Title: The Chains that Bind Us

Fandom: Bleach

Rating/Warning: M for language mostly. There is also violence and sex. I will include warnings before lemon. Yaoi (KenpachxIchigo as well as some IkkakuxYumichika)

Disclaimer: Bleach is created and owned by Tite Kubo, I merely pay homage to characters and a story I love.

Description: Those in the land of the living and those that are in the Soul Society are switched in this tale. The (mostly) humans are now shinigami on Squads and the former captain and lieutenants are humans. The timing is set after WWII around the beginning of the Korean War (end of 1940, beginning of 1950). Kisuke Urahara, one of the few humans who live in the Soul Society without having to die first, has the ability to see the chains of fate. He looks through ancient prophecies and tries to ward off a great event that could end all worlds, gathering humans from across the land of the living to aid as well.

These are all the canon characters, tried to be kept in character as much as possible with no OC. Aizen still wants to be God (assuming that is what his real goal is) and Ichigo and team still need to stop him. I was inspired by the idea about how if all this (in the manga) had taken ago one thousand years sooner or later, then some of the characters might have switched around by then (some as humans, etc), by all the talk of fate and destiny by the characters, and by Kenpachi yelling about fighting on and on getting stronger in each reincarnation.

In the end though, this is about love and friendship even across worlds and lifetimes.

The First Move

Fate and destiny. The man moved the two Chinese rolling balls around in his hand. If you could control them both and form them into a force that you could control, if you could make it into a weapon, then you could fire it just like you'd fire a gun, straight into the heart of time itself, stopping it eternally. Above time, above fate and destiny, isn't that what god is? No god like that exists now, he thought to himself. I will become that god.

He understood that there were lots of things in the way. He didn't have the lifespan he would have liked, and there were pesky godlings in the way, but with sufficient brain power and an iron will, such things could be overcome.

"Why?" he remembered someone asking him once, when he had laid out his plan. What a stupid question. It only reinforced his opinion that no one could understand him.

"Why?" the same man had asked while he was being killed. That was an even stupider question.

"Professor?"

"Yes?"

The girl blushed. "I hate to bother you when you look like you're so deep in thought but your class will be starting soon."

"Thank you, Momo," he said as he stood. "I'm not sure what I would do without you."

"Y…you'd be fine, professor," she said, turning redder.

"Can you send that message on my desk off to Professor Ichimaru? I think he's off in Africa studying beetles or something."

"Of course, sir."

Aizen meekly adjusted his glasses and used his coat brush to quickly remove some of the chalk that had collected on his shoulders before entering his lecture hall. His secretary looked over the message that he had scrawled in his almost illegible handwriting. "Mudpies by May 2nd, if not then let me know." She sighed and decided it wasn't even worth asking about.

The fat general was sweating fiercely, which wasn't surprising considering how very hot it was, and how much money was riding on these next couple of shots. If he didn't pick it up quick he was going to lose to this smiling British man next to him. Damn little snot didn't even look that upset when he was losing and the general thought he was going to make some very nice money, but now...How much had he promised a hole again? He didn't even remember. He hadn't had that much to drink to feel this drunk. The general glanced over at his fellow golf mate. That grin was starting to grate on him.

By the end of the 18th he was almost shaking and actually felt ill. He wondered if it was just the money or if he should go to the doctor.

"General, are you feeling alright?" the damn man had the nerve to ask. Didn't he look like he was about to die on the spot? Why the hell would he be alright?

"I think I have the flu, or maybe food poisoning," the general said.

"You know, you really started falling off of your game near the end. I almost feel bad, like I was taking advantage of you," Gin said.

The general hadn't even thought of that. "Oh yes, I didn't want to stop but I felt it coming very shortly after we walked out here."

"Hm…" Gin thought for a moment. "Did I tell you about my sister?"

"I think you mentioned her yesterday during dinner at the club."

"Yes, you see she's married to someone that I really rather hate. In fact, I hate him so much I would really like to see him live in some other part of the world," Gin said with a smile.

"He's in the army you mean? Transfer him?" The general was starting to feel very guilty. That sounded very unmilitary like. Hadn't he fought in the greatest war? Would he really send a soldier to timbucktu just because he lost some money to some limey bastard?

"The man's name is Colonel Kenpachi Zaraki. I would be willing to wave away our bet if he was moved to some place very miserable."

The general smiled and the world stopped spinning for awhile. He felt like laughing but felt that might frighten this very nice man next to him. Yes, he could send Zaraki to hell for all he cared.

"Wait," the general said as he had a sudden epiphany. "Kenpachi married your sister? My god man…" He offered to buy the professor a drink but the man waved it off.

"Sit down and shut up," the big man said; his personality and voice filling the tent even more than his impressive frame.

Things got quiet around the operations table.

The man in front looked at the map tacked to the tent. "Fuck," he said simply. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "In this circle here, that's our fucking swamp. We're protecting it from these guys in this circle, who also have their own fucking swamp. Why someone wants a fucking swamp is beyond me but I sure as hell ain't giving mine up," the colonel's staff laughed at that. Kenpachi sat down and Major Madarame stood up to begin his report.

"I say we surrender," Ikkaku said.

The room fell silent.

"Yes, I think we should surrender the swamp to the mosquitoes, they've clearly had time to fortify their positions," he continued, slapping his neck at a mock bite to the tent's laughter.

"I heard a rumor that the gnats and the mosquitoes have been battling for decades so maybe we should stay out what is clearly an internal affair," Yumichika offered.

They howled at that.

A couple of hours later the three of them stood outside of the newly set up base.

"What a piece of shit," Kenpachi said.

"Yeah, and I don't really understand why we were sent here," Ikkaku stated.

"Oh come on, being here at all is stupid, to complain about why we're here in this specific field doesn't serve a purpose," Yumichika said and he waved away more blood suckers. "I do hate this place with ever fiber of my being though, if that counts for anything."

"Ha," Ikkaku laughed. "Seriously though, at least we had a strategic advantage to where we were before. Here there is nothing. There's that giant white hill up there but anything up there would instantly be spotted and bombed."

"Well, why is it different to be told 'die here for this hill' or 'die here for this swamp'," Kenpachi said. "It's still killing and dying."

"That's it then," Yumichika said. "They don't want us back."

"There's plenty back, maybe they just don't want those of us willing to stay out here back," Ikkaku offered.

"Oh yeah right guys, what the hell would you do anyways, Ikkaku? Wear a suit with collar and hat working as a clerk for someone someone and someone?" Kenpachi said with a laugh.

Yumichika's eyes gleamed for a second. "You do look really nice dressed up!" he said to Ikkaku.

"You can work as a tailor for a bunch of fat, ugly, old ladies who want you tell them how beautiful they are," Ikkaku said. Yumichika paled.

"No matter what, this is where we'll always be," Kenpachi said.

"Please do not be so depressing," Yumichika said. "At least wait until we get to a pretty place to say that."

There was a muffled noise in the distance, a noise they knew all too well.

"Well, it was a nice tea party but I guess duty calls," Kenpachi said. "Yumichika, grab the night squad and try to flank, I'll grab these newbies in the truck coming in now. Ikkaku get the fortifications."

"Colonel!" the man leading the small group approached him.

"Welcome to camp Swamp Ass!" Kenpachi said. "Now drop your shit, grab a gun, and follow me."

It was a full on invasion force, which means that they had been expected to arrive and set up camp. It hadn't been a full ambush though, which was good. Ikkaku was too far away to talk with effectively although they had communicated with hand signs. Yumichika wasn't seen but if he was flanking then he wouldn't be.

What…Kenpachi thought that it was a play of lights but no, there was a boy out there. "HEY!" he yelled. There was a smattering of bullets and he cursed, ducking.

"Colonel?" one of his men asked him.

"Don't fire on the kid, he ain't one of ours but I don't think he's involved in this at all."

"What kid, Colonel?" the man asked him.

"The damn red-head out there!" Kenpachi pointed. He stood up, "HEY JACKASS!" pointing to Ichigo. "WATCH OUT!" Ichigo just stared at him for a moment and then Kenpachi felt like someone was pushing on his forehead very hard. He could feel his body falling but the only thing that he was thinking about was that boy's face.

"Colonel!" Ikkaku yelled. "Covering fire!" he ordered everyone as he ran across.

Ichigo wasn't really sure what was happening and didn't want anyone killing each other until he had the situation under control. So he did the only thing he could think of.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

"WHA.." "What the hell…" "was that a bomb?" "The colonel you assholes, get the colonel!"

"You…" Kenpachi said from the ground, as the boy touched his head. "They couldn't see you? You're an angel?"

"I'm not an angel," Ichigo assured him. "I guess this helmet protected your life, I saw the blood on it and thought you were a goner."

"That's old blood. Be careful, they're going to attack again," Kenpachi said.

"I made a barrier between us It will take them awhile to get around."

"There he is!" Yumichika called out.

"Colonel…" Ikkaku stopped, directly looking at Ichigo.

"They told us that you kept raving about some kid and then ran into fire," he said slowly after a long pause.

"Yeah," Kenpachi answered.

"But, no one saw anything?" Yumichika asked, looking around at the blank faces around them.

"No. We can look for someone if you want us to," one of the men said.

"No, let's get the colonel back and looked at first," Ikkaku said.

As he men helped him to his feet, Kenpachi grabbed at Ichigo, making a firm purchase on the fabric of his shirt. "Don't you go anywhere," he said lowly. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me what the hell is going on."

Ichigo wasn't planning on it; he definitely had questions of his own.