I do not own anything from Bleach

Author's Note is at the end.

The world was ending. Soul society was being consumed in darkness. Torn apart cell by cell, atom by atom and consumed into one final form. Yhwach. But it wasn't over just yet.

Tensa Zangetsu was still whole so Ichigo still had a shot at defeating Yhwach. But there wasn't enough time for him to use his bankai. So instead Ichigo had to try and make more time the only way he knew how.

With a Getsuga Tensho.

Once again Ichigo cursed the fact that he never tried to learn any kido or other Shinigami techniques. So just like every other time this was going to have to be enough.

Ichigo flash stepped towards Yhwach with all the speed he could muster.

All he needed was one hit, just a small lull in combat to activate his bankai's ability. It didn't matter if Yhwach healed himself afterwards or even rewrote the future. The time it would take him to do so would be enough.

Damnit, why did he believe that just one Getsuga would have been enough to permanently defeat Yhwach? How did Aizen fall for it? Or was it just another part of his plan?

For once Ichigo really wouldn't mind if that was the case.

"Useless!"

Once more Yhwach's power over the future proved too much to handle with only brute force. An invisible force slammed against Tensa Zangetsu with enough power to crack it even further and break off several small parts. Ichigo let go of his zanpakuto just in time before his arm was bent to far back. A broken arm was the last thing he needed.

'Shit!' Somewhat predictably a full frontal attack had failed. But it also proved to Ichigo that he still had a very real chance of winning this. Tensa Zangetsu didn't break only cracked. So even the power to alter the future couldn't destroy his bankai anymore. Still, even though Yhwach's powers were having less, effect the damage remained and Ichigo wasn't sure if Tensa Zangetsu could take another hit.

Quickly shifting direction mid shunpo. Ichigo moved back to where his zanpakuto was now imbedded in the rubble.

Getsuga from range was the only remaining option now. If he could grab Tensa Zangetsu, move a bit further back and then create a clearing with as big a Getsuga as he could manage, he might still have enough time before Yhwach attacked again. The increasingly more cynical part of his mind however reminded him that Yhwach was well past the point of waiting around and monologuing.

The sudden pillar of darkness erupting in front of him proved as much.

Turning around to try and dodge the attack proved in vane when Ichigo felt the darkness grab a hold of his back and start to invade his body, tearing at every fiber of his being, to consume him whole.

"Gah!"

So close, Tensa Zangetsu was there tantalizingly close but impossible to get to. Ichigo tried to move his hands closer but they wouldn't move, melted along with the rest of his body together with Yhwach's power. With his one remaining free eye Ichigo could see the barrier hanging around the Seireitei being swallowed at a terrifying rate. Slowly casting the entire Seireitei in darkness.

"This is the end, Ichigo. There is no one left capable of stopping me. All your opportunities have shattered in front of you."

As the last word left his mouth the sound of silver breaking could be heard from behind Yhwach. Ichigo looked on in shocked silence at the remnants of a silver arrow, a reishi bow aimed at Yhwach's back and an equally shocked Ishida gazing back at him.

"Did you truly believe that I wouldn't see your betrayal?"

Yhwach turned around to face Ishida, his black incorporeal form shrinking again to its normal size.

"Or did you believe that just because still silver can block my powers when mixed with my blood its mere existence would be enough to prevent me from seeing it within my future?"

Ishida broke from his trance jumping up as high as he could and aiming his bow at Yhwach while collecting a massive amount of reishi at the end of it.

"I am A the almighty."

The black on Yhwach's skin bled away, coalescing inside his body, revealing Yhwach in his human appearance except for the darkness still covering his upper face, blending in seamlessly with his hair

"Licht Regen!"

"And you are nothing but an investment I've come to collect."

Darkness swirled around Yhwach, idly protecting him against the first volley of arrows before shooting through the rest of them. Seemingly not meeting any resistance.

Ishida moved to the side. Climbing higher up all the while, never giving up on his attack as a rain of blue arrows continued to fall.

"My own power trying to fight against me, how ridiculous."

Ishida suddenly lost all control of his reiatsu, his bow broke apart and the rain of arrows stopped. His entire body felt clogged as if his reiatsu had taken on an actual physical form. Cementing itself inside of his body and preventing him from using it or moving altogether. But something did move, going upwards and rising through his throat looking for escape. Ishida couldn't hold it in even if he wanted to.

Darkness spewed from his mouth, enveloping his entire body in the substance. The clogging feeling was much worse now. His entire body, inside and out, felt like a heavy weight completely out of his control. Ishida was left as an observer in his own body, watching events unfold before him. Powerless as his body moved on its own.

"There is no point in resisting for you have nothing left to resist with."

A large grin sprouted on Yhwach's face.

"It seems that you finally understand that as well, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Ichigo hadn't moved from his spot but he was no longer entangled with Yhwach's darkness. A group of blue arrows were scattered all around him. His head was pointed downwards, hair casting a shadow over his eyes.

"You understand my power better than any other still alive."

Yhwach started walking towards Ichigo. The darkness all around them settling down again. All eyes were on Ichigo.

"Ishida thought that I wouldn't notice him making a few arrows from a mixture of reishi and my own reiatsu. He thought I wouldn't notice those arrows being shot at the darkness coiling around you in order to loosen my hold so you could break free and reach your zanpakuto."

Yhwach stopped right in front of Ichigo. Staring down at him triumphantly.

"But you know better. You know there is nothing I can't see. You know that I would never allow you to reach your zanpakuto so you chose to do nothing. Despair has finally claimed you."

"Interesting."

Yhwach released a wet cough in surprise at the all too familiar voice. A little blood flying from his mouth.

"Kurosaki Ichigo's bankai must truly be terrifying."

A quick glance around showed Aizen standing in front of him, fully healed without a single scratch or drop of blood marring him, with Kyoka Suigetsu piercing his heart and Ichigo standing further away. With his bankai in hand.

No, he was too close to fail now.

"Bakudo #99: Part 2. Bankin"

From Aizen's outstretched hand black fabric erupts completely mummifying Yhwach along with Kyoka Suigetsu in an instant.

"Bakudo #75: Gochutekkan"

Light erupted from the sky, shortly giving way to 50 large, thick black iron pillars falling down, creating a circular walled off area around Aizen and Yhwach.

Jumping in the air over the wall of pillars surrounding them Aizen points his hand forward creating and instantly firing a wave of black swords piercing Yhwach just as darkness started leaking from the black fabric. The sealing kido that the blades were made off proved strong enough to prevent the darkness from leaking further.

"Bakudo #79: Kuyo Shibari"

From the point where Aizen landed on the ground outside of Yhwach's entrapment, an enormous black hole instantly formed on the ground for as far as anyone could see.

While a large black cylinder, even higher than the previous pillars, starts forming in the sky above Yhwach. Aizen's patented smirk started dropping down into a frown.

A stunned Ichigo, both mentally and physically, suddenly jerked in surprise when the kido beneath him suddenly gave way. Giving him a small patch of land where he could move.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, I'm afraid I must ask you to use your bankai now."

Before Aizen could even finish his sentence Ichigo had already raised Tensa Zangetsu high in the air. Pointing it at the sky and Ichigo himself staring at the blade.

"Move forward and never stop!"

Ichigo's reiatsu sore into the sky forming a blue column around him. Tensa Zangetsu shimmered, losing its physical form and slowly melting. The white part of the blade moved along Ichigo's arms to his torso and legs automatically forming flame like markings.

A muted scream of rage could be heard from within Yhwach's prison before it was silenced when the last part of the Bankin kido slammed into him. The cylinder fitted perfectly inside the previous pillar formation but towering over them at twice there height.

Aizen payed no attention to it, focusing intently on Ichigo instead.

The only part left of Tensa Zangetsu was the small black blade in the middle, slowly melting away down the hilt and dripping on Ichigo's face. Creating two long lines running downwards from his forehead.

"Break all limits! Tensa Zangetsu!"

XXX

The column of blue reiatsu previously swirling around him seemingly solidified into a large blue cylinder moving so far up into the sky even Aizen couldn't see nor sense where it ended.

Sensing was rather impossible anyway since Aizen couldn't sense anything coming from the pillar.

Aizen's smirk returned full force as he turned around to look at the now less impressive Yhwach ready to break out of his temporary seal.

Which he did, darkness exploding into the sky and taking the entire seal with it. The unmoving patches of darkness littering the entire Seireitei started to churn awake. Looking for the object of Yhwach's rage. When the explosion of darkness settled down again it revealed Yhwach standing inside completely unharmed looking strangely calm and relaxed.

With a completely emotionless face Yhwach asked.

"Why did you let Ichigo use his bankai."

Aizen was mildly surprised to hear the small sign of resignation in Yhwach's voice.

"From what you've said and from what I've gathered down here, you destroyed Ichigo's bankai the moment he activated it." Aizen dropped the Bakudo #79 still lying active on the ground knowing that it wouldn't slow down Yhwach in the least.

"After Ichigo came here you immediately tried to destroy it again. I know Ichigo Kurosaki is not to be underestimated. But you're fear of his bankai, despite having more power than even the late soul king, was hard to miss."

Aizen's smirk grew further, looking absently at his surroundings as he continued. "My illusions proved my suspicions to be correct."

"I saw your blade for the first time mere minutes ago. I broke it and after I died I was released from its effects."

Most of Yhwach's face was obscured by darkness but the tightening of his lips and the almost audible grinding of teeth clearly showed his rage at having his Almighty powers fooled. The fact that he couldn't come up with the right answers and had to ask Aizen for the answers instead only fueled his rage.

"I waited until I died before changing my future to make absolutely sure I was released from your Kyoka Suigetsu. I absorbed you before reforming my body so you couldn't use it again. So when did you use it!" Yhwach was screaming at the end, darkness writhing all around them and slamming down any buildings still left to release some of his rage. But never coming even close to Aizen.

He seemed very sure that the Aizen standing in front of him was just another illusion and that by attacking the surrounding areas he might connect with the real one.

Such a futile tactic.

Still Aizen was more than pleased enough to indulge him.

"It has been some time since the Hogyoku decided that I am above using or even having a zanpakuto. Whether from a Shinigami or an arrancar a zanpakuto is in essence nothing but a part of our soul and a seal of our power. The Hogyoku destroyed my zanpakuto and merged our power and soul back into one. Much like what you did with your investments, only better."

The sudden rise in spiritual pressure showed that Yhwach was not amused by the last part.

Riling up Yhwach was more fun than he thought it would be.

"Let me explain so you understand."

Another spike in spiritual pressure.

"You gave away some of your power, let it grow in a certain way via your Schrifts within another person and then take that power back again whenever you please. But-"

Aizen raised a mocking finger at Yhwach.

"- only the raw power. Once you take it any special ability the schrift had is gone."

The pressure lowered again and if Yhwach had eyes to show, they would have widened slightly.

"The Hogyoku did a much better job. Giving me everything my zanpakuto had to give. Its raw power, its ability to cast perfect illusions on anything that sees its reiatsu and its personality."

Yhwach looked in a seemingly random direction at nothing but rubble. Except both of them new it was where Muken was located deep underground.

"Back in Muken when I commented on the pathetic state you were in, you released your reiatsu to show me that you weren't sealed at all, simply limited. That's when you trapped me in your illusions and slightly warped my perception of time to make sure I wouldn't have enough time left to take Ichigo Kurosaki with me, didn't you?"

Another smirk was his answer.

"But I died. I let my body fall apart to make absolutely sure."

Smirk.

"I need my reiatsu to be present in your brain in order to alter your senses, the eyes work perfectly towards that end but trying to absorb me and my reiatsu and then reviving your entire body from that reiatsu works just as well."

Yhwach looked down at the ground.

"I see"

"It was unavoidable however. Even if you hadn't tried to absorb me I would still have easily broken free and your darkness is present all around us, its eyes seeing everything that's happening. You would have been under my control only slightly later."

"Changing the way you will die is not the same as being in control."

Aizen raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Ichigo? Killing me? Please."

With a snort Aizen narrowed his eyes at Yhwach, throwing his own words back at him.

"Don't project your own anxiety's onto me."

Yhwach's power sored to new heights blasting all the darkness in the surrounding area into the air.

Aizen continued unhindered.

"This battle is pointless. You can't kill me and I can't keep you dead. You can't seal me and I can't seal you. We can damage each other and subsequently heal ourselves again. We both have nearly unlimited reiatsu and the means to constantly acquire more. We can counter each other and fight each other forever and because of that you can't push me far enough to force me to evolve further."

Aizen turned his head to look high into the sky where the column of blue, solid reiatsu was still visible.

"But we both believe Ichigo can defeat you which puts him on a higher level than either of us. So after he does kill you, he can do what I have always planned for him to do and push me further to reach an even higher level of existence."

The darkness encroached closer and closer towards Aizen, eyes on all sides staring him down. Absently Aizen created another mimic of Kyoka Suigetsu from his reiatsu in his right hand and prepared for Yhwach's last desperate attempt to absorb him.

It was the only option left for him, to level the entire area around them with his darkness, while they were talking, and absorbing anything it came into contact with. Leaving his current position the only spot where the real Aizen could be, proving him not to be an illusion. If Yhwach could absorb him and take the Hogyoku than he could still win. A solid but predictable plan.

Of course Yhwach didn't know the range of his illusions and so Aizen simply had to wait, leaning against the sekkiseki stone wall on the outer rim of the Seireitei, staring at the unending pillar of blue light wondering how strong Ichigo would become and how far he himself would go as a result.

The sudden appearance of Yhwach standing right in front of him broke him out of his musings.

Aizen straightened, frowning at Yhwach. Why was he here? More importantly how was he able to look straight at him?

"When I told you, you had simply changed the way you would die, I wasn't referring to Ichigo."

A blue bow and arrow formed behind Aizen's head. A blackened individual holding them mere inches from its target.

Aizen's reiatsu exploded around him for a moment, strong enough to push the bow upwards and send the arrow flying far overhead.

Turning around and pointing the palm of his hand towards a wild eyed Ishida, Aizen spoke.

"Sokatsui"

Blue energy shot forward enveloping Ishida in blue light before hitting the wall behind him. Following the path of least resistance along the length of the sekkiseki stone wall. When the energy dissipated it revealed Aizen and Yhwach looking at one another, with what was left of Ishida pushed inside of the now cracked and trashed sekkiseki wall.

"You left Ishida alive and only took control of his reiatsu and body instead of absorbing him because you knew he has never been subjected to my illusions. A clever premise for a plan but poorly executed."

Yet Yhwach looked completely calm.

"What I mend back then was that you had lost the chance to be absorbed and unified by A: The Almighty."

Yhwach raised his hand pointing it in Aizen's direction but Aizen could tell that it wasn't pointing specifically at him.

"But instead you will be destroyed and forgotten by A: The Antithesis."

The moment Aizen registered the word antithesis its relevance and meaning in this situation gave him a clear picture of what was about to happen. At the same time a plan had instantly sprung to mind.

First he would use Bakudo #1: Sai in order to quickly pull away Yhwach's hand far enough so it would no longer be pointing at Ishida. Bakudo #79: Kuyō Shibari would follow the moment Yhwach's hand was out of place and encase the floor in another black hole leaving everything around them paralyzed. That would give him enough time to turn around and use Hado #54: Haien on Ishida to absolutely ensure that the boy's body and reiatsu were burned away from existence. If Yhwach hadn't broken free from his stasis by then he would use Sentan Hakuja, swirling a long length of cloth around the entire area where Ishida had once been and the part of the sekkiseki wall that was hit by his previous attack. Transporting any possible piece of Ishida that might still remain away to a far off location outside of the Seireitei.

But the moment had passed and Aizen suddenly found himself falling to the ground. Blood already pooling beneath him, the hogyoku firmly grasped in Yhwach's hand and Aizen's head, neck, left shoulder and a small remaining part of his left upper arm fell to the ground.

The last thing Aizen saw was Yhwach staring down at him in triumph while raising his right hand, darkness forming around him ready to strike down and destroy what little was left of Aizen before he could start healing.

And a previously unending blue pillar suddenly vanishing.

XXX

Yhwach released a spike of darkness, destroying what was left of Aizen Sosuke. He didn't need to turn around to know that Ichigo Kurosaki was back.

The sudden absence of the hogyoku, previously in his hand, and his senses telling him it was suddenly a few feet behind him told him more than enough.

He hadn't felt, seen or in any way noticed Ichigo move close enough to snatch it away from him.

"So you have returned Kurosaki Ichigo. If you don't do something about the hogyoku, Aizen will revive himself again." Yhwach turned around.

Ichigo hadn't changed much in appearance. His zanpakuto was gone, white flame like patterns marked every visible part of his body and most likely moved further beneath his clothing. His clothing was still the same as before only this time it looked brand new once more. His hair was swept back with 2 familiar horns jutting out from the sides. His face bore 2 black lines moving from his hairline over his eyes and down to below his chin. 2 half lidded red eyes staring back at him uninterestingly.

Ichigo looked down at the hogyoku resting in his hand. The harbinger of so much pain and misery second only to Yhwach himself. But he couldn't destroy it.

Pushing his reiatsu inside of it Ichigo felt the hogyoku respond, grabbing onto his reiatsu and making a connection with his mind, expressing itself the only way it knew how by using and reacting to its wielders emotions. Ichigo hadn't subjugated the hogyoku to his will, there was no need. Its only purpose and directive was to keep its wielder alive and to transcend him past any obstacle that proved insurmountable. The hogyoku understood Ichigo's reiatsu and the nature of his bankai and so it switched wielder willingly.

Yhwach didn't seem to notice, still looking in between the hogyoku and Ichigo with something akin to worry. Ichigo was surprised with how easy it suddenly was to read the man's emotions.

A sudden rush of sadness overcame him as his eyes strayed over the spot where the remains of Aizen had once been. A sadness that was not his own. Aizen was the first person to connect with the hogyoku and for a long time at that. Ichigo could understand the hogyoku's feelings and through it he gained a new insight in Aizen's mind. A man driven towards a single goal, to transcend to new heights passed the soul king, passed reason itself, all so he could remove the current flawed system and initiate his own. Ready to sacrifice anyone of the current generation all so future ones could live better lives. Or at least better in Aizen's point of view.

All the while ignoring his own feelings of loneliness and solitude that transcended to new heights along with him.

It made him wonder what Yhwach's end game really was.

"What were you hoping to achieve here?"

Yhwach focused on Ichigo and it disturbed Ichigo how solemn and resigned the man looked and felt.

"To bring all of existence back together. All worlds, life and death, to fuse it all together and end this divided state we now live in. This constant cycle of repetition."

So even Yhwach wasn't just the conqueror or power hungry man Ichigo thought him to be?

"So everything you did wasn't just for power and control?"

Ichigo really wanted Yhwach to just scream 'Of course it was!' and attack him again, all the while monologuing about how everything he did was futile because he had already seen it.

Just like his last battle with Aizen, evolving past your opponent and being able to understand their motivations on a far deeper level really made fighting them all the more difficult and victory all the more hollow.

"Of course it was."

Ichigo reeled back in shock for a moment.

"Existence is broken and the soul king is the only being powerful enough to keep the pieces together and prevent them from falling apart. In order to take those pieces and force them back together as one, I needed more power. Simply killing and absorbing the soul king would not be enough. So I invested my power in others and let it grow, I searched for all the other parts of the soul king and let them grow, I waited a 1000 years to let my own power grow as high as it would go and I followed every lead that could possibly give me more power."

Yhwach was monologuing again, but it wasn't the one Ichigo was hoping for.

"Linking arrancar with my power, creating the medallions to steal a shinigami's bankai, the special war potentials. I took every step I could no matter how long or how difficult it made the journey, no matter how much it increased my chances of failure all in order to reach my goal."

Yhwach laughed, the sound sounding more desperate and tired than Ichigo wanted it to be.

"Did you truly believe I did all of this for power? Just for the sake of having it? To sit on a throne and watch the world spin for all eternity? How absurd!"

"I could have killed you all any number of times! There wasn't a single moment, not a single battle where I couldn't have laid down a decisive victory! But I didn't, instead I maneuvered the right people to the right places forcing them to become stronger or die and give me everything back they had to give!"

Yhwach was panting by the end of it. Starring down at the ground below him.

"But it seems that I took one risk to many. I needed you to release your bankai so you were at your strongest before I took your power. I waited until your bankai was repaired so you would come after me and I could absorb your power once more. Aizen's illusions affecting even my visions of the future was something I hadn't planned to happen."

"So you didn't see what my bankai's ability is?"

"I can't see the future past the point where you emerge again after calling out your bankai's ability."

Ichigo pocketed the hogyoku in his shihakusho.

"My bankai has the ability to identify and break any limit. When you first broke it with your The Almighty it assessed your power and increased its own. That's why the second time you tried to destroy it, it only cracked and that was only because you increased your power with my own in the meantime. But after I stabbed you and killed you the first time, it assessed your power as a whole. I only needed a little time afterwards to activate its ability and merge with Tensa Zangetsu to increase my own power to break past the limit your current level has. None of your abilities, including your The Almighty, have any effect on me.

"I see, then whether I win or lose this will be a short battle."

Ichigo spun around bringing his arm up and flicking his wrist at the reishi bow and arrow aimed at him.

An invisible force struck Ishida pulverizing his bow and arrow and knocking him hard enough that he immediately passed out.

Spinning around to face Yhwach again, Ichigo mimicked his earlier move to obliterate the dark stream of energy coming is way.

Yhwach appeared beside Ishida who hadn't even begun to fall down yet and struck forward with his hand, dark reiatsu swirling around it, at Ishida's chest.

His hand thumped lamely against Ishida's chest, the energy around it dissipating harmlessly before sliding down to the ground.

Ichigo was standing in front of Yhwach, arm still in a chopping motion where it had cut through Yhwach's wrist.

"Even if Ishida didn't have his Antithesis power I would never allow you to hurt him." Catching Ishida mid fall and laying him down gently. Ichigo pulsed his reiatsu through Ishida's body, disintegrating the darkness previously permeating his body.

Yhwach moved back as fast as he could all the while discharging a massive wave of black reiatsu at Ichigo.

"So you were still able to observe your surroundings while mid transformation? Your senses must have improved drastically."

The black reiatsu dissipated around Ichigo as he charged straight through coming out of the other end with a red cero fully charged between his horns, ready and waiting to be released.

"Cero"

As soon as the attack discharged Ichigo was on the move again. Appearing at Ishida's side once more and stepping on Yhwach's cut off hand just as black reiatsu spikes were being generated from it, destroying it instantly.

"Auswählen!"

It was becoming clear to Ichigo that Yhwach was using Ishida as his target in order to move Ichigo away from him. Still none of Yhwach's attacks had any chance of affecting him nor were they fast enough to outmaneuver him. If this kept up it would be a very short battle indeed.

Ichigo didn't move instead raising a column of his own reiatsu into the air to combat the light falling down from the heavens.

Yhwach blasted forward standing just outside of Ichigo's invisible pillar of reiatsu. Hand outstretched holding a medallion.

Ah, so that was his end game.

"Zanka no Tachi-"

The temperature in the Seireitei jumped and even though Ichigo had no idea how powerful the old man's bankai really was he chose not to chance it and hold nothing back. So he pointed a finger straight at the medallion.

"Cero-"

Black energy was coalescing in front of the medallion.

"-Kita: Ten-"

Ichigo could feel the heat gushing out of the medallion and running over his outstretched arm. Burning him even in his current state.

"-Oscuras"

The heat disappeared along with the light coming from the sky and everything within Ichigo's line of sight turned black.

As the energy started to dissipate it revealed absolutely nothing in its wake.

Rubble, the sekkiseki wall, any buildings left standing, even the ground itself was gone leaving a massive empty crater in its wake.

Moving forward Ichigo found Yhwach lying at the end of the crater having lost everything below his midriff along with his left hand and right arm gazing at the sky in the direction of the once Royal Palace.

The earth started to shake and some of the rubble outside of the crater started drifting upwards.

Ichigo sat down next to Yhwach placing his right hand on his forehead. And the shaking stopped.

Yhwach turned his eyes to Ichigo, the previous black hiding them was gone now showing Yhwach's real eyes with multiple irises, empty except for the obvious question.

"If you die now all the worlds will collapse, so I'm stabilizing your reiatsu with my own for now. Besides I don't want you to use your powers and heal yourself again."

Reaching into his shihakusho Ichigo retrieve the hogyoku.

"I was thinking about making this the new soul king. It's alive, powerful enough and if Urahara is right, undestroyable as well. It would make for a perfect substitute."

"It seems that is all we can do now. Taping this broken world back together and hoping we are never reminded again of how fragile it really is."

Yhwach's voice was quiet. His once strong, commanding tone that demanded attention and respect nowhere to be found.

Ichigo heaved a deep and heavy sigh.

"Why couldn't you be a simple power hungry villain?"

"If I was just another powerful Quincy wanting nothing more than power and possession I would have died a 1000 years ago. Men like me and Aizen gain power for a purpose greater than ourselves. It allows us to throw away any limitations and prevents us from ever accepting any compromise. Pushing us forward until we achieve our goal or die trying."

Yhwach turned his head to take a better look at Ichigo.

"Just like you."

Silence fell and Ichigo busied himself with focusing on Yhwach's body instead of thinking on other unpleasant things. His vital signs were slowly dropping, his mind blacking out. Yhwach was almost dead.

"I wonder. If you had fought to protect the world. If you had fought to protect the living and the dead. The hollow and the quincy with the same resolve and determination as you did for those chosen phew. Could you have found a better way?"

Yhwach closed his eyes.

And so it was just Ichigo who was left.

'Maybe I could have.'

The quincy were once again a dying race, hollows would continue to feed on others, arrancars would never be accepted as anything but another hollow, the majority of the people in Soul Society continued to live in poverty and sometimes humans would find themselves assaulted by something they couldn't see and die as a result.

Ichigo raised the hogyoku to Yhwach's body wondering how he was even going to make it the next soul king in the first place.

'Maybe I can.'

That wasn't his thought.

Ichigo looked at the hogyoku its ethereal light showing Ichigo the perfect opportunity to make his deepest wishes come true. A fantasy world where all the world's problems could be solved by him. And the silent promise that if Ichigo wished it the hogyoku would give him the chance.

'I can.'

To go back in time.

To march forward one more time from the very start. To create his own path forward and push back any obstacle in his way. To find a new solution, a better one, no matter how hard it may be. To save the world and everyone in it.

Funny how he had once told Rukia, at the very beginning, that he would never accept this kind of commitment.

'I will.'

The hogyoku flashed, its light enveloping Ichigo and leaving him numb and blind. Feeling slowly returned and the light felt less blinding. The hogyoku felt softer and more malleable than before. Larger, covering his entire body. Why was he lying down?

"GOOD MORNING-"

Reflexes took over.

"ICHI- Gah!"

Isshin Kurosaki was lying on the floor of Ichigo's bedroom. The wood around him cracked and splintered from the force of the punch he just received.

"Quite painful my son, it seems I have nothing left to teach you!" Isshin wheezed out.

Ichigo was standing over his father. Eyes wide and mouth slightly agape with shock.

"I'm back." He muttered. Looking down at his clothing and back at his bed.

"Back? Back from where?"

Overdramatic gasp.

"MASAKI! Our son is sneaking out to late night parties after all!" Isshin bolted out of the room in search of Masaki's poster to tell her all about his delusional thoughts.

Ichigo hadn't even taken notice.

"I'm back" He said it louder this time. Waiting for anyone to challenge his statement.

No one did.

Ichigo's mind caught up with him before his smile could fully form. Pushing it back down to his trustworthy scowl.

"What parties! And what do you mean 'after all'?!"

I wanted to start this fic with a retelling of the end fight of Bleach because I hated how rushed and cliche it was.

I hope my version is a little bit better than the original, if not its only the explanation of how Ichigo goes back in the past so if you still want to give my fic a try you can continue reading from chapter 2 where Ichigo starts in the past.

Please let me know what you think about the story, writing style, grammar and so on. I really like writing and want to keep improving so any reviews would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for giving my story a try and I hope you had a good read so far.

See ya!