Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, i've been sorting out my university and exam results! But now, here we go again! Thanks once more to IchigoKurosakiSotaicho, X-Burner 27 and everyone else who is showing an interest in the fic, please, drop a review! Enjoy!


The Silver Fox

'Here we go, Aizen.' Gin whispers, his eyes on the villain standing some way in front of him, the chapel looming around them on all sides. 'This is the end of everything.' Aizen however is busy staring at the King's Seal, the golden box forming on the floor in front of them, shimmering and glistening with a divine glow. The man's eyes gleam greedily and he looks up at Gin, his brown hair waving softly in the gentle wind.

'The end…of everything?' Aizen smiles simply. 'Yes…such a title couldn't be more fitting.' He holds out his hand in front of him and Gin curses, his sky blue eyes falling on Orihime, the girl struggling to breathe after being choked just moments ago. Sosuke lifts his head slightly and turns on the spot, following Gin's gaze to the girl. 'Is this for her?' Aizen wonders when a shot of dust blasts across the floor, Ichimaru gone. He slams into Aizen, the brown haired man unmoving as the two lock blades, Aizen turning to face his former comrade.

'Do you think you can beat me, Gin?' Aizen asks, Gin back flipping away, landing and lurching down onto one knee, clutching his side, fresh blood dribbling from his mouth.

'In my condition…' Gin begins but Aizen lets out a small chuckle.

'In your condition? Your condition means nothing, be it healthy or frail and destroyed. The outcome would remain the same. I have the Hogyoku, full once again of spirits which you helped me attain. I have two bodies over your one, mangled one, on top of that, my own, limitless, extraordinary powers and skills…' Aizen gloats, eyeing Gin menacingly, the young man swaying as he tries to stand to his feet. '…you must realise you cannot win.' Gin looks at the floor, the King's Seal in the corner of his eye.

'Ya must realise as well…' Gin breathes heavily, his foot shifting on the floor. '…winning isn't everything!' With a flash, Ichimaru appears in the centre of the room, his fingers inches away from the Seal when a sword pierces the ground in front of him, separating his fingers from the artefact. Gin looks up slowly, Aizen staring down at him coldly.

'With power, comes respect. And with respect, comes power. You must understand Gin that unless you are in this cycle, you can never hope to defeat me.' Aizen says simply and he flicks his sword upwards, Gin shooting his own out into the sky, sparks flying as the silver haired boy vanishes again, reappearing atop one of the chapel's dusty, moss covered pillars. With a grunt, Ichimaru pounces, Aizen holding out a hand and blasting a ball of crimson light towards him. Gin stabs through it with his sword and pierces the air next to Aizen's head, the man dodging in a split second as the crimson spell explodes in the background. Suddenly Aizen lashes out, cracking Gin in the jaw, the boy rolling across the floor and lying still.

'You poor fool. Only now do you realise that the end is near…' Aizen whispers, advancing on Gin. However, the man's shoulders are lurching and Aizen raises an eyebrow as Gin chuckles to himself, raising his blade, blood shining on the tip mockingly at Aizen.

'It sure is…' Gin sneers, Aizen gasping as he looks down, his shoulder slashed sometime previously, and blood dripping down his white front.

'Gin…you…' Aizen curses, his eyes bulging. Then, he forces his face into a twisted sneer and brushes some wayward hair from his narrowing eyes. '…it's a mere scratch. Nothing to get excited about. This…is something to get excited about!' Aizen laughs maniacally, raising his finger to the sky, a purple and black box forming in the air around them, shooting outwards and building itself high into the sky, bursting through the remains of the chapel ceiling, crumbling it, Gin cursing as he looks up and around him. Quickly, Gin mutters something and vanishes from view completely, Aizen's eyes widening and his spell shatters as he breaks his concentration. Then, he squints and lunges for a space, the air around him shattering like glass as Gin is thrown across the room, blood splattering across the stone floor.

'Kyokko…too naïve.' Aizen says slyly, eyeing the blood on his blade. 'If it is a contest of Kido you want, then let the titans reign.' Sosuke whispers, Gin slumped against the far wall, bleeding heavily now from his side. Whipping his hands around him, Aizen flings two aqua balls of light towards Gin, the man looking up, a shield of translucent energy appearing in front of him, the balls of energy dissipating instantly on touch, fires and smoke billowing out from the sides. 'A non-verbal Danku? You surprise even me, Gin.' As Aizen strolls over to him, Gin vanishes, reappearing in another spot. As Aizen turns, he is gone again, the silver haired boy seemingly blending rapidly into the background as he vanishes again and again, leaving but a blur behind.

'Impressive hoho…but I am faster.' Aizen grins, moving his arm back behind him. With a sudden fury he throws his sword, the blade piercing the blur, Gin striking the rock behind him, coughing violently, the sword impaling his shoulder. Aizen smiles dangerously, walking slowly up to Gin. 'You see? I am greater than you in every aspect. You do not stand a hope. Give up and I will let you waste away without a final blow from my sword.' Aizen says coldly, though his patience is wearing thin. With great effort, Gin grabs the blade in his shoulder, light blood running down the palm of his hand where it cuts into him and he heaves the weapon from him.

'Ho?' Aizen marvels at the boy who is now shuddering in place, his mouth slightly agape, the breathing loud and fast leaving his body. 'In your last moments, you have gathered an unrivalled strength. I admire this. I shall allow you then to watch my great ascension.' Aizen turns, his white coat billowing in the wind behind him. As he walks over, Orihime crawls over to Gin, the boy's eyes dilating as he sits against the wall, the ground warm with his blood. She rests her hand on his and he looks over at her through his eyes, the girl summoning an orange light to her side.

'Here, let me-,' she begins, only for Gin to place a hand on hers, lowering the light. Aizen stoops down, nestling the King's Seal in his hand and slowly, raises it above his head, admiring the shimmering light as it reflects in the sunlight's basking glow. Gin squints to see, Orihime looking up in awe as a sudden wind whips around the chapel, Aizen's fingers tightening around the artefact. Orihime feels Gin's grip tighten as he watches the man, Aizen breathing in the light, smiling uncontrollably at his victory. Slowly, from his robes, Aizen removes the Hogyoku, the purple light beginning to crackle beside the King's Seal.

'Here's something that you both won't know.' Aizen says, turning to face them. 'Kisuke Urahara eventually hypothesised that my sole reason for keeping a Hogyoku was to use it to reform my body. Whilst that is a case, it is not the case.' Aizen says darkly, Gin's eyes widening in shock.

'Wh…at?' he splutters. Aizen lifts the Hogyoku up to his eye and twirls it slowly, watching the spirits inside drift lazily by.

'The Hogyoku is aptly named 'The Breakdown Sphere'.' Aizen continues, watching the orb with intent, a cruel leer on his face. 'If one wants to find the World's Gate, one must know the way, or die. I do not intend to die. By using the Hogyoku, I can break down the outer shell of the King's Seal and reveal its true form!' Aizen cries, Orihime gasping in shock as she feels Gin attempting to stand up. Lifting the King's Seal to his chest, Aizen holds the Hogyoku daintily above it and watches as the purple electricity seeps onto the Seal.

'This is why I needed a Hogyoku.' Aizen proclaims, watching the Hogyoku melt the outside of the Seal, the golden sparks dripping from it, disappearing upon contact with the floor, giving off a brilliant gold and purple aura, Aizen's hair billowing backwards, along with his bloodied gown, his face alive with greed. As the Hogyoku begins to meld with the Seal, something suddenly jars it and Aizen looks up in shock as Inoue grabs his arm, hauling the Hogyoku from the King's Seal. 'What!' Aizen snarls, snapping his head sideways, the girl gripping his arm with all her might.

'Now!' she screams with all her might, Aizen's eyes darkening with a sheer hatred as he turns, Gin hunched over, standing, blood dripping from his body, his silver hair falling over his face.

'What-?' Aizen splutters, Gin looking up, his blue eyes flashing.

'Kill him…' Gin hisses, flinging his sword forwards, a green light bursting out around it as it plunges into the Hogyoku, shooting straight through it and stabbing Aizen through the chest, the man stuck in a lapse, his eyes wide and his mouth agape in horror. '…Kamishini no Yari!' Aizen watches as the Hogyoku begins to crack and his eyes bulge in a madness filled with wrath. Screaming, he throws Orihime across the room, the orange haired girl hitting her head against the stone floor knocked out cold instantly as Aizen roars, his arms out by his side.

Gin retracts his sword but Aizen whips his hand out and grabs it, Gin's eyes shooting open as the King's Seal splits open like a nut, revealing its contents.

'Ha…' Aizen whispers under his breath, blood pouring from the hole in his chest. '…HA HA HA HA! You're too late!' he laughs maddeningly, his brown hair wildly falling over his face. He reaches out and clasps the King's Seal, straightening up, his face glistening with sweat and blood and, like the eye of a storm, he seems innocently calm for a second as he watches the inner section of the King's Seal unfold in his hand like a blossoming flower. A small tune begins to play, catching onto the wind and swirling around them, Gin closing his eyes, listening to the beautiful serenade.

'A…music box?' he whispers, Aizen just as perplexed. Then, the Seal explodes with life, the music seemingly forming in the sky, a bright blue stream of light which shoots out of the Seal and speeds off into the distance leaving behind it a trail, Aizen grinning nastily.

'The music…it is leading me to the place on this earth that the World's Gate can be found in amongst the living!' With a nasty glare he turns to Gin, the two watching each other, each as ravaged as the next after what was a long, and tiring battle between the two forces. 'This is the end, my old comrade.' Aizen whispers, barely able to speak much more, his hair hanging down over his face. Then, his cold eyes flicker over Inoue's body and he smirks, striding over to her.

'You, my Princess, are relieved from your duties. There is only room for the one of us to govern and rule these lands. But…not only these lands. Paradise and beyond will fall under my hands. For too long I have searched for the King's Seal and now I see why it was so fiercely protected. You though and your pathetic little friends could not do what your parents could. I will storm the World's Gate and, with my very own eyes…' Aizen sneers, standing right over her now, his eyes black in the shadow cast by the sun. '…watch the end of Paradise unfold.'

With that, he holds the cracking Hogyoku over her unconscious body. The familiar purple electricity begins to pour from her body and Gin's eyes widen in horror, the watery blue watching the event from the floor. He clenches his fist and struggles to edge forward, Aizen laughing louder and louder as his face is illuminated by the power. Finally, he stands up behind Sosuke, the villain unknowing.

'No more!' Gin hisses and he lunges for Aizen, wrapping his arms around the man's body, pulling him backwards, Aizen choking as if drowning.

'Gin-?' he gargles, muffled by Ichimaru's strangling. 'Stay down!' he barks angrily and he spins round, the Hogyoku now taking Gin's soul instead, the silver haired blue eyed boy fighting its powers, the two beings in white standing face to face, Aizen's fingers wrapped around the cracked orb, Gin struggling against the sapping electricity, his hair billowing. Suddenly, Gin reaches out to the spinning orb, the purple light shooting off of it, Orihime's eyes opening slowly.

'…what are you doing?' Aizen asks slowly and Gin places his hand on the Hogyoku with great difficulty, like fighting a repelling magnet. Gin's eyes meet Aizen's and for the first time ever he sees fear in the brown haired man's face.

'I know…' Gin breathes, blood pouring from his body now. He is already dead. He knows it in his heart. And his heart is heavy. '…I know that…as it drains a soul…the Hogyoku is at its most vulnerable…its only point of vulnerability…' Aizen is shaking his head now, but the process of stealing Gin's soul has begun and it cannot be undone. He is trapped, holding onto the Hogyoku, his teeth bared in defence.

'Gin…stop…!' Aizen pleads a lace of worry on his tongue as Gin scowls darkly at the man, drawing from his side his zanpakuto, the blade gleaming in the purple light. Ichimaru looks over at Orihime for a moment, the two locking eyes and he closes his.

'For Rangiku.' He thinks to himself and he roars, Aizen roaring also as the silver haired boy plunges his sword into the Hogyoku, the green light rippling around it, the purple electricity spouting off in all directions.

'NO!' Aizen cries, the spirits screaming, released from their prison and Gin smiles, death taking him as the orb explodes with a catastrophic blast of purple light which scours the hillsides, sending both Gin and Aizen flying in opposite directions. Aizen hits the far wall, smashing straight through it and collapsing on the ground beneath a pile of debris, Gin landing on the ground, his eyes shut and his hand on his chest. His heart is free.


Ichigo leaps forwards, swinging his white sword at the chains again only for the new pain to coarse through his arm. He cries out, crashing to the bone white floor, coughing and spluttering. His hair is draping over his eyes now and he feels like he has been training in this space for an eternity. Isshin hits the floor, straightening up and looking down at his son, the white haired boy struggling to even get onto his knees, the thick black chains pulling him down, sweat running down his forehead.

'What's the matter? Tired?' Isshin grumbles, Ichigo cursing under the weight. 'If the chains are heavy, break them. Learn Mugetsu.'

'I can't alright! I don't know what the hell to do!' Ichigo barks, hauling himself to his feet, swaying on the spot. He looks up, squinting at the towering white pillars all around them. The empty sky is replaced by an aquatic, soft blue hue littered with airy clouds and some bushy green trees swirl in the light wind. The entire training room is bursting with colour and the colours don't appear earthly, but more vibrant than before. The dull harshness of reality is gone and the world appears like that of a painting, luscious and lively. Ichigo looks around and closes his eyes, letting the wind fill his hair and his senses. Isshin looks around and picks up from the floor a small wooden sword before tossing it aside half heartedly.

'You should recognise this place.' Isshin says simply, Ichigo looking around lamely. He feels already taller, his muscles more raw and full of pounding energy, his hair slightly longer and hanging down around his face, still a snowy white, his eyes still that crystal ice blue. But no longer is he feeling the sentient sadness that came with this new form.

'This place…' Ichigo whispers, remembering.

Ichigo was running through a luscious field. There was nothing else around him, just tall, flowing green grass and an open blue sky. In his hand, he clutched a wooden sword tight. A boy of eleven, Ichigo Kurosaki was a young man almost and times were hard. Training was necessary. Suddenly, from the undergrowth, Isshin bounded forth, swinging his own wooden sword horizontally, Ichigo darting to the side to avoid the sword.

'Good!' Isshin cried, lunging forwards. Moving to the side again, Ichigo laid his hand on his father's weapon and made a move, his weapon poised to strike. Suddenly, Ichigo tripped, the young boy crying out as he fell and hit the grassy turf with a thud, clenching his sword.

'It can't be…' Ichigo mutters, looking around, a small smile lighting up his face. Suddenly, Isshin appears in front of him, Ichigo slashing outwards, the two locking blades, the flow of white reiatsu from Ichigo's billowing in the wind.

'Bringing you back here…hopefully you'll remember what's at stake, Ichigo!' Isshin roars, smashing his son backwards, Ichigo skidding across the floor. As he flies backwards, he whips his sword around him, the air condensing around the blade, tightening, filling with light as Ichigo looks up at him, his eyes burning brightly.

'I never forgot!' he cries out, flinging a blast of light towards his father. 'Getsuga Tenshou!' Isshin catches the blast and throws it upwards, the light exploding in the air above them. He appears behind his son, whipping his sword downwards with a furious battle cry. Spinning round sharply, Ichigo holds out his sword to block but rolls to the side, Isshin's sword connecting with the grassy floor.

'A feint!' Isshin gasps, his eyes whipping to the side as Ichigo pulls his sword over his head once again.

'Getsuga…' Ichigo whispers, hissing the words. '…Tenshou!' he screams, the arc of light shredding over Isshin's head as the man ducks. Isshin looks up as the light slams into one of the white pillars, smashing it in half, the top section crumbling to the ground in a plume of pearly white dust. Ichigo raises an eyebrow, Isshin smirking. 'I thought you said we couldn't damage this place?' Then, one of the black chains around Ichigo's right arm explodes, the black dust shooting off into the air around them, swirling around the boy. The sleeve of his white shihakusho dissipates, breaking off of him, the black dust landing softly on his arm before materialising into bandages which whip themselves tightly all the way up his arm and around his hand, Ichigo's eyes widening in shock.

'This is-?' Ichigo stutters, Isshin turning to him, grinning broadly.

'Mugetsu!' the black haired man says proudly. 'Though, only a small taste of it. I can see it in your eyes. You always were a quick learner. There are two sections of this training hall that are not made by me, but by you. The black chains representing your sealed Mugetsu powers…' Isshin points to the rubble covered still in a blanket of debris. '…and the white pillars that represent your transitional phase!' Ichigo gasps, spinning around to see hundreds of the pillars standing, looming over them in the field of vibrancy and colours.

'These are…my power?' Ichigo stumbles over his own feet as he walks backwards to encompass their height.

'Yes. By destroying them, you are freeing yourself manually from this phase and releasing the power from the black chains of Mugetsu gradually in your wake.' Isshin says when suddenly, Ichigo blisters past him, the man pivoting on the spot, Ichigo swinging his sword towards the nearest pillar. Then, something appears in front of the boy and he backs off quickly, Isshin standing in front of the pillar, protectively holding out his sword.

'Dad, what the hell are you doing? I need to break all of them!' Ichigo cries, starting to lose his temper, but Isshin merely replies with a solemn look.

'You can't. Not without my adversary. Mugetsu cannot be achieved without hardship Ichigo. Otherwise why would I have even been fighting you? You have to earn it. You have to outmanoeuvre me. You have to out speed me, Ichigo!' Isshin vanishes, reappearing in front of his son and attacking him with his sole arm, sparks flying everything as the two clash. Ichigo curses, smashing the man up into the air, the two skidding backwards. 'You have to outwit me!' Isshin fires a blast from the tip of his finger, the purple orb of light severed in half by Ichigo's white swing, the light roaring through the chamber.

'YOU HAVE TO OVERPOWER ME, ICHIGO!' Isshin bellows, unleashing a Getsuga Tenshou downwards, Ichigo bracing himself for the impact. Ichigo's knees buckle under the force of the whirring blue blast, the area whipping up in a ferocious wind. Ichigo's shoulders hunch beneath the swirling ball of power, the blue light shooting out in all directions, the room illuminated, Isshin watching from in the sky. 'My Engetsu produces an all powerful Getsuga Tenshou. What can you do about it…Ichigo?' he wonders to himself, narrowing his eyes, unable to see the boy now beneath the crushing blast of energy. Then, he gasps, Ichigo roaring like an animal as he straightens up, his own sword above his head, heaving the attack off of himself, his hair whipping around furiously in the generated gales.

'GRAAAAAH!' Ichigo cries, his sword beginning to crack slightly. He moves a foot, lifting it up and placing it down again outwards, his shihakusho rippling in the wind, his step seemingly resonating across the floor. He rears his head and with a mighty bellow, sparks of white light begin to crackle beneath Isshin's blue strike. 'This is…' Ichigo whispers, his voice barely audible beneath the roar of power. The white lightning spurts off, shattering two more pillars, Ichigo's other arm now free of its chains, the black bandages wrapping around that one as well now, his shihakusho tearing apart to reveal his chest, fiery glowing blue tattoos etched onto his skin, the black bandages flailing behind him like shadows. '…my…' Ichigo twists his hand on the hilt of his sword. '…power!' he screams and flicks his sword up and over his head, throwing Isshin's Getsuga Tenshou back at him, combined with Ichigo's own attack, the monstrous ball of blue and white reiatsu screaming through the sky, destroying some of the pillars in its wake. Isshin gasps, stabbing his blade into the tip of the attack, the lightning spewing out across the room.

'Damn-!' Isshin chokes, disappearing behind the engulfing light, Ichigo vanishing behind a wall of dust and debris. As the dust clears, Ichigo straightens up, his white hair falling all the way down his back now. Isshin looks on in awe at the boy, Ichigo slowly opening his eyes to reveal gleaming blood red irises, his chest still bare and covered in the blue markings, black wrappings coiling up his arms. He lifts his hand, staring down at his palm, the black bandages tightly wrapped in between his fingers. Isshin chuckles as Ichigo notices the new length of his hair. Then, Isshin's eyes widen in shock as his other arm splits, shattering like glass and blowing away in the air, the man dropping his sword.

'Dad!' Ichigo cries, Isshin cursing gruffly.

'Shit, there's no way I can carry on like this. It's a good thing…' Isshin lifts his eyes to meet Ichigo's blood red ones. '…I hired some help.' Ichigo looks on, puzzled, when suddenly the floor behind distorts and breaks away in small, even squares, a black nothingness beneath it. Ichigo bounds away, skidding round and turning to face the gaping hole, like a cavernous mouth appearing in the middle of the room. From the floor, a figure is built, the white tiles flinging themselves upwards, melting together as if by some scalding wax. As the figure emerges from the tiles, Ichigo's eyes widen in shock.

'Well hey there, Ichigo!' the Other Ichigo grins maniacally and he steps out of the floor, his long, flowing white hair falling down his back, his body draped in a tight, white bandage, almost like a preservation. From every limb, reiatsu seems to billow off of him and in his hand, he lightly holds, almost cradles, a fierce, deformed sword of power, his eyes an inverted black and red, the entire sclera a blood crimson. Ichigo takes a step back.

'What the hell? What's with the get-up?' he snorts, the Other Ichigo tilting his head, his hair shifting, falling over his demonic eyes, but failing to conceal his mad grin.

'Get-up?' the Other Ichigo says with glee, revelling in Ichigo's apparent cluelessness. 'You idiot!' With a flash, he appears directly in front of Ichigo, whipping his sword around, Ichigo barely able to follow it. Instead, he sees a hazy swath of white light before being flung backwards, the black chains rattling around his ankles as he crashes to the ground. 'This is Mugetsu!' the figure laughs with triumph, Ichigo sitting up, dazed. The Other Ichigo runs before flipping over and appearing in the air above Ichigo, Kurosaki gathering a glaring white light onto his blade.

'Take thi-!' Ichigo begins, only for the Other Ichigo to appear beside him, his silky smooth fingers touching down on Ichigo's blade, the boy's eyes shifting to the side before he is hit in the face, crashing across the room in a streak of dust. The Other Ichigo lands neatly on the ground, watching a battered Ichigo struggle to appear from the dust.

'Well…ya have the hair and the eyes for the job. But do you have the skills?' the Other Ichigo wonders, scratching his chin mockingly. Bursting forwards, the Other Ichigo slams his foot down into the ground and twists over in mid air, Ichigo trying to follow his sword, only to be engulfed in a sudden appearance of a thick white mist. Darting out of the towering reiatsu, Ichigo coughs and splutters, spinning round sharply.

'Damn! I can't tell where his arm ends and where his sword begins! Is this the power of Mugetsu? It's like his sword truly is a flowing extension of his arm!' Ichigo curses to himself, landing heavily.

'Come on Ichigo!' Isshin roars from the side. 'Move!' Ichigo nods and speeds towards his foe, throwing his sword from one hand to the other before spinning it rapidly, the billowing stream of reiatsu spinning round and spurting from the sword's edge like a firework. However, the Other Ichigo merely steps in front of the weapon and, Ichigo watching every move, splits Ichigo's sword into three pieces, the boy choking as he is cast backwards, the pieces of his sword hitting the ground around him. Winded, he stares up at the blue sky above and his eyes begin to blur.

'Oh man…it really is an extension of his arm. I can't actually tell when he makes the cut. I can't beat that!' Ichigo thinks to himself. He is roughly moved from his stupor when he feels the cold sting of the wind move sharply over the tip of his nose and he vanishes, the Other Ichigo's sword swooping across where Ichigo had been. Ichigo flips over and straightens up, staring the other one in the eyes. 'What the hell are you doing here anyway?' The Other Ichigo shrugs.

'I put you in that transition stage. It's fitting I should smash you out of it…or kill you trying anyway!' The Other Ichigo shrieks, reiatsu exploding from all around him, like a web of power. Ichigo nods and then darts past his opponent, sprinting over his shoulder, the closest white pillar in his eyes. He pulls his sword around him and swings but the Other Ichigo zips in front of him, catching the blade and slamming Ichigo into the floor, the boy choking on the grass. 'I don't think so!' the Other Ichigo sneers, Ichigo disappearing again and reappearing on the opposite side, his enemy reaching out for him before Kurosaki disappears once more. Ichigo appears in front of a different pillar and brings his sword downwards only for the Other Ichigo to burst out of the sky and land a heavy kick in Ichigo's chest, flinging the boy back down towards the ground far below.

'Too predictable!' the Other Ichigo scoffs. Ichigo disappears once more and locks blades with his foe, Kurosaki sweating now, struggling to push him back. 'You're gonna have to come up with something fast! Who knows what the hell is going on up there?' the Other Ichigo gestures to above ground and Ichigo swallows hard. That discharge of reiatsu from Aizen earlier has worried him, but he shakes away his fears and smashes the Other Ichigo away from him. 'Maybe they're all dead?' the Other Ichigo says suddenly, a dark shadow passing across his face and Ichigo stops in his tracks.

What if they were? Why would they not be? Aizen would not let them live surely? No, Ichigo shook his head. He knew they were alive. He could feel them. However, the rattling, hoarse laugh of the Other Ichigo stirs in him again as the man throws back his head, laughing over and over.

'You're such a sap you know that? All this crap about protecting your friends! You're useless, Ichigo! I won't take it; I don't have to take it. Not from you. You're the one who went and died.' The Other Ichigo says nastily, Ichigo's eyes shimmering as he listens. 'They are probably up there right now under his rule. Suffering…dying…' the Other Ichigo taunts, Isshin listening carefully, Ichigo's head bowed. In his mind, images begin to flash vividly, as if real and provoking him. His friends, the people he cares about, being hurt at the cruel hands of Aizen. Ichigo slowly takes a hand from the hilt of his sword and stares at it, the reiatsu ebbing from his weapon.

'Ichigo…' Isshin whispers under his breath.

'They're lost. They're lost because of you. I won't have this, Ichigo. If you won't stand and fight, then I will. I'll rip Aizen to shreds…' the Other Ichigo hisses, his eyes gleaming greedily as he flexes his claw like fingers. '…and your friends too.' At this, Ichigo's eyes bulge and he roars, screaming a terrible high pitch scream, the Other Ichigo's eyes wide open in horror, Isshin taking a step forwards.

'NO!' Ichigo roars, pouncing on the Other Ichigo before he even has a chance to move. Ichigo flings his sword at his foe, the blade impaling the Other Ichigo straight through the chest, the enemy barely having time to look up from staring in shock at the blade before Ichigo plants a colossal kick in his chest, the Other Ichigo spluttering as he is thrown back through a pillar, destroying it, another chain breaking from Ichigo's ankle and turning to black dust, the remainder of his shihakusho, around his bottom half, turning a jet black. The Other Ichigo emerges from the remains of the pillar to see Ichigo standing above him, a furious look in his eyes.

'Getsuga-…' Ichigo says simply, swinging the remainder of his sword round furiously, a blast of white light screaming downwards.

'Ha! Do you even understand the power that Mugetsu wields! A puny Getsuga is nothing!' the Other Ichigo screams, holding his sword up in the air above his head, his long hair billowing out around him, Isshin crying out from the sidelines.

'WAIT YOU FOOL!' he roars but the Other Ichigo swings downwards like a pendulum, his eyes blazing red with anger. Everything seems to go silent as a wave of white light drops down from the sky, engulfing the entire room, Isshin covering his eyes, Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou dissipating in front of him as the chamber disappears in a white glow. Then, sound seems to return and there is a terrible crashing noise, a blast of power surging around the building. Isshin stands in the centre of it, his shihakusho billowing wildly, the man's arms slowly rebuilding and he looks down in shock. 'This means…-!' he chokes, his eyes whipping up to the centre of the room. '…Ichigo!'

From the other side of the room, the Other Ichigo staggers out of the smoke, choking and spluttering. He looks down in his hand and sees, not the sword of reiatsu he had before, but a basic katana, his hair short again and his eyes reverting back to the black and yellow colours of before.

'What the hell? Why do I have this?' the Other Ichigo wheezes, turning to look at Isshin through the smoke and dust.

'You moron!' Isshin snaps, his arms rebuilt now and he points to around the room, the Other Ichigo looking around slowly, his eyes widening at the sight. There are no full pillars standing, only the smouldering bottom halves, smoke drifting from the tips. 'Your power is Ichigo's power! You destroying the pillars are the same as if he destroyed them!' Isshin snaps, the Other Ichigo turning to look up into the centre of the room, the Other Ichigo's eyes now filling with something new to him.

'But then…' he whispers, watching the smoke, the outline of Ichigo beginning to appear from within.


Rukia crawls across the floor, reaching for the nearest piece of rock to grasp onto. She is battered, beaten and bloodied, her messy hair strewn across her tired face, her eyes bloodshot and she breathes heavily. Her eyes are blurry and she can barely see anything in front of her save for her gleaming zanpakuto lying somewhere just ahead. All around her, the smoke is thickening and there is a black and green hue in the air from Ulquiorra's devastating Cero.

Beside her, she can feel Chad's presence, the boy slumped against a large stone, his hair hanging down over his face, though she realises he is just as beaten. On her left, Uryu, the boy spread eagled on the ground, his clothes torn and tatty. The shimmering white zanpakuto lays just some way ahead and Rukia is guided by it, at least she hopes she can make it before she blacks out. Reaching out, she feels the end of the hilt on her fingertips; it is ice cold, a soothing reminder. She runs her fingers over it before tightening her grip, a small smile crossing her lips. Then, she feels a crushing pain.

'You are at your wit's end.' Ulquiorra says coldly, his foot pressing down hard on Rukia's wrist, the girl crying out, though she is so out of breath it is nearly impossible. 'I must confess, that I didn't kill you with my Cero Oscuras is a little embarrassing but luckily…we four seem to be quite alone here.' He presses down and the girl cries out, her wrist cracking under the pressure of his shoe, the man's hands lazily in his pockets. Behind them, the sky begins to split, a purple haze breaking through. Slowly, Ulquiorra draws his sword, the blade gleaming in the sunlight and he holds it gingerly by her neck.

'I will remove you and then your friends from Lord Aizen's new world.' Ulquiorra says simply, his expression unchanging. 'You can join Kurosaki Ichigo in the abyss!' Ulquiorra moves to swing his sword when the sky explodes, shards of it flying past them. Turning slowly, Ulquiorra watches as someone leaps out of it, a black mist following them like a trail. Ichigo blasts out of the sky, the black reiatsu exploding from around him as he touches down, his feet seemingly cracking the earth. As he straightens, Rukia watches him through beaten eyes, his long, flowing black hair falling beside him, Ulquiorra's eyes wide in horror, the man aghast.

Ichigo lifts his sword of burning, flaming reiatsu, pointing it at the villain, his red eyes shimmering in the sunlight.

'Get your foot off her and step away.'