you're here." Byakuya heard Ichigo say but he didn't want to believe Ichigo could have such a defeated voice. Almost like he was ready to die.
He slowly moved, not wanting to startle younger man. He stopped, a few meters between them. He didn't say a word, simply waited for Ichigo to say anything. He just looked at him.
The only time Byakuya saw Ichigo look do defeated was when Ginjo stole his powers.
"Just do it and let's be done with it." Byakuya frowned, not expecting such words.
"I do not understand." Ichigo looked away but said nothing. "You need to explain, Kurosaki Ichigo."
He didn't expect tears to fall from young hero's eyes.
"You came to kill me, right? For what I've done..."
"What?" Years of being a captain couldn't prepare him for a moment like that. "Ichigo..."
"I'm a monster, I let them kill you all! And then... And then..!" Ichigo's voice cracked and his whole body shook.
Byakuya couldn't stop himself and knelt in front of younger man, grabbing his hand in both of his own.
"What are you talking about? I'm here, you saved everyone, you saved the whole world."
"I failed, I watched you all die by his hands, I betrayed you-."
"Ichigo, look at me." Brown eyes filled with pain stared back into his grey ones. "I'm here. Everyone's here. And they're worried about you."
He somehow managed to calm Ichigo down and they slowly started going back.
It was hard to believe what everyone tried to convince him was reality. That in fact, he was in coma for over a year after defeating Him. And what he thought was reality was his brain affected by His last attack. That all he thought was reality was just a dream. It felt surreal.
He laid on his right side under warm covers. It was spring, it was getting warmer and warmer but since waking up he felt cold and stressed. Byakuya allowed him to stay at his manor for which Ichigo was grateful for. Only a day passed since he woke up but he felt like it was an eternity away.
But he knew, he knew the day he fully accepted the reality, the nightmares would come back. So until his very last breath, he remembered His last words.
"I'll see you again, my son born in darkness."