Disclaimer: Oh dear god, I wish I owned Bleach. Sadly, I do not. You wouldn't want me to own it anyway - EVERYONE WOULD BE SLASHED. It would be IchigoxHitsugaya and Byaren and IkkakuxYumichika and UlquiorraxGrimmjow EVERYWHERE! Wait... what's bad about that again? :3

So uh... I realized that uh... I really, really enjoy IchigoxToushiro, even more than I enjoy IkkakuxYumichika! Isn't that weird? :3 So I had this idea and I wrote it down a long time ago. I'm finally getting around to writing it now. I hope its somewhere close to as good as I envisioned it ^.^; This is my first time writing both Ichigo and Hitsugaya, so I hope they remain true to their characters. I had a hard time referring to Hitsugaya as "Toushiro" since I usually call him by his family name xD;

I decided that this is taking place right after the first group of Arrancars attack but right before Orihime is captured and taken to Hueco Mundo. Very specific timeline indeed xD I didn't want it to be in the later chapters of the series because then it would... ruin... the whole thing xD; As always, reviews are appreciated and are the reason I update (the more I get, the more inspiration I get to update!), so don't hold them back! :) I hope you enjoy this first chapter :)

Living Human
chapter one

Somehow, whenever a Hollow appeared in Karakura, a structure of any sort was bound to get destroyed. It didn't matter if it was hit by an attack or a body slamming against it – it was sure to crumble. Ichigo would always catch a side glance to be sure there were no victims inside. Usually, he just saw people running around in a well-deserved panic. It's not as if they could see the battle going on around them. They would probably chalk it up to shoddy construction and possible get a pretty hefty settlement for it. They had no idea of the fate they had narrowly avoided. No idea of what was going on outside their home even at this very moment.

And it wasn't pretty. Ichigo had not encountered a Hollow of this power before. It was incredibly strong and large, nimble on its feet despite its size. The substitute soul reaper was having a hard time just defending himself against the creature – he didn't even have time to counter attack it.

With Aizen's betrayal and his plot in motion, the appearance of Hollows had only increased recently. Ichigo was not naïve enough to ignore the numbers – they were likely sent as a distraction to keep the attention off of him. With the increasing numbers came increasing power, and they were even becoming more organized. He was more than suspicious of the sheer number of Hollows that had appeared on this night. Even the extra shinigami posted in the town were all off fighting their own individual battles – which was likely the plan of their enemy.

He took a precious moment to wipe the blood and sweat from his eyes before he shielded himself once more with his zanpakutou. The blow was immense, pushing him back several yards in spite of his own incredible strength. It was hard for him to sneak a glance at the body of the Hollow attacking him, but he was sure it had to be an Adjuchas. It was certainly no Arrancar because it didn't have that same sense of individuality they had – but it was just as strong, perhaps stronger even.

Another building had a corner ripped off of it. Ichigo swore loudly and recklessly let loose a getsuga tenshou in the Hollow's direction. The attack merely grazed off of its impenetrable skin as it lunged forward at him. It was the first time he actually saw what it really looked like.

It's main body was humanoid to some extent, though proportionally it was a bit too large. It was white and grey, its entire body comprising of what appeared to be bone, though the shapes of it were similar to a tree more than anything else. Its legs had been replaced with appendages closely resembling the trunk and roots of a tree, and its head was a mess of upward facing branch-like horns. These branches continued to trail down the path of its spine. Its facial features looked as though they were carved cruelly out of bone to form a mask. When it attacked, it would stomp its feet through the pavement and the roots would shoot out of the ground at him. Its arms, which too resembled branches, would extend at its will. Ichigo had yet to find a limit to the distance they could go because the creature was constantly right on top of him – fast no matter how clumsy it appeared to be.

The substitute shinigami barely deflected another attack when he felt the presence of one of the other enemy Hollows disappear. He grinned, glad that the others weren't having as difficult a time as he was. He felt as the reiatsu of one of his companions started to approach him and he was glad for it – as much as he hated to admit it, he needed the help.

It appeared the Hollow sensed the approach as well, because it increased its speed and caught Ichigo off guard, sending him flying into a stone wall surrounding someone's home. The impact forced the breath right out of his lungs, and he coughed and wheezed as he peeled himself out of the wall and waited for the dust to clear.

The ground beneath him rumbled and he swore loudly once more, quickly jumping to avoid the well-placed attack. He had a moment to scowl when he felt the grip on his ankle before it threw him once more into a different part of the same wall. He groaned as he got to his feet the second time, spitting blood out onto the pavement. He had no choice – he wasn't fully trained to release his Hollow state, so he would have to make the counter attack swift and lethal.

He reached toward his head and pulled on his own Hollow mask and lunged at the creature without hesitation. For the first time, it went on the defensive and created a barricade of bone-like branches from the ground, attempting to keep the suddenly more powerful shinigami away from it. Ichigo laughed as the branches shattered beneath his blade, shouting, "Not so impenetrable now, are you!"

The Hollow was silent, only backing up and creating more as the shinigami swiftly approached it. But it was not enough to keep Ichigo at bay for more than a second, and he wrenched his sword up into the Hollow's abdomen. For the first time, it screeched in an unearthly, ear-shattering voice.

Ichigo's mask shattered and he pulled away from it quickly as it writhed in its pain. He heard the soft sound of his comrade's footsteps as they landed upon the pavement next to him, and he turned to grin at Toushiro as if to show him that he handled it on his own. The much smaller boy only frowned as he kept his eyes on the creature in front of them. It shrieked and slammed its branch-like arms into the paved road before it quickly disappeared underground. "Shit!" Ichigo shouted, running toward where it was only to find Hyourinmaru blocking his path.

"Let it go for now," the captain said, his eyes set in a deeper glare than usual. "I must report this to the Soul Society immediately."

Ichigo glanced down at the shinigami – a spirit with the appearance of a child and the mind of an adult. He saw the blood staining the side of his captain's robe and rolled his eyes. "First, let's find the others and have Orihime heal you."

The captain looked at him with that same glare on his face and scoffed. "It is superficial. Besides, out of the two of us, you are the one who appears to need the most healing."

The substitute shinigami took that moment to glance down at his own body. Toushiro was correct in his observation – he looked like he had been through hell. He had been able to dodge the most lethal of the creature's blows, but his clothes were torn and his body cut in several places on his arms, legs, and torso. He was covered in blood that he hadn't noticed at all during his battle. The pain was insignificant in comparison to many of his other battles, so he shrugged them off a surface wounds before turning and grinning at his comrade. "Toushiro, I didn't know you cared!"

The captain's eyes narrowed and he turned his back to the substitute shinigami. "That's Captain
Hitsugaya to you. Don't forget your place."

Before Ichigo even had the time to react, Toushiro had already set off in the direction of his lieutenant. The shinigami took a moment to scowl at the captain's back before activating shunpo in pursuit.

In spite of the large numbers of enemies during the attack, many of their companion's wounds had been external and required little effort on Orihime's part to heal. They gathered in the small back room of Urahara's shop to discuss the events that had transpired that night. Toushiro was currently in the other room making a concise report to Captain-Commander Yamamoto while Orihime tended to everyone's wounds.

The orange-haired girl turned to Yumichika and smiled. "Do you have any wounds that need healing, Yumichika-san?"

He brushed his hair from his eyes in his exaggeratedly graceful movement before turning to his companion pointedly. "Thank you for your kindness, but I did not participate in any battle tonight. Ikkaku monopolized the enemy yet again."

The bald shinigami crudely grinned at him before continuing to argue with Renji and Rangiku over who's battle was more intense. "Ah, but I would rather not get my hands dirty. After all, beauty such as mine is better left untainted, don't you agree?" He said, smiling at the human girl. She just smiled back nervously before finding another person to heal.

The sound of the door sliding open and closed caught their attention and managed to quiet the room. Toushiro stood with his arms crossed, his scowl ever present. Ichigo vaguely wondered if he had any other facial expressions before the captain began to speak.

"It was likely an organized attack," he began stoically, though his glare was thoughtful. "Designed to separate us so we could be killed one by one. We were underestimated, it seems, when it came to the rest of our opponents." His teal eyes landed on the substitute shinigami as he spoke. "Kurosaki's foe, however, was the real threat."

This news came as no surprise to Ichigo. He knew very well how he had only managed to stay out of the creature's way. "What was it?" He asked, curious to find out how to fight it.

"It is called Strangler Fig," the captain explained. "It is as it sounds – it is a powerful Hollow that kills its enemies by constriction. It appears to absorb their energy as it does so, much like the strangler fig that steals the nutrients from the tree it is wrapped around. It also has an unusually high regeneration rate, so it won't be down for long."

"It appears to absorb energy, Captain?" Rangiku asked, all traces of her previous kidding aside. "We don't know for sure?"

Toushiro shook his head, leaning back against the wall behind him. "It has never left an opponent alive," he said, and the shinigami all exchanged looks. "It is likely that it will return to finish what it started," another glance in Ichigo's direction.

"And what is its classification?" Yumichika asked, flicking his hair over his shoulder nonchalantly, as if he was asking what kind of tea was brewing.

"That is also unknown. It is believed to be an Adjuchas, but it may very well be a Vasto Lorde based on its strength and skill." These words were delivered carefully, as if in skepticism. The Vasto Lorde was one of the most powerful ranks of Hollows, after all, that is even stronger than a Soul Society captain.

"Captain, we should-" Rangiku started, but Toushiro raised his hand to quiet her.

"I have already filed the necessary applications, lieutenant," he said before sighing and going deeper into thought.

"Necessary applications for what?" Orihime asked out of curiosity. The captain ignored this question so Rukia chose to offer up the information. "To remove the seals on their reiatsu. The captain and lieutenants Rangiku and Renji are only at twenty percent of their power right now, and we will probably need all of our strength to dispatch this enemy."

"You will have to stay in groups of two or more at all times," the captain said, pushing himself off of the wall and crossing the room to the other sliding door. "Do not leave each other's sides – you will need someone at your back."

"And what will you do, Captain?" Rangiku asked, moving to get up and follow him.

He opened the door and glanced over his shoulder. "I will be on patrol. You need to work out your groups – while you do that, I'll be on watch. You know how to find me when you are finished."

The door closed behind him before anyone could say anything in response. Rangiku sighed and sat back down. "I don't know why he always does that," she said softly.

"Does what?" Orihime asked again. As good-natured as she was, she was sometimes quite clueless.

Rangiku looked at her and smiled sadly. "He shuts us out."

"No time for that," Ikkaku cut in. "Yumichika and I will head out too. Can't leave all the fun to the Captain, after all!"

"Be careful," Rangiku told them as they exited the room, though she knew it really wasn't likely of Ikkaku to take her up on the advice. She could only hope that Yumichika would be the brains between the two of them.

Renji got up as well, making his way to the door. "Guess I'll be going too. I'm not going to sit around here and let everyone else steal the show!" He ran out the door before anyone could tell him he had forgotten to take a partner.

"Renji!" Rukia called after him, but he was already gone. She looked back at Ichigo and Rangiku before opening the door for herself. "I guess I'll go with him. Safety in numbers," she said before exiting herself.

The lieutenant stood and stepped over to the substitute shinigami. "I guess we'll be-" she started, but someone cleared their throat. The two shinigami turned to the single human in the room.

"If I may, I would like to go with you," Orihime said timidly. "I can't just sit around while you are in danger. I would like to do what I can to help."

Rangiku smiled and knelt by her. "Of course you can come! Who knows, we'll probably need you by the end of the night anyway. All right, Ichigo?"

He looked at his friend uncomfortably. He was never happy when she put herself in danger like this, but he knew her well enough to conclude that she wouldn't back down easily. But if the Hollow were to come back that night, it would probably be for him. To "finish what it started" as Toushiro had said. He wasn't going to let her be around if that prediction was to come true.

He smiled at her. "You do whatever you want, Orihime." She smiled back at him before getting to her feet. "But I'm going to find Toushiro. I'm not happy with him going off by himself, even if he is a Captain."

"You know he won't be pleased," Rangiku said, but Orihime wasn't the only stubborn person in the room.

"I'm not the kind of guy who follows orders he doesn't like," Ichigo said, and it was true. If Toushiro had acknowledged that they would find greater strength in groups, he should be in one as well – especially when he is only at twenty percent of his strength. He walked to the door and looked back at the girls, smiling once more. "You two be careful, all right?"

They smiled back. "If Orihime is with me," Rangiku said, beaming at her temporary partner, "I'll be able to handle anything that comes my way."

"That's good to know," the substitute shinigami said, and left the room. He exited to the streets before sighing and heading off in the direction of the captain. The night was quiet again, but he of all people knew how deceiving it could be. It was times like this the enemy would be regrouping for another attack, and he knew it would come to him.

It had come to him first, after all. Maybe he had been the target from the beginning. It wouldn't surprise him that Aizen and his group would want him dead – a lot of other creatures would also like to see the same thing happen. He was becoming used to being a target.

He had running for a while, closing the distance between himself and Toushiro while widening the gap between them and their other companions. The captain must have gone to the very outskirts of the town. Ichigo surmised that it must have made sense to work his way inward while he searched. Or perhaps he was trying to lure the Hollow away from the rest of them. The substitute shinigami knew that the latter was more likely the case. He can't say that he hadn't already thought of doing the same exact thing.

Ichigo wasn't surprised when he felt the ground beneath his feet begin to rumble, and he quickly jumped out of the way as roots shot up into the air. He landed some distance away, on the top of someone's fence rather than the ground. He watched as the Strangler Fig unearthed itself, sporting an already well-healed abdomen. He swore for what felt like the millionth time that night. He hadn't expected it to regenerate so quickly.

He felt Toushiro's reiatsu coming nearer to him as his comrade realized who the Hollow was attacking. The captain was the closest one to him and would probably reach him long before the rest of the group would. Not that it mattered – Ichigo planned to finish the creature off before it had the chance to hurt any of his friends.

Without hesitating, he activated his bankai. He didn't waste any time – he rushed to meet the Hollow head-on in combat. "I've cut you once, I can do it again!" he shouted at it as his sword met the creature's armored body. It was as if his blade had struck diamond and it bounced off, not even scratching the enemy. He knew the only way to hurt it was to again trigger his own hollowification – it was the only time he had been able to graze it.

He reached up to materialize his mask when the creature lashed out, catching him in the gut with its branches and sending him into the side of someone's house. Before he could compose himself, the roots shot out of the ground and pinned him to the wall. He coughed up blood as one of them stabbed him directly through his side.

The branches were closing in on him, readying themselves to constrict and kill him. But their movements became slow, and Ichigo saw the frost as it formed on them and then became ice. He swung his zanpakutou at the now frozen appendages and they shattered like glass all around him.

Toushiro was already engaged in combat with the creature. He certainly didn't waste any time in attacking – he had previously readied his own bankai and was going for the swift kill. It was always surprising to the substitute shinigami to see how merciless such a small person could be. It was easy to forget that Toushiro was not the child he appeared to be.

Ichigo quickly jumped into the fray – he wouldn't leave all of the fighting to the captain. "You freeze it, I'll cut it!" he shouted over the sound of metal hitting bone armor. Toushiro glanced at him and nodded before stepping back to command his zanpakutou. The roots that followed him and pierced through the ground were the first to be destroyed. The creature was on the defensive again, having met the pair that could potentially destroy it.

The substitute shinigami slashed through its protective barrier of branches at rushed toward its main body as Toushiro worked to freeze it. The Hollow was desperately trying to attack the captain, aware that if it stopped the source of the ice, its limbs would be unstoppable once more. The smaller shinigami didn't miss a beat and froze every appendage as it came his way. Ice began to form up to the Hollow's torso and Ichigo struck, shattering it at its core. At least, he thought he had. But the only thing that shattered was the ice he had hit. The Hollow remained intact.

It was then he sensed Toushiro's rapidly diminishing reiatsu. He quickly turned and ran toward the captain who was now covered in the creature's roots. He had been caught off guard – the edges of the branches they had shattered had already regenerated and struck him. He was elevated in the air by the appendages wrapped around him, tightening their hold on his small body. Ichigo could see the blood pooling beneath him, dripping down the white of the roots that had stabbed through him.

The captain was trying to freeze the branches around him, unable to swing his zanpakutou, but the roots were absorbing his reiatsu – taking away his strength as they were suffocating him. Ichigo could feel the monster behind him grow from the power it was taking, but he had to free Toushiro. He pulled his hollow mask on and slashed the base of the branches, cutting them cleanly through. He grabbed the captain's feather light body before he could hit the ground and held him under one arm while he faced the Hollow.

He shouted the name of the attack as he swung his zanpakutou with impeccable aim – the power of the move was so intense that it blew a hole through the wall of the house behind where the Hollow had been – right after it stole away under the ground to escape. Ichigo ran to the hole and shot one more getsuga tenshou down in one last futile attack before his mask shattered once more.

He felt the blood soaking through his robes and he placed Toushiro on the ground, assessing his wounds. He grimaced at the sight – the captain had become incredibly pale from his injuries. He wasn't conscious, but he was still breathing. Shallow, pained breath but breath nonetheless. Ichigo quickly scooped him up in his arms and ran off in the direction of Orihime.

As he ran in his urgency, he tried not to notice that despite Toushiro's close proximity he didn't feel his reiatsu at all. It had completely disappeared.