Disclaimer: I do not own the Bleach franchise, it is owned by Tite Kubo.

Eine Veranderte Welt

Chapter 1

"So what is your assessment of his character?"

Haschwalth stood before a window, one which overlooked the hiding place of the Fullbringers. A faint, hexagonal, net-like construct of reishi overlay the glass, keeping anyone from looking in from outside while letting anyone inside look out. Through the window and his own senses Haschwalth observed Ichigo's training.

"He's nice enough I suppose." Bambietta said. "I've barely known him for a day so I wouldn't be able to say this with complete certainty, but so far he seems much more…likeable, than most boys my age in the Vandenreich."

"I see."

"Lunch on the rooftop eh?" Bambietta remarked. "How dreadfully cliché…"

"You think so…?" Ichigo asked over a shoulder.

"Japanese schools – at least the ones I see on TV – always seem to have students eating up on the roof." Bambietta answered.

"Well…" Ichigo said as he led her to his usual – and also as usual he was the first there – corner. "…unless it's raining the roof is usually the most comfortable place in the school, even if you have to sit on the ground."

"Really…?"

"Sure…" Ichigo said while sitting on the bench. "…the breeze is good, and even if the Sun beats down between them it's neither too warm nor too cold."

Bambietta stared in silence for a few moments, and then laughed. "Oh?" she said with a smile. "What about in winter?"

"Well obviously we stay indoors." Ichigo said, but was kept from saying anything more when one of his friends arrived.

"Oh it's you…" a rather…dandy-like boy with stylishly-cut hair said as he approached. "…Basterbine-san, wasn't it? My, Ichigo moves fast doesn't he? It was the same with Kuchiki-san too."

"Excuse me?"

"Hey, Mizuiro…" Ichigo grumpily snapped. "…don't give her the wrong idea. Bambietta, I wouldn't listen too much to him. That guy's a real womanizer, I can't even count how many women he's played by now."

"Hey, hey…" Mizuiro protested. "…you shouldn't give wrong ideas either, Ichigo."

"What, are you going to say it isn't true?"

"No, it's true." Mizuiro replied, and Bambietta's jaw dropped at his apparent self-incrimination. And then her eyes went wide as he continued. "But if you're going to tell that to our new classmate, you should tell her the whole truth."

"And that is…?" Bambietta asked.

"He has a thing for older women." Ichigo replied with a roll of his eyes. As Bambietta snickered and then loudly burst laughing, he opened his lunchbox and began to eat his lunch seemingly without a care.

"Yes, well…" Mizuiro said with a smile, taking a seat beside Bambietta. "…it's not like I go around picking up lonely older women, it's more that they tend to stumble onto and pick me up."

"Right…" Bambietta said with a snicker. "…and how much resistance do you actually put up when these, ahem, lonely older women stumble on you and pick you up, eh?"

"Well, who am I to say no when they want to have a friendly chat?" Mizuiro replied with a laugh. Bambietta laughed too, and Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"ICHIGO!" a loud voice shouted, followed by the shouter, a boy with brown hair who threw himself at Ichigo…and was promptly met by Ichigo's elbow to the face.

"Sorry about that…" he said to Bambietta who was curiously glancing at the twitching boy sprawled out on the floor in front of them. "…Keigo's like that. He's a fairly nice guy, but he can be…trouble."

"Is that so?"

"Ichigo…!" Keigo shouted as he got to his feet. "How could you say such terrible things about me to your girlfriend like that?"

Bambietta and Ichigo alike choked at that, but before Keigo could say anymore a rather athletic-looking girl showed up and promptly cuffed Keigo on the back of the head. "Idiot…!" she snapped as Keigo fell down again. "Don't say things that'll cause misunderstandings, especially if they're not true."

"Not bad…" Bambietta said with an experienced eye. "…he's actually out cold."

"Not surprising…" Ichigo said. "…Tatsuki there is the Captain of the Karate Team."

Tatsuki knelt down to Keigo and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Yikes…" she said. "…I guess I went too far there, didn't I?"

"Meh, he can take it." Ichigo said with a shrug. "And if he's not awake by the time lunch break ends, then just splash him with cold water from that faucet over there."

"Oh yeah…"

"And if that doesn't work?" Bambietta asked.

"Sucks to be him…" Ichigo said, and then Keigo staggered up on all fours to Bambietta's surprise.

"Ichigo…" Keigo groaned out. "…you're so cruel."

As Ichigo and Keigo got into a good-natured argument over the former's 'cruelty' Bambietta was surprised when a girl she recognized as Orihime Inoue from the Daten offered her some of her lunch. "No, its fine, I…" she said but Orihime just shook her head.

"No, no…" she said. "…I actually made a lot this morning, to share with everyone. And, well since Kurosaki-kun seems to have made friends with you, would you like some?"

Bambietta blinked, and then after a moment smiled and used her chopsticks to take some of the offered food. "Thanks." She said. "My name's Bambietta Basterbine. And you are…?"

"Orihime Inoue, but you can just call me Orihime."

"Is that so? In that case, just call me Bambietta."

Bambietta blinked and ended her reminiscing of the lunch on the rooftop earlier today. "They're a rowdy bunch." She said. "Ichigo's friends, but they're not unlikeable. I daresay they're a much nicer bunch than the girls I hang around with most of the time."

Haschwalth glanced at her over a shoulder, and Bambietta scratched her head. "Maybe that's unfair to Meninas and Candice…" she conceded. "…but you have to admit, Giselle and Liltotto are insane, especially Giselle."

"And you are one to talk, Explode?" Haschwalth asked. "You after all have a reputation among the Stern Ritter for luring male Soldat with the promise of sexual gratification, only to kill them once their back is turned."

Bambietta's eyebrow twitched and she made a sound like a pillow being stepped on, but said nothing more. "Is there anything more?" Haschwalth asked.

"There are two." She replied. "The first is Orihime Inoue. Nothing too special as far as the Daten is concerned, but as I recall Special War Power Number Three once considered her power as…having potential. Should we be concerned as well?"

Haschwalth did not reply, and Bambietta moved on after a moment. "Also…" she said. "…Ichigo Kurosaki is much attached to his friends, though that's not too surprising. His entry in the Daten did state that was originally his reason for fighting. I worry about the possibility of recruiting him in the future, given our end goal and its effects."

"Leave that to me." Haschwalth finally said. "Ichigo Kurosaki is not stupid, is he not?"

"No." Bambietta said. "Despite appearances, his performance in his classes today proves that he is quite intelligent. Though, if he's to be one of us, we'll have to fix his noted tendency to simply charge in against his enemies. As a Quincy, against many enemies it's going to be the death of him."

"Perhaps…" Haschwalth conceded. "…perhaps not…"

Bambietta looked surprised at that, but Haschwalth did not elaborate at once. "While I agree that having him adopt a more…cautious, approach to battle is something to be striven for…" he said eventually. "…at the same time we shouldn't constrain him so much. Do not forget the trait for which he is a Special War Power, and the first among them: latent ability. Harnessing such a trait will require some leeway."

"I understand, Grand Master."

Haschwalth nodded. "Continue with your operations as you have so far, Explode." He said.


"Don't get so irritable." Ginjou remarked. "Your training's already gone faster than expected."

A bruised and battered Ichigo glared at him after being released from one of Yukio's pocket dimensions. Ginjou was completely unfazed though. "Ichigo, you not only managed to manifest the basic form of your Fullbring but actually stabilized it in one night." He said. "Riruka and Yukio took much longer than that to get a stable Fullbring. About a few months or so, isn't that right?"

"Three months." Yukio replied deadpan, and Riruka shrugged.

"About the same…" She said.

Ginjou turned back to Ichigo. "Sado tells me that you mastered your Shinigami powers in what, three days?" he asked. "Bankai, wasn't it?"

"That's right." Ichigo confirmed. "So what…? Are you saying I can't do the same with Fullbring? If I can do it with…"

"And how much damage did you take while mastering it?" Ginjou interrupted and stopping Ichigo cold. "Don't forget Ichigo, what might only cause bruises or flesh wounds to Shinigami, would kill most Humans outright. And right now, you're only Human. Your motivation for doing this is to get the back the power to protect your family right? If you die during training because of your own stubbornness, what happens then…?"

Ichigo looked mutinous, but eventually subsided and looked away. In hindsight, his Shinigami training had been rather brutal, and would probably have killed him if he hadn't had a soul's increased durability compared to a living, breathing Human body.

And it wasn't just Bankai training either, what with Old Man Zangetsu slashing and cutting away at him like there was no tomorrow. Or even the Visored training, now that was even more brutal. No, he'd never have even have gotten that far if not for the initial training with Urahara, and Urahara would have killed him if he hadn't succeeded in awakening his Shinigami powers.

And that was precisely the point. He wasn't a Shinigami anymore. He was just an ordinary Human, and while he could regain power eventually, until then he was just as vulnerable as the next person. Ichigo suppressed a shudder as he remembered how helpless Karin, Yuzu, and ultimately even him were during that Hollow attack immediately after he first met Rukia.

Isn't that the whole point of this? Getting back the power to protect them and my friends…?

Ah but if you push yourself too far during training and bite the dirt, then what happens?

And it's not like you can become a Shinigami after you die either, you destroyed your soul's spiritual power when you used the Final Getsuga Tensho. It was for a good cause, but still: you don't have any spiritual power anymore.

And even if you could become a Shinigami again after you die, what are the chances they'd assign you to Karakura? It's a professional service isn't it?

Ichigo sighed, and falling on his rear collapsed back on his arms. "I got it." He said. "That's enough for tonight. When do I come back for training?"

Ginjou smiled and gestured at Giriko who went and got a First Aid Kit. "Glad to see you're using your head." Ginjou said cheerfully as Giriko began tending to Ichigo's injuries. "Come back the day after tomorrow. We'll see then. Until then, just take it easy, and enjoy your life. Trust me, Ichigo. When you grow up, you'll regret not taking opportunities in this stage of life."

Ichigo looked sceptical, and Ginjou shrugged. "I guess I don't really look like a guy to give good advice about that." He said. "But, I think I've got the right to give advice on Fullbring training. And I think that until you're back to good shape, we should hold off on further training for at least a day."

Ichigo sighed again and nodded before stumbling to his feet. "Alright, alright…" he said unhappily. "…as you said, I'm just a Human right now. So I'll have to train as a Human, including letting my body recover over time. I got it."

Ginjou and the rest of Xcution nodded their agreement.


The school bells rang a five-minute mark before the start of class, and Bambietta sighed as she replaced her walking shoes for indoor ones. "Troublesome…" she grumbled mentally. "…I can see the point of taking your shoes off before entering the house, but school…? This seems to be taking cleanliness a bit too far."

Bambietta closed her locker, and took another deep breath. "Then again…" she thought. "…this is Japan. Who am I to say otherwise to their customs? When in Rome do as the Romans do."

"Bambietta-chan…! Good morning!"

Bambietta blinked at the shouted greeting, and turning to see who it was paused on her way to let the other person catch up. "Good morning, Orihime-san." Bambietta said politely before turning to the other girl tagging along. "Good morning Arisawa-san."

"Good morning." Tatsuki said before smiling teasingly. "Guess I come second, eh?"

"She greeted me first, so I greet her back first." Bambietta said before glancing at her watch. "Come on, class is about to start."

"Ah wait up…" the girls said before following after Bambietta. Bambietta stayed silent as Orihime and Tatsuki along with a redheaded girl who joined them along the way chatted with each other. They separated at the doors to the classroom, the redhead – Chizuru Honshou – shooting Bambietta an assessing glance. Something…felt off about it, something that reminded her of Giselle, and Bambietta made a mental note to be wary of the redhead.

Not that she could do any real harm to Bambietta of course. The only one in the school who could was Uryuu Ishida, seeing as Orihime's powers weren't really offense-oriented and while Yasutora's was he didn't have the firepower. And Ichigo while a Special War Power and thus once fully-realized would far surpass her in power, didn't have any power at present.

Well, he was undergoing Fullbring training, but Bambietta didn't really have that high of an opinion of that.

She blinked though as she noticed the bandaged cuts and wounds on Ichigo's face, the boy sitting stoically – or perhaps bored – behind his desk. "What happened to you?" she asked. "You look like someone a truck ran into."

He glanced wearily at her. "You have no idea how right that is." He said, and she blinked.

"Huh?"

"No…" Ichigo said with a cough. "…it's nothing. Forget I said anything."

Bambietta quirked an eyebrow at that but said nothing. It was probably the result of Fullbring training, and her opinion of their abilities rose ever so slightly. Quincy training was difficult too, considering they were Humans – weak, pathetic, frail and helpless Humans – training to fight against transcendental beings like Hollows and Shinigami.

Even if Ichigo's past training and experiences shouldn't have affected his body – much – as it would have his soul, he wasn't exactly frail either. To think they could cause so much damage during training…

Unknown to Bambietta, Ichigo was pretty much thinking along the same lines. And remembering something his father had told Ichigo before he had gained the Final Getsuga Tenshou. Specifically, how Ichigo had gained all his powers and abilities through shortcuts usually courtesy of Urahara, and how much different and harder proper training was.

"Wise words, old man…" Ichigo thought glumly. He wasn't exactly…flabby or unfit, but after the beating Jackie Tristan gave him last night, he'd gone to sleep tired and woken up stiff and cramped. "…the same goes for Ginjou-san too. I don't think I'd last even a minute against Tristan if I went training with her right now. Shinigami training was never this hard. I wonder if Ishida's training was the same. Quincy are Human too after all. Well, we'll see tomorrow."

Ichigo sighed. There wasn't much point in letting his gripes over the cost and time of Fullbring training sour his day. As the teacher arrived and the student on duty called them to stand, Ichigo pulled himself back to reality.


"Were you training or something?" Bambietta asked over morning break. Seeing as it was only twenty minutes long, there wasn't much point in going to the roof, so they stayed in the classroom.

"Something like that…" Ichigo replied evasively.

"Some training then…" Bambietta remarked as she leaned back against a window. "…if it leaves you all bruised and battered like that."

Ichigo's response was pre-empted by a laugh, Ichigo and Bambietta glancing towards Tatsuki as she walked over to them. "Don't worry too much, Basterbine-san." She said. "This much for Ichigo is nothing. He's gone far from the cry-baby I used to push around in the karate dojo."

"Cry-baby…?" Bambietta echoed deadpan.

"HEY…!" Ichigo snapped angrily. "What's the big idea, bringing up something like that?"

"Now, now…" Tatsuki said cheerfully while holding up her hands in a gesture for peace. "…its ancient history now, so why bother getting all hot and worked up over it?"

"Why even bring it up in the first place?" Ichigo growled.

Tatsuki shrugged and turned back to Bambietta. "Anyway my point is something like this isn't really a problem for Ichigo here." He said. "He takes on entire gangs regularly and comes out of it looking worse, but he'll be back to normal in a day or so."

Gangs don't usually get powerful enough to shake the ground when they kick them. Tristan can.

"Gangs…?" Bambietta echoed. "Usually…?"

This wasn't in the Daten.

Tatsuki shrugged again. "Apparently those idiots think Ichigo dyes his hair orange." She said. "Coupled with his usual grumpy expression, it makes them think he's a loner delinquent trying to muscle around their territory. Well that, and Ichigo not liking bullies. As a result, he gets into fights often."

"And how many people are usually in these gangs?" Bambietta asked.

"Usually around five or so…" Ichigo replied. "…a few times there's more, but in those cases I usually just have to knock out their leader and they run for it."

"You say that, but as I recall Chad had to bail you out more than a few times." Tatsuki pointed out. Ichigo looked curiously at her.

"What's wrong with that?" he asked. "Friends are supposed to help each other out, don't they?"

Tatsuki laughed at that. "Yeah, that's true." She said, and then she and Ichigo shared a laugh. Bambietta meanwhile thought back to her argument with Candice back in the Vandenreich while preparing to leave for the Living World, and how she was the only one of Bambietta's 'friends' who was there to see Bambietta and Haschwalth depart.

Granted, Candice hadn't told the others about her leaving on such short notice – though they probably found out soon enough through the Daten – but still.

we're not as close as we pretend to be, but we are friends. So I might as well help you out.

Bambietta smiled a small smile at those words. A large part of her still dismissed that friendship could be big, but hearing Ichigo – Special War Power Number One who despite having lost his powers through a Shinigami technique all too similar to the Quincy: Letzt Stil still had the potential to regain it – implicitly affirm what the Daten said about his reason for fighting, well, she couldn't exactly dismiss it either. Her parents, and then her instructors during Quincy training, and finally the Grand Master after her ascension to the Stern Ritter, had always told her to keep a certain distance between herself and others, in case sacrifices became necessary. Now, though…

"Maybe I should be nicer to Candice…and to Meninas too…" she thought, and mentally chuckled at something Candice had said to Bambietta before she'd left for the Living World.

I might as well help you out.

"Thanks Candice…" Bambietta thought. "…I'll repay you someday. Who knows? Considering how insane Liltotto and Giselle are, it might come in handy someday too."

"You two seem really close." Bambietta said aloud. "And with all the mentions of ancient history…childhood friends…?"

"Well, something like that." Ichigo said, and then winced as Tatsuki cuffed him on the back of the head.

"More like it's like that." She said before turning back to Bambietta. "Oh yeah, we go back a long way. I knew him back when he was a cute little kid instead of a grumpy teenager who scowls all the time."

"Hey, I do not scowl all the time!" Ichigo protested as Orihime arrived, drawn by the commotion. "And who's grumpy?"

"Are they always like that?" Bambietta asked the other girl, who laughed nervously.

"Not always…" she answered softly as Tatsuki and Ichigo argued with each other. "…but…yes, push the right buttons, and they get like that."

"Oh…that sounds interesting…" Bambietta said, and decided to have some fun, Candice-style. "…given how they bicker like an old couple, I'm surprised they're not going out."

The words had the desired effect, Ichigo and Tatsuki flushing before quickly turning to Bambietta and spluttering protests. Orihime – the Daten did say she was attracted to Ichigo though that much was obvious early on after Bambietta met her – actually blushed at the insinuation and began to falteringly try and calm them down.

Bambietta just laughed though, and could see why Candice found pushing people's buttons this way amusing.


"Sorry about that…" Bambietta apologized to Ichigo as they found themselves paired up in one of their following classes. Ichigo looked blankly at her.

"What?"

"Earlier during morning break…" Bambietta said. "…I…pushed it a bit too far, didn't I? I mean it's not like we're close, aren't we?"

"Oh that…" Ichigo said with dawning comprehension. "…don't sweat it. Even if we're not close, we're still friends, so I'll let it go. Just don't get into the habit."

Bambietta laughed before finishing the equation she was working on. "Thanks." She said. "Though, if that's the case you might want to avoid Candice if you meet her."

"Friend of yours…?"

"That's right." Bambietta said. "She likes to push people's buttons in fact it's something of a bad habit for her. Though, she's not all that bad either."

"Nobody's perfect." Ichigo said, and Bambietta laughed.

"True." She admitted. "Even you…?"

"And what about you…?" Ichigo shot back, and Bambietta laughed again. He smiled in triumph.

"Guess not…" Bambietta admitted. "…seeing as I've picked up Candice's bad habit too it seems."

"Don't worry too much about it." Ichigo told her as he answered an equation on his worksheet. "You're friends aren't you? Just don't let it get out of hand, and you should be fine."

"Yes, yes…"


Haschwalth was sitting in a café, reading a book while a half-empty mug of coffee sat on his table next to a crumb-covered plate and dirty silverware. Instead of his usual uniform – which would have drawn attention – he wore a dark business ensemble. While the task bestowed upon him required that he remain nearby to Ichigo Kurosaki, but that was only during his training, when the boy was actively trying to reawaken and control his shattered spiritual power.

And so far it seemed to working: the training of Ichigo's Fullbring seemed to be slower than expected, but then again, Fullbring was basically Hollow power. And it was the anti-thesis of Ichigo's Quincy power. Those had been shattered along with his Shinigami power by the Final Getsuga Tenshou, but in Haschwalth's presence they were fitfully reawakening, though it would take much, MUCH more for them to be fully-restored.

Ichigo's Shinigami power was irrelevant, and indeed, it might be better if they were destroyed for good. The same went for his Hollow power, and if all went well then both would be achieved soon enough.

More importantly, the fitful stirring of Ichigo's Quincy power was clashing with his Fullbring, delaying the latter's stabilization and development. Well, no matter: Haschwalth was patient, and so was the Emperor. It only meant they had more time to continue with preparations, though it wouldn't do to delay too long either.

As for his duties as Grand Master, he could delegate all but the most important ones to his staff. His aide Magda was quite useful in that regard, and as for balancing the scales, well, he could do that just as well in the Living World as he could in the Vandenreich. Everything else was a shadow away.

A flicker of Hollow spiritual pressure caught his attention, followed by a distant roar. Haschwalth cursed mentally. Hollows weren't much of a threat, but they could be troublesome. As a Quincy he could easily hide his spiritual pressure, but even so, he'd rather not take even the slightest chance of being exposed.

He'd no doubt both former Shinigami Substitutes were under close surveillance from the Soul Society's Onmitsukidou, waiting for the right time to strike. Any…disturbance, could draw their attention, attention Haschwalth had no need or desire to gain.

Calling for the bill, Haschwalth paid for his meal and draining the last of his coffee left the café. Out of instinct he traced the Hollow's position, and found it nowhere near his planned travel route. He did however sense the presence of a soul nearby, and Haschwalth silently gave his condolences, for unless the resident Shinigami arrived soon, it would be food for the Hollow.

Shinigami incompetence…


The Hollow loomed dark against the sky, its eyes sinister points in the shadows of its mask. A long tongue hung out of its leering mouth, saliva dripping down to the ground. The spirit of a boy cowered against a wall, shaking with fear.

He screamed and scrambled away as the Hollow reached out, but to no avail. The Hollow was fast, and catching the boy's spirit slowly and deliberately raised it to its opening mouth, savouring the soul's screams as it did so.

"MAMA…! PLEASE HELP! MAMA! ANYONE, PLEASE HELP!" the boy screamed, smelling the rancid breath of the Hollow as he was thrust inside.

And then he was falling, falling down to the ground, the Hollow shuddering and groaning as it was split in half, its body crumbling into dust on the wind. The boy scrambled away, and stared wide-eyed as the monster vanished, literally wiped from existence. He looked around for his saviour, and found no one even as the resident Shinigami arrived minutes late…almost too late.

And walking away down the street several blocks away, the Grand Master of the Stern Ritter tucked his Quincy Cross into a pocket.


A/N

And there we go.

The other Fullbringers having taken longer to develop and master their powers is creative license on my part. Though, it is mentioned in canon that Ichigo's growth is much faster than normal. As Special War Power Number One, his special trait is latent ability after all.

Ichigo's tough, but not that tough. Enough to match gangs of thugs on his own, but against supernaturally-empowered Humans (even ones as weak as Fullbringers) he'll take a beating. Yes, I know in canon that Ichigo manifested the second stage of his Fullbring in a night and mastered it not long after, but with Haschwalth there stirring up his Quincy power, well, read the chapter above.

And speaking of Haschwalth…here's a rare heroic moment for the Grand Master of the Stern Ritter. Damn Kubo for rushing the ending…or, if the rumour mill is to be believed, executive meddling forced him to. So many characters (even Yhwach) wasted, even the whole story...Naruto had a better ending of all stories, bloody hell.