Broken Adventure
- Thread starter theaceoffire
- Start date
- Crossover
- Status
Pretty sure the gem is the Legit Kingdom Hearts. Not an Adam analogue, but the real deal he found in the Realm of Darkness.
- Location
- Mt. Holly, North Carolina
Actually, if you don't want to use spiritual abilities, you don't eat in Soul Society because literally everything is spirit particles except water, which is mostly easy access in the town parts of the 82 districts of Rukongai. Literally, food meant you were going into the shinigami academy, or your a criminal/gangster/"firework maker". For some, they had enough spirit strength to get scouted (Gin, Yamamoto, and so on), while others ate enough to measure up (Omaeda), and the tiny rare as shit exceptions who fought their way in (Kenpachi Zaraki, Unohana Retsu)
Isshin always seemed rather functional to me. It's not like he was Soun Tendo. After reading this, it seemed like Isshin did have a breakdown. He was just much better at living for his kids.
Seems like a facepalm moment that he has family that he has forgotten about.
So Orihime and Tatsuki were also at point-blank. This being Bleach, does this count as an overdose of spiritual stuff awaking a person's spiritual abilities?
For a bit, I was thinking that they'd have their Aura's awoken. Oddly, it's the same concept except for different settings. The local equivalent of Aura awakening likely just happened to them.
Hmm, I wonder what those two guys in Ichigo just felt. Pink. Lots of Pink. Pink everywhere.
Isshin might be relieved that his two friends were aware of things and working to understand what was going on. Then worried that his boy was right there. Of course, Ichigo would find it and be right there. He is Ichigo.
Oh, fun thought for the day. Do you know how Ichigo seems to just pull out a copy of any spiritual powers that he has been around? How about for the laughs Ichigo has his own pink gem heart powers woken up. Much to the utter horror the other two guys in his soul.
Seems like a facepalm moment that he has family that he has forgotten about.
So Orihime and Tatsuki were also at point-blank. This being Bleach, does this count as an overdose of spiritual stuff awaking a person's spiritual abilities?
For a bit, I was thinking that they'd have their Aura's awoken. Oddly, it's the same concept except for different settings. The local equivalent of Aura awakening likely just happened to them.
Hmm, I wonder what those two guys in Ichigo just felt. Pink. Lots of Pink. Pink everywhere.
Isshin might be relieved that his two friends were aware of things and working to understand what was going on. Then worried that his boy was right there. Of course, Ichigo would find it and be right there. He is Ichigo.
Oh, fun thought for the day. Do you know how Ichigo seems to just pull out a copy of any spiritual powers that he has been around? How about for the laughs Ichigo has his own pink gem heart powers woken up. Much to the utter horror the other two guys in his soul.
Is the reason why Ichigo has to stretch every few minutes to study because of his duel nature Soul, the Hollow/Shinigami and Quincy side fighting?
You just made me imagine Ichigo getting a Magical Girl style transformation sequence. Not necessarily the outfit. Just that over the top transformation. Not sure of the outfit, though. Maybe it ends up being an 'add-on' transformation, that just changes the color scheme to pink, in addition to whatever it does.
Kalibrius
God of reflection
- Location
- The other side of the mirror
If anything the transformation may be along the line of soras drive forms that use his allies to acheive new heights, if any ability is given it may turn out to be bond based since this an item created of the hearts of many and ultimately held together by the bonds therein, I could imagine ichigo gaining a bond system and mayhaps if he has the potential a keyblade, which isn't that far off from an zanpakuto
Edit pink most likely would be the color of gem while orange would represent adam ie adam adventure BURNS
Edit pink most likely would be the color of gem while orange would represent adam ie adam adventure BURNS
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- Location
- Cambridge MA
I feel like this Bleach arc totally has the potential to be multiple times longer than normal Warehouse/Shadow -Adam arcs.
But also that the jumps are only partly partly based on having resolved the setting, and very based on authorial interest.
So...I wonder if there's a good way to do some writing out of order, if you don't want to end the bleach arc but don't want to keep writing it?
I'd be happy to get snippets from previous Adam/Sarah-echos?
Or just concurrently writing the current shadow world and a future shadow world? Threadmarks allow out-of-order/re-sorting, but that could be tricky to write....
But also that the jumps are only partly partly based on having resolved the setting, and very based on authorial interest.
So...I wonder if there's a good way to do some writing out of order, if you don't want to end the bleach arc but don't want to keep writing it?
I'd be happy to get snippets from previous Adam/Sarah-echos?
Or just concurrently writing the current shadow world and a future shadow world? Threadmarks allow out-of-order/re-sorting, but that could be tricky to write....
Ichigo: Why am I Mr. Pink!?
How about Ichigo's shinigami uniform is just dyed pink then? At least the sash. That would definitely be off-putting to a regular shinigami.
EDIT:
Spent a bit of time.
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That's what I meant by 'add-on' transformation that shifts the color-scheme to pink.How about Ichigo's shinigami uniform is just dyed pink then? At least the sash. That would definitely be off-putting to a regular shinigami.
EDIT:
Spent a bit of time.
I just have vague recollections that he also had other outfits on his other techniques/transformations that were different enough. If nothing else, than his Hollow Mask/Hollow form having the same pink bone in place of the plain white parts.
He might end up actually unlocking his other 'canon' ability sets here, actually. So seeing Ichigo with a pink bone mask would certainly freak out those watching him.
There's all sorts of wonkiness with him, really. Depending on the actual effects, he might end up skipping some of the steps he did normally. Or get them in a different order.
One thing I don't think would happen is Ichigo's mom returning, since it's been way too long and Shadow didn't arrive in nearly enough time. Along with, from what I remember, she actually sacrificed her power/it was used to actually stabilize Ichigo's own power. At best, Shadow might have ended up releasing her soul from the Hollow that ate her. But what the Hollow purifications do towhat souls were eaten by Hollows I don't remember. As in, if it actually lets them move on instead of being trapped, or they're lost forever. In either case, I don't think she'd end up in Soul Society. Don't recall any instances of a Quincy ending up there.
- Location
- From the moon
If I remember right Quincy souls disintegrate upon being eaten by a hollow.
Kalibrius
God of reflection
- Location
- The other side of the mirror
Not as far as I know, it is stowed away but yhwach basically holds carteblanche to call back the pieces of his soul upoun death meaning the quincy part of the soul is yanked with whatevers left stuck there
At least as far as I know this why I mentioned earlier adam is the literal bane of tall dark and loony, he devours things completely and heavily unlikely to even let the pieces go thus insuring yhwach never receives the piece he gave out thus losing total power and uses abilities that do not rely on reishi to work meaning yhwach can't just shrug off repeat attacks by nullifying it after analyzing it
In short if yhwach is a messiah then adam is the devil himself come to roast his arse and chestnuts then serve it up at a banquet
- Location
- Somewhere, Out There
Im sad cause i doubt Ulquiorra will have any screen time with The Heart
"Your heart? You humans say that word so lightly. As if it were something one can hold in the palm of one's hand."
Well yes, shadow pulls out Heart XD
"Your heart? You humans say that word so lightly. As if it were something one can hold in the palm of one's hand."
Well yes, shadow pulls out Heart XD
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- Location
- Somewhere, Out There
Oh no if he actually showed up it would be great but sadly the Espada are non existent right now and i doubt Aizens gonna get the Hōgyoku to make them and everything. Ulquiorra is still out there in Vasto Lorde form but the 4th Espada probably wont ever be. Dont get me wrong tho, interacting with Vasto Lorde Ulquiorra could be fun too XD Interacting with hollows at all lol
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Fragnostic
Cheshire
- Location
- Neko City
Can't be. So far every time Shadow and Gem leave a "world", it's improved in some way.
Removing KH from the core worlds of, well, KH would plunge those worlds into Darkness.
Unless Gem is still connected and by visiting new wolds Shadow is vastly empowering KH...
It's hard to say, @theaceoffire is good at making surprising turns of events.
Maybe but pretty sure he just has ADHD. Granted, that might be in part because of his ludicrous amount of spirit energy, it's not like we really understand what causes ADHD in real life so...
Arc 4: Some sort of commotion?
- Location
- Here
Ichigo was trying to call back his Dad, but the line was busy for some reason. Tatsuki and Orihime had both been moved to the couch and Shadow had shifted to a smaller chair with Gem to ponder the recent changes while Ichigo had a mild freakout.
Shadow absently moved Gem to one side as he felt his new siblings.
They felt… Off? Hungry, but that was normal.
As more and more of his new brothers and sisters fell into the Darkness they lived in, he felt more and more the nature of their existence: An important part of the Life and Death cycle.
He felt the multitude fall into something like a satiated stupor as raw power was sent to them from the Darkness, guided by Gem using Shadow. And as they relaxed from some unseen stress and lost some sort of burdensome weight, information began to flow back.
Odd scraps of memories, of nightmares, of dreams, of past events.
It was a bit hard to put it into words, but this odd spiritual energy they emitted was easy enough to Consume and gather some information to work with!
Imagine a Soul, a Plus, was like a sandwich.
Once born/made/constructed/excised from their prior life, they would break the Chains of Fate that once connected them to their living body.
If at peace, they would then pass on. If not? This chain would lock them down to a location, a place, or even a concept… Something like an obsession.
These former mortal bonds were represented via a linked chain connected to their 'Heart', and the individual links of the chain would slowly start to Consume themselves out of hunger if the Plus doesn't move on to the afterlife. The process wasn't pleasant.
Driven by sorrow or Darkness, the Chains of Fate would Consume themselves faster… And if the Plus didn't move on to the afterlife, then they would devour the Heart of the Sandwich/Plus/Soul entirely. Resulting in a newly formed Hollow.
This is how you know the Plus has gone bad, or spoiled.
When fully rotten, the empty hole and the new being it had spawned would feel an endless urge to consume others until it was filled again.
A familiar concept to any Heartless.
In this case, it seemed to be a more primitive, perhaps older version of the reincarnation cycle.
A person was born, lived, and died… They passed on, or became twisted and enraged. When that hit a critical point, their new form, the Hollow, became a collection medium that Consumed (gathered) any unpassed Souls like themselves within the area.
When they reached a certain level of strength, they would sense a distant land filled with FAR more Plus energy than here, and somehow travel elsewhere to a land of Hollows… And immediately 'consolidate' their collected Souls by Consuming each other.
When enough Souls were in one container, it would shift into a new more powerful Hollow with far better control over its natural urges… And eventually grow so strong that it no longer felt any hunger. Or fear. Or rage. Or any desires at all.
Sort of like being in purgatory?
Once they lost all motivation, some other Hollow would kill and attempt to Consume the mindless one, allowing most of the Souls to reenter the cycle of reincarnation while those that still struggled to not pass on would be consumed by a new container.
Shadow blinked his pink eyes at the thousands and thousands of Hollows now peacefully resting in the Darkness.
So, the Sandwich would go bad, eat other Sandwiches that were ALSO going bad or had gone rotten, then eventually become fertilizer for other Sandwich eaters. Along the way, memories and motivation and the past would be cleansed and the Souls would eventually leave to be reborn…
After all, only Souls that refused to pass onwards could be kept here.
It was the harsh, uncaring attitude of Nature herself, but over the afterlife. It wasn't surprising that other people had decided to step in and try to set up some better system.
Not that Shadow could fully understand said situation. Some Hollows had flickers of memories, of men and women stepping through the skies in solemn black robes with deadly spiritual swords, of other Pluses being touched with that Soul Sword's hilt and easily passing on to somewhere.
Most Hollows didn't care. They only cared about the H̛͍̣̮̤̥͔̪͍̻͢ų̸̢͙̲̱͈̜͟͡n͠͏͔̥̩̲͈̖ͅg̼̺̭̘̖̖͙̘̩̼̜̖͟é̛͕̹̲̼̙̱̰͉͇̟̠̖̞̪̰̫͉͜͟r͍͎̙̯̰̖̹͉̩̙͎̫͙͍͚̟̘͟͜.
Which was fair.
Shadow gently shifted these Soul collectors into different groups, and felt Gem gently soothe their missing and broken Hearts. Helping satiate that endless craving.
They all deserved a good nap… It seemed life and death had been hard on them.
If some of those Hollows were crying or curled up and remembering better times, Shadow didn't judge them.
And if new Hollows entering Karakura Town suddenly had pink eyes and vanished into the Darkness, that wasn't anyone's business but Shadow and Gems, now was it?
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
In a sideways city, an old man in black tattered clothing stared at a young clone of Ichigo of pure White…. Who was cackling like mad!
White pointed at the black chain that vanished into nowhere! "HA! Years of you resisting your bindings, all that effort and training and bullshit and your emo ass depressing attitude… And your Soul Fragment binding to Y͉̣̼͖h̜̫̗̻̱wa̭̯̰̫c̳͇h̬͍̯̞ got snapped by the Power of Friendship!"
The old symbol of the Quincy King kept staring at the cackling White being.
White nearly fell off the edge of the sideways building! "An 'unbreakable' connection to that asshole, a portion of that old dick's power 'bestowed' on victims like Ichigo's mom to grow in power… And her boy snapped that bitch thanks to the power of Heart! That's hilarious!"
The Old Man turned his black shades towards his own hands… Ones no longer bound to a foreign King, a man who could twist and tear Ichigo's power away at a whim.
He stared at his unbound hands, at freedom.
White giggled like a young boy! "All those years of you trying to act all cool and manly and cold and aloof and all that shit, and us binding each other to resist my corruption and your inherent potential for unwanted betrayal… And one warm hug of pink emotional C͍o̱͉͔̩̼ͅn̳͖̜͈̰͇̞n͖̹̣̳͈̦e̤͈̥̱͎̭c͚̞̣̩t̖̬̯̞̙io̻̳̱̪̲n̬̟͍̫̮s fixed you right up! HA!"
The mocked man raised an eyebrow at the laughing White figure. "It is indeed unexpected."
White drifted off into a sigh. "Damn it, there's no fun if you just ignore me like that. You got to fight back! I say something about how bullshit you are, you argue with me, then we stab each other like reasonable gentlemen and get some combat to keep things interesting!"
The Old Man paused. "So… I must fight back?"
The other one lept to his feet! "Heck yeah! Give me something good, friendship boy! I can take it!"
He slowly nodded, pondering. "Hmm. You consider me to be less 'manly' and 'cool' and so forth because that odd pink energy helped free us both?"
White grinned with far too many teeth! "That cartoon show was right! Friendship is MAGIC! HA!"
The Old Man nodded. "I suppose I must accept your opinion, considering how knowledgeable you must be."
White blinked. "Huh?"
The old man in black held forth a summoned massive black sword blade, twisted to show the reflection. "You must know much about the power of friendship, considering your new glowing pink eyes."
White stared into his own new feature. "I… I… WHAT!?"
His rival gave a solemn nod. "Truly, your new glare is most impressive."
Oh it was ON! "I'm going to stab you until the stupid bleeds out!"
Had the Old Man smirked? "Oh? You shouldn't injure yourself THAT much."
Talking paused for a while while two deadly fighters began an astounding dance of death, sharp swords piercing and twisting and moving to an unseen rhythm.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Ichigo gave up contacting home, his Dad must have been calling someone else and it would be faster to just head home in person and make sure the girls were going to be fine.
All his triage training implied they were doing good right now, but… Well, instantly falling asleep as reality seemed to suddenly attempt to crush you was NOT a normal situation.
Though somehow… The harsh forces seemed to have helped him break through in some way? He had quickly noticed that his body moved a bit faster than it should, and that every movement was a bit more sure and swift than before.
Issues for later. He walked in, glancing at Shadow and the odd crystal… One the tiny guy introduced as 'Gem', which was a pretty glowing pink that matched his bone pants and probably whatever his mask had looked like before the dozens of layers of paint.
Shadow blinked and gave an awkward thumbs up?
Ah. "No, I was unable to get my Dad on the line again, but he should still be at home. We just need to move the girls over there and have him take a look."
Shadow nodded, and Gem pulsed something like reassurance and wry affection towards the awkward Heartless next to her.
Ichigo blinked, something familiar pushed aside for now. "Right, I'm going to carry Tatsuki because her muscles make her dense as hell…" Shit. "Don't tell her I said that."
Shadow crossed his chest hole and raised a claw up solemnly. Good.
He frowned at the two girls. "I guess I could carry them in two trips, but I wouldn't want to risk leaving one of them unattended…"
A snap of claws made the boy blink and turn to Shadow who U͙ͅn̝̹f̞̜͚̻̫̙ͅu̮̦͍̮ṛ̼͍̼le̙̮̼̙͕̺̞d̞̰̫̘̬̱̰…
And Ichigo now had to look UP into the mountain of muscles that casually lifted Orihime into his arms.
Huh. Convenient.
Ichigo pointed at the still poofy bone pants. "How did your pants not explode when you did that?"
Shadow blinked, held out one arm as the other casually held up a young woman without issue, and suddenly a small curtain of pink bone chains began uncoiling from the Darkness, dangling like a fancy cape or decorative arm tassels.
The boy poked the clickety clacking new outfit. "Wow, that is VERY convenient." And something about the way those chains were formed also felt strangely familiar… Whatever, an issue for a later time.
First, the immediate issue. He ensured Tatsuki was gently lifted into a comfortable (For her! Not for him!) position in his arms, ignoring how she absently snuggled into his chest. "Right uh… Let's get them over to the clinic. If it was a normal medical thing I'd go to the hospital, but for any of the small weird things that happen around me I go to Dad first… Always seems to work out better that way."
Ichigo never asked who the strange people were that would show up or what his Father actually did to solve so many odd situations and strange cases, but that was fine. If it was something that risked the family, Dad would mention it… And if not, Ichigo would wait until the old man felt it was time to come clean about everything.
After all, it was hard to act like the world was normal when you saw ghosts daily and was haunted by the memory of that monster that… Sigh.
Shadow nodded, following happily, while the pink chain shirt thing he was now somehow creating pulled Gem up and held her to his back with a warm wrap up hug.
They had barely left the building when Ichigo refocused. "Oh! We need to find Orihime's keys and make sure to…"
Behind them both, the apartment door closed by itself and, with an audible click, locked itself shut.
That… That was pretty convenient. "Can you teach other people how to do that sort of thing?"
Never being locked out again when his Dad was doing something stupid thanks to him 'Keeping Ichigo from losing his edge!' was pretty tempting.
Shadow blinked and… Sort of wiggled? It was harder for him to communicate like this while carefully carrying a young woman. From what Ichigo got out of the mumbling moves, the door thing was related to something that wasn't there rather than an ability or a skill.
Sigh. Another thing to ask about later. "Let's pick up the pace, I want to make sure my family is alright and get both the girls checked out."
Like, medically. Not visually checking them out. It took a lot of effort sometimes to NOT take a glance or two at the many attractive women that seemed drawn to him from day to day.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Inside a candy shop, in one of the below surface research labs, a pile of exploded sensor equipment shifted awkwardly as a mad scientist tried to get out from the mess without damaging what fragments remained.
It was… Fairly undignified.
He wasn't injured of course, hidden or not his power level was far too high for even significant explosions to inconvenience himself, but some of the materials randomly spewed across the room would explode AGAIN if touched too quickly or exposed to significant amounts of spiritual energy unexpectedly.
Also, important data from the damaged equipment may be lost if he just hurled the mess to one side and escaped.
So inside his own business and home, inside his personal lab, Kisuke Urahara kept wriggling and squirming under a large amount of debris while attempting to quietly call for assistance.
After all, too much noise or heat or… Sigh.
What little data he managed to read before the pulse devastated his tools had been fascinating though… Some sort of spiritual resonance, a call from some common concept. It wasn't pure energy, spiritual or otherwise, but more a harmony of ideas and memories that called forth the lost parts of one's self.
It had also registered as 'Pink' and 'Cinnamon' before everything went tingle tangle and the explosions started.
At least someone had finally answered the phone, that had been annoying going off in the background… Now if only they would come help move this stuff, he could be out and about in only an hour or two!
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
The walk had been very odd, and very peaceful. What few people he saw were all resting in odd places, but no one was hurt or even seemed uncomfortable… And it all felt like a 'nap time' rather than a dangerous situation.
Still, one of the odder things that had happened around here for a while.
Even the animals were perched and curled up sleeping, except for one black cat EVERYTHING seemed to be having a relaxing siesta for no apparent reason!
Still, despite feeling an unusual lack of concern for the situation (Something about Gem pulsing made it all feel like everything was under control?), it felt like a good idea to have the girls checked out by his father just in case.
Despite his random comments about 'grandbabies' and 'dating a few women/men/anything in the area' and those odd comments about nobility and consorts and how harems were surprisingly more work than one would expect and…
He paused.
Maybe having Pops checking the girl's health WASN'T a good idea?
Sigh. too late, they were already here.
Ichigo carefully ignored Tatsuki sleepily nuzzling his chest as he got close to home. "Right, so my Dad is a bit…" Crazy, off the wall, willing to publicly assault his own child at random to teach him how to be a proper man, nutzo, bonkers… "Unusual, but he is a good man. So uh… If he leaps out the front door trying to kick me in the face, just ignore it. Alright?"
Shadow gave a big thumbs up! The pink bone chains jingled jangled while Orihime was safely drooling the one armed cradle of the big dude.
Right.
Here goes nothing! "Hey Pops! I brought back the girls and their new friend for a quick checkup!"
Please don't attack, it was always so embarrassing…
But the front door opened without issue.
Ichigo's eyes sharpened, and slightly flickered colors… No, there was only the feeling of safety. Vague touches of his tall father and two little ones… No intruders, no danger.
Not that he was sure how he knew that, but it helped him relax. "Dad?"
A distant response. "In the kitchen! Your sisters are sleeping in the living room, bring your friends there while I try to arrange some things first."
That… was not normal.
More than how odd it was to not spend a good five minutes or so ignoring a rant about how his Mom would be be so proud and whether or not Ichigo had brought wedding dresses along with the brides and all that, it was TRULY unusual to hear his serious voice twice in one day. "Will do, Dad."
Then again, a good chunk of town had simultaneously decided to take a nap… Perhaps serious time was to be expected.
Still… Uh… "Hey Pops, before we do that… You should probably meet Orihime's new friend first, Shadow. He helped me bring her over since I can't easily carry two girls without holding them like bags of flour. Plus, he's pretty unusual and I wouldn't want to surprise you or anything."
Ichigo glanced at the large muscled Heartless and blinked. Huh… Where had Shadow put Gem? Wasn't she on his back previously?
Even now, if Ichigo searched inside himself, he could sort of feel something like a pink ribbon of energy leading somewhere into the Darkness, so she wasn't left behind or anything…
And his Dad walked in. "Shadow huh? That's an unusual… Unusual…"
The scene froze.
Ichigo, holding his martial artist best friend who was snuggling into his chest.
Orihime, a drooling limp noodle with a bit of a quiet snore going on.
And the massive tower of black muscle and power, wearing bright pink poofy pants and an odd pink chain wrapped torso… His mask an artistic creation that would cause anyone to stare in confusion or potentially sickness due to the odd paint colors and combinations.
Oh, and the two cute little antennae and bright glowing pink eyes were pretty unusual too.
His father blinked. "I can't sense you. I can't feel you." His gaze flickered from the girls back to Shadow. "It's like young Ms. Inoue is floating in the air almost…"
Shadow cautiously raised one arm corded with muscles and power… And pointed at himself in confusion?
Ichigo sighed. "No, I think it is because you have that odd… I don't know, empty feeling? Like how you would feel different if Gem wasn't around like that, a sort of absence or void or something."
Shadow flinched back in horror! His free hand started doing odd signs and twitches!
Ichigo blinked. "What!? No, of course not! And Gem wouldn't leave you anyway, didn't you feel that yourself?"
The duo went back and forth, with one older brother reassuring a younger odd sibling that just because you ate most of the Candy your pink glowing crystal Heart wouldn't be that angry about it if at all and how sometimes it was important to talk more with those you care about and…
A soft cough broke off the debate about how much Candy was optimal for various apology scenarios and all that jazz… Oh. "Sorry Dad, were you saying something?"
The old man looked amused for some reason. "How about you two let the girls rest in the living room with your younger sisters? Young Inoue looks like she would appreciate a less odd surface to rest on and your lady love in your arms is about to start licking your chest if you aren't careful."
Wait, WHAT!? Ichigo glanced down in panic… And blinked at the softly nuzzling woman curled up in his embrace. Had he been cuddling her for this entire time!?
His Dad leaned closer to Shadow. "Notice how he didn't deny the 'lady love' bit. Good sign, right there."
DAD!
Ichigo's face blazed red. "I… Shutup! Shadow, follow me please."
Wanting to dig a hole and live in it, he scrapped what tattered fragments of dignity remained and walked mostly like normal into the living room to let Tatsuki finish her nap without any further awkwardness.
Absently Ichigo noticed that when you held someone you cared for, they didn't feel that heavy at all.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Isshin watched his young son blush his way into the other room with 'Just good friends, Dad!' as the odd THING called Shadow followed along, confused.
Superficially, it was like someone took a Hollow and shoved it into a cartoon.
Felt nothing like one, of course. And the house protections hadn't flared up... None of the detection matrices had set off either…
Not that the whole stupid setup would last much longer anyway. Another year, maybe half, and the raw power that Ichigo spewed out unconsciously would start wearing down these meager defenses at a ridiculous rate!
But for now? They held, they had scanned the guests, and nothing had freaked out.
Technically.
Isshin himself, of course, HAD freaked out. Even as restricted and wounded as he was now, his spiritual senses should have been going off the charts at this Shadow thing!
But instead he only felt… Like, fog. Or smoke. And only when physically nearby, even the shortest distance made the impression vanish like morning mist.
Until his son had called him in to meet this new 'friend', his Soul detection had marked Ichigo carrying his young lady friend Tatsuki while their classmate Orihime Inoue stood 'alone'... Assumed to be walking moments prior!
Unusual that she would be spiritually sturdy enough to not fall asleep like the rest of this town, but not impossible.
But no.
That young woman had been gently carried by what could only be considered less than nothing.
Within that space of that odd looking figure, was… A void. Darkness.
It hadn't felt tortured or mutated or experimental, almost like a natural thing… Less like a dim haunted house and more like a shady woodland forest?
Another careful check of the home using his senses… And nope, Shadow was not there, according to his own Soul and the house detection functions.
Damn it Urahara, why did you have to go into your lab for secluded work right NOW!? Really odd shit was happening in town, and his son had literally walked IN THE HOUSE with it!
And that was the SECOND thing that was WAY off with this new creature.
His response to it.
Even back when he was a young naive Soul Reaper, Isshin had been skeptical of new people… Much less new forms of life!
But this Shadow felt… Familiar. A part of life, natural, common.
It had to be a skill or ability, right? Some sort of technique or bloodline that allowed a monster to integrate with its prey and coexist or something?
Some Soul Reapers and some Hollows had abilities like that on record. Could insert themselves into memories, or mind control people, or alter how others interact with them…
But if so, this was on a whole new level than anything written about that he could remember. Which uh… Would have been far more impressive if he could remember most of that shit. Or if he had been a big study dude back in the day instead of a fighting freak. Or if he did any research instead of training all the time.
He awkwardly chuckled as he went back to call the candy shop again. If it was an ability or skill, at least it didn't prevent him from questioning it, or attempting to detect/circumvent the scenario, or stop him from contacting others for assistance.
If anyone could confirm someone's abilities despite complex logic puzzles and 'What if he knew what I know he thinks about' blah blah blah, it would be that lazy asshole refuge Shinigami Captain that randomly sold candy to people out of boredom in between research marathons.
Right, best try and contact Kisuke Urahara again.
Hopefully it won't be little Ururu Tsumugiya answering the phone this time… The little girl was adorable but she barely says anything and that was a frustrating habit to endure during a phone call.
Shadow absently moved Gem to one side as he felt his new siblings.
They felt… Off? Hungry, but that was normal.
As more and more of his new brothers and sisters fell into the Darkness they lived in, he felt more and more the nature of their existence: An important part of the Life and Death cycle.
He felt the multitude fall into something like a satiated stupor as raw power was sent to them from the Darkness, guided by Gem using Shadow. And as they relaxed from some unseen stress and lost some sort of burdensome weight, information began to flow back.
Odd scraps of memories, of nightmares, of dreams, of past events.
It was a bit hard to put it into words, but this odd spiritual energy they emitted was easy enough to Consume and gather some information to work with!
Imagine a Soul, a Plus, was like a sandwich.
Once born/made/constructed/excised from their prior life, they would break the Chains of Fate that once connected them to their living body.
If at peace, they would then pass on. If not? This chain would lock them down to a location, a place, or even a concept… Something like an obsession.
These former mortal bonds were represented via a linked chain connected to their 'Heart', and the individual links of the chain would slowly start to Consume themselves out of hunger if the Plus doesn't move on to the afterlife. The process wasn't pleasant.
Driven by sorrow or Darkness, the Chains of Fate would Consume themselves faster… And if the Plus didn't move on to the afterlife, then they would devour the Heart of the Sandwich/Plus/Soul entirely. Resulting in a newly formed Hollow.
This is how you know the Plus has gone bad, or spoiled.
When fully rotten, the empty hole and the new being it had spawned would feel an endless urge to consume others until it was filled again.
A familiar concept to any Heartless.
In this case, it seemed to be a more primitive, perhaps older version of the reincarnation cycle.
A person was born, lived, and died… They passed on, or became twisted and enraged. When that hit a critical point, their new form, the Hollow, became a collection medium that Consumed (gathered) any unpassed Souls like themselves within the area.
When they reached a certain level of strength, they would sense a distant land filled with FAR more Plus energy than here, and somehow travel elsewhere to a land of Hollows… And immediately 'consolidate' their collected Souls by Consuming each other.
When enough Souls were in one container, it would shift into a new more powerful Hollow with far better control over its natural urges… And eventually grow so strong that it no longer felt any hunger. Or fear. Or rage. Or any desires at all.
Sort of like being in purgatory?
Once they lost all motivation, some other Hollow would kill and attempt to Consume the mindless one, allowing most of the Souls to reenter the cycle of reincarnation while those that still struggled to not pass on would be consumed by a new container.
Shadow blinked his pink eyes at the thousands and thousands of Hollows now peacefully resting in the Darkness.
So, the Sandwich would go bad, eat other Sandwiches that were ALSO going bad or had gone rotten, then eventually become fertilizer for other Sandwich eaters. Along the way, memories and motivation and the past would be cleansed and the Souls would eventually leave to be reborn…
After all, only Souls that refused to pass onwards could be kept here.
It was the harsh, uncaring attitude of Nature herself, but over the afterlife. It wasn't surprising that other people had decided to step in and try to set up some better system.
Not that Shadow could fully understand said situation. Some Hollows had flickers of memories, of men and women stepping through the skies in solemn black robes with deadly spiritual swords, of other Pluses being touched with that Soul Sword's hilt and easily passing on to somewhere.
Most Hollows didn't care. They only cared about the H̛͍̣̮̤̥͔̪͍̻͢ų̸̢͙̲̱͈̜͟͡n͠͏͔̥̩̲͈̖ͅg̼̺̭̘̖̖͙̘̩̼̜̖͟é̛͕̹̲̼̙̱̰͉͇̟̠̖̞̪̰̫͉͜͟r͍͎̙̯̰̖̹͉̩̙͎̫͙͍͚̟̘͟͜.
Which was fair.
Shadow gently shifted these Soul collectors into different groups, and felt Gem gently soothe their missing and broken Hearts. Helping satiate that endless craving.
They all deserved a good nap… It seemed life and death had been hard on them.
If some of those Hollows were crying or curled up and remembering better times, Shadow didn't judge them.
And if new Hollows entering Karakura Town suddenly had pink eyes and vanished into the Darkness, that wasn't anyone's business but Shadow and Gems, now was it?
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
In a sideways city, an old man in black tattered clothing stared at a young clone of Ichigo of pure White…. Who was cackling like mad!
White pointed at the black chain that vanished into nowhere! "HA! Years of you resisting your bindings, all that effort and training and bullshit and your emo ass depressing attitude… And your Soul Fragment binding to Y͉̣̼͖h̜̫̗̻̱wa̭̯̰̫c̳͇h̬͍̯̞ got snapped by the Power of Friendship!"
The old symbol of the Quincy King kept staring at the cackling White being.
White nearly fell off the edge of the sideways building! "An 'unbreakable' connection to that asshole, a portion of that old dick's power 'bestowed' on victims like Ichigo's mom to grow in power… And her boy snapped that bitch thanks to the power of Heart! That's hilarious!"
The Old Man turned his black shades towards his own hands… Ones no longer bound to a foreign King, a man who could twist and tear Ichigo's power away at a whim.
He stared at his unbound hands, at freedom.
White giggled like a young boy! "All those years of you trying to act all cool and manly and cold and aloof and all that shit, and us binding each other to resist my corruption and your inherent potential for unwanted betrayal… And one warm hug of pink emotional C͍o̱͉͔̩̼ͅn̳͖̜͈̰͇̞n͖̹̣̳͈̦e̤͈̥̱͎̭c͚̞̣̩t̖̬̯̞̙io̻̳̱̪̲n̬̟͍̫̮s fixed you right up! HA!"
The mocked man raised an eyebrow at the laughing White figure. "It is indeed unexpected."
White drifted off into a sigh. "Damn it, there's no fun if you just ignore me like that. You got to fight back! I say something about how bullshit you are, you argue with me, then we stab each other like reasonable gentlemen and get some combat to keep things interesting!"
The Old Man paused. "So… I must fight back?"
The other one lept to his feet! "Heck yeah! Give me something good, friendship boy! I can take it!"
He slowly nodded, pondering. "Hmm. You consider me to be less 'manly' and 'cool' and so forth because that odd pink energy helped free us both?"
White grinned with far too many teeth! "That cartoon show was right! Friendship is MAGIC! HA!"
The Old Man nodded. "I suppose I must accept your opinion, considering how knowledgeable you must be."
White blinked. "Huh?"
The old man in black held forth a summoned massive black sword blade, twisted to show the reflection. "You must know much about the power of friendship, considering your new glowing pink eyes."
White stared into his own new feature. "I… I… WHAT!?"
His rival gave a solemn nod. "Truly, your new glare is most impressive."
Oh it was ON! "I'm going to stab you until the stupid bleeds out!"
Had the Old Man smirked? "Oh? You shouldn't injure yourself THAT much."
Talking paused for a while while two deadly fighters began an astounding dance of death, sharp swords piercing and twisting and moving to an unseen rhythm.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Ichigo gave up contacting home, his Dad must have been calling someone else and it would be faster to just head home in person and make sure the girls were going to be fine.
All his triage training implied they were doing good right now, but… Well, instantly falling asleep as reality seemed to suddenly attempt to crush you was NOT a normal situation.
Though somehow… The harsh forces seemed to have helped him break through in some way? He had quickly noticed that his body moved a bit faster than it should, and that every movement was a bit more sure and swift than before.
Issues for later. He walked in, glancing at Shadow and the odd crystal… One the tiny guy introduced as 'Gem', which was a pretty glowing pink that matched his bone pants and probably whatever his mask had looked like before the dozens of layers of paint.
Shadow blinked and gave an awkward thumbs up?
Ah. "No, I was unable to get my Dad on the line again, but he should still be at home. We just need to move the girls over there and have him take a look."
Shadow nodded, and Gem pulsed something like reassurance and wry affection towards the awkward Heartless next to her.
Ichigo blinked, something familiar pushed aside for now. "Right, I'm going to carry Tatsuki because her muscles make her dense as hell…" Shit. "Don't tell her I said that."
Shadow crossed his chest hole and raised a claw up solemnly. Good.
He frowned at the two girls. "I guess I could carry them in two trips, but I wouldn't want to risk leaving one of them unattended…"
A snap of claws made the boy blink and turn to Shadow who U͙ͅn̝̹f̞̜͚̻̫̙ͅu̮̦͍̮ṛ̼͍̼le̙̮̼̙͕̺̞d̞̰̫̘̬̱̰…
And Ichigo now had to look UP into the mountain of muscles that casually lifted Orihime into his arms.
Huh. Convenient.
Ichigo pointed at the still poofy bone pants. "How did your pants not explode when you did that?"
Shadow blinked, held out one arm as the other casually held up a young woman without issue, and suddenly a small curtain of pink bone chains began uncoiling from the Darkness, dangling like a fancy cape or decorative arm tassels.
The boy poked the clickety clacking new outfit. "Wow, that is VERY convenient." And something about the way those chains were formed also felt strangely familiar… Whatever, an issue for a later time.
First, the immediate issue. He ensured Tatsuki was gently lifted into a comfortable (For her! Not for him!) position in his arms, ignoring how she absently snuggled into his chest. "Right uh… Let's get them over to the clinic. If it was a normal medical thing I'd go to the hospital, but for any of the small weird things that happen around me I go to Dad first… Always seems to work out better that way."
Ichigo never asked who the strange people were that would show up or what his Father actually did to solve so many odd situations and strange cases, but that was fine. If it was something that risked the family, Dad would mention it… And if not, Ichigo would wait until the old man felt it was time to come clean about everything.
After all, it was hard to act like the world was normal when you saw ghosts daily and was haunted by the memory of that monster that… Sigh.
Shadow nodded, following happily, while the pink chain shirt thing he was now somehow creating pulled Gem up and held her to his back with a warm wrap up hug.
They had barely left the building when Ichigo refocused. "Oh! We need to find Orihime's keys and make sure to…"
Behind them both, the apartment door closed by itself and, with an audible click, locked itself shut.
That… That was pretty convenient. "Can you teach other people how to do that sort of thing?"
Never being locked out again when his Dad was doing something stupid thanks to him 'Keeping Ichigo from losing his edge!' was pretty tempting.
Shadow blinked and… Sort of wiggled? It was harder for him to communicate like this while carefully carrying a young woman. From what Ichigo got out of the mumbling moves, the door thing was related to something that wasn't there rather than an ability or a skill.
Sigh. Another thing to ask about later. "Let's pick up the pace, I want to make sure my family is alright and get both the girls checked out."
Like, medically. Not visually checking them out. It took a lot of effort sometimes to NOT take a glance or two at the many attractive women that seemed drawn to him from day to day.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Inside a candy shop, in one of the below surface research labs, a pile of exploded sensor equipment shifted awkwardly as a mad scientist tried to get out from the mess without damaging what fragments remained.
It was… Fairly undignified.
He wasn't injured of course, hidden or not his power level was far too high for even significant explosions to inconvenience himself, but some of the materials randomly spewed across the room would explode AGAIN if touched too quickly or exposed to significant amounts of spiritual energy unexpectedly.
Also, important data from the damaged equipment may be lost if he just hurled the mess to one side and escaped.
So inside his own business and home, inside his personal lab, Kisuke Urahara kept wriggling and squirming under a large amount of debris while attempting to quietly call for assistance.
After all, too much noise or heat or… Sigh.
What little data he managed to read before the pulse devastated his tools had been fascinating though… Some sort of spiritual resonance, a call from some common concept. It wasn't pure energy, spiritual or otherwise, but more a harmony of ideas and memories that called forth the lost parts of one's self.
It had also registered as 'Pink' and 'Cinnamon' before everything went tingle tangle and the explosions started.
At least someone had finally answered the phone, that had been annoying going off in the background… Now if only they would come help move this stuff, he could be out and about in only an hour or two!
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
The walk had been very odd, and very peaceful. What few people he saw were all resting in odd places, but no one was hurt or even seemed uncomfortable… And it all felt like a 'nap time' rather than a dangerous situation.
Still, one of the odder things that had happened around here for a while.
Even the animals were perched and curled up sleeping, except for one black cat EVERYTHING seemed to be having a relaxing siesta for no apparent reason!
Still, despite feeling an unusual lack of concern for the situation (Something about Gem pulsing made it all feel like everything was under control?), it felt like a good idea to have the girls checked out by his father just in case.
Despite his random comments about 'grandbabies' and 'dating a few women/men/anything in the area' and those odd comments about nobility and consorts and how harems were surprisingly more work than one would expect and…
He paused.
Maybe having Pops checking the girl's health WASN'T a good idea?
Sigh. too late, they were already here.
Ichigo carefully ignored Tatsuki sleepily nuzzling his chest as he got close to home. "Right, so my Dad is a bit…" Crazy, off the wall, willing to publicly assault his own child at random to teach him how to be a proper man, nutzo, bonkers… "Unusual, but he is a good man. So uh… If he leaps out the front door trying to kick me in the face, just ignore it. Alright?"
Shadow gave a big thumbs up! The pink bone chains jingled jangled while Orihime was safely drooling the one armed cradle of the big dude.
Right.
Here goes nothing! "Hey Pops! I brought back the girls and their new friend for a quick checkup!"
Please don't attack, it was always so embarrassing…
But the front door opened without issue.
Ichigo's eyes sharpened, and slightly flickered colors… No, there was only the feeling of safety. Vague touches of his tall father and two little ones… No intruders, no danger.
Not that he was sure how he knew that, but it helped him relax. "Dad?"
A distant response. "In the kitchen! Your sisters are sleeping in the living room, bring your friends there while I try to arrange some things first."
That… was not normal.
More than how odd it was to not spend a good five minutes or so ignoring a rant about how his Mom would be be so proud and whether or not Ichigo had brought wedding dresses along with the brides and all that, it was TRULY unusual to hear his serious voice twice in one day. "Will do, Dad."
Then again, a good chunk of town had simultaneously decided to take a nap… Perhaps serious time was to be expected.
Still… Uh… "Hey Pops, before we do that… You should probably meet Orihime's new friend first, Shadow. He helped me bring her over since I can't easily carry two girls without holding them like bags of flour. Plus, he's pretty unusual and I wouldn't want to surprise you or anything."
Ichigo glanced at the large muscled Heartless and blinked. Huh… Where had Shadow put Gem? Wasn't she on his back previously?
Even now, if Ichigo searched inside himself, he could sort of feel something like a pink ribbon of energy leading somewhere into the Darkness, so she wasn't left behind or anything…
And his Dad walked in. "Shadow huh? That's an unusual… Unusual…"
The scene froze.
Ichigo, holding his martial artist best friend who was snuggling into his chest.
Orihime, a drooling limp noodle with a bit of a quiet snore going on.
And the massive tower of black muscle and power, wearing bright pink poofy pants and an odd pink chain wrapped torso… His mask an artistic creation that would cause anyone to stare in confusion or potentially sickness due to the odd paint colors and combinations.
Oh, and the two cute little antennae and bright glowing pink eyes were pretty unusual too.
His father blinked. "I can't sense you. I can't feel you." His gaze flickered from the girls back to Shadow. "It's like young Ms. Inoue is floating in the air almost…"
Shadow cautiously raised one arm corded with muscles and power… And pointed at himself in confusion?
Ichigo sighed. "No, I think it is because you have that odd… I don't know, empty feeling? Like how you would feel different if Gem wasn't around like that, a sort of absence or void or something."
Shadow flinched back in horror! His free hand started doing odd signs and twitches!
Ichigo blinked. "What!? No, of course not! And Gem wouldn't leave you anyway, didn't you feel that yourself?"
The duo went back and forth, with one older brother reassuring a younger odd sibling that just because you ate most of the Candy your pink glowing crystal Heart wouldn't be that angry about it if at all and how sometimes it was important to talk more with those you care about and…
A soft cough broke off the debate about how much Candy was optimal for various apology scenarios and all that jazz… Oh. "Sorry Dad, were you saying something?"
The old man looked amused for some reason. "How about you two let the girls rest in the living room with your younger sisters? Young Inoue looks like she would appreciate a less odd surface to rest on and your lady love in your arms is about to start licking your chest if you aren't careful."
Wait, WHAT!? Ichigo glanced down in panic… And blinked at the softly nuzzling woman curled up in his embrace. Had he been cuddling her for this entire time!?
His Dad leaned closer to Shadow. "Notice how he didn't deny the 'lady love' bit. Good sign, right there."
DAD!
Ichigo's face blazed red. "I… Shutup! Shadow, follow me please."
Wanting to dig a hole and live in it, he scrapped what tattered fragments of dignity remained and walked mostly like normal into the living room to let Tatsuki finish her nap without any further awkwardness.
Absently Ichigo noticed that when you held someone you cared for, they didn't feel that heavy at all.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Isshin watched his young son blush his way into the other room with 'Just good friends, Dad!' as the odd THING called Shadow followed along, confused.
Superficially, it was like someone took a Hollow and shoved it into a cartoon.
Felt nothing like one, of course. And the house protections hadn't flared up... None of the detection matrices had set off either…
Not that the whole stupid setup would last much longer anyway. Another year, maybe half, and the raw power that Ichigo spewed out unconsciously would start wearing down these meager defenses at a ridiculous rate!
But for now? They held, they had scanned the guests, and nothing had freaked out.
Technically.
Isshin himself, of course, HAD freaked out. Even as restricted and wounded as he was now, his spiritual senses should have been going off the charts at this Shadow thing!
But instead he only felt… Like, fog. Or smoke. And only when physically nearby, even the shortest distance made the impression vanish like morning mist.
Until his son had called him in to meet this new 'friend', his Soul detection had marked Ichigo carrying his young lady friend Tatsuki while their classmate Orihime Inoue stood 'alone'... Assumed to be walking moments prior!
Unusual that she would be spiritually sturdy enough to not fall asleep like the rest of this town, but not impossible.
But no.
That young woman had been gently carried by what could only be considered less than nothing.
Within that space of that odd looking figure, was… A void. Darkness.
It hadn't felt tortured or mutated or experimental, almost like a natural thing… Less like a dim haunted house and more like a shady woodland forest?
Another careful check of the home using his senses… And nope, Shadow was not there, according to his own Soul and the house detection functions.
Damn it Urahara, why did you have to go into your lab for secluded work right NOW!? Really odd shit was happening in town, and his son had literally walked IN THE HOUSE with it!
And that was the SECOND thing that was WAY off with this new creature.
His response to it.
Even back when he was a young naive Soul Reaper, Isshin had been skeptical of new people… Much less new forms of life!
But this Shadow felt… Familiar. A part of life, natural, common.
It had to be a skill or ability, right? Some sort of technique or bloodline that allowed a monster to integrate with its prey and coexist or something?
Some Soul Reapers and some Hollows had abilities like that on record. Could insert themselves into memories, or mind control people, or alter how others interact with them…
But if so, this was on a whole new level than anything written about that he could remember. Which uh… Would have been far more impressive if he could remember most of that shit. Or if he had been a big study dude back in the day instead of a fighting freak. Or if he did any research instead of training all the time.
He awkwardly chuckled as he went back to call the candy shop again. If it was an ability or skill, at least it didn't prevent him from questioning it, or attempting to detect/circumvent the scenario, or stop him from contacting others for assistance.
If anyone could confirm someone's abilities despite complex logic puzzles and 'What if he knew what I know he thinks about' blah blah blah, it would be that lazy asshole refuge Shinigami Captain that randomly sold candy to people out of boredom in between research marathons.
Right, best try and contact Kisuke Urahara again.
Hopefully it won't be little Ururu Tsumugiya answering the phone this time… The little girl was adorable but she barely says anything and that was a frustrating habit to endure during a phone call.
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Hidden One
Not the Boss, possibly a Playa
- Location
- Sol;Terra;EU;D;NRW
It is nice to see that newly pink Ichigo is finally and slowly getting on with the plan of ALL THE GRANDBABIES.
Especially since he is suddenly somewhat ahead of schedule.
Too bad that no one took pictures. 🤔
Especially since he is suddenly somewhat ahead of schedule.
Too bad that no one took pictures. 🤔
Isshin: I forgot my camera Shit.
Ichigo's mum (forgot her name): YOU DIDN'T TAKE PICTURES
- Location
- Earth U.S.
- Status