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Rewrite the Sands of Time - Among the Fleeting Moments in the Evershifting Sands
If there had to be any fundamental law of the universe, it would be that sacrifice was inevitable. It didn’t matter what the moment or event was; it was bound to happen to make sure the outcome was the best it could be.
Ichigo Kurosaki, Hero of the Winter and Quincy Wars, and one of the strongest Soul Reapers, knew that fact intimately. Since that pivotal moment when he was a kid, when a loving mother stood between her beloved son and a powerful Hollow. Since that moment when he was a teenager, when an injured Soul Reaper chose to offer her own powers and prevent a Hollow from taking more lives.
And now, years later, here he sat against a wall, leaning tiredly against the other man who sat with him. Their hands were clasped together, relaxed but holding firm. Eyes closed, Ichigo could almost pretend that he was just resting his eyes for a moment. He felt calm but oh so tired.
A huff of breath from above him made him open his eyes to glance briefly up at the blue-haired man before he returned to his original position.
“I doubt we can pretend for much longer, Ichi.” The voice, sounding exhausted yet amused, belonged to Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. One of the last surviving Arrancar, he himself knew that sacrifice was so intimately intertwined with any state of living. As a Hollow, Grimmjow knew just as intimately well that sacrifice was needed to survive.
Ichigo snorted at that, knowing he was right. They had both lived through so much and still stood tall and proud, but at what cost?
Ichigo had actually lost the normal connection between soul and body at 15, but with the Binding Chain having been put in place of it, he essentially had his own gigai that worked just like a normal human. When he had sacrificed his powers, his very soul, to defeat Aizen, it had been the ultimate price to pay. It took nearly all the Captains and Lieutenants to restore his powers fully, as ordered by the previous Head Captain Yamamoto, performed by Urahara, Isshin, and Rukia.
Grimmjow had originally been an Adjuchas-class Menos, specifically a panther-like Hollow. He had constantly fought and eaten other Hollows to survive, to grow stronger. His encounter with other similarly leveled Hollows is how he gained his Fraccion (or, subordinates if you will), and then meeting Aizen, who used the Hōgyoku to transform him into an Arrancar.
He ultimately lost the entirety of his Fraccion during the very beginning of the War, and he still feels their loss to this day. He would never admit it aloud, but his unauthorized attack on Karakura Town was one of his biggest mistakes. It cost him everything, and he still feels that loneliness today, but the more time he spends with Nel, the Vizored, Urahara and his group, and with Ichigo, it doesn’t seem to hurt as badly.
Ichigo’s and Grimmjow’s companionship that had grown from enemies to rivals to reluctant friends to allies to something neither had named but felt just as deeply as anything else was an ongoing experience that they didn’t feel like they had to name.
“Good day to you, lovebirds!” Hearing Urahara’s voice suddenly broke through their moment, making them both twitch, but neither moved.
They did sigh, though, looking up as Urahara walked over to them to join them on the ground. The false cheer in his voice faded away as he took them in, taking note of their tired disposition.
“Rough day?” He asked, uncharacteristically soft. He didn’t take out his fan, but the other two didn’t think it was going to stay hidden for much longer. Urahara barely glanced towards their hands, a teasing but knowing look in his eyes.
“Like you wouldn’t believe!” Grimmjow expressed roughly, sneering for just a moment before it faded. “There’s only so much sparring, destroying targets in a training field, or even the occasional Hollow that pops up in this godforsaken town, one can do before it gets even more exhausting.”
Ichigo had to withhold a snort that wanted to escape at the bluenette’s petulant tone, leaning more into the other as he did.
As amused as he was, Urahara only shows up when there’s something important to pay attention to. Looking up into gray eyes, Ichigo made sure he had the blonde’s attention before he spoke. “Why are you here, Urahara?”
The false cheer faded as the other man slid down to the ground, crossing his legs and leaning his head on one knee. “Perceptive as always, Ichi-kun.” Ichigo’s eyebrow twitched at the old nickname. “You see, I’m here because you both need to know something. I’m sure you’ve felt it? How the very air we breathe seem to feel wrong? How the very fabric-”
“Abupbupbup!” Ichigo exclaimed with sudden energy, raising a finger to stop the shopkeeper from continuing. “I’m gonna stop you right there, Urahara. I’m done. There’s nothing more to do. Aizen? Sealed away once more. The Arrancar’s finished beyond a select few. The Bounts? Defeated. The X-Cution? Also finished. The entirety of the Quincies? Defeated and Yhwach no longer a threat. There’s nothing else.” He closed his eyes in exhausted, resigned acceptance. “Please..no more.”
Grimmjow sighed softly, leaning his head so close to the smaller man that he was practically nuzzling the other. “Easy, Berry, easy. We’re done, there’s nothing more to expend much power against. We can breathe now.”
Urahara watched them with saddened eyes, regret and guilt making them become clouded. He sighed as he scooted back to put a little more distance between them before he shifted so he could lay his head down on his hands. Alarm rose in Ichigo, making him share a worried glance with Grimmjow, who had the beginning of a scowl on his face. Urahara spoke to the ground, words aimed at the two before him, voice filled with regret and resignation, “I’m really sorry, Ichigo, Grimmjow. Kurotsuchi and his lieutenant came to me some time ago, showing me some incredibly disturbing information.”
Ichigo let out the three worlds’ most exhausted sigh, head thudding softly against the wall. Grimmjow smirked at the sound.
“Alright, fine.” With one of his patented scowls adorning his face, Ichigo tapped Urahara’s head with his foot. “What is the information about, and why is it disturbing?”
Urahara went back to his original sitting position. “It’s about the results of the wars, and the events leading up to, in between, and after.”
“Fuckin’ knew it.” Grimmjow grumbled under his breath, earning himself a poke from Ichigo.
“I can just barely make sense of it myself, and considering what the information revealed, I thought it best to come to the one person who is the very essence of the three worlds combined.” Urahara’s words made the two of them pause, and it felt like a warning for the shopkeeper to take care to mind any more words he may speak.
At those words, Ichigo’s eyes went ice cold. Next to him, Grimmjow let out a warning rumble. Urahara admirably stood his ground, but even he started to sweat nervously at the combination of war-hardened cold amber and ice.
Slowly, Ichigo stood up. Urahara forced himself to keep eye contact with the orangenette. Ichigo’s temper was very infamous for being volatile at any given moment, and could change without warning. Urahara had to tread carefully here, or else he might get to say anything more, let alone be able to leave with minimal injuries.
From who has yet to be determined.
A deceptively lithe hand gripped his shirt and coat, held tight enough that he started to choke slightly, and Urahara had just a brief moment to listen to the warning bells going off in his head before he was hauled to be just inches from Ichigo’s carefully blank face. His clogs don’t even touch the ground. Oh, how the boy has grown. If they were in any other situation, he would point it out.
“You’d better wish this information is not as bad as you make it seem, Urahara Kisuke,” Ichigo hissed, one of his eyes turning black and gold. A sure sign that his hollow was awake, the deep emotion shining through was pure rage. “Or, you’ll find out just what damage I can do to a man when motivated.” Ichigo closed his eyes before they opened again, and Urahara was struck by the blazing emotions in both. Oh, he was so fucked if the information he was told is as bad as he thinks it is. Burning amber and striking gold were glaring so darkly at the dangling man that it made blood freeze in their veins. “Mark my words, Urahara Kisuke. Not even my soul sister can stop me.”
For a moment, neither of the trio made a move to calm down. Grimmjow had to hide a wanton feral grin at the tone. Oh, how he loved it whenever his intended let go of that control to make a threat. He did sigh out loud, though; his Berry had such a temper. Like a constantly rumbling volcano, just simmering beneath the surface, ready to go off at any moment.
“Ichigooo.” Grimmjow stood up, hands coming up to curl around the smaller’s waist. His hands were bigger, so they could be easily wrapped around the other and slowly rubbed calming circles into the muscles there.
A soft and near-silent purr reverberated from his chest, spreading to Ichigo, who slowly but surely let go of Urahara. The man was dropped to the ground in a heap of a messy sprawl, breathing heavily and coughing a bit to clear his airways.
The soft purrs helped soothe Ichigo further as he leaned back against Grimmjow.
Cold blue eyes turned down to Urahara, who was now sitting perfectly at attention after he had gotten his breathing back to normal. “You will take us to be informed of the situation, nothing more, nothing less. We have earned our peace. There are no such limits that I won’t go to, to protect me and mine.”
Urahara nodded rapidly, massaging his clavicle to ease any lingering pain. “R-right, follow me to the Soul Society. This also concerns them.”
The blue-orange duo released twin tired sighs once more before Ichigo gestured for Urahara to lead the way.
Ichigo pressed his hands together, resting them against his forehead. He took a deliberate deep breath that sounded as loud as a cannon shot. All movement in the room where they had congregated stopped as if frozen by ice, all eyes turned towards the orangenette. The gathered Soul Reapers, the Hollows under Tier Harribel, the Vizoreds, and the Humans all knew what Ichigo’s temper was like. Impatience was just a step below that.
He was going to either start yelling for something to be done or he was going to speak in that deceptively calm tone that set everyone off who was within hearing range.
“I’m only going to say this once, and only once.” His voice was carefully calm, but there was the slightest tremble in it that spoke of his rising temper. Deceptively calm it was! And it was worse than him yelling! “As a reminder, we are here to understand the information that Kurotsuchi and his department found, right?” Lifting his head, his eyes were just barely cold enough to put the Arctic Circle to shame. Confirming nods answered him, but no one dared to speak just yet. “So, can someone tell me exactly why nothing is getting done? No one is coming to something conclusive?”
Head Captain Shunsui Kyōraku pursed his lips like he was trying to hold in a laugh, and consequently had the entirety of Ichigo’s stink eye. “Ichi, you’ve grown from a headstrong teen. If we’re not getting something done, or can’t find a mutual conclusion, can you give any ideas?”
Ichigo’s stink eye grew darker, practically squinting at the other man who returned his gaze with a calm exterior. The younger man let out a deep sigh, making Kyōraku smile widely like he had just won the lottery.
Ichigo walked over to Nanano, who had been glaring over her own set of reports, taking it from her, much to her relief. “This report holds all relevant information, right, Kurotsuchi?” The clown captain nodded tensely, clearly biting something to hold in the rude comment he so wanted to say. “It details that a convergence is happening soon. Is it time? Is it between two worlds or all three? Maybe a fourth, if you call the Underworld as such. I’ve found it is all of the above.”
“How so?” Rukia asked, before she squeaked at talking out of turn as Byakuya gave her a side eye.
Ichigo smiled in amusement at that before he continued. “Mostly was just skimming over the report. Way too much information, I swear, it felt like reading one of my old school textbooks. But all the information comes down to detailing a convergence. All the worlds and time and space itself are slowly, and I mean slowly, crossing over into the other. What that means, hell if I know.” He waved the report around like it was a weapon, gesturing with it as he spoke. “Now then, does anyone have any ideas as to what is causing it?”
Silence met him, not that he expected any different. Hell, it practically went over his head as well. The only reason that he understood most of it was because of his dedication to his education. Grimmjow had been watching the proceedings with bored eyes, but when Ichigo started to speak, he straightened up and watched intensely as though he was studying fascinating information.
Curiously, both Kurotsuchi and Urahara looked away. Darkened amber eyes locked onto them, glaring suspiciously.
“Something is out of..balance?” Hinataro stuttered, a focused expression on his face only seen when he’s tending to the wounded.
Ichigo clapped his hands, smiling widely at that. “Yes! Something is out of balance! But what is out of balance? As far as I’m aware, the only convergence that was recorded was during the whole situation with whatshisface and Senna, and I thought that was taken care of with no issue?”
Kurotsuchi puckered his lips, looking away petulantly. Urahara was trying very hard not to be noticed, but he was spectacularly failing as Ichigo stalked around the huge table they were seated at to stand right behind him.
Placing his hands on the blonde’s shoulders, he made the other flinch at the sudden contact.
“Now then, Urahara Kisuke,” Ichigo had a near feral smile on his face, one matching his hollows when he was in control, “can you be a good boy and tell us exactly what the reason for the unbalancing of the universe is? The same information that you mentioned in passing to Grimmjow and me that caused you to basically dogeza yourself before us?”
Urahara’s face paled to become nearly ashen at the words, making him start to sweat heavily. The others in the hall blinked, looking at each other in surprise and slight trepidation. What exactly is this information pointing to that made a man who never apologizes to anyone except those closest to him do so to Ichigo Kurosaki and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez of all people?
Feeling Ichigo’s hands tighten the longer he refused to answer, Urahara let out a pained and defeated sigh.
“This information is very, very dangerous.” He started, relaxing as Ichigo’s hands slacked to just resting. If anything, they turned encouraging and comforting. Okay, good, he wasn’t mad at him anymore. “The events leading up to the Winter War against Aizen were chaotic at best, and could have been avoided if we Soul Reapers weren’t so set in our ways that we couldn’t see.” Urahara clenched his fist in pain, remembering hundreds of years’ worth of pain and grief and shortcomings. “When we were told about the things he did, we didn’t want to believe it.” He turned apologetic eyes up to Ichigo, who scoffed as he waved his hands. The situation had been back when he was 17, and he was 27 now, so it was old news.
“There were so many secrets and orders and laws to follow that nothing could have been done to prevent certain things.” Urahara took a steadying breath. “When I look at the information about the convergence, I see errors of tradition. Failure to act where we should have. I think back on moments where we could have spoken up.” Urahara looked out across the room, unseeing but present. “We have laws, yes, but what are we to do when those laws prevent us from doing what we do best? Preventing us from protecting souls?”
When he finished speaking, the hall was silent once more, but it was a different type of silence. Ichigo would dare to say contemplative. They were certainly thinking about it, given the expressions he could see.
“Knowing all that though, Baldy, what do you intend to do about it?” Ah, Hiyori. While she was frowning and her arms crossed, her tone was somewhat soft and hesitant.
The other Visoreds were in similar states, eyes closed off, but there was hesitant hope starting to shine in their eyes. Ichigo’s heart still hurts for them, even after so long, and what has been done to help them reintegrate into Soul Society.
Urahara sighed again, and Ichigo had half a mind to ask Isane if she could supply him with oxygen. From the glance she gave him, she had the same idea. They shared small smiles at that before they faced Urahara again.
“You all know how our Senkaimon Gates work, yes?” He asked, but he didn’t sound like he was looking for answers as he continued. “And how the Gargantas work, by similar techniques? I have an idea of combining the two to make an entirely new gate, but with a different destination in mind. They’re both world penetrating gates, but what if we can tweak the two energy signatures to mix and create a new sort of gate?”
Shocked silence answered him this time, eyes wide. No one was truly disbelieving or denouncing the idea, for Urahara Kisuke was known for these impossible-sounding scenarios, and they almost always worked with minimal problems.
“Let’s try out a hypothetical,” Hiyori spoke up, working over the idea in her head. When she did, nearly everyone there remembered just whose lieutenant she had been years ago. “Say we get every Soul Reaper, Human, and Hollow to put forth energy to create this gate. What would happen if the coalescing energy that comes from three different types of reiatsu signatures are combined? Soul Reapers and Hollows are as opposite as day and night. Humans are closer to Soul Reapers, Quincies are too different from Reapers and Hollows.
“That’s not even including the hybrid brat over there.” She jabbed a thumb over to Ichigo, who looked at her with the most offended expression he could muster.
He mouthed ‘hybrid brat???’ before he shook his head. “Nice to know you care, Hiyori.”
She just glanced over at him with a deadpanned look before rolling her eyes.
“What if..we use just Grimmjow and Ichigo to power the gate?” Rangiku tilted her head, a hand raised in question. “The little blue kitty and the Soul King candidate are rather overpowered.”
“Kitty?” Grimmjow rumbled, feeling insulted. “Who’re you callin’ kitty-?”
Ichigo raised his arm to stop Grimmjow’s threatening steps forward. He gave her a reproachful look, only to be met with a wild grin that held no apologies.
“Ignoring your comments, why just us two?” Ichigo asked, barely stopping himself from reacting to the old title. “Surely not just us two can power such a thing?”
“Ichi, Ichi, Ichi..” Urahara’s infuriatingly cheerful tone was back. Ichigo had to take a deep breath that sounded painful to the rest of the hall. “Aren’t you two mates-”
Ichigo shrieked as he flung himself at Urahara, slapping his hands over the other’s mouth that continued to speak, if incredibly muffled. “Shutupshutupshutupshutp! Don’t say such things!?” His face was bright red, making him look as though he were on fire, much to the amusement of everyone else. “That is a PrIvAtE mAtTeR!” His voice cracked, sending the room into fond chuckles and highly amused cackling. Ichigo was sure there was actual steam coming off his head with how red he was, sputtering as he tried to silence Urahara.
There were some glances at Orihime, but she didn’t look at all saddened. In fact, she was hiding a knowing smile behind her hand. Uryuu was smirking smugly as he held his hand out to Chad. The big man sighed in resignation, giving him a decent bit of money from his wallet. Isshin and his twin daughters were laughing at Ichigo’s expense.
“What does he mean?” Lisa asked, leering at the orangenette who had become the Visored’s little brother.
A tea kettle squeal left Ichigo as he turned away from the hall, but they could see how red the back of his neck and ears were.
“Alright, fine.” Lisa then got up and walked all the way over to where Grimmjow leaned against a wall. “What are your intentions with our Ichi-Berry?”
Grimmjow raised an eyebrow as he straightened, clearly trying to intimidate the smaller woman. She only raised a judgmental eyebrow before he slouched. “Ichigo is my mate, yes. Our souls are as compatible as can be, even more so than that midget Soul Reaper.” He ignored the thrown dagger made of ice with ease, already knowing it was coming. “Our Hollows and Zankpukto spirits have already merged, and we share inner worlds.
“That princess who can heal..they had already come to an agreement long before I even entered the picture, pursuing Ichigo. Their son, Kazui, is a sweet little boy whom I already consider my own. They share custody and are amicable. The little archer is good for her, and they are all still close as ever, with no ill will towards any party.
“If this idea of that hat n’ clogs is going to work, you will need to let us, meaning Ichi and I, have full authority over what we do to power it.” Grimmjow wasn’t speaking loudly, but he didn’t need to.
The hall was rendered silent once more, this time in awe of Grimmjow’s maturity and speech. They watched as he made his way over to Ichigo, drawing him into a tight embrace where he could hide his face in Grimmjow’s shoulder.
The most tender kiss was pressed against Ichigo’s temple, making him melt and relax into the hold. Those who were closest to Ichigo saw the way he relaxed in the hold, knowing that he only ever did that when he completely trusted the other. Those gathered could all see what the words meant. The two were like fire and ice, yes, but underneath it all was a most tending man to his intended love.
“Well now, that’s wonderful to hear.” Lisa smiled warmly at the pair. “That’s all I wanted to hear. Take care of him, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, or you will not make it to the reincarnation cycle.”
Grimmjow stared at her, eyes wide, for he just knew that the Visoreds would make good on it. “As I promised in our vows, I will.”
Lisa nodded, satisfied, as she made her way back to the other Visoreds who had been watching the interaction.
“Wait- vows?” Renji blurted out, staring at his brother in all but blood. “Ichigo, you asshole, when did you two Bond?! Where were our invitations?!”
Grimmjow snorted, amused. Ichigo huffed, turning to half face the room. “I didn’t want a whole lot of people for a small ceremony. It was a small, intimate event.” He spoke, raising an eyebrow at the wilted expressions on everyone’s faces. “What, you wanted to be there?” They all nodded furiously, making him blink in surprise. “Well..I suppose if you ask, my dad might have some photos and videos.”
He watched in fond exasperation as the hall nearly erupted with noise as they tried to shout over each other to get their hands on the aforementioned media.
“You knew they’d act like this, Berry,” Grimmjow muttered into Ichigo’s ear, making him shiver at the breath brushing over the skin. “I’m surprised it took them this long to actually say anything. We didn’t exactly keep it a secret.”
Ichigo huffed again, hiding his face once more. “We also didn’t advertise it, at my behest. I knew they wanted to come..but all I wanted was to be unified in my love for you. Something small and intimate, traditional.”
Grimmjow purred happily at the words; his Ichigo was so soft under that tough guy attitude. He tilted Ichigo’s head up, pressing their foreheads together. An answering purr from Ichigo made them melt into each other.
“Hey, are you two done with the PDA yet? We want to get started!” Of course, they couldn’t stay wrapped up for too long, for they had shit to do.
The one who had spoken was Ikkaku, pointing an accusing finger at the pair. With twin unimpressed eyebrows raised, the bald man sweatdropped but didn’t back down.
“The same lab we were in during the Quincy War is still in full operation, complete with extra space!” Urahara clapped his hands, smiling widely. His face had a fading handprint from where Ichigo had tried to silence him. “We’ll be working there, so if we could all go down?”
“Oh shit, we’re really doing this,” Ichigo muttered, which caused the rest of the room to remember just what this meeting was really about.
A smattering of chuckles echoed as they gathered their reports together. Urahara led the way to the lab, despite it being Kurotsuchi’s area. Speaking of the clown, he was muttering under his breath while a late-teenaged Nemuri took rapid notes at his side. Ichigo was not going to touch that with a ten-foot or longer pole.
When they were all finally in the lab, squished together but with enough breathing room that it wasn’t uncomfortable, they watched as Urahara and Kurotsuchi practically flew around the room to press this button or flip that switch.
The whirring of multiple computers filled the room, displaying many different kinds of data that completely flew over their heads. Things really started to get going when the two genius scientists put down the pegs for the Senkaimon Gate.
When it was up, and they could see the white-blue void, the two scientists turned around rapidly to face the blue-orange pair. It made them blink, startled enough to take a step back.
“Soooo, lovebirds, one of you needs to power a Garganta, and it needs to be the most powerful you can make it.” Urahara grinned at them, eyes practically crescents with how big his smile was.
Grimmjow snorted, folding his arms tightly across his chest. “It’s just a connection from Hueco Mundo to other worlds. It doesn’t matter how much power is behind it.” He raised a disbelieving eyebrow at the man. “What exactly do you think a Garganta is?”
“A mystical portal that opens the borders between worlds!” Urahara laughed that maniacal chuckle of his, fan hiding the lower half of his face.
“Oh, look, Ichigo, there’s that fan.” Grimmjow ignored him entirely as he turned to Ichigo, who was trying to hide his laughter. His shaking shoulders gave him away, though.
“Just open the damned thing where the Senkaimon energy is placed at!” Kurotsuchi barked, making Grimmjow growl threateningly.
“Easy, Grimm,” Ichigo whispered, clasping his hand tightly. “Just do as he says. The faster you do it, the faster we can get away from him and that ridiculous, abnormally large fingernail.”
Grimmjow huffed, but stepped forward onto the raised platform where the Senkaimon stood. Raising his hand, he focused his power to condense it into his palm. A black light outlined in black began to grow in his palm before he flung it forward to mix with the Senkaimon.
They watched as the opposite energies swirled together, sparking intensely. For a moment, the two energies swirled in near-perfect harmony before they began to mix. To Ichigo, he thought that the mixing colors looked like the paint you’d find in marbles.
As the event went on, everyone held their breath. With how opposite the two were, no one was sure that the energies wouldn’t attack each other. When time continued forward with nothing happening, the room let out a collective sigh of relief.
Before anything else could happen, Ichigo grabbed Grimmjow’s hand and dragged him over to where Orihime and the other Humans stood.
“‘Hime, if this hairbrained idea of Kisuke’s actually works and we can right our wrongs,” Ichigo brought their foreheads together despite the height difference. Orihime brought her hands up to clench tightly in his hair. “Please..please take care of our son. Tell him his dada and papa love him very much. I don’t know what’ll happen to this stream of time. Protect yourselves, all of you, and others in spirit if nothing else.”
For once, no one was teasing him about this. Of everything they had been through, this was the last time they were going on a mission, let alone seeing someone off.
“Ichi-nii!” Karin and Yuzu, despite both being 23 years old, acted just as they did when they were preteens; sobbing and clutching onto him.
He nuzzled them as if they were his cubs and he was the mother cat. “My sweet little sisters, everything will be alright. I have Grimmjow with me.”
Grimmjow, hearing his name, plastered himself to Ichigo’s side. He gave the twins his own nuzzling, holding tight to the three siblings. “‘M gonna be there, always. This orange idiot can’t keep himself out of trouble.”
Ichigo blinked at him, mock offended. “Excuse me, I don’t go looking for trouble. It normally finds me first.” He was leveled with the most deadpanned expressions from his friends and family. “No love for me, I see how it is.” He fake sniffed, wiping away a fake tear before he was encompassed in a big group hug that had everyone laughing.
Over on one of the computers that was displaying how the signatures were behaving, Urahara Kisuke watched the group with such a most guilty, grief-filled aura that he was about to sprout mushrooms.
He saw those bright smiles, the close bonds, and he hated that what they were attempting was going to be the very thing that ends it all.
“Are you sure about this, Kisuke?” He felt his body relax as one of his most trusted people sidled up next to him.
“Yoruichi.” He greeted, nodding to her. He then sighed, defeated. “I hate that this is my idea. I’m going to do something irreparable to those two. If there was any other way, both scientifically proven or weird by Soul Reaper standards, I’d entertain them. I hope, in the next lifetime, that my soul will have peace and so will Ichigo.”
“I’m not blaming you, you wack shopkeeper.” Ichigo himself poked the blonde man in the side, making him jump from the unexpected nudge. “If there truly was another way, you would have found it. I wish for your soul to find peace, to rest.” Ichigo’s gentle smile made all his worries wash away, making Urahara slump even more, but this time it was from relief. “Hey, I might even meet your soul again.”
Urahara laughed, imagining a full grown adult Ichigo and some tiny version of him interacting.
Rukia slid into their group of four seamlessly, jabbing both Grimmjow and Ichigo in the sides with her sharp ass elbow. “I have a favor to ask you two, Ichigo, Grimmjow.”
“Oh?” Grimmjow raised an eyebrow, holding his side. “And what does the little ice midget want to ask of us?”
Rukia blinked in his direction, biting the inside of her cheek with how pinched her face looked. “Ignoring him,” she turned to face Ichigo, who was already shaking his head at their mocking words. “Ichigo, I want you to find my soul and take me with you.”
All of Ichigo’s senses seemed to have screeched to a halt. There was a ringing in his ear, like someone had sent off a blast right next to his ear. He couldn’t hear anything, only able to stare right back at Rukia’s determined face. He searched her face for anything other than determination, trying to see if she was anything but serious.
“Are-” Ichigo coughed heavily when his senses were regained. “Are you sure? What about all the progress you’ve made with your brother? Renji?”
Rukia shook her head with a smile. “We’re soul siblings, Ichigo. Our connection is eternal. I do love my brother and Renji very much. But if there’s a chance to have a better start at life, I want to take it. This time, I’ll just be your daughter instead of your soul sister.”
The two of them shared a smile before they both crumbled at the same time, flinging themselves at the other and babbling, sobbing that they’ll miss the other and hope that they’ll reunite somehow.
Grimmjow smiled softly, hugging them both tightly.
Their happy moment was disrupted by the sudden blaring of multiple alarms. It was with the woosh of what sounded like a vacuum that made them all whip towards the portal. It was thrumming with power, both with blue-white and black-white colored energies swirling even faster. It didn’t look-
“Not stable..” Someone muttered. “Holy shit, it’s not stable!”
The comment prompted everyone with a scientific mind to rush to a computer and start typing rapidly. Steadily, voices rose to shouting as the portal became more unstable. Sparks flying out from the portal, striking people and causing flames to erupt on their sleeves.
Grimmjow tilted his head this way and that before he hissed behind his teeth. “They’re too different, the energies here. Oh, we’re about to have trouble.”
Ichigo and Rukia just sighed in unison, entirely unfazed as they were used to it.
In the next moment, the warning alarms became louder and louder until they were near deafening. The power surging in the portal began to spark dangerously again, but it seemed to be more concentrated now.
Ichigo had just a moment to think, oh fu-, before a band of energy wrapped around his wrist and started to yank him towards the portal. He was so caught off guard that he didn’t even notice Grimmjow had his own energy leash and was being pulled in just the same.
The room collectively blinked before panic set in, and the noise level rose above the warning alarms.
“KUROTSUCHI! URAHARA! DO SOMETHING!” Yoruichi shouted, spurring them into action.
The plan wasn’t supposed to go like this, but when has anything when it included Ichigo Kurosaki?
The tugging wasn’t overly strong, but it sure was insistent. Ichigo sighed, rubbing his forehead as he pulled back against the tug.
“Ya know, Urahara, this was your idea and all,” he started, giving the shopkeeper the most judgmental side eye he could muster. “But can one thing go right for once? That’s literally all I ask for.”
Urahara laughed at him, fingers flying across the keyboard. “Perks of being all-powerful, Ichi-kuuuuun!”
Ichigo only scowled at him, refusing to entertain him.
“Welp, I’m sure that letting the two leashes take you into the portal will not have negative feedback on the hybrid and the Arrancar.” Kurotsuchi chose that moment to butt into the conversation. Amber and ice colored eyes merely blinked at him, identical scowls on their faces. “So there’s not going to be any kind of soul ripping or annihilation of anything important. But,” he suddenly grinned maniacally, making everyone tense in trepidation for his next actions. “We should speed this up.”
He walked up behind the bound pair and lightly kicked them into the portal, Ichigo’s last words being, echoed by his inner hollow, “FUCK YOU, YOU SHIT FACED CLOWN!” Before the portal closed behind them.
For a moment, they all stared blankly at the spot before Kenpanchi and his three cohorts howled with laughter. Their laughter set off the rest of the room into fits of maniacal cackling. When they took time to breathe, someone would catch another’s eye, and it would start up again. When they finally calmed down enough that they wouldn’t start up again, they began to filter out, now that they were no longer needed.
The only people left in the room were the people closest to Ichigo and Grimmjow.
“I do hope that boy gets to have his happy ending.” Kyōraku sighed wistfully, Nanao nodding sharply next to him.
Wistful hums echoed his statement before there was another alarm, but this time it was softer.
“What does this one mean, Kisuke?” Yoruichi asked him, looking at the information herself, but she couldn’t get much out of it.
Urahara smiled brightly, and when he looked up, tears were rolling down his face, much to the alarm of the group. Before anyone could ask what’s wrong, he said, “Ichigo and Grimmjow had done it. This time stream will cease to exist because the events of the past have been changed for the better. We can rest now.”
Just as he spoke, the walls around the room began to crumble as if they were being disintegrated.
At those words, tears filled everyone else’s eyes. It wasn’t grief, no, it was the purest feeling of happiness and peace. They had relied on Ichigo once more, and now they can finally rest in peace just like they all wanted to. And it was thanks to the orange-haired teen- no, he was a man now, and he had just done the impossible based on another impossibility.
Their only wish now is that Ichigo and Grimmjow get their peaceful ending, wherever and whenever that may be.