I don't own Bleach, nor do I own Batman, so any characters mentioned here are the property of their respective owners.

I would like to remind everyone reading this that it's a hybird universe I'm making, pulling from different versions of Batman and elements from Bleach, so I'll probably fudge things to make them suit the story I want to tell.

It has been awhile since I updated this, The Dark Knight Rises coming out sort of prompted me to want to do a bit more writing, at least before I get busy with stuff again.

Batman stalked his way back to the Batmobile, confident that nobody had touched it. Ordinary hollows couldn't get past the security, and learned quickly there wasn't much point in trying. The only criminals who had the guts to mess with his ride would do it to his face. The Super-Villains tended towards the dramatic, so he usually had plenty of warning... Like that time Rialgo had thrown it at him…

Just as he was about to unlock the door, Batman paused. Something was tickling the back of his brain, a familiar sensation, the instincts he had honed at the Kuchiki mansion, training with Byakuya and his legion.

He was being watched.

Batman kept his breathing even; he didn't want to alert the person(s) watching him. The presence didn't feel inherently evil, it felt somewhat…

Mischievous.

"I know you're there, Yoruichi"

Thuft.

The softest of impacts, from the most graceful of landings, came from over Ichigo's right shoulder. Next the clicking of heels (How does she do anything in them?) alerted him to the fact she was coming over.

He didn't turn around, not because he was trying to be dramatic, rather, he needed a moment to compose himself. Ichigo had always had trouble dealing with the female villains and criminals. His parents and Juushiro had raised him to be a gentleman, and gentlemen didn't hit women. In the modern world, women had just as much potential to break the law as men did. Though they didn't seem to do it quite as often as their male counterparts, a fact Ichigo was grateful for.

This naturally led to a moral conflict when the Batman couldn't afford to be a gentleman. Hitting Quin was never fun. In fact, he actively avoided it, preferring to use submission holds or one of his gadgets. Then there was Ivy. If it wasn't for his iron resolve and mental fortitude, Karakura would have fallen to one of her schemes long ago. That pheromone dust she favours is just cheating. It wasn't too big an issue in his early days, but as time went on, some criminals noticed his reluctance in dealing with the opposite sex. Gangs began to aggressively recruit women and for a while, it gave Ichigo a headache. Uryuu was no help, with the then-Robin being of similar morals.

The solution came in the form of the commissioner's little sister. Batgirl was more than happy to punch out Matsumoto while Batman dealt with Ichimaru. The normally sweet girl was quite vicious in her fights with Poison Ivy, though Batman suspected it was partly jealousy when she hit Robin to 'help clear his head' whenever Kurotsuchi's love dust got to Uryuu. Batgirl's presence on the team seemed to scare a lot of women straight, making Batman's life easier on patrol. Since Orihime became Oracle, it was Tatsuki's presence as Huntress that deterred the would-be lady hollows, though Tatsuki was a whole other loose-cannon wrapped in a headache Batman didn't have time for right now.

The sound of Yoruichi's seductive chuckle brushed his ears, accompanied by the feel of her running her hand along his shoulders as she stepped around him in a curl. Finishing her turn, Catwoman came to a stop in front of Batman, pushed her athletic body up against his and practically purred.

"Hmmm, someone's been working out."

"Someone is meant to be in prison"

Yoruichi pouted, and took a step back from him, looking for all the world to be a scolded kitten. Ichigo was mentally breathing a sigh of relief. He may have looked cool and collected on the outside, but when she had pressed herself up to him, it was all he could do to not pass out from a most undignified nosebleed. He hadn't done that since he was staying at the Kuchiki manor and Rukia had snuck into his room naked. He couldn't help it. Ichigo Kurosaki, playboy extraordinaire, was used to attractive women throwing themselves at him. But something about Catwoman got to him. The tight, leather catsuit certainly wasn't helping, nor, oddly enough, the cat ears stitched into her hood.

Yoruichi frowned. A lesser man would have given into her pout by now. But, she supposed, if he was a lesser man, this wouldn't be anywhere near as fun. The droplet of blood on his nose was a sure sign she was getting to him at any rate.

"Prison didn't agree with me." she said airily. "Besides, you know you missed me."

"Just like the Kasumiōji missed their heirlooms." Ichigo deadpanned.

"They weren't using them."

"Not the point."

"I missed our banter."

"That's a shame; you're going to be missing it for an even longer time yet."

Batman took a step forward, intent on beginning the long, frustrating, yet if he was being honest, entertaining, process of capturing the cat-burglar. The two of them would engage in a game of 'Bat and Cat' as Yoruichi was fond of calling it. They would trade barbs as she tried to shake him, while he pursued her over the rooftops, culminating in either her escape or him capturing her.

Unfortunately, as he began to take his second step, his communicator buzzed him.

"Busy" Batman growled into his communicator, never taking his eyes off of Catwoman. Yoruichi decided to start pulling faces at him, recognising he was talking into a head set. Geez, she could be such a child sometimes.

"Ichigo, a turf fight has broken out between the Adjuchas and the Menos, there are two Policemen on the scene, but their closest backup is at least five minutes away, and last report I heard stated there were gunshots."

"Send the co-ordinates to the car."

Ichigo sighed. Loathe as he was, he would have to let Yoruichi go for now. In the grand scheme of things, she wasn't a major threat. At worst, she might steal a couple jewels or a museum piece, and he would have to track her down. Those Policemen would need all the help they could get; a lot of available officers were probably still busy with clean-up from Joker's earlier escapades.

"Awww, leaving so soon?"

"This isn't over."

"Of course not. Catch-ya cutie"

With that said Yoruichi blew him a kiss and sauntered off into the night. Batman swore he would track her down soon. But right now, he had to burn rubber. Opening the hatch, he vaulted into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Oracle, could you have Robin do a screen for potential targets for Catwoman."

"Sorry Ichigo, is that what you were busy with?"

"It's fine, we have bigger problems."

Batman cut off the transmission, focussing on the job ahead.

"Master Histsugaya, would you like some candy?"

A vein throbbed on Toshiro's head, as he reminded himself that Mr Ukitake meant well.

"No thank you, Juushiro"

Ukitake excused himself from the library, leaving the young crime-fighter to study in peace. While Ukitake's constant attempts to ply him with sweets could be bothersome, Toshiro was mature enough to realise there were worse problems to have, but he was eighteen freaking years old! Why did everyone insist on treating him like a child? Even Yuzu patronised him, but being mad at her just didn't feel right. He knew he should be grateful. The Bat family had been nothing but accommodating since the day he had barged into their lives.

Flashback, four years ago.

At the age of fourteen, Toshiro was sitting in Ichigo Kurosaki's chair, in Ichigo Kurosaki's office, in Kurosaki Tower, gloating over how clever he was and how stupid everyone else is. He knew Batman's secret identity. Toshiro had been interested in the Batman ever since he first saw him in person at the Hirenkyaku Quincy Circus, two years prior. Scarecrow had attacked, dosing the audience with his fear gas.

Before that happened, Toshiro was enjoying himself. Granny had surprised him and his adopted sister Momo with tickets to the circus. He had always been fascinated by the acrobatics the Quincy were renowned for and their deadly accuracy with ranged weapons. So when that psycho Kurotsuchi attacked, the Quincy performers had actually held their own, before numbers started to overwhelm them.

While everyone had panicked, Toshiro had noticed one of the famous Kurosaki's striding purposefully to an exit, disappearing. Minutes later Batman had appeared and started to wade through the thugs, just in time to save the eldest Ishida child, who was valiantly fighting the thugs with his bow and arrows. That wasn't when he figured it out. At the time, the preteen was in awe of the caped crusader, and swore to one day be just like him. Batman was still relatively new, only having been operating for the last year or so.

So for two years, Toshiro trained. He trained his body, taking up Karate, Judo, and Aikido in his spare time. He trained his mind, studying late into the night, books on strategy and stealth, internet articles on lock picking and trap setting, advanced law, advanced weapon tactics, anything and everything he thought could come in handy as costumed vigilante. Toshiro had always been a bright boy, so when his teachers questioned his choice of study material, he claimed an interest in doing something in police or law, and they were more than happy to accommodate him.

He started tracking Batman's movements. He also took note when Robin arrived on the scene, and when Batgirl started running with the heroes. Any news clipping, T.V report, he hoarded them. His kindly grandmother knew not of the extent of his obsession. She just thought he was taking his study and health seriously. In fact, she was delighted when Toshiro requested extra serves of fruit and veggies. Most young men only ate unhealthy rubbish.

As his training continued, puberty kicked in and he began to develop his physique. He could run faster, train harder, last longer. His grades improved as his mental conditioning took effect. But none of this mattered to Toshiro if he couldn't be like his hero, Batman.

One day, out of the blue, Toshiro figured it out. It suddenly made sense. Ichigo Kurosaki is the Batman. One of the richest men in the world spent his nights in a costume beating up criminals. Once he absorbed this, he couldn't stop noticing it. The two had the same build, Robin used moves he hadn't seen since the Quincy Circus, and Batgirl had the same style of hair as the commissioner's sister.

So after putting it all together, he decided to confront Kurosaki. He bluffed his way through the foyer ("I'm here to see my dad, he works in accounting.") and snuck his way to the office he was occupying.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

The casual smile on his face seemed genuine and Toshiro had a hard time reconciling the politely confused billionaire in front of him with Karakura's Dark Knight.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, my name is Toshiro Hitsugaya, and I know that you're Batman."

The second he stopped talking, Toshiro scrutinized Kurosaki's face. Not even the tiniest twitch, though that could be explained if he was merely stunned that he'd been caught out.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You're the Batman."

Ichigo walked over casually to his desk with a serene countenance, but on the inside, his mind was racing. Who was this kid? How did he find out? Had he told anyone? Did someone tell him? How much did he know?

Once Ichigo had pulled up alongside him, he adopted a confused expression.

"And why do you think I'm Batman?"

"You're Batman, Uryuu Ishida is Robin and Orihime Inoue is Batgirl."

Well crap, what to do now? Ichigo ruffled his hair and bent down to his level in the most patronizing manner he could manage.

"Kid, I wouldn't have time to be Batman. I run a company."

"Don't do that! And don't call me kid! Look, I know you're Batman, and I want to help you, I'm really good at fighting, and I'm really smart"

He pulled out his report cards from the last few years.

"See! Read the comments, all my teachers think I'm a genius, I'm in really good shape, I know Karate!"

"This is an impressive resume; maybe you would be interested in working for me when you get a bit older?"

"No! I want to help now!"

"Is this one of those hidden camera shows? Am I being set up?"

"NO! Please Batman, let me help you!"

"Look, Toshiro was it? I'm not a hero, I'm not Batman. So if you could hop off my chair please, I have a busy day ahead."

Ichigo buzzed his secretary.

"Lisa, could you please see the young gentlemen in here out."

A woman with glasses came in and ushered Toshiro out, seeing him out the door. Poor Toshiro was crushed. He knew Kurosaki would deny it, but he had hoped that he could prove himself and help him in some way.

As he walked home, something in him changed. His youthful optimism had been crushed, he felt disillusioned and let down. Like most teenagers, he felt that the world had let him down, and it pissed him off. This day saw the birth of a much more mature, pessimistic and cynical Toshiro.

Two years later…

Sixteen year old Toshiro Hitsugaya was walking through Karakura's back alleyways, trying to decide what he wanted for dinner. It wasn't the safest route home, but it was the quickest, and he could handle himself far better than his slightly-less-than-average height would suggest. Since his Granny had died and his adopted sister had disappeared, Toshiro was working after school to keep up his rent and pay for food. It wasn't so bad; his landlord was sympathetic and let him stay in his tiny apartment at a reduced rate.

As he debated his options, his head jerked back as some two bit thug grabbed him by the upper torso and pushed a knife to his throat.

"Aint no-one tolds ya it aint safe for little kiddies to be wonderin' round by demselves?"

Toshiro rolled his eyes. It was times like these he was thankful for the education he had. He was glad for the drive and intelligence that wouldn't leave him as some illiterate crook.

Hitsugaya could smell the pot on this Hollow's breath and reasoned that depending on how high he was, his reflexes would most likely be dulled. He snapped his hands up in a calculated risk, gambling that he wouldn't tighten his hold at the sudden movement. It paid off as Toshiro freed himself, spun and took two big steps away from the attacker. He sized his opponent up while waiting for the counter attack. The mask on his face was a symbol of the Menos gang. Not as dangerous as the Adjuchas, but not exactly your average thug. Toshiro knew he would have to play this one smart.

The Hollow charged forward, so Toshiro aimed a kick for his lower torso. His height worked to his advantage here, making it easier to get under his guard and push him back. The Hollow charged again and Toshiro kicked him again. This happened once more before the Hollow hesitated, realizing he would need to change tactics.

Hitsugaya took the chance to press forward and pressure him into making a mistake. It worked, as the hollow panicked and hastily swung his arm in a wild uppercut at the new aggressor. Toshiro calmly stepped to the left and used the back of his right wrist to push the hollow's hand up, using his natural momentum to force the hollow to overextend. He pressed his attack by jerking the Hollows arm severely to the left and engaging in a simple wrist-lock, causing a cry of pain.

"Argh!"

Toshiro finished the conflict by suddenly driving forward and pushing him against the nearby wall and bringing the knife hand of the Hollow around to press against his collar bone, angled towards the throat. Toshiro pressed the knife gently against his neck to imply the threat.

"When I let go, you're going to go home, rethink your life, and thank whoever you pray to that I'm feeling merciful. Understood?"

He reinforced his point by digging the knife in slightly. The hollow panicked.

"Yea-Ye-Yeah, man, please, just don't kill me kid!"

Hitsugaya nearly killed him for that remark alone. Instead, he calmly took a step back, throwing the knife down the nasty smelling dumpster on the other side of the alley.

"Hey man, that was me knife!"

Toshiro's glare shut him up. Without taking his eyes off him, Hitsugaya started to walk slowly backwards, knowing that the high criminal might see it as chance to attack if he just turned around. After a few steps, he hit a solid wall of muscle.

"Yo."

Startled, Toshiro lapsed in judgment and swung around, throwing a wild haymaker which was casually caught by Renji Abarai, the Robin-of-the-time.

So there, I'm actually still writing, even as I upload this, I just cut it off here because it was getting kind of long, so there will be at least one more chapter in the next few days.