"Ichigo, can you hear me?" A hard but kind voice asked rousing the unconscious Ichigo. Looking around, the young orange haired teen took in his soundings. Strange sideways buildings seemed to be the only solid objects and the sky was a strange soft white glow.
'Where am I?' pondered Ichigo observing his new surroundings with confusion.
"Over here," called the voice again this time getting Ichigo's attention. Quickly turning to face the direction that the sound came from the teen was met with a strange sight. A man who appeared to be in his mid-forties was standing on what to Ichigo looked like a flagpole that was standing straight up and down. Now this was not the weirdest thing about the man far from it, in fact, the strangest thing to Ichigo was the man's clothing. the fabric that the man's long coat looked solid in the middle but the closer it got to the collar sleeves and bottom the-the coat the more it looked like it was made of fire or smoke as it billowed around the man in a similar manner to the aforementioned substances. Underneath the coat was a tattered but clean white dress shirt, the collar of which seemed to have frayed many years ago and the top buttons and the hem on which they sat appeared to have suffered the same fate as the collar of the shirt. on the man's face was a strange pair of sunglasses, they appeared to be normal at first but the closer you looked you would soon notice that they appeared to just be one piece of glass that was almost bonded to the face of the man as from what Ichigo could tell there were no arms on them to hold them on the man's face.
"So tell me, who are you?" Ichigo asked suspicious of the man in front of him, even though he felt as if he already knew the man but just couldn't remember his name.
"My name is $ &*!%# ." replied the man.
"What?"
"Ah, so you are still not ready to know my name. How much longer do I have to wait?...you should wake up it seems like you have got a visitor."
"wha-" Ichigo was cut off by his mind being ejected out of the world he was just in back into the real world.
"What the hell just happened?" pondered Ichigo out loud. Sitting up in his bed the young teen saw a figure dressed in black walk through his wall and into his room.
'Oh, this is just great, first I have the weirdest dream ever and now I have to deal with another spirit.'
"It is close." stated the figure as she walked into the center of Ichigo's room.
"What's close? And don't just walk into someone's room and start talking nonsense," yelled Ichigo at the figure who just ignored him.
"Hey don't ignore someone when they are talking to you!" yelled Ichigo, planting his foot into the back of the figures head before turning the light on.
"Y-you can see me?!" asked the figure extremely surprised that what appeared to be a human could see her.
"Yea, I can seeing as it was my foot that was planted in the back of your skull."
"Odd, you look normal, but you must be defective in some way." the figure said examining Ichigo.
"Hey cut that out! Now tell me just what the hell are you because you sure as hell aren't human."
"You would be correct in that assumption. I am a being called a soul reaper," stated the now identified soul reaper.
"Wait, soul reaper? As in the people who control the afterlife and fight corrupted souls?" questioned Ichigo
"Yes but how do you know about us?" questioned the soul reaper
"My father used to tell about them to me as bedtime stories when I was a kid." answered Ichigo sitting back down on his bed and pulling his desk chair over for the soul reaper to sit on.
"You're telling me that you learned about a people who normally cannot be seen from a bedtime story?" the skepticism in her voice as apparent as a bright light in a dark room.
"What you don't believe me? I am telling the truth you stupid midget!" retorted Ichigo angered that the soul reaper did not believe him.
"Midget you say?" asked the soul reaper getting visibly angrier as she spoke those three words. "Bakudo#1: Sai!" exclaimed the soul reaper pushing her right hand out towards Ichigo almost as if directing an invisible force at the orange haired teen. Ichigo then for no apparent reason fell to the ground his hand and arms held behind him by an invisible force.
"Hey! What did you do to me?!" demanded Ichigo wriggling around on the ground trying to break free of his invisible bindings.
"All I did was cast a small restraining spell on you, while not the strongest it is more than enough to restrain a simple human. Albeit one that has the power to see soul reapers," said the petit soul reaper her pride taking center stage as she belittled the teen who was bound on the ground in front of her.
"That is cool and all but can you please release me?" questioned Ichigo who was still trying and failing to break his bindings.
"Let me think about it...NO!" spoke the soul reaper a cocky smile growing on her face.
"Why you fu-...what was that sound." retorted Ichigo his head snapping in the direction of what he had heard.
"What sou-" said the soul reaper only to be cut off by a loud growling howl that permeated the entire room.
"There it is again! What is that?" questioned Ichigo worried what was making that sound was close. That was when he heard it a shrill scream coming from the bottom part of his house, his sisters were in trouble he had to help.
"A hollow here? I should have sensed it before it got this close!" whispered the soul reaper under her breath. Turning to Ichigo she spoke "you stay here I will go deal with the hollow." with that she ran out the door before Ichigo could respond.
"Wait! Dammit, I have to help yuzu and Karin," stated Ichigo, using as much strength as he could he managed to get himself standing and hurried down the stairs after the soul reaper. Stumbling down the stairs he fell about halfway down rolling down the rest. When he reached the bottom he managed to get himself, standing again and ran over to the soul reaper. That was when he saw it his sister being held by a massive monster easily five times the size of a normal human. The monster aside from its size had only one other defining feature, a white mask that looked to be made of bone. Sniffing Karin the monster opened its massive maw as if to eat the young girl, Ichigo seeing this had only one thought. 'i have to save her.' with a renewed strength the orange haired teen struggled against his bindings harder.
"Stop!" warned the soul reaper "you'll just damage your soul doing that!"
Not heeding the soul reaper Ichigo put more effort into breaking his restaurants, putting so much effort in he began to draw on power sealed deep within his soul. With the strength given to him by the power he had drawn upon he broke the restraints. Sprinting towards the monster he slowed only for a split second to grab the sword that his father kept near the kitchen for home defense. Unsheathing the weapon he struck, bring the sword down on the arm of the monster he served the appendage freeing his sister. Then as if acting on instinct he brought the sword up and in one fluid movement split the monsters head killing it instantly.
the soul reaper who had just had front row seats to what had just happened was astonished to say the least, a mere human had just not only broken her kido but had also killed a hollow with almost practiced precision. Breaking out of her stupor she knowest another hollow heading for the boy. Ichigo who had somehow sensed the evil aura the thing was giving off turned to face it. bring up his sword he saw the beast rear back for an attack he brought up his sword in attempt to block the incoming attack but it did not work as the beast was too strong and just shattered his weapon and sent the orange haired teen flying. The hollow then went in for the final strike, launching forwards at speeds that should have been impossible for a being that size the being. Opening its mouth, the monster readied itself for its meal, the boy in front of it. The monster stopped just feet from its prey the soul reaper blocking its attack with her sword and body.
Twisting the sword lodged in the teeth of the hollow to get it to release her the soul reaper used what was left of her strength to hobble over to a small wall and lean against it for support. Facing the orange haired teen she spoke "you, human, do still wish to save your family?"
"Of course! If there is a way tell me!" came the reply of Ichigo.
"It will only be temporary, but you must become a soul reaper if you want to save your family. You must run my sword through your center and I will pour my power into you, but be warned I cannot guaranty you will survive this or will even work but either way it is the same result," said the soul reaper raising her sword.
"Then give me that sword soul reaper." responded Ichigo grabbing the blade of the sword and lining it up with the center of his chest.
"My name is Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki."
"And my name is Ichigo Kurosaki" and with that Rukia ran the tip of her sword through Ichigo's chest. A bright flash of light erupted from the both Ichigo and Rukia signifying the transfer of power from the petite black haired soul reaper to the orange haired human in front of her. Said human was now clad in the standard soul reaper uniform and was wielding a massive five and a half foot long monstrosity of a sword. Rushing forwards his sword raised he blocked an attack from the monster splitting its fist in the process. Pulling his sword out of the fist of the beast he swung up and hit his mark the mask of the monster killing it with little effort.
Rukia who had been watching the fight from the beginning was dumbfounded, this human with orange hair had not only taken all her powers, he also wielded the single largest zanpakuto she had ever seen and was swinging it around like it weighed nothing.
Ichigo after dispatching the monster felt a tug on his mind as if warning him of oncoming danger. deciding to listen he dodged to the right, this just so happened to be the right thing to do as another massive fist flew through the air at the spot where he had just been standing. Turning around he saw another one of the monsters reading back for an attack once again raising his sword to block the attack, he stopped the bone crushing attack with relative ease. Swinging his sword up to try and kill this monster but was met with nothing but air as the monster had dodged his attack. Quickly bringing his sword back in front of him he launched far was towards the monster this time aiming for its legs to slow the beast down. Hitting his mark, Ichigo severed the monsters right leg causing it to fall. Pointing the point of his sword up at the mask of the beast allowing it to fall on top of his sword and killing the monster easily.
Lifting his sword up and resting it on his shoulder he turned to the downed soul reaper to see what her condition was. Opening his mouth to speak, Ichigo never got a chance to even utter a single word as he was backhanded into a wall by another monster. pulling himself out of hole he created when he hit the wall, he stood ready to attack the hollow only to be cut off by the words "Burn, Engetsu" and the hollow erupting in flames and falling to the ground dead.
Turning to where he heard the person speak he saw his father standing three feet in the air wearing the same black uniform that he and formally Rukia had been wearing and wielding a flaming sword. Ichigo at a loss of words could only say one thing "DAD?"