As Shinichi stood face-to-face with the one claiming to be the Queen of Hell, his thoughts churned like a storm beneath a deceptively calm surface.
Demon Queen of Hell...? he thought, his gaze narrowing slightly. But... Hell's never really been explored properly in the canon series. What is she talking about?
The logic-driven part of his mind tried to dissect the claim. Was this a metaphor? A test? A delusion?
But then her eyes locked with his.
Crimson. Sharp. Beautiful in the most ominous way.
They pulled him into the moment, dragged his thoughts from the whirlpool of speculation.
Shinichi took a step forward, voice firm.
"Why should I believe you?"
The woman blinked—just once—before a smile broke across her face. Not soft. Not kind.
Devious.
"I don't have a reason to lie... do I?"
She tilted her head, red eyes gleaming with malicious playfulness.
"Also... I know you aren't from this world. You are not Shinichi Kisaragi... your real name is... Akira Takahashi... isn't it?"
Time froze.
Shinichi moved in an instant.
A blur of motion as he closed the distance between them, fury painted across his face. He grabbed her by the throat with trembling hands.
"HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW THAT?!"
His voice echoed like thunder across the endless plain.
But the Queen's expression didn't change.
She didn't flinch.
Her smile stayed right where it was, amused and predatory.
"I would suggest you calm down and let go... brat."
Shinichi didn't move. His grip only tightened.
And then—
He was blasted away by an invisible force, as if a bomb had gone off in front of him.
The impact sent him flying through the air before he crashed into the stone wall with a thunderous crack. The wall cracked from the impact, and Shinichi's body hung there for a split second before sliding down.
He hit the ground with a sickening thud, coughing blood, his chest heaving from the pain.
"W-What... kind of... attack was that...?"
The Queen stood up from her throne slowly, her presence dominating everything.
She walked a few paces closer, each step measured, graceful, terrifying.
"Oh that...?"
Her voice returned to its seductive, petty tone, tinged with a deadly edge.
"That was just my reiatsu. I merely released a little bit of it."
Shinichi's pupils shrank as realization gripped him.
This woman wasn't bluffing.
This wasn't some act or illusion.
She was powerful. Terrifyingly so.
And he wanted that power.
Badly.
He pushed himself up from the ground, wiping the blood from his mouth. The pain still lingered, but something else surged inside him now—drive. Hunger.
He locked eyes with her again, not with defiance this time, but with something sharper.
Resolve.
The hesitation faded from his posture.
He squared his shoulders, straightened his back.
"Alright then," he said, voice low but determined. "Let's talk terms."
Shinichi staggered to his feet, blood crusting along his lip, every muscle in his body protesting the effort. But his spirit refused to stay down.
He took a breath and raised his head.
"Okay... okay... I understand now... woman, you're legit."
His voice was hoarse but steady. Then he narrowed his eyes.
"But if you're really the Demon Queen of Hell... why the hell are you trapped in a Zanpakuto?"
That hit a nerve.
The air grew heavy.
Thick.
Suffocating.
The ash around them slowed to a crawl, the flames lining the corridor dimming as though they too feared the mood shift.
For the first time since their meeting, the Queen's smile faltered.
Her crimson eyes narrowed, hardening into slits of fury.
When she spoke, her voice was venom laced in fire.
"It's a long story... and I believe... you're not ready for it."
Each word hung in the air like a blade, and Shinichi instinctively knew not to push further. Not now.
He raised his hands slightly in surrender.
"Alright, alright... got it. I'll shut up."
He cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing away for a moment.
Then tried a new approach.
"So... um... do you have a name?"
The smile returned, curling across her lips like a dangerous secret.
But her answer was anything but satisfying.
"I do."
She leaned forward again, eyes gleaming.
"But you're not strong enough to know it yet. You can't handle the Shikai. Mine is... different from other zanpakuto.. Way different."
She stood from her throne, shadows draping off her gown like liquid night.
"And also... I do not acknowledge you yet."
Her words were final.
"The day I do, I'll gladly tell you my name."
Shinichi groaned in frustration, dragging a hand down his face.
"Suit yourself then! I'll just call you a bitch until you tell me your name."
BOOM.
Another pulse of reiatsu.
Shinichi was blasted backward again, tumbling across the stone like a ragdoll. This one was weaker than before—more of a slap than a hammer—but it still hurt like hell.
He sat up, coughing.
"Damn it... then what do I call you?!"
The Queen exhaled slowly, waving off the tension with a flick of her hand.
"Just think of me when you need to talk to me," she said, turning her back to him. Her voice softened into something vaguely amused.
"And I'll be there."
Shinichi scratched his chin, still trying to wrap his head around everything.
"So... what now? When will I become a Shinigami?"
The Queen smirked.
"Now."
She snapped her fingers.
Instantly, the throne room shattered like glass. The floor beneath Shinichi crumbled into black mist, the torches were snuffed out in a single blink, and the entire dimension collapsed into a vortex of swirling shadow.
Back in the world of the living—
The top of the twenty-story building where Shinichi had jumped from suddenly exploded.
A deafening, concussive blast shattered the silence of the night.
BOOOOM.
Reiatsu erupted like a hurricane.
A pillar of black and red spiritual energy surged into the sky like a roaring dragon, tearing the air apart. The building's top floors were obliterated—glass, concrete, and steel vaporized under the sheer pressure of spiritual force. Shockwaves blasted outward in circular rings, ripping up nearby rooftops, rattling windows, and shattering street lamps.
The very sky trembled.
Smoke engulfed the entire district.
People awoke across Karakura Town, feeling a pressure that seemed to press against their lungs, against their bones, against their very soul.
And then—
Through the swirling smoke...
A silhouette emerged.
A lone figure.
A katana, larger than standard and smooth-edged, rested on his back. His posture calm, composed.
The wind began to clear the smoke, revealing a new form.
Shinichi.
Eyes closed.
Standing tall in a black Shihakusho, the fabric flowing around him like water caught in a slow dance. His hair tousled. His body calm. But the power pouring from him was anything but calm.
His reiatsu was immense. Wild. Uncontained.
It screamed.
An unrelenting tidal wave that announced itself to every soul-aware being in a wide radius.
Shinichi's eyes snapped open.
He could feel it.
His power was overflowing.
"Shit... shit... shit!" he muttered, teeth gritted. "System! Use Spiritual Perception! Suppress Reiatsu, quick!"
The blue screen blinked in front of him.
[WARNING! REIATSU TOO UNSTABLE TO COMPLETELY SUPPRESS! SHUT DOWN RECOMMENDED IMMEDIATELY!]
"Huh?! Shut down?! Shit! I don't have much time! DO IT!"
And then—
Silence.
Shinichi's eyes rolled back.
His body dropped.
Collapsed on the ruined road.
Unconscious.
Smoke still drifting, the wind whispering over his fallen form.
Somewhere in the distance, eyes watched.
Then—
Footsteps. Loud. Urgent.
Crunching glass, pounding pavement.
Urahara Kisuke appeared at the scene, breathless, his geta clacking sharply with each step. He slowed as he approached Shinichi's unconscious body.
Removing his bucket hat, his face was uncharacteristically serious, tension etched in every line.
He looked at the young man collapsed before him.
"It has happened..."
His voice was low.
Grave.
"The thing I was most scared of..."
He glanced at the residual aura still hanging in the air.
"The Demon Queen of Ruin... has awakened."
He knelt down, gently lifted Shinichi into his arms, eyes narrowing.
"Shinichi Kisaragi... you're in my care now."
---
The sun had finally come up, spilling warm golden rays across the tatami mats as Karakura Town awoke to a new day.
Shinichi fluttered his eyes open slowly, the light stinging at first. A wave of unfamiliar familiarity washed over him.
He knew this place.
Wooden beams. That subtle scent of incense and tea. Slight dust in the corners. It didn't take long for him to piece it together.
"Great... that means he knows I'm a Shinigami now," he muttered to himself, eyes half-lidded in annoyance.
But just as he was about to rise, he felt it.
Something.
Heavy.
Touching him.
Under the blanket.
His gaze slowly dropped down... and his soul nearly leapt out of his body.
It was Tessai.
Draped over him. In a very questionable position.
"HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK!"
Shinichi screamed, kicking Tessai with raw panic, sending the large man flying toward the door like a sack of potatoes.
Heart pounding, Shinichi clutched his chest and scanned himself quickly.
"Shit... I've always wanted to lose my virginity but not like this damn it!"
A calm voice answered from the other side of the room.
"Don't worry. I know it's kinda creepy but... he did that with me too."
Shinichi snapped his head to the side.
Ichigo.
Bandaged. Sitting on the floor, casually eating breakfast from a small tray.
Shinichi blinked.
"Oh... you're here too, huh."
Ichigo side-eyed him.
"Yeah. I'm gonna be training under Urahara. And I'm going to go get Rukia back from the Soul Society."
Before Shinichi could respond, the door slid open.
Click. Slide.
Urahara entered with his trademark casualness, fanning himself with his usual paper fan.
"Not just you, Kurosaki-san," he said, eyes glinting beneath the shadow of his hat. "But I have some work with Kisaragi-san too."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow.
"But how? Shinichi doesn't have any powers... just what exactly are you going to do?"
Urahara smiled.
And without answering, he casually tapped Shinichi on the forehead with his cane.
Whack.
A flash of energy burst from the contact.
Shinichi's physical body slumped back onto the futon like a puppet with its strings cut.
And standing beside it—
Shinichi Kisaragi.
In his Shinigami form.
Eyes wide.
"Oww... that hurt, you asshole!" Shinichi snapped, rubbing his forehead.
Ichigo's eyes bulged.
"YOU'RE A SHINIGAMI?!? WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU EVER TELL ME OR ANYONE?!? DID RUKIA KNOW?!"
Shinichi raised both arms in defense.
"N-No! I just became one last night! That too... randomly!"
"YOU DON'T BECOME A SHINIGAMI RANDOMLY, YOU DAMN IDIOT!"
"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?! I JUST TURNED INTO ONE RANDOMLY AND THAT'S THE DAMN TRUTH!"
The room shook from their yelling.
Ichigo wasn't having it.
"I DON'T BUY THAT CRAP! YOU ASSHOLE—"
Suddenly, a black cat leapt between them with surprising grace, its voice cutting clean through the chaos.
"Do the both of you want to save Rukia or not?"
Both Shinichi and Ichigo stopped mid-yell.
Their eyes followed the voice.
The black cat now sat calmly on Urahara's shoulder.
Ichigo cleared his throat, gesturing toward it.
"You might be a little surprised watching a talking cat, Shinichi... but that's Mr. Yoruichi."
Shinichi blinked again.
"O-Oh... Y-Yeah... totally surprised."
Urahara waved his fan.
"Kurosaki-san, Tessai will show you to the training grounds."
He looked at Shinichi with a new gleam in his eyes.
"Mind if I have a bit of a private chat with Kisaragi-san?"
Ichigo nodded, still side-eyeing Shinichi with suspicion, and followed Tessai out of the room.
The door slid closed.
Urahara finally sat down across from him, legs folded neatly, with Yoruichi perched beside him, her tail flicking lazily.
The room fell quiet.
Then—
"Kisaragi-san," Urahara said, his tone uncharacteristically direct, "I'm going to be very blunt here. You are our greatest weapon in this mission... but also... you could be our greatest danger. Or burden."
Shinichi furrowed his brow.
"What do you mean...?"
Urahara's gaze didn't waver.
"Your reiatsu... there's no denying it. It's the Demon Queen of Hell."
Shinichi froze.
His blood turned cold.
One thought echoed in his mind.
"How the hell... do you know about her?"
Urahara's hat dipped, hiding his eyes.
"I know very little. She was a myth. A legend whispered in secret when I was a child... sealed away as the most confidential piece of information in the history of the Soul Society."
The room felt heavier. Like the weight of that name alone thickened the air.
The Demon Queen.
Shinichi swallowed, then asked, "How did you know... that she's my Zanpakuto?"
Urahara finally looked up, his gaze sharp.
"Your reiatsu always had an anomaly. A trace of something that didn't belong. It matched the energy the Gates of Hell release when they open to claim a damned soul."
He paused.
"But yours... was stronger. Refined. And terrifying."
Shinichi was stunned. He knew Urahara was brilliant, but to piece this much together without a single confession?
Urahara continued, "At first, it was just a hunch. But after last night—when that reiatsu erupted and shook the entire town—there was no doubt."
He met Shinichi's eyes directly.
"It was her. The Demon Queen."
Shinichi had no words.
He'd been read like an open book.
Shinichi leaned forward slightly, voice more serious now. "So... what's with the part where you said I could be a danger or a burden?"
Urahara exhaled through his nose, tapping a finger gently against his cane.
"In the legends, it's said the Demon Queen's power is unmatched. If you could harness even ten percent of her strength... this mission becomes infinitely easier."
He paused.
"However... she is the Demon Queen. Stubborn. Unpredictable. We know too little about what kind of being she truly is to rely on her fully."
Just then, a calm and all-too-familiar voice echoed in Shinichi's head.
"Tell this man to shut up and stop bitching about me."
Shinichi blinked, caught off guard—but then chuckled under his breath.
He looked at Urahara, now with quiet certainty.
"I think we can trust her. Everyone deserves a chance... even a Demon Queen."
Urahara tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly—but then he smiled and stood up, adjusting his hat.
"Then I'll help you draw out her power."
Shinichi looked up, eyebrows raised in surprise.
"How so?"
Urahara smirked.
"I may be just a lowly shopkeeper... but I've got some tricks up my sleeve."
Shinichi's eyes widened.
"Wait... don't tell me—"
Urahara beamed.
"Yup. Kisaragi-san... I'll train—"
"Fuck no."