Disclaimer: not mine

Hope you're enjoying. Quick ch2 because I already had it written

Chapter 2

'I forgive you, Ichigo.'

He swallowed the blood in his mouth…Shinigami…Hollow…Shinji! He opened his mouth, releasing the bite, to stare down in horror at the bloodied body, limb hanging by a thread to a familiar body. No…no…he screamed in agony and denial, not feeling as his body evolved again, tufts of red fur appearing at his ankles, wrists and neck, his tail disappearing as he shrunk to six and a half feet tall. His skin became even whiter if that was possible, every muscle well defined, making him look very strong. He looked up at the room and snarled at the weak Hollows, a cero charging between his horns and then obliterating them, leaving only Kisuke who stared at him in horror and it hurt to see that. Ichigo…he was Kurosaki Ichigo. He reached out to Shinji's body, careful of his clawed fingers as he lifted the limp form, cradling him to his chest, able to feel his energy fading. No…he would not kill Shinji! He pressed a hand to the shoulder wound and carefully focused his own power, pushing at Shinji's own Hollow powers to heal him.

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Kisuke stared at Shinji's unmoving body in horror, he couldn't tell if the Visored was alive or dead. And then he covered his ears as Ichigo screamed, but this was different to the Hollow screams of before. His eyes widened even further as Ichigo's form shifted and changed, becoming more human in shape, the tail gone. He'd evolved further? Not good. He felt the golden eyes look his way and flinched as a cero flew by, but it missed him easily, obliterating the remaining hollows, unable to keep the horror he felt from his face. And then he watched Ichigo reach out to Shinji with clawed hands and got ready to release Benihime, knowing he may die here, only to be shocked again as the Hollow lifted Shinji with utmost care, cradling him against a bare white chest. He felt the Hollow power rise but Ichigo made no move to attack or eat Shinji and then he saw it, Shinji's wounds were bubbling with the white substance of a Hollow, healing. "Ichigo?"

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He heard his name and looked up, golden eyes locking on the green clad Shinigami. "Ge..ta…bo.." he forced out through a throat that hadn't spoken since his transformation.

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He blinked at the garbled, broken sounds and then felt a stab of pain as he put them together, Geta-boshi, the name Ichigo had given him what felt like lifetimes ago. The boy was still in there somehow. He slowly sheathed Benihime in his cane and resettled his hat, finding the strength to smile, without teeth. "Ichigo," he stated firmly. "Can I come closer?" He didn't want to do anything to tip the mental balance back to mindless raging beast. He remained still as golden eyes studied him through a rather intimidating mask before the mask dipped in a nod. Kisuke took a deep breath, calming himself, before moving slowly closer. At least Ichigo's latest evolution had caused him to shrink down to a more reasonable height.

"Sh…ji…hrt," Ichigo rumbled, still holding him very carefully.

"He is," Kisuke agreed. "Can I help him?" he asked with bated breath and then ever so slowly Ichigo loosened his hold on the Visored, holding him out slightly but not putting him down. He slowly lifted his hand to hover over Shinji's chest, relieved to see it moving with breath and then his hand glowed green with healing energy. He kept it up even at the unsettled noise Ichigo made. And then the door opened again and Ichigo snarled, moving blindingly fast. Kisuke blinked, finding he had been shoved behind the Vasto Lorde, Shinji now in his arms.

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Orihime and Chad froze as they stared at the Hollow and then Chad spotted Urahara and Shinji behind it. The Hollow was snarling in rage, a cero charging and Chad readied himself for a fight.

"Ichigo no!" Kisuke yelled. "Don't hurt them!" he put Shinji down, lunging forward to grab Ichigo's arm.

The whole room froze as his words sank into the teen's minds, their eyes widening in shock. Ichigo froze in response to the warm, human, hand on his arm, the cero dying away as the masked face turned to Kisuke.

"It's alright Ichigo, it's Inoue and Chad. They aren't going to hurt you or us. They're your friends, remember?" He asked as he gently rubbed the tense arm. This close he could see the mass of scars covering white skin and he wondered just what Ichigo had been put through since his transformation.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime stared at the form, no, it couldn't be…and yet…the orange hair….ripped hakama…her hand went to her mouth in horror. What had they done to him? Was he…had they killed him to do this?

Chad stared, eyes wide even as the armour faded from his arm in his shock. Ichigo? His hand balled into a fist, Aizen would pay for this.

"Ch'd…." the mask tilted, and the teens could see golden eyes studying them. "O…h'me..."

"We're here Ichigo," Chad stepped forward slightly, meeting the golden gaze fearlessly and he saw something in those strange eyes, recognition, pain…sorrow.

Ichigo slowly relaxed, Chad was his friend. He turned away from them and went back to Shinji, moving to nuzzle at him.

Seeing that Kisuke slipped past him and over to the children, seeing the horrified shock in Orihime's eyes, feeling pity for the girl.

"What happened?" Chad demanded quietly.

"I am unsure, other than that Ichigo has somehow been turned into a Hollow and used as bait for a trap, no doubt hoping we would kill him, or he would eat us." They didn't need to know how close the last had been to happening. "We need to get him out of here and back to my shop before Aizen sends more Hollows after us." He was surprised they'd been left alone so long, especially with the surveillance equipment destroyed.

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Shinji felt the hardness of a floor under him and then realised he shouldn't be feeling anything. He'd been bitten badly, Ichigo had been about to literally eat him, not that he blamed the kid when he was out of his mind. He'd thought a few times maybe there was something left of Ichigo left inside the Hollow but was he just dreaming? Then again, he was still alive, right? He felt something cool and hard, gently pressing against his amazingly pain free body. He slowly forced his eyes open to find a Hollow mask way too close considering he'd almost been eaten and then his ears registered a noise like…almost purring? He felt strong arms wrapped around him, too cool for normal and he finally realised the Hollow was holding him. "Ichi…go?" he whispered, throat dry. Golden eyes met his and he saw intelligence, understanding and pain in them. He managed a smile, forcing the arm that hadn't been a chew toy to move, to stroke the mask. "Welcome back."

"Shi…ji."

Ichigo's voice was very different, even from how it sounded during their training him to use his mask, but it was definitely his name that the kid had said. Shinji shifted weakly, wondering how he was healed and then Ichigo shifted to stand, holding him close to his chest, giving Shinji a good view of the Hollow hole in Ichigo's chest. He blinked as he spotted the two teens with Kisuke, looking lost and exhausted but mostly unharmed. "Kisuke?" he called, and the scientist turned, relief in his eyes.

"Glad you stopped napping Shinji. As I was saying to these two, we need to leave before reinforcements arrive," he explained before looking at Ichigo. "I need to cut the chains Ichigo," he put his hand on Benihime. "May I?"

Ichigo stared at him before slowly nodding, moving so they were pulled tight, he wanted out of this room! His sudden shrinking hadn't loosened them, they had shrunk with him.

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The group moved swiftly through white halls, Kisuke had called the others to pull back, that they had Ichigo. Shinji was unconscious again in Ichigo's arms, still exhausted even with the boost Ichigo had given him to make him heal. Considering he'd been chained up the whole time Ichigo was moving well, easily adapting to his newest form. His mind was a mess and he was able to recognise that fact now, memories broken and fragmented. He didn't trust himself to know friend from foe, he would have to trust them to know for him. He had almost hurt his best friend, hell, he'd nearly eaten Shinji! And…he wasn't hungry, for the first time in what felt like eternity there was no driving need to eat which was nice. How long it would last, he didn't know, he just hoped he could keep from hurting anyone.

They came around a corner and skidded to a halt, the group moving protectively in front of Ichigo and his passenger.

"I must admit, this is unexpected," Aizen confessed, seeing Hirako unconscious in the arms of the Hollow.

Feeling the fear, anger and concern, Ichigo snarled in warning at the man in white. He knew him…he did…he felt his own hatred and fear surge, he'd hurt Ichigo! He held Shinji closer since the other man was unable to defend himself.

"I see….so something of Kurosaki has survived the transformation. Return to your room and there will be no punishment," he offered only to receive another snarl. "Very well." He raised a hand and Ichigo howled, collapsing and writhing in pain.

It hurt! He forced his hold not to tighten, not to crush Shinji even as the agony robbed him of any other thought.

"STOP IT!" Orihime screamed, her hair clips glowing as her fairies were released. "Shiten Kōshun, I reject!" she cried, the powerful shield forming in front of the group and Aizen was forced to stop his attack on Ichigo as the shield began to reflect it back.

The agony stopped and Ichigo whined softly in pain even as Chad put an arm under him and pulled him up, amazed that Shinji was still held firmly. Ichigo blinked dazedly and looked down, finding Chad at his side. Didn't Chad care that he was a monster now?

"Intriguing, but I am afraid I cannot let you leave with my latest experiment. Do you like it? Turning a Visored into a true Hollow. It appears my technique needs some work as he was not meant to remember his old identity, but you did bring me more subjects."

Kisuke glanced around but to move forward they had to get passed Aizen. He squared his shoulders and moved forward. "Get back to the others." He ordered softly, Tessai could open the way back for them, then again with his new form Ichigo could probably do so as well. "Okiro, Benihime," he commanded and Aizen smirked, drawing his own blade.

Ichigo looked between the two, knowing something was going on. Geta-boshi felt different now, power rising, tinted with bloodlust. He hated the mess of his memories, he should know this! Then Chad and Orihime were guiding him to the side of the room, trying to get past the now fighting Shinigami. Aizen! It was Aizen! He'd hurt him, done this to him, turned him into a monster. No! They couldn't leave Geta-boshi. He looked at Chad and then gave Shinji to him before rushing to attack Aizen.

Chad gently held Shinji and looked back to see Aizen defending himself from Ichigo and Urahara before pushing Inoue towards the exist.

"But…"

"Ichigo wants us to get Shinji to safety, we are not leaving them." Chad assured her, and she nodded sadly before they took off running.

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"Shinji!" Mashiro called in alarm as she spotted the approaching figures. The group watched as Chad and Orihime ran towards them, Shinji limp in Chad's arms. The two teens stopped and Kensei took their leader from the quiet young man even as Ishida moved to look over Orihime and Chad.

"What happened? Kisuke said you had Ichigo," Yoruichi demanded and frowned as Orihime flinched.

"They remained to fight Aizen," Chad answered.

"Ichigo was well enough to fight?" that did not make any sense, if he was well enough to fight why had he not escaped. She saw the look the children exchanged and frowned. "What is it?"

"Kurosaki-kun is…he…" Orihime looked away.

"Ichigo was turned into a Hollow," Chad answered for her. Dead silence met his answer. "Aizen admitted that the process should have wiped his memory, but he recognised us." His explanation was met by a flinch from Orihime.

"Orihime?" Hachigen questioned the girl he had helped train to expand her powers.

Chad rested a hand on her shoulder in support. "When we entered the room he was being held in, he did not recognise us at first and went to attack. He stopped when Urahara called his name, he was moving to protect Urahara and Shinji by attacking who he saw as intruders." Chad explained, speaking much more than usual but he wanted them to understand. "He was being kept locked in a room and chained up like an animal. He looks very different, but he is still Ichigo. He carried Shinji out, protected him even from Aizen's attack and he refused to leave Urahara to fight alone." The last thing he wanted was the group sent to rescue Ichigo to attack him when they saw him, thinking he was a normal Hollow and no longer their ally.

The Visored exchanged looks, not sure what to think. They all cared about Ichigo in their own way, he was one of them. To hear he was now a Hollow, the enemy? And yet according to Chad he had protected Shinji, no Hollow would do that. A low groan gained everyone's attention as Shinji stirred, waking.

Kensei carefully put him down, steadying him as he swayed, and Shinji looked around the group before frowning. "Where's Ichigo and Kisuke?" he demanded.

"They stayed behind to let us get you out," Orihime answered and Shinji turned, ready to run back to the city.

He stopped as a loud noise buzzed in the air and then there was a Hollow before them, covered in blood, an arm missing…and a familiar green clad figure over its good shoulder. "Stay back," Shinji ordered the others when they went to approach. He turned to glare, and they all backed off, eyeing Ichigo warily. "Ichigo," Shinji called, and golden eyes focused on him. "Kisuke okay?" he asked, and the mask tipped to the side.

"H'rt," he answered after a few seconds. "Foll...w'd." he looked back to the city.

"Call Tessai and get him to open the Garganta," Shinji ordered.

"You sure?" Hiyori asked, eyes locked on the Hollow Ichigo had become. He looked nothing like the kid, other than his hair colour, but he did share similarities with Ichigo's fully Hollowfied form. She kept eye contact as the mask turned in her direction, looking for any sign of the kid in those golden eyes.

"Yeah."

The call was made and the Garganta soon opened. "Ichigo, we need to go," Shinji held his hand out to the Hollow who hesitated, looking from Shinji to the gaping hole before moving cautiously forward, allowing the Visored to lead him through after the others.

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Rukia paced the training room, hating herself. She had failed Ichigo and Aizen had gotten his hands on the teen. It wasn't right. Then she'd been refused permission to try and rescue him. She'd been shocked when her brother had allowed her to return to the town after the rescue team left, at least allowing her to see Ichigo…or his body should they return. She'd been utterly shocked when Ichigo's Father turned up, acting serious for a change. How did he know?

Finally, the call came and Tessai powered the device and they all waited as the rescue team began coming through.

Yoruichi landed easily and mentally winced when she saw who was waiting for them. She hadn't felt comfortable with Ichigo carrying Kisuke, but they didn't have time to argue about it if he was right about being followed. The rest of the group were quickly emerging behind her.

"You found him?" Isshin demanded before Rukia could.

Yoruichi nodded. "No matter what you see, keep back." She warned as Shinji came through, leading….

Rukia went for her blade, eyes wide, even as she spotted Urahara slung over the Hollow's shoulder. A Hollow who was pulling Shinji back from them, growling softly. Where was Ichigo?

Shinji let Ichigo tug him back, he seemed to have latched onto him and Kisuke and he wasn't going to argue. "Don't draw!" he called, seeing Ichigo's friend going for her blade. He then turned his attention to Ichigo, watching as his missing arm finished regenerating. He put his hands over Ichigo's and gently squeezed to get his attention. "It's okay Ichigo, you know everyone here, there's no danger," he soothed, speaking quietly.

"Where is my son Yoruichi?" Isshin demanded as the Hollow backed away, but he had the sinking feeling he knew. Why else would they bring the enemy back with them? Or let it carry Kisuke?

"I'm sorry Isshin," she whispered, seeing Rukia's eyes widen. "Shinji and Kisuke found him like this, chained up in a room. He's not mindless, he protected Shinji when he was unconscious and then brought Kisuke back to us. He spoke then too but…" she trailed off as she heard noise, turning to see Ichigo slowly lowering Kisuke to the floor so he could be seen to. Shinji remained at Ichigo's side, talking softly to him and it was obvious that Ichigo was listening. Then gold on black eyes were aimed their way.

Isshin stared at the Hollow his son had become, searching for any sign of his child in its form. Then golden eyes met his and the mask tilted to the side, studying him.

"Da…d."

The voice was deep and echoing, sounding nothing like his son, but if he closed his eyes, he could hear the fear, pain and sorrow in it. He took a step towards him and Ichigo remained still. He walked right up to the Hollow, staring up into the horned mask that hid his sons face, now taller than he was. "Ichigo," he breathed, reaching a hand out to his child and a claw tipped hand reached back very slowly, being extremely careful not to let the claws touch him. He then reached up and placed his other hand against the cold mask, staring into the gold eyes that shone behind it. He felt Ichigo press into his hand and he knew, this was still his son. How would he ever tell the girls? Ichigo could never come home like this. And what would Soul Society do when they found out? Would they come after Ichigo to kill him, seeing it as freeing him? This close he could see the crisscrossing scars covering Ichigo's body and it made him want to go rip Aizen apart with his bare hands.

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Rukia watched as Dr Kurosaki walked towards the Hollow, touching its hand before placing a hand against the mask and it began to really sink in, this was Ichigo. It was like Kaien all over again, except she hadn't seen him physically transformed like this. Was he really still Ichigo? Still the scowling idiot? Except he wasn't really an idiot, she'd gone to school with him after all. She watched as Ichigo sat down slowly, letting Shinji and his Father clean the blood off him, looking for any remaining wounds and then Chad tossed the cloak he'd been wearing over and it was settled around Ichigo's shoulders. Was this all a trap? Or had Ichigo really managed to keep his memories? His personality?

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Ichigo looked over, seeing a lone figure in black watching from a distance. Shinji had identified everyone for him and that made it easier to piece together memories of them. Rukia…the one who had brought him into all this by transferring her powers to him. He clutched the cloak close, enjoying the soft cloth and warmth. "R'kia." He called her name, or as much as he could get out, but he was getting better at talking, it was just taking a frustrating amount of time.

She startled to hear that resonant voice call her name, looking up she found him focused solely on her.

"S' me. N..wo'…" he shook his head in frustration.

"Take a breath Ichigo, there's no rush," Isshin soothed, wrapping an arm around his son. He may have gained height but thankfully his form wasn't too much bulkier than he'd been as a human. He felt some of the tenseness seep from the cool body, Ichigo leaning into him. It went against everything he had ever learned as a Shinigami to do this, but he wasn't just a Shinigami, he was a Father and his son was in pain. His son had been strong enough to resist Aizen, to hold onto his memories and humanity. He reached up to run his fingers through now long hair and felt Ichigo relax even further. "It's alright son, I've got you," he whispered as Shinji settled beside them. He ignored the eyes on them, focussing solely on his son as the kid slowly relaxed and then Shinji grinned. "What?"

"He fell asleep on you," the ex-Captain whispered. "Don't wake him, doubt he's gotten much rest."

Isshin nodded, he doubted Aizen had allowed Ichigo any real sleep since his capture and maybe if he was fully rested his speech would improve. The group relaxed as they realised Ichigo was out cold, because he felt safe with his Dad and Shinji. They relaxed even more when Kisuke was helped to sit up, relieved he would be alright.

Kisuke looked around and then spotted Shinji sitting near a cloak wrapped Ichigo and Isshin who was actually holding his son. It seemed the introductions had gone smoother than his own or even Chad and Orihime's. The last thing he remembered was hearing Ichigo roar and Aizen far too close. Which meant Ichigo had saved his life and carried him to safety, embarrassing but also encouraging that he hadn't left a downed comrade behind as a normal Hollow would. "I see we all made it back."

"You're lucky Ichigo put up with carrying your dead weight around," Hiyori scoffed.

"How is he?" Kisuke asked and Isshin mustered a smile.

"Sleeping, don't wake him." There was a definite paternal warning in that and he nodded.

"Can you fix this?" Rukia asked, finally shaking herself from her memories. This would not end the same way, she wouldn't let it. They would find a way to fix Ichigo.

Kisuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair, missing his hat. He hated to be the bearer of bad news but… "I doubt it," he admitted. "I could not undo the Hollowfication over a hundred years ago, only stabilise them." He looked to the Visored and Rukia's eyes widened as suddenly the pieces clicked into place, she remembered Kaien speaking of the Captains and Vice-Captains who had been Hollowfied and sentenced to death. This was them? Obviously, they didn't look like Hollows.

Seeing her confusion Shinji sighed and stood, moving away from the sleeping Ichigo. "Don't be scared," he warned her. He knew who she was, he had known Shiba Kaien and he had spoken of this girl, taken her under his wing. He reached up and let his mask form, pulling it on for a few seconds before dismissing it, not wanting the power surge to wake Ichigo. "We call ourselves Visored, Shinigami with an inner Hollow." He glanced at Ichigo and sighed. "You want to know where the kid's been vanishing? He's been training with us to control his own, gained when he got his powers back to rescue you."

Rukia paled, what? Ichigo had…it was all her fault. She thought back to all his fights she'd seen since he came to Soul Society and realised, he'd been different since they returned, more hesitant than she'd ever seen, as if worried about something…

"Don't blame ya self, Kuchiki Rukia. I've only known him a short time and I can say he would have done it no matter the risk. And he had control, he beat his inner Hollow. This…this is something different."

"Aizen was in the mood to gloat. He said he had transformed Ichigo fully into a Hollow and there were no signs he remembered anything. He fed him, let him evolve by eating other Hollows. He was bait for us, the plan was for him to kill us in our shock or for us to kill Ichigo and have to live with it. He was going to make Ichigo an Arrancar, an Espada if he was powerful enough." Kisuke explained as he stood, Tessai ready to steady him.

"I think he was right, Ichigo didn't remember, or not enough to affect him. It wasn't till Ichigo went to attack me with a cero and Kisuke screamed his name that there was any sign of recognition," Shinji explained before Kisuke freaked them out too much. There was no way he was telling them Ichigo nearly killed him.

"We were interrupted by Hollows, one of them injured Shinji." Kisuke paused, realising Shinji didn't want them to know. "Ichigo lost it and evolved into a Vasto Lorde in the process. He destroyed the other Hollows and then it was so sweet…" Kisuke smirked at Shinji. "He picked you up like a baby…or a lover…and held you to his chest." He laughed as Shinji scowled before sobering. "I felt his power, was worried he was going to attack, but he used it to kickstart your own healing, he saved your life. That would be why he was so on edge when you two arrived," Kisuke nodded at Chad and Orihime.

"His memories are…fragmented. Hollows use all their senses, his memories of us all involve mainly touch and sight which is why he's shaky on recognising people at first," they'd had similar issues once they accepted their Hollow powers though nowhere near this extent. "Some of his memories might be gone totally," Shinji shrugged. "Impossible to know until we come across something he once knew but doesn't now."

"So, nothing can be done?" Orihime asked sadly. "I could try?"

Kisuke shook his head. "This isn't an injury like you are used to healing. This is a fundamental change to the makeup of his soul."

"Why not make him an Arrancar?" Chad asked, and they all turned to stare at him in disbelief. "They are the most human like Hollows. You said they are hollows with Shinigami like powers, that would be the opposite of a Visored then."

Everyone looked at Kisuke who shook his head, they all tended to forget that Chad was smart since he didn't talk much and looked rather like a thug. "It…could work. It would not 'fix' him as you wish but it would likely help him at least appear human should he wish to return to his life as much as possible. There is one problem."

"What?" Rukia demanded.

"The only way I know of without the Hōgyoku is for the Hollow themselves to initiate the process by removing their mask of their own desire. We cannot do it for him or even tell him to do it, that will not work." Kisuke knew it wasn't the answer they wanted but he didn't know what else to tell them. Either Ichigo would remove his mask or he wouldn't, it was all up to him.

With nothing else to do they all eventually settled to sleep, no one willing to leave in case they came for Ichigo again.

TBC…