Disclaimer: Wait……. Didn't I do one of these disclaimer-mah-bobs earlier? Oh well. Anyway I do not own bleach or the characters, just my ideas and my thought process.

Chapter 4- The Awakening of Ichigo

What in the world? What am I doing in this hallway? Ichigo said, lost inside a dream. He looked behind and in front of him, seeing opens doors run the length of the hall and one at the end he was facing, bright lights spilling out of each open door, and one door that glowed the brightest at the end of the hall directly in front of him. Directly behind him was a closed door, something that seemed to call out to him. Note to self, avoid the closed door. Hmmmmmmmmm. I think that these doors are important to me somehow. Let's find out, he said, walking to the door on his right. Right before he was able to step inside the opening, it slammed shut in his face. WHAT THE HELL! What kind of dream is this? He turned and reached for the door behind him, only to have it shut in his face as well. Okaaaaaay, weird. This has got to be the craziest ass dream ever……. WHAT THE HELL? MY HAND! Ichigo looked down at his right hand, the one that he had reached for the door with, no longer seeing the rough, callused hand he had developed through months of training, instead seeing a smooth feminine hand. Don't you get it Ichigo? called a voice he had grown to hate The more you try to fight it, the quicker you change into what the Hogyoukou wants, Aizens' recorded voice called back, a slight chuckle hidden behind the word wants. That rat bastard! He's messing with the wrong guy! I simply won't attempt to go through any doors and remain standing right here. As soon as he said that Aizens voice resonated through the hallway again. Oh and one more thing, three doors will close once every fifteen seconds now that you've already started. After every set of doors, the time will drop by three seconds, until you start to close them again. So one way or another the Hogyoukou will have its way and change you. Ichigo began to growl as he heard the voice give its grim news, until he heard three doors shut at the end of the hall, causing him to snap his head at the darkened area. Shit! It's started already! Ichigo looked down and saw that his other hand had changed now, mimicking the feminine features. Shit Shiiiiit! Ichigo didn't care if this was only a dream, he knew that something about this seemed all too real. If this keeps up, there won't be any of me left at all! Another three doors shut, the hall way darkened more, and Ichigo's legs and feet transformed. Damn it! Damn you Aizen!

"How long as she been asleep?" came a cold female voice from outside door.

"She hasn't woken up since you brought her in two days ago, Lady Harribel," replied another female voice, not as cold as the first.

"Make sure you call me as soon she wakes. Lord Aizen wants me to test her abilities and see if she remembers anything. If his theory is right she won't remember anything of her past after she wakes up, the exception being very minor details," replied Harribel, making sure that her demand was heard.

"Yes milady." After hearing that, Harribel walked away from the guest room, leaving one of the Prevarron to watch over the new family member. She still felt disgust when having to think that that shinigami was to be adopted into their family, let alone that she herself had to test her abilities in combat. "What is he thinking! Bringing that….that…..that scum into our lands, infusing it with the essence of fallen comrades effectively making it into some sort of mixed trash! I think that he's finally…"

"I've finally what Harribel?" asked Aizen, stepping up to walk beside the number three Espada, exerting high amounts of reiatsu, "Go ahead and speak freely about it, I won't hold anything against you. After all, other than Ulquiorra, Gin, and Tousen, I trust you explicitly."

"Sorry Lord Aizen," Harribel said, barely standing due the presence of his high reiatsu, "I merely meant to say what purpose does infusing a shinigami with the essence of Espada?"

"Nice cover story, although next time I won't be so lenient. As to answer your question, she wan't a shinigami, she was a Vizard, a shinigami with some hollow abilities, bridging the gap between the two just as you and your brethren do by being arrancar." He paused here to take a breath. "In essence, all I did was infuse her with more abilities, favoring hollows while downplaying the shinigami. The Hogyoukou merely merged what I placed in there with the pre-existing abilities to create what is laying there in your guest room right now. Do you understand that she is neither Espada, hollow, shinigami, or Vizard but something new? This has been a very special week for the universe with the merge of the completely opposed forces."

"Yes Lord Aizen, I understand."

"It's best for you to believe that you do. Until I deem otherwise you are her guardian, you will protect her with your life if necessary. Am I clear?" He exerted more reiatsu, slowly forcing Harribel down to one knee, waiting for her to respond.

"Explicitly so, Lord Aizen." Harribel said, struggling to say those few words. Aizen then allowed his reiatsu to disperse, letting Harribel stand again of her own free will.

"Remember, next time you doubt me, I will not let you stay alive. Oh by the way, I'd start heading back to the guest room, she should be waking up soon," Aizen said as he disappeared, seconds before the female arrancar came running to inform Harribel of their guests status. Together they stepped into the room.

"She should be awake now, milady."

"Thank you. Leave now," Harribel spoke, her voice almost sounding forced. As soon as the arrancar left, Harribel returned her attention to the woman on the bed. "Do you know who you are?"

"I….. I'm…… Ichigo Kurosaki," came the reply from the woman on the bed, her voice uncertain as she looked herself over.

"Do you know where you are?"

"No…… wait….. Yes, I'm in Hueco Mundo, the realm of the hollows," she said, still looking over herself.

"What does that make you then?" The crucial question was finally asked, how would she respond?

"I….. I….. I'm an Espada." This time she lifted her head, her amber eyes looking around the room, until they landed on the Teal-eyed Espada questioning her. "You're an Espada too."

"Correct, I'm an Espada, you however, still have yet to prove it." Harribel said, her eyes locking with the amber eyes across the room. "Final question. Do you remember anything from before you woke up?" Ichigo sat in silence on her bed, trying to think back to before she woke up, her eyes closed, Harribel staring at her, looking over the person Aizen had told her to protect with her life, still wearing the rags from two days ago. What used to be short and spiky orange hair, was now strawberry blonde, reaching down to her mid-back. Her eyelids held behind them the amber orbs, filled with a forgotten past screaming to be remembered on deaf ears. Her lips were slightly plump with a pale pink tone. Her face in general had a look of grace upon it, as if she had always looked as she did now. Harribels' gaze drifted down from her face to her body, noticing that the size of her breast was close to her own, and Ichigo was still growing, only being eighteen for the past month in human time. Her arms were crossed under her chest, unknowingly slightly emphasizing the size of her bust. Before Harribel could move her gaze further downward, Ichigo spoke, her female voice finally snatching the Espada's attention.

"I remember you, my zanpakuto, and Lord Aizen. Other than that nothing," she said, her right eye unconsciously twitching at the words 'Lord Aizen'.

"Very well. You shall have some robes to wear. I'm sure we've got something to fit your size," Harribel replied, her voice still unwelcoming to Ichigo.

"Thank you, Harribel. I'm not sure why, but it just seems like the thing to say," Ichigo said, never moving from her spot on the bed. Harribel just stood where she was, her eyes looking away from the strawberry blonde until she had enough of the silence filling between them. As she turned to walk out, Ichigo made a low wince, grabbing the side of her head. Inside her head all she heard was a maniacal female laugh.

My, my, how the queen has fallen. She believes she is an Espada, when all she is is a joke. Honestly who would want her a former Vizard and Shinigami captain to be an Espada? The voice faded away into the recesses of her mind, laughing until the very end.

Who was that in my head? She felt so……familiar. Like she had been a part of my very soul for the longest time. Her head began to hurt again as the voice tried to resurface, failing in its attempt this time, only getting a part of its message through.

Poor…Qu...ie…., Doesn't even……….nize her…… Hollow……Maybe……..getsu……....……get through.

"What in the world was that about? Something about a hollow and getting through," Ichigo said to herself outloud.

"You know Ichigo," came a male voice from the door, "they say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness."

"Lord Aizen," Ichigo said, a slight twitch in her eye, smaller than last time, as she slightly bowed her head, "What brings you to my......quarters I would guess?"

"Yes, Ichigo, these are going to be your quarters for now. As for why I'm here, let's just say I'm visiting an old friend." Somewhere deep down Ichigo wanted to yell bullshit, but restrained herself.

"How long have we known each other?"

"Well now let's see, it's been three months since I last saw you outside Hueco Mundo, but all in all I've lost track of how long we've known each other."

"So, why do you want to visit me?" Ichigo asked, sensing something was up. Was this woman's intuition? Or was it instinct?

"Well we recently found you in enemy hands in the Soul Society, held captive by Yoruichi Shihouin," something deep inside Ichigo stirred at the mention of that name, "She kidnapped you from a mission in the human world and took you into the soul society, where they proceeded to try and remove your Espada abilities and make you into a mindless warrior for their cause against us." Slowly the stirring beast inside Ichigo began to calm down, resting uneasily back in the depths of her mind and soul.

"Th…..Thank you Lord Aizen, for rescuing me from those shinigami." This time her eye barely twitched, but still a slight twitch was there.

"Please Ichigo, call me Aizen. After all you have the same rights here as Gin and Tousen. As long as you are here, you are family," at the words family, Aizen spread his arms slightly, the palms of his hands facing Ichigo. An open invitation saying 'trust me, I have nothing to hide' and 'welcome' at the same time.

"If you're done with your speech Lord Aizen," said Harribel standing behind Aizen with some garments over her right arm, "Ichigo has to get dressed. After all one simply cannot stay in rags at all times can they?"

"No, Harribel, you're right." Aizen began to leave when he stopped, his back to the women, "Ichigo, Harribel, after you're done here feel free to join me, Gin, and Tousen for a stroll around Las Noches."

"Thank you Lor…. Thank you Aizen," Ichigo replied, "I'm sure that I will be very busy though trying to regain my status as an Espada," Harribel looks toward Aizen, an eyebrow raised in question.

"I understand Ichigo, just feel free to explore at your content, so long as you remain with Harribel."

"Yes, Aizen. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Ichigo Kurosaki," and just as suddenly as he appeared earlier, he was gone.

"Do I even want to know what that was about?" Harribel asked, a hint of jealousy in her voice

"Hey said he was just checking up on an old friend, and that I was family," Ichigo replied, her voice responding as though she had not heard the jealousy in Harribels' voice.

"Anyway here are your choices of robes that you'll be wearing from now on." As she said this she laid down three garments on the bed at her feet. "No need to pick this late in the day. I suggest you wait until tomorrow. After that we'll start training."

"Okay Harribel, but if I may say something?"

"Yes, Ichigo?"

"It seems like you're starting to warm up to me." Ichigo let out a giggle as Harribels' eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

"It's not that I'm starting to warm up to you, it's just that I'm this way to all my sisters." Ichigos' amber eyes lit up when she finally heard Harribel call her sister.

"What made you decide I was a sister now?" She asked, highly curious as to what could have changed her mind since she had left to get the clothes.

"Aizen seems intent on making you family, and its usless to try and go against him when he's as set in something like this." Not a solid victory for Ichigo, but a step in the right direction.