The Whole Hollow

Alright, a few quick notes before we begin. I will be taking a few liberties with the timeline of this story. In canon, Rukia arrives a few days before the start of the first arc at most. In this fiction, she will have arrived at least a few months before the beginning, as so to give me more time to work with events. Also, I will be doing something similar with Tier Harribel, but I don't want to spoil too much too soon.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Flame me and I'll shoot you with a Quincy arrow.

"Are you sure about this, Urahara?" asked Ichigo as he stood in front of two large wooden pillars set into the rock face of the underground training room.

"Do you trust me, Kurosaki-san?" asked Urahara with a smile.

"No."

Kisuke sighed dramatically, "How cruel, but nonetheless, let me explain. I am going to open a portal to send you to the realm known as Hueco Mundo, the home of the Hollows. You will be able to feed and train there until I can finish work on a project to help you control your Reiatsu so it doesn't negatively affect the people around you. Now, let's begin."

"Don't worry, Ichigo," called out Tatsuki from where she and the others stood at distance that would allow her to ignore the pressure of Ichigo's increased Reiatsu, "we'll keep the town safe while you're gone."

"Now Kurosaki-san," said Urahara seriously, "when you go through the gate, you will find yourself in a black void, and you will need to form a Reishi path for yourself until you can reach the your destination. Good luck."

Kisuke leapt onto one of the posts and held his cane so it was standing on the post and began to chant.

"My right hand is the stone that bridges worlds. My left hand is the blade that binds reality. The black-haired shepherd is hung from a chair. Stratus clouds come, and I strike down the ibis."

Energy traveled down the shaft of Urahara's cane, causing a large black tear to open up between he posts.

"Well," said Ichigo as he looked at his friends one last time, "here I go."

Taking a running start, Ichigo leapt into the black void, the rift closing behind him as he passed through it.

"Is Kurosaki-kun going to be alright?" asked Orihime as Kisuke leapt down to ground level.

"It's hard to say," answered Urahara with a serious look on his face, "ultimately, it will be up to Kurosaki-san. All I can say for certain, is that Hueco Mundo is an unforgiving land and he will need to fight hard to survive."

xXsceneXx

After a somewhat rough trip through the black void, Ichigo managed to rip a hole in the blackness and found himself in a barren moonlit desert. Closing his eyes, he felt the raw power that flowed through this realm.

"So this is the land of Hollows," muttered Ichigo as he looked around, "looks like a pretty dull place. I guess I'd better get going."

Ichigo began to race through the vast desert, looking for a place to camp out while he was here. As he ran, he heard the distinct roar of a Hollow and decided to seek it out, so that he could get some information, and if the Hollow ended up being hostile, he could curb the hunger that he felt. Using his senses, he tracked the Reiatsu of the Hollow, finding it to be rather strong, compared to the ones he faced in Karakura. Eventually, he came up to a large Hollow with shaggy green fur and a tendril extending from its mask that ended in what looked like a sort of fishing lure.

"Who are you, young Adjuchas?" asked the Hollow.

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki," replied Ichigo.

"Hmmm," said the Hollow, "Your Reiatsu feels somewhat familiar. And your name, I seem to remember a Kurosaki among the souls I've devoured."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ichigo warily.

"I've got it!" said the Hollow, "Tell me, Adjuchas, do you recognize this?"

The lure on the Hollow began to morph until it took the shape of a human that was terrifyingly familiar to Ichigo. It was the same girl he had seen on that rainy day. The day his mother was killed.

"YOU!" snarled Ichigo, "It was you that day!"

"Yes, " smirked the Hollow, "you were that child. You had such a tasty Reiatsu. I regret not being the one to devour you."

"You," growled Ichigo, "I'll make you pay for that night. I'll devour you like you did to her!"

"Oh?" sneered the Hollow, "You think yourself a match for me? You may be an Adjuchas, but I have eluded Shinigami for 54 years. I am the Grand Fisher, and the one who be devoured is you, child."

Ichigo roared and charged at the Grand Fisher, prompting the older Hollow to extend his fur at Ichigo as tendrils that tried to impale the protector. Ichigo responded by blurring out of the way and slashing through the tendrils with his claws.

"You're skilled," said Grand Fisher, "but it's not enough!"

The Hollow shot more tendrils at Ichigo, aiming to impale him and rip the new Adjuchas to shreds. Ichigo was forced to leap out of the way and go on the defensive in order to survive.

"Damnit!" growled Ichigo, "I can't get close."

"Focus, Ichigo," said a voice in Ichigo's head that he recognized as the one who spoke to him when he evolved, "remember what led you to this place."

"What led me here?" murmured Ichigo.

Ichigo thought back and remembered the Adjuchas that he fought and the abilities that it had displayed. Deciding to go for broke, Ichigo began to focus his power to a central point on his body.

"Let's see if I can get this right," growled Ichigo as crimson energy began to gather in a sphere in front of his mask, "CERO!"

The sphere grew to the size of a grapefruit before releasing the gathered energy in a blast that tore through the sand as it streaked toward the Grand Fisher. The older Hollow tried to leap out of the way, but the blast was so large that it still tore through his body before he could get completely clear. When the energy faded, Ichigo saw that the older Hollow had its lower half obliterated and the rest of him was starting to dissolve. Walking up, Ichigo grabbed the Grand Fisher's mask in one of his claws and crushed it, killing the Hollow for good.

"I hope now you can rest in peace, Okaa-san," said Ichigo as he walked away, heading toward a rocky section of the desert with tall cliffs.

xXsceneXx

Ichigo had walked for quite a while, feasting on the occasional small Hollow to keep his hunger in check, before he came upon an interesting scene. He saw a large snake Hollow trying to fight off a large Hollow that resembled a saber-tooth tiger.

"You should show some respect, bitch!" growled the cat-Hollow, "Lord Barragan is the King of Hueco Mundo. You should be honored to serve him."

"I do not serve your king," scoffed the snake in a feminine voice, "I serve my mistress, who is far better than your king."

Ichigo was surprised at this. He didn't know there were politics in the world of Hollows, yet here he found what seemed to be a sort of power struggle. He also found himself disliking the feline Hollow due to his attitude toward the female snake Hollow. As he saw the cat leap up and smack the snake to the side, he decided to act. He was a protector after all. Jumping down, Ichigo kicked the feline Hollow to the ground and stood in front of the snake.

"I don't know what's going on here, but it's clear she's not interested, so BACK OFF!" growled Ichigo.

"What's it to you?" growled the Hollow, "This has nothing to do with you."

"She obviously wants nothing to do with you," spat Ichigo as he flared his Reiatsu and directed it toward the other Hollow, "so leave willingly or I'll kick your ass and devour what's left."

The feline Hollow would have attacked, but he was no fool. The pure power behind this new arrival's Reiatsu easily dwarfed his own, and he was not eager to be eaten just yet.

"What's your name?" smirked the Hollow, "My master would like to know the name of one so powerful."

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki," replied Ichigo.

"I am Ggio Vega," said the feline Hollow with a slight bow, "loyal servant of my lord Barragan, God King of Hueco Mundo. We shall meet again, Ichigo Kurosaki."

The newly named Ggio vanished in a blur of speed, leaving only Ichigo and the snake Hollow.

"You ok?" asked Ichigo as he turned to face the serpentine Hollow.

"…Why did you help me?" asked the snake Hollow suspiciously.

"Do I need a reason?" asked Ichigo in a confused tone, "You looked like you were in trouble, so I thought I would help."

"That is an odd train of thought for a Hollow," commented the snake.

"Why is that?" asked Ichigo.

The snake seemed to shrug, "Hueco Mundo is an eat or be eaten world. The fact that you helped me of your own free will is…unusual to say the least."

"It's just who I am," said Ichigo, "I am the One Who Protects. That's what my name means."

"That is quite interesting," said the snake, "if you wouldn't mind accompanying me, there is someone I would like you to meet."

"This isn't a trick is it?" asked Ichigo cautiously, "I mean, this is an eat or be eaten world as you put it."

The snake hollow shook her head, "It would be in bad form to attack one who just saved your life. I simply want to introduce you to my mistress. You have a similar philosophy. She also has taken the role of protector."

"Meh, why not?" said Ichigo, "By the way, I didn't catch your name."

"My name is Cyan Sung-Sun," said the snake.

"Then lead the way, Sung-Sun," said Ichigo.

xXsceneXx

It was a while later when Ichigo and his new companion arrived at their destination. It was a large cave set into one of the rock faces and Ichigo could feel two other Hollows inside, both of them at the same level in power as Sung-Sun.

"Sung-Sun!" growled a deer-hollow in a feminine voice as she walked up with a lioness hollow, "What the hell are you doing bringing this guy here?"

"He is an interesting one, Apacci," said Sun-Sung, "he defended me against one of Barragan's inner circle simply because he is a 'protector' as he put it."

"It could still be a setup," growled the now named Apacci, "they could have set this whole thing up."

"That's doubtful," scoffed the lioness Hollow, "that doesn't seem like Barragan's style. He's more one to use the superior numbers against you."

"I don't need you to tell me that, Mila Rose," growled Apacci, "I'm not an idiot."

"Could've fooled me," smirked the lioness now known as Mila rose.

"Can you two please just behave for ten seconds," sighed Sung-Sun.

"Shut up, Sung-sun!" growled the other two Hollows.

Sung-Sun sighed once more, "While normally I would be content with watching the two of you bicker, we have a guest here. Please try and be courteous to him."

Ichigo wasn't sure what to make of the situation in front of him. He had agreed to go with Sung-Sun, but he certainly wasn't expecting this chaotic scene. He was about to speak up to try and placate the three female Hollows, when he suddenly felt a powerful Reiatsu approaching the cave that easily dwarfed even his own significant level of power. Turning around, Ichigo saw another female Hollow approaching. This one was vastly different from any that he'd ever seen. Her body was humanoid, as opposed to the usual bestial forms that most Hollows had, and she was about as tall as he was before he had become a Hollow. Her body seemed to be covered in armor that gave her a shark-like look, along with a fish tail sprouting from her tailbone and a dorsal fin from her spine.

"Harribel-sama!" exclaimed the three quarreling Hollows as they acknowledged the new arrival's presence.

"Girls," said the new Hollow, "what is going on?"

"Ah, Harribel-sama," said Sung-sun, "I thought you'd like to meet this Hollow here. He defended me against one of Barragan's underlings."

"Is that so?" asked Harribel, "Then you have my thanks."

"It wasn't anything special," shrugged Ichigo, "I just did what any decent person would have done."

"Most peculiar," said Harribel, "that's not the kind of mindset that one who has lived in Hueco Mundo would have."

"Well I'm actually kind of new here," admitted Ichigo, "I only recently evolved and came here to keep my friends and family in the Human World from being hurt by my new power."

"Family?" asked Apacci.

"Yeah," said Ichigo, "my two sisters from when I was still human."

"I'm surprised that you still remember them," noted Harribel, "most of us have already forgotten about our human lives."

"Well, I sort of died protecting them," said Ichigo, "they've been helping me remember just what I am."

"And just what is that?" asked Harribel.

"A protector," answered Ichigo seriously.

"I see," said Harribel, "if that is truly the case, then I would welcome you to travel with us if you so desire. Female Hollows are often targeted, so we banded together to grow stronger. If you are the protector you claim to be, then our ideals match."

"All right," said Ichigo, "I really could use some help getting accustomed to this place."

"Then I welcome you to our group," said Harribel, "but be warned, should you betray my trust, I will devour you myself."