Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach


Last time:

Ulquiorra raised his right arm towards the Shinigami and he pointed his right finger straight at Ichigo. A small ball of green energy formed at his finger tip.

Ichigo's eyes widened, "That's a..."

"Cero!" Ulquiorra interrupted and unleashed the blast towards Ichigo.

Fortunately for Ichigo it seemed that his aim was a little off and he evaded the blast by leaning heavily to the right. The beam of energy sailed passed his left shoulder.

"It looks like your aim needs work!" Ichigo mocked him with his cocky smirk planted on his face.

"I wasn't aiming for you..." Ulquiorra told him emotionlessly.

A confused frown formed onto the orange haired Shinigami when a scream full of horror and scream came from behind him.

"TATSUKI-CHAN!"

Ichigo spun around and his eyes widened in horror. On her knees was Tatsuki, with wide blanks eyes and a large gaping hole in the middle of her chest.


Arrancar Saga – Arrancar Invasion arc – Chapter 7 – The Beginning

This couldn't be happening... It had to be a dream... A nightmare...

Ichigo's grip tightened around Tensa Zangetsu. It was his fault. His stubbornness was responsible for this. If he had gone all out then this wouldn't have happened.

Black spiritual energy began to envelop his body which gained the interest of Ulquiorra judging by the fact he tensed up slightly.

Ulquiorra... His name... The sight of him... The sound of his voice... Ichigo hated everything about him. It was an irrational, blinding hatred. A hatred that he hadn't felt since he fought with Grand Fisher the first time... No that was incorrect. This hatred was much stronger. He had always blamed himself for his mother's death because he had no explanation for her death. He had been a powerless naive 9 year old boy and he understood now that he couldn't have protected his mother.

This was different... He had the power to protect those he cared about and... He had failed!

Ulquiorra had killed his friend... And now he would pay the ultimate price!

"I'll... kill you!" Ichigo snarled furiously. He didn't even take notice that his Hollow mask was forming on his face... all he cared about was removing Ulquiorra's head from his shoulders.

'His spiritual pressure has increased immensely. At this rate it will even surpass my own.' Ulquiorra noted curiously. With the increase in his targets spiritual pressure, he wasn't foolish enough to continue this fight without drawing his sword. Ulquiorra's eyes flashed for a brief instant and suddenly Ichigo was gone. He ducked his head immediately to avoid the slash from the black blade coated in black energy that would have taken off his head. With a burst of sonido, Ulquiorra appeared behind Ichigo and slashed at his back. However Ichigo threw his Zanpakutō over his shoulder and parried the blow. Ichigo immediately followed up by spinning around and he punched Ulquiorra hard in the right side of his face.

The force of the punch didn't hurt Ulquiorra that much but he was sent a few feet back from the force of the blow. He took noticed of the hand that Ichigo had punched him with and he saw that some of his fingers were out of place. There was also some bruising and blood dripping down onto the grass.

'So this is the power that Lord Aizen was curious about. This brat is similar to us Arrancar but instead he is a Shinigami with some meagre Hollow powers.' Ulquiorra thought curiously. His eyes widened suddenly he saw a small amount of steam rise up from Ichigo's hand and suddenly in a flash, the broken hand was completely restored. 'That was high speed regeneration! A mere human/Shinigami brat surely can't use such an advanced Hollow technique!'

"Getsuga..." Ichigo growled suddenly and he raised his Zanpakutō, which was coated with black energy, into the air.

"... Tenshō!" Ichigo brought his sword down and he released the large crescent wave of black energy straight at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra quickly sheathed his Zanpakutō and he raised his right arm to catch the wave of energy. His eyes widened when the force of the Getsuga pressed down on him and he quickly threw his free arm forward to help fend off the attack.

'Impossible!'

That was Ulquiorra's incredulous thought before the black Getsuga completely enveloped him.

After unleashing such a powerful and exhausting attack, Ichigo would usually be completely spent and his mask would crumbled into dust. It wasn't the case this time though. His mask stayed firmly on his face as he waited for the results of his attack to become clear. In fact, Ichigo didn't even notice that he had kept his mask on for a whole minute... all of his thoughts were focused on one thing. Kill Ulquiorra!

The hatred he had for Ulquiorra had completely consumed him and he threw all logic and doubts aside and gave in to his instincts. He didn't even react when he saw the dust and smoke fade away revealing a relatively unharmed Ulquiorra. The only damage from the Hollowfied Ichigo's attacks was the bruising on both Ulquiorra's hands and forearms. Also his sleeves had been completely ripped away from his elbow.

"I wasn't able to stop it even with both hands... that surprised me a little." Ulquiorra said dully, "Was that just now... your full power?"

Ichigo didn't rise to the taunt. Instead he just glared at him hatefully and he tightened his grip on Tensa Zangetsu.

Ulquiorra raised his right hand and he pointed his right index finger at Ichigo. A small green ball of energy formed momentarily, "Let's find out." With that, he launched the powerful cero at Ichigo.

Ichigo didn't hesitate this time. He wouldn't fall for the same mistake like the one before. Instead of dodging, he raised his left hand and caught the cero, similar to what Ulquiorra did to his Getsuga. The power of Ulquiorra's cero made Ichigo's feet sink into the ground but with a fierce growl, Ichigo began slowly walking towards the Espada, pushing back his cero. Ulquiorra increased the amount of energy he was pumping through his cero but amazingly Ichigo continued to push back. Suddenly Ulquiorra noticed that his cero was separated from Ichigo's hand by a bright red light.

'Is he using a cero?!' Ulquiorra thought incredulously, 'There is no way that a human can fire a cero!'

Large cracks began to form on Ichigo's mask but the Shinigami/Hollow hybrid pressed on and instinctively poured more energy into his own cero.

At any moment Ulquiorra could have stopped firing his cero at any time but he didn't for a couple of reasons. He could see that what Ichigo was doing was putting a severe strain on his body judging from the cracks appearing in his mask. Also his interest was piqued for the first time since he could remember... never before had someone fascinated him this much. All humans and Shinigami were weak because they had hearts. Their connections with their friends and comrades held them back from reaching their full potential. Hollows didn't need such weight on their backs. They were the superior race because they didn't have hearts and connections to 'friends' or 'comrades'.

However this brat was different. He had removed a weight from the Shinigami/human hybrid but the boy's reaction wasn't what he had expected. The despair... the anger... the hatred that was all connected to the boy's heart and yet it gave him incredible power. Even more astonishing was that the power that came from his heart... is a Hollow power. That didn't make any sense to him. Why was his Hollow power connected to his heart?

He was forced to disengage the cero lock when his Pesquisa picked up an attack heading to the left side of his body. He couldn't see the attack but he dodged it just in time and he saw that it was a black crescent wave of energy. No doubt the Shinigami brat was able to fire off another one of those attacks even while firing a cero but all he had done was waste energy.

Ulquiorra's eyes suddenly widened when Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of him with Tensa Zangetsu held above his head with both hands on the handle and the blade was coated in fierce black flame energy. The mask on his face was cracked all over as if it was only being held together by glue.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo snarled and slashed Ulquiorra with his Tensa Zangetsu mixed with his Getsuga Tenshō.

"Take that you bastard!" Ichigo panted heavily after his mask crumbled away into dust. His fatigue had finally caught up to him and not even the hatred driving him could sustain it. He glanced to his left where Inoue was with Tatsuki and Chad and he saw that Orihime was desperately trying to revive Tatsuki.

"That... was impressive."

Ichigo's eyes widened when he saw Ulquiorra standing through all the dust and rock in the air. The Arrancar had a large bloody scar from his left shoulder down to his left hip. There was one thing he took particular notice of though and that was the number 4 printed on the chest.

"A human that has the power to use both Shinigami and Hollow powers and is capable of damaging me like this... you have potential." Ulquiorra said emotionlessly as if he didn't feel his injuries. "Potential that must be eliminated."

Ulquiorra immediately fired another cero and Ichigo weakly raised his Tensa Zangetsu to defend himself. He managed to release a weak Getsuga with his remaining strength and it was enough to protect him from most of the damage.

While Ulquiorra waited for the remnants to clear up so he could see the state that the Shinigami was in, he glanced to the left where he could sense two powerful Shinigami approaching. He knew immediately who these two incoming Shinigami were.

Ichigo grunted in pain and he struggled to stay on his feet. His right sleeve was completely destroyed along with half of his coat. Blood flowed freely down his forehead and the whole right side of his chest and his right arm that was holding Tensa Zangetsu was all burnt heavily. He was unable to withstand the pain and exhaustion and he fell to his knees.

"Why?!" Ichigo gasped out. He needed to know. "Why did you kill her? I know you came here for me but killing her served no purpose!"

"I was sent here by Lord Aizen to test your strength and determine if you were a threat to him." Ulquiorra answered indifferently.

"T-that's it..!" Ichigo despaired, "She died just so Aizen could find out how strong I was!"

"Do not despair." Ulquiorra said tonelessly and the Arrancar began walking towards him. He withdrew his sword, "You do not need to concern yourself with her fate. I acknowledge you as someone that I must destroy."

Before Ulquiorra could get close enough to end Ichigo's life, a crimson beam of energy slashed into the ground a few feet in front of him and forced him to a stop.

Standing in protectively in front of Ichigo was Kisuke and Yoruichi.

"Hello! Sorry that I am late, Ichigo!" Kisuke sang cheerfully.

"I don't think he can hear you, Kisuke." Yoruichi pointed out. She had just observed Ichigo collapsing unconscious on the ground and his Bankai suddenly faded away back into his Shikai.

"Ichigo has improved a lot in the few days. For him to wield both Bankai and Hollowfication and he was still defeated. We can't take him lightly I'm afraid." Kisuke commented with a tight frown as he inspected the Hollow before him. So Aizen has successfully been able to create an Arrancar and a powerful one at that.

"Yeah I know." Yoruichi said seriously before a grin appeared on her face, "Us fighting together just like the old days, eh Kisuke?"

"Sure is!" Kisuke said happily.

"There is no need." Ulquiorra interrupted them. The Arrancar calmly walked over to the now standing, albeit weakly, Yammy and picked up both of his arms before opening a Garganta.

"Running away are you?" Yoruichi taunted the Arrancar.

Ulquiorra brushed aside the taunt and told her, "I have completed the mission I was sent here on. The Shinigami that Lord Aizen had set his eyes on is dangerous and I'm sure Lord Aizen was always anticipating this. He will already have a plan to deal with him before he becomes too much of a threat. Plus with those two..." Ulquiorra indicated to the injured Ichigo and Chad, "... Can you fight me and protect them at the same time?"

Kisuke lowered his weapon slightly as Yoruichi clenched her fists. They both knew that he was right. It was a risk they couldn't afford to take.

Knowing that he had proven his point, Ulquiorra and Yammy disappeared into the Garganta before it closed leaving those left in the park to look at Ichigo and Chad's injuries and the dead girl inside Orihime's shield and they couldn't help have a shiver of fear at the power of the Arrancar.

"Tatsuki! Tatsuki! Tatsuki! Tatsuki!" Orihime cried over and over again as she persistently tried to heal her most important friend. However no matter how much she tried, no matter how much energy she put into the healing technique, the hole just wouldn't close up.

'Why can't I heal her?!' Orihime thought desperately and she found it hard to see with all the tears leaking out of her eyes. 'I need to heal her! My powers are completely pointless if I can't heal her! I swore that I would protect her!'

Her thoughts were interrupted when a hand gently touched her shoulder and she turned around to see Yoruichi looking down at her sadly.

"It's too late, Orihime." Yoruichi told her sadly before she pointed to the figure lying a few feet away. It was Tatsuki in her spiritual form with a chain hanging down from her chest and she was unconscious. "Her human body is dead and her spirit form has been split. You can't heal the dead Orihime."

"No... No... NOOO!" Orihime screamed loudly and Yoruichi quickly cradled her comfortingly against her chest.

Kisuke walked towards the unconscious spirit form of Tatsuki and he knelt down next her. He muttered something and his right index finger lit up with yellow energy and he gently touched the back of her right hand. A small tattoo suddenly appeared on her hand before Kisuke performed Konsō on her. He watched with sadness as her body dissipated.

He looked back at the unconscious form of Ichigo and he muttered to himself, "What have you done, Aizen?"


Soul Society – 3rd of September, 4:30pm

Silence completely filled the chambers where the Captain and the Vice Captains had all watched the events that had happened at Karakura Park. They were all completely stunned by what they had just seen on screen.

That silence was ended by an ecstatic Kenpachi.

"Get out of my way! I'm going to Hueco Mundo!" Kenpachi screamed in delight. He really wanted to fight that Arrancar that had been able to defeat Ichigo but unfortunately for him, he was held back by Ikkaku who asked him, "How are you going to get there, Captain?"

Kenpachi froze just before he reached the door and the Captain Commander slammed his cane into the floor and he demanded, "Get back into your position, Kenpachi Zaraki."

Kenpachi grumbled in annoyance but he didn't disobey the order.

"Now let's first organise our thoughts." Yamamoto ordered, "Now the first thing we must discuss is the Arrancars that appeared. Captain Kurotsuchi, give us your thoughts on them, most specifically, the smaller one."

"I can't give you much without having a specimen to examine but what we saw was the most complete form of Arrancar that we have ever witnessed." Kurotsuchi exclaimed in delight, "Aizen wouldn't be foolish enough to create Arrancar with mere Hollows. It would be much more effective to use Menos or Adjuchas, and if we are very unlucky, Vasto Lordes."

"So then let us hope that the small one was a Vasto Lorde level Arrancar." Ukitake said hopefully.

"What do you mean? How can that be a good thing?" Iba asked confused.

"It would be a good thing because then we would have seen what a Vasto Lorde Arrancar was capable of. Just imagine if he was just an Adjuchas Arrancar. Then imagine the kind of power a Vasto Lorde Arrancar would have." Shunsui explained to him which drew some scared looks from the Vice Captains.

"Another factor that we have to look at is that they battled in the real world... If the fight had been in Hueco Mundo or here in Soul Society they would have been stronger." Soifon added.

Hitsugaya chimed in, "Let's not forget that Ichigo Kurosaki was defeated. I know all of you have different opinions of him but there is a fact we must be aware of. Kurosaki defeated Madarame, Abarai and Kenpachi all before he had achieved Bankai and then he defeated Captain Kuchiki with his Bankai. We are all going to have to train hard if we want to win this war."

"Speaking of Kurosaki..!" Soifon began.

"I don't remember any of the reports mentioning that Ichigo Kurosaki had Hollow powers." Komamura said confused.

"Ichigo Kurosaki momentarily Hollowfied during our battle." Byakuya Kuchiki reported, "However he wasn't in control of the form but it didn't take him long to regain control. From what we just witnessed, it seems that the boy has somehow gained control of his Hollow."

Yamamoto opened one eye and he looked at Byakuya sternly, "You have known about his for days and are just now reporting it? Explain yourself Captain Kuchiki! A Shinigami that gains Hollow powers is strictly forbidden!"

Byakuya just looked at the Captain Commander dully before coolly responding, "Kisuke Urahara is the one that trained him. It would've been easy for that eccentric scientist to make Ichigo Kurosaki a Shinigami/Hollow hybrid without the boy being aware of it. The reason I didn't report it was because he would be a... valuable asset in the upcoming war against Sōsuke Aizen. Also Ichigo Kurosaki is a human not a Shinigami and is exempt from that law."

"As much as I loathed admitting it... it would be easy for Urahara to force the boy into an unknown Hollowfication process." Kurotsuchi reluctantly admitted. "That isn't the problem though. There is a reason Aizen has decided to test out the Substitute Shinigami."

"What reason is that, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Kyōraku asked lightly.

"Don't you senior Captains remember the purpose the idea of Hollowfication exists in the first place?" Kurotsuchi asked silkily, "It was first thought of as a way to break the Shinigami limits. In other words, it might be possible for him to become a transcendental being."

"A transcendental being?!" Soifon retorted, "You mean to tell me that we have a sixteen year old human has the power to surpass us all! Do you all understand what could happen should he achieve that kind of level of power?!"

"You need to calm down, Soifon." Ukitake said firmly. "Just because it is possible doesn't mean that he will achieve it."

"Of course this is the boy that hasn't been a Shinigami for six months, has already learned how to wield Shikai and then achieved Bankai in less than three days. Now he has learned to Hollowfy... it seems like he could achieve it." Kyōraku said sheepishly.

"That is enough!" Yamamoto barked harshly, "This isn't the time to discuss the Substitute Shinigami. These Arrancars are stronger than we imagined and so I am ordering the Soul Society to prepare for battle! The Karakura Town Protection Division is to prepare to depart within four days to help increase the defence of Karakura town! Dismissed!"

Yamamoto watched all of them leave until he found himself alone with his thoughts. He had a major problem that had come to his attention from the viewing and that was Ichigo Kurosaki.

'Fortunately it seems that Arrancar has given Kurosaki a reason to fight against Aizen, so we can count on Kurosaki's loyalty throughout this battle. However it will become a problem if he became a transcendental being, especially for one so young. Power corrupts after all. Not to mention we need him to lure out Kūgo Ginjo and it would be difficult to wipe them both out if Kurosaki becomes a transcendental being.'


Soul Society – 3rd of September, 6:00pm

Rukia Kuchiki found herself sitting in a mediative position in 13th Division training grounds with her Zanpakutō in her lap and she was thinking over everything that she had just watched.

Tatsuki was dead.

Everyone else was more focused Ichigo's Hollow powers and the power of the Arrancar that they didn't pay much attention to all the people that had died including Tatsuki. She didn't know the girl very well as she mostly spent her time with Ichigo when she lived in Karakura town for a short time. However they had talked and even become somewhere, in between acquaintances and friends.

When she saw it happen... she felt all the air leave her lungs. She could literally feel the hate coming from Ichigo and the sorrow coming from Orihime. It was her fault as well. If she had never involved Ichigo in this world then he wouldn't have had to lose his oldest friend. Ichigo has done nothing but suffer since she entered his life. Screw what Renji had told her about Ichigo wanting to repay the favour, if she hadn't entered his life, he would be a whole lot happier.

"That isn't entirely true, Rukia." a heavenly soft voice told her from within, "You truly don't understand just what you have done for him, have you?"

"Sode no Shirayuki..." Rukia murmured tenderly. Rukia couldn't explain the feeling of relief and joy when she was reunited with her partner once again. If there was someone that knew how to help her with her guilt and doubts, it was Sode no Shirayuki. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was inside of him if you remember? I know what his inner world is like and I know what made him happy or sad." Sode no Shirayuki explained gently, "I can promise you this Rukia... there is nothing that made him happier then when he had our powers. He loves being a Shinigami."

"But –"

"There is no 'but' Rukia." Sode no Shirayuki said firmly, "You cannot blame yourself for the actions of others. Ichigo didn't have to fight but he did. Aizen was the one that sent them there. The Arrancar was the one that killed Tatsuki. Don't burden yourself for the decisions of others Rukia. It weakens you."

Rukia remained silent and she allowed her Zanpakutō's words to wash over her.

"That's much better Rukia." Sode no Shirayuki praised her wielder, "Your inner world suddenly became colder which means that you're beginning to understand."

"Thank you, Sode no Shirayuki." Rukia said gratefully. "Still I didn't like the way that they talked about Ichigo in there. I can't believe how much I have changed ever since I met Ichigo. I've never realised just how flawed and rigid the Soul Society is."

"What is it that you fear Rukia? Are you afraid of his Hollow powers?" Sode no Shirayuki asked curiously.

"No!" Rukia answered firmly, "I know Ichigo too well to be afraid. If anything that moron is probably afraid of his own power. I do fear for Ichigo though. In order to combat Aizen and the Arrancar he might have to achieve this transcendent power but in doing so... I fear the Gotei 13 may do something drastic. If that happens, then I know where my allegiance will be and that more than anything scares me."

"You don't have to worry about that." Sode no Shirayuki replied, "Ichigo Kurosaki's powers are far more complicated than everyone, including Ichigo, thinks. Unless there is a massive change in his inner world, Ichigo will never realise his full potential."

"What do you mean by that?!" Rukia asked urgently but her Zanpakutō remained silent, "Sode no Shirayuki! Answer me! What does that mean?!"

Rukia spent several minutes trying to get Sode no Shirayuki to explain what she had meant about Ichigo's powers but the Zanpakutō remained stubbornly silent.


Hueco Mundo – 3rd of September, 11:00pm

Ulquiorra and the armless Yammy, whose slash in his chest had healed once he got to Hueco Mundo, returned to Las Noches and entered the room where Aizen sat on a throne along with 20 other Arrancar that surrounded them.

"So you have returned, Ulquiorra, Yammy." Aizen said softly. He wore the outfit that the Arrancar wore and he had hazel eyes and dark brown hair which was swept back, with a strand hanging in his face.

Yammy got on to his knees while Ulquiorra bowed to him, "Yes, Lord Aizen."

"Now let me hear your report, here in front of your twenty brothers and sisters. Show us everything that you learned in the human world." Aizen requested calmly. He didn't show it but he was quite surprised by the amount of damage Ulquiorra had received.

"Yes, Lord Aizen." Ulquiorra answered before he pulled out his left eye and held it out towards Aizen, "If you please." He then crushed it and it turned into dust. It flowed around to everyone in the room and they all saw and felt what Ulquiorra had.

"As you ordered, after making him unleash his power, I decided that he was worth killing but I wasn't foolish enough to engage both Urahara and Yoruichi together." Ulquiorra informed Aizen. He may have an advantage with the large human boy and the orange haired Shinigami injured but his injuries were slightly taxing and he had used a fair amount of his spiritual power. He would have had to unleash his Resurrección in order to combat them both.

"I see..." Aizen murmured curiously, "You pushed him father than I had anticipated. However he isn't as much of a threat as you think."

Ulquiorra didn't respond but Aizen could tell that his most loyal Arrancar was curious as to why he thought that.

"You allowed a human with the power of a Shinigami and Hollow to live! You pathetic fool!" a voice yelled out and Ulquiorra turned to the right to see a man sitting down with a smirk on his face. He had light-blue spiky hair and eyes, and also had green lines below them. His attire consisted of a white hakama and a black sash and his white jacket was ragged with an upturned collar. The inner lining was black, the sleeves were rolled up, and he wore it open, leaving his muscular chest exposed. The remainder of his Hollow mask consisted of the right jawbone, and his Hollow hole had moved to his abdomen.

"You wasted time provoking him by killing that girl instead of just killing him from the start! I would have killed him with one attack!"

"Grimmjow..." Ulquiorra said uninterestedly.

"It doesn't matter what type of logic you use. If the word kill appears in your orders, then it's obvious that you're supposed to just go ahead and kill that person. Forget wasting your time 'testing his potential' if you just killed him then there could be no future problems!"

"I feel the same way." a voice to Grimmjow's right spoke up but Ulquiorra didn't acknowledge him and he just kept his eye on Grimmjow. "He's our enemy either way. You saw his potential and you decided that he was worth killing. So you shouldn't have come back until he was dead."

"I already said why I didn't kill him. I wasn't foolish enough to fight against Yoruichi and Urahara." Ulquiorra replied monotonously.

"You just don't get it do you? I would have killed all of those Shinigami with ease." Grimmjow sneered at his fellow Espada.

"Your arrogance never ceases to amaze me." Ulquiorra said lifelessly, "Urahara's intelligence exceeds all except Lord Aizen's and he would have had a plan to gain victory."

"You are correct, Ulquiorra." Aizen acknowledged, "Kisuke Urahara is the last person that should be underestimated. As for Ichigo Kurosaki, I am sure that you are willingly to destroy him at the very next chance you get, isn't that right, Ulquiorra?"

"If that is your decision, Lord Aizen..." Ulquiorra answered.

"Excuse me, Lord Aizen..." a dark skinned woman said curiously. She had green eyes, blonde eyelashes, and messy short blonde hair with three braided locks. She wore a variation of the Arrancar jacket with a high collar, which covered the lower part of her face downward, and it bared a good portion of the lower half of her large breasts. The jacket's sleeves completely enveloped her arms, terminating in black glove-like extensions at her extremities, resembling the appearance of a cat's paw. The remnants of her Hollow mask were on the sides of her face and her mouth.

"What is it, Harribel?" Aizen asked with one of his fake kind smiles.

"If this boy has both the powers of a Shinigami and a Hollow... how could he not be much of a threat?" the third Espada asked as she was unable to contain her curiosity.

"That is a fair question." Aizen approved, "Ichigo Kurosaki isn't the first Shinigami to have the powers of a Hollow. There are a group of rogue Shinigami that have Hollow powers and currently their allegiance is unknown. They are the Shinigami version of an Arrancar but their powers are far weaker than all of yours. That little boost that they get isn't a threat, so don't concern yourself over such matters."

Harribel nodded in acceptance and she took a step back signalling that she was out of the discussion. There was a point in his explanation that made her slightly nervous and that was all he talked about were Shinigami with Hollow powers. He never mentioned what abilities a human with both Shinigami and Hollow powers were capable of.


Kurosaki Clinic – 5th of September, 2:00pm

Ichigo lay on his bed with a deep scowl on his face. For the past two days his emotions were all over the face. He was constantly feeling a combination of anger and depression.

Tatsuki's funeral had just been a few hours ago and she had quite a large turnout. Kisuke had arranged it all and he also dealt with the police. Thanks to Kisuke's memory replacement device, the people that investigated the scene were given a different reason for what had happened to all of the innocent people that had been killed. Everyone thought that a tank full of poisonous gas had burst and infected all of the people in the park before it dissipated into nothingness. Kisuke had also taken Tatsuki's body and he filled up the whole in her chest so the authorities all thought that she died the same way as the others.

Everyone from their class had come to her funeral to pay their final respects. Even Uryū, who as far as Ichigo knew never had a conversation with her, had come to the funeral. He expressed how sorry he was to him, Chad and Orihime that he didn't make it to the battle. Unfortunately for Uryū, his father was a strict and tough teacher and the young Quincy was completely worn out when the Arrancars had come.

The one that had been even more affected then Ichigo was Orihime. The normally cheerful and hyper girl was gone and she had been replaced by a lifeless, depressed girl. Her eyes were read from tears and during the funeral there hadn't been a hint of emotion on her eyes. It seemed that she no longer had any tears to cry by the time the funeral was held. Worst of all for Ichigo... is that he had no idea how to help her. He didn't even know how to help himself, let alone Orihime.

He was pathetic and weak. Everything that his Hollow had told him was true. He couldn't protect his mother... he only saved Rukia because of Aizen's plan... at the time, he couldn't save Senna... and now his oldest friend was dead because he was too weak!

He initially went to Kisuke's to get stronger but instead he was more focused on trying to control his own spiritual energy so it didn't affect the innocent people around him. He should have focused more on improving his Bankai or holding his Hollowfication longer. What if next time Yuzu or Karin are targeted?

He clenched his right fist tightly and his nails dug into his skin and drew blood. If the pain he felt now was because of his oldest friend's death... then what will the pain be like, if something happened to Yuzu or Karin?

'I wouldn't survive it.' Ichigo decided sorrowfully, 'I won't be able to bear it if something happened to either one of them. God forbid if something happened to both of them at once.'

Ichigo suddenly sat up in his bed when he felt a strong spiritual power not too far from his house. It wasn't a Hollow but it felt vaguely familiar.

'It's that Vizard... Shinji Hirako.' Ichigo realised and he quickly used his Substitute Shinigami badge to exit his human body. He hadn't given much thought to the Vizards but he was a lot more open to the idea of joining them. It was arrogant of him... something that he had been too much lately... to think that he could take on Aizen and all of the Arrancars by himself. He would need some other allies. However he would need to find out their motives first.

Ichigo found Shinji a few kilometres away from his house and the blonde haired Vizard wore different clothes than the last time Ichigo had seen him. He now wore a long sleeved orange shirt with a brown and yellow tie and black pants. He had his sheathed katana resting on his right shoulder.

"Yo, Ichigo!" Shinji greeted him. "Just like you requested, I waited a few days before coming back. Have you thought about joining us?"

The unofficial leader of the Vizards regarded Ichigo carefully. He knew all about the recent events that had transpired in the last couple of days and he was curious to see the impact that it had on the Substitute Shinigami.

Ichigo didn't reply immediately and instead his mind took him back to the day on Sōkyoku hill when Aizen was explaining about surpassing the Shinigami limits.

"...Then isn't there a way to break through it and surpass all of the limits to your abilities? There is. There is just one way. That is... the transformation from a Shinigami into a Hollow. By breaking down the wall that separates the two opposites, that being is able to climb to a higher level."

It was then that Ichigo made a decision. He would make sure Aizen rued the day that he explained everything to him about the Hōgyoku and for sending Ulquiorra down here to Karakura town.

"Three days ago I would have told you that I have no interest in joining your group." Ichigo told him bluntly. "I hated the fact that I had Hollow powers. It was a Hollow that killed my mother. Whenever I thought of evil or a monster, it was a Hollow that always came to mind. I was such a naive fool. I want power! I want the power to protect all those I care about! I've failed too many times already and so I have decided... I don't care what the power is... whether it is a Shinigami power or a Hollow power... I will do whatever it takes to win! If gaining power means I have to team up with all of you... then I'm interested to hear what you have to say."

Shinji grinned widely at the declaration, "Then welcome to the family, Ichigo Kurosaki."


End of Chapter

If you like it then please leave a review. If you don't like it, then don't read it.

Thanks to all those that sent me a review or PM for the previous chapters.


First thing I need to discuss is this... why couldn't Inoue revive Tatsuki?

The answer is quite simple. At this point in time, Inoue doesn't understand the true nature of her powers. She thinks that her healing technique is that... a healing technique. She doesn't find out about the true nature of her powers until she is captured by Aizen and is told by him. Her thoughts were on 'healing her' but you can't heal a dead body.

If she knew that she could reject events that had happened then she could have revived Tatsuki. Consider her power like a tool. How can you use a tool to its full effectiveness if you don't truly understand how to use it? That's my explanation on why Inoue couldn't revive Tatsuki.


So Ichigo willingly joins the Vizards... of course he isn't an idiot. He won't just join them without learning about their motives.

Also about the Vizards... should I make them stronger than what they are in canon? I mean should they be the force that we all thought they would be when we first met them? So when I say stronger... I mean that they can keep their masks on longer than they do in canon and that they have a few Hollow techniques like Bala. Also their base limits of their Shinigami powers are stronger as well.


More repercussions from Tatsuki's death will happen in the next chapter including Tatsuki's fate. As you saw, Urahara did something to her before he performed Konsō so she is somewhere in the Soul Society. So that means, yes she will become a Shinigami. However she won't be a major part of this story until the Fullbring/1,000 year Blood War arc. However her death will cause a major impact on her friends.


I hope you all enjoyed the interaction between Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki. Before you all ask, yes Sode no Shirayuki knows all about Ichigo's true powers but she won't tell Rukia. It isn't her place. I may do a chapter down the line of Sode no Shirayuki's time in Ichigo's inner world and how she learned all about Ichigo's powers.

Also once I hit the Zanpakutō rebellion arc, be prepared for a major twist.


Also I appreciate all the opinions on Ichigo's pairing.


Answering some of the Readers:

Q: I assume the Captains (and others) saw the whole thing? If so, does that mean you're going to incorporate some kind of factor into Rukia were she feels partially to blame for the death of Ichigo's childhood friend?

A: Bingo! You are completely correct!

Q: And to the abyss goes any interest I had on the fic, unless you make Tatsuki a Shinigami, but yeah killing her is not the best way to make use of character development, maybe if Chad was badly beaten, or maybe Orihime, but Tatsuki? She never played a major role or even a real role in Bleach, which is disappointing here, is that you killed her; it was a good read until the event.

A: Sorry to hear that you have lost interest in this story. The reason that I killed Tatsuki was to get her involved in the story. She will become a Shinigami and have a major role after the time skip.

C: It's gonna be real interesting to see your take on Ichigo's friends in Soul Society reacting to him being part hollow.

A: You really only got Rukia's view. She is Ichigo's friend no matter what. She doesn't care what powers that he has. You will see the thoughts of others later on.

Q: Y-you killed T-Tatsuki? Are you kidding? Y-You put her on the list of possible pairings with Ichigo, so she will come back as a Shinigami (or hollow or both), but what of her memories?

A: Yes she will come back as a Shinigami which allows her to still be a possible pairing for Ichigo.

Q: Can you maybe out up a poll about there being a Pairing or not?

A: Unfortunately still hasn't come up with a way to post multiple polls. Right now I won't put a poll up by I am counting all of the reviews and PM's that suggest pairings.

Q: Separating his Shinigami and Hollow powers?

A: That little issue with Ichigo's powers is going to have a big change in the Zanpakutō rebellion arc.

C: Regarding Tatsuki, whatever you make her, she can't be like Ichigo. Why? What kind of main character would Ichigo be when another character magically becomes the same thing he is. Ichigo is supposed to be unique, even among the Vizards; his hollow being born of his soul and not forced upon. Besides, it doesn't make any sense for her to be the same, unless she also has: a) Shinigami and Quincy parents, b) artificially created hollow originating from Shinigami reiatsu, transferred from parent, which becomes part of her and c) every other unique fluke that can't be replicated.

A: True she can't become exactly like Ichigo. I'll admit that I used the wrong comparison. Either she will be a 100% Shinigami or maybe 85% Shinigami and 15% Hollow. How that is possible? I'm not telling yet.

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Okay so we're getting the Hitsugaya, Soifon and Komamura fights out of the way early... thank god!

Ichigo looks to have matured and I really liked the interaction he had with the Royal Guard.

Urahara coming up with a way to get the captains their Bankai's back was interesting. So Hollow powers a toxic to Quincy. That makes sense and yet at the same time there is something wrong with that theory. Quilge absorbed Ayon and increased his power. So how does that work? Did he turn the Hollow monster into pure reishi... is that why it worked? I don't really understand.

Komamura's human transformation form looks badass and so does his new Bankai! Still I think he will somehow end up losing this fight. Also WTF Shinji... in one blow! Damn it! I wanna see his Bankai!