~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Rukia's POV)

She'd gotten the call just as Chad had come into her line of sight. He looked almost as frantic as she felt, but Orihime's voice on the other end of the line made the two of them seem calm in comparison. She had to admit, it was hard to hear Orihime's usually gentle and quiet voice raise to an almost screaming octave, but she couldn't blame the woman, either. Yes, she had purposefully hidden what happened to Uryuu from her and Chad, but it wasn't her place to tell either Ichigo's or Uryuu's secrets. In her mind, that was something only they could speak about.

Of course, that didn't make what she had done any less wrong, as Orihime was bent on telling her now. She closed her eyes, sighing quietly as she listened to the rant, feeling only exasperation until Orihime let slip that she'd run into Ichigo; and he'd run off after Uryuu.

"What...?" the sound of her voice was weak, but still managed to stop the flood of words over the line for a second before she repeated,

"After I healed Uryuu, he ran off, and Ichigo took off after him, saying he'd tell me all about it later, without actually telling me what was going on! Now I NEED you to tell me what's happening here!"

Rukia lifted frightened eyes to focus on Chad, who had just come within ear shot. She couldn't let them think any less of Uryuu or Ichigo. She wouldn't let it happen. But if they didn't act fast, it could very well happen again, and then there might not BE an Uryuu to think any less of. Knowing Chad could hear her, she spoke quickly but clearly into the phone,

"All I can say is something bad is happening. I need to know where you are; Chad and I are coming. And while you're at it, which way did they go? Did Ichigo say where he was headed?"

She turned around and took off at a sprint, knowing Chad was following behind her and thankful that he wasn't bombarding her with questions yet. He almost seemed to be lost in a distant thought, but right now, that was as good as Rukia could ask for. She listened to Orihime's confused reply, thankful that she didn't appear to be that far away from their location, and within moments they all three jogging in the direction Ichigo and Uryuu had taken off in. Orihime had at least started moving while she kept bombarding her with questions, but through it all, Rukia had no better argument than before. So it was with a frustrated tone that she repeated,

"It's not my place to say, Orihime! Uryuu is in grave danger, that's all I can give you! I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I-"

"Is that Ichigo?"

Chad's soft words broke through Rukia's frustration, dragging her attention back to the alley they were passing through, and the orange haired lump lying face down on the ground. A quick scan for Reiatsu told her Ichigo must have taken his Shinigami form, but she didn't get a chance to comment on it. The sound of glass breaking came from a few streets down, and the three watched with wide eyes as a blue and white Reishi arrow sailed across the sky above them. While Orihime seemed confused when Rukia glanced her way, Chad's expression had gone darker than she had ever seen it. It surprised her when Chad took the few steps necessary to bring him close enough to grab onto her shoulders, and gave her a look that told her either he had somehow managed to piece things together...

Or he knew something she didn't.

"Is Ichigo involved."

The statement was so simple and vague, and could have meant anything. Does Ichigo know that Uryuu's hurt? Is Ichigo trying to help Uryuu like us? But something in Chad's gaze made her think that somehow, even though she had heard the story from Ichigo himself, that she only knew half of what was going on; that his question was more along the lines of 'Did Ichigo hurt Uryuu.' So with a shaken heart, she nodded her head, only to notice the hands on her shoulders shake slightly. Chad's eyes closed, so she was spared the sudden grim look from their depths, though both she and Orihime were startled as Chad let go of Rukia and stepped back, his voice raising.

"Both of you need to get to Ishida's house. Now!"

Orihime, poor, unaware Orihime took off that moment, possibly worried about both Ichigo and Uryuu if her frantic stride told Rukia anything. Rukia, however, felt like she couldn't move as she watched Chad hurriedly bend down to the ground to pick Ichigo's body up and sling it over his shoulder. When their gazes caught again, it was the first time she had ever seen such a primal fear in Chad's eyes, overshadowing everything else.

"GO!"

The sheer volume of the statement made her jump, and without looking back, she took off in a dead run behind Orihime. Now, suddenly, the tables were turned, and she herself felt like Orihime had; out of the loop while knowing something dangerous was happening behind the scenes. Chad knew something, and the knowledge petrified her more than anything else these past few months would have ever been able to. The thought of there being more to this entire situation scared her more than just knowing what had previously happened, but for Chad to...

She couldn't think about it right now. Her feet pounded on the road as she ran after Orihime, hearing Chad's footfalls a ways behind her. She was sure everything would come to light soon, but her first priority had to be Uryuu right now.

~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Ichigo's POV)

He grimaced at the constant weight on his body that slouched his shoulders and made his breathing harder as his eyes scanned the Inner world. There was no sign of his Hollow, or even Zangetsu. What would have otherwise been a serene atmosphere took on a sinister air as Ichigo turned in place, trying to find the cause of this mess.

"Hollow!" he roared, unable to hide the snarl in his voice.

Why his hollow would hide from him, he didn't know, but it was only making Ichigo's temper worse. In the silence that followed, Ichigo swore to himself he would make sure his hollow tasted at least some of the pain that Uryuu had gone through at his hands.

Finally, after what felt like several long minutes, right as he was taking another deep breath to call out for the hollow, he felt a mass of spiritual energy gathering in front of him, and he backed up a few paces. His narrowed eyes took in the mass of white collecting in front of him before the energy dissipated, leaving his white counter-part standing in front of him. The yellowed gaze staring him down never got any less eerie, but the echoing chuckle that came from his hollow only enforced his anger as he reached to his back for his sword.

He hadn't planned on mincing words, or bothering to try to reason with a creature that would hurt Uryuu like he had; no, his plan was to beat the living shit out of the hollow. It sounded like a good plan, until the hollow's words froze his body in place, sword unwrapped and held in front of him.

"Why so upset, your majesty? Angry that I beat ya to the goods?"

That maniacal laughter rang out around him, and Ichigo could literally feel his blood beginning to boil in his veins. His hollow making fun of him? Sure it irritated him, but he could stand it. His hollow making fun of poor Uryuu, though... With a snarl, Ichigo kicked off the ground, breaking into a dead run toward the still cackling hollow, raising his sword high and preparing to strike. No one callously called Uryuu 'goods' to his face.

With a mighty swing, he hefted his Zanpakto through the air toward his hollow, a second too late to catch him, as the hollow shifted backward, out of the way with a jump. Blinded by his own rage, Ichigo gave a roar as he chased the white male down, slashing and hacking at air, always just a step behind the hollow. It broke his focus somewhat when one of his swings was suddenly met with a clash of metal, and his hollow stood in front of him with his own Zanpakto unleashed, their swords battling as hard as their wills.

Ichigo grunted with the force of effort he used to maintain the struggle, despite the distracting echo of his hollow's laughter around him.

"Or are ya just hurt that I'm not afraid of actin' upon our desires, like you are, your majesty?"

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Ichigo spat, pushing more of his weight into the clash of swords, only to find that his hollow mirrored his action, negating any kind of gain he'd gotten from the action.

In fact, the hollow seemed to lean his head closer despite the swords in the way, as if he were about to deliver a secret. A dark, twisted secret.

"Seeing you moanin' and complainin' on about those you want but can't have really grates on my nerves, King. So you should be thankin' me; I'm the reason you're no longer a fucking virgin."

It took him a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did, he felt his entire body grow cold. His strength waned slightly, and it showed because the clash of swords came closer and closer to his face, threatening injury, but he couldn't move. Since he'd gone back to school after the incident in the Soul Society, there had been three people he'd secretly admired, but had never really said anything to. The first two were women that he'd found somewhat attractive; as far as he knew, the first one had moved away, and the second was an unfortunate victim of a kidnapping. The third... was Uryuu.

He felt the swords gently brush his hair even as he struggled with his memory; each person had shown a sudden evasiveness of him before they'd disappeared. Yet strangely enough, it was during those times that his body had felt in peak condition. But it couldn't be; what he was saying couldn't be true.

He felt the first sharp sting of cold steel on his forehead, and instantly his body reacted, pushing his weight into his sword before kicking backward off the ground, flying back a few feet, away from his hollow. His chest heaved, and again, he acutely felt the weight of the amulet that didn't physically appear to be around his neck anymore. His body felt like it was slowly turning to stone as the hollow cackled again, lowering his sword to lean on it like a post. He was fixed with a manic stare as the hollow continued,

"The only one that was any good at all was the Quincy boy, really. The way he screamed and struggled... at least until he broke."

"SHUT UP!" the cry that came from his throat sounded more pleading than it did demanding, and Ichigo cursed the way his hands were shaking.

The outburst only seemed to encourage the hollow, who's grin widened sickeningly.

"I don't think you really want me to, your majesty. You've always wondered what that piece of ass would feel like, haven't ya? Always thought about what it'd feel like to have a forbidden toy..."

"NO!"

"But you kept stopping yourself." The hollow's tone took on a higher pitched, whiny tone, " 'I'll let him come to me. I don't want to scare him off. Maybe he doesn't even like guys!' Hah! I've gotta admit, King, sometimes your stupidity never fails to amaze me."

His knees felt weak. He came here to fight, to get revenge for Uryuu, to make sure his hollow would never hurt anyone again, but the words bombarding him made it hard to think. What he was saying couldn't be true. He hadn't even known he'd had feelings for Uryuu until... until...

His eyes widened when he realized he had been spending more time with Uryuu since they'd gotten back. That he'd gone out of his way to plan things with Uryuu, and had generally been happier after he'd managed to get a smile out of the Quincy. He'd thought he was just being a good friend, but... what if his hollow was right? Was he really the complete cause of this all? Was it just because he had feelings for someone that his hollow wanted to kill them?

His train of thought was interrupted once more, but the words spoken this time were even more chilling than the last.

"And now you've gone and made my job easier on me. The sooner ya succumb to whatever that little trinket was Mr. Hat-and-Clogs gave ya, the sooner I'll be able to take over your body completely, and then I'll be able to have ALL the fun I want with what's left of the little Quincy."

Impossible! Ichigo's eyes snapped up to where his hollow stood in front of him, seemingly unaffected by what was supposed to be a hollow suppressing amulet. Had Urahara given him the wrong thing? No... he was sure he saw a thin sheen of sweat on the hollow's forehead, and the way he was leaning on his Zanpakto seemed to be for support, not show. He was feeling the same effects, but he also seemed sure he would last longer than Ichigo.

Struggling to stand upright, Ichigo swiped at the sweat on his own brow, taking a few large gulps of air to steady himself. No matter what happened right now, he had to stay strong; he had to make sure this didn't EVER happen again, and the only way he could do that was to defeat his hollow right here and now. If he failed... he could very well be placing everyone he knew in danger, if not more than that. If he failed... he couldn't think about it right now. There was no option to fail.

~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Hollow Ichigo (Shiro) 's POV)

It was taking all his effort just to remain standing, and leaning on his Zanpakto was the difference between saving face and falling on his face. As much as he felt like scowling, he made sure he kept laughing, fixing Ichigo with his unnerving stare and grin. He hadn't planned on revealing his hand so easily, but if he could break Ichigo's mind before his body, then maybe he had a chance. As it was going now, if Ichigo attacked him, it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to move out of the way. Whatever kind of amulet that man gave him, it was a strong power, one that seemed to slowly build over time, crushing everything beneath it, including them.

Hell, it was either making the air difficult to breathe or crushing his lungs; one of the two, or maybe even both. Still, he watched with some amusement as Ichigo forced himself to stand upright, and wiped the sweat from his brow. That Ichigo was even trying to put up a fight right now was irritatingly cute, but it wouldn't stop him or dissuade him from his goals. No, he'd spent too long working up to the freedom he had now; he'd spent too long waiting for a chance like this to present itself. He couldn't risk losing control this time. If he failed, he may never get the chance again.

If he failed... he wouldn't think about that right now.

There was no option to fail.

A/N: Well, this chapter just seemed to fly from my fingers! As promised, part one of Ichigo Vs. Shiro! Any ideas on who will win, or what's going to happen now that Urahara's amulet seems to be effecting them both badly? Tell me your thoughts!