Natsu is Awesome: I have a plan for Tier and that doesn't involve the possibility of dating Ichigo, although they will be allies, kind of. Also, other than Tier and Nel I didn't really like the rest of the female Arrancar.

Guys, specifically to guests, while I do value the fact that you want it to be Ichiruki, at least the majority of you, unless you actually vote on the poll I can't count it. Just saying so won't exactly work. On that note by the next chapter the poll will be down, so get your final votes in!

A Different Side to the Story

Chapter 2: Someone's Watching Me! Learning How to Control New-found Abilities!

Ichigo stretched as he woke up from a well-deserved rest. Last night had drained him, although he had no idea why. In his perspective he had completely destroyed that Hollow, so why was he so tired afterwards? Maybe it had to do with that thing he did, with the black energy? He thought back on it.

(-Flashback-)

"Bala!"

Ichigo fired his left fist forward as black energy gathered there. He fired it at the creature, in the shape of a black, swirling orb that exploded on contact. Needless to say the creature was gone when the explosion cleared.

(-Flashback-)

Ichigo looked at his left hand, frowning as he tried to form that same energy. Needless to say it came to him just like it did last night, on pure instinct, however Ichigo was wary of it. 'I can't lose myself to instinct like that, not ever again. I need to learn to control this budding power,' he thought frowning. 'Unfortunately there's no place to train that allows me to do that.' He sighed before standing, throwing on his school uniform. He looked at himself in the mirror.

"I'll deal with that later, I have things to do."

He walked towards his door before his head snapped upwards. He turned, however there was nothing there. He could have sworn someone's eyes were on him. That reminded him. 'Where did that girl go? She disappeared soon after I learned her name.'

Ichigo ignored it. "I don't have time to think about that now. I have to get to school." However, his trip was halted again as he looked at his blades. 'I should bring them,' Ichigo thought. 'Just in case.' Ichigo slipped the smaller one through a string, attaching it to his belt, smirking as it was hidden from view, with only the ending of the tip revealed. The other one wasn't so simple. Ichigo grabbed some leather and strung it up. He'd have to make a proper way to holster it later. He slipped the blade into the leather.

Ichigo opened his door and raced downstairs, before his eyes narrowed.

"Ichigo~!" his stepfather roared. Ichigo sighed, ducking under his stepfathers punch.

WHAM

Ichigo slammed his foot into his stepfathers gut, sending him flying into a wall. He didn't use his hands for one specific reason, as he normally would use an uppercut.

He wasn't sure if he could control his Bala.

He had been careful with using his hands ever since last night.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Ichigo roared, shaking his fist. Isshin groaned, sitting up quickly. "I have to make sure your senses are sharp, you never know when you'll need them," Isshin said in a know-it-all manner. Ichigo rolled his eyes, although he smirked. 'I think I might have found a use for dads so-called training at least.'

Ichigo quickly walked into the kitchen, grabbing a piece of toast and popping it in his mouth. He began to walk towards the door, but paused as he heard Yuzu's voice.

"Ichigo-nii, are you sure you don't want anything more?"

Ichigo noded. "Yeah Yuzu, I should be fine don't worry." Ichigo shot out the door, being careful to grab his lunch on the way out.

(-A Different Side to the Story-)

Ichigo walked into school with the customary scowl on his face. He sighed, walking through the hallway without anyone noticing his blades. That was good. At least that way he wouldn't have to worry about someone watching him and finding out about Hollows, or Shinigami for that matter, as Ichigo was sure he would see that girl again eventually. Actually, how would he defend Karakura? He never really thought of it. If a Hollow attacked during school what could he do? He couldn't exactly cut class, as he would have to completely leave campus, kill a Hollow, and come back in the matter of time it took him to go to the restroom, at least the longest possible time...and that wasn't exactly a pleasant thought. Then again, he didn't want anyone to die because of him. He supposed he would just have to make due.

Ichigo frowned as he heard possibly one of the most annoying voices on Earth, mainly because the owner was ALWAYS talking, shout his name.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned, skidding to the side as the owner of the most annoying voice in the world fell flat on his face after a missed hug. The owner was a teenager with medium length brown hair which flipped outward. He had brown eyes and a slim figure. He was pouting. He wore the standard Karakura High School uniform.

"Keigo, the hell are you doing," Ichigo asked, his eye twitching. "Trying to give my best friend a hug," Keigo asked, attempting to again. Ichigo slammed his foot into Keigo's face. "Shut up." Ichigo said tiredly.

"But why Ichigo, what happened to our friendship?" Keigo asked dramatically.

"Asano-san, the reason Ichigo-san does that is because your annoy him with your hyperactive demeanor," said a different male teen. The teen had short black hair and green eyes, parted down the middle with a stray bang in his face and the tips fanning out. He looked very young and wore the Karakura uniform with the jacket zipped up.

"You too Mizuiro? Why is everyone so mean to me," Keigo dramatically said. Ichigo blanched. "I think you know." he said before he continued his walk down the hallway. Mizuiro and Keigo caught up with him, frowns on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked. "Didn't you hear," Keigo asked. "We're getting a new student."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "A new student? I didn't know. Do you know where they're from?" Keigo shook his head. "No, they didn't tell us that, all we know is that it's a girl."

Ichigo frowned, thinking back to Rukia who had disappeared. 'No, that's ridiculous. She wouldn't...would she?'

"What's wrong Ichigo," Mizuiro asked. "You spaced out." Ichigo shook his head. "It's nothing." "I HOPE SHE'S CUTE!" Keigo cheered. Ichigo sighed before ignoring Keigo, preferring to walk into his classroom. However, he did hear Mizuiro's snappy comeback. "Even if she was a girl she wouldn't like a guy like you Asano-san."

Ichigo smirked. Mizuiro was always one for good comebacks. As he walked into class he sat in his seat with a bored expression on his face. He was about to take a well deserved nap when he felt someone looking at him. He snapped his gaze up, determined to see who was watching him. However, he knew it wasn't the person who had watched him before. Their's felt like they were trying to analyze him, this persons felt friendly. His eyes rested on one of his childhood friends.

"Hey Tatsuki," he said to the girl. Tatsuki was a teenager of average height with black hair and blue eyes. She had a contrasting appearance to the girl standing next to her, who was also her best friend, Orihime Inoue. Tatsuki was a tomboy, and had a very lean frame compared to Orihime's curvier figure. Her hair was short and dark, kept spiked out at the sides, in tune with her less than feminine appearance. She wore the Karakura High School uniform.

"Ichigo, you completely blew passed us in the hallway! That was so rude! Orihime tried to say hi, but you blew her off!" Tatsuki yelled. Ichigo's eyes widened as he turned to Orihime. Orihime was a teenager of average height. She had brown eyes and long, waist-length, burnt orange hair. Her most noticeable physical trait was her slender yet curvaceous figure for a teenager, especially in terms of her large breasts. She wore her hair in bangs tucked behind her ears with hairpins. Orihime wore her hair with a full but parted fringe.

"I did that Orihime," Ichigo asked. Orihime waved her hands in front of her face. It's fine Kurosaki-kun, really it's no problem at all. I'm just happy to see you is all."

Ichigo sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Orihime, I'm sorry. There's just been a lot on my mind lately."

Orihime nodded. "It's fine Kurosaki-kun, I could tell by your face, you looked so confused." Ichigo looked down. "Yeah, that about sums it up." Orihime frowned as she saw him look down at the ground, obviously thinking about what troubled him. She put a hand on his shoulder and drew her face in. Ichigo looked up to see Orihime with her face just barely entering his comfort zone.

"If you want I'll help you Kurosaki-kun!" she said, determination in her eyes. "All we have to do is..." Ichigo muted her out and just had a kind smile on his face. Orihime was to caring of a person.

Ichigo nodded his thanks as Tatsuki and Orihime went back to their seats to talk about...whatever those two talked about. However, Ichigo still could not get some most needed rest as Keigo walked up to him immediately afterwards. His eye twitched. While he didn't express it he was angry he couldn't get some rest, so he could be at 100 percent no only for class, but also to find a viable plan to protect people while he was in school. He sighed, he wouldn't take his anger out on Keigo, no matter how much he wanted to.

"Hey, Ichigo, lunch on the roof as per usual?" Keigo asked. Ichigo nodded. "We never change the meeting spot you know that."

Keigo nodded and walked away. Ichigo smiled and put his head down, dozing off into sleep. Of course, he didn't get the amount of rest he had originally wanted, being woken up by a tap on his shoulder. He yawned, groaning as his best friend stood over him. "What is it Chad?" he asked.

Chad, whose real name was Yasutora Sado, was a teenager of Mexican descent. He was dark-skinned with pronounced cheek-bones and had wavy brown hair with bangs that generally hung over his brown eyes. He was a muscular and extremely tall man and appeared to be much older than he actually was. Sado had a tattoo on his left shoulder which reads Amore e Morte ("love and death" in Itallian) and consisted of a heart with a snake and angel wings around it. He typically wore either his school uniform or flashy short-sleeved shirts with open collars. He also wore a dark, long-sleeved shirt with a rose emblazoned on the left sleeve. Currently he wore the Karakura High School uniform.

"The new student's here," Chad mumbled. Ichigo nodded, turning to where Chad was pointing. His eyes widened as he saw her. So his guess was right...that was scary, very scary. He couldn't believe what he saw...what was she doing there? She looked at him with a pleasant smile, but Ichigo saw the thing behind it. Suspicion, curiosity, hesitation, hostility. He saw all of it. While she may want to know what he was, she seemed to be wary of him. He was going to have a little chat with her after school.

Rukia Kuchiki.

She wore the Karakura High School uniform rather than her Shinigami getup but Ichigo didn't feel the difference. All he knew was that a potential enemy, as well as a potential ally, was in the building. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the blade on his back. He knew she wouldn't report it, but he knew she would be keeping a closer eye on him.

Rukia walked up to him, an innocent smile on her face. "Hello, I'm Rukia Kuchiki, who are you," she asked.

"Cut the bullshit!" Ichigo said, yelling and pointing at her. "I saw you last night during-"

Rukia slammed her hand over his mouth. "I have no idea what he's talking about," she said, dragging him out of the classroom. Keigo sighed. "Why does Ichigo always know the pretty girls before me," he sighed. "Because he's simply better than you Asano-san."

"Mizuiro!"

(-A Different Side to the Story-)

Ichigo frowned as Rukia let go of his mouth. "How are you here? Why are you here? How can they hear, and see you, Ms. Shinigami?" Ichigo demanded. Rukia sighed, obviously annoyed. "First off, if you reveal anything about me like you nearly did back then, trust me when I say...I'll kill you." she said, dropping her voice to emphasize her point. Ichigo felt a sudden pressure drop on him, although it felt limited, held back. However, he could still tell it was rather powerful.

"Fine, now why are you here and how can they see you?"

"Simple," Rukia said. "I was assigned to protect Karakura last night after you defeated that Hollow, meaning I'm here until the Soul Society deems me fit to come back. I'm using a Gigai, which is an artificial human body, so humans can see me. Call it blending in if you will. I also came to make sure that you began to slay Hollows."

Ichigo nodded, although that didn't explain her reason for going to high school. "Wait, why should I slay Hollows? Isn't that your job?" Rukia smirked. "Are you saying you honestly weren't going to do it yourself?" Ichigo frowned, looking away. Rukia laughed lightly into her head. "Exactly. You were going to and you knew it. I'm just making sure that I teach you the ropes. Besides, a human that can slay Hollows aren't as durable as a Shinigami no matter what, hence the fact that I have to help you, just in case you run into a Hollow that you yourself can't beat."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, turning to go back into his classroom. "Where are you going," Rukia asked. Ichigo turned. "To go to class." Rukia shook her head. "Wrong, you're going to stop the Hollow that is soon to appear in the park, so let's go," she said, dragging him down the hall and off campus.

"What about class!?"

"Copy the notes."

(-A Different Side to the Story-)

Ichigo frowned as he noticed a small boy in the middle of the park. "Hey-"

"Be quiet!" Rukia ordered. Ichigo turned to her, a confused look on his face. Rukia shook her head. "Before you charge in blindly, examine the environment." Ichigo growled at her before nodding, looking around and only seeing the little boy there who was crying. He turned back to her.

"Determine friend from foe."

He sighed, turning again, expecting only to see the little boy. However, a massive Hollow appeared from a tear in the sky that shut quickly. He frowned, and nodded.

"Once you've done that, do everything in your power to annihilate the enemy."

Ichigo smirked, racing forwards. He felt another primal surge to devour, to crush and feed upon the enemy.

He nearly gave into it.

He couldn't go and eat a Hollow after all, could he?

Ichigo drew his large blade, swinging it downwards as he got close to the Hollow that was directly on top of the boy. The boy screamed, running away, however the Hollow pursued, knocking down objects that blocked Ichigo's path, although the Hollow didn't even know Ichigo was on it's tail. Ichigo simply cut the objects in half as he passed by them, surprised at the little effort it took to do so. However, he didn't have time to wonder over his new-found abilities, and began to concentrate on his left hand, which was empty. He searched for that power he had used yesterday, finding it instantly, as if it were instinct. He channeled the energy into his fist, smirking as he saw the black energy swirl.

"Bala!" he roared, firing off the blast.

The ball impacted with the Hollow's leg, blowing it to pieces. It screeched as red blood flew from it, rounding on its assailant with pure fury in it's eyes.

"That's right," Ichigo said, making the "Come on," gesture. "I'll rip you apart."

The Hollow screeched, rocketing forward however Ichigo smirked, jumping over it and carving it in half. The Hollow screeched as it's body fizzled out of existence, a smirk on his face.

"How was that, Rukia?" he asked. "Pretty good," Rukia said. "Although I would have dispatched of it faster and with less difficulty." Ichigo frowned. "Jerk." Ichigo turned and and left the park, and Rukia followed. Rukia's head shot up though as they walked back to school. "What is it?"

"There's another one," Rukia said in a relaxed manner. Ichigo's eyes narrowed at her tone. "Why are you so calm? Isn't your job to exterminate them?" Rukia nodded. "It is. However we do have to manage how many Plus are being reincarnated and being sent to the Soul Society. While under normal circumstances I would slay the Hollow, however with the sudden influx of Plus we have made exceptions. Don't worry though, every time a Hollow is cleansed by a Zanpakuto ever the Plus it ate go back into the cycle of reincarnation." Ichigo frowned. "It's a good thing I'm not a Soul Reaper then."

Ichigo prepared to rush off by Rukia grabbed him. "Are you an idiot? I said the world would be destroyed if you destroyed all the Hollows, the influx of new souls to the Soul Society would be to much, and both my world and yours would collapse, both spilling into the other. Do you really want to risk something like that, all for the sake of saving a couple of Plus?"

Ichigo nodded. "No one deserves to be devoured by a Hollow, Plus or Hollow alike. I'll dedicate myself to saving them all if I have to, I'll exterminate all of them, and hold the weight of the world on my own shoulders!"

Rukia sighed, nodding her head. "It should be heading our way. Hollows always go to the weakest member of a group to fight, and right now, since there are no other people around...that's you." Ichigo blanched.

"Did you just call me weak?"

Rukia nodded. Ichigo growled, before noticing a shadow. The Hollow was flying! He channeled the energy into his fist again, unaware of Rukia studying him very closely. His posture, the way the Reiatsu gathered, the focus and time it took. Everything.

'It's similar to a Hollow's Cero!" she thought.

Ichigo let fly, and the attack slammed into the Hollow's mask, making it dissipate instantly. "Every last one," Ichigo mumbled. Rukia nodded, although she was highly more cautious of Ichigo, something she did not try to hide.

"Let's get back to school."

(-A Different Side to the Story-)

Ichigo bit into his food with a tired look on his face. He had a right to be though. Rukia had effectively exhausted him. She had forced him to leave multiple times to "Go to the bathroom," when really he was just fighting Hollows. He was angry with her. Then again who wouldn't be, it was her job to fight Hollows. She was the Shinigami here, not him.

"Kurosaki-kun, are you okay you seem really drained," Orihime asked. Ichigo looked at Inoue. "Orihime I've told you before to call me Ichigo, you don't have to be so formal. Anyways, I am tired, thanks to someone," Ichigo said, sending a glare Rukia's way. Rukia just whistled, seemingly oblivious to their interaction and Ichigo's glare.

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. "But she was in class all day, how could she have exhausted you?" Ichigo just shook his head. "Never mind." Rukia looked back at Ichigo, a victorious smile on her face. Ichigo groaned again.

"Anyways, Mizuiro, Rukia, Chad, Rukia, Orihime, Rukia...everyone, Rukia." Ichigo said, quickly getting said of repeating almost the exact same thing. They all laughed at his expense, causing his eye to twitch.

'Why do I have to deal with this crap?'

"Ichigo, you really should start caring about what people think of you. Many of the males in the class are angry you get to hang out with not only Rukia, but all the other attractive girls in our class as well."

"If I cared what other people thought I would have dyed my hair black a long time ago Mizuiro."

Mizuiro sighed. "I suppose that is true." He then turned to Rukia. "Hello Kuchiki-san. My name is Mizuiro Kojima, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Rukia prepared to respond likewise, however Ichigo interrupted. "Mizuiro also happens to be a womanizer." Mizuiro frowned, looking at Ichigo. "I'm into older women, you know that."

"That's exactly why I said it."

Mizuiro raised an eyebrow. Rukia looked to be the same age as him. Could she really be older than him by that much and still be in high school?

Rukia sent a sharp glare at Ichigo, who pretended to not notice, however he got the message loud and clear. He was treading on dangerous ground.

Good.


Hey guys it's Kuma Akuma. The second chapter is done, so that's good. I think it's rather well, but tell me what you think. I'm going to be taking down that poll soon though, so get your final votes in. I'm also making a NarutoxMagi crossover (You don't have to have read/watched Magi to understand. It's in the Narutoverse after all,) with the pairing beind NarutoxMyron. You know Muu's hot sister, the Fanalis...yeah her. Anyways, I don't have much to say. See you guys later and avoid the Earl.