Noble Love - Bleach (Kuchiki Byakuya x Oc x A bit of Various)

四十八

As Ichigo knelt on the ground crying in the pouring rain, one of the two men watching him began to walk away. One of them was Ginjo Kugo, a tall and lean-built man with fair skin, brown eyes with a small vertical scar above his left eyebrow, and combed back shoulder-length black hair. He wore a pair of black pants and a white sleeveless shirt, underneath a black jacket that had a fur-covered collar. He also wore a thin chain necklace that had an X-shaped pendant attached to it. His partner was Tsukishima, who was an extremely tall young man with black eyes and shoulder-length wavy black hair. He also had a long scar running vertically along the left side of his eye. He was wearing a long-sleeved collared shirt with suspenders and dark pants. Both of them were members of a secret organisation of Fullbringers known as Xcution, they had betrayed Ichigo from the very beginning, where they'd been planning on taking him down.

As Ichigo found his determination and demanded Ginjo to return his powers, he was suddenly impaled from behind by a sword glowing with Reiatsu. Stunned, he slowly turned his head to see who the attacker was, and all he saw there his father and Urahara standing behind with serious looks on their faces. 'Dad... Urahara...' he thought with disbelief before more tears streamed down his cheeks. "I see. So that's it? Have your memories been changed too?!"

Isshin stared at him for a moment before saying, "You idiot. That isn't me. Take a good look. Look at who's holding that sword." His son looked further over his shoulder to see that Reiatsu was flowing from the sword handle, though there was no wielder. "You should be able to see her now." Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as, slowly, Rukia who was now a Lieutenant for the 13th Division appeared before his eyes, revealing herself to be the one who had stabbed him with the sword.

"Rukia!" he gasped. The said woman also had some changes in her appearance. Her hair cropped into a bob which hanged about her face. She wore a fingerless white tekko, similar to Byakuya's, which extended above her elbows, as well as her Division Badge around her uniform's left sleeve that had been shortened to reach her upper arm.

Rukia smiled at him before the sword illuminated brighter with more Reiatsu, followed by a powerful wave of Reiatsu and dust. By then, the rain had stopped, which allowed the clouds of dust to temporarily obscure the Fullbringers' view. Once they cleared up, Ginjo was shocked to see Ichigo in his Shihakusho, though he had some slight alterations seemingly caused by the remaining energy from his Fullbring that was removed by Ginjo. It consisted of a thicker strap across his chest, and he had four black vertical lines on his forearms. Black tattoo-like bands crossed over his chest, wrists and ankles. He had similar bands, but with white ends, around his neck that seemed like collars. His Zanpakutou's appearance changed as well due to the traces of his Fullbring, giving the blade a silver hilt with gray wrappings and a short length of chain at its base. The blade itself curved inwards at the backside of the tip, resembling a trench knife.

"No..." said Ginjo. "It's impossible!"

Ichigo wedged his Zanpakutou into the ground and turned around to look at Rukia, who smiled at him. "It's been a while, Ichigo." she greeted. "You've become so strong and mature since the last time I saw you... NOT, IDIOT!" She suddenly kicked him in the face, causing him to spin around a few times before he fell to the ground.

"Ouch!" he shouted out as his left cheek swelled.

"Crying like a pathetic fool!" she berated. "You turned into a wimp the moment I stopped keeping my eyes one you! Pitiful!" Once she'd said what was on her mind, she took some deep breaths to calm herself down. "Urahara told me about the power of this Tsukishima guy. He can write over the past; it is indeed a terrifying power. But so what?!" Ichigo looked at her with surprise. "No matter how much he changes your past, he cannot change your future! Lost bounds can be forged once again! Am I wrong, Ichigo?!"