Welcome to yet another story. This is one that's been bugging me for the past three months, making it harder for me to concentrate on my studies. Now that my exams are finally over, I can get this out to you guys!

To Akuma-Heika who asked me what Houtengeki was in a review for Dragonberry Chronicles: Houtengeki or rather Houtengageki is a halberd I took from the Fate series. It was created by a military adviser who had Chinese General Lu Bu in mind when he created it. It can function as an axe, a shield, a scythe, a bow, a cannon and a spear. Since it's that versatile, I feel that it's a perfect replacement for True Longinus. Plus, I'm adding in a new ability.

After careful consideration, I've decided to keep both Irina and Xenovia in Issei's harem. While Irina is a Brave Saint, she already had a crush on Issei from the start and it's implied that he promised to marry her when they were kids. With her strong faith in God, I can't see her joining the Devils, even if she found out that God was dead. Xenovia doesn't have as strong a faith, and joined Rias's peerage when she found out God was dead. Considering that, it'll be hard for her to have enough interaction with Ichigo to actually fall in love with him. So yeah, both are staying in Issei's harem.

"Black Joker" – Japanese speech

"Black Joker" – Thoughts/flashbacks

"Black Joker" – Italian speech

"Black Joker" – Italian thoughts

"Black Joker" – Hollow Speech

Any perceived slights towards Christianity or any other religion is completely unintentional.

Enjoy!

"Urgh...dammit, again!?" Kurosaki Ichigo groaned as he clutched his chest, a wave of sharp pain coursing through him. Standing at 6'0 feet with orange hair, lightly tanned skin, brown eyes and a lean, muscled body, Ichigo was an attractive male, though that attractiveness was constantly tarnished by the permanent scowl on his face. Right now, that attractive was further marred as Ichigo hunched over in pain, steadying himself by pressing his forearm against his bedroom wall.

One couldn't tell by appearances alone, but Ichigo was a Shinigami, a guardian of the afterlife. 'Was' being the key operative word. Three months ago, Ichigo sacrificed all of his powers to defeat Aizen Sosuke, a madman hell bent on destroying the natural order of things. His powers should have completely vanished last month, so why...?

"...Why is there reiatsu pouring out of my body!?" Invisible to the average human, Ichigo was emitting a golden aura from his body. Strange, considering his reiatsu had never once been gold. It wasn't that of a Shinigami or a Hollow, he was intimately familiar with both, so those were out. It didn't feel like Uryu Ishida's Quincy reiatsu either, so that was out too. So what did that leave?

As he pondered that, the pain finally subsided and the golden aura faded away. Ichigo slumped back onto his bed, his chest heaving as he took in deep breaths to regulate his breathing.

"What the hell is going on!? My powers are supposed to be gone! I shouldn't have any reiatsu left..." The pangs of pain started shortly after his powers completely faded after the Reigai incident last month. Even the most basic of his abilities, the ability to see supernatural beings, was gone. He had resigned himself to a life of normality, something he had longed for, or at least thought he had. Then the pain started, accompanied by the surges of unfamiliar reiatsu. Neither his dad, who had used the Final Getsuga Tensho before, nor Urahara, the most knowledgeable among them, could offer an explanation. Urahara had put him through a battery of tests, the results of which were inconclusive. He had two choices: go to Seireitei to see if the Twelfth Division could get any results, or tough it out. There was no way in hell he was letting the clown-faced madman anywhere near him, so he just had to endure until the pain faded completely. That was a full month ago, and the pain had not subsided. Rather, it had become more frequent and intense, inconveniencing him, especially when he was at school or fighting off punks who were picking a fight.

...It hurt. Not the pangs of pain he had experiencing as of late, not so much. Rather, it was the pain of being completely powerless once more. Although he constantly complained about his old supernatural abilities, they had at least given him the power he needed to protect his loved ones. Now, they were gone. Granted, his dad and his friends were around to take care of any Hollows that might pop up, but the pain of losing his powers was overwhelming. Adding to that, his friends constantly gave him pitying looks, making the pain even more excruciating. To top it all off, it was the loss of his partners that pained him most. Zangetsu, in the short time he had known him, had been one of the greatest influences in his life, offering wisdom and lending Ichigo his power when he was cornered. He would never admit it out loud, but he even missed his inner Hollow. Even he had tried to take over his body several times, it was also thanks to his intervention that he had survived many battles in which he should have died.

"Stop thinking about it. You'll only depress yourself even further." Ichigo firmly reminded himself. He lay his head down on the pillow, trying to fall asleep before the next wave of pain hit him.

"Help! Help me! Someone, please help me!" Oh look, he was already starting to dream...Wait a minute...

Ichigo shot up. Someone was screaming for help outside. He looked out the window, and promptly rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. A translucent girl with a broken chain sticking out of her chest with a huge white-masked creature hot on her tail. A Plus and a Hollow. That wasn't possible, he wasn't supposed to be able to see them anymore.

"Help! Anyone! Help me!"

Ichigo grimaced. Who cared if it was a hallucination, someone needed help! His old man sure picked a fine time to visit Urahara-san.

"Screw this!" He opened his window open and jumped down to the ground below.

"Hey ugly! Pick on someone your own size!" His shout attracted the Hollow's attention.

"What's this? A human that can see me? Lucky, I was hunting a morsel but got a full course instead!" Laughing manically, the Hollow pounced on him. It was then that Ichigo realized that he might have gotten just a bit in over his head.

"Tch, with that level of speed, I can just avoid with Shunpo-!" Ichigo tried to channel reiryoku to his feet in preparation, but then remembered he didn't have any reiryoku left. That mistake would cost him as the Hollow closed the distance between them. The Hollow swung its claw at Ichigo, who tried to step back, but was sent flying with gashes across his chest.

"Arrrrrrgh!?" Ichigo yelled in pain as he crashed into the wall of his house.

"Hahahahahaha! What's wrong boy!? Weren't you going to be a hero!? Get up! Fight back! At least make this interesting for me!" The Hollow laughed as Ichigo struggled to get up.

"Understand boy!? Do you understand the extent of your own powerlessness!? Those without power will be devoured by those who have power! So, don't try to be a hero when you're this useless!" The Hollow picked Ichigo up in its claws and opened its mouth wide, intent on eating him whole.

"...Fuck..." As the jaws of the Hollow inched closer, Ichigo cursed and struggled in the tight grip. What was he thinking? Even if, by some miracle, he could see Hollows again, what was the point if he didn't have the power to fight them?

"...What was I trying to prove by doing this...?" The closer he came to death, the less he struggled, until finally, he stopped altogether.

"Ah...So, this is it, huh?" Ichigo closed his eyes, preparing for his imminent death. He could feel the Hollow's rancid breath on his skin. In just a moment, he would depart from the mortal plane.

"...Hmm...If this Hollow is eventually purified, will I get to meet mother in Soul Society...?" Ichigo wondered to himself. Yeah, maybe death wasn't so bad, if it meant that he could see his mother. In just a moment...In just a moment...

[...Don't give up..!]

"...!?" Ichigo's eyes shot open. The Hollow had stopped...No, it wasn't just the Hollow. The breeze that had been blowing just now seemed to have frozen, leaving the leaves of the nearby tree frozen in a rustling position.

"...Time...froze...?"

[Don't give up!]

"Who's there!?" Ichigo's head whipped around as he searched for the source of the voice.

[Fight back!]

The voice was coming from...behind him? Turning his head as far back as he could, he caught of a golden glow, and in the center of the light was...

"...A spear...?"

An intricate golden spear floated in mid-air, and the reiatsu coming from it was...the same reiatsu that had been pouring out of his body for the last month! And...there was also a sense of familiarity that was not associated with the pain he had been experiencing. As though, the spear was with him since he was born, just like Zangetsu.

"...You're the source of that reiatsu...?"

[What are you doing!? Hurry up and use me!]

"Tch...No choice!" Ichigo reached out with his free arm and grasped the shaft of the spear. As he swung it at Hollow's mask, time slowly began to flow again. As the Hollow was about to bite down, it caught a glint of gold and stopped, in time for the blade of the spear to smash into its mask, fragmenting it, and revealing a human face below.

"Arrrrrgh! You fucking brat, what did you...!?" The Hollow screamed in pain and outrage, clutching at its bleeding wound, but was halted when Ichigo slammed the hilt of the spear into its gut, sending it skidding backwards.

"...Finishing blow...!" Ichigo lifted the spear and threw it with his remaining strength. The spear flew through the air, leaving a trail of golden light in its path. The spear pierced the Hollow, not giving it enough to scream as it faded away.

"...Haaa...Haaa...!" Falling onto all fours, Ichigo breathed heavily, the adrenaline fading from his system. His vision began to blur and he began to feel lightheaded.

"...Shit...Men aren't supposed to faint like a little wuss..." As his consciousness faded, he did manage to register two more things.

First, the spear which was imbedded in the ground faded away and something entered his body.

Second...

"Ichigo!"

"Kurosaki!"

"...Ichigo!"

"Kurosaki-kun!"

...His dad and his three friends were rushing over to him.

Ichigo shot up from his lying down position...and immediately regretted it. His entire body was aching and his vision was somewhat blurry. But, he recognized that he was in his room. And that his dad and his three friends were beside him.

"Ichigo?" His dad's voice called out to him.

"Goat face...? What happened to me...?"

"That's what we'd like to know. But before that, how do you feel?"

"Hmm...although my whole body hurts like hell, my wounds are gone. And since I'm in my room...I guess that means Chad carried me in and Inoue healed me. Thanks, you two."

"I-I-I-It was nothing!" Orihime waved her hands in front of her as she stuttered. Chad just nodded. Meanwhile, Uryu and his dad were staring at him.

"What's with those looks?"

"Kurosaki...Haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"Ichigo...your reiatsu has returned."

"What!?" Concentrating, Ichigo could indeed feel his massive reiatsu once more. But...something had changed.

"...I can't feel my Shinigami or my Hollow powers..." His reiatsu was indeed back, but it had an unfamiliar texture to it, one that was definitely not that of a Shinigami or a Hollow.

"Can you explain what happened?" His dad inquired. Ichigo placed his palm against his forehead

"...I had another one of those pangs of pain. And when it faded, I could hear a Plus crying for help. I tried to fight off the Hollow that was chasing it, but I was taken out. When it was about to eat me..." Ichigo's head shot up.

"That's right...The spear!"

"Spear?"

"Yeah, just when I was about to be eaten, time suddenly seem to freeze and a voice I never heard called out to me. It was coming from a golden spear that had the same reiatsu as the one that had been pouring out of me for the last month. It told me to use it to fight back, and I managed to defeat the Hollow with it..."

"A spear that can harm Hollows?" Uryu adopted a thoughtful expression, Orihime looked confused, Chad was as stoic as ever, and his dad...was paling rapidly.

"What's wrong, goat face? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"...Ichigo, what happened to the spear?"

"Hm...I think it went into my body..."

"Can you summon it?"

"Let's see..." Closing his eyes, Ichigo reached deep into his soul.

...There. Ichigo lifted his hand and the same golden spear appeared in a flash in his grasp, causing his friends to jump and his dad to pale even further.

"...Ugh...True Longinus, of all things..."

"Longinus?"

"That's the spear that pierced the side of Jesus Christ during his crucifixion, right?" Uryu asked.

"The one and the same. The spear that you're holding is that very spear." The shock of that revelation caused Ichigo to drop the spear, which faded away like before.

"That's the same spear!?"

"As hard as it is to believe, yes."

"I feel as though this spear has been with me all along. If that's the case, why did it only awaken now?" Isshin adopted a thoughtful expression that looked very out of place.

"Well, I'm no Kisuke, but since Shinigamis are dark in nature and yours in particular were very powerful, they acted as a seal on True Longinus. But when they were fully faded last month, True Longinus was also freed. Thus, it began to rapidly awaken, causing pain to you, its wielder." Everyone was stunned into silence, until...

"Arrrgh!?" Ichigo hunched over when his arms suddenly started hurting like hell. The pain soon spread to the rest of his body.

"Kurosaki!?"

"The hell!? It feels like...molten lava is being poured into my blood vessels...!" Uryu gasped.

"Kurosaki, your skin...!" Ichigo took a good look. Red and blue lines were spreading over his skin.

"What is this...!?"

"Blut!? Impossible...!"

"Ishida, you know what this is...?"

"Kurosaki...this is Blut. It's a special ability to manipulate your physical strength or defences by pumping reishi through your blood vessels. But...Blut is a Quincy ability! So, why is it that you..."

"A Quincy ability!? Why do I have a Quincy ability!?"

"Haaaa...Looks like the holy reiatsu from True Longinus awakened your latent Quincy powers. I was hoping this would never happen..." Isshin sighed while holding his palm against his forehead.

"Latent Quincy powers...!? What are you talking about...!?" Ichigo groaned out while enduring the pain.

"...Ichigo...During the battle with Aizen, you said that you wait until I was ready to tell you the truth. Now...is that time."

"The...truth?"

"Ichigo...you aren't a Shinigami, but you aren't an ordinary human either."

"..."

Once more, the entire room was stunned into silence. Ichigo already knew he wasn't an ordinary human...but he never thought his mother was involved in the supernatural world. Or that his inner Hollow had been with him since he was born. But, somehow...that revelation had cleared the turmoil in his soul that had stirred since the battle with Aizen.

"...So, Kurosaki and I are...related?" Uryu asked after recovering from the shock.

"All Quincies are related to each other since they all descended from the same man, so I guess you two are distantly-related."

Ichigo and Uryu turned to look at each other and silently agreed that they couldn't see it.

"But...there's still one more truth that I have to tell you: the truth of June 17th, 10 years ago. The day your mother died."

"June 17th!?" Uryu unexpectedly reacted with shock to the date.

"Ah, you should listen carefully too, Uryu-kun. This...also has to do with your mother's death."

Ichigo's jaw dropped. Uryu's mother had died as well? And it was connected to his mother's death?

"Ichigo...your mother shouldn't have died that day. As you just experienced yourself, all Echt Quincies are born with Blut and even Gemischt Quincies can train until they acquire it. Your mother's defensive Blut, Blut Vene, in particular was incredibly powerful. A low-level Hollow like Grand Fisher shouldn't even have been able to scratch her. That day...it wasn't that I didn't know that you and Masaki were in danger. I sensed Grand Fisher's reiatsu, but because my powers were sealed at the time by Kisuke's special Gigai, I didn't go to help her. She was supposed to have killed Grand Fisher without even breaking a sweat. But as you know...that didn't happen. Uryu-kun, your mother fell into a coma on June 17th and died three months later."

"What!? Just what the hell happened on June 17th!?"

"...Auswahlen.. That day, the Quincy King, Yhwach, performed a 'selection' of Quincies, draining the powers of all of the Gemischt Quincies, including Masaki, who despite being an Echt Quincy, was infected with Hollow reiatsu, which tainted her in Yhwach's eyes."

A chair clattered to the floor as Uryu rose to his feet, his face marred by an expression of pure outrage. Chad placed a hand on his shoulder and Uryu's face slowly returned to a neutral expression.

"...Quincy folklore tells of a sealed king, that he would regain his heart in 900 years, his intellect in 90 years and his power in 9 years. In order to regain his lost power, he took the power of all the 'impure' Quincy. Because of that, Uryu-kun's mother, Kanae Katagiri, a Gemischt Quincy, died as she was already weakened by illness, and Masaki, who was fighting Grand Fisher at the time, was killed."

"...How could he do something like that!? Because he's the king!? Just who is this Yhwach!?"

Isshin closed his eyes.

"Yhwach is the first Quincy. All Quincies originated from him. And...his blood flows in every single Quincy."

"..." Ichigo gritted his teeth. His mother died because of that bastard!?

"...Where is he now?"

"Who knows? But he's definitely alive. And waiting for a chance to strike back at Soul Society for the Quincy Massacre. You'll probably meet him sooner or later on the battlefield."

Ichigo took deep breaths to calm himself. There was no point in getting angry. If this Yhwach was strong enough to survive the massacre, there was no way the current him could win. He would train, and when Yhwach showed himself, he would be ready.

The tension in the room was finally dissipating when suddenly, the air suddenly grew heavier, causing Ichigo and his friends to stumble while Isshin just looked surprised.

"What...is this!? Reiatsu!? Four above Captain-Class reiatsus!?" One is the old man Soutaicho, but the other three..." Ichigo muttered as he regained his balance.

"...I recognize one of the other three, and I have a pretty good idea who the other two are. They must be here because of True Longinus."

"Who are they?"

"You'll see. Let's go greet them." Isshin left the room and hurried downstairs and everyone followed him. The four reiatsu signatures were right outside. Isshin opened the door. Outside stood the familiar imposing figure of Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni, the Soutaicho of Gotei 13. Wearing the standard black Shihakkusho under his captain's haori, desceptiveky hiding his muscular, scarred body. He made for a very intimidating sight despite his old age. Behind him stood three unfamiliar men. A handsome red-haired man with green eyes in a black suit, a rugged-looking middle-aged man with black hair with a bit of blonde at the front wearing a kimono, and a youthful blonde man with green eyes wearing ceremonial robes.

"Long time no see, Sirzechs. What brings you, a Maou, the viceroy of the Fallen Angels, the leader of the Angels and the Soutaicho of Gotei 13 to my humble abode?" Isshin greeted one of the three jovially, though Ichigo couldn't tell which one. That aside, Maou? Fallen Angels? Angels? Were these three who he thought they were?

"It has been a while, Isshin. I wish I could say this was a social visit, but I'm here to investigate something. Looks like Heaven, Grigori and Gotei 13 had the same idea." The red-haired man, Sirzechs, replied.

"I see. Ichigo, everyone, this is Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the four Maous governing Hell. The black-haired man in the kimono is Azazel, the leader of the Fallen Angels. The blonde is Archangel Michael, the leader of the Angels."

Three important figures from Christian Mythology were standing at his doorstep. The sad part was that Ichigo couldn't find it in himself to be surprised by anything anymore.

A few minutes later, Ichigo found himself seated in the living room, with all eyes on him. He ignored the gazes and downed the tea that Uryu had volunteered to make (so that Orihime wouldn't make it instead, that would have been disastrous).

"...So, Sirzechs-san is a...Devil?" Orihime broke the awkward silence first.

"Yes, I'm one of the four leaders that govern the rest of our kind. I was elected after the Great War." Sirzechs replied with a smile before sipping his tea

"Elected? Wasn't Lucifer made the leader of all Devils after his fall from Heaven?" Uryu inquired.

"No no, I'm not that Lucifer. The original Lucifer along with the other original Maous perished during the Great War. Lucifer is now a title rather than an actual name. My real name is Sirzechs Gremory."

"A new Lucifer? Does that mean that Michael-san and Azazel-san are also...?" Orihime trailed off at the end, though what she was asking was quite obvious.

"No, we are the original Michael and Azazel." Michael replied.

"...So, why are all of you here?" Ichigo decided to stop with the stalling. Immediately, the mood became more serious.

"Two hours ago, the Twelfth Division detected a sharp spike of holy reiatsu in the vicinity of this house. At first, we believed it was Ishida Uryu dispatching a Hollow with an overpowered Heilig Pfeil, but the holy reiatsu did not match that of a Quincy. We saw that it was in fact you dispatching the Hollow when we switched to visual surveillance, and I saw you wielding True Longinus. True Longinus is an exceptionally powerful weapon, its capabilities exceeding even Zanpakutos, which is why I felt it was necessary to come see you myself."

"For we Devils, and I suspect for the Angels and the Fallen Angels as well, we are more familiar with True Longinus, so we immediately knew True Longinus had appeared in this town. As Yamamoto-dono said, True Longinus is an exceptionally powerful weapon and dangerous in the wrong hands, so I came to see the wielder for myself. I was pleasantly surprised the wielder turned out to be Isshin's kid. I'm guessing Michael-dono and Azazel are here for the same reason." Michael nodded in agreement, but Azazel laughed boisterously.

"I don't really care whether or not the wielder gets involved in our affairs, it'd be interesting either way, but I'm pretty interested in Sacred Gears, so I decided to come see it for myself."

"Sacred Gears? What are those?" Ichigo asked after hearing the unfamiliar term for the first time. The four leaders looked surprised.

"You don't know? True Longinus is something we call a Sacred Gear. Sacred Gears are powerful items that the God of the Bible created, irregular powers bestowed randomly on certain humans. Most humans who have had their name written down in history were Sacred Gear possessors. By using the power of their Sacred Gears to perform incredible feats, they made their mark in history. There are many different kinds of Sacred Gears, and more than one of the same Sacred Gear can exist, with 13 exceptions. But, Sacred Gears will only manifest in a human, or those who possess human blood. It's possible for a single wielder to possess more than one Sacred Gear, but again with 13 exceptions." Azazel enthusiastically explained. Ichigo quickly processed the information before asking his next question.

"What are the 13 exceptions you mentioned?" Azazel's eyes lit up. Creepy.

"They are called the Longinus Gears. As you can probably tell from the name, the term is derived from your True Longinus, which is also the first and the strongest of the 13. The 13 are as follows, the High-Tier Longinus: True Longinus, Zenith Tempest, Annihilation Maker and Dimension Lost. The Mid-Tier Longinus: Boosted Gear, Divine Dividing and Regulus Nemea. The Low-Tier Longinus: Canis Lycaon, Incineration Anthem, Absolute Demise, Innovate Clear, Sephiroth Grail and Telos Karma. They are exceptionally Sacred Gears that have a common ability: to kill Gods."

"Kill Gods!?" Ichigo exclaimed in alarm.

"That's right. Oh, but your True Longinus is the only one among the 13 that can slay Gods in its base form."

"Base form?"

"All Sacred Gears have the potential to evolve into an even stronger form. That form is called Balance Breaker. You can liken it to the Bankai of the Zanpakutos of the Shinigami. In that form, not only does the wielder experience a sharp increase in their power, the Sacred Gears themselves have enhanced abilities and even develop new ones." Ichigo took in the information and absentmindedly summoned True Longinus to his hand to study it.

"What a familiar sight. The ultimate God-slaying Holy Spear." Michael muttered as he, as well as everyone else in the room, stared at the golden spear in Ichigo's hand.

After a moment of silence, Ichigo spoke up.

"So, what happens now?" The four leaders looked at each other. Yamamoto spoke first.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, what do you intend to do with True Longinus?" The question caused Ichigo to blink.

"What do you mean?"

"Now that you have awakened True Longinus, you will never be able to return to a normal life. Other factions will attempt to recruit you to use True Longinus's power for their cause, or will attempt to kill you before you can become a threat. If you wish to live, you must train yourself in the usage of True Longinus. , However, while it pains me to say this as you have rendered a great service to Gotei 13 by defeating Aizen, you are dangerous. We would have ease of mind if you joined one of our four factions, as none of us have any desire to start a war with each other."

Ah, so that's why they came, to recruit him.

"What do you think, Michael-dono, Azazel?" Sirzechs asked the two men. Michael maintained his silence, while Azazel shrugged.

"Like I said, I don't really care one or the other which of us he joins. Anyway, the Grigori already have Divine Dividing and Canis Lycaon on our side. We aren't really desperate for another Longinus user, though I wouldn't mind."

"I see. Well, while we Devils do not have any Longinus possessors in our faction, there's me and Ajuka, as well as the other two Maou and the Ultimate-Class Devils. Gotei 13 has you, Yamamoto-dono and Unohana-dono, as well as your other Captains."

"In other words, the weakest faction among us is..." Azazel trailed off.

"Heaven." Michael finished with a somber look on his face.

"I heard a rumor that you recruited a Longinus possessor. Is that true?" Azazel asked Michael.

"Yes. Dulio Gesualdo, the possessor of Zenith Tempest. However, Dulio is...unmotivated, except by the thought of food." Michael said with an exasperated expression on his face. Sirzechs, Yamamoto and Isshin had similar dumfounded looks on their faces, while Azazel snickered. Ichigo and his friends, while still not familiar with the happenings of the world of Christian Mythology, all adopted a deadpan look on their faces. Then, something occurred to Ichigo.

"Wait, why is Heaven the weakest among the factions? Isn't there still the God of the Bible? Considering that, Heaven shouldn't be weak at all, right?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

Michael's face fell and the other three leaders adopted somber looks. It was his dad that dropped the bombshell.

"Ichigo...the God of the Bible is dead."

"...What?" Ichigo's mind attempted to process that unbelievable bit of information.

"Our God fell along with the original Maou at the climax of the Great War. It was because of their deaths, as well as the deaths of several Fallen Angel leaders that the war ended: because all three sides were too weak to continue." Michael sighed.

"Michael-dono is governing Heaven in God's place, and he's doing a good job, but the difference between now and the time where God was still alive is very obvious. Blessings are no longer given as frequently as before, most prayers go unanswered, blessed items no longer have as strong an effect on beings of darkness as before, the repercussions of God's death are just too numerous to count. Thankfully, only we of the highest echelons in our factions know the truth, and almost no humans know about God's death. God had died at a time where the most numerous and devout followers existed, the news of God's death would have sent the entire world into turmoil." Sirzechs followed with further elaboration.

"Soul Society isn't part of Christian Mythology, how do they know about this?" Uryu asked.

"After the Great War, as most of us were too concentrated on healing, the sinners imprisoned in Hell staged a breakout, escaping to the Human World. None of the Three Factions who participated in the war were in any condition to recapture them, so Gotei 13 did it for us. It was at that time I met Isshin."

"Sinners, huh? Just like Kokuto..." Images of a white-haired man with a heavily burnt body and eyes filled with hatred and resentment towards the world surfaced in Ichigo's mind before he banished them. Tense silence reigned in the living room.

"So, Kurosaki Ichigo-kun, what is your decision? You can rejoin Gotei 13, the faction you are most familiar with, or you can join any of our factions that can teach you more about using Sacred Gears. The choice is yours." Michael asked while gazing at Ichigo.

Ichigo silently thought to himself. He could no longer live a normal life and from the Soutaicho's explanation, he would be constantly targeted from now on, which meant his family and friends were also in danger. He would very much like to join Soul Society once more, but he also wanted to learn as fast as he could, and Soul Society's knowledge of Sacred Gears was limited. And as was just explained, the world's balance was now in a precarious state. In order to help maintain it...

"...I'll join Heaven. I want to learn as fast as I can about True Longinus and its abilities." The four leaders nodded in acceptance.

"Understood. In order to maintain neutrality and balance among us, and to one day come to an understanding, Ichigo-kun will join Heaven's side." Sirzechs concluded the impromptu meeting.

"Well then, Kurosaki Ichigo-kun, allow me to be the first to welcome you to Heaven's side." Michael smiled and placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulders.

"Now then, preparations must be made post-haste. You'll come with me to Vatican City..."

"Wait, what!?"

"Well, you have to go to the Church's main headquarters to receive proper training. Is there something wrong?"

"A lot of things, but two I can name off the top of my head. First: I'm still schooling. Second: I don't know a word of Italian or any of their customs." Michael paused.

"We can arrange for you to transfer to a school in Vatican City, but the second problem is indeed a big one..."

"Then, why not let Kurosaki stay here for a month or so. He can learn basic Italian and settle the proper paperwork for his transfer to the Vatican. It'll also allow us enough time to explain to our friends about why he's leaving and come up with a cover story for those who are not aware of the supernatural world." Ishida suggested.

"Hmm...Yes, that would be the appropriate course of action. Very well, do whatever you need and be prepared to depart for the Vatican in a month's time. I'll see you then, Ichigo-kun." Michael disappeared in a flash of golden light.

"It's about time I took my leave. I wish you the best of luck, Ichigo-kun." Sirzechs left through a magic circle.

"Well, this was a fun trip. I better get back before Shemhaza finds out I left." Azazel whistled a jolly tune as he left through a magic circle of his own, leaving Ichigo, his friends, Isshin and the Soutaicho.

Instead of leaving, Yamamoto looked at Ichigo.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, I've been wondering this for a while, but I seem to sense Quincy reiatsu coming from you."

"About that..." Ichigo explained the circumstances to Yamamoto, whose expression became more and more perturbed as he listened.

Yamamoto was in a bit of a conundrum. He didn't like Quincies, not at all. On the other hand, while Ichigo had Quincy blood, he also had Shinigami blood. And he had never shown any indication of dislike for Shingamis in general, only for their rigid laws and customs, which even he reluctantly agreed were too inflexible. Ishida Uryu, despite his disdain for Shinigami, had also aided them on several occasions.

"Blood doesn't decide destiny." He would leave them be, they and their friends and families were powerful allies after all. And if Central 46 wanted to complain about letting two Quincies run free, or freely letting Kurosaki Ichigo join Heaven's side, well then, he would have to remind them who it was who built Soul Society from the ground up, and who the true leader of Soul Society really was.

"I must return to Seireitei to prepare for a war with Yhwach and his army. Aizen caught us off guard with his betrayal, I will repeat the same mistake with Yhwach." Yamamoto raised his cane and turned it, causing a Senkaimon to appear, which he stepped through.

With the visitors gone, Ichigo finally relaxed.

"Vatican City, huh? There are going to be some problems. How different the culture is..." Isshin started.

"...How different the curriculum in an Italian school is from ours..." Ishida continued

"...How different the food is..." Inoue followed up.

"...How the people there will react to a foreigner..." Chad added his own two cents.

"...And most of all..."Ichigo started to conclude.

"...How are we going to explain this to Yuzu?"

A month went by in a flash. As Ichigo had anticipated, Yuzu did not like the idea of Ichigo and she made that clear vocally.

"NO! NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" She threw a tantrum for a full week before calming down enough to negotiate with her, finally relenting after forcing Ichigo to agree that he would Skype them every day and not get a girlfriend.

Ichigo had made some progress in his Italian over the past month. While not a master of the language, he could at least carry out a conversation in accented and occasionally broken Italian.

Soul Society had sent Ikkaku to teach him the basics of Soujutsu, and while he wasn't as skilled as Ikkaku was with a spear, he did master the basics of thrusting and swinging. At the very least, he wouldn't accidently impale himself on either end. He had also accidently discovered one of True Longinus's abilities: energy blasts. A minor tremor shook the town that day and Urahara's training area now had a new crater to show for it.

Uryu and his father, Ryuken, had also taught him the basics of Quincy techniques. Hirenkyaku, Ginto techniques, and naturally, Blut. He still preferred Shunpo to Hirenkyaku, he found Hirenkyaku to be a bit too stiff for his liking. But hey, beggars can't be choosers. He didn't want a repeat of what happened when he tried to fight the Hollow. He managed to manifest his Quincy Cross, and thus his spirit weapon, though it was still only the basic Kojaku, nowhere near as advanced as Uryu's or Ryuken's metal bows. His dad also gave him three Seele Schneiders that once belonged to his mother. He was a bit more comfortable with them. Though they were meant to be used as arrows, they could also be used as swords.

The paperwork for his transfer from Karakura High to St. Peter's International School in Vatican City was filed last week. The real reason was of course, known only to his family, his friends, Uryu's father and Urahara's group. As far as the rest of Karakura Town was concerned, Ichigo had been offered a place at a prestigious school in Italy.

And so here he was, one month later, getting off the airplane at Ciampino Airport. His family and friends had seen him off at Kyoto International Airport, though Yuzu had made a scene, begging him not to leave, and attracting the attention of a lot of people. He loved his little sister, but her attachment to him frustrated him sometimes. At least Karin was more accepting, though to be fair, Karin was better aware of the supernatural world than Yuzu.

Now then, Michael said he would meet him in the main lobby. Where was he...?

"Ichigo-kun!" Ichigo turned his head in the direction of the voice and caught sight of Michael in the crowd.

"Ah, speak of the devil..." Ichigo paused. The irony of that statement was not lost on him. He turned his head in the direction of the voice and caught sight of Michael in the crowd. This time, Michael was dressed in a white suit.

"Michael-san. Were you waiting long?"

"No, I just got here, actually. Are you ready to leave? It's a 20-minute drive to Vatican City from here, so if you need to pay a visit to the men's room first..."

"No need, I already took care of business on the plane."

"Alright then, shall we go?" Michael led Ichigo to the entrance, where a limo was parked and a valet held the door open for them, closing it once they were both seated inside.

"A limo? Isn't this a bit much?" Ichigo asked as he patted the velvet seat.

"This limo belongs to the Vatican. This is the only way to get into headquarters without going through security."

"I see..." They sat in silence for a minute or so, before Ichigo asked a question.

"Michael-san, I did some research on the Vatican, and I read that St. Peter's Basilica is a major pilgrimage site. Is it really where I'm going to train?"

"No. Near St Peter's Basilica, we have a facility hidden from normal mortal eyes by angelic magic. That is where you'll be receiving your training every day after your school day is over, or the whole day on weekends."

"Understood."

"Ichigo-kun, I must warn you, the people at headquarters are very...conservative. They may not take kindly to a foreigner, much less one that does not have true faith in our Lord. However, as I am personally escorting you to headquarters, you will be mostly welcome. But, most of your 'admirers' will be ones trying to gain favor with me by associating themselves with you. While there are true believers that will think that you are a 'chosen', they are few in numbers, so I advise to caution yourself."

"Okay. Thank you for the warning." The rest of the trip was spent in silence, and the limo finally reached Vatican City, but instead of driving straight to St. Peter's Basilica, the limo instead took a longer route to the back. The air rippled, as though they had passed through a wall of water, and Ichigo deduced that was the barrier that protected the facility. He took a look outside a window and was greeted by the sight of a grand cathedral that couldn't have possibly fitted into the narrow street they were just driving through. The guards at the gates made to stop for a security check, but stopped when they took a good look at the limo and opened the gates without a second glance.

The limo pulled up in what appeared to a courtyard that spanned for a huge distance. Ichigo couldn't see the boundaries at all.

"A pocket dimension?" That was the only explanation he could think of.

"Very astute of you. You are correct. This entire property is contained within a pocket dimension created by angelic magic, the entrance of which is hidden behind St. Peter's Basilica." Michael answered. They both walked up the stairs to the doors, Ichigo pulling his luggage behind him. The sentries standing at the sides of the doors froze when they saw Michael.

"L-L-L-L-Lord Michael. It is an honor!" They stuttered in Italian and bowed deeply to Michael. Ichigo's basic knowledge of the language allowed him to get the gist of what they said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you two. I'm escorting the newest member of our faction. Will you open the doors?" Michael asked in flawless Italian.

"Y-Y-Yes, my Lord!" The two guards turned to push the doors open, all the while staring at Ichigo in awe.

"Who is this kid that Lord Michael himself is personally escorting him?" Was the thought that crossed both of their minds.

The set of giant doors opened with a loud creak, drawing the attention of those inside, who appeared to be engaged in a praying session. All of them scrambled to their feet, bowing to Michael.

"Lord Michael!" All of them bowed as low as they could, though one remained seated as he stared not at Michael, but at Ichigo in fascination. He was a tall, handsome blonde and green-eyed man and in his hands was…a half-eaten rice cake?

"Good day to you all. I've brought the newest member of our faction here today. This is Kurosaki Ichigo-kun from Japan. He's the current possessor of True Longinus and has agreed to join our faction. I trust you will accommodate him?" All heads snapped towards Ichigo, staring at him in awe, envy and fear. Only the same blonde man did not seem to register any of three emotions.

"If it is your wish, my Lord, we would gladly welcome him into our ranks!" A bald old man dressed in priest clothes exclaimed exuberantly, though Ichigo could hear the gears turning in his head.

"This must be one of the guys Michael-san warned me about."

"Very good. Dulio." Michael called to the blonde man, who finally rose from his seat.

"Yes, Lord Michael?" He asked while munching on the rice cake.

"I see your appetite is as voracious as ever. I'm leaving you in charge of Ichigo-kun's training. In the event that you are sent on a mission, appoint someone you trust to train him in your place. However, only you are allowed to train him in the use of True Longinus. I'd rather not have an accident because someone got in over their heads and thought they knew enough about Longinus Gears to mess around with them. If possible, help him achieve Balance Breaker." Michael instructed…Dulio, was it? Ichigo vaguely recalled the name being brought up during the meeting last month. Dulio Gesualdo, the possessor of Zenith Tempest, a High-Tier Longinus like his own True Longinus.

"Understood. I'll take care of the kid." Ichigo took slight offence at being called a kid, but didn't voice it out. This man was going to help him master True Longinus, after all.

"Good. Ichigo-kun, I'll be taking my leave. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors." Michael said, switching from Italian to Japanese when he turned to address Ichigo.

"Thank you, Michael-san." Michael disappeared in a flash of light.

"So, it's Ichigo, right?" Dulio spoke in surprisingly fluent Japanese.

"That's right. You're Dulio Gesualdo. Michael-san told me about you. You speak Japanese?" Ichigo answered.

"Well, before I joined the Church, I travelled around the world looking for exotic food, so I picked up a few languages." Dulio replied with a shrug. He turned to the bald old man.

"Archbishop, it's okay if he stays in one of the empty rooms, right?" Dulio asked, though his tone suggested that he wouldn't take no for an answer. Perhaps the Archbishop picked up on that and did not dare offend a Longinus user, or he was just trying to suck up to them, but he agreed. Dulio gestured for Ichigo to follow him. Pulling his luggage along, Ichigo was lead through a wooden door into a hallway with many more wooden doors. Near the end of the hallway, Dulio pushed open one of the doors and Ichigo entered the room.

It wasn't bad. It was spacious, a bit bigger than his room back home. It was empty, save for a bed, a bedside table, a desk and a chair. It was also connected to a small bathroom. All in all, it was better Ichigo thought.

"This is where you'll be staying for as long as you're with us. Are you still schooling?"

"Yeah, Michael-san got me enrolled in the St. Peter's International School. He said I would come here to train after school was over."

"I see. It's a good attitude, not neglecting your formal education. It's rather sad that attitude isn't shared by most of the people here. When do you start school and what time does your school day normally end?"

"It starts next week and it ends at 3 pm every day. It's supposed to be mandatory for students to join a club, but Michael-san pulled some strings so that I wouldn't have to."

"Alright, I'll leave you to yourself. Come to the courtyard when you're ready to start your training. The key to your room is on the bedside table. Make sure you lock your room every time you leave, you don't want people sneaking in and taking your stuff." Dulio left the room, closing the door behind him. As Dulio had said, there was a brass key on the table.

Ichigo flopped down on the bed, noting that it was a bit stiff, probably never used. As he stared at the ceiling, he wondered how life at this new home away from home was going to be like.

(Four years later)

Rias Gremory was not in a good mood. She was a relatively tall, red-haired and green-eyed woman in her teens, her good looks earning her and her Queen, Himejima Akeno, the title of "The Two Onee-samas of Kuou Academy."

Standing behind her was her peerage. Her aforementioned Queen, Himejima Akeno, a beautiful black-haired, purple-eyed teenage girl. She was what Japanese Otakus, including Rias herself, though that fact was known to many, would call a 'Yamato Nadeshiko'. Akeno was a Human/Fallen Angel hybrid born to a human mother and Barakiel, one of the leaders of the Grigori. Unfortunately, her mother was killed by her father's enemies when she was little and she subsequently had a falling out with him. It was shortly after that that she joined Rias's peerage as the first member. She utilized lightning and other forms of magic to fight, earning her the title of 'Lightning Priestess'.

Next to her was her Rook, Toujou Koneko, a short, white-haired and hazel-eyed girl. She was also known as the school mascot. She was a rare variation of a Nekomata known as a Nekoshou. In fact, she was one of the two remaining Nekoshous in existence, the other being her estranged older sister. She was brought into a Devil's peerage, though not as a member herself, when her sister joined said Devil's peerage as a Bishop. Unfortunately, her sister had apparently gone insane after attempting to use senjutsu, killing her master and fleeing the Underworld, leaving Koneko, then known as Shirone, behind. Fearful of a similar incident occurring if she was left alone, Koneko was sentenced to death by the higher echelons of the Devils, though Rias's brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, had saved her and entrusted her to Rias. Koneko was a melee fighter, using the overwhelming strength and nigh impregnable defense of a Rook to defeat her enemies.

Next was the newest member of Rias's peerage, Asia Argento, a petite blonde, green-eyed girl. She joined the peerage only a month or so ago, after Rias and her peerage had rescued her from the Fallen Angels, though 'rescued' may not be the appropriate word, since she had died and subsequently been revived by a Bishop Evil Piece. Asia was originally a nun, praised as a 'Holy Maiden' for her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing that allowed her to heal any wounds, illnesses and afflictions short of death. Unfortunately, she was exiled after unwittingly using said power to heal a Devil. Being an orphan, she had no other option but to join the Fallen Angels who saw her as nothing but a tool. Asia was no fighter, her roles in battle being limited to only support.

The next member of her peerage was her Knight, Kiba Yuuto, a handsome blonde, green-eyed teenage boy, admired by the girls of the school and envied by the boys. Yuuto was the sole survivor of the 'Holy Sword Project', a barbaric project undertaken by the Church to create wielders artificially compatible with the Excalibur fragments. The project ended in failure and Yuuto, along with the rest of the test subjects were to be killed. Through his comrades' sacrifice, Yuuto alone had managed to escape from those sent to kill them, though if it hadn't been for Rias's intervention, their sacrifice would have been in vain as poison ravaged Yuuto's body. Yuuto was a swordsman, using his skill with swords and his speed to overpower enemies. He possessed a Sacred Gear, Sword Birth, that allowed him to mass produce Demonic Swords, though they couldn't compare to the legendary ones like Gram and Balmung.

Yuuto did well in hiding it, but he held a massive grudge against the Excaliburs and vowed to destroy all of them one day. He had never let that affect his daily life, and up until last week, he had been perfectly fine. However, last week, he happened upon a photo in one of the albums chronicling Issei's childhood. A photo of Issei, his childhood friend and a Holy Sword in the background. Since then, Yuuto had been acting strange, constantly contemplating something and not being able to perform at his best. This had gone on until the Ball Tournament yesterday, where, though they had won, Yuuto had not contributed at all. He finally wandered off on his own, and no one had seen him since the end of the Ball Tournament.

The last member of her peerage present was her Pawn, Hyoudo Issei, a pervert with a heart of gold, though most couldn't see that because of his perverseness. He was the most surprising member of her peerage, possessing the Mid-Tier Longinus Boosted Gear, but had otherwise been an ordinary boy before joining her peerage. His base stats were laughably low, barely above that of a human, but with Boosted Gear, he could easily become the strongest member of her peerage. He had joined the peerage after being killed by a Fallen Angel who attempted to eliminate him due to his Sacred Gear. Like Koneko, he was also a melee fighter, using Boosted Gear and the Pawn's Promotion to increase his power and fight his enemies.

He was also she had fallen in love with. A week ago, her ex-fiancé tried to force her to marry him, but Issei barely beat him in a one-on-one match, sacrificing his left arm to do so. It wasn't gone or anything, but it now had the appearance of a Dragon's claw, though it could temporarily return to its human appearance through a method that Rias and to her chagrin, Akeno enjoyed employing on Issei.

There was another member, but he currently wasn't present.

That was her other Bishop, Gasper Vladi, a short blonde, red-eyed boy that could easily be mistaken for a girl, a misconception not helped by his hobby of crossdressing. He was originally a Human/Vampire hybrid who was constantly looked down upon by pure-blood vampires and feared and abused by humans. This was because of his Sacred Gear, Forbidden Balor View, which allowed him to stop time for a while. An amazing ability, but Gasper could not control it at all, leading to his sealing in a room on the first floor of the old school building, where the clubroom of the Occult Research Club, a front for Rias's peerage, was located.

Back to the subject, why was Rias in a bad mood? Well, the two exorcists seated on the sofa opposite her, Shidou Irina, Issei's childhood friend, and Xenovia both Excalibur wielders, barged into her territory unannounced, an act that could serve as grounds to start a war between the Devils and Heaven. On top of that, they had the nerve to imply that she would form an alliance with the Fallen Angels, who had three Excalibur fragments, in order to attack the Church. True to her noble upbringing, she did not get visibly angry, not much anyway. The same could not be said for Yuuto, who was releasing murderous intent towards the two when they revealed their Excaliburs.

"So, it's only you two sent to retrieve the Excalibur fragments? Your Church sure is strange, sending only two people on a possible suicide mission, considering the enemy is a Fallen Angel Cadre." Xenovia, the blue and green-haired girl, however smiled.

"True, with just the two of us, the chances of success are only 30% at best, however, a third will be coming soon. He's just on another mission right now."

"Oh? And who is this third person? The wielder of Excalibur Blessings?"

"No, that guy is being stationed at the Vatican to guard the last fragment of the Excalibur on the off chance that we fail. The one who is coming is 'The Church's Strongest Exorcist'."

That revelation caused Rias to pale rapidly. The other members of her peerage, save Issei, had similar pale expressions and even Yuuto, whose attention was directed at the Excaliburs, looked alarmed. Rias raised the question that everyone, save Issei, had on their minds.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is coming here!?"

Xenovia and Irina smiled at their panic.

"That's right. With him, the chances of success shoot up to 95%. That should give you an inkling of how strong Ichigo-senpai really is." Irina exclaimed with her nose in the air and her chest puffed out.

"Though with that said, he'll only be here in a week's time. He's currently on a mission to slay a chimera that wandered into Rome. Our objective before he arrives is simply to locate the enemies' base."

"Buchou, who is this Kurosaki Ichigo, and why are you so afraid of him?" Issei asked, being completely clueless as to who Kurosaki Ichigo was.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is a top exorcist who appeared 4 years ago. No target he's been sent after, be they creatures, stray exorcists, Fallen Angels or Devils, even High-Class ones, have ever survived. The only reason we even know about him is because one of the Devils he killed survived long enough to warn us of him before succumbing to his wounds. He's the possessor of True Longinus, the strongest of the 13 Longinus Gears. Rumor has it that he is also in possession of a Holy Sword and a strange bow that can fire dozens of arrows of light in an instant. He's so dangerous that all Devils are warned to flee as fast as they can if they ever catch sight of him. That is the man who holds the title of 'The Church's Strongest Exorcist'." Rias explained, reciting the gist of the short report that was submitted about Kurosaki Ichigo.

"And that kind of crazy strong guy is coming here!?"

"Worry not. As long as you don't interfere or ally yourselves with the Kokabiel, we have no reason to attack you." Xenovia smiled, though no one was fooled, not even Issei. That was a clear warning: stay out of the way or you'll be killed.

The situation only continued to go downhill from there. Xenovia insulted Asia and was about to eliminate her when Issei and Yuuto intervened and challenged the two exorcists to a fight. As Rias watched the battle, she silently prayed to Satan that Kurosaki Ichigo didn't bring his mighty power down upon them.

A week after Xenovia and Irina arrived in Japan, halfway across the world, Ichigo sneezed as he woke up, sitting up in his bed while rubbing his tired eyes. It was about midnight, he fell asleep at 10pm, meaning he didn't get much sleep. The last mission, while not hard, was annoying. There was not just one chimera, there were three, and in addition to that, a minotaur and a ziz. It was a wonder that none of the local media had reported the sightings yet. It took him only a few minutes to kill the chimeras and the minotaur, but the ziz flew off at high speed, forcing him to spend three hours chasing the damn thing down. On top of that, the ziz had laid its eggs throughout Rome. Ichigo spent most of the week finding and smashing them, and making sure he didn't miss any. By the end of the mission, he was covered in filth, egg white and yolk, and very cranky. Everyone else wisely kept their distance, save Dulio and one other.

Walking groggily to the wardrobe, he threw on the only set of clothing inside: A jacket and jeans. He was already wearing a shirt and boxers when he went to sleep.

Ichigo had not changed much over the past four years. He was a bit taller, now at 6'2. His hair was longer, now resembling his hair style after his training for the Final Getsuga Tensho in the Dangai. He had gained a scar over his left shoulder, a memento of his battle against the traitor, 'Chaos Edge' Siegfried, the descendant of the legendary hero and the wielder of the five legendary Demonic Swords, Gram, Balmung, Nothung, Dainsleif and Tyrfing, all of which he had stolen when he betrayed the Church. Ichigo went after him and got the scar for his trouble, though he more than repaid Siegfried by cutting off his left arm and shattering Tyrfing and Dainsleif. Ichigo would have succeeded in apprehending him if one of Siegfried's new comrades, Arthur Pendragon, a descendant of King Arthur himself, appeared with Caliburn and Excalibur Ruler in hand and fled with Siegfried through a rip in space-time caused by Caliburn.

The biggest visible change was that he no longer scowled as much as before, something that could be attributed to his friendship with the carefree Dulio, and to the other occupant in his bed.

Ichigo looked down at the other person sleeping in the bed. A small, blonde girl. This was the newest member of his family, Kurosaki Saya, age 10. She didn't look anything like Ichigo, or the rest of his family for that matter. That was only natural, Saya was adopted after all. He flashed back to the day he first met Saya.

(Flashback Start)

It had been six months since he arrived at the Vatican, and he was worked hard every day. That day, he was on a mission to wipe out a cult that worshipped the former Maous. The magicians in the cult were apparently contracted to the descendants of said former Maous. Ichigo was dressed in a tight, sleeveless body suit (Coatless Vergil's outfit from DMC 3 SE) and True Longinus was already in his right hand. He made his way through the deserted streets. Probably a spell the cultists cast to prevent themselves from drawing attention.

Ichigo arrived at the abandoned building that intelligence had found out was the base of the cult. Silently sneaking in, careful not to draw attention to himself and casting a simple spell to render himself invisible and inaudible, Ichigo made his way up to the fifth floor. An eerie green glow dimly lit the floor, coming from a set of open doors. Ichigo pressed his back against the frame and peered in and felt his anger rise to the surface at what he saw.

The bodies of two young boys, both blonde, lay on a magic circle engraved into the floor, blood pooling around them. And a small group of cultists, one holding a ceremonial knife to a little girl's throat. She also had the same shade of blonde hair as the two boys, and bright green eyes that were currently filled with fear and despair. Siblings, Ichigo realized.

"Oh great Beelzebub, we now offer you the life of this virgin!" The cultists holding the knife to the girl's throat prepared to slit her throat open and the girl's closed, bracing herself for her imminent death.

"Like I'll let you!" Ichigo furiously thought, rushing in and stabbing True Longinus through the cultist's heart, causing to drop the girl and fall to the ground dead. The girl looked around in confusion as all hell broke loose, the cultists running around in a panic like headless chickens, allowing Ichigo to dispatch them with ease.

With the cultists dead, Ichigo ended his spell, and the moment the girl caught sight of him and the bloodstained spear in his hand, she scrambled backwards, trying to get away from him. Ichigo smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I'm not one of them." The girl didn't seem to understand what he was saying and continued to move away from him, her eyes wide with fear.

"Doesn't she understand me?" Ichigo asked himself. He was pretty sure his Italian wasn;t that bad. He took a good look at her, and made some Japanese features, mostly her face. A half, perhaps. Ichigo tried again, this time in Japanese.

"Don't worry, I'm not one of them." This time, the girl stopped and stared at him for a while.

"…Really…?" He finally heard her say in Japanese. So his hunch was right.

"Really. I was sent to stop them. I'm sorry I couldn't save your brothers." The girl started to sniffle and Ichigo gently hugged her to comfort her, making sure she didn't come in contact with the blood on him. After letting her cry on him for a bit, he gently let go of her.

"What's your name?"

"…Saya."

"Alright, Saya. The proper authorities will be here soon to take you somewhere safe-" he didn't get a chance to finish as Saya wrapped her arms around his waist, refusing to let go.

"…What's wrong?"

"…Please don't leave…" Saya looked up at him with pleading eyes. Ichigo flinched, he hated it whenever Yuzu pulled out those eyes on him, he could never refuse her when she did.

"I have to go. I need to report to my superiors. I can take you to the police station, but that's it." The blood on him could easily be hidden with a spell.

"Let me come with you." Saya begged him.

"I can't do that. If you come with me, you'll be in danger all your life. Are you okay with that? If you go with the proper authorities, you'll be safe for the rest of your life."

"…I don't want to be alone." She said in a small voice, and Ichigo began to give in. He thought about it. She looked to be about six, so the worst years of upbringing were over. Michael gave him more allowance every month than he would ever spend, so it wasn't like he couldn't afford it.

"Goat face will probably be overjoyed about the prospect of getting another daughter." Ichigo inwardly snorted. He looked down at Saya.

"…Are you sure you want to come with me?"

She didn't answer, she simply nodded her head.

"Alright, let's get out of here."

(Flashback End)

He found out more about Saya. She was half Italian, half Japanese, born to a Japanese mother and an Italian father. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was 4, and none of her mother's relatives were willing to take her and her late brothers in. Apparently, they were a conservative family that didn't like the idea of half-bloods. So, they stayed with their uncle, their father's brother in Rome. But on the night, Ichigo met her, the cultists had invaded her home, killing her uncle and aunt and kidnapping her and her brothers, who were killed.

Ichigo called his father, who flew over on the pretext of attending a medical convention for a few days. Yuzu would probably freak if she found out. Isshin filed the paperwork, and Saya officially became Kurosaki Saya. Isshin had offered to take her back to Japan, but she was adamant about staying with Ichigo. Ichigo didn't really mind, his only concern was that when he was sent on missions, who would take care of her? That was quickly addressed when Dulio volunteered to watch her when he was out. Dulio convinced the Archbishop to not send them on overlapping missions, so that one of them would always be around to watch Saya.

The first few months were difficult to say the least. Saya kept having nightmares of that night and couldn't sleep at all, until Ichigo finally allowed her to sleep with him in his bed. She said she still had nightmares, but his warmth would keep her safe.

It took her a while to fully open up to them, but when she did, she was like a ray of sunshine, brightening their days with her cheerfulness.

Ichigo had detected strange reiatsu coming from her, one that was similar to True Longinus, but not exactly the same. Michael came to check and found that she had divine power in her, much more than could be explained. To prevent her from harming herself if she ever accidently tapped into that power, Ichigo used True Longinus to place a seal on her.

As expected, Yuzu did not take well to having a new little sister and had thrown a tantrum for a month, refusing to talk to him until she finally cracked, grudgingly accepting Saya as her new little sister. It was times like that that Ichigo really wished she was more open-minded like Karin, who had simply accepted it when she heard about it.

It wasn't just appearances that had changed. His powers were much stronger than before. That was what allowed him to claim the title of 'The Church's Strongest Exorcist' from Dulio. His mastery of True Longinus allowed him to vaporize High-Class Devils simply by stabbing them, no need to pour extra power in to do it. He found ways to use True Longinus's energy, such as molding into various weapons to use. His favorite was a long chain that could not be broken by anything less than Maou-level power. He used it to restrain his enemies so that he could quickly finish them off.

Two years ago, he also achieved Balance Breaker, though when Michael saw how much destruction he caused simply by activating it, he was forbidden to use it except in absolute emergencies.

He was also proud to say that he was no longer as rash as he was before. He didn't think he was a particularly good strategist, but he had graduated from blindly attacking the enemy to carefully planning the quickest way to win, with one or two backup plans. He wasn't stupid, he did graduate from St. Peter's International School as the valedictorian, after all.

During his training, a Holy Sword reacted to Ichigo, which led to him acquiring a new weapon, Claiomh Solais, a peculiar sword that grew in power in proportion to his skill with a sword. That somewhat made sense, its original wielder, Nuada, was said to have been able to cut anything with it. Needless to say, He and Claiomh Solais made for a very terrifying combo.

His progress in the usage of his Quincy powers was also going well. His Quincy Cross finally turned into a pentacle and Kojaku turned into Koku Kojaku (lit. Black Sparrow), a black metal bow. He couldn't fire as many arrows as Uryu could, but for what he lacked in quantity, he made up for in quality. His Heilig Pfeil were like bombs, exploding upon impact and he could fire up to 72 of them at once.

Speaking of Quincies, Ichigo wondered if he should start calling Uryu by his first name, and then snorted. Uryu would probably get an aneurysm if he did that.

Thinking of Uryu made him think of his friends. He missed them a lot. Skype was good and all, but there was nothing like seeing them in person. He couldn't say he had a lot of close friends in the Church. The only one he could confidently say was his friend was Dulio. The rest were, just as Michael predicted, a bunch of suck-ups.

Ichigo smiled though, tonight he would finally get to see his family and friends in person. He planned to go back to his hometown first before joining the two exorcists already sent there. They held out for a week without him, one more day wouldn't hurt.

He gently nudged Saya.

"Saya, wake up. We need to go to the airport, or we'll miss the flight."

"…Munyuu~" Saya wriggled within the blanket and sleepily opened her eyes.

"…Five more minutes, Onii-chan…" She snuggled into his side.

"No can do. The flight's at 1 and it's almost 12:20 now. We still need to check in and everything."

"…Carry me." Saya extended her arms towards him. Ichigo sighed in amusement and picked her up with one hand, allowing her to sit on his shoulder and rest her head on his. With his other hand, he pulled the luggage out of his room, and found Dulio waiting for him outside.

"You're leaving already?"

"The flight's in 40 minutes. What, you're going to miss me?"

"Heh, yeah, I probably will. It's been a lot more fun since you joined."

"Don't worry about it. I'll only be gone for a couple of days. I'll be back before you know it."

"Alright. Have fun in your home country, and don't forgot to buy me some food."

"Yeah yeah, you glutton." Patting Dulio on the shoulder, Ichigo exited the cathedral into the courtyard, where the same limo from four years ago was waiting. Ichigo smiled, he'd be back in Japan in a few hours.

It was a long 14-hour flight from Rome to Kyoto, but he did manage to get some sleep, so he did feel better. Ichigo hailed down a taxi and directed him to the train station, where he would take the train to Karakura. Saya was a little ball of energy. Having too young to recall anything about her time in Japan, everything here was a wonder to her. By the time they reached Karakura, it was already almost midnight in Japan. Standing outside the Kurosaki Clinic, Saya standing next to him, Ichigo experienced a nervousness he couldn't explain. Maybe it was anticipation? Taking a deep breath, he rang the doorbell. He didn't have a key with him, and the spare that was usually under the flower pot was missing.

The moment he rang the doorbell, he heard a loud thumping noise inside, and someone rushing to the door. The door swung open, and Yuzu was standing in the doorway, rooted to the spot and staring at him. He raised his hand in greeting.

"Yo, Yuzu. I'm home."

And that's the prologue done. Once I had the idea, I knew I had to write, resulting in this 12k words chapter typed out in 5 days. Next chapter is Ichigo vs Kokabiel.

Before anyone asks, Saya is the same Saya from the Blazblue franchise. Ragna and Jin are dead and will likely not play a part in the story. I didn't throw Saya in randomly, she'll play an important role in one of the future arcs, though I won't say which yet. Yes, she's in Ichigo's harem. There's only a 9 year difference in age, I've seen couples with bigger age gaps, and Ichigo is going to be near immortal anyway, plus they aren't blood related.

I haven't decided all the members of Ichigo's harem yet, the only confirmed ones are Saya, Rossweisse, Kuroka and Ophis. If you have any suggestions, just say so in your reviews. Just remember, the rest of Issei's harem are untouchable.

Yhwach appears to have some plans for Ichigo, which are critical to the Wandereich's success. That's the only explanation I can think of that explains why Yhwach didn't attack during the 17 months after Aizen's defeat.

St. Peter's International School does not exist in real life. It's just a school I made up so that Ichigo wouldn't to travel back and forth between cities.

On a side note, I've received many offers from fellow authors, offering to adopt Prince of Genocide and Infinite Dragon Emperor. I can't decide which one of them will do it, so you guys can decide that for yourselves.

Authors who want to adopt Prince of Genocide:

-Black Wolf 101

-NamikazeMinato Kiiroi Senko

-NaruKashi-kun

-johnljohnsibn

Authors who want to adopt Infinite Dragon Emperor:

-Toby860

-Tailsmo4ever

-AveCzar

-cronos2chaos

-johnljohnsibn

That's all for now. Next update will be the prologue of my new Infinite Stratos/Katekyo Hitman Reborn crossover, Summer Cloud.