Annnnd here's the last of TDKN's chapters. I've done some work and spruced up a few things not much besides the battle. After this chapter I'll be working on the next installment along with my other stories!

Now on with the story!

The King of Darkness

Chapter 4: Setting in Motion

Kurosaki Ichigo was not amused

Not. At. All.

Nay he was not even close to amused, infact it was the opposite he was downright disappointed today was the day he would go to Karakura Highschool to fill in for his new job. He woke up bright an early took a shower, shaved and ate breakfast got dressed and left his new home for the Educational institute.

But along the way he was plagued with the ever annoying elements that made him remember why he absolutely loathed Karakura Town when he was younger. The Thug's, the outcasts of social society that stalked the street's like an encroaching disease, punks skateboarding and walking the streets with no cause for concern for other people in their way. He would have imagined that the last 6 years the Police Force would have cleaned up the streets by now, but he was wrong on that account.

He even caught a few lurking behind him trying in attempt to mug him which he just shook his head. After taking care of them he went about his way to the school only now he had another problem. Glancing to his left he saw a small black cat with familiar golden eyes walking alongside him on the street glancing at him all the while. He caught the cat the first time when he left his home sitting calmly on the walls built around most of the houses in town just staring at him with those ever so familiar golden orbs.

He knew who it was and he just had to roll his eyes for it seemed Isshin just couldn't keep his mouth shut for even a day. He remained impassive even as the cat jumped onto his shoulder where he automatically scratched it under the chin causing it to give a pleasant purr.

''Good to see you again Yoruichi, hows it been for the last six years?'' he whispered causing one of the cats eyes to creak open to glance his way.

''Oh the usual, Kisuke being a complete baka with his over the top experiments, Tessai's is the usual and me well I've been fine but to be honest its been a little boring without you here Ichigo-kun.'' here the cat rubbed its head against his face causing him to smirk. It seemed Yoruichi hadn't changed with being so affectionate with him.

''I see...'' he mumbled before Yoruichi pawed at his forehead and he glanced up to see her gold eyes baring back at him. ''By the way, when will you come visit us? Kisuke's been asking for you, saying something about testing a few of his experiments again. Plus, I wanna play tag with you again~'' her voice changed to one Ichigo was much more familiar with. It was much more womanly, filled with a tone of teasing that he had come to expect from the Shihōin princess.

Giving a slight huff he rolled his eyes and answered in kind, ''Well for the crazy Urahara I'll just say hi and not much else. I'd rather not be pulled into one of his crazy schemes and wake up the next day missing a limb...or gaining an extra one.'' he said with a frown as memories of the bucket hat wearing scientist flashed in his mind. The man was decent enough, however he had a keen intellect that he had yet to see be matched by none besides only one other person and one of the more shadowy type of people he's met. Kisuke had his quirks and Ichigo would rather not be pulled into them when he was creating something again...it always ended up blowing up in his face.

Yoruichi just gave a meow of understanding as people passed them, but Ichigo knew she understood what he meant.

''As for playing tag? Well I suppose I can but I warn you now I'm not like I used to be 6 years ago.'' he said in a tone that made Yoruichi's eyes widen. This was not a tone she had come to expect from Ichigo, his tone hinted at a sort of playfulness and yet a mysterious confidence that made the her shiver in anticipation. Glancing down at Ichigo their eyes met for the longest time any sort of playfulness gone for the moment as Yoruichi tried to search within Ichigo's brown at what could have changed her favorite strawberry.

'He used to be so hesitant to playing tag with me and he was so stuck up about my teasing back than. But now...it's as if he's done a complete 360 and he's the one that's doing the teasing. What could have changed him so much?'

Deciding to play his game she gave the equivalent of a challenging smirk before licking Ichigo's cheek. ''Oh, we'll see how much you've changed and grown I-chi-go~''

The apricot haired Kurosaki easily resisted her tone and just kept a smirk in place. Scratching Yoruichi under the chin easily reduced her to pudding in his hands. ''We shall see Neko-chan, now it's been nice to see you again Yoruichi, but can we talk later? I have to get to the school for my new job.'' he said with a chuckle causing the cat to give the equivalent of a pout before it jumped off his shoulder.

''What's your job anyway?'' she was very curious to what he was doing as Isshin only told them that Ichigo was back but never let out any specifics and she was wanting to know what her favorite little strawberry was doing with his life.

His answer though would have her laughing her sexy ass off when she got back to the shop at sheer the irony of it all.

''A teacher.'' he replied bluntly as he walked away while she, Yoruichi was left doing a very good impression of a goldfish as she watched him go.

When he reached the school gates Ichigo looked upon the educational institute and from seeing it on the outside it didn't look that impressive compared to the ones he saw in London. A bit small all things considered but he just couldn't really compare the academy he went to, to this cause that just wasn't fair. He chuckled as memories from that academy came to mind. He didn't doubt any other Academy could compare with the academy he went to.

For it was oh so much more than just a place to learn...

Shaking his head of those memories he walked in deciding to get the day started by visiting the principal. He may have been accepted into the School itself but he needed to speak with the principal concerning a particular class arrangement.

Classroom

Kairi didn't know what it was but for some reason she felt a cold chill go down her spine. Last night after Ichigo left the house she was treated to the sight of her little sister's content faces who seemed very happy after meeting their older brother. However she noticed that her father seemed very serious before she spotted her mother looking more somber than she's ever seen her before.

However she was surprised when she went to bed only to be bombarded by the sight of Rukia Kuchiki sliding open her closet door and quickly asking her thousands of questions per second. It seemed the shinigami had found out that the man visiting the house was her older brother and to her, meaning Kairi's, shock was excited to know all the information about her brother. She learned that Rukia too had a 'Nii-sama' but she had left it at that and the girl just kept pestering her throughout the night.

It was so damned annoying...

Come to think of it she looked to her friends particularly Tatsuki and Orihime. She hadn't told the two that her brother had come back home which was something she would need to remedy lest she be on the receiving end of Tatsuki's anger. Cause when they were children both girls had met him, Tatsuki through dojo practices and Orihime because Ichigo had been a friend of her brother, Sora. It was Ichigo who had taught her and Tatsuki who came over usually how to fight with basic Martial arts which caused Tatsuki to see her brother, believe it or not, as her Sensei.

As for Orihime, Ichigo had been friends with her brother at the time and on the way from school he witnessed her being harassed by other kids and scared them off. Calling in advance he brought her to the Clinic where she met Kairi and they hit it off pretty quickly but she always knew that Orihime had quickly warmed up to him and looked up to him and stated once from her wild imagination that he was like a Superhero or Guardian.

Still to the topic at hand Kairi would rather not be on the receiving end of Tatsuki's anger or Orihime's dreaded puppy eyes and pout face either of those two was just a one shot kill for sure.

However that sudden chill came back in full force when she and the rest of the class heard a knock come from the door.

Knock Knock!

Misato Ochi the classes sensei quirked an eyebrow before halting in her lesson as she spoke.

''Come in!''

When the door opened Kairi really thought at that moment her heart was going to burst and her eyes roll out of her skull. Cause in came the very reason as to why she went stiff as a board and her skin go completely pale, she could already feel the classes silence as a sign of the worse had yet to come. For it was her brother, Kurosaki Ichigo, came in decked out in his suit from yesterday only now he had a clean shave, his suit was unbuttoned revealing his deep blue undershirt, black leather belt and black tie. His hair ruffled with each step he took while in one hand he carried a black carrying case and another a slip of paper.

Misato Ochi was just as confused as the rest of her class though as the orange haired man came up to her with a pleasant smile. His voice seemed to echo in the classroom when it fact he just spoke in a light fashion as he uttered an apology towards Misato as he handed her the slip of paper.

''Apologies for the interruption but principal-san sent me down here it will only take a moment so please read the paper if you don't mind.'' his words got Ochi to look down at the piece of paper and read its contents to herself.

''Dear Ochi-sensei

This man before you was the one our School Board told us about before hand we all had a faculty meeting concerning this person. Well this man is the new Teacher at the school but in place of agreement he is to attend your class as the assistant Sensei.

This is not up for debate and is final.

Kochiwa Mizuki, Principal

Furrowing her eyebrows she looked up to the man who was the rumored teacher to be transferred here. Shrugging she gave a smile back to her fellow sensei and nodded.

''I see then let me address the class.'' getting a nod from him she turned to the very silent but also very confused class.

''Okay students it would seem we have a new addition to the School Staff and our Classroom. He's traveled very far from the land Britain to be a part of our faculty here. So if you would sir give us your name?'' she said not expecting the total shit storm that was about to commence.

Ichigo just chuckled at Ochi which caused her to gain a confused look before he turned to the class, ''Hello students my name is Kurosaki Ichigo and from today onwards I will be your assistant Sensei it will be a pleasure to teach you all until I see you graduate from this fine establishment. Please treat me well.'' finishing with a slight bow he came back up only to see Ochi looking at him with utter shock and the class looking from him to his now little sister who was trying her best to slide under her desk.

''KUROSAKI!?''

Few Hours Later-Rooftop

''You had better have a good and I do mean a very perfectly good reason as to why you didn't tell us your brother, my sensei was back Kairi-chan'' Tatsuki said with a vein throbbing on her forehead with a sickly sweet smile on her face. She and Orihime had literally dragged Kairi to the rooftop followed by their other friends and had her up against the wall. The young girl could only swear as the eyes of all her friends fell on her and the puppy eyes and pout from Orihime made her flinch.

Shit!

She just couldn't catch a break could she? And the way she saw Rukia giving her a mocking expression from behind her friends only made her all the more irritated!

''He came by yesterday after school I had no idea he came back until I got home. He returned until late yesterday and I was so caught up with his return that I forgot to tell you. Now let go of me Tatsuki!'' she replied before she pushed Tatsuki off her which the martial artist huffed as she glared at her childhood friend with a small glare.

''Still you could have called and told me...'' she muttered only to get a deadpan stare from Kairi.

''I didn't even know you had a brother until today...'' Chad said causing Kairi to look up toward the giant teenager. Sighing she just shook her head before sliding down against the wall.

''Well its not that I didn't want to tell you guys its just remembering my brother was hard for me. When he left home it wasn't on the best of terms. My brother and dad never saw eye to eye that much or as much as I can remember and I even recall a few arguments between the two when I was younger. The only thing that stopped things from getting violent was kaa-san but even then it escalated at times that my older brother would leave the house for hours at a time.'' she said, explaining to her friends who by now sat along side her hearing out what she had to say.

She could still remember those bad times when she was young, though the memory was foggy she knew her brother at the time got into some nasty verbal disputes with her father. Over matters that at the time went over her head because she was too young to understand what they were fighting about. Some fights led to some violent outbursts between the two and some had to be quelled by her mother, but it never did heal the wounds it left on the family.

To this day she had yet to figure out why her brother and her father got into so many fights, it went beyond the average problems a father and son should have. It almost seemed as if it something...personal.

However she was shaken by her trip down memory lane as Keigo jumped up and pointed at Tatsuki, '' And what's your connection to the scary Kurosaki-sensei?!'' he said which Kairi had a twitch in her eyebrow from what Keigo said about her brother but just let it slide. Tatsuki though just kicked him in the stomach causing him to fall into a heap on the roof as she just glared at him while a pink dust colored her cheeks.

''He was the reason I met Kairi when we were kids...and'' here she averted her gaze but the small smirk from Kairi caused her to fume at her childhood friend. ''…..He also taught me how to fight'' she finished quietly hoping she wasn't heard but unfortunately she was.

Keigo just stared at her in complete horror, reminiscing about the times she beat him to a pulp for acting like an idiot, and now her TEACHER was now their Sensei?!

Oh he must have been have been evil to kittens and puppies in a past life to deserve this kind of torture...

And Kairi just put her hand on Orhime's head ruffling her hair slightly, ''And she knows my brother cause back when she was younger she was being harassed by a bunch of idiots from junior high and Ichigo had come at that point and helped her out. He was friends with her brother Sora and brought her to our clinic where she met me and we became fast friends pretty quickly. However I think little hime here kind of looked up to my older brother from there on out.'' she said while Orihime blushed shyly.

Keigo just looked at the scene and muttered at how Kurosaki-sensei seemingly got the three Queens of their generation under his thumb. Chad just seemed to ponder of meeting the man himself as he seemed to be a respectable man if he was the one who taught Kairi all she knew. Mizuiro seemed to shrug but was a bit interested to meet the older brother of Kairi if what he heard was true then the man seemed to be an accomplished figure that three of his friends looked up to.

However in the mind of Rukia Kuchiki who heard everything she was thinking along different lines. The man known as Kurosaki Ichigo was for the lack of a better word an unknown. Just coming to town yesterday she had a very off feeling about the man but she kept those thoughts away back then in favor of bugging Kairi about him. However when she was caught spying on him from around the corner of the house she was under a gaze she hadn't felt in her long life as a Shinigami, a gaze that not even her nii-sama could manage.

It was just so full of malice, ruthless brutality and a cold merciless glaze of glowing azure that left her frozen on the spot before it vanished as he left her sight. Even then that night she was still shaking from his gaze as it made her feel as if her soul was trying to escape her gigai just to flee from that man altogether. If there was one thing she knew it was that the man known as Ichigo was an unknown element that seemed to be enveloped in a shroud of mystery. And an element without any origin was more often then not a dangerous one in her line of work.

He was a mystery that scared her down to her very core...and yet at the same time piqued her interest to make her yearn to learn about the man...

Few Hours Later-Streets

Ichigo sighed, it had been an hour since school let out and least to say he was a bit disappointed. Not in the school's curriculum oh no that was excellent but in how lenient they were concerning their lax leash they had on their more trouble making students. A few many times on his way out he caught a few harassing students and many ran when they saw him to avoid trouble. He even saw a few teachers that saw the same thing ignore it altogether and thus he could only think most of the teachers at the school were either ignorant assholes or just complete idiots altogether.

Not all were bad at least Misato Ochi was a dependable and competent teacher...

''Still perhaps I should take this issue to Principal-san?''

Then suddenly and without warning he stopped and turned his head to the west and his eyes narrowed when he felt the reiatsu of two beings with a very distinctive tint in their reiatsu arose from within his field of sensory.

Hollows...

''Oh? Now this is quite a surprise...best welcome our guests.'' with a slight step he vanished in a shunpo.

In the air oi the outskirts of Karakura, a garganta opened and out walked two figures, one was clearly a male with loose brown hair and a light goatee. Blue-gray eyes looked ahead of himself in a bored almost exhausted fashion. He like his companion was garbed in white clothing but vastly different. He wore a white jacket with dark outlines, wrapped around his waist was a black sash tied like a matador and a white hakama below his waist. Finally, on his feet was black socks and white sandals. However the strange thing was the skeleton like jaw bone around his neck like it was some form of necklace.

The second person was a female who held a very composed stance unlike her companion her seemed slouched as if he was exhausted or lazy to be there. She wore white clothing consisting of a white jacket with a variation of a high collar that was zipped up to cover the woman's face just above her nose while a good portion of it covered the top portion of her breasts. Her arms were held below her breasts keeping them supported as her emerald green eyes peered out into the living world with a monotone gaze. The woman had messy short gold hair that was in three braid locks that fell past her neckline.

But both held a similarity for they each held a weapon of sorts on their person; for the man it was a katana strapped at his hip while the woman held a sword strapped to her back in a horizontal hold. It looked like a normal sword only it was completely hollowed out in the middle with only the outer edges to be seen.

As the two walked out of the garganta they cast their gaze out to the city just a few miles out the man sighed tiredly, ''You mind telling me why we came out so far away from the city again Harribel?'' he asked the woman who just kept her gaze on the town but answered her companion either way.

''In case you forgot Starrk, we cannot risk exposing ourselves to Soul Society or the spiritually aware within the town itself. We cannot disobey Aizen-sama's orders and are out this far to only scout nothing more. It's a good thing Szyael's little object did its job in blanketing our reiatsu from the radars enough so that we wouldn't be detected.'' she replied in a monotone fashion.

The man called Starrk just gave a sigh as he scratched the back of his head in a tired fashion. If only he had brought Lillynette it would have made things just a tad less boring.

''Oh now I wouldn't be so sure of that...'' a voice suddenly spoke from behind them causing their eyes to widen in mild surprise. Tensing the two turned to look behind them only to see a man standing in mid-air. Spiky orange locks ruffled in the wind as cold brown eyes stared back at them without a shred of fear while an emotionless expression marred his features. It was to their surprise a man wearing what looked like a business suit of sorts and sides from his unqiue shade of hair he seemed average.

Well besides the fact he was walking on air that is...

Narrowing her eyes Harribel coiled her muscles within her body, ready for a fight whilst Starrk kept his tired gaze on Ichigo with the slightest bit of interest.

''Ara? It would seem for all the trouble we were still found out'' here Starrk gave a yawn while Ichigo kept his gaze on the two with both hands in his pockets.

''You two technically aren't found out yet only I can sense you due to my unique sensory.'' he replied causing Harribel to narrow her eyes further on the man and for a moment she took the action to try and gauge the level of his reiatsu only for her eyes to scrunch up in irritation and confusion. Because as she tried to gauge his power she received something else.

Or it would be better to say she didn't feel anything.

'What is this? I...I can't feel his reiatsu, but that can't be! Every spiritual entity exerts some form of reiatsu. But...this man...I can't sense anything from him! He's just...there...existing.' Becoming incredibly tense at this the woman stood ready to fight even as her mind was sent tumbling into a whirlwind of confusion and anxiety from finding out this revelation. And from looking at Starrk she could see he felt the same thing from the growing interest in his eyes.

''And who are you? A shinigami?'' maybe it was on impulse but she always expected any resistance to be that of a shinigami. Yet imagine her surprise and that of Starrks when Ichigo gave a chuckle before the whites of his started to turn jet black whilst his brown iris's turned into a familiar shade of a sinister golden hue.

''Forgive me its just amusing when people suspect me to be a shinigami. Let me ask out of pure curiosity do you think me to be a Shinigami of the Gotei 13? If so then let me elaborate my dear Arrancar.'' he said as his hollowfied eyes flashed from gold to an unholy crimson which greatly disturbed the two before he gave a cold smirk.

''I haven't nor shall I ever be a shinigami for that organization, I am my own man and I follow no one but myself, I am not bound by the laws of a corrupt society nor do I follow the laws of their King. Though I do not deny being a shinigami I deny the unspoken accusation that I am apart of Soul Society and the rest of their pathetic ilk.'' he said as his expression scowled in disgust. Freely expressing his distaste for the Seireitei without any fear for his life.

Warily the two Espada shared a glance if what the man said was true then he was an unknown and wasn't a part of their enemy. Yet he was an unknown element and when they saw those eyes they could feel a bit of confusion rise bubble up from within them cause those were the eyes of a hollow.

''Then exactly, what are you?'' Starrk asked with his eyes a bit more open then usual as his interest was piqued by this unknown being before him.

Harribel however narrowed her eyes slightly as she took a step forward, ''And are you an enemy to Aizen-sama?'' she asked to which Ichigo just kept up a calm facade even though his eyes glowed sinisterly and his smirk widened.

''Hm, well I suppose I could tell you, but where would the fun be in that? So instead why don't you two amuse me and maybe I will tell you, hm?'' he said and as expected Harribel was the first one to vanish in sonido and in her burst of hostility she never saw Ichigo's smirk turn downright predatory. But Starrk saw it and the sight made his skin crawl.

''Harribel stop!'' but it was too late as the woman appeared above Ichigo her weapon drawn and already in mid-swing.

Clang!

When she hit her target she expected blood to flow and to have relieved the man of his left arm from the shoulder down. What she didn't expect however was to feel as if she had hit a solid block of pure steel. Her eyes widened when she saw not only that her sword hadn't cut into the man's body it hadn't even breached into the fabric of his clothing.

Than her eyes widened when she felt the sensation of liquid falling from her hands and looking down her shock grew even more when she saw her own palms were bleeding.

And it was than she felt the atmosphere around her becoming a lot colder as a voice broke her from her shocked state. ''Truly are you this impatient? Or is it when Aizen is threatened that you feel the need to kill whoever opposes him? I thought Vasto Lorde's had honor, but it seems you attack like a trained dog when your master threatened. Pitiful. Now then let me clarify for you child...'' Ichigo spoke with an emotionless tone. He slowly gripped Harribel's zanpakuto and lifted it off his shoulder with ease before he turned his shadowed gaze upon her.

And it was as if time itself stood still, for Harribel was stricken with an emotion she hadn't felt for so long, her body froze as her senses went completely haywire when she fell under this man's gaze. It was only her and him, her eyes staring back into his own and the whole world just stopped as her teal orbs stared back into a pair of blood red orbs that bespoke of something far more sinister than that of any predator hollow. His ruby red eyes enticed her, captured her and held her place. Emotions ran rampant through her body, conflicting within her as she was swept up in the moment of his demonic gaze. But the most dominant emotion she felt were relevant over all others.

She was feeling fear...

''That I am not one to be trifled with...'' his words were colder then the frozen tundra and seemed to stab into her very being. Before she even knew what happened she felt a searing pain on her face before she was sent flying. Luckily she caught herself skidding to a halt but she reached to her face only to wince when she felt the pain thrum Looking up she saw the man's outstretched hand and there she quickly theorized what had happened.

'He was fast enough to catch me off guard and batted me away with only a hand? He got past my heirro, and it had no effect on him? What's going on here?'

She looked down at her hands and her gaze narrowed, it seemed as if she had been the one to have been inflicted by a heirro when she tried to cut the man. The backlash was enough to injure her hands and even then her hands still trembled from her attack having no effect on him.

''Harribel'' looking up she noticed Starrk beside her with a unusually stern expression on his face.

''We need to retreat, this man...is not normal and I would rather not drag out a full fight near the city. Not only would we be at a disadvantage when we alert others to our location but this man...there's something very wrong about him.'' he said as he eyed the wound on her hands which only solidified the fact that this man could injure her without even moving a finger.

And he knew Harribel's power was not to be trifled with but this man was able to come out from her attack without a scratch and that was unsettling.

Harribel just turned her emerald orbs on the man ahead of her and could only stare at him with a sense of shock. Even as Starrk opened the garganta she couldn't stop herself from asking.

''What is your name?'' she asked this and she didn't know why herself but something cried out from within and it absolutely demanded to know the name of this man. To know the existence of one of such unsettling power. Ichigo justturned his cold gaze upon her and he seemed to study her for a moment, eyes looking upon her in a way as if he were studying every inch of her.

Than he spoke ''…..Kurosaki Ichigo, you?'' he replied with a bit of curiosity, even though he could have just stopped the man called Starrk from leaving he had other business to attend to.

'' Harribel...Tia Harribel...'' she replied in kind.

Letting his cold expression soften he smirked, ''Nice to meet you Tia Harribel, let's fight again another time, neh?''

She gave no other response besides a small nod as a small amount of excitement flowed into her body.

Then she along with Starrk were swallowed up into the garganta leaving behind Ichigo to stare at their previous location before he just sighed. Willing his eyes to return to normal he turned back to the city and let loose a chuckle.

''It seems things are getting interesting...''

Shifting his feet he vanished in a shunpo

Two Days Later-Ichigo's Home

Sitting in his chair within his study Ichigo let out a sigh it had been only two days since his confrontation with the two arrancars and ever since then he was only busy with his job at school and catching up with his sister. Though she hadn't come by he blamed that small part on her being to busy with her duties as a shinigami.

Oh he knew about her status the moment he came to Karakura he already recognized her spiritual reiatsu and it was more powerful and uncontrolled then the last time he saw her six years ago. Even then, this time it was extremely more powerful perhaps on the level of a third seat and that was without her unlocking her heritage.

The other clue was the girl at her side at all times, Rukia Kuchiki, the name made him want to scowl. It wasn't that he hated the girl Rukia, it was just the Kuchiki name and all it represented that grated on his nerves. He sensed not an ounce of her power within her and the gigai that she was wearing seemed to be absorbing her reiryoku instead of restoring it. A move Kisuke did no doubt but still Ichigo scowled at the idea of Kairi being brought into his world.

'It's naive of me to think she wouldn't eventually awaken her powers but I never wished for her to be brought into my world.' looking down at his hands he raised his right palm and watched with a dull gaze as his hand gave off a azure glow before it ignited into flames of pure azure engulfing his entire hand. He gazed at his hand as the flickering light lit up his dark study before he narrowed his eyes before he clenched his hand causing wisps of black fire to meld into the azure flames.

''Still it doesn't change a thing I will protect her and the rest of those I care for.'' sighing he willed the fire away causing it to smolder away from his hand into wisps of smoke. Leaning back he propped his face with his hand and thought over the current situation.

'Perhaps I should teach her? No doubt Isshin will take her to Kisuke at some point if Soul Society doesn't send someone after Rukia before then. If that happens Kisuke will get involved and will probably use that to his advantage.'

Gripping the armrest, Ichigo scowled he was not about to let Kisuke use his sister for his own plans without any knowledge of what she was truly getting into. It wasn't that he hated Kisuke cause he actually respected the man for his intelligence and ingenuity but what he despised about him was that he couldn't be completely trusted.

''It doesn't matter though if Kisuke and Isshin think they can get away with it their both in for a very rude awakening.'' he said before he gave a chuckle at the thought. Oh yes, he wasn't about to let Kairi jump into his world without knowing anything about what she was getting into. If it was unavoidable to stop her from coming in then he would make damned sure she was ready for it.

Knock Knock!

Perking up Ichigo got up from his chair and left his study, coming down the stairs he went to the front door. Smiling softly he unlocked the door and opened it up.

If possible his smile only got bigger.

The person before him was a woman who stood about 5'7, she wore casual clothing consisting of white overcoat with a light blue turtle neck undershirt which hugged her well developed D-breasts and upper body like a second skin. Around her waist was a number of brown leather belts that tiled horizontally from her waist. Below this she wore faded blue jeans that fit snugly around her long shapely legs while on her feet she wore plain old white sneakers. On her right wrist was a simple blue bracelet. Held in her left hand was a suitcase while in the other was a booklet of Karakura Town's map.

However Ichigo's eyes fell on her face, long light pink hair fell past her neckline the back of her hair was swept over her left shoulder with a few spikes jutting out from the right side of her hair. Pale aqua blue eyes stared back into his amber ones, her eyes looking into him held an unmeasurable amount of respect but also a since of longing and need. Supple pink lips parted way as a small smile adorned the woman's face as she took a step forward as she looked up to Ichigo.

''Sorry I'm late Taicho...'' she said before Ichigo wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close causing her to gasp slightly as he just stared deep into her eyes with a smirk.

''You're not late at all, its good see you again Claire.'' he said causing her to smile slightly before she leaned her head against his chest and sighed contently.

''It's good to finally be here, My King...'' she said before Ichigo gently grabbed her by the chin so she was meting his gaze before he lowered his head and captured the woman in a small kiss. Eyes widening a fraction Claire soon closed her eyes and gripped the fabric of his shirt as she dropped her suitcase as she clung herself to him even tighter then before.

Moaning into the kiss, they soon broke apart both being a bit breathless, putting his forehead against her's Ichigo's smirk turned into a smile as he whispered into her ear with words that brought a smile to her face.

''Welcome home, My Queen...''

And that's a wrap to the last of TDKN'S last four chapters! Added some detail here and there, hope you all liked it.

Also if people don't know who Claire is then go to my profile I have a link to her appearance. She is one of the few that will be coming into this story that has a past connection to Ichigo. But remember she has NO past connection to her life in the game she comes from.

Now before I go I just want to point out that I know Ichigo seems out of character and it was intended from what TDKN told me it all has to do with his past. That's all I can say, nothing more.

Now gotta go, so...

Ja'ne!