Nico walked through the streets of Karakura Town, hands in his pockets, as he watched people go about their lives like nothing was wrong. Families laughed, couples chatted, and storefronts glowed warmly in the fading light. As normal as it all seemed, he couldn't shake the question gnawing at him.
"Why the hell am I here?" he muttered, glancing around and seeing nothing remotely interesting.
He wandered the town aimlessly until nightfall, the sky darkening and the streets slowly emptying, yet still nothing happened. Finally, on a bridge slick with rain, he spotted a disturbing scene.
One woman and two men stood beneath the dim streetlights while one lay on the ground unconscious, all three men with swords and dressed in black robes. One had long red hair pulled into a ponytail, tattoos crawling across his face. Another had long black hair and a calm, icy expression. The last one lay on the ground, spiky orange hair plastered to his face by the rain, barely conscious as the black-haired man raised his blade to strike.
Before anything could happen, Nico appeared in front of the boy on the ground in the blink of an eye, water splashing outward from the sudden displacement of air.
"I think he's had enough, don't you?" Nico said, a faint pulse of his power leaking out, pressing heavily against the air around them.
"Who are you?" Byakuya said, backing up cautiously, his grip tightening on his sword.
Suddenly, Rukia ran forward and placed herself between the two of them, rain dripping from her hair and sleeves. "Stop! There's no need for any more fighting, brother. I'll go with you peacefully," Rukia said quickly, her voice firm despite the fear in her eyes.
"This stranger is dangerous. I need to deal with him now," Byakuya said, shifting his stance and readying his sword.
Nico calmly drew his own zanpakutō. Even though it hadn't been with him for long, it had already absorbed enough of his energy to radiate a sense of real danger, making the rain around it seem to hesitate.
"Where did you get that?" Byakuya said, his eyes narrowing.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Nico replied with a challenging smile.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura," Byakuya said.
His zanpakutō dissolved into hundreds of shimmering, flower-like petals that surged toward Nico at blinding speed. Then, all at once, just as they neared him, the petals halted midair, shuddered, and rushed back toward Byakuya, reforming into a sword as if fleeing in terror.
"Still feel like fighting?" Nico asked, a smug grin tugging at his lips.
"We're leaving, Renji," Byakuya said quickly.
"But, Captain—"
"Now," Byakuya shouted as he grabbed Rukia, the two of them vanishing in a flash.
Nico heard a groan behind him and turned around to see Ichigo beginning to stir, pushing himself up slightly from the wet pavement.
"What happened?" Ichigo groaned.
"You got your butt kicked, dumbass," Nico said, clearly amused.
"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo said, squinting at him in confusion.
"I'd like to know that as well," said a new arrival.
Nico looked up to see an older gentleman with neck-length blond hair and brown eyes, wearing a green kimono, a green-and-white striped hat, and wooden clogs, standing beneath the rain with a curious smile.
"A friend," Nico said lightly, unfazed.
"Well, friend, you mind helping carry this idiot out of here?" Kisuke said, gesturing toward Ichigo.
"Why not," Nico said with a shrug.
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After Ichigo was taken care of, Nico sat across from Kisuke in his shop, the dim lighting casting long shadows across the room. Tessai loomed nearby watching Nico.
"I'll be frank. You're dangerous, and I honestly can't tell what you are, but my every instinct screams not to fight you. So all I can do is ask… are you our enemy?" Kisuke said seriously, his usual smile absent as his sharp eyes studied Nico.
"Hold on, let me check," Nico said casually as he pulled out a smartphone and began dialing a number.
"I'm sorry, check wha—" Kisuke started, only to be interrupted when Nico raised a finger, gesturing for a moment of silence.
"Hey, boss. The fuck am I doing here? Uh huh… uh huh… got it," Nico said into the phone, pacing slightly as he listened.
He lowered the phone and slipped it back into his pocket, a smirk forming on his face.
"So according to my boss, I'm just supposed to help the orange-haired kid and do as I want, and things will go the way I need them to," Nico said confidently as he hung up the phone.
"So you're gonna help Ichigo?" Kisuke asked, tilting his head slightly, his sharp eyes watching Nico closely.
"For the time being," said Nico cheerfully, a relaxed grin spreading across his face as he leaned back.
"Oh, in that case, welcome aboard," Kisuke said, his trademark smile returning, light and deceptively friendly. "You need a place to stay?"
"That would be great," Nico said, nodding once in agreement.
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A few days later, Nico sat in the underground training room, calmly watching as Kisuke trained (tortured) Ichigo. Nico had just lifted his cup and taken a sip of his tea when he suddenly heard Ichigo shout at the top of his lungs, "Amazing headband of justice, in place! Amazing armor of justice, protect me!"
Nico immediately spat out his drink and nearly fell out of his chair, hitting the ground as he clutched his sides and burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Well, what do you know, he actually said it," Kisuke said with a mischievous smile, enjoying every second of it.
"Oh, screw you!" Ichigo shouted as he desperately dodged another one of Ururu's punches.
Nico eventually calmed down, wiping tears from his eyes as he caught his breath. Settling himself again, he returned to what he'd been doing for the last few days, meditating with his zanpakutō resting across his lap. Each day he had more success trying to hear its voice, faint whispers brushing the edge of his awareness.
But today was different.
When Nico opened his eyes, he wasn't in Kisuke's basement anymore.
He slowly stood and looked around, taking in old buildings bathed in bright sunlight, flowing canals cutting through the city, and boats gliding lazily along the water. Music drifted through the air from nearby cafés, lively and warm.
"I'm in Venice. My inner world is Venice," Nico said happily, awe clear in his voice as he took in the breathtaking sight.
"Yes, it is, and it's quite beautiful," said a presence, its voice layered and strange—young and ancient, male and female, human and bestial all at once.
Nico turned toward the sound and saw a serpent slithering across the ground. As it moved closer, its form shifted again and again, becoming a wolf, then a raven, then a crocodile. It changed into a sword, then a gun, then a serial killer, before finally settling into a tall shadow that stood a short distance from him.
"Welcome, my master. It is wonderful to meet you. The fact that you are here means you're ready to know my name, and in record time too," said the being.
"I take it you're my zanpakutō," Nico said, calm but intrigued.
"Yes, master. I am. Now listen closely, for this is my name," it said.
Nico's eyes snapped open back in reality, and with a smooth flourish of his zanpakutō, he declared, "Awaken, Ombra della Morte."
Kisuke and the others watched with wide eyes as Nico's zanpakutō vanished, dissolving into shadows. In its place, a massive silhouette rose behind him, towering and protective, a living darkness standing guard over its master.
Nico looked up at the shadow and smiled when he noticed how closely it resembled his reaper form.
"Ombra della Morte. That's Italian for Shadow of Death. Interesting name, my friend," Kisuke said, staring at the released shikai in amazement.
"I like it," Nico said, gazing up at his shikai fondly.
(Authors Note: So thats part one of Nico's adventures in bleach things will get progressively more fun as it's written but for now I hope you enjoyed and the name of Nico's zanpakuto was Italian because he's Italian not Japanese)