Prologue

"My child, what do you feel?"

Rain poured throughout the ruins of the Soul Society. Buildings laid destroyed and bodies of long-dead Shinigami were sprinkled throughout. And they were consumed in darkness.

Yet, the world seemed to center itself around two individuals and the final words of history.

The hero of salvation and the Almighty.

"Tell me, Ichigo. Tell your father what you are feeling right now."

The thundering voice of Yhwach was the only thing heard by Ichigo. The expanding reiatsu of the man before him had wiped the area clean of sound pollution.

Even the rain made no sound as it simply was absorbed by the darkness.

"No..." His denial was a mere gasp to Yhwach's ears, a defiant last cry of denial before everything ended.

"Tell me, Ichigo Kurosaki, why do you fight against eternal life? To save those who you love?"

A fire seemed to erupt in Ichigo's eyes as he grasped the ground, his hands searching for Zangetsu.

The rain stopped but to Ichigo, it was still raining.

"Why do you struggle? I bring life without end, a world of happiness, without inequality, of prejudice, and hate. Why do you resist this change?" Yhwach took a step forward as he loomed overhead above Ichigo, a judging look on his face.

"Life... Would... Be... Meaningless..." Ichigo said, his strength slowly gathering for the last huzzah. "Memories... Would... Be... Meaningless..."

Finally, he found the hilt of Zangetsu and his eyes roared with unyielding determination. "And... I will not let them... Be meaningless!" his roar of defiance echoed throughout the silence.

"Foolish."

Yet, Zangetsu never reached Yhwach.

A small, sorrowful smile formed on Ichigo's face. "I am sorry... Zangetsu..."

The manifestation of his soul and his will was already corroded in half, the handle the only thing intact.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

The final light of salvation burned the darkness but it was for a moment. Like any fire, it burned out. The darkness soon consumed the area in which it was vanquished and darkness soon knew nothing but only darkness, the creator, and the son basked in darkness.

The final fire in the world was smoldered.

"You deserve better, my child," Yhwach declared as he turned his back to Ichigo. "And you deserve punishment. Bask in your failures and live for them," with that final declaration, his power consumed Ichigo.

But, he had a special purpose for him.

A final punishment for his transgressions towards God.

Divine punishment.

Ichigo stood before the Kurosaki clinic, a small smile graced his lips as he opened the door. "I am home," he declared softly as he quickly took off his shoes and walked in, quickly heading up the stairs to the housing component of the building.

"Oh! You're home, big brother!" Yuzu said excitedly, her voice distant however as she was in the kitchen, preparing her heavenly food.

"Welcome home, Ichigo!" Isshin's loud voice shouted as he came in for a flying kick.

Yet, Ichigo easily blocked the kick and slammed his father into the wall next to him. "Is that really what you say to your son who just out of a war?" he said with a huff.

"And the war has obviously dulled your instincts!" his father once more declared as he used his other leg to strike Ichigo in the head, sending him flying to the wall.

Despite the minor inconvenience, Ichigo merely got up and sent an irritated glare at his father who was crossing his arms and laughing at his expense.

A soccer ball then greeted the goat-chin's face which sent him back into the hole he had made previously.

"Ichigo's right, you shouldn't do that to him," Karin huffed as she walked down the stairs.

"M-My sweet daughter, how could you do that to your sweet and caring father?!" Isshin asked as he started to hug himself with tears rolling down.

"It's simple really, you're an idiot and annoying," Karin dismissed as she pulled a seat for herself at the dining table.

As his father started to have that melodramatic breakdown that usually came with Yuzu or Karin rejecting him, Ichigo merely smiled. "I'll wash up," he declared as he made his way upstairs.

"Okay! I am making curry right now, so better go quickly," Yuzu teased from the kitchen.

"Yes yes," Ichigo replied with a bit more energy. Who wouldn't love Yuzu's curry? He thought to himself.

Stepping into the bathroom, he made his way to the sink in order to quickly shave. Sure, he couldn't have been gone for almost a few weeks but his human body does change.

My child born in darkness.

Ichigo's eyes widened, his heart raced, and his breathing became erratic as he stared at the mirror and it was not his reflection on there.

Yhwach. Juha Bach. His final enemy stared back at him.

False memories born from his dream vanished and in its place was the truth.

Anger soon overcame him as he punched the mirror but as his fist made contact, the world around him shattered.

The world around him became darkness.

I am sorry...

He found himself in water, his body resting on a flat surface. Large concrete business complexes loomed overhead.

"Finally awake, king?"

Ichigo propped himself up as he tried to face a side of him he long had disliked but had understood. "White," he muttered as he stood on shaky legs.

"We got cooked, didn't we?" White asked with a light chuckle.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied darkly.

A small smile was etched on White's face as he walked up to Ichigo. "We had a nice ride, didn't we, king?" he clapped a hand on the strawberry's shoulder.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied more lightly, a sad smile replaced his frown. Then, pain erupted from his forehead.

"Stop moping, king," White growled as he pressed his head into Ichigo's. "Do not be sad that things are over, be glad that it happened."

Ichigo stared at White dumbly, his mind trying to comprehend what just happened. "Wha-"

"I want you to get your shit together, I do not want to spend my last moments in a flood," White continued angerly. "Nor do I want to see that disgusting expression on your face! You got that, shit-face king?! No wonder your mom left you!"

At that moment, a fire burned in Ichigo's eyes and the burdens that had weighed heavily on him were momentarily forgotten. "What you say to me you albino bastard?!" he roared as he started to force pressure on to White's forehead.

"Before you get into your little fight, I do want to point out that you're indeed not dead or going to die," another familiar voice called out.

Ichigo turned his head to face the manifestation of his quincy side, old man Zangetsu. "Yhwach..." his voice carried off, an underlying tone of anger evident. He shook his head, this was not his latest enemy. "Zangetsu," he greeted more warmly.

"Oi oi oi! You only call him Zangetsu, not me?!" White roared in indignation. "For your information, we are both Zangetsu!" the hollow and soul reaper side of him then proceeded to pout.

At that point, any annoyance was pushed aside as Ichigo started to chuckle. In response, White and Zangetsu smiled in their respective degrees at seeing their host recovering slightly from his depression.

After the moment of brief joy, Ichigo's mind was left to recede back to the self-depressing state it was.

Thus, a sigh escaped from White as he looked at Zangetsu for help.

The quincy obliged the hollow. "You know that if you keep this up, your memories will be filled with self-doubt and sadness instead of the joy that had made them special," he began. "As the hollow-" White made a small outcry from the disrespect, "-had said, albeit it is quite inappropriate for the situation, do not be sad it had ended, be happy that it had occurred. Do not hesitate, Ichigo, live on for the memories of your friends and family. Live on for the memories that had brought joy and never forget your lowest point."

A hollow chuckle erupted from Ichigo. "I am at my lowest point... I had failed everyone."

"The only person you had truly failed is yourself."

Ichigo looked back up to Zangetsu with confusion and anger mixing in his eyes. "I broke the promises to my friends and my family! How could I only-!"

"You had promised yourself that you will never cry."

Ichigo stared at Zangetsu with confusion then realization as he felt the wetness on his cheeks. "Never again... Since regaining my powers..." he muttered, wiping his tears.

A small smile etched its way on Zangetsu's face. "Therefore, find happiness in this new world, Ichigo."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Wait! What do you-?!" He never got to finish as Zangetsu forced him out of the inner world.

"Was that really necessary, you quincy bastard?" White growled as he quickly summoned his blade.

Zangetsu impassively looked pointedly at White before turning away. "I do not need to explain myself to a hollow but I do suppose my control over this vessel is slipping. Therefore," he turned his head slightly, allowing White to see the numerous pupils, "I entrust this final punishment to you, hollow."

Prologue End

Joy, another DxD and Bleach fanfiction as well as another story I must update.