13Behind The Mask: Prologue
Arrancar. The highest form of evolution a hollow can take. You can tell the difference between arrancars and the other forms with a few key details. One is that they tend to take a humanoid form. The less human it looks the less power they have. Two is their hollow hole and skull fragment, each arrancar has a hole and fragment somewhere in/on their bodies. Last is the Zanpakuto, with a zanpakuto at their sides, arrancar may release them to unleash their full power and temporarily restore their former selves.
The hollows had needed themselves a new leader. Ever since Aizen was defeated in the winter war, everyone thought things would go back to normal with the soul society once again going back to slaying hollows to maintain balance and protect the world of the living. But to a certain orange haired hybrid, things are never normal. Looking around the throne room of Los Noches, his mind wandered to his fight with Aizen. His features darked as he remembered what followed.
Flashback
Ichigo was looking at Aizen. The latters expression was one of shock. He could see that Ichigo was completely different than he was before. Ichigo's hair color had turned black and grew to waist-length. He could see bluish-gray, bandage-like carapace forms around his torso, right arm, neck, and over the nose and mouth like a mask. Black, flame-like markings spread across his chest and wrap around his left arm, and the remains of a tattered black cloak covered his lower body. Ichigo's body was constantly emitting black Reiatsu, most of which was focused around his right arm.
Aizen was so focused on Ichigo's new form he was startled out of his train of thought when Ichigo decided to speak.
"The Final Getsuga Tenshou, is me becoming Getsuga itself." Said Ichigo as he looked at Aizen, determination in his eyes. No one else could do it but him. He knew, this was a job no one else could do but him.
'Could it be possible?' Aizen thought. 'Despite transcending both hollow and soul reapers, he has managed to reach an even higher level then even myself?!'
"Absurd! Impossible! That couldn't be. A mere human cannot surpass what i have become!" Aizen exclaimed. Constantly denying the thought of this mere boy even coming close to his level. Aizen's eyes widened as he watched Ichigo raise his weapon. The last thing he heard Ichigo say before his final moments.
"Mugetsu". His world turned black.
*Scene Change*
Harribel woke up from where she laid. Her wounds protested as she slowly picked herself off the ground. She was still getting her bearings straight after being blindsided by Aizen. She grit her teeth in anger. She had felt her fellow espada go down one by one. The next thing she felt after was Aizen slashing her across her stomach. She tried to retaliate back, only to slash at an illusion that left her exposed to another attack from his zanpakuto.
"Aizen, if i ever see you again i'll kill you myself. Even if it means dying i'll take you down with me". Harribel thought to herself. Her thoughts were broken as a massive explosion caught her attention. She looked in the direction it came from and started to head over there. She narrowed her eyes as slowly headed where she knew Aizen would be. She kept her spiritual pressure down to save as much energy as she could. On the way she had to pause, laying in front of her were her fraccion. Apacci, Mila Rose and Sung-Sun laid in front of her, all unconscious from the attack they took from the head captain.
"I'm proud of all of you." Harribel whispered to them. She really was, her fraccion had been taking out every lieutenant they came across. They would have succeeded too if it wasn't for the head captain. She grit her teeth again, Aizen isn't the only one who'll suffer her wrath. If she somehow manages to kill Aizen, he's next.
"Ugghhhh." Harribel's attention snapped to the groan. Sung-Sun thought she had heard her mistress. Doing her best to ignore the protests from her body she forced herself to open her eyes and turn her head toward where she thought she heard the voice come from. Standing a few feet away from her was her mistress.
"Harribel-Sama." She moaned in relief at seeing her still standing. As her vision started to clear her eyes widened when she noticed that she was severely injured. She had cuts and bruises all over her body. But the most noticeable ones were the ones across her stomach and her shoulder. "Harribel-Sama, you're injur-" was all she could let out as the pain in her body let itself be known once more.
"Shhh, don't worry about me. Save your strength, you all need to get out of here. Sung-sun when you recover enough I need you to take Apacci and Mila-Rose back to Hueco Mundo as soon as possible." Harribel told her as she was checking the condition of the other two who lay around her. 'Good they're still alive, somehow.'
Sung-sun was about to protest her thoughts about her mistress not going with them when a massive wall of black suddenly appeared not too far from them. Harribel gave one last look to her fraccion before heading towards the battlefield.
*Scene Change*
Shortly after Ichigo had used mugetsu, he had started to revert to how he was before he had transformed. He had done it, he finally killed Aizen. Now he can go back to how things were before the war had started.
"Finally, Peace." He thought as he looked up at the sky. Wondering what was going to happen now.
His thoughts were broken when he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned around and saw head captain Yamamoto and Kisuke Urahara walking towards him. He let a sigh of relief out as the two approached him.
"Well done Ichigo, I wasn't expecting you to defeat him like you just had done." Said Kisuke.
"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo questioned. Wasn't that the reason he had become as strong as he had? To sacrifice his powers so that he was strong enough to take Aizen down? More and more questions kept popping up in Ichigo's head. Kisuke who noticed this decided to let Ichigo know his train of thought.
"Since Aizen had fused with the hogyoku, I thought he was past the point of being able to be killed. That last kido I shot at him was a seal." Kisuke explained. "If you weren't able to finish him with that last technique, it would have brought him down to a level for the seal to activate."
"I see." Was all Ichigo has to say. He was thankful that Urahara had a back-up plan, at least if he didn't finish Aizen off with the Final Getsuga Tenshou then he still would have lost in the end anyway. Ichigo turned his head to the head captain who had kept quiet all this time.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, soul society owes you a great debt for your actions. On behalf of soul society we thank you and apologize for putting all the burden on you and what's to follow." Finished Yamamoto.
"What do you me-" Ichigo looked down in shock at the blade that had pierced him. Kisuke was also in shock at what had just happened. Kisuke was about to intervene when he saw a blade held over his shoulder. Kisuke turned his head around to see Shunsui Kyoraku with a sad look on his face. He turned his head back when he heard the head captain begin to explain himself.
"By order of Central 46, Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki, is to be killed once Sosuke Aizen has been defeated." Yamamoto recited. Ichigo's mind was in shock. What did he do to deserve this? Had he not given his all for these people? So many questions were going through his mind. But there was only one that kept popping up.
"Why?" Called out Ichigo. Kisuke and Shunshi felt the pain in his voice. The raw emotion, the betrayal, anger and the despair coming from the young man in front of them. The head captain remained impassive, he had a job to do. Regardless of his opinion, if Central 46 has something that needs to be done, then he's the one to make sure it happens.
"Central 46 has claimed that you're too big of a liability to be kept alive. You have become too strong too quickly for their liking. You had invaded soul society and have managed bankai in that time. You have grown past the level of most captain level soul reapers and even managed to defeat our enemy which we have struggled to do. Should something give you reason to invade soul society again, they doubt that we will be able to stop you." Explained Yamamoto.
"Why!? I did everything I could to help you. Ichigo shouted, Tears streaking his face. "I gained this strength so I can keep those close to me safe! I sacrificed my soul reaper powers so that Aizen could be defeated. Was that not enough for soul society? For the other captains? For everyone?"
Each word that came out of his mouth became more emotional. The pain he felt at the realization that all his hard work he had done and he can't even savor the moment the fruits of his labor had brought. No one deserved this, and most especially not him.
"It is not my decision. I do what I am told to do, to do what I must to place the soul society first and foremost. No exceptions not even for you and the sacrifices that you have made." Yamamoto said calmly.
Behind a nearby hill Harribel was listening in on the conversation. She was going through a list of emotions right now at what she just picked up. She was happy and relieved that Aizen had been slain. She was fully prepared to kill him herself if it was the last thing she'd do. But now she was in shock, had that individual in front of them just did soul society a massive favor? Had he not sacrificed his being just to kill Aizen.
Sacrifice. The word described her entire being, it was her aspect of death. Something that all espada have. Something that would earn her respect, and the orange hair soul reaper in front of her had more than earned it. Looking at the scene going on in front of her right now filled her with rage. It reminded her of what she had felt when Aizen had betrayed her. The hollows allied with Aizen, swore loyalty to him only to be betrayed. It seems to be the same with Ichigo and the soul society. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the head captain readying the finishing blow. She wasn't going to sit still and let him be slain for what he had done. She kept her spiritual pressure hid as best as she could while charging her attack. The moment it released they would sense her, she had to time it right. As the sword was coming down she knew the time was right.
" La Gota." She Whispered.
*Prologue End*
That's it for this chapter! Hope everyone enjoyed it. If there's any mistakes make sure to let me know. If there are problems with power scaling, things being canon please remember that this is my fanfiction, there are alot of other great stories so if you don't like what i'm doing feel free to read another. I had fun writing this. Please let me know how much you enjoyed and give me a follow/favourite if you did :) See ya next time.