AN: Another Fic I'd had the idea and outline for on my computer for a while and that my muse is giving me inspiration for instead of my harry potter and hunter x hunter fic. Expect a lot of AU and canon to slowly go completely off the rails over time, also expect minor crossover elements from different fandoms as well. Also, there will be a harem, so yeah.

"*sigh* Isane, how many times do I have to tell you not to peep?"

"Ah! Ichi-nii!? Ah heh heh, a lot? But come on Ichi-nii, how can you possibly expect me to resist? It was the kendo club! The kendo club!"

Ichigo just sighed again and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying in vain to stave off the oncoming headache. He cursed the day his sister ever ran into that pervert in the park. What kind of man thinks it's acceptable to give a 10-year-old girl an hour lecture on the glory of breasts and then foist a bag full of erotica onto her hands? If he ever see's the so called Toad Sage again he was going to leave the old pervert broken on the ground for that stunt alone.

"Yes I know it was the kendo club, both Muryama and Katase were the ones who told me where to find you."

The sheepish chuckle would have been a bit more endearing in a different context but since it was coming from his sister, who had been caught and subsequently "disciplined" for peeping well… not so much. Despite that however his eyes softened ever so slightly as he briefly took in his sister's current state. It was clear that she had been taught a harsh lesson by the kendo club, again, but just like the other times it was equally clear that they hadn't hurt her more than superficially. He knew they didn't take it further simply in consideration of him but it did nothing to dissuade the feelings of appreciation he had for them doing so. Isane was simply too much of a repeat offender. Just this week alone she had peeped no less than 12 times after all, so it would have been understandable if their "lesson" was much harsher or even involved calling the police. Of course everyone knew he doted on his sister and the last person to seriously hurt Isane had to go to the hospital to get his jaw wired shut so that might be why people were so lenient.

"So… Ichi-nii… mind getting me down?"

Apparently he had been staring at her for a while judging by the slightly uncomfortable expression on her face, either that or the blood rushing to her head was finally affecting her. Either way Ichigo decided to release her from the ropes she had been tied in. The "human target" punishment was becoming quite popular with the kendo club, judging by the fact that it had been used 5 times in a row by this point.

"Thanks ichi-nii!"

"Yeah, yeah. By the way what happened to Matsuda and Motohama? They ditch you again?"

"Ah! That's right! Those bastards left me behind!" Isane looked incredibly offended, like her two friends had never done this to her before now.

"*sigh* I keep telling you that those two aren't good friends. You really shouldn't hang out with them so often. If you want to be friends with someone who shares your… interests, you should spend more time with Aika, I know you're friends with her too and she's a much better person all around than them."

"Yeah but she keeps trying to talk me into helping her get into your pants, it gets annoying (Ichi-nii is mine first damn it)."

The last part was said in a low whisper so Ichigo couldn't really make out the words but he understood the gist of it. Isane… was a very perverted young lady. The list of her fetishes were as long as they were varied. Ichigo didn't really care as he loved her regardless but it was uncomfortable knowing that his little sister was a brocon and wanted to build him a harem with her in it. She was right about Aika though, that girl practically threw herself at him as soon as he first started attending Kuoh. He had latter found out she had a "special ability" in the form of being able to see the size of one's manhood and that was the reason for her "attack". Ichigo made sure to not be alone with her as much as possible after that but his luck varied in that regard, and led to some…interesting incidents as a result. The fact that he also received not so subtle glances from the female population of the school, which considering it was only recently an all-girls school was a large number of people, a few days after his first run in with her had stopped him from becoming acquainted with her at all for a good while. Regardless of that however he eventually got over it, Aika was pretty cool and made for a much better friend for Isane than the other members of the "Perverted Trio".

"So you keep telling me. Anyways make sure you get back home in time for dinner tonight, mom's making your favorite."

"Huh? You're not walking home with me?" Isane asked in confusion.

"No, I told Muryama and Katase I'd help the Kendo club train today as thanks for being lenient on you."

"AH! You bastard! How could you do this to me? Leaving you poor imouto to walk home by herself in favor of helping those gorillas, do you not love me anymore Ichi-nii?"

Ichigo just smirked at Isane's antics. She was always so lively, even after getting a beating. Honestly simple moments like this were what helped soothe the pain that to this day still ached in his soul. He's adjusted over the 18 years since he was reborn but the kind of suffering and loss he had gone through would never go away. One of the reasons why he doted so much on Isane, even going so far as to help her with hobbies to a limited degree, was because of what happened to Yuzu and Karin. Ichigo barely kept the despair from showing on his face at the thought of them and he quickly shifted his focus back to Isane.

"You know I do Isane, just as you know that part of the reason why your peeping victims are so lenient on you is because I help them out as recompense. And gorillas? Really?"

"Only gorillas would be so barbaric to me! I was just trying to express my admiration for the female body and yet they beat me with kendo sticks! Boobs deserve to be admired! Now hidden from view!"

Ichigo just raised an eyebrow with a blank look on his face, an action that caused Isane to deflate slightly, her bangs casting a shadow over her face to cover her embarrassment. This was a very routine conversation between the two and Isane had yet to convince Ichigo of her viewpoint, which was one of the reasons why he could quell her without saying a thing as she knew it was pointless to argue. By this point the two had started walking back towards the main school building and were seen by the students still on campus. Thankfully a roughed up Isane was a common sight and the students had long ago learned to write it off as the obvious sight of her getting caught peeping again rather than something else. Though just because it was a common occurrence however didn't mean people didn't talk about it.

The conversations and looks directed at both of them had also long since become routine/normal. The girls would alternate between looking in disgust at Isane, sending him pitying glances and then dissolving into heated whispering in giggles as the topic shifted inevitably to him. The guys on the other hand either glared at Ichigo or just looked at them impassively. The guys tended to not like him very much for a variety of reasons from his appearance (though surprisingly it was for being "handsome" and not his hair color) to his popularity. Yes, he was popular at school. It wasn't surprising considering that he was one of the only guys who wasn't a pervert (though that took a while to be believed thanks to Isane), attractive, at the top of his class and a Karate, Archery and Kendo prodigy. It had been a weird reversal from the last time he had gone to high school and he still wasn't quite used to it, especially his fan club. He did not appreciate some of the… literature they wrote involving him and the so called "Prince of Kuoh" Kiba, he held nothing against homosexuals but being the inspiration for Yaoi fanfic was simply too much.

That was something else he wasn't really used to, or really understand. What was with the schools in this universe's fascination with titles? The "Two Great Ladies", "The Perverted Trio", "The Prince of Kuoh" and his least favorite (because it was his) "The Dark King"". He didn't know how that name was created but it was certainly annoying to hear them used by squealing school girls whenever he passed by. Speaking of the "Two Great Ladies", they were watching him… again. He wasn't sure if they were interested in him, Isane or both but regardless he was wary and made note to monitor whenever they were around. After all they were some of the few non-human beings or supernaturally powered humans he had sensed in this world, granted he has never left Kuoh in his life but the point still stood.

When he had been reborn as Ichigo Hyoudou the majority of his powers had become barred to him but he still retained access to a few, the strongest of which was his ability to discern spirit ribbons. Ichigo had constantly used that ability to look for possible Hollow attacks as a kid but until he started attending Kuoh he hadn't found a single non- "normal" ribbon beyond himself, Isane (who still hasn't shown any powers yet) and their childhood friend Irina. At Kuoh however, they were everywhere. Rias Grimory, Akeno Himejima, Koneko Toujou, Yuuto Kiba, Sona Shitori and the entire student council were all non-human or spiritually-powered humans, and, most worryingly, their spirit ribbons were black. Their souls didn't feel tainted at all but the only ribbons he had known to be black were Hollows so his worry was understandable. The fact that they didn't appear hostile and he hadn't heard of any mysterious accidents or deaths was heartening, as was their human appearance, but he was still wary, especially since they seemed to have an interest in either him or Isane. It also didn't help that recently even more non-humans have shown up in town and that their spirit ribbons were grey, obviously meaning that they weren't the same as those in Kuoh, and from his experience groups with different soul types tended to be hostile. He just hoped the two groups didn't like to involve innocents in any fights they might get into.

"Ichi-nii! Ichi-nii! Are you even listening!?"

Apparently not as he hadn't even noticed Isane was speaking he was so wrapped up in his thoughts, which caused him to give an apologetic smile to his sister.

"Ah… sorry Isane I was thinking about something."

"What were you thinking about…ah!" As Isane turned to follow Ichigo's gaze, which had unconsciously turned towards Rias and Akeno during his thoughts, something seemed to click in her mind. "Rias-senpai! Ichi-nii don't tell me… you're interested in her? Or is it Akeno-senpai? Waahhh I haven't even had my first kiss yet and already my Ichi-nii is planning on playing around with a woman!"

Ichigo felt a bead of sweat appear on his forehead. Sometimes his little sister was just too much. And did she have to be so loud, now the rumor mill is going to go crazy. As he worked to calm his sister down he watched out of the corner of his eye as the Two Great Ladies gave them one last calculative look before leaving their spot by the window, and his view. Ichigo was going to have to keep a closer eye on things now, no one would touch his family again, no one.

"Is it confirmed that it's those two then?" Rias asked Akeno as she turned away from looking out the window.

"Yes Buchou, the little sister, Isane, is confirmed to have a sacred gear of some sort and Koneko says it smells like a big lizard, possible a drake or dragon."

"I see…What about her brother?"

"The 'Dark King' himself? Its… hard to figure out. His magic reserves are higher than his sisters but nothing to write home about and he doesn't have a sacred gear, however…" Akeno trailed off at this point, unsure as to how exactly to continue her explanation.

"However?" Rias prompted her to continue after seeing her Queen's hesitation.

"His physical abilities are not something a normal human would possess, and his skills with a sword, bow and martial arts are way too good for someone his age. It's nothing on the level of even a newly reincarnated pawn but it is worth noting. There's also a strange feeling reported from being around him, it's barely there and none of the other humans seem to notice but it is… strange."

Rias kept quiet after hearing Akeno's clarification, her thoughts running a mile a minute as she considered all available options. Finally, after a couple of minutes of silence, she gave her orders.

"A slight change in plan Akeno, make sure the Fallen don't kill Isane then. It might be just an odd quirk but it's better to play it safe than risk the ire of a potentially strong entity if he believes that we played a role in his sister's death. Besides with the girl's nature I doubt it would be too difficult to get her into my Peerage if I phrase the offer right. Once we have her I'm confident her brother will follow."

Akeno seemed surprised at this, as evident by her raised eyebrows, but she made no comment on it, merely giving acknowledgement of her orders before walking away leaving Rias alone with her thoughts.

"The Hyoudou's huh… I just hope one of them is the solution to my problem."

Ichigo was worried. His little sister had gotten herself a date yesterday on the way home apparently. Not only that it was a date with a girl, an attractive one, an attractive girl who had asked his sister out first. That wasn't normal. Isane was admittedly attractive enough, and it was no secret she was bisexual, but for a completely unknown girl to want to date her given Isane's reputation? Yeah he was definitely going to spy on their date. Especially since he could see one of the black ribbons monitoring their house now. Ichigo called upon his limited powers and a weak bringer's light engulfed his hand as he contemplated his course of action. Honestly it was all he could use other than spirit sensing without access to a Quincy cross, his Combat Pass or any of his friend's mementos, all of which were in his soul and inaccessible without him dying again. It would have to do if the worst came to happen, which unfortunately turned out to be the case.

Isane's date, as it turned out, was not normal, despite her rather non-assuming appearance. She was one of the new grey ribbons he had sensed recently and gave off a rather unsettling vibe, which seemed to stem more from herself than her powers. His instincts, honed by decades of war, were telling him she was bad news but despite his apprehension nothing happened and the date itself seemed to go well. It was actually cute and seeing Isane's happy face as they day went on made him pray for his instincts to be wrong. Ichigo hadn't been optimistic of his prayer's being answered though, especially considering one Koneko Toujou, a possessor of a black ribbon, had been stalking Isane from the moment she left the house. Then there was the strange girl passing out fliers whose ribbon was a mix of black and green who conveniently showed up in Isane's path and had handed her a flier. The girl had disappeared shortly after, undetectable even to his spirit sense, which only served to heighten his paranoia.

Despite all the bad flags however nothing bad had happened during the date and it seemed to be wrapping up without incident until Yuuma, Isane's date, took her into an empty park. If not for the fact that that Ichigo had felt some sort of barrier, which had some vague similarities to Kido to his senses, around the area he would have expected her to be taking his sister there for a discreet make out session. As it was, it was a good thing he didn't think that as, no sooner did he cross the barrier did Yuuma suddenly change her appearance to a much more attractive, though slutty, older woman with pitch black feathery wings. It was a good thing he had known she wasn't normal and had a lot of experience dealing with surprises otherwise her change would have distracted him enough that Isane would have taken some kind of light spear straight to the gut. Instead Ichigo managed to use his bringer light to boost his speed enough to tackle his sister to the ground, the spear lightly grazing the back of his shirt as it flew past, saving her life, something that seemed to surprise "Yuuma" quite a bit judging by her hesitating to follow up on the attack.

"Ichi-nii!? What are you doing here!?" Isane voice was tinged with panic and surprise at the current situation, something that Ichigo sympathized with but couldn't take the time to deal with at the moment.

"No time for that Isane, you need to leave, now!" Ichigo commanded her sister even as he pulled them both to their feet.

"What do you mean leave!? What the hell is happening!?"

"God damn it Isane just-!"

Ichigo's words were cut off when he was forced to dodge another light spear from "Yuuma".

"Now, now, that's just rude boy. Taking a lady's prey like that and not even having the curtesy of revealing your name. Didn't your parents ever teach you manners?"

Ichigo just scowled in response, not deigning to answer her with words. Ichigo had learned a long time ago that if your enemy wants to monologue or grandstand you take every advantage that you could get out of that fact. In this case he took advantage of the fact that she was currently waiting for a response, and not chucking more spears at them, to grab his sister and book it, liberally using bringer light to boost his speed past human levels to escape as quickly as possible. His actions startled Isane and pissed off Yuuma if the squeak near his ear and large number of light spears crashing down around them were anything to go by.

"Damn it! Stop interfering you filthy human and let me kill the Sacred Gear Holder!"

Ichigo would have snorted at her demand if he wasn't so preoccupied keeping his sister and himself alive. Did she honestly expect him to listen to her? Still even if he didn't comply it looked like she was about to get her way anyways. Using bring lighter so many time consecutively was draining him fast as he no longer had access to the massive reserves he once had. Combined with the fact the spears were getting much harder to dodge as their attacker started to take them more seriously meant that he'd have to do something risky if he wanted both of them to live. Honestly he would have run out of the park by now if the barrier hadn't knocked him on his ass when he tried to leave, he'd barely avoiding having his head perforated after making that mistake. He wasn't sure how the barrier had changed without his notice, he hadn't detected anyone else supernatural nearby, not even Isane's stalker, nor had he seen Yuuma do anything besides chuck spears at him. Either way it meant that if he wanted them to live he'd have to put the "woman" down hard, the only question was how.

Never let it be said that Ichigo Hyoudou, formerly Kurosaki, couldn't pull shit out of his ass when the need arose. In this case he did something so reckless and nonsensical it shouldn't have worked. Then again he was a former transcendent being who had managed to have his soul reincarnated into an alternate reality after his own had ceased to exist, so common sense and normal rules likely never applied to him in the first place. What Ichigo did was simple, he tucked Isane under his left arm (he had been princess carrying her before), reached out with his right hand, coated the limb in bringer light and simply grabbed the nearest light spear in midair. Surprisingly enough it worked and Ichigo wasted no time in using his newly pilfered weapon as a javelin, tossing it right back at the shell shocked Yuuma. The woman barely recovered her wits in time to prevent her heart from being cored through, dodging just enough to take the spear through one of her arms instead. Her scream of pain as she lost her left arm from the shoulder down was painful in intensity as she clutched onto the bleeding stump and Ichigo could feel Isane trembling in fear at the sound and sight of the injury.

Ichigo didn't let that bother him though as he couldn't waste the opportunity he had given himself. Using bringer light once again he launched himself into the air towards the wildly flailing Yuuma and crashing his knee into her nose, hard. The wet crunch as he shattered her nose was satisfying to hear, though Isane was having trouble not throwing up, a difficult battle considering she was already feeling sick from seeing Yuuma lose a limb. Surprisingly, while his attack was enough to knock the woman to the ground and daze her she still remained alive, in fact she was even still conscious. To be honest he had been aiming to ram her cartilage into her brain to kill her and he was a bit surprised that the attack hadn't worked as he had intended. The human appearance was definitely for show, much like an Arrancar's, as a normal human body would have been dead from the same attack. Yuuma of course was not pleased by his counter attack, not at all.

"You miserable fucking human! I'm going to rip off each of your limbs and force feed them to you after I make you to watch as I torture your family right in front of you. And that little slut in your arms is going to watch as I carve off your dick before shoving it right up her fucking cunt!"

Ichigo just stared at her impassively, her manic threats doing nothing to faze him. He had heard and seen much worse things during the War for Creation after all, though he made sure to note them down. He might be used to it but no one threatens his family and lives, nobody.

Seeing his opponent struggle to stand Ichigo finally released Isane from his arms, and his sister wasting no time running to a nearby bush to throw up as soon as her feet touched the ground. Ichigo hated she had been exposed to something like this but he didn't let her discomfort stop his next course of action. He was going to kill Yuuma. He didn't care about getting answers about the supernatural world of this reality. He didn't care about showing mercy or making an enemy of a faction he had no knowledge of. What he did care about was that she had tried to kill his little sister and he didn't let threats like that walk away, he had learned his lesson the hard way that doing so was foolish.

As he sped over to the downed woman and prepared to snap her neck he caught something out of the corner of his eye. It was another light spear, and it was heading right for his sister. Ichigo didn't pause to think about where it had come from or how another enemy had managed to avoid his detection, instead he acted. He forcibly stopped his dash toward Yuuma, resulting in quite a few torn muscles in his legs, before launching himself back to Isane in a flying tackle. Thankfully he had reacted quickly enough and he saved her from getting skewered by the attack. Unfortunately, however, while Ichigo managed to dodge the first attack he wasn't so lucky with the follow up, which was nearly twice the speed of the first. He had just enough time to push Isane away from himself before the spear impacted in his chest, tearing through his spine and clipping both his heart and lungs. It was a fatal blow, yet when had that ever stopped him before?

Ignoring the fact that he should be crippled, Ichigo scooped his sister back into his arms and flashed to the other side of the park from the direction of the attack. Isane was saying something but he couldn't hear her. Yuuma was also talking, mocking him and his efforts, but he couldn't hear the words coming from her mouth. Her partner, who looked like a school girl in a gothic maid outfit, was readying another light spear to attack as she verbalized the pleasure she was feeling from killing him. All the while an innocuous flier glowed crimson from within Isane's pocket. None of this was consciously processed in Ichigo's mind as he continued to push his body past his limits as he dodged spear after spear. He would protect his sister, even if his body crumbled to ashes around him he would save her. The last thing Ichigo saw as his willpower finally failed and death grabbed him with her cold black hands was a wall of black and crimson highlighting the crying face of his sister.

Ichigo dreamed of his past. Of the war against Aizen, against Ywach, against the very end of reality as he had known it. He dreamt of the battles, of the betrayals, of the friendships made, of the love found, of the blood, of the tears, of the loss and the pain. He dreamt of all those he lost and all those he had to cut down. He dreamt of the sacrifices he had to make, of the people he watched die. He was the Mausoleum of his former world, the only one that remembered, the only one who could remember and the only one who had survived.

His inner world, once full of towering skyscrapers and an endless sky was now permanently overcast, like dusk on a rainy day, and the buildings transformed into countless hills full of innumerable graves. No graveyard had been safe, no piece of ground had been untouched, and no corpse left undisturbed by the war, so Ichigo became a living memorial in their stead. He took a part of everyone who had fought in the war bar Aizen, Ywach and several of their worst soldiers/lieutenants, and stored them within his soul world. From simple trinkets to pieces of their very souls (Zanpakutōs), Ichigo took them into himself and used them as grave markers within his inner world, the only place with a hope to survive the end if and when it came. An intact corpse was beyond rare during the war so he had to make do. He was the only one who had such a capability after all, having absorbed Zangetsu and cannibalize the fragment of Ywach inside him to create this ability, and it was a burden he had accepted without hesitation.

Ichigo strolled along the endless hills, hands idly tracing the graves of those he was more familiar with while his eyes scanned those he never knew but had taken I upon himself to remember anyways. He wandered up and down the hills, paying extra attention as he made sure nothing had been disturbed and everything was in good repair. After all he hadn't been able to check on the graves for 18 years now. Time had no meaning in his soul as he endlessly wandered, drawing closer and closer to the center of his world, where those closest to him were entombed.

There he found several hills dedicated purely for his human friends. Orihime's hill was covered in flowers, her tombstone surrounded by small statues of her Shun Shun Rikka sprites in the middle of which was a small shrine was where her hairpin rested upon pure white cloth. Ichigo took the time to ensure that none of the flowers had wilted and that statues hadn't crumbled before he inspected the shrine. He gently stroked her hairpin as he briefly reminisced on the kind hearted girl, of how he had never had the chance to respond to the feelings she so obviously held for him. He gave a bitter, wistful smile as even now he wasn't sure if he loved her like a sister or a lover before shaking himself out of his thoughts and moving on to the next hill.

Chad's hill was reminiscent of what one would find from his home country Mexico with the only thing that stood out aside from the terrain was a simple cross grave upon which hung his treasured medallion. Ichigo silently stared down at the grave, just letting his mind filter through all the memories of his brother in all but blood. The fight's they had gone through as simple high school students. The battles they fought back to back during his adventures and, later on, in the war. Ichigo gave his grave a light fist bump to the grave before moving on.

Ishida's hill was unique as, per his request, it also contained the graves of all the Quincys killed in the war in addition to his own, bar a few of Ywach's worst soldiers. The graves of the Sternritter's were extremely simple, having little more than their name with their Letter underneath, but they were numerous and completely covered the hill, each one clustered together with even smaller ones dedicated to their subordinates. Ishida's grave, Ichigo still didn't feel comfortable using his first name, however was different. The grave marker was in the form of the Quincy cross and was surrounded by small shrines holding various mementos of the now extinct (bar Ichigo himself) race. All the Quincy crosses he had found, bar his sisters' and mother's, were there, along with a few Senrei Gloves, Gintōs and Seele Schneider. Ichigo made sure to check every single one to ensure they were perfectly maintained and organized as Ishida would have wanted before walking to the next hill.

Rukia's hill was shared with Renji, by their request, so they would be together in death as they were in life. The hill was covered in snow and a forest of bamboo, the only clear path leading directly to their shared grave. Rukia's was simple but it was clear it was hers by the Chappie drawings on the grave stone, Sode no Shirayuki resting silently at its foot. Renji's was directly to the side of it, adorned by depictions of his Bankai along with his Zanpakutō spirit itself. Zabimaru had been destroyed along with his body so the only thing he had as a memento was the headband Renji had given him for his birthday. Ichigo made sure to clean Sode no Shirayuki and dust off the headband before moving on.

Nel's grave was next, shared with her faithful Fracción. The hill was covered entirely with grass, the only protrusions the simple graves of Nel, Dondochakka, Pesche, and Bawabawa. Nel's grave was adorned by her cracked mask (a recreation) and Gamuza in its lance form. Dondochakka's, Pesche's and Bawabawa's were similarly adorned by their masks (also recreations) but none of their weapons. Ichigo idly stroked Nel's mask with the back of his hand as he thought of the happy moments that had managed to steal together during their campaign in Hueco Mundo before her death. He had promised to take her to Earth when the war was over so she could run free through the grass, a dream she had never had the chance to fulfill when she was cut down not two weeks after he gave his promise. He lingered a bit longer in front of her grave than at the others, offering a silent apology to his first girlfriend before moving on.

Harribel had been an unexpected ally and even more unexpected friend during the war. Like Nel he had fought side by side with her during the campaign in Hueco Mundo. She had been betrayed by Aizen during his initial assault on Karakura Town and when Ichigo successfully argued to spare her and her Fracción's lives she had sworn her loyalty to him and vowed to see Aizen dead in repayment. They had eventually built up a very close rapport through the numerous battles they fought together, though her Fracción never seemed to warm up to him. By the end he thought she might have grown to like him as more than just a comrade and friend but never got the chance to find out as she had sacrificed her life shielding him from a fatal blow. Like Nel her grave was surrounded by her Fracción's, all of which were adorned by their masks with Harribel's also having a released Tiburón resting upon it. Ichigo made sure the pool of water that surrounded her tombstone was still clean and clear before making his way to the next hill.

His family's graves were next. The hill they resided on was covered in plain grass with only a few trees randomly placed throughout. All the graves were next to each other. His father's next to his mother's (he had recreated it after Karakura Town, and its cemetery, had been destroyed) with his sisters just below them. His father's grave had the tattered remnants of his Captain's Haori while his mother's and sister's held their Quincy crosses. Ichigo spent a long time just staring down at the graves before he removed their crosses, placing his mother's around his neck and his sisters on each of his wrists. He had missed their familiar presence these last 18 years and he was glad to have them back even if it was a bittersweet feeling. Ichigo gave a deep shuddering breath and a single tear rolled down his face as the memory of his failures flashed through his mind. He shook them off quickly however, thanks to long years of practice, and slowly, reluctantly, left the hill.

More hills were visited as an indeterminate amount of time passed. He visited the graves of his friends from soul society, making sure to touch up on their Zanpakutos if they were there or checking on their other mementos if they weren't. There were unfortunately a few that held nothing but a simple marker, such as the case of Kisuke, due to various circumstances, but he honored them all the same in other ways. His journey seemed endless but eventually he reached the center of his soul, where the last grave was located. Other than this hill most of the others had no specific order beyond those he was closer to being relatively nearer the center than those of strangers. This hill however he made sure to place in the very center of his being, it was the hill where the graves of his wives were after all.

Yuroichi and Suì-Fēng, his wildcat and little bee. Honestly he never would have dreamed he'd be in a relationship with either of them let alone both at the same time, but war tends to form rather strange yet strong bonds. Yuroichi had been with him almost from the beginning of his introduction to the supernatural, training him, protecting him, encouraging, even flirting/teasing him. They had been close even before the war had started and, when tragedy struck time and time again, she had been the shoulder he had cried on. Honestly he had seen her more as an older sister than a potential love interest until the day his family had died. She had basically been all he had left beyond an ever dwindling number of friends by that point and when she offered a way to forget the pain, even for a moment, he had jumped on it. It had been his first time as well as hers surprisingly enough. From then on their relationship shifted and eventually they started dating.

Suì-Fēng had been someone who had completely hated him at first and even during the initial stages of the war had only tolerated him at best. Years of fighting and taking missions together changed that however. They slowly became friends but there still remained a certain tension between them, mainly stemming from his closeness with Yuroichi which she was jealous of. Still that eventually passed and he honestly grew to look forward to spending time with her and they even got to the point where they told each other secrets that no one else knew, not even their families or other friends. Which was why it hadn't surprised him when she had straight up attacked him after he told her of his relationship with Yuroichi. See Suì-Fēng loved Yuroichi, almost obsessively so, and his betrayal in that regard had hurt her deeply, especially as she had apparently started to grow feelings for him as well. Their fight had been bloody, dirty and downright vicious, only ending thanks to the intervention of the Goddess of the Flash herself. Suì-Fēng broke down at the sight of her and ended up spilling all her secret thoughts and feelings to the both of them. In the end after a lot of drama, work and not a small amount of time, they finally decided to all share. Their relationship had its ups and downs but it had been worth it, often being the only thing keeping the three sane as the war dragged on until eventually they were amongst the last handful of beings standing in their reality.

Their hill was the most impressive, looking almost welcoming despite the somber environment that pervaded his inner world. He had placed absolutely everything he had of theirs on the hill. From Suì-Fēng's extensive Black Cat themed collection to Yuroichi's rarely touched Zanpakuto to their wedding photos. Their wedding had been a small rushed affair, though that had more to do with the number of dead friends and the ongoing war than anything else, but it was still the happiest moment of his life. The memory of Suì-Fēng's angry and embarrassed expression at having to use a step stool in order to kiss him still brought a smile to his face even now, as did the memory of Yuroichi managing to sneak cat ears onto her veil (Suì-Fēng's reaction had been utterly adorable). Their wedding had been the first time that many of the remaining survivors had truly relaxed in years and not even the many empty seats had ruined the mood. It was here on his last hill that Ichigo finally came to rest, no longer touring his endless world of graves, content to simply bask in the warmth that the memories of his wives brought him. It was here where his most treasured position had lain for so long and now it once more adorned his neck, the item a simple unbreakable chain made of kido holding his and his wives' wedding rings.

Much like when he was touring his inner world time had little meaning as he quietly sat on that hill. He occasionally grabbed an item from nearby in order to reminisce, sometimes with a happy smile and others with silent tears. A second passed, an eternity, in his unchanging world as Ichigo continued to sit on that hill. If this was to be his afterlife than he was content, the only regret he had was not being able to ensure that Isane was safe.

As if the thought was a trigger something changed, his world shuddered and something new, something foreign intruded on his soul. It felt like power. It felt like lust, like greed, like envy, wrath, sloth, gluttony and pride. It felt dark though not evil. But more than that it felt familiar. It felt like the power held by those black ribbons, and it was calling to him, telling him to accept it. It was telling him to be reborn as something new, something different. Beyond that however, it was telling him to submit, to his instincts, to its influence and to the power's owner. Ichigo didn't know what to do and he absentmindedly clutched his weddings in his hand from where they rested on his neck, using them unconsciously as a means of grounding himself as his thoughts spun.

He could tell that he would live if he accepted that power into his soul but did he want to? Was it worth the cost? It was clear that doing so would change him, physically at the very least but possibly mentally/emotionally as well. Even his soul might be affected and Ichigo would rather fade into nothingness than let something harm the graves of his loved ones. In addition, the power was definitely not "good" in nature, but the power of Hollows had felt worse and yet they had good people amongst their numbers as well. There was part of him that screamed in defiance at the mere thought of submitting to another, even if doing so would save his life. It was the part of him that Zangetsu had embodied and the part of him that saw him continue fighting for decades despite the many temptations and entreaties offered by his adversaries. But could he afford to not accept it? If he died what would happen to Isane? She needed him. He had to protect her, to save her, yet he couldn't do so with his own power if he was stuck here. Despite regaining access to his power he was already dead and couldn't leave his inner world despite his attempting to do so. There was a possibility that she was fine considering the fact that someone/thing was trying to resurrect him, but even if she was could he trust that same entity to keep her that way? Ichigo didn't really have a choice in the end, at his core he would always be a protector, and he was shield those closest to him from harm with his dying breath and beyond. So Ichigo let the power in to his soul, and his world trembled.

Ichigo woke up quickly, instantly snapping into wakefulness, and wasted no time jumping to his feet and into a battle ready stance. His last memories when he had been alive were of him and Isane being attacked and he wouldn't take any chances despite recognizing the feeling of a bed underneath him. He absentmindedly noticed he was naked, bar his reacquired mementos on his neck and wrists, for some reason, and ignored that as well as he scanned his surroundings. What he couldn't ignore however, was the sight of an equally naked attractive woman in the bed he had just vacated. Unlike a typical teenager, instead of being embarrassed, aroused or confused Ichigo was just pissed. The possible implications of their nudity wasn't lost on him and made him downright furious. This woman wasn't Yuroichi or Suì-Fēng, she was barely more than a stranger, and Ichigo made his displeasure of what might have been done known.

"Rias Gremory… You have ten seconds to wake up and tell me exactly why we're both naked and were in a bed together or you won't like the consequences." The sharp cold voice that he spoke with coupled with the flaring of his newly reacquired Reiatsu seemed to instantly accelerate the girl's return to consciousness, a process that had already been started by his own return to the waking world. Ichigo could vaguely feel his Hollow nature making its way to the forefront of his being as he summoned up his Combat Pass and garbed himself in his Fullbring, both to cover his nudity and to get himself battle ready. Zangetsu may be gone but most of his power and what he embodied remained, and now that Ichigo had access to his powers once again thanks to his brush with death they had come back with a vengeance.

Rias for her part seemed to wake up exactly the same way as Ichigo had, instantly getting into a ready stance after her sudden wake up call. The only difference was the ball of black and crimson energy swirling in her outstretched hand. Her face was serious and seemed calm, though Ichigo could see the cold sweat beading on her forehead. Like Ichigo had done initially she ignored her nudity, focusing her attention solely on the threat Ichigo was presenting himself as due to his flared power. It wasn't his full strength but it seemed enough to shake the girl all the same.

"Hyoudou-san…"

"10 seconds Gremory. You have 10 seconds to tell me why you were naked in bed with me and what happened to my sister."

"…Or what?"

Ichigo didn't verbally respond, simply letting his Hollow powers come out even further in response to his anger. His Reiatsu doubled in potency and his right eye bled into the black and gold indicative of his Hollow. Rias started shaking in response, more cold sweat trickling down her face in response to the as she witnessed herself being brutally murdered several times over before she returned back to reality. Slowly, she lowered her arm and dispersed her energy, making pains to not come off as a threat. In response Ichigo dialed back his Reiatsu though his right eye remained unchanged. Swallowing slightly before licking suddenly dry lips, Rias finally gave Ichigo his answers.

"…I was healing you and my power requires skin to skin contact to be used, the more contact the better the result. As for your sister she's fine. She managed to summon me in time to save herself. She's quite lucky she had one of my fliers on her otherwise the consequences could have been bad. The Fallen seemed quite intent on killing her for some reason. She should be back at your home being watched by one of my Peerage."

"Bullshit."

His response seemed to take Rias by surprise. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly that. Most of what you said was bullshit."

"…"

"I sensed one of you following Isane and her 'date' you know. The whole time throughout their date one of your kind had been following them, only leaving when she was taken to that park. You expected her to get attacked, that's why you ensured she got that flier, there was nothing lucky about it. What was your plan, to let her die only to swoop in and 'save' her from dying right? Turning her into whatever you are the same way you did me?"

"What! How did you-?"

"I died… You don't heal death Gremory, and I felt whatever power you did try to invade my soul. Even now I can feel it, telling me to submit to you. Like you're my Master and I nothing but your lowly slave. What was your plan for my sister? Enslave her and then sell her to the highest bidder? Use her for your own entertainment? Or did you just want access to her soul for some sick reason?"

"You're wrong I-!"

"Shut up! Don't lie to me Gremory!" Ichigo's Riatsu flared once more in response to his anger before he dialed it back enough to once again allow Rias to speak.

"…If you could tell how my Evil Piece functioned why did you accept it?"

Ichigo glared at her. "…Because it was the only way to come back, the only way to ensure my sister was safe. From the beings that attacked her, and from your kind too. Now answer my question."

"…*sigh* You're right in some of your assumptions but you don't know the whole story and just for the record I didn't want either of you to die last night."

"Then tell me before I gouge out your heart and kill every single one of your kind I sense in this town. And your answer better be good because if I don't like it…"

A cold shiver went up Rias' spine as she stared at the man before her. It wasn't supposed to be like this, nothing was. Ichigo shouldn't have gotten involved so soon and definitely shouldn't have the amount of power he does. It didn't make sense, he was just a normal human with no Sacred Gear albeit with a few minor oddities, how can he be so strong, so terrifying, after just being reincarnated? And why did his power feel so dark? It was honestly terrifying, reminding Rias strongly of her grandmother's power the few times she had felt it when she had visited, but Ichigo couldn't possibly be a True Demon. It was something to figure out later, for now she needed to diffuse the situation and ensure she survived the coming conversation in order to do that.

"I—You're right. We knew Isane was being targeted. We were able to sense the Fallen as soon as she first showed up and I made sure to have someone monitoring her whenever possible. The moment she made contact with your sister I was fairly certain that she was after her life. You're correct that I was planning on letting her die, at least at first, just as you were correct that I was planning on showing up to resurrect her the same way you were. I changed my mind however as I wanted to eventually bring you into my Peerage as well, the only reason we didn't show up sooner was because of that barrier. And despite what you think I didn't want her for any nefarious purpose and certainly not as a slave."

Ichigo could tell she was telling the truth but was still skeptical. "…Then why did you want her? Why were you going to let her die? Is it because of whatever rules your organization or species have, was it to ingratiate her to you when you brought her back to life, or was it for some sort of sick enjoyment you got from the act?"

"I… I wanted her because she's a Sacred Gear holder, potentially an incredibly strong one at that, and I need strength desperately. As for why I was going to let her die… It was a mostly as a way to gain her loyalty. Saving her from dying was also the most effective way to gain her trust considering my kind's reputation and nature. Though again I must state that I changed my mind. I thought that if I wanted to get you into my Peerage as well it would be a poor decision, that and I was pretty sure I could easily convince your sister to join with a simple explanation."

"…You're telling the truth." Ichigo full retracted his power at that revelation, his eye once more returning to its natural color. "You get some leeway for that, and for admitting such a thing, even if under pressure. Now what are your kind exactly? And what are the Fallen for that matter?"

Rias looked surprised and relieved but she quickly schooled her features and went on to answer Ichigo's questions so as to not waste the chance she was given. "The Fallen are Fallen Angels, those cast out of Heaven for indulging in sin. And I… am a Devil, the same as you are now."

"That would explain some things." Ichigo muttered softly. "Last few questions. How did you turn me into a Devil, what does that entail, what is this Peerage thing you keep mentioning, why does the power you gave me want me to submit to you and what did Isane offer you to bring me back to life?"

Once more Rias showed surprise at Ichigo's questions, though this time it was for the astute observations and inferences he made. It seemed like he was a least slightly familiar with mythology and the bible if knew enough to know that Devils required a trade for any services they provide. That or he was just cynical enough to believe/know that nothing is free in life.

"I used an Evil Piece, a system designed to reincarnate non-Devils into Devils in order to make up for our losses in the last war. The reason why you feel the need to submit is related to this. The Evil Piece system is based on chess, with all the pieces being subordinate to the King, in this case me. It was a safety measure installed to limit the possibility of betrayal but it's not infallible. It can be ignored if one so desires, it's a slight compulsion not full mind control or anything of that sort and the stronger a reincarnated Devil becomes the weaker the effect. And a Peerage is different from Devil to Devil with some treating them like slaves as you feared or worse and others, like me, treating them more like family or close friends. Generally speaking however, a Peerage is simply the subordinates of a high class Devil, similar to like you would find in a normal company or a noble family. They go out and fulfill jobs for their King and bring back valuables such as money or magical artifacts, serving to enhancing both the King's and Peerage's standing in our society.

As for what being a Devil entails not much is different for you at the moment beyond the need to remain in my Peerage and follow our rules unless you want to be hunted down as a stray. Physically in addition to an overall increase in physical capabilities beyond human limits, a reincarnated devil will feel a bit lethargic during the day and are highly susceptible to holy objects and prayers. Unlike True Demons however, Devils, especially reincarnated ones, don't have to constantly indulge in a sin but you will see a small shift in your mentality, with one or more of the deadly 7 being amplified depending on your personality. As for what your sister offered me… it was herself. Like you likely believed has been reincarnated as a Devil in my Peerage."

Ichigo remained silent as he processed the information. He wasn't sure how to react. The fact that she continued honestly answered his questions was a point in her favor but he just didn't have enough information to go on. The news that his sister was now essentially some sort of servant/pseudo-slave made him want to rip Rias to shreds but the obvious sincerity in her voice when she spoke of her Peerage being her family made him refrain from doing so, as did the fact that the compulsions were as weak as she said. That and the news that he, along with Isane, would likely be hunted down if he killed her. There were many unanswered questions, information that he needed to know, but for now he'd settle on one last question, the answer to which would determine if he gave her the benefit of the doubt or killed her where she stood.

"Final question. Why do you need power? Why would you consider going to such lengths to get my sister into your Peerage just because you thought she had potential? I know you said you decided to change your mind but why not approach her sooner? If as you say you could easily convince her to join just with words why not do so?"

"… I need power to save myself."

Ichigo raised a questioning brow at her answer, the only indication that he wanted her to continue the explanation.

"I am… engaged to a man, no a piece of filth, and I want out. My fiancée is some of the worst scum I have ever met, using his Peerage to create his own Harem out of whoever catches his fancy, even if it goes against their wishes, bending them to his will. It's not due to the Peerage system that they can't refuse but because of his own personal power and the fact that he left them no other option besides death when he took them in, and nothing but torment if they refused once he did. He's vile, he treats people in general as dirt but women even worse and lacks any redeeming traits what so ever. If I become his wife not only will I literally be forced to comply to his wishes thanks to the magical betrothal contract that will take effect but my peerage will become his playthings as well and I refuse to let that happen. Due to political reasons my family refuses to outright cancel the engagement and the only way to get out of it is to beat him in a rating game, which is essentially a mock war between two Peerages. Currently I only have 4 members in my Peerage whereas Riser's, my so called fiancée's, is full. The game will be held when I graduate and the wedding soon after if I fail to win.

As for why I wanted your sister, it's because she is a Sacred Gear holder, a mystical item bestowed by the Biblical God unto mortals to ensure humanity's survival. One of my peerage members was able to vaguely sense the nature of the Sacred Gear and it was related to dragons, which are generally amongst the strongest types of Gears. The reason why I wanted to ensure she was loyal with such a method at first was because if I had been correct in my assumptions then your sister could easily grow strong enough to break free of my Peerage and kill me if she so desired. As for why I didn't approach sooner? Mainly in an effort to find an opportunity or method to ensure her loyalty. Sacred Gear holders tend to increase in power rapidly once they are activated and I couldn't afford the risk of her turning against me or not being willing to help. It turned out to not really be an issue in the end but that was my reasoning at the time."

"…I see… You could have just bribed her with boobs or fulfilling her dark fantasies, she's kind of a pervert you know?"

The joke that came out of Ichigo's mouth, despite its dry delivery, surprised both of them. Rias because up until that point Ichigo had done nothing but watch her coldly, even if he had completely withdrawn his pressure midway through. If she was honest she had expected him to kill her after she finished her explanation, he had reason enough to after all despite the mitigating factors. For Ichigo's part he had been surprised as well as he hadn't even consciously spoken those words. Hell he had still been debating on whether or not to let her live until that point, even if he had been leaning towards sparing her. He briefly checked to make sure he wasn't being influenced by his Evil Piece, but he wasn't. Ichigo gave an eternal sigh, despite his doubts apparently he had made his decision already. He'd give her the benefit of the doubt for now, after all now that his power was back he could break free whenever he desired.

"True, your sister is quite… enamored with the female form. But would you really want me to fulfill her dark fantasies? After all, according to the rumor mill she's quite the brocon. Devils have no real taboos so it would be perfectly legal after all. Are you perhaps a siscon Ichigo? What would you fan club think if they were to find that out I wonder?"

The slight smile that graced Rias' lips as she teased him brought back memories of Yuroichi, and Ichigo struggled to keep the bittersweet feelings he was experiencing from showing. He quickly made to change the conversation topic so as to dispel those memories, killing the slightly upbeat mood and bringing back some of the tension from the previous conversation.

"Right… anyways I'm going to check on my sister. For now, I'll give you the benefit of doubt and won't kill you nor will I run away. I want much more information on the supernatural world before I decided where to go from here so expect me and my sister's later today for a meeting. As for you… I'll give you the chance to win me over. I can tell you aren't really a bad person and you were honest in your explanation even if I did pressure you into doing so but that's not enough to make me your friend and definitely not enough to see you as my 'King'. But I won't blow you off or spurn your attempts to change that. After all, unintentionally or not, in the end your actions gave me back something more precious than you could possibly know beyond the act of saving mine and my sister's life. As long as you do right by my sister from now on I'll take care of your engagement problem when it comes up, I owe you that much at least regardless of anything else."

Ichigo didn't stick around to see the Rias' response to his words, instantly using Sonido to flash out of whatever building he was in. If he had however he would have witnessed the sight of Rias crumbling to the ground in exhaustion, relief evident on her features as a mix between confusion and gratefulness swam in her eyes. Ichigo had been far from the person she had been expecting and their conversation had been the single most terrifying and stressful thing she had ever experienced bar the news of her engagement to Riser itself. Despite everything however, a small smile graced her face as the reality of what Ichigo had just said continued to reverberate in her mind. The fact that she now how such a strong piece and that he was at least willing to give her a chance despite everything she had told him was gratifying. But it was his promise to deal with Riser when the time came that was real reason for her relief as it was enough to lift a burden she had been carrying for years now. The power Ichigo had displayed, despite feeling like nothing she had ever experienced before, had been even stronger than her own, stronger than Risers even, and she doubted that was even his full strength considering on how easy it had been to maintain that pressure. She would be free. Even though Isane wasn't as strong as she had hoped she might be Ichigo would make sure of that.

Isane felt terrible. It wasn't really surprising considering that she hadn't slept at all and what she had experienced last night. She still didn't understand how things could have changed so quickly. One minute she thought she was about to experience her first kiss after a truly amazing date and the next her new girlfriend was trying to kill her. Then her brother had showed up out of nowhere displaying magical super powers of some kind as he saved her life before proceeding to maim the girl she had thought was her girlfriend. If that wasn't enough as soon as she thought things had ended she was once again tackled by her brother as he saved her life, only this time he took a spear through the heart protecting her. That scene continued to haunt her as it replayed endlessly in her mind. How he had managed to continue to move, and even dodge more attacks while carrying her after such an injury was nothing short of a miracle.

As she had stare in abject horror at the hole in her brother's chest Isane had prayed to anyway that would listen to save him. And then he fell and Isane knew that he was dead, whatever was allowing him to remain alive failing him, and Isane was willing to sell her very soul if it meant someone would save him. Then she showed up, Rias Gremory. One of the Two Great Ladies and the single most attractive woman she had ever seen. She had appeared following a blast of black and crimson light that tore a gash through the hard ground and instantly took charge of the situation, shielding Isane from the light spears before forcing the two bird ladies to flee for their lives. And then Rias had offered her a deal with the Devil, literally. She would bring her brother back to life in exchange for her becoming hers. Isane hadn't even hesitated in accepting.

Using some sort of magic ritual and weird chess pieces she had managed to bring Ichigo back to life, though he was still heavily injured. She had then instructed Akeno, who Isane hadn't even noticed had shown up with Rias, to take him somewhere to start healing him until she returned and then both Akeno and Ichigo disappeared in another crimson light. Then it was Isane's turn. Isane didn't quite understand what was happening, only that her payment for saving Ichigo was going through the same ritual that he had gone through, only hers consisted of a single chess piece. It had felt…weird, as if something had been added to her that hadn't existed before, like a third arm or leg, but it didn't feel unnatural… just different. She had been teleported back to her room after that, with Rias promising to send someone to watch over her and explain some things while she healed her brother. Isane had tried to protest as she wanted to be by her brother's side, to make sure he was ok, but didn't get the chance before she left without another word.

A few minutes later Akeno showed up in her room using the same method she had seen several times that night so far with news that Ichigo would be fully healed by morning. Isane tried to pressure her for more information on her brother but all she got was a giggle and a brief comment on him being quite impressive. Isane hadn't liked the innuendo, despite agreeing with her, given the circumstances and started an argument where she quickly learned that Akeno was very, very scary. After everything calmed down Akeno proceeded to give her a lengthy, yet abbreviated, crash course on the supernatural and what exactly she had gotten herself into. It had been confusing, terrifying and cool in equal measure. Though one thing stuck out from the conversation the most, Devils could have harems! It made her feel kind of guilty feeling so happy and excited at the news after the night's events but the fact that her brother would be alright was enough to overcome her guilt, at least for a little while.

That didn't mean she hadn't been worried however. When Akeno had told her to go to sleep and left to stand guard outside, she was supposed to "watch over" Isane, she had lied awake in bed unable to sleep. Her happy mood from that simple piece of information quickly leaving as memories of the attack and Ichigo dying continued to replay through her mind. Try as she might she just couldn't get to sleep as every time she closed her eyes she saw Ichigo get his heart impaled or Yuuma getting mangled. And in addition to that, despite seeing it with her own eyes, she was worried that she had been lied to and that Ichigo actually wasn't alive again. So, by the time the sun came up and it was time to get ready for school, Isane looked and felt like shit. Despite school being the farthest thing from her mind at this point she knew she couldn't ditch, even without knowing that she would be able to see Ichigo there, so she started getting dressed. Of course this was the moment that the man in question showed up, right when she was about to put on her bra.

Isane didn't know if she should be embarrassed or if should take this opportunity to flirt/tease her brother and as a result simply froze in place. Ichigo for his part didn't seem to be fazed at all by her partial nudity as he quickly gave her a once over, making sure she was in fact all right. Of course Isane mistook his actions for him checking her out and finally decided that she was, in fact, embarrassed, and let loose a loud feminine scream as she ducked to the floor and covered her chest with her arms.

"Kyaaa!"

Ichigo let Isane cover herself and waited for the echo of her scream to die down before speaking, his tone flat and his expression impassive.

"Right, as this is no doubt as awkward for you as it is for me I'll make this quick. I'm fine, I'm happy you're safe, I'm sorry for the intrusion and we'll talk about what happened last night later."

With that said Ichigo calmly opened Isane's door, exited the room (closing the door behind him) and made his way to his own room. He needed to get ready for school as well and while his Fullbring covered his nudity it wasn't exactly normal looking. He also wanted to avoid awkward questions from their parents about why Isane had screamed and why he had just left her room so he made sure to walk quickly. All the while Isane continued to remain on the floor in her room as her heart pounding erratically at what just happened. Her face sported an atomic blush and her thoughts were full of conflicting feelings and daydreams.

"Stupid Ichi-nii, you're supposed to take me on a date first… hehehe I knew I'd eventually get through to him though. The power of boobs will always prevail! Now that he's noticed my figure it's only a matter of time before he falls for me!"

It was at this moment that her very worried father burst into the room with a baseball bat, prompting another round of screams and embarrassment to ring out from Isane's room. From within his room Ichigo just sighed at the knowledge that it was going to be a long day.

Ichigo idly swiped his hair out from in front of his eyes. It was the downside of having his hair so long but his wives had all but forced him to keep it in the current style and he had grown used to it during the war so it didn't bother him too much (His hair is the same as it was post-Dangai training). The last lesson of the day was about to end in a few minutes and Ichigo was bored. School held nothing new for him to learn the second time around and he didn't even need to do more than lightly review the material to maintain his place as top of the class. He still acted like he tried though, mostly to set a good example for Isane and his classmates, though the effects were limited for the former.

Ichigo absentmindedly started fiddling with his sisters' Quincy crosses where they hid beneath the sleeves of his school blazer as he let his mind wander. It was good to have them back. Just as it was good to have his powers and access to his inner world back as well. He still wasn't up to his peak level but that tends to happen when you don't practice for nearly two decades, a bit of training over the next few weeks and he should be back in top form at least power wise. Getting his physical body to match up to his soul form on the other hand would take much, much longer, if it was even possible in the first palce. The boost his transformation into a Devil had given had bumped him beyond human limits so he was cautiously optimistic at being able to increase himself further. Currently he was only around low seated officer, 15th- 14th seat at best, physically so he was stronger using ranged combat rather than using Hakuda or Zanjustsu, his preferred methods.

Hopefully that would be enough for now, he wasn't sure what the power rankings in this world were like but considering that there were Devils and Fallen Angels than it was a good bet that the Biblical God existed as well (he remembered Rias' mentioning its existence) and he, like Ywach, had the epitaph of the Almighty for a reason. Considering he and Isane were now Devils, which were the enemies of Heaven, Ichigo was quick to label God as a potential threat. Hopefully God wasn't stronger than Ywach, Aizen or the Soul King had been as Ichigo had only just barely reached their level at the end of the war and increasing his strength further would be extremely difficult in the short term. He doubted such a high ranked being would bother itself with a "newborn" such as himself but his experience with Aizen's manipulations of his life made him paranoid anyways.

He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts by the arrival of the "Prince of Kuoh" Yuuto Kiba in the classroom, his sister following close behind him. Apparently the bell had rung while he had been thinking. Ichigo had never interacted with Kiba before, mostly because they were different grade levels and had different social circles than his desire to stay away from the supernatural elements at Kuoh. Well Kiba had a social circle, Ichigo didn't really have friends that he hung out with, he spent most of his time with Isane, paying back her victims or doing his own hobbies/training. He was friendly acquaintances with a lot of people but none of them were close friends on the level of those he had in his last life. While he had dealt with the losses to the best of his ability over time they had still left scars and Ichigo preferred to keep people at arm's length usually, bar his new family of course.

"Ah, Hyoudou-senpai. Buchou sent me to bring you and your sister to the Occult Research Club."

Ichigo wasn't surprised by him being used as a messenger knowing his status as a Devil and his affiliation with the ORC, which Rias was the president of and all of members of which were Devils (it was nice to finally have a name to call them other than Black Ribbons). Though why he had been chosen as their messenger specifically he wasn't sure, maybe it was because he was in the same class as his sister? Regardless Ichigo gave the younger male a slight nod as he stood up and followed him out the door, grabbing his bag and ignoring the rather disturbing fantasies his female classmates were coming up with on his way out.

As they walked to the old school building, which was the headquarters of the ORC, the trio remained silent. Ichigo and Kiba seemed completely at ease with the silence despite the slight undercurrent of tension but Isane was clearly not. Ichigo would have tried to calm her down but he wasn't in the right mindset to do so. Despite provisionally giving Rias a chance he was treating their upcoming meeting as a possible combat scenario. He couldn't sense anyone else in the building they were heading to beyond those he knew belonged to her club, or should he call it her Peerage now? Still he didn't really know a lot about this world's supernatural side and wasn't arrogant enough to believe that they couldn't have a means of hiding their powers from him, after all one of the Fallen had managed to do so last night as he found out.

If he was being honest with himself Ichigo had been more than half expecting some sort of trap when Kiba opened the doors into the club room. He had blatantly threatened Rias, his supposed King/Master, after all. Ichigo was essentially a rogue element and a very dangerous one from her perspective and while she might seem like a good person he wouldn't have put it passed her to simply try and remove the threat he posed to her and her Peerage. It wouldn't have worked of course and even if it did then she would have lost Isane as well as he highly doubted that his sister would work for the woman who had him killed, which essentially meant that her dream of being free would come to naught. You can never know what someone would do when their lives, or something equally important, were threatened however so he had remained wary regardless. Fear tended to make people react in strange, sometimes illogical ways, if his experience was anything to go by (which it was).

Anyways nothing like that happened and his suspicions were not realized, at least for now. Instead what greeted him when the club room doors opened was a very nicely furnished, if a bit too gothic for his tastes, room. In the middle of the room, seated on one of the couches, was Koneko Toujo, Isane's little stalker from last night. Koneko… was a strange girl from what he has seen, reminding him a lot of Nemu with her emotionless face, voice and mannerisms. She was two years his junior with a snow white hair and a petite frame that reminded him a lot of Suì-Fēng's. Ichigo idly wondered how long it would take his sister to get over her nervousness and let her perversions show, the girl certainly fell within her "strike range" from what he knew, then again very few girls didn't. The answer was not long.

"Welcome to the ORC, this is Koneko Toujo a first year and member of the ORC."

Kiba's introduction was barely out of his mouth before Isane started thinking dirty thoughts, as evidenced by her heavy breathing, flushed cheeks and honest to god drool falling from her mouth. Ichigo was about to snap her out of it when he was beaten to the punch.

"Pervert…Gross."

The cold monotonous way she spoke each word did what countless angry shrieks and embarrassed screams could not, it caused his sister to falter. Ichigo couldn't help a small smirk from appearing on his face at the sight of his sister face planting dramatically at the words, as if they struck actual physical blows when she heard them. Of course she was nothing if not resilient and quickly got back to her feet a fire burning in her eyes. Ichigo just rolled his eyes as he knew what was coming next.

"Oi! I'm not a pervert!"

"…Pervert…"

Isane almost face planted again. "*Gack*… I said I'm not a pervert!" Koneko stared at her in disbelief, as did everyone else. "I'm a Super Pervert!"

Ichigo couldn't keep himself from face palming despite hearing said claim innumerable times already. No matter how many times he heard her say it, her proud declaration never failed to make even him feel embarrassed. Once more he vowed to utterly destroy that perverted old "sage" if he ever found him. Judging by the stifling silence in the room the other two occupants didn't react any better than he had, though Koneko seemed to recover the quickest judging by her next words.

"…Super Pervert…. Gross…"

That was too much for Kiba, her flat emotionless response and the ridiculousness of their interaction causing him to break out into chuckles. Isane for her part was left feeling flat footed and face planted again when she heard the response while Koneko simply went back to eating her dessert. Ichigo just sighed, wondering why he had to deal with such a pervert for a little sister. Before Isane could come up with a response the clubs last two members finally decided to make their presence known. For some strange reason Rias had been taking a shower in a partitioned off area of the room and had apparently just finished drying off. Maybe she was an exhibitionist? It was a good thing Isane had been too distracted to notice. Regardless of what her sexual fetishes may or may not be it seemed like their meeting was about to begin as Rias sat down behind a desk, Akeno standing attentively behind and slightly to the left of her.

"I see you've been introduced to Koneko, Isane-chan, Hyoudou-san."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes slightly at the familiar way Rias addressed his sister but made no other indication as to his thoughts when he replied.

"You can say that, and it seems like she already has a firm grasp on my sisters… personality. Though I've never seen someone able to accurately describe her in so few words before, nor cause the legendary 'Super Pervert' to be at a loss for words, I'm impressed."

"Ichi-nii!"

Rias' lip twitched slightly as she suppressed the amusement she felt at his words. Akeno on the other hand made no attempt to stifle her laughter, neither did Kiba for that matter. Koneko, like Ichigo, just kept her expression blank though if one looked closely there was a slight glimmer of mischievousness in her eyes.

"Yes, she's quite the talented kohai. Anyways I'm sure you know who we are but allow me to make proper introductions. Yuuto Kiba, a 2nd year and my Knight. Koneko Toujo, 1st year and my Rook. Akeno Himejima, 3rd year and my Queen. And I am Rias Gremory, 3rd year, Buchou of the ORC and King of this Peerage. All of us, like the both of you now, are Devils." In response to her words the ORC members all displayed their wings, a quite dramatic ending to the introduction that was ruined by the response they received.

""Yo.""

The Hyoudou siblings responded in exactly the same way, down the single lazy hand wave, inflection in their voice and unfazed expressions on their faces, despite having their own wings pop out along with the others. It was quite humorous to the ORC members, though Rias pouted a little at the response. Isane, despite appearing to be vastly different from him in all aspects, had surprisingly picked up a lot of Ichigo's traits and habits over the years, they just rarely showed.

Recovering quickly Rias continued to speak. "*Ahem* I've invited you here to welcome you to the ORC, which is a front for my Peerage, and to give you a more detailed explanation on the supernatural world than the one both of you both were recently given. The explanation will be long so please make yourselves comfortable."

Ichigo sat down on the empty couch opposite of Koneko, Isane taking a seat by his side while Kiba moved to lean against the wall near the door. Ichigo impassively starred at Rias, which worked to slightly unnerve the girl judging by the tensing of her shoulders. He would wait to see what she would say and, more importantly, if she confessed everything to Isane before he made another move. Her actions would determine his, if she was intelligent or empathetic enough to apologize to his sister he would continue to give her a chance. If she didn't then he would never interact with her again after this except to help her with her fiancée problem.

Thankfully it seemed that she wasn't stupid as she did in fact end up explaining everything about last night, including Rias' previous thoughts/plans regarding the both of them. She didn't mention Riser at all, simply giving a vague answer of needing power to save herself from something bad in the future, but Ichigo didn't hold that against her. It was a very personal matter after all and while he felt no guilt at forcing her to divulge it to him he understood why she wouldn't want to explain it to another stranger, even one that was now part of her "family", if possible. So he remained quite as she gave that answer to Isane's question, something that she seemed grateful for.

Isane's reaction had been… extreme and Ichigo was seriously wondering if his sister was bipolar by the end of it. Her first response to being told she was going to be left to die on purpose had been predictable, mainly a lot of angry shouting and condemnations. Ichigo was forced to hold her back at one point when she made to attack Rias. As her explanation continued she calmed down, though Ichigo could tell her anger was still simmering near the surface and then close to the end she went completely blank, mirroring the looks on Ichigo's and Koneko's faces. When Rias was finished everything was quiet for a few seconds before Isane gave a tired sigh, basically said fuck it, and then said that if he had given her a chance so would she. And then she proceeded to ask if any of that meant she couldn't create a harem. Ichigo just face palmed at the question while the ORC members openly gapped at her, even the stoic Koneko, though her response was the most muted of the group simply being a widening of the eyes and a dropped pastry. When Rias tentatively replied with a no then Isane was all smiles and said she was forgiven.

After that episode was an incredibly long and detailed explanation on the supernatural world, focusing mostly on the Three Factions but also including the minor factions to a certain extent as well. As Ichigo had guessed Angels/Heaven was a faction as well, with the biblical God as the leader, though surprisingly they weren't at war with the Devils instead having a cease fire of sorts. In fact, all the factions had an informal cease fire of sorts after the Great War. That wasn't to say relations were good, they were anything but, however outright conflict was no longer a common thing, and those that broke the fragile peace were heavily punished from their respective factions. The power structure of all the factions was also very interesting to Ichigo.

For Devils the ranking went low class, medium class, high class and ultimate class (which ranked from low to high as well) devils, with the 4 Satan's leading the entire faction (and wasn't the revelation that the original Lucifer and other Satans all perished interesting). Reincarnated Devils all started as low class, regardless of strength, and had to accomplish certain milestones and pass tests in order to rank up, this was where Isane learned she needed to become a high class Devil in order to get her own Peerage/harem. Angels, both fallen and otherwise, on the other hand were ranked according the number of their wings (2 being lowest and 12 the highest), with the Fallen being led by the Gregory and Angels being led by the Seraphs and God.

As for the minor factions the most important for their current situation was the Yokai faction, which controlled Kyoto, as it was the one they'd most likely run into in Japan. The other factions included the various pantheons (and wasn't that also a surprise), vampires and various magical human communities. Neither humanity as a whole nor any normal countries were considered as factions, having no knowledge of the supernatural being real, which made sense but made him uncomfortable due to the number of wars the supernatural factions directly and indirectly caused. Luckily there were a lot of rules regarding interaction with normal humans so they were protected regardless, even if some incidents slipped through the cracks.

Other than that overview of the supernatural factions/species and the political climate Rias gave the history of Devil kind, the common powers (as in abilities) amongst the supernatural, a detailed explanation on Devil society, unique powers and possible changes that could occur from being reincarnated as a Devil (this time with examples), what expectations for a new Devil are, what rules they had to follow, the consequences for breaking the rules (also with examples) and so on and so forth. It was a lot of information to process and Ichigo could tell that Isane had trouble keeping up with the influx about half way through, he'd have to go over everything later with her if she wanted any hope of remembering it all. Still it was clear that while overwhelmed by everything Isane was actually happy to have become a Devil, though she seemed understandably leery at the mention of the wars and conflict between the factions. It probably helped that their family wasn't religious at all and that Devils were basically enhanced humans with magical powers and looser morals/social hang ups rather than beings of pure evil when you got down to it, at least now they were, that hadn't always been the case after all.

For Ichigo's part nothing she said had affected him in one way or another. All he really cared about was the explanation about relative strengths of the factions and individuals within them. From what he could understand Aizen, Ywach, the Soul King and himself were about on the level of the various pantheon gods at their peak but below beings on the level of the Biblical God, original Satans (and possibly their replacements), Ophis and Great Red, especially the latter two. Of course there were likely others who were stronger or at least on par with them, as well as those that have unique abilities that could compensate for a lack of raw power. Still it was good to know where he would roughly fall in this worlds hierarchy as that made making contingency plans much easier but currently what that meant was that if he were to take Isane and run he'd have a very good chance at keeping the both of them alive. While Rias' brother was the current Lucifer he doubted he'd personally hunt Ichigo down unless he hurt/killed her so leaving remained a viable option if so desired.

Currently he didn't actually want to leave. While he hated the idea of Isane being involved in the supernatural world that boat had already sailed, and even if it hadn't just her possessing a Sacred Gear would have eventually resulted in her contact with the world, as evident by the incident with the Fallen. And it wasn't like conditions were necessarily bad as things currently stood. The Evil Piece system still rankled him slightly but Rias had given no indication that she had been lying about how she treated her Peerage yet. In addition to that Ichigo didn't want to live a life on the run or in hiding, especially since running would brand him as a stray and would definitely drag his parents into the whole mess. Rias hadn't said as much but it was easy enough to read in between the lines when she was talking about strays, runaways and criminals, even if Ichigo didn't think she would personally wish to involve them if such an eventuality occurred.

The whole ORC was silent as they watched their two newest members, just as they had been throughout Rias' explanation. Normally they would have left by now to complete contracts but Rias had informed them about her experience with Ichigo that morning and none felt comfortable leaving her alone in his presence. They had kept themselves occupied during the hours long explanation through their own various ways but had kept one eye open in case of any violence. For her part Rias had been a bit nervous at the beginning, especially as she explained everything to Isane, but as time went on she grew more and more comfortable, bolstered by Ichigo's quiet but attentive behavior and the fact that he hadn't left or attacked anyone yet. She was thankful that Akeno kept making her Tea however as her throat was quite sore from all the talking she had done. She was drinking it even now as she watched the Hyoudou sibling's reaction and waited for them to speak. Finally, it was Ichigo who first broke the silence.

"I have a question."

"Yes? What is it? I'll promise to answer anything you wish to know."

Before Ichigo could speak he was interrupted by his sister. "What are your three sizes!" Ichigo face palmed at the predictable question from Isane and the rest of the room's occupants laughed slightly as the tension in room dispelled considerably.

"*Sigh* please don't answer that Rias, it'll only encourage her regardless of whether or not you actually care about modesty and other such things. It's hard enough trying to make her a semi-decent member of society without encouragement... What I want to know is what pieces you used to turn us. You explained what boosts each piece gave but left out what exactly me and Isane are." His words and the rather dry way he spoke them caused a rain cloud to appear over his sister's head as she went to a corner to pout, much to the continued amusement of the ORC.

Rias raised an eyebrow at both the informal way he called her and the fact he believed, correctly, she was far from being body shy and would have answered Isane's question truthfully. Still she decided listen to his request as she answered his question, though not without a bit of pouting.

"Mou, you're taking away my fun Hyoudou-san, I was all set to do a dramatic reveal in a few days but if you really want to know I'll tell you. Both of you are pawns. More specifically Isane is a single pawn while you are three mutated Pawns."

Ichigo just gained a contemplative look on his face at the news. The fact that it took so little to revive Isane was surprising, apparently her Sacred Gear wasn't as strong as Rias had wanted, that or Isane's overall abilities were just that weak. He idly wondered how much his mutated pawns were worth in comparison to the other pieces. What Rias didn't mention, and what Ichigo didn't know however, was the fact that she had initially used normal pawns to revive him but he had somehow managed to make the pieces mutate as it was fusing with him, something that had never happened before, ever. It was just another mystery surrounding the orange haired teen that she wanted to solve, for now though she wanted to try her luck at fishing for some information.

"So Hyoudou-san, would you mind indulging in a question of my own?"

"Call me Ichigo, Rias, I hate formalities. And you can ask one question and I'll answer it in consideration for you taking the initiative apologizing to Isane and for the sake of our future interactions. I might not give a complete answer, or one with a lot of details, but I will answer truthfully."

That was much more than Rias thought she would get but suddenly she wasn't sure what to ask. There were so many things she wanted, needed to know, about him but where she should start and what was most important? Should she satisfy her personal curiosity or should she ask a question that was more important for her and her Peerage? There were so many things she was curious about damn it. It didn't help that the entire ORC, including Isane, were watching both of them intently, seemingly just as interested in her question as what his answer to it would be. Finally, she decided on a question, or rather two questions that were related. Hopefully Ichigo would answer them both.

"What did you mean when you said earlier that my actions gave you back something more precious than I could possibly know? And why did doing so mean you would help me with my problem?"

"That's two questions…"

Rias remained silent. Ichigo just let a low breath before responding.

"Fine… I meant just that. My dying and then you bringing me back to life gave me access to something I value above all else in the world. The debt I owe you for doing so, despite being mitigated by the circumstances surrounding it, was still large and helping you with your problem was how I decided to repay it."

"What was it, your power?"

"… Yes and no. And that's three questions. Don't push your luck further Rias."

Rias flinched slightly at his cold reprimand but still felt grateful that he had answered as much as he had, it meant he truly was giving her a chance like he had said. Still his response was vague and the mysteries continued to pile up, hopefully he would open up further as they got to know each other better.

"My apologies Ichigo, I let my curiosity get the best of me."

Ichigo just grunted in response, which got him a poke and a heated reprimand from his sister for being a caveman and a jerk. Ichigo just rolled his eyes at his sister in response, knowing that she had only done that because Rias was attractive and she was hoping to get into her pants. That and Isane likely wanted to know more as well. Despite not fully understanding the context of the questions or his answers she could tell it was important and involved him. Ichigo was a very private person, even to his family and Isane, despite knowing more about him than anyone else, still didn't know everything. Her curiosity wasn't helped by the memory of him using some kind of power to save her last night that she had never known he had.

"*ahem* Well then, anything further you'd like to ask? If not, you two are free to head back home or you could stay here if you like. Tomorrow I would ask you to come to the club after school and we'll start your introduction into your duties as a newly reincarnated Devils."

Despite her words being a statement Ichigo detected the question inside her words. She was subtly trying to figure out his intentions and if he was planning on being part of her Peerage, or at least trying it out. Ichigo thought it over briefly before giving her a shallow nod in response which she acknowledged with a small, happy smile. Isane was much more exuberant in her response proclaiming that she would become a high class devil in no time, create the greatest harem in the world and that she wouldn't miss a chance to see Rias' breasts if she could help it. Of course everyone simply ignored her besides some awkward laughter from Kiba and a flat stare from Koneko.

"Very well then, have a good night Isane-san, Ichigo-san, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Buchou!" Was Isane's response. Ichigo just remained silent, the only indication he heard her words was a slight tilting of his head in her direction before he left.

Rias slumped in her chair as she saw the club room door close and the Hyoudou siblings disappear from her sight. She was exhausted from the large amount of talking she had done as well as the tension she felt both waiting for and during the meeting with the pair itself. Akeno moved directly behind her and started giving her a message to help ease her stress, much to the Gremory's relief and silent thanks.

"Buchou… is it truly wise not to monitor him? From what you've told us and from what I saw he's clearly a threat and a high flight risk."

"You're right but… we can't. Not only because I need his trust in order to win him over but also because he'll find out. He knew Koneko had been following Isane the whole time after all and that my familiar was handing out the fliers, even if he hadn't said so in as much words."

"… Should we call Lucifer-sama?"

"No! There's no need to bring Onii-san into this." Rias vehemently opposed Akeno's recommendation. She would not bring her brother into this, not only because he would likely over react but because she had lost a lot of faith in her brother over her engagement with Riser and his failure to do anything about it.

Akeno remained calm despite her King's outburst. "You've admitted he was stronger than you, possibly at the level of an Ultimate class even. If he were to act against you I don't think we could stop him."

Rias had to acknowledge that fact even if she didn't agree it would happen. "It won't come to that. If he was going to attack me he would have done so this morning and if he wanted to run, he wouldn't have basically stated he would come back tomorrow and likely would have by now as well. I just need time is all, I'm certain I can convince him to fully become part of my Peerage given enough of it."

"Are you sure that his power and his promise to use it to deal with Riser isn't clouding your judgement?"

"…"

"*sigh* I'll follow your lead Buchou, just be careful, ok?"

Kiba decided to make his opinion known at this point. "I agree with Akeno, Buchou. Ichigo-senpai is dangerous and it's hard to know just what he's thinking. He could be a great piece to have if you can in fact win him over but if you can't, I don't think we could stop him without asking for help. There's something about him that puts me on edge beyond his power and threat, if you want to win him over all I ask is that you be very careful about how you go about it and make sure to have one of us nearby in case something happens."

"…He smells like despair and death…"

Rias contemplated her Peerage's words, especially Koneko's. While her Rook didn't give her an opinion on Ichigo that bit of information was enough to raise even more questions and concerns. Still… could she afford to lose him? Did she want to? Beyond the loss of her pieces and a person who could possibly beat Riser, it just wouldn't feel right. The Gremory clan had always embodied Greed and Rias would never willingly give up one of her "possessions" because of it. Her peerage was hers, they were her possessions, friends and pseudo-family, no one would take them from her, not even themselves, even if it was foolish to do so.

"…I've decided. We won't do anything for now. He hasn't shown any hostility to us or Devils as a whole, bar what happened this morning, which was mostly caused because of the incident last night. He seems to be willing to give us a chance and I don't want to waste it. You're right that my decision is being influenced by his promise but that's not all. Ichigo is a part of my Peerage now, no matter what his actions in the future are that won't change. I wouldn't be me if I let him go and didn't give him a chance, after all I gave one to all of you. Ichigo is mine now, even if it takes years to convince him of such."

The club room was silent after that as they grew contemplative, Rias' words bringing up old memories for all of them. Eventually Rias broke the silence and gave out her final instructions for the night.

"When we meet again tomorrow I want all of you to at least try and get to know him, or at least act welcoming if he doesn't respond. I'm sure he expects me to try and convince/manipulate him into wanting to stay in my Peerage, he actually flat out told me I can try in fact, but that changes nothing. My Peerage is my family and Ichigo and his sister are now part of it. I want to show him that truth by word and deed. Just remember to be yourselves and I'm sure everything will work out."

"Hai, Buchou." Was the collective response of the ORC before they left the room to perform various tasks, leaving Rias to sit contemplatively in her desk. Her thoughts as her Peerage left on the Hyoudou siblings and the possibility of asking advice from her friend Sona on how to handle them best.

The walk home was a quiet affair for the Hyoudou siblings. Normally Isane would be pestering Ichigo nonstop about something or another, usually something perverted, but despite how she acts most of the time she does know when her attitude is acceptable around him and when it wasn't. Now was definitely not a good time for her usual antics. She could tell that her brother was not happy with the situation at all, not that she could blame him. What Rias had admitted to her… was horrible, and unlike her Ichigo was not a generally happy or optimistic individual, and was incredibly slow to trust anyone even a little bit. To be honest she believed the only reason why he hadn't done something drastic was because of her and their parents. Despite what it seemed she had paid attention when it was mentioned that rogue Devils were hunted down, harshly. If it wasn't for his actions implicating her and their parents she didn't know what he would have done. Normally she would have said beat Rias up and scare her a bit but after witnessing what he did to Yuuma… she wasn't so sure about her brother anymore.

She still loved him and nothing would change that but she felt like she didn't actually know him anymore, or at least not as well as she thought she did. His powers, his actions and the words he spoke to Rias. All of them left her mind in whirl. So as they walked back home she let herself be absorbed by her thoughts, not even paying attention where she was going and only lifting her head to look at Ichigo out of the corner of her eye. Which was why she was startled when she suddenly felt his arm pulling her back sharply.

"Who are you."

Ichigo's voice was deceptively calm, not betraying his inner thoughts, as he spoke to the man who was suddenly standing before them. It was a Fallen Angel though only Ichigo knew that currently. He had felt it following them a few minutes after they had left Kuoh and had been making sure to monitor its actions the best he could. When he had sensed it move from its position behind them to block their path he was already prepared for a violent confrontation.

"Me? I'm just a man taking a night time walk. As for my name? It's Dohnaseek. And what are two little strays like you doing at this time of night?"

Though the, now identified, man hid it will Ichigo could detect the hostility in his words and posture. Combined with the subtle tensing of his arm and the emphasis on the word strays meant Dohnaseek wasn't about to let them leave peacefully despite his amiable façade.

"We're not strays and it's none of your business what we're doing."

Isane looked confused at the two's conversation though she seemed to pick up on something judging by the subtle tensing of her body. Dohnaseek just narrowed his eyes slightly before adopting a condescending smirk.

"And yet I don't sense the mark of your master on you. Nice try little devil but now that I've seen two of your kind before me I'm afraid I can't let you go."

As a light spear flared to life in Dohnaseek's hand Ichigo had already launched his own attack. With his full powers more or less returned and with access to his soul Ichigo had many ways to kill the Fallen before him. He settled on using Yuzu's Quincy Cross in this case. The small Heilig Pfeil that was launched from the Reishi crossbow in his hand covered the short distance between the two in a split second, giving Dohnaseek no time to respond, hampered as he was by the surprise of the attack. It wasn't a very strong attack, as Yuzu's bow had fairly weak in terms of attack power, but it was swift, so despite not putting much effort into it, his attack was more than enough to destroy the man's heart when it landed with pin point accuracy. The man remained alive for a few seconds alternating between staring at Ichigo and the fatal wound on his chest, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly, before he finally fell. Ichigo just watched him impassively as he died and, once he was dead, vaporized his corpse with a wordless Kido, completely destroying any evidence of an attack.

Isane for her part was struggling to keep the bile down her throat. She had been in shock at first as the whole sequence of events between Dohnaseek's last words and Ichigo's attack lasted less than a second, but that faded quickly at the sight of what Ichigo's attack caused. Beyond the horror of watching her brother kill someone, Fallen Angel about to attack them or not, the attack brought back flashbacks to last night when a similar attack left Ichigo fatally wounded in the same location on his body. That was too much for her and Isane lost her internal battle and starting retching onto the pavement. She felt someone put their hand on her back and the sudden contact caused her to flinch violently, despite the soothing and familiar presence that was surrounding her.

Ichigo had known his actions were likely to shock his sister at the very least so he was unsurprised when she starting throwing up because of them. Nor was he surprised when she reacted badly when he tried to rub her back in order to soothe her. So instead of being hurt by the response he merely gave her a few seconds to compose herself before resuming his attempts to soothe her with healing Kido, and this time his ministrations were accepted. It took Isane a few minutes to recover enough to voice the question Ichigo knew would be coming.

"Why? Why Ichi-nii? Why did you kill him!? How could you kill him!?" Her words held a slightly hysterical edge even though she kept her voice as level as she could.

"He was planning on killing us, it's that simple. He was waiting for us to leave the school and was likely with the other two from last night so he must have known of our new status. It was likely he wanted to take us out before we became a problem, and I wasn't going to let that happen." Ichigo's voice was solid and calm as he explained himself to his sister.

"…What happened to you Ichi-nii? The attack last night, the way Rias reacted towards you, the words you spoke and now this. The Ichigo I know while super protective is not a bad person and isn't capable of killing a person so easily. And he definitely didn't have powers. So who the hell are you!?"

Ichigo calmly stared down at his sister, her face twisted with fear, anger and grief. He had known this was coming eventually and had been planning on avoiding the whole situation by explaining some things when they got back home but Dohnaseek ruined those plans. If he was actually the teenager he looked like her words would have likely hurt him to hear, as he wasn't it was much easier for him to deal with the situation in a calm manner that served well in soothing Isane's fears.

"I am Ichigo. Have been since before I was born. Nothing has changed with me beyond gaining back something I had lost and the new changes we've both had by becoming Devils. I'm perfectly willing to answer any of your questions and explain things when we get back home, I was planning on doing so anyways after all."

Ichigo could see the distrust and wariness in Isane's eyes but he simply continued to look at her calmly, letting her work through her thoughts and feelings on her own time. Eventually his sister gave him a small guarded nod as she accepted Ichigo's words for now barring his explanation. Deep down she didn't actually believe he was someone other than her brother but she was shaken and let her emotions cloud her thinking. She was still wary but had decided to wait till they got home to demand answers. Ichigo seemed to understand and gave a small nod in return before he started walking towards their home, Isane following a bit further behind, no longer all but clinging to him as she had done before.

"Talk."

The seriousness in Isane's voice felt strange to hear from the usually laid back and slightly silly girl but it was appropriate for the circumstances.

"What do you want to know first?" Ichigo asked calmly.

"How about how you were able to ki-kill that guy so easily, what you meant when you said Rias gave you back something you value above anything else and how exactly you had powers before becoming a Devil."

"… Well at least you like cutting out all the bullshit. The answer to all three of your questions are related and the story is quite long. Do you want me to tell you the short version and then ask questions or the long version, which would likely take several hours?"

"Short." Isane replied after a few seconds of contemplation.

"Very well. The short version is this isn't my first life. I've been reincarnated once before last night, and in the more traditional sense rather than simply being reborn another species."

Isane looked shocked and seemed to be struggling to form words in response, so Ichigo tacked on a bit more to his short explanation before she could interrupt him.

"There was a reason why I told you I had been Ichigo since before I was born after all. I meant that literally."

"So-so then you're like one of the characters in my light novels and got offered a second chance at life after dying in your old world."

The bitter, hollow smile that briefly flashed across Ichigo's face at her words and the dull empty look in his eyes caused Isane's heart to clench painfully. It was wrong, so very wrong, to see that expression on his face. So wrong that it hurt. Thankfully the expression left as soon as it came but the memory lingered and Isane wouldn't ever forget it no matter how hard she tried.

"…something like that…"

"…So-so you were born with all the memories of your old life or something? Is that why you were always so mature and smart?"

"Not since I was born, I got back my memories when I was 2, babies don't really develop their brains enough for something as complicated as long term memories until that age. At least that's why I think I only remember at that age. And basically. It's hard to be a kid when you have decades of memories inside your head after all."

"De-Decades! How old were you when you died Ichi-nii!?"

"I think I was 47 or 48. Stopped really keeping track of my birthday at some point and the concept of dates themselves stopped really mattering."

"Holy shit you're old! You're like older than 60 mentally now! Ichi-jii-chan!"

"Who the hell are you calling old damn it!"

Ichigo almost flipped the table they were sitting at in response to Isane's overreaction to his age revelation. Despite feeling annoyed at her crack at him a small smile graced his lips. If Isane was teasing him again it was safe to assume she was no longer afraid of him or believed he was some imposter, at least not as much as before. The two squabbled for a couple of minutes before calming down, at which point Isane voiced her next question.

"So what was your world like? Was it magical? Is that why you had powers? Are you some kind of reincarnated magical girl spreading love and justice to the worlds you are reborn in!?"

"…I'm going to stop buying you those DvDs…" Ichigo deadpanned.

"NOooo! Not my precious! Ichi-nii you can't! You promised!"

"….." Ichigo just stared.

"*ahem* an-anyways, I really do want to know what your previous life and world were like."

"…It's not a happy story Isane. While there were good parts my life was not pleasant and the ending even less so. Trust me when I say that you do not want to hear it in its entirety."

Isane faltered at that. In part it was because of his words and how serious Ichigo had sounded when he spoke them but mostly it was because of the naked pleading, almost begging, look she saw in his eyes. Again it was something that was just wrong to see on her brother, so she silently agreed not to ask the whole story and let him keep quiet on certain issues.

"Then… could you tell me about your powers, and about the family you had? What were your parents like? Did you have siblings, a little sister like me? Did you have a girlfriend?"

"My powers… I was born with a lot of different kinds of powers in my old world, though I didn't know that until I was around your age. Powers in my old world were based around the soul and the energy it produced. There were three main factions, much like here, each with their own variation of that power and I was technically part of all three. There were Shinigami, guardians of the dead, Hollows, monsters born from tortured souls who weren't sent to the afterlife in time, and Quincys, humans who could manipulate and fight with soul energy. There were a few minor groups that were caused by or mutations of the others but those were the ones that mattered. My father was a Shinigami and my mother was a Quincy who had been infected by a parasitic Hollow. When I was born it transferred to me, making me the only true hybrid ever to exist on my world."

Isane quickly lost herself in Ichigo's explanation, both because of how interesting it was and because of the melancholic smile he gave as he spoke of his previous world.

"Shinigami powers mainly came from their Zanpakuto, a weaponized part of their souls in the form of a sword. They used their Zanpakuto to purify Hollows and send wandering souls to the afterlife. Hollows gained their power through devouring the souls of humans, ghosts, Shinigami or even other Hollows. The more souls they devoured the stronger they got generally speaking. Quincys were the most complicated. Traditionally a Quincys power comes from their ability to manipulate the latent soul energy in the environments to create constructs generally taking the form of a bow and arrows, though the modern Quincys were able to form other weapons. However, unlike a Shinigami, a Quincy's power couldn't purify or send a soul to the afterlife, instead it completely destroyed them, keeping those killed from any afterlife or reincarnation. All three groups had a wide range of abilities, forms, attacks and organizational structure but that's the basic gist of it."

Ichigo gave Isane time to process the information he gave her, using it to idly scan her bedroom. It was surprisingly girly and free from any kind of indecent materials, though Ichigo knew she simply stashed them under her bed and in her closest. Once Ichigo felt Isane was ready he resumed speaking.

"As for my family. My dad was a Shinigami that had given up his powers and old life to be with my mother. His name was Isshin Shiba before he married my mother and took her last name, and while incredibly goofy, he loved his family more than anything. My mother was Masaki Kurosaki and she was from a long line of Quincys. She was a very kind and loving woman who enjoyed taking care of her family. She is also who I get my orange hair from, at least in my previous life, not sure about here. I had two little sisters, Yuzu and Karin, who were fraternal twins. Yuzu was a very sweet but shy girl who took after our mother while Karin was serious and a tomboy, taking more after me than either of our parents funnily enough."

"Do you miss them?"

"…Yeah…"

"…I'm sorry."

"Don't be, not like you could have had anything to do with it."

"I'm sure they miss you a lot, I can't imagine what they had to go through after losing you."

Ichigo grimaced. "…I'm sure they would have but… they all died before I did… My mother… died in front of me, saving my life from a Hollow attack when I was a child. My Dad followed her a decade later doing the same for my sisters. And my sisters died not a year after that. I've had decades from both my lives to cope with the loss…"

Isane looked horrified by the news, not that he blamed her, and tried to stutter out another apology but Ichigo stopped her.

"Isane… you didn't know, couldn't have known really. You were curious, I don't blame you and like I said I've had a long time to cope with the loss."

Isane didn't seemed convinced but gave him a reluctant nod of acceptance anyways.

"Then…what about a girlfriend? Did you ever date or get married? If it's something painful like your family you don't have to tell me if you don't want to! …I don't want you have to relive bad memories for the sake of my curiosity."

Ichigo gave her a small smile, his sister really had a good heart. "It's fine Isane. Yeah I was married for about 7 years. No children but that was because it was not a good time for any rather than a lack of desire."

"Can you tell me about her?"

"Them." Ichigo replied with faint amusement, knowing what type of response his answer would cause.

"wha-?"

"Them, I married two women."

"What!? Yo-you!? at the same time!?"

"Yup."

Isane didn't know how to react. On one hand she was incredibly jealous, on the other she was equally as proud. She always knew Ichigo would make a great Harem King and having confirmation of her evaluation was more than a little gratifying. The fact that he had gotten one without her help? Not so much. She was about to go into a semi-flustered rant when Ichigo cut in, a smirk on his face.

"Want to see what they looked like?"

The offer surprised Isane enough that she nodded before she could truly process the impossibly of his question. Ichigo capitalized on her stunned silence to further fuck with his sister's mind by bringing out his wedding photos from within his inner world. It was fun to mess with his sister and it served to help keep away the bitter tint to his memories, if only slightly.

Isane, once she recovered from her stupor, curiously started flipping through Ichigo's wedding photos, and boy was that difficult to wrap her head around. Ichigo's wives, who she was told were called Yuroichi and Suì-Fēng, were beautiful. The fact that they were both wildly different in appearance made her wonder what Ichigo's type was, as Yuroichi was an exotic looking busty bombshell while Suì-Fēng was petite and had a tomboyish vibe. While part of her focused on the appearance of Ichigo's wives Isane paid equal attention to just how happy he looked in the photos. He was actually laughing and smiling in most of them! It was strange. Ichigo rarely smiled and when he did it was always a small thing, not the wide grin she saw in the photos. While a part of her felt hurt by the fact that their parents and her couldn't make him happy like he was in the photos the other part was more concerned about what exactly happened to him that took away those happy grins. She didn't bring it up however, knowing that such questions wouldn't be welcomed even if Ichigo did answer, nor did she bring up any of her other questions about his last life or previous world. Instead she just silently sat next to him as he told her stories of his wives as they looked over all his multitude of pictures (he had several albums beyond those for his wedding) for the rest of the night.

AN: I didn't go too much into Ichigo's past, instead giving out a lot of hints and small snippets, mainly because it's better to dole it out piecemeal when it's more relevant. I really like Suì-Fēng and think she's underused for pairings which was why I had her be with Ichigo, she's both badass and adorable. I added Yuroichi because it's obvious Suì-Fēng loves her and think I think she's hot and that a three-way relationship would work out if she was involved. The harem will be likely be relatively big and yes Isane will be in it if you didn't catch that, and no she's not actually related to him I'll get that out of the way now, even though I doubt beings of sin would particularly care. That being said don't expect anything for a long time on that front, it's Ichigo after all and that just wouldn't make sense for him to think of her that way, despite the changes I made.

On that note Fem Issei, yeah I don't particularly like Issei as a character but I didn't want to simply get rid of his character. Since I wanted Ichigo to have the harem Isane was born, she's not just a female Issei however, if you caught it she doesn't have the Boosted Gear for one, and that will cause changes as the story progresses. Umm, beyond that there will probably be Lemons in this story at some point as well as depictions of heavy violence/gore. I'm also going to be making the DxD verse more hardcore than canon just because that's my preference and works better for my story. Anyways that's all I got to say for this chapter as this note is getting pretty long.

Hope you enjoyed it.

-Monumentum