A/N: I'm so sorry for the long overdue update. School is a pain towards the end of the year and I sorta forgot about this story. I have an idea of which direction this story should go. Thanks for your patience. I'm still new at fanfiction, and this is my first bleach story.

Previously from the last chapter:

His whole face, chest and stomach were torn. Beneath him was a pool of crimson. He fought against everything that held him down to see what was happening until he picked out one boy and his mother. The boy was desperately trying to save this friend who was about to be killed by the hollow when his mother stepped in front of him to shield her son. What the son found as his mother was on top of him was that there was an open hole in her back and her eyes were rolled back. Her body became colder than it was and blood was everywhere. The boy was shaking his mother furiously to wake up, but she did not do so. The boy was sobbing. Ok so after seeing this fiasco, of course our little protagonist was touched by it. But not like the way he would be inspired by it, more like infuriated. Something burned deep in Ichigo's soul and I guess you could say he had sort of like a deja vu epiphany moment. Ichigo's lazy orange locks, casted his face into shadow. Something awoke in Ichigo like a power erupting inside him. A blue aura similar to the light that encased Ichigo, when that bitchy soul reaper performed that konso, or whatever the hell that was, spiked around him. "You ugly bastard! How dare you do something so sick! Don't you ever regret doing that?" The hollow laughed

"Of course not boy! Everyone here is my prey and I shall play with them when I please." He opened his mouth to reveal sickingly blackened teeth.

"You will pay for disturbing the peace here you Ugly S.O.B!" Then Ichigo charged at the hollow with much more of intent to kill in his eyes and more speed. With ease, Ichigo jumped off the ground and drove his fist up the hollows face then finishing with a kick on the head. The impact was so great that the hollow had disappeared as soon as it came. Ichigo panted, sweat dripping down him heavily. He then walked over to the crying boy and with a softer voice than before; he knelt down and put his hand on the boys head. "Are you ok?" The boy looked up, his face red from all the crying but the tears stopped coming. The boy forced a smile and hugged Ichigo. "Thank you for killing that mean monster."

Ichigo smiled. "Not a problem kid!" As if that had awakened people from their cowardice, people from all over the town surrounded Ichigo, bombarding him with thanks. Ichigo thought with an eye twitch, oh so now they notice me! I act all heroic and they finally see that I exist. But a bright thought popped into his head. Maybe since I helped them out, they can help me find my mother! He thought with a grin, that everything would turn out like he planned. But for now, he had to learn a little more about where he was, and maybe ask for a map of some sort.

We need to keep an eye on that one."

"Yes indeed, his spiritual pressure is off the charts and if not carefully watched, he could cause more destruction than Zaraki's squad altogether."

"He seems to be looking for something for he appears to be lost."

"Leave him be, maybe after a little while, he will settle down and find his place here. We do not need another rukon urchin in the academy, those two were enough…" their voices faded into nothingness as darkness took over. The mysterious men fled away with shunpo back to their respective courts in Seiretei.

The carrot-topped teen had been wandering around for a while now and sighed in defeat. He had asked nearly 200 residents of wherever he was. They all had not a single clue where she was but they gave him bits and bits of information he could use. He found out that he was now in a place called Rukongai. There were 80 districts in four squadrons, the north, south, east and west. Each section had 80 districts. They were categorized by their social order and in general; prosperity. He was in North Rukongai, the 58th district. It was not the worst of the 80 but nor was it the best.

Ichigo was now against the walls of his now, new home. It was small but it was big enough for one person. One of his neighbors showed him the empty hut. Everyone must be sleeping by now but Ichigo wasn't. He was finding himself thinking more about his past life than anything else and that disturbed him. But what stuck out the most was that girl who helped him pass over. It had been at least two months since they last saw each other. Time passes differently here in the Soul Society. That was another thing he found out.

The soul reaper, who had helped him, slipped it under her breath as he left. Ichigo Kurosaki suddenly felt all tingly and the power surfacing again like last time when he fought that hollow, but this time it was even stronger. He did not know why he felt this way, but it felt good. As he stood up more, the spirit particles that made up the soul society were now being absorbed into him. Neighboring people watched in amazement as he contracted so much spirit particles, making his body glow a pure light blue.

Ichigo saw spirit ribbons all around him. He then realized that those were the spirit ribbons of everyone in his district. His hand reached for a spirit ribbon that stood out from them all. Ichigo saw with a grin that it was his mother's ribbon. He raced until he found the source of it. What he saw though was shocking. His mother's body lay cold and motionless on the ground. No one else was near her for him to suspect of injuring her. A scowl replaced his happy grin. He wasn't there to protect her again. Ichigo tightened his fists. Using what his father taught him, he inspected his mother's body. With deep sadness, he concluded she was dead.

This time though, he was puzzled. Her body bore no wounds or blood. This erased any possibility that she could have been murdered. He stood back in shock as he saw her soul disintegrating into nothingness. Is this what happens when a soul dies in the soul society? Are souls just wiped off the face of the earth, their existences' long forgotten and life continues as normal? Ichigo tried to release tears but they wouldn't come. How come he wasn't sad? She was his only hope of finding peace in life after death, and now he lost her a second time. As if on cue, Naomi appeared from the darkness. She looked as if she had been crying.

"I was only helping her doing the laundry. I took my eyes off her for one second to see her lying dead. It was all my fault that I hadn't seen this coming. I'm so sorry Kurosaki-san!"

Said boy clenched his teeth. "No, don't cry for my sake. It's my fault for not being there to protect her a second time. Naomi, you did nothing wrong. I can only hope that she's happy wherever she is going."

Naomi looked up at the boy with a serious expression. "Ichigo…"

Ichigo looked over at Naomi with a grave smile. "She did everything and nothing so I would live. Now I will live so I can give back to her everything she gave me."

Naomi stood unblinking. "There is one way, but it's risky and not everyone who is recruited comes out alive."

Ichigo looked at Naomi with a questioning face. His eyes spoke volumes of determination. "What? Tell me if there is anything I can do."

"Well, you would have to go to the Shinigami academy in Seiretei. Then you must graduate to become a Shinigami yourself. You will be given your own soul slayer and hopefully a place in the Gotei 13."

All of these words seemed new to Ichigo but if it was the only way, so be it. If he was skeptical, he would wonder why Naomi knew so much about these people who live on the other side of the Soul Society. But he wasn't and it wasn't the time. "Tell me how I can get in!"

…Ichigo followed Lady Naomi's instructions and had found himself at the academy with success. Naomi helped him register, and now he was alone.

A/N: So I was thinking, that Naomi could be secretly a traitor, or an experienced, stealthly hollow only she also has the powers of a shinigami and could attack the Soul Society by manipulating shinigami with illusions of their worst nightmares. And since Rukia is emotionally immature in battle...She could nearly die when Ichigo comes to save her. I'm still unsure, and if I don't think of something fast then I will lose interest in this story all together.