OK I wrote this at about 4:00 a.m. so if there are any spelling problems I was half asleep at the time. Is it just me or are there not enough hours in a day? Sleep typing over.

I don't own bleach or any of it's characters. Fuyumei on the other hand is an OC of mine so don't use her without notifying me first please.


Aojiroisha

Fuyumei

Zangetsu

Ichigo

Thoughts


Dark clouds gathered in the sideways world full of skyscrapers, threatening to soak the worlds three inhabitants.

A teen with skin and hair of a snowy white turned his attention away from his opponent to look distastefully at the heavy black clouds.

A small black dragon also turned it's attention towards the clouds, it's graceful features indicating it was female, the icy blue eyes shone with concern.

Standing on a flagpole nearby a man with dark brown hair and wearing a long black cloak glared at the clouds from behind his yellow glasses.

"I hate the rain." All three of them said at the same time before returning to their previous activities.

The white haired teen and black dragon were in the middle of a game of chess, the dragon was clearly winning. While the man in black watched with interest, he himself didn't enjoy the game but his companions games made for an interesting distraction from the dull days they spent together.

"Looks like I win again Aojiroisha." The dragon cheered in her gentle voice.

"So you did." Said Aojiroisha with a resigned sigh as he stood and stretched his legs, after sitting on the side of a building for the better part of an hour they were quite stiff.

The dragon laughed quietly as she stood and stretched out her silver wings, they were a pale silver, almost white she'd been told on numerous occasions, she'd had them folded against her sides during the chess match, before crouching gracefully and pushing herself into the air and flying to land on the man in blacks shoulders.

"Fuyumei why is it that you always lay on someone's shoulders?" The man asked as he raised his left hand to gently stroke Fuyumei's velvety scales.

"Because it's far more comfortable than these buildings." She said curling slightly around the mans neck, letting her tail and hind legs hang over his right shoulder while for front limbs folded to allow her head to rest on them, the mans hand still rubbing along her neck. "Besides," She added with a yawn, "It's not like anyone actually minds, Zangetsu."

Zangetsu smiled slightly as Fuyumei's ice blue eyes closed and her gentle breathing turned to soft, delicate snores.

Aojiroisha shook his head as he packed away the chess pieces and bored.

A slight shimmer in the air informed them all that Ichigo Kurosaki was entering his inner world. Within seconds Fuyumei had woken and removed herself from Zangetsu's shoulder to flutter in the air beside the zanpakuto spirit. When Ichigo came into view his inner spirits noticed his normal frown lacked it's usual energy and he looked like he hadn't had a good nights sleep in well over a week.

"Hey." He muttered weakly as he walked to the top of the skyscraper and sat on it's edge looking into the seemingly endless black clouds.

"Is something wrong Ichigo?" Fuyumei asked as she landed next to the orange haired teen, she often acted as spokesmen for her companions as Zangetsu rarely ever said anything and Aojiroisha was likely to annoy the Soul Reaper straight to hell, quite literarily.

"I'm alright Mei." Ichigo responded quietly, his voice weak and hoarse.

"You sure?" Aojiroisha called walking to stand beside Fuyumei, to Ichigo's left.

"Yeah." Ichigo muttered while weakly glaring at his pale copy.

Fuyumei also glared at the hollow, though with considerably more energy than the Soul Reaper to her right, before turning to Ichigo with concerned eyes.

"If your alright then is something bothering you?" She asked, tilting her head to the left.

Ichigo simply sighed and returned his gaze to the stormy clouds now crackling with electricity.

Zangetsu didn't like the looks of the clouds, and not because he despised the rain, but the fact that the clouds represented Ichigo's mood. The thunder that could be heard in the distance signified Ichigo was angry, the lightning crackling on the surface of the clouds showed that he was confused and the rain was for his sadness. Zangetsu stepped off his flagpole so he could stand to the right of his wielder.

Ichigo's shoulders slumped slightly as he lowered his head and whispered to the building, "I don't know, I just don't know."

Fuyumei looked to the hollow but he only shrugged to show he didn't know either and they both looked to Zangetsu who's eyebrows were showing above his glasses as he shook his head.

"What don't you know?" Fuyumei finally asked, her ice blue eyes showing concern and confusion.

"I don't know who I am. I don't know what I am. I don't know anything!" Ichigo yelled as tears welled in his eyes and the rain began to fall from the angry black clouds.

It took Aojiroisha and Zangetsu a moment to get over the fact that Ichigo had just yelled and was currently crying, but when they had they began to think of what Ichigo had yelled. It took Fuyumei a little longer to stop the ringing in her head, 'Sometimes having extra sensitive hearing is annoying.' She thought to herself as she thought over Ichigo's words.

"Ichigo." Fuyumei said soothingly as she grew to her larger size so she could wrap herself around Ichigo, the one who had shown her kindness. "It's alright. Because even if you don't know who you are, I do. You're Ichigo Kurosaki, the hero of the winter war and saviour of the Soul Society."

"But what am I?" Ichigo asked tiredly through his tears.

"That's something I can't tell you, you have to find the answer for yourself." Fuyumei's gentle voice seemed to have calmed Ichigo down a little.

Aojiroisha and Zangetsu stood quietly as they watched Ichigo's unusual display of emotion, it was rare for him to show any emotion, let alone sadness.

Fuyumei stayed curled around Ichigo as his tears slowly came to a stop, the rain easing slightly.

"How do I know what I am?" Ichigo asked quietly. "My fathers a member of Soul Societies Royal family, my mother was a member of the Quincy royal family, I have Aojiroisha an inner hollow, I have Zangetsu a zanpakuto, I have myself and I have you, Fuyumei, a demon. Having a zanpakuto means I'm not a quincy. Because of my parents I'm not a human. Having an inner hollow means I'm not a Soul Reaper. I have access to Bankai so being an Arrancar is out. The reserction form means I'm not a Vizard. And a demon means I'm something no one has ever seen before."

At the end of Ichigo's speech all four parts of the soul they shared were silent, each thinking their own thoughts.

Ichigo was wondering about what exactly he was.

Zangetsu was thinking of the first time he'd met Fuyumei and how her appearance changed thing in Ichigo's soul.

Aojiroisha was thinking of the things he'd rather be doing.

And Fuyumei was contemplating the same questions as Ichigo.


Translations

Aojiroisha - (roughly) Pale copy

Fuyumei - (roughly) Dark winter

Mei - Dark


OK that was chapter 1 of What are we. The next four chapters are going to be focussing on one portion of Ichigo's souls thoughts in other words Ichigo, Zangetsu, Aojiroisha or Fuyumei's thoughts. Chapter 2 should be up in about a week.

Shiraichihime