…The True Heir…

/Warning/:This chapter contains fluff, a bit of violence(?), flashbacks, and who knows what! All reviews are appreciated.

"Talking."

"Thinking."

…flashbacks or dreams…

"Zanpakuto or Hollow talking."

Chapter 3.

Ichigo clearly remembered being sent to the Soul Society when he was eight. After all, it had only been last year. Ichigo had always thought the afterlife would be a happy place because people always said it was where good people went when they died.

Now he knew the truth. The Soul Society was just the same as the life the living had, complete with its own struggles and sadness. But unlike the first, this life would go on forever until you died and reincarnated, or were eaten by a Hollow and thus turned into one. That was the sad truth. Even after death you could always die again – or even worse, turn into a monster.

The only thing that Ichigo didn't want to become was a thief. But if he wanted to survive he had to steal. Nevertheless, it seemed he was one of the 'lucky' souls who had Reiatsu. However, Ichigo had always thought of it as a curse and nothing more. To not be able to live like the 'normal' souls who didn't need food to survive, was truly a terrible way to live.

Ichigo huffed as he looked at the moon. It wasn't his fault that he had a shitty father and a psycho stepmother. It wasn't fair he had to die, he had so many dreams that he still wanted to achieve.

He had wanted to grow older, to get a job as a writer or editor because he loved reading and writing so knew his passion lay in books. He wanted to fall in love even if he'd forgotten what the word 'love' meant, maybe get married if it came to that, and lastly he had wanted to have a loving family of his own. But that would never happen now. Life wasn't fair; he had known that since his grandma and grandpa had died.

Now Ichigo wouldn't lie – being dead wasn't all bad. In fact, his heart had lightened at the fact that he might be reunited with some of his loved ones. He had tried to search for his grandparents everywhere he could think of, but hadn't found them in this village. Nor had he travelled to another village or district, he was still a child and somehow he knew he didn't have it in him to leave this place. His gut feeling told him he had been sent here for a reason, because he had been a failure during his life. He didn't deserve to leave this place, that was what Ichigo always thought.

Ichigo sighed sadly as he looked at the moon. He always loved looking at it. It was strange, but somehow he had always thought that the moon was calling for him. When he was alone and didn't have any friends to share the hurt with, he would look at the sky and see the moon. It's great pale face would almost seem to be looking reassuringly back at him, never disappearing since in the soul society the moon never waxed or waned.

Ichigo smiled at he took comfort in the moon's presence, just sitting there and soaking in the moonlight. Ichigo continued humming and gazing at the moon, totally unaware of the other presence lurking nearby. He felt a chill down his spine and dropped his gaze lower. He froze as he saw a hollow staring at him from across the clearing. In the back of his mind, Ichigo wondered if he should run away. It was foolhardy, he knew he couldn't outrun that monster, but what else could he try? He was too weak to fight it!

Ichigo's breath stopped, and he wondered for a second if his heart did too. He convinced his mind that he had to run, to hide, anything! But his body refused to move – "What's the use?!" it screamed back. Surprisingly, he didn't want to die, even though he was already dead. But Ichigo knew that if he died a second time by a hollow's hand, he would have more sins to regret than being a simple thief who stole food to survive.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," the hollow uttered in a chilling tone that made Ichigo gulp in fear. Nevertheless, the voice had broken the spell over him and he was able to move. He stood up slowly, feeling tense and stiff, ready to run if he saw the hollow near him. "What's the matter little boy? Cat got your tongue?" The hollow cackled at its own joke. Ichigo felt the sweat on his neck grow colder at that laugh, he resisted the urge to shiver.

He tried to hide his fear with a scowl. "SHUT UP!" Ichigo yelled, trying to appear unconcerned that the hollow was eyeing him like he was a delicious meal, which in fact he was.

The hollow growled at Ichigo, its eyes murderous. "Who do you think you are?!"it hissed as it stepped to Ichigo, causing him to back up but not quite finding the courage to run. The hollow stopped and started to laugh, a sound that chilled you down to the bones. "I will teach you a lesson, little boy. No one crosses Grand Fisher… and LIVES!"

The hollow charged at Ichigo. Ichigo had to be thankful that he was small and fast, only just able to twist out of the hollow's way and start running to the village. He accidentally bit his tongue in his hast, driven by fear. The village was far, he doubted he would make it to safety in, time.

"COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE RUNT!"

The hollow howled in rage as he ran after him, bounding along on its short legs. Ichigo was afraid. He was scared, and that in itself made him even more frightful. He hadn't felt this scared even when Yuuki beat him. Hell, he hadn't even felt it after his death, so what had changed?

Pathetic…

Weak…

Ugly…

He didn't know why he started remembering Yuuki's words now, but it halted his steps. The hollow smirked as Ichigo stopped and started panting hard. It charged forward and slashed Ichigo across the back, leaving three long, bleeding gashes. Ichigo screamed in pain, collapsing to his knees.

"Why did you stop? We were having so much fun," the hollow whined, then snorted at the boy's patheticness. He began stalking around Ichigo in a circle, "I'll tell you what," the hollow grinned, which made his made an even more ghastly sight. "Let's see how much strength you have, ne?"

The hollow stepped up to Ichigo and grabbed the front of his yukata, throwing him against the nearest tree. The impact felt like stakes driven into his back, and Ichigo screamed. His voice may have only been capable of a single sound, but his mind was throwing around all sorts of curses and hoping he would find a way to survive.

He didn't want to die!

Through the haze of pain and fear he saw the hollow laughing maliciously, advancing closer and closer. Ichigo closed his eyes. If he was about to die, he wouldn't prolong his torment by staring into death's eyes once more.

"Cast off your fear."

Ichigo heard a voice and stilled. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked for the source of the voice, only to see nobody. Where had it come from?

"Go forward."

Ichigo lifted his head and glanced around, surprised by the change in his surroundings. To his eyes, time had stopped. He looked up and gasped - even the hollow had frozen mid-swing from ripping into him! He felt his gaze drawn to the moon and a sense of encouragement emanating from its round body. Strangely, the moon was shining brightly but with a touch of harshness, as if it were glaring down at the earth (or whatever the Soul Society called it).

"Never stand still."

Ichigo felt rather than saw as time started moving again. He listened to the hollow's cruel laugh speed up, his arm arching down faster by the second. Getting closer to the kill.

"Retreat and you will regret."

His eyes latched onto a man wearing a dark coat and tinted glasses, watching him from behind the hollow. Ichigo's breath hitched in his throat, on the verge of panicking but somehow not able to make that last connection. Was this man a friend or a foe?

"Hesitate and you will die."

Ichigo saw the man's lips move as he spoke the words. Despite his situation, he growled. He didn't know where this man had come from, but one thing was for certain. He would NOT die!

"SHOUT MY NAME! IT IS…"

Ichigo got up on shaky legs, his body moving before his mind could process it. He glared at the hollow in hatred, his view becoming partially blocked by the closer and more attention-demanding hollow's claws. He opened his mouth and shouted to the heavens.

"ZANGETSU!"

A sword appeared in his hands as he swung his hands down with a force he hadn't known he possessed. A white light shot from the tip and rocketed towards the hollow before him.

With time now mostly restored, Ichigo got to see the hollow stumble in shock as the light headed straight for it. He didn't have a time to run, only to widen his eyes and wait for the hit to arrive. The light struck him with such force it knocked him over, he gave an ear-splitting scream.

Ichigo observed the hollow disappearing, then fell to his knees and just gasped for breath, his mind whirling at what he had just done. He raised his eyes to see the man dressed in black looking at him with a gentle smile. The man walked over leisurely as if he had fully expected this outcome, and reached out to touch the sword.

The man glowed brightly for a few moments, then disappeared.

...

...

...

Ichigo awoke with a grunt as he surveyed the place he was in. He saw Byakuya sleeping next to him and sighed in relief. Today they were leaving for Seireitei to find their new home. Ichigo exhaled in irritation. He didn't dream of the day he awoke Zangetsu within himself unless he was feeling afraid or insecure.

Ichigo sighed softly. Typical. He wouldn't lie; he really was afraid. Over the years, his fears had evolved and changed according to his situation, his main concern now was Byakuya's safety. He feared he wouldn't be able to grant Byakuya's wish and protect his younger brother. Nevertheless, even if he couldn't he would die trying.

Ichigo sat up and looked around him, spotting Zangetsu nearby. A feeling of comfort washed over him. Even after all these years, the sight of his Zanpakuto always made him feel safe, made his fear diminish, like he could do anything he wanted and not have to be afraid of the consequences because Zangetsu would always have his back.

Ichigo smirked; he was worried over nothing. It's no use being afraid of the future. He'd work it out when he got to that road.

"Oi, Byakuya," he said softly, shaking Byakuya awake. Byakuya grunted but sat up, rubbing his eyes. It always make Ichigo laugh; how an energetic kid like Byakuya hated mornings with a passion - as if they were his enemies.

"What?" Byakuya grumbled, shooting Ichigo a glare. He always wondered how Ichigo could stand waking up so early. I mean, seriously! Can't he oversleep just for one day without Ichigo waking him at 5am? He huffed in annoyance but perked up when he remembered the date. A grin broke over his face.

Today was Ichigo's 21st birthday!

When souls reach their 21st birthday, they stop aging. Well, not completely – they'd still age one year for every twenty after that, but you rarely see the difference. Byakuya cheered up even more as he remembered last night and started jumping around in happiness.

Ichigo glanced at Byakuya and blinked in surprise, raising an eyebrow. "Where did all this energy come from all of a sudden?" he muttered to himself as he waited for the other to calm down.

When Byakuya stopped jumping around he gave Ichigo s wide grin. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" he shouted joyfully, hugging Ichigo tightly and making his older brother choke for air. Byakuya let go and laughed as Ichigo shot him a light-hearted glare, but Ichigo couldn't stay mad for long.

"Yea, yea," Ichigo hummed softly, then surveyed the state of their belongings. "Pack everything you need. We're leaving as soon as we're ready."

IXB

Byakuya was excited; he was practically vibrating from joy. After all, it was the first time the two of them would leave the 99th district and find themselves their own home!

Byakuya looked around as he and Ichigo used the Shunpo technique to travel through the Soul Society. To reach Seireitei from their district, they had to travel a week on foot, but using Shunpo could shorten it to a day.

Byakuya hummed as he scanned the districts they were travelling through. He took in the different people, clothes, houses, and other things he hadn't even known existed.

It was dawn by the time they reached the 1st district. Ichigo had stopped using Shunpo and switched to walking for the time being. Byakuya ogled as he saw the fancy clothes the people wore in this district. He looked at Ichigo black's yukata and his own white one and smiled. His brother had always told him that people who wore fancy clothes did it because they lacked something.

Byakuya could understand that. Just looking around enabled him to see the ugly side of this district as well, such as lesser nobles hitting servants that didn't do anything wrong. He frowned but felt thankful that he hadn't been born into a noble family. If he lived an existence that only cared about status and money, it could just as easily have been him hitting his servants instead.

Ichigo noticed the scene Byakuya was staring at and scowled. Nobles would never learn, though, in truth they weren't actually nobles. They were just people trying to copy the lifestyles of real nobles who lived in Seireitei.

Ichigo tug Byakuya gently, herding him towards the main gates of Seireitei. As they drew closer, he noticed the long line of people who it seemed also planned on becoming Shinigamis. Ichigo sighed, hoping they wouldn't have to wait long. Byakuya smiled at him sympathetically.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before they stood before the gates. In front of them was the gatekeeper and somebody who wore glasses.

Byakuya gaped at their clothes, his eyes sparkling with fascination. It was the first time he had met a Shinigami other than his brother who had such a strong Reiatsu. However, Ichigo had made them necklaces to supress their Reiatsu, so he couldn't feel it as strongly right then. "Our Reiatsu is too dangerous, Byakuya. Especially mine," Ichigo had told him as he handed over Byakuya's necklace for his fourteenth birthday, when his own Zanpakuto had awoken.

"Name, age, district and reason for entering Seireitei?" the Shinigami with glasses asked as he looked them up and down, frowning at their clothes.

Ichigo rolled his eyes in irritation and glared at the man. "Ichigo, 21, from the 99th district, and do you really want to ask me that when you're recruiting Shinigamis?" Ichigo answered mockingly, earning himself a glare.

Byakuya sighed at his brother's bluntness and nudged him to warn him against pissing off the Shinigami. "My name is Byakuya, I'm 16, also from the 99th and aiming to become a Shinigami. I apologize for my brother," Byakuya said humbly with a soft smile, causing the Shinigami to flush and clear his throat.

Ichigo glare intensified. His little brother had only become more and more beautiful as time passed, but it irritated him whenever others looked at him lustfully – like animals. Ichigo purposely blocked the Shinigami's view by standing in front of Byakuya protectively, thankful he stood at 6'5 so he could hide him completely.

The gatekeeper also noticed the blush and hid his snicker as his partner flushed – this time in anger. The gatekeeper could plainly see that this man, Ichigo, would kill anyone who dared to look at his younger brother the wrong way. He made a thumps up to Ichigo, earning himself a confused stare and a respectful shrug.

The Shinigami huffed and readjusted his glasses, deciding it would be a stain on his reputation to lash out at a potential recruit. "First, you have to release some of your Reiatsu into this ball. If it lights up you can enter," he spoke in displeasure, holding up a glass ball.

Ichigo scoffed at the Shinigami's attitude, already immensely disliking him. He reached out and touched the ball, releasing some of his Reiatsu. He hummed as the ball lit up. The same thing happened to Byakuya, of which Ichigo smiled proudly.

"Welcome to Seireitei!" the gatekeeper announced with a wide smile. Byakuya's joy was evident on his face, almost glowing with excitement. Ichigo just rushed to grab his brother's hand so he wouldn't run on ahead without him. The gatekeeper was nice enough to point out the direction of the Shinigami academy, so they headed off.

"Ne, Ichi?" Byakuya murmured as he looked around in amazement at the most beautiful district in the Soul Society. Ichigo paused to give his brother his full attention. Byakuya exhaled softly. "Do you think I should cut my hair?" he asked.

Ichigo stared at Byakuya in surprise. His brother loved his long hair; he said it reminded him of his late father. He furrowed his brow as he thought of what to say, looking over Byakuya's 5'4 figure. He still had his milky-white skin and grey eyes that had only become more mature and stunning since he was a child. His black hair reached down to the middle of his back.

Ichigo had changed too. Instead of pale skin like Byakuya, he was lightly tanned. His eyes had changed too, which surprised both of them. Now they were more golden than brown, and his bright orange hair brushed his shoulders.

Finally thinking of an answer, he untied a blue strip of cloth from his wrist. "Long hair suits you better," he replied with a smile as he swept Byakuya's hair into a high ponytail.

When he finished, Byakuya explored his new look with his fingers. He snuck a glance at his big brother's happy face and broke into a grin.

IXB

Byakuya gasped at the academy when he saw it. It was huge and very beautiful, especially the gardens that lead into the forest. Ichigo hummed in disbelief; the place actually reminded him of a university in Karakura a teacher had shown him a picture of when he had been alive.

"RENJI!" Ichigo heard a female scream on his left. He turned to see who it was only to witness a ball of Kido lightning heading Byakuya's way.

Ichigo sprang into action, his little brother's well-being put in danger. He used Shunpo to grab Byakuya and jump out of the way, missing the attack by a hair's breath. Byakuya had been too shocked to move; even now he was frozen in Ichigo's arms.

Once Ichigo put Byakuya back down, he glared at the red headed male who ran up to them. Ichigo's first impression was that he looked like a thug, but Ichigo knew that when it came to criminals he was the worst. A black haired woman joined him; he guessed it was the woman who had shouted. Strangely, she looked a lot like Byakuya but was a few inches shorter.

The man noticed Ichigo's glare and laugh nervously, scratching his head sheepishly. "I'm so sorry" he apologised said. Then he turned to do the same to Byakuya, pausing for just a moment as also took in his similarity. Ichigo stepped in front of his brother and growled warningly, ready to attack.

The woman blinked in shock at his protectiveness, then her face lit up in realization that they must be related, and hence very close, and smiled at them. "I'm sorry for what happened. This dumbass couldn't use Kido to save his life! My name is Rukia by the way and the dumbass here is Renji," she introduced with a smile even as she punched Renji in his stomach at his loud protest of 'HEY!'.

Ichigo saw all of this – now it was his turn to blink in shock. Byakuya on the other hand was buzzing with excitement. It was the first time he was meeting someone his age! (Or close to it.) "I'm Byakuya and this is my older brother Ichigo!" he smiled, his ease infecting Rukia so she half-smiled. The other two males stayed tense/nervous. "Don't worry. The whole thing was an accident."

Rukia sighed in relief, her smile finally reaching her eyes. She watched as Ichigo rolled his eyes and patted Byakuya on the head, giving him older sibling approval. Rukia grinned at the sight. Maybe those two could become their friends. All of their friends had died, leaving her and Renji to feel lonely. She hoped that they would.

Ichigo seemed to be having similar thoughts as he looked the pair up and down. Byakuya didn't say anything since he was used to his brother's overprotectiveness, so he just let his brother do as he pleased. Though he did wish his big brother wouldn't growl at all the new people they met.

"Do you want to be friends?" Rukia asked hesitantly but not quite able to hide her elation. Her hope was not in vain however, as Byakuya grin and nodded happily then glanced up at Ichigo, waiting for him to say something.

Ichigo wanted to object. He didn't like this Renji guy a whole lot – he had nearly hurt Byakuya for crying out loud! But he knew his brother would love to have a friend at that, he know that Byakuya would love to have a friend other than Senbonzakura and himself. So he relented and nodded his head - no words needed, the meaning was clear.

However, he did say one thing. "If you hurt him, you're dead," Ichigo said in a low voice. The two shivered at his dangerous tone and nodded their heads hurriedly.

Ichigo smirked, his intentions now put out there. Life was going to get interesting in Siereitei.

So what do you think?

Yay! Rukia and Renji are here. Finally!

And Ichigo with long hair. O-O

Read and Review.

Let me knew what you think. I am always open for suggestions.

Nazaki-Sama.