The next story that takes place is "Fated Farewell"

Unrelenting Resolve

The planes of light were ready to entrap him so that he would be paralyzed, but just as quickly as the spell was cast, it just as quickly dissipated in reverse as it backfired, the energy from the spell shot back into her body. She cried out aloud as it felt like her heart was electrocuted. Ichigo gasped as he watched her stagger to all fours upon the ground, clutching her chest as she panted in pain.

"W-What? What the hell just happened?"

It was too complicated to explain to Ichigo, but it seemed that no matter what spell she attempted to cast, it would backfire because of what possessed her inside her soul and body. She only wanted to cast a spell to test Ichigo's full strength and not hurt him directly, but it seemed she had no choice, but to never again attempt casting a Kidou. This was a near deadly mistake as it felt like her heart was having a stroke. Ichigo was baffled and confused as he began to worry for her.

"Hey! A-Ar…Are you okay?"

Kein gasped as she gazed up at the orange haired amateur Shinigami.

"W-What do you mean am I okay? Why the h-h-hell aren't you A-ATTACKING ME? This is a perfect opening for you. You should be slicing me down to…to—" her words cut short as she began to cough and gag.

Ichigo gasped in shock innocently, but then his expression hardened to its usual stern composure as he replied "Sorry, but it's not my style to attack an opponent that is obviously not able to get back up."

Kein was shocked. She had been in so many fights with countless Hollows let alone fellow Captains that wanted to challenge her just for the thrill of the battle and was used to openings being exploited in battle against her that she had forgotten what it was like being shown mercy. In her training with Kaien, although his teachings were forceful and sometimes a tad bit brutal, they were always fair and it was this same fairness that Ichigo was displaying to her now.

Tears welled up in her eyes. As much as she wanted to teach him some powerful yet basic fighting forms that would greatly benefit him, she was quickly beginning to lose her will to fight him. She was losing her will to fight…anything.

This loss of will did not come from recent events, but from events that happened previously just before the fiasco Rukia had caused. Kein herself had been sentenced to death by Soul Society for things that were not of her fault or of her complete control. It was a disheartening situation that made her feel like everyone was betraying her and it shot down her resolve to even help Rukia as it felt like there truly was no chance at changing the iron clad boundaries Soul Society had set for so many centuries. Only a few left in this place she considered a friend and with the current events of Rukia's execution date, Kein's sentencing was put on hold.

However, with the appearance of Ichigo, this simple 15 year old kid with transferred Shinigami powers, she saw a flicker of hope, a hope that had long since left her. This boy's fierce determination rekindled a long since dead flame within her that was sharply blazing into a fire.

She kept knelt on all fours as her heart continued to skip beats erratically as she clutched her chest, moaning out as she knelt further over onto her left elbow. The pain was immense and was a regretful mistake. Despite the arrhythmia, her heart seemed to stop at the sudden sounds of footsteps coming towards her as she struggled to lift her head to find Ichigo standing above her, his shadow overcastting her like a blanket of sympathy.

"Y-Y-You don't…d…d-desire…to kill me?" She stammered in a cough as he simply answered, "No. And neither do you." She further gasped as it felt like he could see right through her. There was no point in hiding herself now as he knelt down in front of her to remove his potentially threatening stance to instead show Kein that he had no intention of laying a hand on her.

"Tell me something Kein. What happened just a minute ago?"

Gathering her composure once more as the pain in her heart finally was dulling down. Leaning back on her calves she attempted to answer her with a brief explanation. "I tried to cast an entrapment spell on you to see if you could break out of it, but the spell backfired."

Cocking an eyebrow he asked, "Why did it backfire?" Kein sighed and replied, "Because I can't use my Shinigami powers." Ichigo gasped as he quickly wanted to know, "What? But you're a Shinigami right? Why can't you use your powers?"

Further explaining to Ichigo, "Shinigamis come with various powers, one of the main things being Kidou. There are three types of Kidou; the first being Bakudo, which is binding spells, Hado, which is destructive spells, and then there is healing spells. I used to be a master at the form, but I can no longer use any of it."

Ichigo found it hard to understand what she was telling him. A Shinigami that could not use Shinigami powers? How was that possible?

"What about your Zanpakuto?"

Kein sighed once more as she tilted Bankaguna and looked upon it clutched again in her hand. "Kidou is merely the form of casting spells that are channeled through spiritual energy. Zanpakutou's however are with us when we are born anew into Shinigami. Any of my powers within my Zanpakutou are still mine to use, but my Kidou is worthless for reasons that would take too long to explain. I don't think you'd understand even if I tried."

Ichigo let out a sigh. She was right, he didn't quite understand, but that didn't matter because it didn't change a damn thing.

"Listen. I appreciate what you've been doing here and I think what you showed me will help a lot, but time isn't on our side. I need to get to Rukia. So…will you help me…Kein Marasuna?"

And then he held out a hand to her, light and gentle and ready to receive hers within his own as she looked at it and then into his gaze. Within that moment she felt she could trust him and if there was anyone that could save Rukia, somehow she felt it would be him. Lifting her empty hand she reached it out to his and placed it gently within his palm as the warmth between them mingled lightly. It brought about a nostalgic feeling as a memory triggered within Kein's mind of Kaien helping her up from taking a fierce attack from his Nejibana. It was a very strange feeling. She smiled as he was going to help her up, but before they could go about their way, something deep within Kein came barreling out from her soul as things quickly went awry.

Suddenly, an inner voice from Kein's mind began to speak to her from her subconscious, "That was a big mistake trying to use your Kidou. That leaves you wide open," the voice hissed as the sclera of Kein's right eye began to blacken over and her pupil turning into a bright yellow. She ripped her hand away from Ichigo as the boy gasped at the appearance of her eye. "Ichigo, get out of here!" She commanded as he got up and took a few steps back. "But…why? What's going on?"

"Have you so easily forgotten the last time you tried to cast a spell? Or did you think that because I lay in dormant within you that you'd be able to use your powers again?"

In horrific memory flashes, Kein thought about the destruction laid waste to a nearby town a week ago due to her body being taken over by a darker entity within her. There were bodies everywhere and houses drenched in blood. It took every ounce of her willpower to rid the being from her mind, but by then it was too late. It wasn't long before someone found out and reported her to the Captain Commander and soon after the report she was reprimanded and sentenced to death, but with the events of Rukia and Ichigo coming to Seireitei, her being expelled was put on hold.

Had she not refused to oblige to being imprisoned under the threat of killing another mass amount of people, they would have locked her up. Despite the unfairness of her sentencing, she had reminded them that she took an oath to protect Soul Society and she would continue to do so by meeting the invaders of Soul Society and taking them out.

She began to stagger back and forth as she did her best to try to not let this dark being again take over her, but it was horrifyingly stronger than it was before as a sudden morphed cry rang out from her lungs as her eyes became Hollowfied and a corner of her face was covered in a strange broken pieced mask. A sinister hissing broke out as Ichigo gasped in horror.

"That mask…" he chanted, starring at the ever familiarity of the cover "…it can't be."

A dark morphed voice replied to him, "That's right, it's a Hollow's mask, something you should be quite familiar with, Ichigo Kurosaki."

He couldn't believe it. A Hollow mask? Just what exactly was she? "You are quite the fool, thinking you could have taken her on with her Shikai form. She was barely tapping into her power at all. Just imagine the damage she could lay upon you in her Bankai form had she not given a damn about your well being," the Hollowed being spoke in monotone.

"Ban…kai? What the hell is a Bankai?" Ichigo asked in bewilderment.

"You really are clueless aren't you boy. You may look like a Shinigami, but you don't know a thing about being one so allow me to enlighten your ignorance. Shikai is the first transformation of a Shinigami's Zanpakuto, but Bankai is the second and last transformation it can take on and also the most powerful, but it doesn't matter anymore. I'm here now. It's time to die."

Ichigo got in a battle stance as he felt overwhelmed by this new dark power emanating from Kein's body.

"My name is Ernesto Gutierrez. I was once an Espada, but now I am a part of her."

A dark sickening feeling hit Ichigo as within a split second he was standing untouched, and in the next this transformed Kein was standing in front of him as blood spewed from his chest down to his thigh. With undetectable speed, Hollow Kein had slashed downward upon his body.

"Gh–AHHHH!" He cried out as the mask on Kein's face was beginning to form more completely as Ernesto who was now in control of her flashed behind Ichigo and stabbed upward with Bankaguna as the sickle staff pierced straight through Ichigo's chest, nearly missing his heart. Keeping Ichigo stuck upon the staff, he waited as the blood splattered and spewed further.

"So weak," Gutierrez chanted as he quickly withdrew Bankaguna from Ichigo and watched the boy fall face on the ground as a pool of blood surrounding his body. Death was quickly approaching the boy as well as being rendered nearly paralyzed from the two attacks as a dark reiatsu seeped from the boy's wounds.

At the boy laid still, but then Gutierrez watched in shock as he saw the boy slowly forcing himself up to his feet, dripping blood everywhere.

"What's this? That attack would normally render any Shinigami paralyzed." Ichigo heaved his pain filled body to a stance with his blade still wrapped around his hand with the cloth that covered the handle.

"Well I-I-I'm no ordinary…" lifting his head up as he gave a death glare to Gutierrez "…S-Shinigami!"

Gutierrez was not deterred however as his composure stayed the same and his expression refused to budge any form of emotion. "Drivel. Complete and utter drivel. It's a wonder you've made it even this far into Sei—"

"…shut up already!"

Despite how grave the situation was, Ichigo held his sword up in a notion to either block or pierce through as Gutierrez held out Bankaguna and chanted, "Rei de…SEIKArrrr–nnnnnghimpossible. You don't have the power to take back over! NO!"

Gutierrez began to thrash back and forth as he desperately tried to gain control on Kein's body and mind, but it wasn't working. Her will was too strong. She did not want to harm Ichigo, but most of all she didn't want to see him die like Kaien did. It was too painful of a memory for her to go through that again. The mask that was forming on her face suddenly cracked off, her eyes returning to their fiery red and yellowish glow. When she was fully recovered she slowly lowered herself back down to the ground, leaving Ichigo with empty thoughts. He didn't know what to think let alone comprehend what just happened, but at this point he was becoming very faint in vision and heavy with a dead weight of his body, barely standing, not knowing if she was going to attack, but then something happened he did not expect.

She was crying.

"Kaien," she spoke the deceased Lieutenant's name softly to herself. It felt like the same nightmare had almost reoccurred, but it was enough to ache her heart.

"Ichigo, I'm so sorry," she stated with choking in her tone. She slowly approached Ichigo dropping her weapon immediately to show she had no intention of fighting him further. Her eyes spoke serenely as she slowly placed a hand upon his sword that was shaking in his grasp. The only reason he knew he could trust her is because of the repeated feeling he got when their blades cross. She never once showed signs of wanting to kill him or even hurt him.

It was through this logic that he reasoned with himself to just this once let his guard down and lowered his sword. He fell to one knee from the exhaustion and dizziness from loosing so much blood. He was panting heavily, but still kept Zangetsu grasped within his hand.

Kein also knelt upon one knee as she looked him in the eyes. "That look on your face, I know what you're wondering. You're wondering what just happened, the things you just saw and felt. It's a familiar feeling isn't it…when you turned Hollow for the first time?"

Ichigo gasped, "W-What?" She smiled lightly, "Ichigo I'm not a fool. I know what happened to you when Byakuya and Renji came to retrieve Rukia. Byakuya severed your soul chain and your Shinigami powers. The only way you could have gained those powers back is if you had help. It was Urahara Kisuke right?"

Ichigo didn't reply as he was more focused on trying to stay conscious and listen to what she was saying then trying to give back some smartass remark.

"I will explain to you in due time, but the process Urahara put you through is both a blessing and a curse. If you have already had your mask appear, your body not in your own control, then you are infected with what we call an Inner Hollow."

"An Inner…Hollow?" He questioned.

"Yes. What you saw just now, however, is not the same. It's too complicated to explain, but what you have, that is exactly what I'm referring to."

His expression changed as if he had seen a ghost. He was almost pale at the thought and disorientated.

"Inner Hollows are a part of the dark side of our souls. They can take over if given the chance to, but they can also be fought back if your will is strong enough. They act as a separate entity and yet they live in our conscious mind. I can't think of any other simpler way to explain it. With time you will understand everything, but for now I have to heal you."

"You…c-can heal me?" He asked surprised to make sure he was hearing correctly. She simply smiled at him and asked in the form of another question, "Do you trust me, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

He was hesitant to answer, but he replied, "Y-Yes." She slowly stood up as she picked up her sword, giving some distance between herself and Ichigo.

"Prepare yourself Ichigo, for you will bear witness for the first time to a Bankai." The hair on the back of Ichigo's neck stood up as a chill went down his spine.

"A Bankai…" the thought trailed off in his mind as he sat silently and watched her intently.

"The only way I can heal you is if I release my Bankai. Once I release it an enormous amount of my spiritual pressure will be unleashed. When that happens, Shinigami all over will be able to sense my power and come to this location so when you are fully healed you will have to leave immediately."

She held out her staff as it was held horizontally in midair within her grasp as she readied herself. "Using my healing ability will take 90% of my spiritual energy and will render me nearly paralyzed. Unless healed by someone. I can't be healed by Kidou, however, it only 72 hours to regain my strength and or heal from injuries completely on my own."

"Wait a minute, 72 hours to heal?"

Ignoring his talk, Kein continued, "Ganju is quite a bit away from here, but if you keep going east down this alleyway and take three right's and one left, you will find him in that area. Once you find him you must go towards the west and you will come upon what might look like a warehouse—"

"—Kein, wait a second. You said healing me takes 90% of your energy—"

"—it shouldn't be occupied, but you can use it for hiding and within there should be an underground passage way that should lead you to the white tower where Rukia is being held—"

"—what's going to happen to you? Where are you going to heal until then?"

"By the way, I'm sure you were warned about this already, but look out for a man named Kenpachi. I may be one or nearly one of the strongest Shinigami's you have faced, but there are other Captains that are just as frightening in ability and power. Kenpachi is one of them and he will be looking for you I'm sure."

"Damn it answer my question!"

"Are you ready?"

"What?"

"Ban…KAI!"

Within a moment's notice, Kein's spiritual pressure flashed from her body in a dark flaming blackness outlined in red as the entire area shook from her raw power. It was so daunting that Ichigo was nearly pushed face to the ground, but he held himself up, still barely conscious and still bleeding. If he was not soon healed, he would bleed to death. When her power was released, nearby Shinigami's and Captains looked over towards the north area as they saw a dark aura shooting up towards the sky. It was immense and terrifying. Kenpachi was running along some walls as he gave a glance over at the aura and smiled a devilish grin.

"Well, well, seems like Kein found herself some bait. If she's releasing her Bankai then that's gotta be the strongest ryoka." "But why would she need to release something that powerful…unless…" he trailed off in thought.

When Kein had finished releasing her Bankai, her dark aura calmed to a dim black glow as her form was revealed. Her outfit very much resembled the depiction of a personification of the Grim Reaper.

Beautiful colored chains strapped over her shoulders and sprung out from under her belt. They not only took on red, but also the blue and yellow of her original outfit. Her shoes went from black to an inverted white and the stripping on her robe also took on inverted white colors. Her Zanpakutou most of all was dramatically changed however as it was now a giant scythe. It was like one was starring death in the face, the grim reaper himself.

Without wasting further time she chanted her attack, "Rei de…KARITORU!"

Within moments of this chant, her scythe released a wave of energy as for a few seconds she entered a catatonic state, her head shot backwards and her mouth opening as a weird translucent substance exited from her mouth. When it had fully revealed itself, it formed into what appeared to be a clone of Kein, but its body was like a ghost; see through and pure white, but could be easily seen.

"W-Wh…what the hell is that thing?" Ichigo asked rhetorically in shock. This substance was a part of her own soul that she then commanded to enter into Ichigo. At first he panicked as he couldn't stop it from coming at and into him, entering through his mouth, but within moments of entry it began to repair his body from the inside out.

The blood that was surrounding him upon the ground slowly began to seep up and back into Ichigo's body as his wounds were healing rapidly, feeling his strength return, but draining Kein's instead. Within five minutes of healing, Ichigo was not only good as new, but he had renewed power from Kein's spiritual pressure, an essence of herself within him. Her parted soul exited Ichigo's body and entered back into hers as her Bankai returned to Shikai, and then back to its regular sword form as it vanished from sight upon her command. Ichigo got to his feet with ease as he flexed his hands and arms, feeling like he could take on 100 Shinigamis.

He patted his chest and felt for the open wounds, but they were completely gone as well as all the blood returned to him, like nothing had ever happened.

"Wow Kein, you weren't kidding. That was amazing. I don't know exactly what you did to heal me, but I feel fantastic. Thank…you…

As his gratitude slipped from his lips and trailed off when he noticed Kein in the distance face flat upon the ground, not moving or panting for air.

"Kein!" He cried out as he ran over to her. He gently knelt down and held her upright. She looked up at him with a barely conscious gaze. She couldn't move as reality was slipping in and out for her. Lifing a shaky hand, it gently cupped Ichigo's face as she uttered in a mere whisper, "Leave me."

"What? But why?"

"Ichigo there isn't much time to explain. Y-Y-You have to l-leave me." Just as she stated that, yelling and shuffling of multiple footsteps could be heard in the distance.

"I'm not going to leave you behind."

Stubborn and headstrong, Ichigo quickly got to his feet as he began to make a run for it. He wasn't sure what ultimately made him decide to take her with, but he wasn't going to stand around and try to figure it out.

"Ichigo please…I-I…I don't want to get you in trouble."

"I'm already in trouble just being here."

"Getting sentimental on me Ichigo? What makes you think anything is going to happen?" He glanced down at her momentarily before looking back up again to make sure he was going the right way.

"Because of that look on your face right now and the look you gave me when we began to battle. Its like you were regretting something. Not to mention those guys ran away from you when they saw you. Look, you went out of your way to help me and even heal me. The least you could tell is tell me why. If you tell me that much, then I'll put you down."

Kein gasped. The orangenette may be some young kid, but his uncanny ability to read people's emotional reactions, even when crossing blades, was scary. It was like he could read her like an open book.

"You are the person t-to save R…R-Rukia," she coughed for a moment before finishing "…I would do it myself, but it's not my style to betray the very people I have protected, fought against, and formed friendships with for so many years. Please try to understand, that I can't help you fight your way to her…but I can help form a path for you. That is why I wanted to fight you because I wanted to make you stronger, even if it was only for a moment of time."

"Wait a second, you had every intention of helping me from the beginning?" She smiled, "yes. I had to decide, whether to kill you or to help. You're the enemy, and I had to determine what type of person you were really like."

"Something tells me there's more to it than that," he encouraged her to talk as he turned a second right in the path she led him to go.

She placed a hand upon his chest and clutched his robe flap as she became saddened. "I want to tell you, but you won't understand it all."

"Then give me the dummed down version." She sighed, trying to think of what to tell him without confusing him further.

"Shinigami's and Hollows have been fighting for over 1000 years and Hollows can take on many forms…" as she explained in short about how Hollows come to be and how they can ultimately form into beings called Arrancar, which is just merely an advanced form of Hollow. She further explained how she ultimately ended up with an Espada as a part of her soul when sent on a mission to Hueco Mundo.

"It is because of my Hollow powers and risk of hurting others like I did a week ago that I and my Zanpakutou will be destoryed."

Ichigo gasped as he stopped in mid run and looked upon her. "What? But isn't there some way to get that thing out of you?" Sadness could be seen in her eyes as she replied, "Ichigo, its permanent."

He gasped as she finished explaining, "Originally I was just going to leave and get Urahara's help to try to stay in the Human world, but then Rukia messed up and was sentenced to death and then you came along. I don't know why exactly, but like Rukia, I just want to help you. It's not right for them to sentence her to death. She was just saving your life, like what we have always been taught to do as our duty."

"That's horrible. They're condemning you for something that isn't your fault without trying to help you or learn how to prevent something like that again from happening."

"Ichigo, there is nothing they can do. I'm a danger to everyone—"

"—no you're not," he interrupted in irritation as he began to run again, continuing down his path to Ganju.

"Okay so…what happened a week ago was really bad. Blood was shed, but you managed to stop Gutierrez from completely taking over and with your fight against me you managed to stop him before he killed me. Seems like you've already learned to restrain him even better than you did before."

Kein gasped. She never thought of it like that before and he was right. Just in the short time she's been affected by Gutierrez, she's already managed to find the will to contain him more properly.

"So, yeah I guess potentially you're still a danger, but you're learning more and more how to get back control, how to stop Gutierrez from ultimately getting to you. If they would just give you time or something or help you find someone that knows what to do, then maybe it wouldn't be such a bad situation, but they won't even bother doing that. I'm starting to not like this Soul Society. The system seems so unforgiving. And killing Rukia for saving my life? You've got to be KIDDING ME!"

He yelled out in a rage as he took one last left turn down another path. "Kein, I know you don't want to feel like you're dragging me down. I won't force you to let me carry you so just tell me where to drop you off so you can heal on your own and come back with me."

Kein gasped as she wasn't sure she was hearing correctly, "Come…back with you?"

"Huh?" He looked down at her for a moment, but then he noticed Ganju in the far distance.

"Oh, I mean when this is all done and over with, I'll take you back with me to the other side. You're going there anyway right? So maybe you can help me and my friends get back home. Deal?"

Tears formed in Kein's face as for a split second she thought she was looking at Kaien in the spirit of Ichigo. She wiped away her tears as she happily replied,

"Deal."