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Language:
English
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Published:
2015-08-23
Completed:
2015-12-14
Words:
46,660
Chapters:
17/17
Comments:
6
Kudos:
38
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3,027

End of Days

Summary:

During the Quincy War on the Seireitei, Aizen manages to free himself from his prison and becomes the Soul King. His actions throw the worlds out of balance and the remaining Shinigami flee Seireitei. Five years later, they're finally ready to make their move against Aizen and his forces. Characters and tags will be updated as needed.

Notes:

My most recent fic. You're being forewarned that there are major character deaths in this. There's also lots of flashbacks. Basically, how I feel things should end in Bleach. Really, Kubo Tite just needs to end it and not drag things out.

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter Text

Karakura 2003

“Karin-chan! Where are you?!” Kurosaki Yuzu shouted as she made her way through the wreckage of the Kurosaki Clinic. Her head was spinning and there was smoke and debris everywhere but she had to find her twin. She had to know if her sister was safe. “KARIN!!!”

Everything had happened quickly. One minute their father was running out the door, shouting for Karin to protect Yuzu, and the next the roof of the clinic had come crashing down. Yuzu had only been able to make out a large blurry shape after climbing out of the rubble. Her father and sister were nowhere to be seen. Tears began to blur her vision and her head was throbbing even more than it had been moments ago. She put her hand to her temple and felt something wet and sticky – blood, undoubtedly. As much as it hurt, though, Yuzu was determined to find Karin before anything else did. She had to keep moving or she was as good as dead. She might not be able to always see the monsters her twin sometimes told her about, but Yuzu knew that something like them had attacked her home. Finding Karin was her only option.

“Karin-chan!!” she called again as she resumed walking. She had barely made it two steps before the ground beside her exploded. Yuzu went tumbling into what had been a wall with a shriek. She could make out the sound of triumphant laughter somewhere over her but her vision was blurring again, rendering her sightless. Yuzu closed her eyes and whispered a plea for help one last time.

After a moment she opened her eyes, wondering why she hadn’t been killed. All she could make out was a vanishing black shape while a white one raced towards her. The white shape began to take on a distinctly human appearance as it came closer to Yuzu. The girl blinked as the person began to resemble someone she recognized. ‘One of Ichigo’s friends,’ she thought as she looked up at him.

“You’re Kurosaki Yuzu, right?”

Instead of answering, Yuzu asked, “Karin-chan?”

“She’s safe. I’m going to take you to her now.”

Yuzu nodded and winced slightly. “Thank you… Ishida-san?”

“Yes. Ishida Uryuu. I’m glad you remember me,” her rescuer said as he gently lifted the injured girl from the ground.

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Ishida Uryuu made his way toward his home, the injured Yuzu on his back. Her twin, Karin, walked beside them, her left arm in a make-shift sling. The first place Uryuu had thought to bring the Kurosaki twins was to his own home in hopes his father could help them. The girls’ own father had been nowhere in sight when Uryuu had arrived at the Kurosaki Clinic.

“You’re sure this place is safe?” Karin asked again. “Wouldn’t it be better to find Urahara?”

“If I knew for sure he made it back, then I would go there,” Uryuu explained.

“What if no one realizes we’re here?” the dark haired Kurosaki twin continued.

“They’ll detect our reiatsu,” Uryuu said.

“How come you’re back without Ichi-nii? Don’t you guys fight together?”

Uryuu grimaced. “It’s complicated.”

“Ishida!!!”

Karin and Uryuu stopped walking. There was a small group standing in front of the Ishida home. Both of the Kurosaki men were there along with Uryuu’s father and two Shinigami – Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji – who Uryuu had once considered allies. He could see the angry, hurt expressions from where he stood. “Ichi-nii looks pissed,” Karin said.

“I told you, it’s complicated,” Uryuu replied. He resumed walking with Karin, knowing things would not end well for him.

Ichigo moved to meet them but he was stopped by his father. “Dad!”

“He’s carrying your sister on his back. Let me get her first before you have it out with him,” Isshin said to his son. Without waiting for Ichigo’s answer, Isshin approached Uryuu. The Kurosaki patriarch regarded Uryuu thoughtfully before retrieving Yuzu from him.

“Good to see you’re alive, Goat Chin,” Karin said before hugging her father.

Isshin smiled at Karin before going on to address Uryuu. “Thank you for saving my daughters.”

Uryuu just gave a nod as Isshin retreated with the twins. He turned his attention back to Ichigo, ready to face him. Using shunpo, Ichigo was in front of Uryuu in an instant and his fist connected with Uryuu’s face, sending the Quincy’s glasses flying. “What the hell Ishida?!” the Shinigami roared.

Uryuu’s hands flew to his face as he muttered a string of pained curses.

“Why did you betray us?!” Ichigo demanded as he grabbed Uryuu by the shirt and shook him.

“I wanted to avenge my mother! And all the other Quincy Yhwach killed!” Uryuu yelled back, his voice muffled by the hands still covering part of his face.

Ichigo’s grip on Uryuu loosened. “You… what?”

Uryuu lowered his hands from his face, revealing a potentially broken nose. “It was the best way I could think of. I knew you would rush off to Soul Society. But I… I never anticipated… well, this,” the dark haired Quincy explained.

“You… what?” Ichigo asked again, still in shock.

“You have your methods, I have mine,” Uryuu sighed.

“I ought to punch you again for not telling us!” Ichigo exclaimed, releasing Uryuu completely.

“And risk being found out?! The Sternritter were already suspicious of me! And I didn’t know how much you knew Kurosaki!” Uryuu snapped.

“We’re still a team Ishida!”

“No, I’m a Quincy and you’re a Shinigami!”

“My mother was a Quincy too!”

“You wouldn’t know how to be a Quincy even if you tried!” The two teenagers glared at each other, neither one willing to be the first to back down.

“Ichigo! Ishida! Enough!” Rukia yelled, storming over to them. She kicked Ichigo in the shin before turning to Uryuu. “You can explain everything after we get to Urahara’s,” she said.

“All right,” Uryuu agreed.

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Present Day, Karakura

Karakura could have passed for any war torn city in the world. While many people were blind to the monsters attacking their world, they were not ignorant to the chaos and danger surrounding the world. They believed the world was ending and maybe it was. Karakura certainly looked like the world had ended or so Kurosaki Ichigo thought. His home had begun to resemble the Seireitei after the Quincy and Aizen had had their way with it. It pained the young man to see his home in such a state. But that was why he and his friends were fighting so hard. One day they would end Aizen’s reign and rebuild both the material world and Soul Society. Ichigo would not rest until he had accomplished his goals.

“Ichigo, you have that faraway look in your eyes again,” Kuchiki Rukia said, pulling Ichigo out of his own world and back to reality.

“Did you say something?” Ichigo asked his companion.

The petite girl just shook her head at Ichigo. “You’ve been quiet lately. You can confide in us, you know,” she said as she came to stand beside Ichigo. They were outside what used to be Urahara Shouten, their original base of operations.

Ichigo just gave a half shrug. It was true that he had a lot on his mind but he didn’t feel the need to burden his friends with it. Everyone had so much to worry about as it was. They didn’t need to worry about his worries, too.

“I mean it, Ichigo. We’re all starting to worry about you! Stop being stupid and let us help already!”

Ichigo looked down at Rukia. His expression softened at her words. Everything that had happened to him had happened with Rukia at his side. It was a simple fact that probably wouldn’t change. “It’s been a year,” he finally said.

Rukia looked up and met Ichigo’s gaze. While his was a look of tenderness, hers was one of absolute certainty. “They’re alive,” the dark haired woman said.

“Thanks,” Ichigo said, placing his hand gently on her head and ruffling her hair a bit.

Rukia smiled, though she was laughing inside. She was amused that after the last few years Ichigo was still awkward when it came to showing romantic affection. It was one of the many things she loved about him.

“A pat on the head?! Seriously?!”

Rukia and Ichigo whirled around, both blushing faintly, and glared at the person who had interrupted them.

“What the hell Renji?!” demanded Ichigo.

“Your mopey ass was so distracted that you weren’t even hiding your reiatsu!” Renji fired back.

“That doesn’t mean you have to sneak up on us!”

“Do you think the enemy wouldn’t sneak up on you?!”

“Do you want me to kick your ass like I would an enemy?!”

Rukia shook her head and sighed. “If you morons don’t shut up, someone will find us!” she snapped after letting them bicker for a few minutes. It gave them all a bit of normalcy that they had lost over the last few years.

“Keh. Stop making goo-goo eyes at each other and patrol normally then,” Renji mutter as he shifted his attention to Rukia.

“Shut up, idiot!” Rukia growled, her blush returning.

Renji just smirked at her. On the surface, it was an arrogant kind of smirk but Rukia had known Abarai Renji for a long time. She could read him like a book and offered him a smile back. Renji, she knew, had been just as worried about Ichigo.

“You two can go back now. I’ll finish the patrol by myself.”

Rukia and Renji glanced over at Ichigo. Their concern must have been evident on their faces because Ichigo just smiled at them – a rare reaction from the former substitute Shinigami. “Are you sure…?” Rukia asked.

Ichigo nodded. “I am.”

“Good. I’m starving. C’mon Rukia,” Renji said nonchalantly.

“Renji, thanks,” Ichigo said as he watched his friends turn away.

“Just don’t go stupid again,” was Renji’s reply. Ichigo nodded and the trio went their separate ways.