Work Text:
substitute this // deathberry playlist
What if Ichigo’s parents hadn’t ignored all the signs that their son was spiritually gifted at a very young age and, rather than trying to pretend it wasn’t happening and wouldn’t get any “worse” if they just refused to acknowledge it, had watched carefully, and prepared him for the inevitable?
What if Isshin hadn’t been such a yellow-bellied, lily-livered, spineless, cowardly man-baby?
What if he had begun educating Ichigo on his heritage from the moment of Masaki’s death; had dragged Uncle Ryuuken into their lives - sneering and pouting - to represent his Quincy heritage; had introduced Ichi to Urahara and Yoruichi - with adequate supervision - to begin his training at a young age?
Would Zangetsu-Ossan still have tried to sabotage Ichi’s Shinigami nature? He wouldn’t have had reason to. And when Zangetsu-Shiro reared his maniacal head, everybody would have been prepared for it. Canon Ichigo and his invisible friends form a pretty solid team early on, but what if they had had 5-10 additional years to integrate?
What if Ichigo had grown up strong, and informed - of his history and that of Soul Society -, and in control of his power? Ichigo would still be Ichigo; he would still make the same choices overall, but he wouldn’t go running in half-cocked; he would know what to expect from the intolerant, sanctimonious, uppity ghosts populating the afterlife (oh, and you can bet he would not be happy with the way it works - fuck outta here with that feudalism bullshit.)
He wouldn’t necessarily be strong enough to give Aizen a solid spanking the first time round.
Nor would he definitely be able to defeat a captain right off the bat (experience still counts for something).
He’d still make mistakes - after all, a 15-year old boy is a 15-year old boy, no matter how much training he has.
But he would stand a chance, and perhaps he wouldn’t take each defeat as a sign that he, personally, was responsible for all the misery in the history of the Universe ever.
No more flailing in the dark. No more being used as an ends to a means. No more being manipulated into making decisions without knowing the ramifications of his choices. No more being a pawn.
No more being abandoned.
Give me a thoroughly self-assured Ichigo with modern ideas and feral instincts; with fire running beneath his skin and tranquil waters in his mind, giving a two-fingered salute to the Seireitei’s bullshit. A shit-disturbing, revolutionary, anarcho-punk nightmare who is one step away from being the next Aizen ---
and that one step is the solid, loving upbringing he had, free from terror, isolation and confusion.
Give me a Berry who becomes a willing saviour under his own aegis.
Give me a hero.