AN: I own Kokuryu Kurayami and his zanpakuto. I OWN NOTHING ELSE. Here's a tip: Kokuryu doesn't remember anything, so when he communes with his zanpakuto, he's surprised about how instinctual it is. He also finds out something else: He's not human. Enjoy!

Prologue:

The White Sword, The Black Dragon

A man was wearing a black pair of pants, with a dark grey t-shirt over it. Strapped to his thigh was a sheathed dagger. Over the shirt was a long, hooded, black robe. He was looking around, clearly not recognizing his surroundings. Suddenly, he stooped, seeing something that must have held some kind of hold on him. When he straightened again, he was holding a sword. It was straight, until one looked at the tip. It curved into a wickedly sharp point. The entire sword, and most of the sheath was white. The sheath had a black dragon embossed on it. The sword's hilt was wrapped in such a way that it looked scaled, but the tassel was bound together, until it hit the end. It split into two strands of equal length. The blade was white, with an alabaster stone embedded in the blade. The sword was about five or six feet long, yet he handled it easily. He grabbed his head, suddenly, dropping the sword, as he collapsed to his knees, a pained whimper escaping through his clenched teeth.

Slowly, the man sat up, a name having come to him, one he recognized, despite the fact that he couldn't remember why it hit him so hard, so he said it out loud. "Ryu Fumei. I... I am Ryu Fumei." As he straightened, he saw an almost entirely white outfit. White boots, white hakama, black obi, black underrobe, white over robe, and a white trench coat. Shrugging, Ryu put them on, then gripped the sheath of the sword. He looked at it, then turned and walked away, walking away from the fairly peaceful life which he barely remembered. He walked for days, heading towards the rising sun, never stopping for long, only long enough to rest. One day, he reached the coast. Somehow, he knew that he had to cross, so he began to sprint, crossing the seemingly-solid waves of water at a velocity that he should never have been able to reach. After about a fortnight, he reached the other coast.

Ryu stopped, crouched, and rested for a bit, before starting the next leg of his journey. He stood, and was about to start jogging to Surrey, when he noticed that he wasn't alone. "To what do I owe the pleasure of the presence of those about me?" he asked.

"Who are you?" demanded an orange-haired woman. She seemed to be about twenty, and wore a sleeveless white overcoat, which was adorned with a wide diamond, which had a plus and two dashes inside.

"Ryu Fumei," said Ryu. "Who are you?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki, Captain of Squad Twelve of the Thirteen Imperial Court Guard Squads of the Court of Pure Souls. What is your business here?" demanded the woman.

"I've been travelling here for a few months, following an odd call," said Ryu. Ichigo indicated the katana in Ryu's hand.

"What are you doing, bearing a katana?" she asked, curiously.

"This is my partner, and my blade. His name is Arabasutā no Ryū, the Alabaster Dragon," said Ryu, somehow knowing that was what it was. He got a hunch, so he drew the sword, and cried, "Scatter the clouds, Arabasutā no Ryū!"

The small amount of spiritual pressure that had alerted them to his presence suddenly spiked, calmed, and spiked again, causing a massive dust cloud to raise. When it cleared, they were stunned to see Ryu encased in white armor, bearing the same sword as before. In his left hand, however, was a shield, the same color as his armor. He looked at himself, stunned. "Um... what is this?" he asked, flabbergasted.

"You know the name of your zanpakuto, but don't recognize your shikai?" asked Ichigo, wondering what this man was.

"Shikai?" parroted Ryu, questioningly, before shaking his head, "I don't know what that is."

"Shikai is the first stage of release for a zanpakuto. In your case, it seems to give you armor and a shield," said the woman on Ichigo's right. "Try communing with your zanpakuto."

"Alright," said Ryu, sitting down, still in Shikai. He closed his eyes, and the pressure skyrocketed, as he attempted to commune with his sword.

"What is this man?" asked the eldest of the group of shinigami, giving a voice to the question running through the shinigami's heads. He was tall, yet stooped, but he had the air of a seasoned warrior. He, too, wore a white overcoat, but it was just tossed over his shoulders. On the back was a wide diamond, like Ichigo's, but there was a single dash. This man was the Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Imperial Court Guard Squads, Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ryu looked up. "Um... I don't think it worked."

"You were in Jinzen, weren't you?" asked Ichigo, confusing Ryu.

"Um... What?" he asked, seriously confused. Ichigo just sighed.

"Captain Commander, I think we should take him to Urahara's," she said to Yamamoto.

"I agree," said Yamamoto. "Take him there."

"Sir," said Ichigo, bowing to him. She turned to Ryu, and said, "Come here, Ryu. I'm gonna take you to see Geta-boshi."