(Flash Back: Not long after Ichigo was inducted into Squad 1)
"That's enough!" Yamamoto declared loudly, Ichigo panting from exhaustion with almost half of squad 1 laid beaten around him. "Take them to squad 4 for recovery. Ichigo, with me." The remaining squad members obeyed the Head Captain's orders as Ichigo joined his teacher, moving to Zanjutsu practice while still weighted down with his Hakuda kido weights. Yamamoto tossed him a weighted training sword and gave the next exercise. "A thousand swings of each kind. Go." Ichigo got into the ready stance and began to swing the blade, over and over.
"Hey, Yama-Sensei?" Ichigo said after ten minutes of silence, his swings never stopping. "I've been wondering something. In the time I've been a Soul Reaper, I've only seen the Gates of Hell once for a Hollow. I know the Zanpakuto is supposed to purify the soul of its crimes as a Hollow, but how does it determine one for Hell?"
"It doesn't." Yamamoto answered. "The Zanpakuto is the catalyst that guides lost souls, setting them on the right path or severing their bonds to the World of the Living. Souls that are filled with good intentions or innocence are granted passage to Soul Society and eventual reincarnation, while souls filled with hate and spite are sent to Hell."
"I thought it was the actions of the Living that determined their ultimate fate in the afterlife." Ichigo said, slightly pausing in his swings before righting himself.
"And those actions are determined by the intent of the person doing them." The dragon returned, continuing to teach his eventual successor. "Let me give you four people, all of whom have killed. One had slain thousands, threw away hundreds of innocent lives, all out of the desire to bring peace to his world. The second has killed many people as well with the desire of fixing a broken system, but lost his way somewhere down that road. The third has dedicated almost his entire life to the sole purpose of killing someone, someone that is a great threat to all he cares about. The fourth has just as much blood on his hands as the first, but only does so for his own sake." Ichigo stopped swinging as he turned to his master.
"Yourself, Aizen, me, and Yhwach." Yamamoto nodded as Ichigo accurately guessed who he was referring to, waiting for Ichigo to continue on what he started. "You killed many in the war with the Quincy out of the need to protect all existence from being destroyed. Aizen toyed and played with lives to gain the ability to replace the Soul King out of the belief that he could do a better job. I am training for the main purpose of killing Yhwach and prevent the destruction he'd attempt to cause. Yhwach only cares about himself, that's the ultimate difference."
"Precisely." Yamamoto said with approval, gesturing for Ichigo to continue his swings. As he did that, the ancient captain continued. "Our actions define us, but our intent can reveal our true character. Make no mistake Ichigo, everyone in Hell deserves their place there."
(Hell: 1st Level)
'Every breath burns!' Ichigo mentally roared as the two fell toward the platforms below. The first level gave Ichigo the idea of what he was in for as the pair would descend into the lower levels. The air was nigh impossible to tolerate the necessary act of breathing, feeling so thin of the needed oxygen but thick with heat and decay. Even with all of his power and regenerative ability, Ichigo felt like he was suffocating and that vulnerability reminded him too much of when Black poisoned him. In that moment Ichigo realized just how brutal Hell would be, and that it would only get worse. The two landed on a single white block overlooking the level. As far as the eye could see there were floating, angular blocks that seemed like a sick form of floating Tetris with a grid of blue intersecting paths in the middle of the mass of blocks.
"Welcome Ichigo, to the first level of Hell." Kokuto said, pointing off into the distance. "If we want to find our targets, we'll have to go deeper into Hell. The entrance to the next level is far in the distance." He told the hybrid as they jumped down and descended to the blue road, Ichigo seeing hundreds of people among the blocks. All of whom seemed like they snapped a long time ago.
"I might as well get the Divine Comedy tour while I'm here." Ichigo called out as they landed, earning a confused look from Kokuto. "I told uncle Ryuuken that reading that thing was pointless." He sighed as he pointed to the Sinners among the blocks. "What can you tell me about this level?"
"Ah," The Sinner said as he understood Ichigo wants, "well if you're that curious." He began running, forcing the hybrid to follow his guide. "As you can see this is the most densely populated section of Hell, filled with Sinners that are trapped in despair. Within sight of freedom but have given up the struggle to attain it."
"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked, locking his eyes forward and not looking anywhere else. "I imagine there are a few who are plenty strong."
"But none are as strong as our jailors, the Kushanada." Kokuto answered, sparing a quick glance around to see if he could sight one that would definitely come for them. "No matter how hard we train, we are unable to defeat them. Those around us are those that gave in to the despair brought on by a pointless struggle. Minds that are broken from losing and dying countless time, having given up on their hope and their hatred. Hate is what drives those of us that continue to fight, no matter the odds. No matter how many times we are crushed, beaten, and devoured. In Hell, we are resurrected endlessly and continue to suffer." The Sinner took another look around. 'That's odd. Where are the Kushanada?'
"Is that the way to the next level?" Ichigo asked, pointing to an end to the road they were on, opening to empty space.
"Yes! Off there is the way to the next level of Hell!" He confirmed as they fearlessly jumped into the abyss and through a cloud of purple gas.
(Squad 15 Infirmary)
"Make sure he gets his sleep." That's what Urahara said after giving Chad a thorough examination. Orihime managed to heal him up physically but his spirit still needed time to recover, and he'd likely try to follow Ichigo into Hell which would be a terrible idea. Ichigo's Hakufuku wore off half an hour ago but Chad was still asleep, leaving everyone else to go about their duties. Jackie remained by his side, making sure he got his rest. "Do whatever it takes. Here's some drugs that'll knock him out fast." Her eyes drifted to the bottle in her pocket again, just as Chad began to stir.
"Morning big guy." She said as Chad scanned his surroundings, slowly sitting himself up. "Though, night is probably more accurate. It's only just passed midnight. How are you feeling?"
"Like I was blown up half a dozen times." The Fullbringer said, healed but still feeling the aches of his fights. "What did I miss?" Jackie would say she was conflicted, lying to her friend who had helped her move on from the loss of her family and accessing a new form of her Fullbring, but she was more concerned with him being in good condition.
"Nothing much. The Hell thing is being handled." She said, smoothly telling the half truth. "Kisuke said to make sure you get your rest." She got up and moved to replace one of the drained IV Reishi bags that held Kisuke's new restorative medicine that should help Chad recover.
"Where's Ichigo?" He asked, using what skill in sensing he had to feel the leftover presence of multiple Sinners and Ichigo's Reishi all over the city. "Why do I feel his Reiatsu all over the city?" After that and replacing the bag, Jackie pulled out the knock out drug Kisuke made.
"Chad, it's nothing for you to worry about." She said, taking in a mouthful of the surprisingly sweet medicine.
"Are you su-" She cut him off with a sudden kiss, pouring the elixir into his mouth and making him swallow on reflex. She lingered for a few seconds, slowly tasting him through the medicine.
"Ichigo would want you to take it easy." She said as she saw the drug take its affect, Chad's eyes becoming tired and unfocused. "And I'd like you to be in better shape. Please, for me?" Chad made no response as he fell back onto the bed, once again in the embrace of unconsciousness. Jackie stood up, moving her tongue around in her mouth a bit. "Mmm. Spicy."
(Hell: 2nd Level)
The pair broke through the clouds and began to hurtle down to a vast expanse of water dotted with dozens of stone water lily structures with massive blades protruding from them. Kokuto grabbed one of his chains and lassoed Ichigo, pulling him to one of the stone lily platforms. Nearly a minute later, they landed on the platform with Kokuto gesturing to the endless expanse around them.
"And now, for our shortest stop, the second level of Hell." He said, letting Ichigo take it all in as they drop down to one of the solitary stone platforms. "Possibly the most desolate section of Hell as there is frankly nothing here."
"So what? A Hell of Isolation?" Ichigo asked, curious on what suffering this level was supposed to have.
"Well that, but also this." The Sinner said as he grabbed Ichigo's wrist and thrust his hand into the water. Instantly, Ichigo felt like he was drowning. That air was drained from his lungs and he couldn't get anything into his chest. After seconds that felt like hours, Kokuto released Ichigo and the hybrid still felt like he was drowning. He cast a Shakkaho to create enough heat to evaporate the water on him, but it was pointless. He shook his hand enough to fling all the water off, finally regaining the ability to breath. He gulped down mouthfuls of air, ignoring the burning of the air of Hell and was just happy to breath again. "This water takes away one's ability to breath, leaving us with the constant sensation of drowning. But we never die, no matter how much that would relieve us."
"That..." Ichigo coughs for a bit before breathing again, "that really is a horrid fate. Isolation on these rocks or constant drowning."
"And we reach this after fleeing our next stop. The third level." Kokuto said, pointing into the water. "Through there." Ichigo looked into the water, thinking of how long he'd feel that drowning sensation. Without saying anything, Ichigo released his wrist binds and unleashed half his power. He started to create a sphere of concentrated Reishi above the water, cutting off his hand and throwing it into the sphere to ready a Gran Rey Cero.
"Let's do this!" Ichigo roared, pulling Kokuto close to him before jumping forth and creating a Reishi platform at his feet. "Gran Rey Cero!" He shouted as they were shot into the water.
(Captains Meeting)
"The Togabito's plan to have Ichigo break open the Gates of Hell is impossible so there was never any need to worry about that." Urahara said, giving a report on his study and predictions of the threat posed by Ichigo in Hell. "The Gates themselves are indestructible. The danger are the chains breaking." He brought up a simulation with two figures, one in chains and the other with a sword. "From our research, the things that keep the Sinners trapped in Hell are in a perpetually state of growth. Always stronger than the strongest prisoner with every one devoured and the chains are very much the same." The presentation had the chained figure try to break free but was unable to. "Unfortunately there's no record of anyone at Ichigo's level being down there, meaning he's stronger than the chains." The sword wielding figure swung at the chained one and the chains broke apart. "If Ichigo can be manipulated into breaking the chains, then the true threat emerges. Hell's law is absolute and if it's broken then the Gates themselves will crack and leak out the energy of Hell. Which will turn the world of the Living into Hell as well."
"This is why I wanted that boy to stay out of it." Yamamoto sighed under his breath. "While I would like to have faith in my student, this is not something I will chance. Captains Urahara and Kuchiki, I want you both to enter Hell and bring him back. Move with all haste, every second counts. Isshin, you and Hitsugaya will set up a containment field around the Gate to keep the energies at bay. Dismissed!" The Commander ordered with a slam of his can, earning a nod from from the captains as the went about to prepare for their latest mission. Kisuke and Byakuya left the building and were intercepted by Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, brought in for questioning on the suspicion that they helped Ichigo get into Hell.
"I'm coming with you." Ulquiorra said, making it clear he was not taking no for an answer. "I swore to be by his side as his vassal and I will not fail him." The captains turned to Grimmjow, who shrugged.
"My king as well. That and Hell sounds like a party." He said with a savage grin. Byakuya just walked by them, muttering about barbarians while Kisuke held a serious gaze at the pair.
"I know what you did." He said, keeping it silent. "Ichigo told me about your Solita Vista."
"You also asked if I told him anything about Kokuto. I merely shared my memories. I never lie." Ulquiorra returned, not backing down from the captain. Urahara sighed in irritation.
'So this is what it feels like to be on the receiving end.' He thought, going back to all the times he manipulated a scenario to suit his wants and needs. "Fine, you can come along. But Ichigo is going to be punished for his actions, no matter what you two try." He said, leading them down to get ready for Hell.
(Hell: 3rd Level)
'Almost there!' Ichigo roared as his lungs burned for air until they burst through the water and into the next level of Hell, the water flying off from their speed and air friction. "So what is this one?!" He called, gasping for breath as he took in the view. It was a barren landscape filled with rocks and yellow pools of either lava or steaming acid. It was a toss up of what it actually was, but Ichigo didn't think he wanted to know. Before Kokuto could answer one of the pools exploded, prompting Ichigo to push him out of the way and onto the ground. They landed with a crash as the yellow liquid came raining down on them. Both men started to cry out in pain, Ichigo glaring at the pool while the liquid settled. "You alright?" He asked as he and Kokuto got back up, slow and labored as they worked through the punishment of Hell.
"I'll be fine, I'm used to it." The Sinner said as he looked over to the healing Ichigo. "What about you? I go through that all the time, how are you faring?" Ichigo looked himself over, most of the upper half of his uniform was melted away but his wounds did heal.
"I heal fast." The hybrid said, wincing as his throat and lungs started burning again with the same feeling as the yellow liquid. "AHH! What is this!?"
"The third level of Hell." Kokuto answered as he looked back to the pool that exploded. "This is where the burning air originates. The evaporation from these pools create the atmosphere of burning air that makes breathing so painful in Hell. Making us pick between drowning and an air that feels like our insides are melting. Never had one geyser up like that though. I thought for sure a Kushanada was attacking us." He said, becoming concerned about the lack of Hell's jailors.
"You sound almost disappointed." Ichigo said, looking out into the distance. "Maybe we're lucking out? Sometimes things just go my way?" Kokuto looked at Ichigo, then back to the pool, before continuing their way to the next level.
"If that's true then you must be the luckiest person in Hell." He said as they ran through the landscape, Kokuto finally recovering.
"You said what you did was enough to condemn you to Hell, but you did it for something precious to you." Ichigo said, changing the subject suddenly. "What did you do that was so vile?"
"I got my sister killed." Kokuto returned, becoming very somber with a look of smiling melancholy. "I was her good for nothing brother and she died because of me. She was all I cared about and I dedicated what life I had to avenging her." Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he remembered his teacher's words. "It doesn't matter why I did it, murder is still unforgivable. I'm not just helping you because I want to spite these bastards. I'm helping you because I can't stand anyone who would harm someone's sister." They came to the edge of a steep hillside that Kokuto jumped onto, Ichigo following right behind him. They soon came to a stairway with hundreds of gates and thousands of candle lit shrines. "Through here is the next level, and the end of our journey. Where our enemies reside."
(Karakura Town)
"Okay people, let's do this!" Urahara called out, getting the team ready. "We've got to bring out the Gates, contain them, and get ourselves protected. Every second counts and Ichigo is probably at the bottom levels by now. We can't afford to waste any time." With that, Tessai and the Kido Corps began to summon and bind the Gates of Hell with assistance from squad 12.
"Barrier stress and Hell energies are stable, but rising!" Mayuri called out from the monitor he was at. "Adding in the samples from the Togabito!" He said, prompting Ulquiorra to pull out two vials of pure black substance and opening them. "Gates should be appearing now!" The lieutenant called out as the Gates of Hell reappeared, solidified, and stayed shut. "Stabilized."
"That's good, but I was hoping they'd be open." Kisuke muttered, thinking of how irritating it was going to be to open them. Grimmjow dashed forward, roaring with the intent of busting through and catching up with Ichigo and making sure he got a few hits in. He was then shot back the second he touched the Gates. "And how did you see that playing out?"
(Hell: 4th Level)
The pair exited the tunnel, entering the last leg of their journey. Ichigo took in the sights yet again, and started to cough up blood as the burning got to its very worse. All around them were thick clouds of acid from the level above, creating a thick fog throughout the hilly landscape. At their feet was miles and miles of black sand that had trace amounts of Reishi and a series of small pale mounds, like a twisted Zen garden of suffering.
"This is our graveyard." Kokuto said, sounding empty. No hate, no rage, just pain as he gazed upon the resting place of Hell. "The fourth level of Hell is an endless desert of the crushed and charred bones of the Sinners that were finally broken. Even when there is nothing left to break, nothing left to torment, we stay here, eternally imprisoned in this endless nightmare. Even if we managed to get to the world of the Living, it's always a matter of time before the Kushanada find us and pull us back into our torment." The two looked on to the endless miles of bone sand as Ichigo thought of how many people were needed to make this while Kokuto pondered his own fate. "Ichigo, I know this is asking a lot, but would you hear me out?"
"What is it?" Ichigo asked, looking at his guide. He already had an idea, but wanted to hear it from the man himself.
"After we defeat them, could you free me?" The Sinner said, immediately putting his hands up. "Not permanently, I just... I just want to see my sister one last time." He sighed. "I hope that helping you would grant me the chance to see her and apologize. After that, I'll return and pay my dues." Ichigo said nothing, shifting his gaze to behind Kokuto, before finally speaking.
"Lend me your power and I will help you." Ichigo said before returning his gaze to Kokuto, who looked happy for once.
"Don't worry. You have my full cooperation." He said as he started to run, heading for where the other Togabito were. Ichigo stood still, nodding his head just once, before dashing forward to join Kokuto. After running for a bit, the pair saw their destination. A half circle of standing stones with a massive skeleton in the center with a pair of massive stone fingers reaching out, all looking over a pit of lava. "From there, the dead rise back up. Every time a Sinner dies we are resurrected in the burning lava. How quickly we come back is heavily dependent on our strength." Ichigo began charging toward the structure, Kokuto right on his tail, moving with great speed. As they neared their destination, a spear of fire came flying at the hybrid. There, standing atop the skull of the skeleton, was the fire user Ichigo fought. He had a wide rimmed cloak with a similar white outfit to Kokuto, except with squares instead of vertical lines. The other difference was the asymmetrical black pants on his left leg and his mask on his chest to hold his cloak in place with his purple hair covering his left eye. There was another figure next to him, covered in bandages with two parallel scars running down his cheek with tentacles instead of arms. Ichigo and Kokuto dodged the fiery explosive spears until they got to the front of the pit, the cloaked figure gazing down at them.
"You certainly saved us the trouble of looking for you Ichigo!" The man on the skull called out. "I am Shuren, a Sinner trapped in Hell. The plan was to hold your sisters hostage to force you to open the Gates of Hell and free us, but we might as well do it like this!" He roared as he fired bolts of fire at the two, focusing mainly on Ichigo. The attacks separated the two as the tentacled Gunjo attacked Kokuto.
(Kokuto vs Gunjo)
"Return to the pit!" Kokuto roared as he cut away Gunjo's tentacles that came from his chest. The Sinner circled around and unleashed another barrage that struck with explosive force, shooting up blooms of bone dust with every strike. Kokuto dodged and cut them but got clipped a few times, not enough to seriously injure him but enough to draw blood.
"Why are you standing in our way!?" Gunjo asked, confused that another Sinner would try to stop them from opening the Gates of Hell and attaining freedom for those that still had their minds. "You should be aiding us!" He roared, still unleashing his tentacles like a swarm of missiles.
"I'd never side with the likes of you!" Kokuto returned, creating an energy shield and causing the tentacles to bounce away harmlessly. Gunjo faltered in confusion of the sudden defense, giving Kokuto ample time to close the distance and impale his opponent. "Say goodbye!" Kokuto roared, pouring his Reishi into his next swing to create an energy blade and destroying Gunjo's body. 'I've done my part. Now for you, Ichigo.' He thought, a manic grin coming onto his face as he thought of his coming freedom.
(With Ichigo)
Shuren shot spear after spear of fire at Ichigo, but none of them could harm the hybrid. The Soul Reaper was closing the distance fast and deflecting every strike that came close to him. He could do the fast thing and vaporize Shuren with any number of Kido or other Reishi attacks, but if they thought he could free them from Hell then he needed to be more careful in his execution. He held up Kyoka Suigetsu and poised to stab before launching himself forward to Shuren's chest. The Sinner himself barely managed to dodge, earning himself a deep gash on his chest as the air pressure shattered the skeleton and stones around them.
"Get back here!" Ichigo roared, dashing at the fleeing Sinner, who constructed another spear of flames. He tried to block, but Ichigo without half of his seals quickly overpowered him and sent him hurtling toward the ground. Shuren recovered and brought both hands up, shooting fire bolts extremely rapidly in the hopes of stopping his opponent. Ichigo flashed around the field, closing the distance before grabbing Shuren's head and slamming him on the ground before running and dragging him to the base of the lava pit. "Never return!" Ichigo growled as he threw Shuren into the pit of lava. "I was hoping for a bit of a challenge."
"Are you really disappointed?" Kokuto asked, walking up to Ichigo and looking into the lava. "I thought you wanted to end this as soon as possible."
"I did, but I still feel cheated in a way." The hybrid admitted as he got behind Kokuto. "So, how do we do this?" He asked making Kokuto turn with a smile on his face, barely able to contain his excitement. The Sinner moved his hands, grabbing onto each one of his lengths of chain as they gave a dark shimmer of their existence.
"To free someone, you must break their chains." Kokuto responded, holding them out for Ichigo to cut through. "Only then is our connection to Hell severed. Only then are we freed." He had to resist the urge to scream at Ichigo to cut them and free him from his torment, believing that everything has been going his way.
"Just one more question." Ichigo said, raising Kyoka Suigetsu above his head. "How gullible do you think I am!?" Ichigo roared, shocking Kokuto as the hybrid spartan kicked the Sinner into the lava.