Lying broken and bloody on the ground, Ichigo watched as Rukia was taken through the gate by Renji and Byakuya. He could curse Byakuya, he could curse the Soul Society, he could even curse fate itself. Still, he cursed his own weakness. During the moment of truth, when he was needed most, he failed.

He needed to be able to protect his friends.

He needed to be stronger.

"Need a hand, kid?"

Ichigo glanced around, though he was having a lot of trouble moving.

"Behind you."

Craning his neck with a groan, he looked to find a man approaching him. He wore an expensive suit, green tinted glasses, and his skin was heavily tanned. "Looks like you got your ass kicked, son."

Ichigo tried to prop himself up, but it felt like his limbs were made of lead. "What's it to you? Who are you anyway?"

"You can call me Mr. Brass, or Mr. B if you want." Strolling casually up to where Ichigo lied, Ichigo could see that the man's mouth wasn't actually moving quite in time with his words. "Sorry 'bout the weird voice. Doubt you speak Old Realm. As for what it means to me, well, let me put it this way. Things were pretty good, weren't they? Not perfect, but what is? "Mr. B knelt down beside Ichigo, a shark like grin on his face. "Then some assholes come out of nowhere and take it all away. If only you had been strong enough…" Gripping Ichigo by the shoulders, Mr. B hauled him to his feet. Ichigo could feel some of his pain to fade. His arms felt lighter, and his cuts hurt less. "I can offer you that. I can give you the strength to take back what's yours. "

"Now hold on," Ichigo said, setting a hand on Mr. B's chest, "you might wanna rethink that phrasing. My friends aren't property. I want to protect them, not own them."

Mr. B held up a hand defensively, though one hand stayed on Ichigo. "Bad choice of words. Hierarchy aint my thing. I'm talking about getting strong enough. You can protect everyone. You think you were strong as a Soul Reaper? This is even better."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. He was suspicious, but something about this man's offer seemed oddly appealing, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't considering it. "This kind of thing doesn't ever come free. What do you want in return?"

Mr B. smirked at him. "Clever kid. Let me put it this way: what happened to you happened to my boss. Got kicked out of the world that HE built. So here's the offer. You keep an ear open, and occasionally give us a hand as we work to get ourselves a foothold. In exchange, you get power. Lots of power. You'll be able to go bust your friend out, and make sure nothing like that happens again. So what do you say? Really, it's a bargain."

Ichigo's face contorted in concentration. He wasn't sure he could trust this guy, but with what happened earlier…

…did he have many options?

"Alright, I'm in. How does this work?"

Mr. B's smile had been shifty before, but now it was downright predatory. "Normally there's a bit of prep, but I can tell we won't need it. Just… hold still, okay?"Suddenly, his grip on Ichigo tightened. His face distorted, and his skin seemed to shift and melt, like molten metal. Ichigo tried to pull back, but he found himself rooted on the spot. Molten bronze flowed over Ichigo's skin, but it didn't burn. As it moved above his neck, Ichigo swallowed his breath, closed his eyes, and waited.

Kisuke Urahara wasn't sure what to expect when he felt the surge of bizarre spiritual pressure. What he definitely wasn't expecting was a coffin made of brass and bone. "Of all the… Tessai, give me a hand. We need to bring this thing to the shop. Don't want just anyone coming across it."

"Understood, sir." With that, the two men began to haul their cargo back to their home.

Climbing down the ladder to his underground training cavern, Kisuke Urahara checked his watch. It had almost been exactly five days since he found the strange coffin, the Chrysalis Grotesque. Double checking the time, he unfolded an umbrella in front of him. Moments later, the coffin began to crack, veins of green light pouring forth. In the blink of an eye, a mighty crack rang out, and the Chrysalis exploded into a cloud of brass dust. Putting aside his umbrella and waving some of the dust away, he peered at the sight before him.

Where the Chrysalis had been now stood Ichigo, worn and weary. While his wounds had healed, his robes still bore the mark of battle. A faint green glow surrounded Ichigo as he worked to catch his breath.

Kisuke was… confused. According to his studies, Ichigo should be standing tall, not a scratch on him, and bathed in green fire. While certainly healthier than when he entered the Chrysalis, he was far from what he should be. A cursory glance revealed the problem; clutched in Ichigo's hand was a broken Zanpakuto, the blade barely reaching past the hilt. This would take something more to fix than the Chrysalis had to offer.

Casually strolling over to where Ichigo stood, Kisuke began to clap slowly. "Good to see you're awake Ichigo. Last time someone was down for almost as long as you, they started a religion around him."

Ichigo glanced around before looking at the shopkeeper. "Mr. Hat'n'Clogs. Mind telling me how I got here?"

"Me and Tessai carried you here." Reaching the young Soul Reaper, Kisuke lightly poked him in the chest. "Can't just leave a big old coffin lying around after all. Somebody might bump into it."

Steadying himself, Ichigo's breathing began to stabilize. "A coffin? What are you on about old man?"

"Simple really," Kisuke said, twirling around and beginning to pace away. "Whoever you were talking with put you to sleep, and you needed to be kept somewhere. An impenetrable coffin works just fine. Now, while it looks they did a pretty good job patching you up, I see there was one thing they couldn't force through. I imagine that's why you haven't finished the change yet."

Ichigo was getting frustrated with confusing answers. "What the hell are you talking about? And how'd you know about the guy I talked with?"

"Just a bit of research and good ol' intuition. Now, about that sword of yours…"

Ichigo held up the shattered blade. "Ugh, yeah. That redhead, Renji I think, cleaved right through it. You know a way to fix it?"

Kisuke grinned. "I was just about to offer it. We're gonna have to wake it up, then it should fix itself. There are a few ways, but I think I know the best one for you." Ichigo managed to get out the first syllable of his next question when he suddenly found Kisuke right beside him, blade in hand. In a cold voice that held no mercy, Kisuke spoke a single word. "Survive."

To Ichigo's credit, he managed to leap away quick enough, though he could feel the shallow cut the blade had left in his side. Kisuke was hot on his heels though, and Ichigo could only barely see the next swing coming. He moved to block, but Kisuke simply carved straight through the cross guard, leaving Ichigo with nothing but a handle. Ichigo quickly jumped back, putting some distance between them.

"All form but no substance. You'll need to do better than that Ichigo." Kisuke stepped forward slowly, holding his sword casually off to the side. "Here, let me show you how it works. Awaken, Benihime." Ichigo watched as the sword morphed before his eyes, going from a simple blade in a cain to a true instrument of death. "All Zanpakuto have a name. To truly unleash your power, you must learn yours. Ah, but enough explanations. I believe you were running for your life?"

Ichigo did the first thing to occur to him. He turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could from this clearly deranged shop keeper. He had to keep moving, had to get away.

Pathetic.

Ichigo hesitate briefly. That voice…

You heard me, pathetic. Running away like a coward.

Ichigo continued to move, but now his focus was on the voice in his head. "Who are you? Answer me!"

I am…

Ichigo snarled. "I said who are you?!"

Your ears are clogged with fear. Continue to flee, and you will never know strength. Stand and fight!

Ichigo came to a stop. Whoever this was, they were right. He couldn't run forever. He had to do something.

Abandon your fear. Turn and face him. Don't give an inch. Now Ichigo, advance! Never stop! If you retreat you will age. Be afraid and you will die. NOW SHOUT OUT MY NAME!

"ZANGETSU!"

In that instant, the cavern was filled with a brilliant green light, as if an alien sun had risen right there. At the center of it all stood Ichigo, awash with green fire. Burning brilliantly on his brow was an emblem depicting crossed swords. Ichigo himself had changed in that instant, the work of the Chrysalis manifesting at last. He stood taller than he had before, and his muscles were more defined. His once brown eyes now shone a brilliant green, and going up his arms were deep green stripes, shaped like those of a tiger. Held in his hand was Zangetsu, awoken now and in its true form, like some giant butcher's knife. If one looked closely, they could see that shadow of some foul dragon slithering within the depths of its black body. Ichigo faced Kisuke, casually lifting the blade above his head.

"Hey Urahara." A sharp grin spread over Ichigo's face. "Catch." Bringing the sword down with a mighty swing, a wave of blinding green light shot forth, screaming towards Kisuke. When the smoke cleared, Kisuke stood there, rattled but unharmed, a shattered red wall before him. Ichigo smiled, flopping down into a sitting position and letting out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. The flames dimmed somewhat as he rested.

"Congratulations Ichigo. Not only are you a Soul Reaper," Kisuke began, reaching up and adjusting his hat, "you can now count yourself amongst the ranks of the Exalted."