A/N:I got the Idea after thinking about how many time the hollow showed hints of his true nature as a zanpakuto, and decided to explore a possible AU where he was simply a hollow, and nothing more. Its gonna be a series of one-shots about different possibilities, and alternate endings that may not be very long, but whatever.
Leave ideas in the comments if you want to see a particular battle or scene, and tell me what pairings to include in it, kudasai!
I own nothing, and enjoy.
Urahara was an idiot. Ichigo was going to kill that damned smug shopkeeper, and not even be alive to regret it. He could feel the chains consume themselves. The encroachment was going to finish, he would become a hollow. He could hear voices calling out to him. He paid them little mind until he heard one he recognized. It was calling him. That voice that used to talk to him after his mother died. It always kept him company when someone was idiotic enough to mock him for his hair, told him where to punch, what bones to break, told him to throw out remorse and just follow his instinct. That's exactly what he did now as he put all his focus on its voice and followed it somewhere.
"Shiro? Where are we?" He looked around at the sideways clouds and the rows of dull, blue-gray towers, before settling his eyes on the being in front of him. It looked like him, but bleached pure white with unnatural eyes that glimmered a bright golden yellow like molten brass that swam in pure obsidian darkness. Shiro reached forward his pale hand, and gently stroked the boys cheek.
"We're inside yer soul, aibou. Tha's generally where people go when their dyin', er in yer case jus' sheddin' off skin."
"What do you mean by that?" He said as he calmly noted why the voice had always gone by Shiro.
"Feel my reiatsu Ichi. Wha' am I ta ya?" He questioned with a wide, feral smirk. The buy focused his mind.
"Your a hollow. That means-" He was cut off by the other slipping his soft white hand stroking his mouth gently, then sliding the opposite arm around to embrace the shivering teen. "Shi-"
"Not jus' tha' aibou, I'm also par' a ya. An' I don' really wanna let ya become a shinigami, ya understand." He purred, practically cooing into the boys ear.
"If I become a hollow Urahara will-" Ichigo was panicking.
"He won' do anythin', 'cept maybe die. Don' worry, 'e cant hurt me, an' I'll be damned if I let 'im even so much as touch ya. I can keep ya locked up safe in here until we escape, ok?"
"But what about Rukia?"
"She's likely gonna be dead before we can even ge' ta seireitei, so calm yer horses king."
"Nice choice of words."
"Shut it." The hollow leaned forward and planted a firm kiss right on Ichigo's surprised lips, before placing his hand on the teen's chest. "Too late ta go back, aibou. Yer a hollow now." He removed his hand, revealing the empty hole where Ichigo;'s heart had been, before taking over their body to kill himself a shopkeeper.
Ichigo sat there calmly waiting, no longer worried about saving Rukia. His heart gone, he had no reason to care. He merely trusted Shiro to take care of everything going on outside, and was busy wondering what the other being was doing to old geta-boshi. Busy enough not to notice the thirty-something year old man approach. He looked up upon her the chains rattling however.
"I was too late…" was all the man said before walking away with a sad look. It paused, then kept walking. Ichigo didn't bother calling out, he knew it was his shinigami powers- yet, he didn't care. He only want Shiro to come back and tell him what they were supposed to do now, after all Ichigo wasn't used to being a hollow. But Shiro was, so he'd wait.