Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Azik has been reading through all the letters sent by Klein, and was on the last one.

Dear Mr. Azik,

After all these letters should I just maybe start calling you Azik instead?

If this is the last letter to you, then that means I'm still asleep. I recently became a True God, more than just a god, something above the sequences and need to sleep to accommodate everything.

I'm becoming the Lord of Mysteries, a Great Old One above the Seer, Apprentice and Marauder pathways. The thing is, while I'm asleep I will be fighting against the will of the Original Lord of Mysteries, and I am afraid. I am afraid of what will happen if I lose. I'm afraid of what I will be like if I win. So I write this in the hope that when I wake up, you'll help remind me of who I am.

I was not always Klein Moretti, I became him after my soul was forced into his dead body. Your student was controlled by the Antigonus Family Notebook to put a bullet in his own head. I just inherited his incomplete memories. I was so terrified of being found out by you in the beginning, when you noticed the irregularities in me. After I took you to Lamund Castle, when you spoke of feeling like a ship lost at sea, I knew, I still know what that feels like, because I am the same.

Before I was Klein, I was Zhou Mingrui. I lived in the Eastern Continent, or what the world called the missing Western Continent. I remember doing a luck enhancement ritual, only to wake up in Klein's body. At first I thought that I somehow traveled to a different world, my only goal being to get back to my own. Eventually I realised that this is my world, just far into the future. Very far. Learning that everyone I knew is lost to me. I guess it's the same for you when you finally remember your past.

I've worked hard to create enough anchors for myself, I even have a church and bible now. I hope you don't mind, but I named you as my Angel of Death, the Angel that's been at my side the longest. Hopefully the anchors formed from this will help you too.

I have plenty more I want to say, but I can feel my conciseness fading with the need to sleep.

I hope you wake up soon, even though I won't be there to welcome you.

Your eternal student and friend,

Merlin Hermes,
Dwayne Dantes,
Gehrman Sparrow,
Sherlock Moriarty,

The Fool that doesn’t belong to this era
The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog
The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck,

Zhou Mingrui,

Klein Moretti.

Azik has known for a long time that Klein wasn't Klein Moretti, not fully at least. He had subconsciously felt the change of souls, even if he didn't understand it in the beginning, but that didn't change how he felt about him.

After he felt recovered enough, he set out to find the Church of The Fool, he read the Bible, aided his followers. He had even gone to the Southern continent to preach, doing his best to convert those who still worshipped his long dead Father, or should he say unknowingly worshipped the Evernight. All the while, he was writing letters to Klein, telling him about everything, just as Klein had done for him.

The day Klein finally woke up, Azik did the one thing he has wanted to experience himself when waking up. He hugged Klein, telling him that everything will be okay, and that he is there for him.

In the beginning, Klein didn't have much humanity, but Azik helped him as best he could. When the barrier finally fell and the war was in full swing, they stole what little quiet moments they could inbetween the death and destruction. At one point Klein even convinced Azik to allow for his soul to be fixed, and he had become a Sequence 1 Pale Emperor.

It was during one of the quiet moments when they took comfort in one another's embrace, becoming something more. They understood each other in a way no-one else did, and they have long since been each other's strongest anchors. When the other's heard of this, Adam had called it a reasonable development in an attempt to joke.

After a long and hard faught battle, they had finally won over the Outer Deities and there world was save. It was during one of the meetings that it happened. The Celestial Worthy had struck, pulling Klein into a dream again, a new battle. But this time Klein was more capable, he had more experience fighting other powerful beings.

He slept for months, Azik always by his side, telling him about the projects to restore the world and about how everyone is doing. When Klein finally woke up, he was emotionless, not because of divinity, but because of Tianzun’s final actions.

Klein had won, the remaining will of the Celestial Worthy, the original Lord of Mysteries, had died. But in his final moments…

“You may have one over me, but you have lost. From now on you will know what emotions you feel, but you won't feel them, you won't be able to express them! HAHAHA…”

When Klein had told him that, Azik held him close, knowing well enough that I this moment he would be crying if he could.

“I will hold you whenever you are sad, but cannot cry, whenever you are happy I will smile brightly, and when you are angry, I shall be your wrath. You had given me my humanity, my soul and a reason to live. Allow me to be your face, your emotions.”

The change had effected the others more than they'd care to admit. To see their friend more emotionless than when he woke up without humanity scared them, but after a while they started working on a system to allow Klein to give them an indication of what he is feeling about something. He had also taken to carrying Arrodes around wherever he went, because the mirror was somehow capable of understanding Klein's emotional state.

After some time had passed, things had settled down. It was during this peace that he finally decided to explore his domain a bit, and realised that Dominator of the Spirit World, meant the entire spirit world that mirrors the entire cosmos. It was during one of these explorations that he came across a rather remote area that was interesting, and looking at the history of the place, he knew he was horrified.

Chapter Text

The planet tied to this part of the spirit world was very similar to his world from before, only it's ties to the spirit world was stronger than normal. This allowed the spirits an easier time entering and leaving the living world. It also had the effect of certain humans to develop supernatural powers not unlike those of beyonders, though instead of characteristics and potions, it was due to corruption from the spirit world.

When observing how the worlds interacted with each other, Klein noticed something peculiar, a tickle at the back of his mind. Following his intuition while staying hidden, Klein finally found what caused the sensation.

Above a part of the spirit world referred to as the Soul Society, Klein found a luxurious palace and in the throne room, encased in a sealing crystal was a body, a mutilated corpse, holding an echo of the Celestial’s power. A quick divination revealed that it uses to be an avatar, one meant to uphold the image of the Soul King, and now nothing more than a glorified husk.

From it, Klein could sense two pulses of power connected to it, and to each other. Following the stronger connect, Klein stealthily entered a hidden world in the shadows, one sharing similarities to the Door pathway’s secret spaces. There he found a man dressed in white militant outfit in a unique state of recovery surrounded by others. When he did a divination he learned that he is the Celestial's son, one fathered by the Avatar he found. The knowledge was mentally unsettling.

Following the other thread of power he came across a young man, a boy really, who had orange hair, and most concerningly a tattered soul. The divination showed that a slither of the Celestial child's power had found its way into the boys soul and become one with it. But his intuition told him that there was far more to this story.

Klein took a step back into the Historical Void to see what has happened recently, and he did not like what he saw. Experimentation, discrimination and manipulation, war, death and destruction.

And at the centre of it all? The orange haired boy. A child of curious birth, one had lost his mother far too soon, one that had to grow up too fast to be able to care for his sisters. A friend who would literally go to hell and back to save his friends, who would willingly sacrifice everything, who was manipulated into doing just that. He was caught up in something he wasn't meant to be, where adults too advantage of his love for his friends, and when he sacrificed himself, his soul, he was abandoned. His friends and allies threatened, a forced seperation, a twisted thanks for all he's done.

~~

It had been two months since his friends have stopped talking to him, and another two weeks more since he's lot them. He had long since stopped trying to talk to anyone related to the spirit world because they avoid him, always making some excuse or saying it's for his own protection not to be involved.

He had finally gotten home after school, he did not have a shift to work, his father and sisters not home yet, or more precisely, busy with Reaper related business. As he entered his room he was immediately on guard, reaching for a sword no longer there. There was someone sitting on his bed, they were wearing an old western style suite and had a black vail with a bright yellow lining covering their head. The most concerning feature though, was the white mask on their face.

Considering how human they looked, Ichigo guess that they were a Vasto Lorde, but not yet an Arrancar based on the mask. How are they here and more importantly how can I see them? Are they using a gigai?

“You can see me because I want you to see me, I do not need a ‘gigai’. I am not a hollow nor am I am Arrancar,” taking a moment to tilt his head to the side, Klein continued, “or perhaps I am. Come fully into the room so that I may put up a barrier for secrecy. I do not wish to risk other hearing what I have to say.”

Ichigo shivered at the monotone voice, but still entered the room full and closed the door. He'd rather do as the spirit said than risk it going after his sisters when they get home. He saw the spirit lift up his hand and snapped their fingers. Afterwards he gestured to the desk chair, and catching the meaning, Ichigo sat down, eyes on the masked being.

“I apologize for the unexpected visit but I thought it prudent Kurosaki Ichigo. I believe your soul society refers to me as the Soul King, though you may call me Mr. Fool.”

Ichigo nearly fell off of his chair, Soul King? As in the being who Aizen called a thing? The one who sits above the all, who could have- Ichigo’s mind went blank, his thoughts gone.

“I took your thoughts because you were starting to have a panic attack, once you are calm I shall return them. As for why I had not intervened, I had been asleep and only recently awoke. I am here because I learned of what had transpired.”

Seeing Ichigo calm himself, Klein slowly returned his thoughts. “Your soul is in tatters, but had you been allowed to stay in the spirit realm, it would have healed on its own due to your regenerative abilities. But now, living in the mortal realm… imagine breaking your arm and setting it yourself, not getting proper treatment. Eventually you'll need to rebreak your arm and fix it with surgery, but because it didn't heal properly the first time, it will cause you problems later in life. I believe stunting your soul in this manner is the intention behind not offering you help and forcefully isolating you.”

Ichigo didn't need to be told who wants to do that to his soul, and who had the power to prevent his friends and allies from interacting with him. But somehow it made him feel lighter to know that he was not going crazy. “Then why are you here?”

“ I intend to fix your soul but it would take time. There is a war coming and no one is prepared, they are ignoring the warning signs and because of that they will fall.”

“So, what? You're going to fix my soul just to send me to fight again? Of course you are…” Ichigo’s shoulders dropped, he rested his arms on his legs leaning over. If course the only way to get them back would put me back on the battlefield.

“No.”

Ichigo was startled and look up the the being. “A child does not belong on the battlefield, I wish to repair your soul because it is the right thing to do. So that when the time comes you will be able to protect your friends.”

He doesn't want me to fight? He wants to fix my soul because he thinks it's the right thing to do? “You really mean that? You're not just saying it?”

“I can strip every spiritual being of their connection to my real with a snap of my fingers, stripping them if their power. I can drop a supernova on your head with just a thought. Should I unleash my aura, all live on this planet would be rendered morons. I have no need to drag innocents into a battle not their own.”

Ichigo's body was covered in goosebumps at hearing that. Not only from how casually it was said, but also the monotone voice.

“We will need a safe place you are comfortable with were we can treat you soul.”

Is he asking about a place? Only save place I can think of it there… “There's geta-boshi’s place, but…” Ichigo let out a sigh thinking of the last time he went there, sitting outside in the rain for hours, Gods I hate the rain.

Klein picked up Arrodes that was lying next to him on the bed, Ichigo was surprised he hadn't noticed the mirror earlier. “Arrodes, would you please show me this ‘geta-boshi’ Kurosaki Ichigo speaks of?”

Ichigo couldn't understand why he was asking the mirror, but soon said mirror was tilted his way, and instead of a reflection it showed Urahara Kisuke busy working on something. “Yes, that him.” Ichigo guessed that was the reason why he was shown the image in the first place.

After a moment the masked man said something in an odd language to the mirror before standing up. Seeing him ready to leave Ichigo couldn't help but ask, “Can you really fix it? My soul I mean? Can you…” bring them back.

Klein looked at Ichigo, he was looking far too small for a 16 year old, carrying too much weight on his shoulders. “I have fixed torn souls before, yours is just a little bit more tattered.” And with that, he vanished, leaving Ichigo alone in his room.

~~

Kisuke had hit another dead end in his research to restore Ichigo's powers. It's been two and a half months of dead end upon dead end. Just as he was going over his equations yet again, he felt the air shift in his basement. A feeling filled him that he has previously only caught a sliver of while spying on the flying palace. Impossible, there was only a corpse there!

“You are correct, there is only an empty husk in the palace, but it does not change who I am”

Kisuke slowly turned around to see an oddly dressed man wearing a white mask, but it didn't matter what form He took, it did not change who He was. Kisuke walk until he was a few steps from the God, and knelt down fully. “My King”

Klein observing the Soul Reaper, read his thoughts, learned of his wishes… “Would you go against the blade on your neck if it meant your greatest wish could be granted?”

Is he asking if I would go against the Soul Society if it meant restoring Kurosaki-kun powers? “I am already going against them by trying to find a way to help Kurosaki Ichigo.”

“Good. Tell him to meet here tomorrow after he finishes his schooling.” And with that, Klein turned on his heel, returning to the Sefirah Castle.

Kisuke broke out in a cold sweat. The Soul King had awoken and has shown his favour to Kurosaki Ichigo. He could hear Yoruichi and the other running over, have sensed something, or rather been allowed to sense something. The Soul King… Kisuke started laughing at the absurdity of the situation, if only Aizen could see this!

After explaining the situation, Kisuke started making preparations. That night he used all his experience from his onmitsukido days, sneaking into Ichigo’s room right under the less than watchful eyes. Ichigo was busy with his homework when he noticed a note appear on his table. His eyes widened when he reads it, realising it's from Kisuke.

‘Tomorrow after school, basement, the King will be waiting.’

~~

Klein just returned to Sefirah Castle, but he did not move. Azik was there waiting for him, and this was his way of telling him that he is upset.

Azik was waiting in the Throne room for Klein to return, reading though some documents about the projects going on Balam. He looked up when he sensed his beloved return, ready to greet him, but saw he was just standing there, he was upset about something.

Azik quietly stood up and went over to him. Slowly he removed the black and yellow vail along with the white featureless mask, setting both on the table next to them. Without the mask he could see Klein's face, a beautiful mix of Klein Moretti and Zhou Mingrui, completely expressionless, same as it had been after Tianzun took away his ability to express emotions in their final confrontation after the apocalypse.

Dragging Klein into a gentle hug, Azik held him close, waiting for Klein to finally speak. After a while, he felt Klein wrap his arms around him too, hugging him back. "Children should not be soldiers, they should not be fighting in a war. They should not be abandoned after for succeeding..."

The words were monotone, but Azik could tell that deep down Klein was furious, even though he could no longer express it. "Then let me act as your wrath. That is what I promised you that day after all. When you are happy, I shall smile brightly for us both, when you are sad, I shall hold you close even though you cannot shed tears, and when you are angry, I shall embody your wrath. And for you my beloved, my Fool, my arms shall always be open knowing that when you return to them, you love me even when you can't express it."

“Tomorrow. I will go back tomorrow to help the child. Come with?”

“Always.”

Chapter Text

Ichigo was both eager and nervous to head to Geta-Boshi’s place after school. Eager because it meant healing his soul, and nervous because what if there was a catch or the Gotei 13 decided to intervene. But because of his eagerness, the day went by slowly. When the final bell rang, he couldn't help but rush out of the classroom, yet no-one noticed that.

Roughly 20 minutes later, he stood in front of the candy shop. A part of him thinking that he'll be locked out again. No, stop, don't think like that. Move forward, like they always said. Taking a deep breath he entered the shop… and nothing happened. No one kicked him out, but no one greeted him either. Following the familiar path, he quickly made his way down to the familiar basement.

Arriving in the Basement, Ichigo saw Kisuke had set up a tea area. He laid down a large, beautiful and soft carpet on the ground, the best sitting pillows surrounding a low tea table, and from the smell, he prepared his best tea, meaning he also brought out the best pot and cups as well. “Come sit Kurosaki-kun. I have sent everyone else away, so it would only be us and the King.” Kisuke was avoiding looking at Ichigo.

“I have brought along another guest. I apologise for not notifying you in advance. And no need to bow.” As soon as they heard the monotone voice, Kisuke started to move into a bow before he was stopped by the comment.

On the other side of the table two individuals appeared. One was the Soul King and the other looked to be a western gentleman also wearing a suit. He had longer black hair, brown eyes and bronze skin that seemed pale. Ichigo noticed that he had a mole under his right ear, and despite his gentle smile, Ichigo felt an instinctive need to submit to the being. Looking at Kisuke, it was clear in his eyes and the tautness of his body that he felt it too.

“I am Azik Eggers, our Lord's Angel of Death.” Azik introduced himself with a slight bow.

Ichigo, not wanting to look rude, especially not in front of the Soul King, introduced himself next. “Good afternoon Fool-sama. Good afternoon Death-sama, I am Kurosaki Ichigo.”

Kisuke looked at Ichigo for the first time during his introduction, shocked that he used honorifics, but followed his lead, introducing himself. Though I am curious about him calling the King ‘Fool’.

Klein sat down at the table, Azik following his lead as he was not familiar with this type of seating. “You may simply call me Azik, no need to call me by that title.” Just as he finished, Klein spoke up, “He enjoys teaching and being a teacher. Urahara Kisuke, you may refer to me as The Fool as well.”

“Azik-sensei then?” Azik gave a gentle nod in response.

Kisuke poured tea for them, making sure to serve their guests first. “Now that we're all here, there are two I would like to discuss before we begin. Firstly, how are we going to protect Kurosaki-kun? The moment it's found out that he's recovering, the Head captain would order his execution.”

“What I want to keep secret will remain secret. I kept this meeting today a secret, and no-one but us knows.”

“That's to say you have already thought of a few ways to hide Mr. Kurosaki from the gaze of others and most likely intend to employ all of them, right?” Azik looked at Klein sitting next to him. He understood Klein's message, that thinking about the ways he intended to solve this problem involved his more inconceivable powers, so could not simply be explained.

“Yes.”

Azik saw the interest and weariness in their eyes, and chose to explain it a bit more. “Mr. Fool’s powers are many and varied, and oftentimes inconceivable and bizarre. This means that sometimes not thinking about how something is achieved, is most often safer, as the other option tends to bring about madness.”

Ichigo and Kisuke shuddered at the thought. Just how powerful is the Soul King if thinking about his abilities can cause you to go mad? They both noticed at this point he had brought up his hands. Gently he took off the featureless white mask showing a very human face underneath. He looked like a young man with features that blended Asian and Caucasian, with pale skin and deep black eyes that resembled a starless night. But the most unsettling part is just how emotionless that face is, how wrong it felt.

Klein put his mask down on the table, and gently picked up the cup of tea. He first brought it up to his nose to smell. A refreshing green tea, it smells sweet though, wait is this Gyokuro? Taking a sip, Klein purposely let out a hum to indicate that he likes it.

Kisuke hearing the monotone hum thought that he made a mistake by not serving a type of spirit tea instead. Before he could start apologizing for the supposed faux pass, Azik spoke up, having taken a sip himself. “Do not fret, that hum was his way of showing appreciation for the flavour. Had he not liked it, you would definitely know.” He couldn't help but add in that last part to tease Klein, very familiar with his love of good food and drink.

“Oh, that's good then.” Kisuke wanted to hide behind his fan but didn't dare to. “The second thing I would like to know is how exactly we will be healing Kurosaki-kun’s soul?”

“I will teach him how to cogitate, and once he's in a meditative state, I will slowly sew his soul back together for a lack of a better term. The process will take time but is an effective method that works.”

Ichigo didn't know exactly how to feel about his soul getting sewn up, but he was desperate. “How much would this hurt that I need to be in a meditative state to endure it?”

Azik looked at him a bit shocked. “I believe there's a bit of a misunderstanding. From personal experience this method is not painful, more numbing. The act of cognition is to ensure you stay calm and as such your soul, peaceful. It is best to do this in a place where you feel safe, such as at home.”

“His house is not the best place, he feels safest here for he recommended it when I asked him.”

Hearing that, Azik's eyes narrowed. The place a child should feel safest should be at home, and the way Klein referred to it as a house instead… It painted a picture Azik didn't like.

Ichigo shifted a bit uncomfortably when his house was mentioned, but what caught his attention was what Azik said. “You've been through this process? That means…”

“My soul was torn into two by my own father after he had gone insane. I had existed for over 1000 like that before Mr. Fool convinced me to allow him to fix my soul.”

As they continued their tea, Klein taught Ichigo how to cogitate, and once Ichigo was ready, he entered a meditative state. That was when they encountered their first problem. The more Ichigo meditated, the more agitated he became, his soul became.

“It's almost as if his very core hates being still… I have an idea, would you care if I take the lead for a moment.” Azik's eyes were milky like a corpse’s as he observed Ichigo’s soul. He was talking with Klein in Leonese, not wanting the other two to listen in.

Klein gave him a slight nod of acknowledgement before turning his attention back to Ichigo. “We will be attempting some else. Meditation is only agitating your soul. Azik?”

Azik steps forward, his eyes still like a corpse's, “I've heard you were forced to fight in a war not your own. Though I have no desire to bring up bad memories, but perhaps through sparring, we can achieve the effect we need. Do you favour a particular weapon or would you rather prefer unarmed?”

“Swords, specifically a katana, that's what I'm most familiar with, but what about injuries?” Ichigo liked the idea of sparring more than sitting around and meditating, but right now he was human and didn't possess supernatural healing.

“Injuries are no problem, even if one of were to accidentally land a death blow, it's something Mr. Fool can handle.” Looking towards Klein, he continued, “I'd like my broadsword if it's not a problem.”

Klein walked over to them, sticking his hand into the Historical Void, he pulled out a large broadsword for Azik. Looking at Klein, he tilted his head to the side, an action Azik knows he does to indicate he's doing a divination. Soon he pulled a beautiful black Katana from the Void. “This is nothing more than a projection from history, not the real blade.” After handing it to Ichigo, he went back to the spot he was previously sitting.

Ichigo was shocked at seeing Tensa Zangetsu being pulled out of nowhere, but after touching the handle, he understood what ‘projection from history’ meant. The blade felt empty, soulless. It just made Ichigo more determined, and having a sword back in his hands, made him relax a bit.

“I will allow you to make the first move, and keep pace with the tempo you are most comfortable with.” Azik’s stance with the broadsword looked lacking, but to the keen eyes of Kisuke, he could tell it left no opening.

Ichigo gave a few experimental swings to get used to the katana before turning to Azik. Without warning he charged in, starting their spar. Over the course of the next hour, his soul became more peaceful, creating the perfect opportunity for Klein to properly assess the damaged soul and see the best places to start healing.

Azik for his part subtly nudged Ichigo during the spar whenever he saw a flaw in his stance, silently teaching him. He was impressed with how quickly Ichigo adapted to it, as well as how he trusted his instincts to guide him in uncertain situations. Every blow landed on them, or more accurately Ichigo as he had yet to wound Azik, was immediately grafted onto the ground instead.

“Let's end it here today.”

Hearing Klein's words, Azik immediately redirected Ichigo’s latest attack and took some steps back to create space. Ichigo himself was breathing heavily, his clothes in tatters. He suddenly felt the sword in his hand vanish and heard feet approach.

“Sparring is calming to your soul, we will follow this method in the future. I was able to properly assess the damage and found the best spots to start healing first. We can meet here again tomorrow to start, and depending on how your soul reacts, we can discuss how often the future sessions will be.”

“Okay, thank you Fool-sama. Hey, Geta-Boshi, do you have any-” Before Ichigo could continue, his clothes started repairing themselves. Within a few seconds, it was as if they weren't damaged at all. Klein had used the Monster pathway’s Fate reset he memorised previously. “Uh… never mind…”

~~

Ichigo had just returned home, he noticed his sisters weren't home yet. Thursday, they were probably still at cram school. But unfortunately, his father was. “Where have you been?”

Ichigo glared at his father, “I was out exercising.” Just as he was about to walk past, Isshin shoved him into the wall and was about to grab him when Azik stepped out of thin air grabbing Isshin’s wrist, twisted his arm and forced him to his knees.

After Ichigo left Urahara’s place, Klein dragged them into the spirit world and not to Sefirah castle. “We need to follow Ichigo.” Azik didn't question Klein and simply followed along.

Looking at Isshin, Azik unleashed his aura, he knew it would affect him because he could tell that Isshin was a dead spirit, and dead spirits were his domain. “There are plenty of ways to discipline unruly children but beating them as you intend to isn't one, especially when the child in question has done no wrong.”

“I don't know who you think you are, but don't interfere with something that doesn't concern you. Now get out of my house.” Isshin was trying his best to keep his composure, but he found he couldn't call on Engetsu, couldn't even feel him.

“I have taken your blade from you, calling out to Engetsu would wield no results.” Ishin looked to the new voice and saw a man wearing a white mask holding his zanpakuto. “Impossible!”

“Improbable, not impossible.” Ichigo was shocked at what he was seeing. No-one should be able to wield another's zanpakuto, but he is the Soul King…

“Why are you siding with the monster-AHH!” hearing what Isshin was calling Ichigo, Azik put more pressure on him, causing him to scream out in pain. Klein slowly walked and crouched before the former shinigami captain, tilting his head.

“A child should not be blamed when a parent dies to protect them, your wife died happy knowing she was able to protect her son. Yet here you are, squandering her sacrifice by abusing the very child she died for. He is not to blame for what happened.”

Ichigo thought he was shocked when they appeared to protect him from Isshin, but after hearing what the Soul King just said about his mom, about how it's not his fault. Ichigo couldn't believe it, and didn't want to.

Klein reached out to Isshin, but did not touch him. “You will lose all you hold dear, those around you will slowly leave you behind, and in your loneliness moments you will die. Death will not give you reprieve for you will be dragged to the depths of the Underworld, of Hell, suffering eternal torment for your sins, for your actions against Kurosaki Ichigo. I am your Soul King, I am the Beacon of Destiny and this is the Destiny I dictate for you.” Slowly he removed his mask, showing a horrific face underneath. His eyes were like black holes sucking in all light and space around them, and his smile, it was a twisted smile, a horrific smile, a maddening bizarre smile. The only smile he could make since that day.

Isshin passed out upon seeing that smile.

Putting his mask back, Klein turned back to Ichigo, “Go pack your belongings. You will no longer stay in this place. You can choose to go stay with someone you trust or with us.”

No-one had ever stood up for Ichigo when it came to Isshin’s abuse, not even Urahara. “I'll come with you, but what about Yuzu and Karin? I know they've never been…” Ichigo understood what his father did wasn't right, but he struggled to call it for what it is out loud.

“I will have trustworthy spirits keep watch over them. I will know immediately if something happens.” Azik was the one who answered. He was already planning on having a few of his skeletons keep watch, they can easily hide themselves from others despite their size.

“Alright, let me just grab my stuff then, there's not a lot.” After he came back down, Klein opened a doorway to Sefirah Castle. Ichigo didn't look back as he walked through it. It's just like he said, Abandon my fear and look forward, move forward and never stop.

Chapter Text

When Ichigo stepped through the door of light he was momentarily blinded, but the moment his vision cleared he saw a mysterious yet sight. All around him were stone pillars and structures, with stained glass roofs in a design that was completely foreign, and covered in a grey fog that seemed to be constantly moving under an unknown force. Ichigo slowly spun around taking everything in, eventually he spotted a large bronze table with stone chairs on either side. At the head, there were two thrones, one sharing more similarities with the other chairs while the one on the right was more extravagant.

“Welcome to Sefirah Castle, this is the throne room.”

The emotionless voice brought him out of his revelry. Why did that sound like those electronic voices in an elevator announcing the floors? Seeing Mr. Fool turning towards him after he finished his thoughts, Ichigo suddenly got a bad feeling.

“It is hard to control the ability not to hear surface thought, and I do not intentionally listen in, but I would just like to clarify that it is not by choice that I am like this.” Ichigo blushed, knowing that his thoughts were heard by the God. Before he could say anything though, Mr. Fool had turned around and started walking further into the fog. Hearing a light chuckle next to him, he looks at Azik.

“You needn't worry, he is not upset. I dare say he's even amused with your thoughts, he has a good sense of humour. Now, let's catch up with our dear Mr. Fool before he walks away completely.”

Dear? Ichigo shelved his question for now, opting to quietly follow and observe the area. They didn't have to walk very far before they caught up with Klein, who was waiting by a stone door not connected to any walls. Seeing them arrive, he opened the door and walked through first, with Ichigo following behind.

Ichigo, for his part, expected to see more of the mysterious architecture like in the throne room. Instead what greeted him was a cozy looking manor of sorts, similar in some ways to the one Uryu lives in. He was led up some stairs and through hallways until they finally stopped at a door. Just like at the door in the throne room, Klein opened it first and walked in with Ichigo following behind him.

“This will be your room from now on. The door on the far side of the room leads to a private bathroom while the door closer to this side is a walk-in closet. As you can see, there's a fireplace and sitting area for relaxing to our right while on the other side of the room by the windows is a study corner.”

Ichigo was shocked. The size of the room could fit the Kurosaki house’s entire top floor, and probably still have space! “ This… not to be rude but this is way too much! I really don't mind staying in a smaller room!”

“Ichigo, this is one of the smallest rooms here. I was surprised when Mr. Fool led us here, knowing how small it is. Most of the other bedrooms enter into a private sitting area and have two doors, one leading to the actual bedroom while the other a study.” Azik had a patient smile on his face, he understood that not everyone was able to live in a place with ample space for themselves. He remembered the apartment Klein used to share with his siblings.

“But still…” Ichigo did want to be rude, but he also didn't want such a large space all to himself.

“It will take time getting used to, but before you realise it, you'll lament about not having enough space.” Klein was speaking again. After getting his two companions’ attention, he raised his arm to the clock on the bedside table. The hands on it started moving at a fast pace before settling again. “I have set the clock to your home time, tomorrow morning I will open a doorway near your school 15 minutes before classes start. We also won't be doing a session tomorrow, you can better use this time by explaining the situation to your sisters however you see fit. Considering it is dinner time for you, and that you need to eat, food will be served in half an hour to give you a bit of time to unpack.” Klein gave a nod to Ichigo before turning to leave.

“Will you be inviting the others as well? They'll be upset if you don't.” Azik gave a teasing smirk, yes the others would definitely be upset if they found out that they missed out on Klein's cooking. This will also be a good opportunity to introduce Ichigo.

Klein stopped for a moment, thinking if he really wanted to deal with the extra chaos it would bring, but seeing the look in Azik's eye, he relented. “Alright, 30 minutes.”

After Klein left, Azik turned his full attention to Ichigo. “I trust you have questions, and we have half an hour for me to answer them.”

Ichigo looked around the room, he knew Azik was probably just being helpful, but a part of him couldn't help but think he was staying to keep an eye on him. He decided to put his bag down by the foot of the bed before walking over to the sitting area. Azik, noticing his intention, sat across from him.

“I have a ton of questions, like why you were there tonight, why you did what you did, why you brought me here, but honestly, I don't want to talk about that right now. So…” Ichigo scratched his head in frustration, wondering how he should word things, but decided his usual method would be the best, he's not good at sugar coating things. “Why is he like that? So emotionless I mean.”

Azik wasn't surprised at that question, he even expected it. “He wasn't always like that. He used to be vibrant and free with his thoughts and emotions. The way you see him now, is because of being cursed by his greatest enemy. He knows he's feeling emotions, but he can no longer actually feel them or express them. You might have noticed that he makes certain movements, it's part of a system we have developed so he can show his thoughts to others.”

Ichigo couldn't help but feel like it might be similar in a way to his own situation, having lost them. It hit a bit closer to home than he liked, so he decided to bury those feelings for now and changed the subject. “You mentioned inviting others for dinner, who are they? Angels like you?”

“Yes, most of them are Angels such as myself. You need not worry, none of them should wish to harm you, and if they tried, Mr. Fool would be upset.” Azik could tell right now that the child had some reservations about meeting more new people, but knew the sooner the meetings happened, the better it would be. “ You'll meet them eventually in any case, seeing as staying in the castle increases the chances of running into them. Some might even be your sparring partner in future sessions when I am unavailable.”

"So, uh, Azik-sensei, just how many Angels does the Soul King have?"

"Well, there's myself as the Angel of Death, the Angel of Mercury, the Angel of Time and the Angel of Redemption. We're the oldest. Then there's the Profane Angel of Retribution, the Angel of Healing, Angel of Darkness, Angel of Stars, Angel of Knowledge, Angel of Temperance, Angel of Law, Angel of Dreams, and the Angel of Light, he's the youngest. There's also the Angel of the Holy Spirit and the Seven Divine Lights that hold similar status as Angels." Azik patiently listed all the Angles under his beloved, enjoying the ever increasing shock on the young man's face."

Ichigo was shocked at hearing the amount of angels listed. These were not some random followers but each had a title, symbolism, a duty so to speak. Ichigo swallowed a bit of saliva, "Does a God really need so many Angels?"

"Normally, no, doubly so for a God like Mr. Fool that's capable of creating millions of puppet angels in a moment's thought. No, all the Angels under him are Angels that wish to follow and serve him, none being created for that purpose or ordered to do so. It is something we do out of free will and he never abuses the power he has over us."

As they were talking, Azik was keeping track of the time. “It is nearly time for dinner. Would you perhaps like to freshen up before heading to the dining area?” Ichigo took the opportunity for what it was, a few minutes to himself to gather his thoughts before meeting new people. He stood up and went to the bathroom, he might as well take this time to make sure he looks presentable enough. With both Azik and Mr. Fool wearing suits, he felt a little underdressed, but looking at his bright orange hair in the mirror, he can't help but wonder if he'll even look presentable in a suit or remain a ‘punk’.

Azik was waiting by the door for Ichigo to finish, leading them to the dining hall. As they drew closer Ichigo could hear excited voices loudly talking and joking. Entering the room behind Azik, the noise got even louder, and surprisingly enough, no-one paid him much mind as they came in. Some people greeted Azik and gave him a nod of acknowledgement, but no introductions were made yet. Following Azik's lead, he sat down next to him, and before anything could be said, food appeared on the table along with Mr Fool on Azik's other side.

Seeing Mr Fool appear, everyone quieted down, and the beautiful blonde lady in a fancy dress stood up, “Good evening Mr Fool! Thank you for inviting us for a meal!”

“Good evening miss Justice, Everyone. Today I would like to introduce Ichigo Kurosaki. He will be staying in the castle from now on. Please introduce yourself.” With that said, he sat down, and sneakily put his hand on Azik's knee, a bit of a physical reminder that he's there.

Audrey turned to their new guest, he didn't look much older than Little Sun when he first joined the club, and he definitely looked like he carried a heavy weight on his shoulders. “Good evening Ichigo,” she noticed her perfect pronunciation of his name, meaning that at some point Mr. Fool grafted the information onto them. “I am miss Justice, Audrey Hall. It's nice to make your acquaintance!”

Ichigo was a bit surprised at how cheerful she was, in a way it reminded him a bit of Orihime, minus the giant and very obvious crush. “Hello, it's nice to meet you too. I'm not sure if I'm being rude but Azik-sensei told me that there will be more angels here, are you one of them?” Ichigo couldn't help but glance around. Despite his surprise, he was also on edge, it's been a while since he was surrounded by so many strangers.

“It's no offence at all. I am the Angel of Dreams, though sometimes I'm also called the Dragon of Dreams too.” By now Audrey sat down, she also gave a mental message to Alger to introduce himself. She was more interested in observing the young man, to see how he reacts to everyone.

The man sitting next to Ichigo introduced himself next. The thing that caught Ichigo's attention to him was that he has dark blue hair that looks a bit like seaweed. “I'm the Hanged Man, Alger Wilson, and the Profane Angel of Retribution.” And soon the person next to him introduced themselves, and it went along like that around the table.

“I am known as the Hermit Cattleya and I am the Angel of Knowledge.”

“I am the Angel of Healing, Emlyn White, also known as Moon.”

“Leonard Mitchell, the Star and Angel of Darkness.”

“Temperance, Angel of Temperance, Sharron.”

“I'm Fors Wall, Angel of Start and go by madam Magician.”

“And I'm Xio Derecha, Judgement and the Angel of Law.”

The next seat was next to Mr Fool, and was empty, though Ichigo had guessed that it was for whoever the second throne belonged to. Though he soon heard someone running down the hall and a few seconds later they came in.

Derrick gave a slight bow in apologies to the group. “Sorry I'm late Mr. Fool! I hope you didn't wait too long for me.”

“Not at all. We have a new guest, this is Ichigo.”

“Hello Ichigo, I am Derrick but everyone just calls me Little Sun.” Derrick gave a smile that was nothing short of radiant.

“I'm going out on a limb here and guessing you are the Angel of Light?” It's the only title that fits in Ichigo’s mind, because the man who is taller than Chad was practically radiating light with his smile and cheerful attitude. Ichigo couldn't help but compare him to an actual sun in his mind. He also noticed that Derrick sat down on Mr. Fool's other side, which confused him.

Audrey, because she was observing Ichigo, saw his confusion immediately. “Is something wrong Ichigo?”

“Well, there was one chair left and I thought it was supposed to be for the Soul Queen. But I guess she won't be joining us then?”

At this everyone was looking at Ichigo in confusion. “Soul Queen?” Alger was the one to ask, mind working fast to try and figure out what Ichigo meant.

“Ah, so where I'm from we call Fool-sama the Soul King, and when we arrived I saw that there were two thrones in the throne room…”

Leonard snorted upon hearing that, “Azik, from now on I'll be calling you Soul Queen instead.” He started digging into his meal, that was when Ichigo noticed everyone started eating. Looking down he saw that there was some sort of stew with a side bowl of rice, and all around the table were other side dishes people were sharing. New noticed that in tandem with the Western style cutlery, he also had a pair of chopsticks. It took him a moment for what Leonard said to catch up, and by then Azik already started to answer.

“All things considered it is an appropriate title, though it would be more accurate to call me Queen Consort Instant.”

“And what a beautiful Queen you are, my dearest.”

Beautiful Queen? WAIT… is the Soul King and Azik? I just thought it was a cultural thing when Azik called Him ‘dear’...

Something must have shown on his face because a few people chuckled at him. “ Yes, Klein and Azik are together. Honestly Klein, you kidnap a kid and don't even tell him about your husband.”

“Klein?” Ichigo chose to ignore the part about getting kidnapped.

“And you weren't even told that. In private we all call Mr. Fool, Klein. We usually only call him Mr. Fool for more formal events and meetings. So, did you get kidnapped or not?”

“Uhhh…” Ichigo didn't know how to respond to the ridiculously photogenic green eyed man.

“Azik, we didn't kidnap Ichigo did we?” Klein spoke instead, he was slowly moving his tableware out of the way, he had a sense that he would not like the answer.

“Well, we did follow him home, beat up his father and dragged him along to Sefirah Castle. I do believe that constitutes as kidnapping, Love, more so than when you dragged young miss Justice and little Sun to the Castle.”

Hearing that, Klein rested his head on the table, causing Leonard to laugh.

“Okay, okay. I guess I won that bet!”

Hearing the word ‘bet’ Klein sat up looking directly at Leonard. “Care to explain this ‘bet’ dear Poet?” Even though it is emotionless, Leonard's hair stood on end, knowing that he was in trouble.

Audrey, knowing Leonard wasn't quite as eloquent, decided to step in to salvage the situation. “Some time ago all of us made predictions regarding you as a silly way to maintain our humanity. Leonard said that one day you'll kidnap a child, bonus points if you didn't realise that you were kidnapping them.”

“I see, and has anyone else made any predictions that have come true?”

“Well, I predicted you and Mr. Azik will get together. No-one believed me at the time…” Derrick decided to speak up. Slowly, Klein lowered his head to rest on the table again. Earnings chuckle all around.

“So mind explaining the head on the table?” Ichigo softly asked the blue haired man next to him.

“It's a way to show he's experiencing embarrassment, more specifically, ‘social death'.” Alger was looking on in interest. The way Klein was acting now was something they'd discussed, or more like had been suggested by Leonard and Azik, and is the first time he's doing it. The ancient being who essentially kidnapped them all into the castle, is experiencing social death because his kidnapping actions were pointed out to him?

“So I am the second person to win a bet, and I get a bonus point as well. It's a shame that I didn't get the other bonus point for the reason being that the kidnappee has a terrible home life.” Leonard wasn't paying attention really, but Audrey saw the reaction Ichigo tried to hide. “Leonard, may I suggest you stop talking?”

“Huh? Why, it isn't that big a deal right? The kid looks healthy so chances are he actually has a good home. Wait, maybe he's an orphan?”

“Leonard… Mr. Fool, I wish Leonard was unable to talk for the next let's say 5 minutes.”

Hearing the wish, and understanding why Audrey is making the wish, Klein sat up straight and snapped his fingers, temporarily stealing Leonard's voice, which caused quite a comical display when he realises it mid sentence, causing most to snicker.

“Ichigo, please ignore Leonard, he can be obtuse about certain situations. If you ever want to talk, I am the group psychologist, and I promise to keep all things private.”

Ichigo shuffled in his seat a bit with all the attention on him. “Thanks? And by private…” he glanced in Mr. Fool's direction.

“Yes, even from Mr Fool. I might be known as the Angel of Dreams, but the mind itself is my speciality.”

After that was said, the dinner continued, and in a lighter tone after Derrick brought up how he liked Ichigo's orange hair.

~~

Ichigo was laying on his new bed, a very comfortable bed, but couldn't fall asleep. He doubted it was because of being in a new place because he had no problems sleeping in the Soul Social. Was it perhaps the dinner? Fun and social with no-one trying to fight him or argue with him? The peacefulness of it all? Or perhaps that someone had finally stood up for him?

Since he couldn't sleep, Ichigo decided to get up instead, and explore the castle. As he was walking he started to hear some music, curious as to what it could be he silently went closer. He eventually came to a half closed door and on the other side the music became much clearer, and he could hear clearly now that it was higher tempo music playing in a brightly lit ball room.

Peaking in he saw Klein and Azik dancing. With them being against each other like that, Ichigo noticed that Mr. Fool is actually a few centimetres taller than Azik. And despite the small height difference, Azik was the one leading the dance.

Watching them mesmerized Ichigo. Every step, every movement, was planned, precise and perfectly coordinated, like to fighters on a battlefield who know everything about each other and trust them fully. From the way Azik guided them to the fluid motion of their steps and twirls, the way Klein would twist his body and perform high showy kicks, the way they focused just on each other… Had Ichigo known anything about dancing, he would have figured out that they were dancing an intricate and intimate tango.

When the song ended, Klein took Azik's face in his hands, and gently kissed him. To Ichigo, the movements seemed mechanical, very different to the dance just now. Azik on the other hand had pulled Klein closer and deepened the kiss, causing Ichigo to blush at seeing such an intimate scene from the doorway.

“Now, who might you be spying like this on my Foolish Uncle?”

Ichigo would swear to his deathbed and beyond that he did not scream like a little girl while falling into the hall in fright.