Chapter Text
It was over.
Ichigo ran his reforged blade through Yhwach in desperation to stop his tyranny.
After the death of hundreds of both Shinigami and Quincy it was finally over.
"The path…..is being closed…Ichigo.." the voice told him.
Ichigo looked at the Quincy King indifferently as he was slowly letting out his last breaths.
"The path to a world with no fear….The present world, Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, They were meant to become one, Life and Death twisted and fused together. They were destined to all be one and the same……" Yhwach spoke as his blood is slowly dripping out of his slashed body.
"But now….that will likely never happen and you have yourself to thank for that Ichigo." He crept closer to his face.
"Sadly because of your efforts here Life and Death will never lose their current forms and all those who breathe will continue to fear death…..for all eternity…."
Then Yhwach's body began to emit a bright light that covered the battlefield.
Ichigo could only watch as the light took him.
He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe.
What was exactly happening?
Did Yhwach pull a last ditch effort to take him down with him?
He didn't know, it didn't matter as long as his family and friends were safe he was content.
Then there was darkness.
He tried to open his eyes but he couldn't.
He tried moving his body but it seemed he was unable to do so.
What the hell was going on? Did he die? Is there an afterlife of the afterlife?
No that was stupid Ichigo thought to himself.
Then he felt something, a bright light similar to when Yhwach overtook him with it.
The light seemed to come closer to him.
Then everything was white.
He opened his eyes he could finally see but looking at his surroundings it felt odd everything seemed to be white nothing more nothing less he looked at his body, he still wore the traditional Shinigami outfit but his skin was white just what the hell is going on here?
He tried to move around but it seemed to be useless, he was floating like a balloon he tried to move around but all it did was spin him in a circle.
"I have been waiting for you, Kurosaki Ichigo." A voice whispered into his ear.
"Who the hell was that?" Ichigo rebutted he tried to summon Zangetsu but he couldn't.
"Fear not I have no intention harming you." It spoke again.
Then it appeared before Ichigo and he instantly recognized the being.
"You are…."
Ichigo would recognize that face, it was the same one he accidentally cut down.
"Yes it is indeed I, the Soul King." Reio spoke.
"What the hell is going on? Did I die?! What about my friends?! What happened to Yhwach!? Hey! Answer me!?!"
"Calm down you see I used the last remnants of my conscience to bring you here after the light engulfed everything."
"What do you mean by that?...." Ichigo still confused at the situation.
"Ichigo….you see the balance between worlds have been shattered, once Yhwach had been killed my power dissipated and that light erased everyone from existence."
…………
"What?"
"My power dissipated and--"
"I heard you!" Ichigo yelled in anger
"Listen there's a---"
"Do you think I'll just accept this bullshit?! That all my friends and family are dead?! That there is nothing I can do about it!?!"
"I don't not--"
"Don't what!?! Was everything I did all for naught!? Even with all my power I couldn't…..why….." tears were starting to form under Ichigo's eyes
"It is not too late." Reio intervened.
"What do you mean?"
"As I have said before using the last bits of my conscience I managed to pull you out of that reality and into this pocket dimension to preserve your soul, this reality won't last for long as you can see cracks have begun to form around it, when this room shatters it will be the end for this reality."
"So what do you want me to---"
"I want you to get a second chance, a chance to redo everything."
"Redo?" Ichigo questioned the Soul King.
"Yes, using the last bits of my power I can recreate the entire dimension back from the brink of everything although none will remember and everything will start all over again. Which is why I chose you, you have the power to fix everything to stop both Yhwach and Aizen."
"But why do you want me? There are lots of better choices for this!? How about Shinji? Or Kyoraku!?! Why me!?"
"Ichigo, you misunderstood, none can handle being sent back."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Mere Soul Reapers would be disintegrated into Reishi if I chose someone different same goes to Arrancars and Quincies but you, you are unique, being a hybrid of all three races your soul is much more built to be able to handle the reconstruction."
"..............."
"I will send your soul back to the recreated past from there you will twist the events but not too much for some events are necessary in order to keep the balance."
"Like what?" Ichigo didn't like where this was going.
"The creation of the Vizards hold an important factor to the timeline, it has essentially already happened although I would not recommend you to help in their predicament they need to do it all on their own even if it means it would take them a long time to solve their conflict."
"I see….." Ichigo whimpered in frustration, although Shinji never told him how they got hollowfied it must have been a gruesome experience, he could stop it, he could help them like how they helped him but seeing that he couldn't feels like an arrow pierced his heart.
"I just have one question before I go."
"What is it?"
"You said you will send my soul back? What does that exactly mean?"
"You see this is not just "time travel" Ichigo, I am going to reconstruct everything back before it was destroyed. I am sending your soul to the newly created past, You are but a consciousness now but I can send your soul to another, This means you will have to let everything flow as it is up until the moment Aizen takes the Hogyoku."
"Hold up…..how far are you exactly sending me back?....." Ichigo asked.
"Back when Kuchiki Rukia was still a child."
"THAT FAR?!? I can't wait that long!!! Not only are you literally telling me to watch my friends solve their Hollowfication while I watch at the sidelines but also letting Aizen do all his shit?!?" Ichigo shouted in anger and frustration towards Reio.
"........Yes……" Reio replied with a simple answer.
"You honestly expect me to just…." Ichigo clenched his fists.
"Ichigo, you must understand the situation here…... despite Aizen's machinations all of his experiments have led to create you, the perfect hybrid, the meeting of your father and mother although by chance was due to his interference. I'm sending you back in order to create You, another You, I understand it's not pretty but it has to be this way." Reio replied as cracks began to spread across the room.
The pocket dimension was beginning to shatter as emptiness was slowly creeping towards them.
"There is not much time left Ichigo, I shall send your soul back now and begin the process do not worry, Zangetsu will return once you have settled down. Your soul should enter the most compatible host available."
"Compatible what do you mean by that?--ah forget it!"
Despite the plan Ichigo was grateful for Reio, being trapped in an empty void with no life wasn't such a grand finale after all.
"Thank you……" Ichigo said and his vision is overtaken by a bright white light signalling the beginning.
Blink.
Ichigo blinked his eyes
He felt odd, something was definitely wrong. He look at his hands they felt smooth---- Too smooth just what the hell was going on? His hair seemed to be longer too around his shoulders.
He looked around his surroundings, a bunch of kids running about, some adults here and there, yep this is exactly how Rukia told him her life was.
Wait….why did he have long hair?
Suddenly the voice of Zangetsu whispered in his head.
"Hey King no….wait hahaha this is pretty funny should I call you Queen now? No wait how about princess?" He began to chuckle very loudly.
"Queen? The hell are you talking about?" Confused at the annoying laughter.
"Ichigo….perhaps you should look at a puddle." The voice of his Quincy Spirit told him.
He ran as fast as he could towards the nearest puddle he could find.
His jaw dropped.
A vein popped in his head
"Damn that soul king…..why….why the hell…….." he clenched his fists in annoyance while the laughter of Zangetsu echoed through his inner world.
"WHY THE HELL AM I A GIRL?!?'