I Do Not Own Bleach. I do own any future OCs.
Part 1: The Day Everything Changed.
My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, and I am known for many things in life. Ranging from fighting with delinquents or my spiky orange hair. These things are insignificant compared to my ability to see the spirits of the dearly departed.
This special ability of mine has always been with me, but as of late it only appears to be growing stronger and stronger. I have no idea what this meant for me just yet and I could only hope it won't cause problems down the line.
At this moment in time I was just entering my house, or clinic if you prefer. Unfortunately I was late for dinner, but I already knew the routine quite well.
The moment after I announced my presence to my family I fluidly ducked under a roundhouse kick from my father. For once the violence immediately stopped as Isshin began to tear up emotionally.
"Son that was so perfect... perfect anticipation followed by fluid dodging..."
"Sheesh dad, can I just eat in peace or do we have to do this all over again?"
Isshin pauses for a moment to think before walking towards the stairs.
"I actually have something I need to go pick up, enjoy your dinner son."
I run my fingers through my hair for a moment before walking towards the table. I rarely had dinner these days, even my sisters looked surprised.
"Say, Ichigo looks like you got a new one."
"A new what?"
I look at Karin for a moment before turning around in my seat to see the spirit of a businessman. While my sister found them annoying, I found it depressing. What exactly could I do for them besides see them?
Karin scoffs as if reading his mind, sitting her bowl down with disdain.
"The best thing you can do is ignore them, be just like me. Be in permanent denial of their true existence."
I chuckle as I finish the last of my rice, slinging my bag onto my shoulder. Karin was cold to spirits in this way, but I was beyond blaming her.
"I doubt giving spirits the cold shoulder will bring them any closer to peace Karin. I'm going to sleep now, have a goodnight."
I received nonchalant waves in return as I began the trek up the stairs to my room. I tossed my bag onto my chair and spread myself out on my bed.
I wish I knew what was happening to me.
With that final thought I closed my eyes to allow sleep to take me.
I groaned almost irritably as the sun slowly began to seep into my eyes. I roll over once before forcing myself to stand.
Alrighty then, let's get this over with.
My heart involuntarily speeds up as the pressure of the air increases dramatically. Like a heavy blanket of energy weighing on my shoulders.
I fall to my knees willingly as the force slowly begins to dissipate into nothingness. It was over so fast I was beginning to wonder if it was just my imagination.
I quickly stand back up and grab my bag, wondering if Yuzu or Karin had felt it just now. As I walk into the kitchen area from the stairs I get my answer.
"Morning guys, feel anything... weird a couple moments ago?"
Karin continues to sip her tea while Yuzu turns to look at me strangely.
"Good morning Ichigo, I'm not sure what you mean by feel something strange or weird."
"Forget about it, it's nothing. Where's dad?"
My eyes slowly go to the ongoing television report as Karin finally puts her tea down to answer. Well that was quite weird, Karakura Station was wrecked at seven thirty A.M.
Was that heavy distortion caused by what happened at the Karakura Station?
"Earth to Ichigo, your blanking out on us. I said dad is at an early meeting, won't be home until late tonight."
I nod slowly just barely listening to her as the broadcast continues. I pull the single piece of toast from the toaster and immediately bite down when something occurs to me.
That's really close to where we live, I can walk by there on my way to school.
It became apparent on my short walk towards the Karakura Station that multiple things had happened last night. Alleyways blockaded with police and torn to shreds.
Pipelines ruptured as if bombs of sorts had gone off. I began to get that same feeling that I was missing something.
My ears did not lie, I heard the sound of distant otherworldly howling. Just like before the air became thick with energy but I was able to remain on my feet.
The moment I could move again I started running towards the sound, another roar following the first before the building exploded.
I stop twenty feet back as other civilians pass me by, staring into the hazy smoke. I take an involuntary step back as a white and purple mask emerges from the airborne debris.
Its two arm lances slowly dig into the ground as it turns to look at him. A look of recognition appears for a moment as it grins and starts coming towards me.
"I've finally found you..."
The spirit of a little girl runs past me as I remain frozen in place. It raises its lance to impale me on the spot.
I start blinking rapidly as a black butterfly with a maroon outline flies in front of my face. The next moment a petite young woman appears above me in a black Shihakusho with a sword already being drawn.
In a single swipe the creature's white and purple mask was split into two and he began to dissolve. She turns around to look in his direction for a moment with a blank stare before shoving the hilt of her sword into the little girl's forehead.
I gasp in surprise as a marking appears before the girl slowly began to sink into a bright blue circle on the ground. I reach out to try and get her attention but she was already gone disappearing from view.
"What did I just see?"
I wasn't quite sure what this all meant, but it was definitely going to hurt my concentration for the rest of the day.
It was already deep into the night when I returned home for the day. The feeling of oppressive energy was a constant throughout the day, but he had yet to see the girl again.
The moment I entered my room the feeling of brief power returned to me again. Through my open window flew another black butterfly, just like this morning.
As I predicted she appeared next landing gracefully on my desk. Instead of ignoring me she looks directly into my eyes.
"I know that you can see me human, we have to talk."
"Who are you?"
She lands softly adjacent to my bed with a faint grin on her face. After a long day of tedious labor this would be fun.
"You really wish to know? I am Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper."
Her grins widens at my shocked expression before she holds up two fingers to me.
"What you saw this afternoon in town was one of two types of spirits in this world. The technically evil kind are Hollows, they eat the souls of the living, dead, and even their own kind."
She stops speaking to allow her eyes to wander, as if seeing and feeling something I couldn't. She quickly turns back to look at me seriously.
"The second kind are Wholes, but that is really irrelevant at this moment. I'm here because your abnormal amount of Spiritual Energy is acting as an indirect beacon."
The room fills with Spiritual Pressure again as if to prove her point. She turns away from me for a moment as if contemplating her next move.
"The final Hollow that must be slain tonight is Fishbone D. My responsibilities as a Soul Reaper also require me to contain and fix an indirect beacon. The first part is drawing out all of the Spiritual Energy from your soul, which begins now."
I stand up to move closer to her as she continues to face away from me. I got the feeling that she was enjoying the mystique of explaining this to me.
"Bakudo 1: Sai."
I blink and the moment I do I find my nose pressed to the floor with my arms wrenched against my back. She looks back at me for a moment before leaving the room.
"Break that Kido... oh and try not to damage your soul."
I grunted irritably as her footsteps faded, the room had a bright luminescence to it at that moment. I felt a deep sense of despair when the Kido didn't budge an inch.
I was hurting people in Karakura Town just by living because I couldn't control my Spiritual Energy. So long as I lived like this I was a danger to society.
I closed my eyes for a moment and something inside me snapped. The world grew brighter and I could see and hear it now. The Kido composed up of several layers of kanji surrounding my waist.
My chest began to feel heavy but I was able to force myself to feet, my hands still thoroughly trapped behind me. Just standing felt like I'd used all of my Spiritual Energy.
She made it seem like most of it is still hidden inside of me, I need to be the one to draw it out.
My heart literally jumped into his throat when I heard a scream.
Rukia narrowed her eyes as Fishbone decided he wasn't going to play fair at all. Soul Reaper duties also meant protecting all the lives of the living.
The Hollow dug deeply into the earth and began to toss chunks of earth towards her. In the next moment she disappeared with a Flash Step and reappeared as the rock split into multiple pieces.
"I know you heard me Soul Reaper, don't make me ask again."
Rukia remains silent causing Fishbone D to toss another two sizable pieces or concrete towards the clinic. Her annoyance skyrockets as she repeats the same process to neutralize the rocks.
"Where is that delectably unique soul that's hiding in this town, Soul Reaper?"
She misses the next rock barely able to cut it into two before it passes her to crash into the clinic walls. This had gone on far enough for her tastes.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki."
Fishbone D falters as the blast of cool air reaches him. He had the chance now to get several spiritually sensitive souls, and a Soul Reaper. He would risk it.
Rukia finishes the conversion to Shikai twisting her Zanpakuto upside down, relishing its beauty. Her eyes wander behind her at the sound of a scream just as Fishbone D began to charge a red Cero.
"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren."
She punctures the ground four times before taking a stance with her Zanpakuto facing the Hollow. Ice particles slowly begin to flow up from the ground as the Hollow finishes charging the Cero.
"I hope I don't make you too crispy, Soul Reaper. Cero!"
The red beam of doom collides with the literal avalanche of cold air with the immediate advantage. Fishbone D was still much weaker than Grand Fisher for sure.
He slides to his left, saving the majority of his body from being frozen solid. He struggles to free his right arm from the ice and Rukia prepares to finish him off.
The moment I get down the stairs my entire world was torn upside down. Rukia was engaging the Hollow and Karin was trapped underneath the rubble of a completely destroyed wall.
My pupils widen for a moment and I force my arms to move away from my back. The strain and force binding me begins to bend as the world around me grew dark.
Several white kanji appear all around me as the remaining Spiritual Energy leaves my soul. The first two layers of the Kido come undone, a brilliant orange glow filling the room.
With a final grunt the final layer erupts as the Kido fails to restrain me. With my hands free I run towards Karin, no longer was I an indirect beacon. Fishbone D could now sense my presence with scary clarity.
He looks at me hungrily, his worst and final mistake as Rukia points her Zanpakuto at him.
"Some no mai, Tsukishiro."
A brilliant circle resembling a moon appears directly below him before he was frozen solid. She twirl her Zanpakuto and shoves it into the ice, cutting deeply into his mask.
The entire tower comes crashing down as the Hollow is purified. She sheathes her Zanpakuto and slowly walks towards us, producing a metallic can from her Shihakusho.
Karin squints at her for a moment before gasping as the can sprayed directly into her face. Karin blinks twice before she goes limp, out like a light.
She pauses to look at me again before pointing at the stairs.
"Go to sleep, I will handle this if you don't mind."
I reluctantly nod and turn around towards the stairs and a possible sleepless night.
Part 2: Understanding and Accepting The Unknown.
I drifted in and out of consciousness the entire night, never really settling in. Just close enough to the surface for the real world to affect my dreams.
"Good morning Ichigo!"
My eyes snapped open and in an instant reversed the assault from my active father. Pinning him to the floor by gripping the sides of his head.
"Hah! I win again dad, you're going to have to be quicker than that!"
Last night's events quickly jump back into the forefront of my mind as I grip the front of his shirt.
"What happened last night?"
"It's a real miracle! Gas line pipe exploded and perforated the kitchen without anyone being hurt or waking up!"
I nod in surprise as they continue to go about their day as if it was no big deal. She hadn't exactly fixed the house, but memories were another thing entirely.
"I guess she's really gone..."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you Kurosaki."
I jump backwards before falling down as Rukia appears beside me again. One hand of her hip and the other on her Zanpakuto.
"I really am sorry to disappoint you, but I still need to help you control your new found Spiritual Energy. After that, you can forget all about me."
I scratch my head for a moment before standing back up. This was a tad bit too bittersweet for him, but he wouldn't allow anyone else to get hurt for his sake.
"Find me after you finish breakfast, you're going to be late for school unfortunately."
She disappears before I can respond, and the world dims again. My Spiritual Energy fluctuated more than I cared to admit. The only thing still not making sense was why there was so much inside me.
"Big brother, you better hurry and eat breakfast! You're spacing out again."
"Right, thanks Yuzu."
I straightened out the collar of my shirt as I proceeded through the gate to the clinic. It then occurred to me that Rukia had specifically said to find her himself.
I had no idea how, but she seemed to think I should be able too. I look my right palm for a moment before closing my eyes to concentrate.
The air shimmers for a moment before growing considerably brighter. The energy quickly coalesces into a number of long flowing ribbons of different colors.
I reach out slowly before a red ribbon comes into view, matching the same feeling I got when Rukia was around. I grabbed the ribbon and without warning could see her.
No, I could find her.
Two blocks from my house Rukia relaxed in the shadows, almost ignoring my approach. Her purple eyes flash for a moment as she opens them again.
"You took so long... but that's in the past. We have exposed the majority of your power to the world. To prevent Hollows from detecting this means you have to learn how to control it."
I nod in a determined manner.
"I'm ready."
"Bakudo 1: Sai."
Like before my limbs were forced behind his back, but I was able to remain on my feet. Without struggling at all I could feel she had put more effort into this Kido.
"To break it this time will require much more than raw Spiritual Pressure. You will need to stem the flow to find just the right amount, Ichigo."
I took a deep breath in through my nose before trying to force down my Spiritual Energy. The world around me grows brighter as my dense Spiritual Pressure begins to sink back into me.
Rukia watches with rapt interest as the undeniable waves of Spiritual Pressure that constantly poured off me began to recede. Ichigo was a very special human indeed, Sai was impossible for any normal human to escape.
A vein appears on my forehead followed by sweat as the Spiritual Pressure fades completely. She blinks as I starts to move his arms, just like before her Kido began to destabilize.
I find myself grinning as the Kido begins to break apart, three layers separating around him. I grunt as the Sai snaps into segments and breaks the world continuing to glow bright.
"Impressive, now I have another task to complete. Care to join me?"
It sounded more like a command rather than a question, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. She remains silent in our walk, looking at her phone.
She pauses to allow me to reach her side before grabbing my shoulder. In the next moment the world blurred and we were standing in front of bollards of Karakura's park.
"I noticed last night that your Spiritual Pressured reacted quite strange around that Hollow. In fact for that moment and half your night it refused to settle."
She closes the flip phone and pulls out her Zanpakuto. A young boy appears running away from an insectoid Hollow. The Hollow immediately stops chasing the boy and stalks in our direction.
It began to charge a standard red Cero in its mouth. I stared into the amassing energy for a moment before the pain started. I feel to my knees as my Spiritual Pressure was released again.
The Hollow stops charging the Cero, howling as if pain as well. Rukia watches with a remote amount of concern. Her hypothesis proven correct already.
Something inside this special boy is reacting violently with Hollow Spiritual Pressure.
She flips her Zanpakuto into a reverse grip on its hilt before dispatching the hollow with a single thrust. She frowned as I continued to clutch the ground in agony.
"It appears I might have come to my own conclusions too fast. Something is happening to you that has nothing to do with an above average amount of Spiritual Power."
She flips me over as I don't respond, gripping my face with one hand.
"Inemuri."
My visions grows blurry and the pain fades along with it. She easily hauls me onto her shoulder before disappearing in a Flash Step.
Just like before I drifted just slightly above the abyss of my mind. There was no pain here though, and for that I accepted it.
My eyes snapped open in the late evening at a foreign feeling invades my stomach. I sit up and look out the window, absentmindedly touching my stomach.
"So you do feel it, Ichigo. That Spiritual Pressure is a Garganta being opened up near here. I'm not quite sure what happened this morning, but maybe if I see it again I might understand it."
She grabs the back of my shirt and we both disappear in a dizzying Flash Step. She was moving faster than usual, as if something was beginning to upset her about this.
"This Hollow isn't very strong Ichigo, but that's not what's worrying me here. Every time a Hollow enters Karakura Town your Spiritual Pressure changes even more."
The Flash Steps stopped and I looked away from her calculating gaze. I noticed it too, my Spiritual Pressure reminded me of the very things she killed.
I am knocked from my inner doubts as I notice just where we are. This was Orihime's house if I wasn't mistaken. The wall they were under exploded outward, giving me my answer.
Acidwire howled in anguish again, finally having Orihime all to himself. With his memories intact and two very different natures battling for control he disregarded Grand Fisher.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Orihime? It's me... your older brother, Sora."
The fear in her eyes easily overshadowed the shallow recognition that began to dawn. He begins to subconsciously squeeze her as the pain of rejection begin to set into his soul.
"How can you be afraid of me, Orihime?! It was me who took care of you, and it was me who stayed behind after death to watch over you! I became a monster for you... and now... you will share the same fate."
He extends the arm not gripping her frame to knock out the wall to the outside. With more room to work he grips her Chain of Fate with the intent to destroy it completely.
The satisfaction was quickly lost however as the sound my voice resounded through him. His eyes burned with hatred as he caught sight me, pulling the Chain of Fate taut.
She had chosen these people over him, after all he had done. It wasn't enough to keep his memory alive. She needed to know his pain in the easiest way possible.
The air shook and vibrated with my rampant Spiritual Pressure. Acidwire paused to look directly at me again, trying and failing to match the dense power.
His moment of diverted attention was enough of a mistake to capitalize on. Rukia disappeared in a Flash Step, in the next instant his entire right arm was severed.
Acidwire howls and clutches the spurting stump as Rukia reappears with Orihime safely in her arms. The moment of agony was over before I knew it, airborne acid began to eat away at the spot I previously stood in.
The Hollow slithers down into the street with even more anger. He was beginning to lose the rest of his intelligence in favor of raw instinct.
"I will grind your bones into dust Soul Reaper!"
Acidwire blinked and Rukia was gone, his radar unprepared for her quick Flash Step. She reappeared above him a moment later.
"In the face of transcendent adversaries, rain down upon their souls with chrysalis tears! Bakudo 62: Hyapporankan!"
A white orb appears in her right hand before transforming into a glowing rod of Spiritual Energy. She throws it like a javelin which quickly splits into multiple rods.
Acidwire moves an inch forward before being forced to remain still. Perforated everywhere but his Hollow mask he cries out in pain and true suffering.
"Orihime..."
She looks into his eyes, her green hairs pins catching the moonlight for a moment. His eyes widen in surprise as memories that were fading returned in a flood.
"I thought..."
"Sora, I'm so sorry..."
Acidwire closed his eyes and tried to struggle again, in vain as it was he was obligated to try. He roars at all three of us again with the same pain.
"You did this to me Soul Reaper! It's all your fault!"
"You're absolutely right. Even though you resisted Konso rather feverishly it was my sworn duty to protect and save you. If anyone here is to blame for your pain, it is I."
Acidwire stared up in utter shock and confusion at the response he received. The shock would increase in magnitude as Orihime gripped Rukia's shoulder with one hand and her wound with the other.
"No... that isn't true at all. If anyone is to blame for this situation then it would be me. I begged you stay, Sora, now I'm going to release you so you can be at peace."
A strangled gasp escapes his throat, no longer capable of tears to match his sorrow.
"I love you brother... have a good night."
The final piece of his instinct was eradicated, cracks forming along his mask. He howls again, the otherworldly tint fading into the sound of the brother Orihime remembered well.
"Please kill me Soul Reaper, I don't want to hurt anyone else."
Rukia nods with a slight smile, her sword piercing the top of his mask in a clean sweep. The smile never left his face as his soul was purified of his deeds as a new Hollow.
Goodbye... Orihime... I hope to see you again someday...
Rukia sheathes her sword as the energy finishes dissipating. A moment later Orihime breaks down into tears.
I look away to give her privacy, reeling in my fluctuating Spiritual Pressure. My mind wasn't given time to wander as Rukia gave Orihime a blast of the gas from her canister.
"I need to fix things here for right now, Ichigo. Go home and get some sleep, but let me make this very clear. We need to talk about your Spiritual Pressure."
I nod once and turn to leave, but halt at the sound of her throat being cleared. I make to turn around and face her before the sound of her Zanpakuto taps its hilt.
The sound of her metal canister discharges before I can react. The world quickly grows dark around me. I wondered where I went wrong exactly.
Part 3: The Unknown Power Hidden Within Emerges! A Decision Is Made!
The sun slowly begins to enter my bedroom in the wee earliest part of the morning. Signaling me that the day had begun and it was time to awaken for school.
Just like that the previous days were all a hazy blur of motion. As if they had never existed in the first place. My entire point of view was utterly skewed.
The sound of soft footsteps alerts me to another presence in my room. Her startling purple eyes leave me a state of wonder, just who was this girl?
Her eyes are expectant, with a tinge of fear hidden within their depths. My pupils widen as my recent vibrant memories return in an ugly tide.
Rukia gassed me with the Memory Replacer last night after saving Orihime. I clutch my forehead in agony as she sighs with... relief? Wait why was she relieved if she had done it?
"I'm sorry about the impromptu test I put you through, Ichigo. That Soul Reaper tool is ineffective against those with high levels of Spiritual Energy."
Rukia pulls her phone from her Shihakusho and starts pressing buttons incessantly. A moment later she looks back at me with a serious expression.
"Your Spiritual Pressure did increase last night, but it also evolved again. I decided to compile and dial in all your Spiritual Pressure signatures into my radar for Karakura Town."
Her right hand slowly trails down to the hilt of her Zanpakuto as she observes me coolly. Just the way she was speaking was beginning to set off alarm bells in my mind.
"I found several Spiritual Pressures that matched my initial contact with you, Ichigo. I also compared them to the Spiritual Pressure you possess now..."
The hand gripping the hilt of her Zanpakuto squeezes harder than before. Her eyes shut tightly to match her grip.
"Your Spiritual Pressure is exactly like that of a Hollows. Procedures would require me to eliminate you before you hurt anyone. The problem is... the problem is that I... can't..."
It then occurred to me that the amount of emotion Rukia was showing was massive compared to her usual self. She couldn't bring herself to raise her sword against me?
"While you emit the same fluid energy as Hollows, you are nothing like them. You have endangered no one purposefully... and neither have the other people with Spiritual Pressure like you."
She turns to look out of my window almost wistfully as if she had spent all night thinking about it.
"I won't raise my sword against the innocent, it would be the opposite reason of why I became a Soul Reaper. No matter what scrutiny I may come under, I have my pride as a Kuchiki."
I can't help but smile as she picks and chooses were words carefully. I run a hand through my hair slowly in embarrassment.
"So you're not going to say anything, Ichigo?"
"Thanks, Rukia... for everything you've done for me so far."
Rukia quickly turns away with a sheepish look on her face.
"Alright, not need to get extra sappy. You have school today and I have Hollows to slay."
It was almost impossible to comprehend just how much had changed in a matter of days. I went from average high school student to premier spiritualistic medium.
To just go to school and be normal again was almost tedious and boring. I of course didn't miss Rukia at all, I would be fine if I never saw her again...
"You said that last part out loud, Ichigo."
My eyes widen in surprise as Rukia appears beside me. I unfortunately lose my footing and fall onto the ground with a thud.
Rukia raises a curious eyebrow at me as another of my classmate's approaches. I quickly dust off my shirt and stand back up, glancing wearily at Rukia who merely looks at her phone.
"I thought you were slaying Hollows?"
"You act if I said Menos Grande. You should also stop talking to yourself."
Mizuiro steps within earshot with his lunch in tow, and I decide to take her advice. I knew where he went Keigo would follow close behind.
"Hey Ichigo, heard your house got wrecked by a gas pipeline. That why you missed school yesterday?"
"Yeah something along those lines..."
Like the calm before the storm ending prematurely at the sound of male crying tears of happiness. I couldn't help but sigh at the predictability of it all.
"Ichigo!"
I effortlessly clothesline Keigo before he can get too overexcited. He stays on the ground for less than a moment before he's back on his feet.
"Hello, Keigo."
"You should find better ways to greet your friends, Ichigo!"
He raises both arms to the back of his head and takes a step backwards. He blinks in surprise as he bumps into a much larger student.
"Oh, hey Chad, what's with the bandages?"
He pauses to raise his bandaged right hand, hesitating for a moment.
"I had a bit of a mishap, a steel beam fell on my head. Not long after that a motorcycle ran into me and the rider was terribly injured."
A bead of sweat travels down the side of my face as his nonchalant attitude.
"Just what is your body made of?"
Chad ignores my rhetorical question and sits down an antique bird cage with a white cockatiel inside. Rukia takes an immediate sudden interest in the bird, which looks directly at me instead.
"Hello, my names Yuichi Shibata, it's nice to meet you mister. What's your name?"
On closer inspection the bird itself was swathed in the Spiritual Pressure of a Hollow. That same Hollow watched them closely from afar, wary of the casual Soul Reaper presence.
"So something put a Whole inside a cockatiel hmm?"
She reaches out and places the palm of her hand against the cage, a green light enveloping the bird. The Hollow previously content to watch begins to fly, a red Cero charging in its mouth.
The spirit form of Yuichi Shibata materialized outside the cockatiel as Shrieker fired the Cero. Shrieker was undoubtedly too weak to cause a seated Soul Reaper much trouble.
"Bakudo 39: Enkosen!"
The Cero is easily deflected high into the air, not even cracking the shield of Spiritual Pressure. Before the Cero was even finished she began a preemptive incantation.
"Ye Lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash slightly the wrath of your claws."
I watched in near awe as she finished the incantation, my schoolmates completely oblivious. Shrieker remained as oblivious as them, dive bombing down to attack us at close range.
This would be his final mistake of course. The shield cracked and blew apart to reveal pale fire gathering in her right palm.
"Hado 33: Sokatsui!"
Shrieker only had a moment to reflect his mistake before a wall of blue fire engulfs his body. She closes the palm into a light fist and the flames die out, revealing a scorched Shrieker.
He sways on his feet for a moment, the cracks in his mask growing more profound. A vibrant green light begins to shine through, while Shrieker tries to keep his mask together.
"No... no... no... no! Not yet, I had so many things...!"
I shield my eyes as the light becomes blinding and ethereal gates appear behind him. A purple door chained shut with skeletons decorating both sides. The skulls eyes glow bright red for a moment, a sneer forming.
The chains holding the gates closes break apart to reveal eerie darkness within. Shrieker turns to look into the gates of Hell for a moment before screaming and terror and bounding forward.
The air is filled with the potent Spiritual Pressure of Hell in a heavy blanket like rush. I scream out in pain alongside Shrieker, a single red chain plunging through his abdomen.
I close my eyes in pain, only for another pair of yellow ones to open in my mind instead. Shrieker is slowly pulled back towards Hell, his claws digging deep into the earth.
I open my real eyes, inky yellow replacing my warm brown eyes. I hear maniacal cackling in my mind, something snapped inside me as I scream. My Spiritual Pressure spikes as the beast holding Shrieker's chains yanks him through.
The air distorts as my screams grow in intensity, the very fabric of space and time distorting with my rampant Spiritual Pressure. Rukia watches with a fair amount of worry, the gates of Hell slowly beginning to close.
She slowly pushes her own fingers into her ears to block out my incessant screaming as the gates to Hell close with finality. Hell's special Spiritual Pressure dissipated with the doors closed, my screaming abruptly ending.
The gates slowly begin to crack into pieces as my eyes begin to droop. I collapse onto my stomach as the gates shatter completely, the air settling.
Rukia furrows her brow as she stares at my prone form and then at the unconscious forms of my schoolmates. She would need to give them all a dose to replace these unfortunate memories.
"What am I going to do with you, Ichigo? Just what are you exactly?"
She didn't receive the answer she was hoping for, the air chilling ever so slightly. A distorted cackling filling her ears before disappearing into nothingness.
She decided to ignore the disembodied voice and get me home. She could already feel people the building searching for the source of the power.
I think a trip back to the Soul Society is in order. I'm sure our records know oh humans developing Hollow like powers somewhere buried.
She disappears in a Flash Step with me slung over her shoulder.
A short time later Rukia paused to look back towards the clinic before pulling out her Zanpakuto. She thrusts it directly in front of her, more than half the sword disappearing.
"Now open."
She turns the remainder of the sword like a key, a rectangular door opening to reveal a second circular door. A single Hell Butterfly flies through, and she gives one more glance back before moving through the gate.
Be safe for now, Ichigo.
Part 4: Manifestation.
Just like before when I collapsed my mind was a blur of activity. While I drifted in a calm nothingness of slumber, the world dark and bleak.
"Hey, can you hear me, Ichigo?"
I wondered if Rukia would be forced to kill me because I was becoming like a Hollow. At the very beginning the thought actually frightened me and I lamented its unfairness.
"Time to wake up, partner..."
It occurred to me that I could hurt others, just like real Hollows did. That thought was scarier than any form of punishment beyond death could offer.
"The time has finally come, Ichigo..."
I could hear the voice clearly now, the whispers becoming an otherworldly purring. The ground beneath my feet solidified, and my sense of gravity returned in a rush.
The sky materialized as one of late evening with a full moon hanging perfectly in place. Tiny granules of gray sand raining down like sleet during a cold storm. A pair of glowing yellow eyes peered through the cloud of sand behind him.
The remaining sand dropped like lead to reveal the entire landscape has become a discolored desert. The gray sand underneath my feet begins to swirl around me in a circle.
I take a cautionary step outside the swirling sand as a white fluid appears in the center. The grey sand and fluid coalesce into... a perfect monochrome copy of me.
"Nice to finally meet you... partner."
His eyes glow a vibrant gold to accent his distorted voice. Instead of wearing the same clothes as me, he stands in a white Hakama tied by a black belt.
"Just who the hell are you, and why did you bring me here?"
He leans his head back to chuckle, the mirth slowly breaking out into uncontrollable laughter. He slowly places the palm of his right hand against his chest.
"You see, the funny part is I don't have a name, I was just recently born. I also didn't call you here... you called out to me."
None of this was making much sense to me, this entity claimed to be me and even had my Spiritual Pressure. He seemed much more powerful than I, by a fair margin.
"I am your raw instincts, your darkest desires, and greatest primal fears that you sought to bury in the back of your mind. Now that I exist, there is no getting rid of me."
His eyes previously alight with mirth suddenly widened with tinges of fear. He takes a step back and looks up into the night sky, seeing something I couldn't.
"Ichigo... something is coming. You need to wake up and find Rukia quickly."
The resting sand whipped up into the air violently, quickly obscuring my dark instincts. His distorted chuckles reach me once before the world darkens from within the sandstorm.
"No worries, Ichigo. I'm not going anywhere... and I'm only going to get stronger."
I sit up in my bed back at the clinic only to be forced back onto my back as Spiritual Pressure hits me. It was completely unlike any of the other Hollows I had encountered with Rukia.
The power it emitted was on another level completely, this thing could wipe out all of Karakura with a Cero. Why would it be here though? Rukia was in the Soul Society, and I was...
Suppressing your Spiritual Pressure?
It made perfect sense now, this Hollow was here looking for me specifically. Even if I managed to lay low it would eventually pinpoint my location and carnage would ensue.
If you reveal your presence, partner, we will both die. Think this through carefully.
I ignored the voice in my head in favor of running downstairs. My dark instincts went quiet as I slipped outside, feeling the oppressive Spiritual Pressure much better.
I crack my neck once and flare my own Spiritual Pressure in response, causing the Hollow to immediately end its search. The air shuddered as the aftereffect of its fast movement towards my position.
I nearly fell in surprise as I took in its unique appearance as it circled me from the sky. What I was facing was eons ahead of my understanding, in power and intelligence.
A Hollow created from the amalgamated souls of hundreds of separate Hollows evolved even further. The windows of the building in the neighborhood shatter as it lands in front of me.
The ground shatters under its weight, it pays it no attention as its wings fold behind it back. I take an involuntary step backwards as reality truly began to take a hold of me.
Red eyes watch me solemnly from behind an intricate mask, connected to an entire serpentine body covered in segmented scales. An Adjuchas had come to town to play.
Rukia slowly crossed through the Senkiamon, having already retrieved the information she was searching for. Her nonchalant expression lasts for about half a second before she notices the literal dragon Hollow flying above Karakura.
It quickly came to the obvious conclusion that this was an Adjuchas, searching for a person with massive Spiritual Pressure. There was only one human in Karakura that fit the requirements for attracting a Hollow of this caliber, and that was Ichigo.
She only had a single combination powerful enough to beat this Hollow, and it wasn't battle tested. She tightens the grip on her Zanpakuto to erase her cloudy doubts.
I can harbor no fear if I am to beat this Hollow.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
She flash stepped at full speed towards the dragon Hollow is it moved to confront me. Summoning all the Spirit Energy she could handle at the moment.
Her feet nimbly touch a building several blocks away as its armored tail bisects a building completely. She passes the airborne wreckage only to pause above the building overlooking the Hollow.
She could barely believe that I was facing it directly, even with the path of destruction it had left to find him. As its wings fold him she prepares to strike it down from behind.
"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!"
The Adjuchas ignores her presence and building Spirit Energy up until she released the avalanche of ice. It turns its head a fraction before being engulfed in a cloud of frosty air.
She then stabs her Zanpakuto into the ground to prepare for her double incantation. The ice already beginning to strain against the Adjuchas.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens."
Its tail wrenches free of its icy restraints and forcefully bashes into the rest of the ice. Cracks form all along the structure, its Spiritual Pressure breaking through.
"Entanglement of lightning, curtain of ignorance, and chains of fate! Rest now and repent your vicious sins!"
Its wings burst forth, completely freeing it from its temporary prison. It quickly begins to turn and face her, eyes narrowing at her glowing hands.
"Bakudo 63: Sajo Sabaku!"
From the shadows of the night three golden chains restrict its mouth, wings and front limbs. It lands heavily on its side, facing her with an expression of absolute horror.
"Now... Hado 73: Soren Sokatsui!"
The building underneath her shakes under her amassed Spiritual Pressure as she brings her hands together. A small ball of blue flame appears before soaring forward to engulf the entirety of the dragon Adjuchas.
She holds the pose for several long moments as smoke fills the air. Feeling the Hollow Spiritual Pressure begin to dim allows her to collapse onto her knees.
I've never used that double incantation before, and I don't think I could do it again.
The Hollow within the smoke cloud shakes its head once before breaking the golden bindings around its mouth. The ones on its wings break next, allowing him to blow the dust and grit away to reveal his living status.
The segments adorning its wings begin to fluidly grow for a moment, causing Rukia to gasp. It flaps its wings once, sending the old and broken scales flying everywhere.
Several pierce Rukia's flesh right through her Shihakusho, the momentum carrying her backwards. The Hollow sneers as the final chains break around its arms.
"Such a noble effort, those spells really had some serious bite to them. Had that Hado spell been any higher you would have actually destroyed my mask, and ended my evolution prematurely."
She sits up and scoots back in horror as the Hollowing slithers up the side of the building. It had chosen to devour her first after all.
"This is the end of the line Soul Reaper. Your potential is great, such a shame you encountered me too early."
I remain frozen to the same spot as the horror before me bled into the past. Just like before I was helpless to save the people who tried to protect me.
This is all my fault... again.
No, I would sit still and allow to happen before my eyes. Never again would I passively watch as others tried to protect me... not when I didn't deserve it.
The air around me began to shimmer and glow a vibrant green color. The Hollow pays me no mind as I shoot forward in a blur of speed towards his exposed back.
My fist connects with a satisfying crunch, the dragon reflexively curling inward. I pull my fist back again and connect once more, several spider web like cracks appearing its spine.
Its tail painfully connects with my exposed side, sending my flying down the street. It turns away from Rukia angrily as I appear unharmed from the crater he helped create.
I really couldn't feel my side, but he definitely didn't need to know that. I crack my right shoulder reflexively, trying to get some feet back into my arm and side.
The previously damaged segments of the Hollow begin to melt, signaling an impending attack. It thrusts both wings in my direction, the street easily perforated like Swiss cheese.
I appear just below the building with causing the Hollow to gasp in surprise at my suddenly increased speed. Its tail slowly moves into an easier position to strike.
Just like I thought, I can move incredibly fast but it burn my reserves and body out quickly.
I disappear in another blur of speed, reappearing in front of him with my fist cocked back. His tail lashes out at this moment smashing into my good side and sending me careening deep into the earth below.
I definitely felt something break this time around, unable to move very much at all. Blood slowly pouring my numerous wounds as the debris clears from the air.
The Hollow chuckles almost sweetly as the fight slowly begins to drain from my limbs alongside my blood. I twitch and shake almost uncontrollably as the Hollow draws closer.
"Such a valiant effort, and interesting power displayed by a simple human. If only I didn't have to eat you alive."
My nails bleed as I force myself to sit up inside the divot. The Adjuchas pauses in amazement at my sheer force of will to live.
It forcibly pins me to the street underneath its claws, the one in the middle puncturing my stomach easily. The twitching of my limbs still as the blood flow out of me takes its toll.
"You honestly thought you could stop me from having my way, boy?"
My eyelids droop as its words stop reaching me completely, all feeling slowly disappearing. This was exactly like before, nothing had changed at all.
"You're not strong enough, and you never would have been."
In the murky depths of darkness underneath my eyelids a small white light appeared. My breath hitched as the light grew and took shape, the faintest outline of the Hollow appeared before me.
Is that the Hollow? No... that's it's... Spirit Energy...
My life force that was previously fading began to gather once more. Fluid strings of white Spiritual Pressure poured from the wound in my stomach in earnest.
The Spiritual Pressure became even denser and took on a green color. The energy surrounding the Hollow and I in a pillar that caused it pain, and me excitement.
Part 5: A Fullbring Fit For a Protector Is Born!
The Adjuchas retracts it claw from my stomach and attempts to move backwards and out of harm's way. The swirling ropes of Spiritual Pressure encircle the entire arm, preventing the Hollow from escaping.
I find myself able to stand once again, the white ropes of Spiritual Pressure continuing their journey up the Hollows arm. I roar a battle cry as the energy ceases moving and glows intensely.
The Hollow allows it eyes to widen as the entire street is engulfed in a white explosion. Smoke blankets the area as the Hollow is thrown backwards, its entire right arm gone up to the joint.
I fly out of the other side of the cloud, my entire body incased in a pure white bodysuit. The gaping hole in my stomach slowly heals up, white energy covering the area as it does.
I breath heavily as every other wound disappears in nothingness, a strip of white slowly traveling across my face. I clench my fists, absolutely exhilarated at the feel of power between my fingertips.
My grin disappears at the sound of the same Hollow that helped me mature further screaming in anger. It spread its wings in anger, flying towards me with a gust of wind.
I stomp my right foot into the ground for leverage, spider web like cracks appearing as I shoot off to meet its challenge. Rukia grins as the dragon completely goes off the deep end, ignoring her completely.
"Bakudo 4: Hainawa!"
The crackling coil of yellow rope bind its midsection, allowing the opening I needed. Its eyes open in realization as my fist impacts its chest, just in front of its wings.
I grin as I hear a sickening crunch, the dragon Adjuchas flying backwards. The rope Bakudo breaks a moment later, the front of its mouth open to reveal a red Cero forming.
The Spiritual Pressures pushes me backwards, enough power to level the half of the city it was pointing at. I realize that there was only one way to fix this, without everyone dying.
I raise my right palm out to the Hollow as a sign of defeat.
"Alright, I give, you wanted me? Well you can have me, just after we leave this world."
The Cero fizzles out like a candle in the cold wind of night, red eyes watching me cautiously. A vicious tearing noise ensues as a black hole appears in thin air.
Rukia struggles onto her knees, using her Zanpakuto to stay upright.
"No, Ichigo please don't!"
I turn back to look at her for a moment, a smile gracing my lips as I silently thank her for caring. I jump through the black void, following closely by the Adjuchas.
I won't allow you to hurt the people I care about, you must first go through me.
The gate closes behind and the darkness lasts a moment before the light of the moon shines through. Sand as far as the eye could see, oddly reminiscent of the place inside my own mind.
The air is filled with heavy amounts of Reishi that quickly surround and begin to suffocate me. I begin to shake again as my Spirit Energy skyrockets once more, my armor reshaping and becoming more pronounced.
I turn to face the Adjuchas as my power stabilizes, the air weighing down as we battle with Spiritual Pressure. Another Cero forms in its mouth, and another feeling begins to overcome me.
The beam of destruction speeds towards me as I close my eyes, the sand beneath me shaking. A flicker of green luminescence appears at the soles of my feet as I literally fly into the air above the Hollow.
The stump of an arm it had quickly begin to regenerate as it chose to pursue me. I shift my center of gravity to allow myself to fall with my back facing down.
A grin appears as two circles appear below both my feet, one inside the other. I fly in the opposite direction as the Hollow bites down on the place I was previously.
I right myself in midair just as another Cero passes by my shoulder, sending the entire patch of sand high into the air. I land on the sand below for a moment before another flicker of green light pushes me out of harm's way.
I see other Hollows far and wide immediately clear the area, to leave predator with its prey. I survey the landscape far left and far right as a barrage of bone shrapnel rains down from above.
In the far distance there is nothing, no structures and no naturally large rocks. Only sand and without the strength to defeat this Hollow meant my chances of surviving to see my family again sank considerably.
The chances of running into another Hollow strong enough to get rid of this one wasn't to appealing either. It was too late to apologize or say goodbye to all those I failed to protect.
The situation only grew darker as I realized Hueco Mundo was a near endless desert. I then remembered something extremely important about my recent transformation.
I close my eyes as I continue to dodge and weave around, the darkness quickly becoming a landscape of color. I could see the Spirit Energy of all things as part of this power of mine.
To the north was the most concentration of Spirit Energy, a blinding city. To the west was the lowest concentration by far, I checked the exact opposite direction.
Bingo!
A structure composed entirely of Reishi towered above the sands, but remained quaint compared to the city. I could lose this Hollow if I reached it, I just knew it.
The sand kicks up in a flash of green luminescence as I change direction, the Adjuchas narrowing it eyes. The moment my feet touch the sand, the sound of a Cero being charged causes me to tense again.
The sand underneath explodes outward, missing me entirely again but growing more accurate. I felt like I was getting better as controlling my speed and power but the price was steep.
I was already reaching my limits while this Hollow was still raring to go. I closed my normal senses off the world again to see Spirit Energy.
I blink in surprise as I pass over bonelike pillar jutting out of the sand seemingly composed of Reishi. The Hollow pays it no mind so I decide to file it away for possibly analysis later.
I frown as I feel another Cero being formed in its maw, tensing in preparation of dodging. The Hollow waits patiently as I disappear in a flicker of green light, the Cero fired adjacent of my planned reappearance.
My feet touch the sand for a moment before my right forearm disappears in a flash of red. My trajectory changes immediately flying left and crashing into the sand multiple times before coming to a stop.
With my diminished Spiritual Energy the wound doesn't immediately close up and heal. The blood loss was already beginning to stain the sand, the world began to dim.
The Hollow slowly slithers towards me, a smugness in its eyes as finally catching its prey. I cough once as I try to sit up, my hand slipping in the rapidly growing red sand.
Who would have thought an arm wound... would do me in?
My eyes are forced open again to look at the night sky as the sound of Cero charging up.
I thought it wanted to eat me.
My shock increases tenfold as the Cero passes directly over me, from a totally different direction. A brilliant purple Cero which strikes the dragon Adjuchas directly, sending it flying backwards before impacting a sand dune.
Unlike before the sand does something I would liken to a nuclear bomb. Flying hundreds of feet into the night sky in the shape of a mushroom cloud.
Two feet softly impact the sand just behind my head, chuckling as it looked like I would die anyway. My eyes begin to unconsciously close again as mop of unkempt purple hair comes into view.
Purples eyes shine for a moment before I lose consciousness completely. A hand then firmly grips my bleeding stump, a white fluid slowly travels down the arm and flows over the blood.
The clotting my blood is immediate, my life which previously hung in the balance was saved in an instant. Another Cero begins to form as the Adjuchas stirs from underneath the sand.
The two Hollows square off for a moment before the dragon takes flight with a snarl. The Hollow looks down at me for a moment as I groan in discomfort, before looking back at the sky.
A Garganta opens up a second later, the Hollow carrying me through on its shoulders. A surprisingly gentle Hollow would have been the understatement of the year.
A moment later in the human world a similar black void opened in an empty alleyway. The Hollow steps through cautiously, and props me up against the nearest building.
The Hollow checks my wounds again, a smile forming under their mask. The Hollow stands again to leave, a smile appears on my sleeping visage as it pauses.
A cosmic thank you on my part if you will.
The black void closes a moment later leaving me alone in the alley, wounded but alive. The Spiritual Pressure of the Hollow that saved me quickly vanishing.
Rukia appears not long after, surveying the area with an odd look on her face. She crouches down to get a better look at me, my white bodysuit made of Spiritual Pressure already dissipated.
"Ichigo... what happened to your arm...?"
There wasn't a stump, but clinging to the stump was a mass of pure Hollow Spiritual Pressure. She recoils in disgust before staring in amazement as it slowly moves in through my skin.
A moment later my entire forearm begins to regenerate, slowly and deliberately. It was the most disgusting and intriguing thing she had ever seen in her entire life.
My palm regenerates next, leading slowly into my digits. She picks the arm up by the wrist to get a closer look, detecting no anomalies in the limb.
It healed perfectly, only high level Hollows possess such an ability. This means he was saved by a Hollow when he entered Hueco Mundo.
She places her arm flat against my chest, a green light illuminating the dark alleyway. Compared to my missing limb, my other injuries were minor bumps and scrapes. Even my damaged ribs.
My face scrunches up pain for a moment as my strained ribs move back into place. Discomfort or not, I remained unconscious to the world.
"Alright Ichigo, I'm going to get you home now."
Deep with the recesses of my mind I casually lay down in the comfortable sand. My monochrome double stands near me, a smirk adorning his features.
"You did real well, Ichigo. Even though you were saved in the end."
I look at him for a moment before allowing my head to fall back down with a smile.
"Thank you, that means a lot... even coming from myself."
He narrows his eyes for a moment before grinning even wider.
"You accept your darker impulses and pure instincts as your true self?"
"It would be idiotic to suppress a part of myself so powerful, who probably understands me better than I understand myself."
He starts chuckling darkly, yellow eyes twinkling with amusement. The sand underneath his feet crunches as he turns and starts walking away.
"It's time to wake up partner... but before you go, I remembered something."
He turns back to look at me seriously for a moment.
"You wanted to know my name? I remember now, my name is White."
x
I won't raise my sword against the innocent, it would be the opposite reason of why I became a Soul Reaper.