I 'woke' with a moan, my head throbbing under a sideways sky, flat on my back against the inverted skyscrapers that made up my inner world. The clouds were dark, and heavy with rain, but remained separated, the sky outlining them black and foreboding. I clutched my head as I looked around for the source of the screaming that had brought me to consciousness, and saw Hichigo and Zangetsu at the edge of the tower, near the road that was the wall. The hollow was writhing in agony, screaming, with the manifestation trying to calm and quiet him. Zangetsu heard my moan, and looked up at me, panic only slightly evident in his eyes.

"Ichigo" He said, and motioned me towards him. I stood cautiously, not trusting myself not to collapse from the ringing in my head, and made my way over to the duo. Hichigo stopped screaming, and started shaking as I walked over, and flinched away when I knelt by the two.

"What's wrong?" I asked, as Hichigo shook harder. Zangetsu looked at me seriously before speaking.

"Hollows have never entered the Royal Dimension, since it has been sealed to them for all eternity. Since these events began, your hollow has been acting strange, correct?" I nodded, and he continued.

"Do you remember, while you were in the burning building, after he'd explained to you how hollows hunt, that he said 'I'm Cold'?" I was slightly confused, but the memory soon came back to me, and I nodded slowly. Zangetsu sighed.

"A hollow inside the King of the Soul Society is suicide. Your spiritual presence is basically poisoning him." I narrowed my eyes, wondering at this. Isn't this hollow, this sad thing quivering in front of me, the cause of most of my problems in the first place? Zangetsu seemed to pick up on my thoughts, because he growled softly before speaking again.

"You do not understand. If part of your consciousness 'dies', then he will cripple your mind. Hichigo is your anger, your passion, your 'dark side'. If he were to disappear, then all those aspects of you would cease to exist. The only way to retain them is to separate your hollow from yourself. In other words..." Zangetsu trailed off, but I finished for him.

"I have to let him out... as a separate being." The Old Man nodded, and my legs finally gave out. I hit the concrete with a thud, and passed from my mind to reality.

I woke, for real this time, under a blinding light, with a massive headache and a deadened, heavy feeling everywhere else. I tried to raise my hand to block the light, but it wouldn't move. I tried to raise my head, with the same results. So, I resorted to my last option.

My shouts were obviously heard, because barely a minute passed before I heard hurried footsteps, and a door being flung open, slamming against the wall. The harsh light above me was interrupted as a face with dark brown eyes and a jutting mouth. I would've jumped slightly if I could have moved, but was forced to settle with a slight twitch. The face jumped back, and I could hear its owner tripping and falling.

"H-hi... I'm Anata Tsuneni. P-please, forgive me of your predicament, but it was dangerous to keep you all open like that. We had to put a seal on you while you were unconscious. I-I can take them off now, if you want..." A timid voice that reminded me of Hanataro made me laugh silently. I closed my eyes and said "please". Tsuneni 'eeped' and stumbled over, releasing whatever it was that held me down. With a rush, all my strength flowed back to me, and I stretched, popping my back and arms. I turned my head to thank my rescuer, and nearly laughed aloud.

Anata Tsuneni was quite possibly more intimidating than Kenpachi himself! About seven feet tall, he was a well-built black man, with a white suit accentuating his eyes. I sat up and jumped off the bed I had been lying on, and looked up to my nervous rescuer. I looked him over again, and offered my hand.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. Thanks for your help." I said, hopefully nicely. Apparently not, because the man fell to the floor and pressed his face to it.

"P-please, Kurosaki-san, I do not deserve such thanks from the hero of the Soul Society." I laughed awkwardly.

"Don't say that! You're here, which means that you have enough strength to stand me, which is an accomplishment in and of itself... and I'm not King!"

I extended my hand towards Tsuneni again, and gratefully he took it and I pulled him to his feet. I released his hand and looked around. The room I was in was a white medical-looking one, with one door and no windows. I smiled balefully, and led the way out, Tsuneni following close behind. The next 'room' was actually just a long hallway, with portraits lining the walls. Nearly all of them were blank, except for the first four. Three out of the four held pictures of old, withered men, each more regal looking than the last, but the fourth was...

"What the hell? Why is my picture up here!" I yelled, turning to face Tsuneni, who quailed from my glare.

"I-I don't really know, but from what I've been told, e-each King, uncrowned or not, has their portrait done. N-no one knows how, or who does it, b-but this appeared yesterday, right before the guard came to g-get you."

I took a deep breath, calming myself, and apologized before opening the door at the end of the hall and continuing. The next room was a large and extravagantly decorated one, with scarlet silk drapes and a golden bed, with dark red carpet and dull, golden walls. All the furniture, and there was quite a lot, was made of a dark cherry wood, with bronze handles and fixtures. At the far end was a large balcony, and the walls were littered with large windows.

I walked over to the balcony, my bare feet sinking slightly into the lush carpet. A strange tingle went up my spine as I touched the wall, feeling the transparent barrier that protected it. I felt Hichigo wince in my head as soon as I touched it though, so I pulled my hand away quickly.

"This is the barrier I spoke of Ichigo, and no, there isn't a way to get rid of it. The very existence of this dimension relies on this barrier, and even if it didn't, no one is alive today that would know how to remove it." I sighed inwardly at this and continued onto the balcony alone, since Tsuneni had remained at the door.

I stepped out onto the white marble that the floor had transitioned to, and was surprised at how warm it was. Then I looked out over the rail and my eyes widened. Before me lay the entirety of the Soul Society, the Human Realm, and Hueco Mundo. Everything could be seen, but I have no idea how. I could somehow see every miniscule detail of each world, from the wandering hollow lizards, to the Captain's meeting that was being held in the Soul Society. It was like I could focus on one place and watch it, while still being able to watch everything else.

I stood there for nearly an hour, watching the friends I'd left behind in both worlds, until I finally realized something and anger overtook me.

I stormed from the room, Tsuneni trailing behind me fearfully as I made my way to a room that I instinctively knew the way to. Spirits I didn't take time no notice popped their heads out of rooms I passed, but quickly ducked back in as I stormed by.

After minutes, I walked up to the doors I somehow recognized. Two giant golden double doors were lined with guards, all of whom stood at attention as I passed, and remained there as I kicked in the door.

There, in the large cathedral-like room, sat the current King of the Soul Society. I was awestruck for a moment, before the anger dragged the feeling away and killed it. I strode right up to the regal-looking old man, and punched him in the face.

I bit my lip and cursed when my punch did absolutely nothing to him. He just continued to sit there, somehow looking down on me from below me, and scowled, hatred clear in his eyes.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, bow before your King before you loose yourself." He said in a raspy voice that sounded like sand. I laughed scornfully, and otherwise move.

"Yeah right, you crazy old bastard. I saw it. I saw everything." I said, ignoring Tsuneni's warnings against being so "reckless and disrespectful". The old man just stared at me, so I continued.

"That room, your room no doubt, has the capability of seeing everything in the world. I know that you look at it, no being, deity or not, wouldn't." He nodded, and I kept talking.

"Yeah, thought so. Since I'm right, answer one thing. Why the hell did you let everything happen! You could've stopped Aizen, and saved HUNDREDS of lives! If you acted, I could've just lived my life, and you'd stay King forever!" I yelled at him, but he didn't even blink.

I screamed in frustration, and grabbed the old man by his collar.

"You bastard! You better have a good excuse before I end your pitiful excuse for an existence right now!" I was shocked by my own words, but stood by them. No one made a move or sound until the King sighed.

"I could've, but I just want peace. If I get involved, they'll be bothering me non-stop about every problem they ever have. I am content with my own life, without worrying about theirs."

At his words, fury blinded me, and I released all of my spiritual pressure, breaking what little of the seal was left, and the building began shaking. The former King of the Soul Society started sweating and stared at me, cowardly eyes wide in fright. As he stared though, I felt my grip on him loosening as he slowly began fading away.

Shocked at what I'd just done, I got a hold of as much of my reiatsu as I could, but it was to late.

The old man fell to the ground, shaking, as he looked up at me, and I finally noticed how tired he looked. This wasn't a King. This was a poor soul who'd given up a long time ago.

"Don't bother yourself with the affairs of man or beast, for they are so far beneath you that they are insects. Let them go about their own life." He said weakly, but I shook my head.

"If you'd payed attention to our affairs, you'd still be alive." I said quietly, so only he heard me, and one single tear slid down his cheek before the King of the Soul Society faded away into oblivion.

I stayed silent for a moment out of a long-habit of respect, but was soon reminded of the situation as Hichigo started yelling at me.

"You crazy bastard! Now there's no King, well, until you find a way to let me out! If you even think about sitting in that chair, I'll kill you myself before you get anywhere near it!" I groaned aloud this time, and turned to find every member of the dimension in the room, bowing to me. I groaned again as Tsuneni stood and turned to everyone else.

"ALL HAIL THE KING OF THE SOUL SOCIETY, ICHIGO KUROSAKI!"

I shook my head as the roar of the small crowed echoed in the spacious room. I smacked my now-throbbing head.

"Why am I king?"

A/N

That's it folks! Hahahha just kidding. This is only the beginning! Anyways, sorry about the short chapter, I just wanted to get this part over with. And I'm grounded for a month... because of an overdue library book... so I'll probably be writing a lot. Thanks to EVERYONE who has reviewed, faved, or added to their alerts! I really feel like you're all crazy for liking this drivel, but okay! Just a warning, I have absolutely no plans for any of the stories I ever write. I don't like trying to follow a guideline of any type, so everything I write is spur-of-the-moment stuff. So, if you're confused by anything, yeah, that's expected.

Anyways, I own nothing

Oh, and I'm still looking for a Beta Reader! I need help people!

… remember, Beta's get the chapter at least four days ahead of publishing... is that enough incentive?

Thanks for Reading!

- Jidt