Warning: This is a timeline skip made purely out of boredom. The regular story will return soon enough.

In the dark void of the area he had been lured to, the orange haired shinigami's eyes were wide from what stood before him. Atop the high platform dressed in the white robes of the enemy, a gloved hand moved to remove the tall mask that covered his face. Instead of the grotesque visage that he had envisioned for a hollow, the pale skin of a human showed first, followed by dark and unkempt hair that framed a familiar scowl-like look.

His throat had tightened from surprise, as Ichigo's stuttering voice echoed off of the walls and ceiling above and around him. "…Ka…Kaien…!?"

-- --

Blood and Water

-- --

The single torchlight within the darkness of the room managed to illuminate the man with an ephemeral aura, as if it weren't real, like a mirage. "Kaien…" Ichigo breathed out as he looked upwards in continual dismay, the guilt boiling up in his veins and mind as well. "Please…please say something back, Kaien…is it…is it really you?"

'Wait!' A single voice shouted within his head. 'What am I saying…? Kaien's dead!! That night…' The events came flooding back into his mind's eye, as every frame and every second of that night had rewound and began to play on an infinite loop. 'I did it with my own hands…' Ichigo's eyes glared downward as he tried to rationalize this situation, sure that his eyes were somehow betraying him at this moment.

"Aaah…" the second voice brought Ichigo's still terrified eyes back up, to see the man above him look down with an eerily reminiscent look of happiness. "It's been a while." The man began with a small gin of remembrance. "You look well, Kuchiki…"

Ichigo was frozen to where he stood, no longer able to tell what was real or what was imaginary. The way this imposter was too true not to be the genuine one. Before him, the man known as Kaien Shiba jumped down to the level of ground where Ichigo stood, gracefully landing as he padded his pants down and muttered. "These clothes are really hard to move in…" he heard Kaien say softly to himself. Without warning, the man's eye flickered toward him, causing a faint twitch in Ichigo.

"…" Placing one hand on his hip, Kaien pointed to himself and gave a ridiculous face of anger that no one could possibly believe. "…What already!? What the heck are you actin' all weird for?" He quickly yelled without provocation, "C'mon!! Everyone loves me!! You should be happy to see your Lieutenant Kaien alive and well!!"

Staring still, Ichigo was now speechless for a new list of reasons. "…what? It was a joke. If you don't play along, I'll look like an idiot…" Sighing, Ichigo felt somewhat relieved that for once, his first instincts about the situation were wrong. In his mind, he knew that he was seeing Kaien in front of him. A soft grin appeared on Kaien's face, as he sighed out of relief as well. "…seems like you finally believe me after all…" Moving back toward the wall, the man opened up a secret panel that was full of small sitting cushions and tossed one to Ichigo. "There! Now sit down, I've got a million things I need to tell you!"

The two of them sat down across from one another, moving to a slightly more illuminated spot closer to the wall torches. Sitting in a relaxed pose, the raven haired man began to tell his story. About what happened after he was attacked by the hollow, and what happened when he first arrived in Hueco Mundo. "Well, I guess…my Steel Spirit had them completely charmed beyond all expectations!" Suddenly and abruptly ending his story with another idiotic expression, a different kind of twitch surged through Ichigo.

"Kaien, you moron!! You aren't seriously saying that, are you!?" he couldn't help but angrily growl over such a stupid remark from his mentor.

"Uh, yeah…you were making such a dark face…"

"This is a serious face, you dumbass!!!"

"I know that, don't get so angry…" Changing his attitude again, Kaien looked toward his former subordinate with a look of seriousness. "Anyway…I ended up taking control of my body again. And then, I became a member of the Espada, in order to assist me in my revenge against Aizen…outside. The sky was blue, right?" Not sure where he was going with this, Ichigo kept silent as he listened intently to what Kaien was saying. "That blue sky is the dome of Las Noches, created by Aizen. The light of that blue sky allows Aizen to observe wherever he wishes…"

"Wha…?" Ichigo was taken back by that kind of information, now finally seeing how things were making sense.

"Kuchiki, you were the one who came to me…and I'm really fortunate to have you here." The seriousness in Kaien's eyes were dire and determined, causing Ichigo to gulp as the tension became higher. "Because the plan I'm about to explain now…can only be completed by you." He quickly stood up, looking at Ichigo with his peripheral vision. "…we've gotta change our location. Follow me, Kuchiki."

"Yes sir." Ichigo promptly obeyed, and rushed after Kaien. Blinking once, the sharp tip of a sword appeared before his eyes, not leaving even a microsecond of hesitation for him to react. Exerting a push of reiatsu focused in his hand, Ichigo quickly swerved out of the way, but not without feeling warmth drip down his cheek.

Those same determined eyes had changed, to ones that were cold and manipulative. "…looks like you improved a little, Kuchiki…"

-- -- -- --

Ichigo felt another droplet fall from his cheek, splashing onto the red puddle that had formed on the ground next to his feet. This cold feeling that swirled through his bones, chilling his spine…he couldn't do anything other than stare at the man whom he once called a "brother" as if he were now a stranger.

"…what's wrong…?"

"…Seems like you're making a pretty mysterious expression there."

"…Kuchiki…"

A chilly wind seemed to exude from the man's smile, as if the cold feeling was the result of the very sunlight itself.

"I'm happy, you know!" Kaien suddenly boasted with a warm expression on his face, "If it was the old you…you would've been easily killed by a single strike. To see one's subordinate grow is the joy of a superior." He waved his arm as if the zanpakuto in his hand were a toy or a baton, not the very instrument that had carved through his cheek just moments ago.

"…wh…why…how much…of what you're saying is true?" the words came out Ichigo's mouth without thinking, unsure of what was happening around him.

"'How much is true?' " Kaien repeated his question, his cold eyes resurfaced to stare ruthlessly again. "Everything. What, do you think I'm fake or something? You really think me trying to kill you is anything out of the ordinary? You shouldn't have forgotten already, right? I am Kaien Shiba…the ex-thirteenth Division Vice-Captain. Through the fusion of a Hollow and soul body, I'm here now." Kaien pointed toward him, targeting him directly with the frigid feeling that attacked Ichigo's very essence. "And you are Ichigo Kuchiki…the man who killed me with his own hands."

The numbing feeling had reached its peak, shattering his frozen nerves with the words that came out of the man's mouth.

"Get it? The reason why I'm trying to kill you…"

He thought he was over the pain, convinced that at that point, he was numb from its effects. Ichigo had been penitent over his actions of that night, and over the years, had thought that the worst it could be was just a haunting memory. In only a matter of moments however, it only took a few words from the man he had regarded as his mentor, senior, and brother, to tear at his very soul and bring the pain surging back as if it were a freshly received wound.

"Are you…prepared to be killed by me, Kuchiki?" Kaien asked him again. Brought back to the present from his reminiscence, Ichigo stared at the raven haired man with confused eyes, bewitched by the words that continued to flow into his ears. "If you're prepared to give your life in repentance…to the very man you killed."

Sweat dripped from Ichigo's pores, and a short of breath racked at his lungs. With determination, he looked into Kaien's eyes and forced the words to come out of his mouth. "I am." Kaien was silent toward his response. "…but not just yet…" Ichigo added with hesitation in his voice, the guilt nearly crippling him as he stood there, bleeding from the face. "I can't do it yet…" From his low standing stance, he prostrated himself to rest on his knees, gripping his pants leg with a tightened grip with his hands. "I…I did kill you…I believe that crime…is something that will not fade no matter how many decades pass by. If by cutting me down, your sadness will fade even a small bit…then I will happily offer my life…"

"However…" with his nerves pulsing heavily, Ichigo slowly stood up from his prostrated position, gulping to quench his parched throat. "…right now, I've come here in search of Inoue…in order to help my nakama." With pleading eyes, Ichigo looked back at Kaien once more, the sweat mixing in with the red that escaped from the cut on his face. "And therefore, until we rescue Orihime Inoue…no matter what you say…I cannot give my life yet…!" The silence returned to the dark room again, as the flickering torchlight resumed as the background music for the two men's reunion. Even Ichigo's heavy panting was forced to stay as quiet as possible, as if the slightest noise could interrupt what Kaien could possibly say.

His hands raised up, as Kaien turned his face to the side to give a chilling look of aggravation. "Sorry!" he yelled out in an irritated tone, "That was a joke!" Ichigo was stunned to say the least, staring at his "brother" as if he had just spoken gibberish.

"…?"

"I was just kidding!" Kaien reiterated loudly, waving his free arm around to elaborate on his words, "It's true that I feel you should repent for your sins, but killing you for that, well…there's no reason I would think of such a stupid idea!" He closed the gap between them at a casual pace, and planted his hand to ruffle Ichigo's orange mess of hair. "I told you, didn't I?" Moving his hand to slap down on the young subordinate's large shoulder Kaien continued to deliver his perplexingly warm and friendly smile. "There's something that 'only you can do' for me. And so, if you are truly ready to repent…then there is something you must do for me, Kuchiki."

Ichigo gave a sigh of relief, something he hadn't done at all during these last few tenuous moments. He bowed his head slightly at the thought, wondering what it could be that he could do that would finally rid him of the guilt that rested on his beleaguered shoulders. "…something…I must…do…?"

"…yes." His mentor and brother finally answered, looking at him with that supportive face Ichigo remembered during his time as a trainee. His heart lifted, as he would be glad to do what he was asked of.

"Bring me the heads of all your nakama."

Author's Notes: I know I said the main storyline would be here after the holidays, but hear me out...considering I did a time-skip chapter for Rukia, I thought... "Why can't I do the same for Ichigo?" And there you have it...here's your stinky time-skip...

Anyways, like it says on my profile, I've decided to let everyone know that I have a deviantart account! Though nothing too good is on there, check it out as I eventually get around to doing just that! Also, the anime club I'm a part of has just posted the pilot chapter of our manga online (deviantart as well), so check out the username PSAOM for the "PSAOM Project"!

...legalities...

-PSAOM is a recognized group within the Penn State Anime Organization

-Everything is based within Bleach created by Tite Kubo

-Homework is slowly killing me softly

-What happened with the Pats, anyway?

Disclaimer: Make sure you keep your grades up...OR I'LL EAT YOUR SOUL!!!