A/N: 42k words written for this fic. Wow! This is the longest thing I've ever written! I'll slowly post the chapters throughout the months. Anyway, this was just a case of me wanting some Ichigo in Rukongai fic, and then it grew out of proportions. Basically, this is an AU in which the fullbringers don't exist, and the magic sword that Rukia stabs Ichigo to regain his powers also doesn't exist because it only worked the first time due to the magical wish-granting powers of the Hogyoku. Enjoy!

Kurosaki Ichigo idly strolled down the streets. As always, he had his bag slung over his shoulder and was heading back home. It had been a couple months since he last saw Rukia, and he was doing his best not to think about it and just enjoy his peaceful, calm life. The wind tug at his hair, and the sun shone warmly on his face.

To the left of him was the soccer field, full of young children, and his sister Karin playing and running about. A soccer ball suddenly flew; a powerful kick sent it straight into the street. It landed far away from him, but he stopped anyway and watched a kid climb over the fence to retrieve it. The ball rolled onto the street, so the kid followed.

"Come here ball," the little kid murmured as they ran after it.

Ichigo smiled softly at the cute scene. Suddenly, there was a rumble of wheels. The child hadn't heard it, for Ichigo's ears were still fine tuned to changes in wind and rustles of fabric. Without thinking, Ichigo dropped his bag and leapt at the child, pushing him and the ball out of harms way. The two bounced on the road, Ichigo taking the brunt of it. Safe on the side of the road, Ichigo uncurled himself from the boy. He brought himself down to eye-level with the boy.

"Be careful next time, alright?" he said.

As he started to get up, a pair of bright lights immediately blinded him. Instantly, he pushed the boy out of the way as he felt the car nail him straight at his back. His breath was immediately knocked out when he hit the road, back first, sending out several jolts of pain. Ichigo's vision swam, and he could feel the familiar warm liquid trickle out of his back. Distantly, he heard cries of help and pressure at where his injuries where. However, he barely registered any of it as a several thoughts raced through his mind, each appearing and disappearing as fast as the blades of a fan. The car wasn't even close, it shouldn't have hit me. I wasn't even close to the road. It must've sped up, too. Was it an accident or was it-

The first thing he felt was the rough, hard ground. The next thing he felt was a drop of cool water. The single drop turned into several drops, and soon he felt himself getting drenched. Water flowed down his exposed arms and plastered his hair to his face. The ground soaked it all up like a sponge, and he felt the mud starting to cling onto his hands. The orange haired teen screwed his eyes shut. No use opening my eyes if they're just going to get drenched, he thought.

He blindly got up and immediately hit his head. His eyes flew open just as several drops hit him in the face. He wiped the liquid from his face and blinked the water out. He glanced upwards and saw a single branch, one without a leaf and looked to be completely lifeless, hanging directly above him.

"So that's why I didn't feel any rain in some places," he muttered to himself.

He surveyed his surroundings which turned out to be a forest. He noted, a little irritated, that he woke up in the only place in the forest without a canopy to block the rain. The teen looked down at himself and saw himself wearing a white garb.

"I feel like this should be black," he mused to himself.

The teen frowned. He focused on the feeling and realized something.

"Where are my memories?" he asked out loud.

I swear I had them, he thought. He tried to relocate them, but it all drew up to be a blur. He couldn't even remember his own name. The most he knew was that he had just died. Sighing, he shrugged his shoulders. He looked around the forest and found nothing but endless rows of trees...except in one direction. He went that way. It was an opening of the forest, and upon observing it, he was able to spot buildings in the distance. He looked up. Rain was still falling, but he wanted to visit civilization instead of holing himself up in a dark forest, waiting for the rain to stop.

"To go or not to go, that is the question," he murmured.

I wonder where that was from, he thought. He looked up again, and to his relief the clouds were beginning to disperse. To hell with it, he thought and he was out walking toward the buildings.

Now that he was closer, he could see that the buildings were shabby and poor. The walls that were probably once white were brown and peeling like a banana. As far as he could see were houses, all badly in need of repairs. Even the air had the permanent smell of dusty dirt. He saw people mulling about and saw that they were dressed in clothes as poor as their houses. The orange head tugged at his white shihakusho and pondered if his will get as worn down as theirs. As the teen wandered around the village, he noticed everyone averting their gaze when he looked at them.

Is it the whiteness of my shihakusho? He scowled slightly, but didn't stop his observation of the village. The air was filled with a tension of some sort, always feeling as if it was one villager against another. The teen frowned, even the little kids felt it and weren't entirely inclined to helping each other out. Scowls weren't uncommon in the village, and he wondered why.

Suddenly, a loud, deep roar echoed across the village. The kids shrieked and ran off, but most of the villagers frowns deepened and continued working. Another roar, this time shriller and quieter pierced through the tension. A group of big, white masked creatures abruptly landed in front of the teen. He startled, and unconsciously stepped back. This time the villagers ran off, screaming.

The monsters, hollows, his mind supplied, growled as they smashed open a house effortlessly. It let loose a string of dust, and most importantly, the frightened sound of screaming children. His mind went into overdrive.

"Hey!" the orange head yelled while throwing a rock at the hollows.

They growled and turned toward him. He gulped. Good thing they stopped thinking about the kids, he thought as he discreetly watched a young girl holding the hands of a smaller boy and a bundle of cloth scramble out of the rubble. He picked up another rock and threw it at the hollows.

"Catch me if you can!" he yelled.

He broke off in a run. He heard the hollows chasing him, big thumping on the ground. His heart raced as he pushed his legs to go faster. Come on, come on, he furiously thought as he zipped out of the village and back into the forest. Trees toppled behind him, causing the ground to shake like an earthquake. They slowed the hollows down, but not enough.

Leaves rustled with each step, and he could feel their Reiatsu, another helpful tip from his lost memories, pounding down on his back. It was hard, like a lightweight rock threatening to smash him to pieces. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Suddenly a hollow crashed down in front of him, the force knocking him onto his back.

"Fuck," he muttered angrily.

"Oooh! I knew this one was worth it guys! He has more Reiatsu than the other tasteless souls!"

The bird like hollow in front of him cackled. The others grumbled in delight, sending the leaves and branches crashing onto the floor with every laugh. The teen slowly got up, muscles tense. He was surrounded.

"He wants to fight too!" another hollow crowed.

"So, you think you can beat us? Do you know how many souls we've eaten, boy?" said the third hollow.

"I'll kill him this time," the first hollow told.

The orange haired teen turned toward the hollow while the others backed off. The hollow was much larger than him and seemed to resemble a dog. His mask was long and the horns looked like cute little ears. The teen shook his head. Cute or not, the hollow was going to kill him if he wasn't careful.

The hollow lunged at him. He instinctively dodged and kicked the hollow. It growled and swiped a claw at him. The teen jumped to the side and punched the hollow's claw. Leaping up, he launched a powerful kick at the hollow's leg and landed back on the ground. Huffing lightly, he stood up and watched the hollow roll across the ground from the strength of his kick. What was I doing when I was alive?

There was a breeze to the side of his head, and instantly he ducked. His eyes widened as another clawed hand shot at his chest. He threw himself at the ground.

"Too slow!"

Within seconds he was flying through the air. He smashed into a tree, splintering it and showering him with wooden splinters.

"I can't believe this boy almost had you!" the voice of the third hollow said angrily.

He stood up completely unaffected by the blood dripping down his back and arms. The bird hollow saw him and instantly began assaulting him with a barrage of strikes. The boy dodged them all and threw in kicks and punches where he could. He jumped away from the hollow. The teen's legs and arms ached. The hollow before him was much stronger and faster than the dog one, and his attacks were utterly useless against it. He wiped away the sweat away from his eyes.

There was a rustle behind him. He jumped to the side as a claw lashed out, but it suddenly changed direction. It ripped across his kosode and left several stinging wounds. He got off the hard ground and was immediately flung across the clearing and into another tree. Something cracked, and he slid onto the ground. The ferns and grass poked and scratched at his exposed skin. The teen frowned as his vision blurred at the edges.

"Not so tough now."

Gritting his teeth, the teen pushed himself up. Before he could do so, his left arm stopped responding. A quick glance told him that the crack he heard earlier and the odd numbing, yet sparking with pain, feeling wasn't made up. His arm was bent unnaturally and every attempt to move it brought his vision tunneling and several shots of dangerous pain.

"Fuck."

Three white blobs neared him, and he increased his struggles to get up. A thought flashed through his mind. A strong feeling overcame him. Somehow, he knew he couldn't die here. There were people out there that wouldn't want him to die there. With renewed vigor, he pushed pass the dizzying pain and stood up. With his good arm, he steadied himself up. The hollows watched, intrigued at the boy that wouldn't give up.

Finally, one of the hollows grew tired at the scene. The dog hollow launched himself at the boy and easily swept him to the side. The orange head, now covered with splotches of blood, struggled up again.

"I will not die today!" the teen yelled as the same hollow ran at him.

He clumsily dodged the attack. His left arm was jostled, but he paid it no mind. He gathered up his strength and pushed it into one powerful kick at the hollow. Before it could connect, he was flung into the air again. His head hit the ground first. He groaned at the impact and felt dust getting inside his throat. He pushed himself up and coughed out a disgusting mixture of stabbing pain, scarlet blood, and crimson stained dirt. I will not die!

"Now you're just a nuisance. Die already!"

His brown eyes widened as a white claw appeared out of nowhere, aiming directly at his head. Suddenly, it was gone. He saw it evaporate into particles and disappear into the air. A quick scan told him that the other hollows were all subject to the same fate. With the enemy now gone, his vision instantly swayed. Distantly he felt himself falling over, but before he hit the ground, he felt a pair of strong, warm hands grab onto him. A flash of pure, crystal white was all he saw before the darkness enveloped him.