Hi all! Before we begin, I just want to note that recent manga events may or may not contradict what I have planned for later chapters, and unless I can make it work nicely without disrupting anything I'm not going to incorporate what's going on right now into this fic...it'd just get too messy.

Oh, and by the way, Ichigo's inner monologue is formatted like this, while the "voice" is like this. Just to avoid any confusion :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, I reserve the rights to OC's.

Out of Control

Ichigo reluctantly tore open his heavy eyelids, one arm bolting out from beneath the warmth of his blankets to swat at his alarm clock. Once he'd successfully quelled its obnoxious buzzing, he switched on his lamp, recoiling as the light hit his eyes. He blinked a few times until he could see clearly, both mildly shocked and amused to find Rukia sleeping face down on his desk.

"Rukia," he said groggily, climbing out of bed and gently shaking her shoulder.

"Huh?" she woke with a start, slowly sitting upright.

"Did you really sleep though my alarm?" asked Ichigo, rummaging through his dresser for clothes. "And why did you sleep on my desk? Something wrong with the closet?"

Rukia shook her head. "I was just tired…and I wanted to make sure you were all right. You had me worried last night, you know," she said, swiveling in Ichigo's chair to face the other way while he changed.

Ichigo frowned. "Last night…" his body became rigid as he remembered hearing the voice that he had assumed was safely locked away within his conscious.

"Did you hear what I just said?" asked Rukia, pulling Ichigo back to the present.

He shook his head. "Sorry…could you repeat that?"

She sighed. "I said you really had me worried!"

"Oh…well, don't worry about me. Really," he added, spinning her back around to face him as he finished buttoning his shirt. "I'm fine."

"Uh-huh," Rukia yawned, making her way back to the closet. "I'm going to go back to sleep. See you later."

"Yeah."

I'm insulted, Ichigo! What made you think I'd go away if you just forgot about me?

"Leave me alone," Ichigo whispered. "I don't need you here."

Like I care.

"You will listen to me. I beat you down before and I'll do it again. You can't win against me," he threatened, trying to muster as much will power as possible.

Che, keep telling yourself that.

"Goddamnit!" Ichigo hissed, frustrated with his lack of control over the situation and knowing full well that he could read every weak thought running through his mind.

"Ichi-nii, watch your mouth," scolded Ichigo's younger sister Yuzu as he walked downstairs.

"Sorry."

"Breakfast is almost ready. You can go wait at the table," she instructed, pointing towards the dining room.

"Thanks, Yuzu, but I'm running late…I'll just grab something on the way," Ichigo replied, not particularly wanting to sit through breakfast being interrogated about his bad mood by his family, especially his over zealous father.

"You liar! There's still an hour before school starts!" argued Yuzu, but Ichigo paid no attention.

"Sorry. I'll see you for dinner," he waved, grabbing a piece of toast on his way out the door.

Ichigo walked to school swiftly, hoping to decrease the amount of time he spent alone with the voice inside him.

I can tell I'm getting to you, it snickered, picking apart Ichigo's emotions almost as soon as he felt them. He broke into a run, pouring his concentration into reaching his destination.

That's right, Ichigo. Run away from something that's a part of you, sneered the voice. You're such a dumbass…why do you even bother with school? I think it's time you let me handle your life. I'm sure I won't make such a mess of it as-

"Be QUIET!" Ichigo yelled, relieved to see his school building just ahead. He relaxed his pace, stopping to catch his breath before entering the grounds.

"Hey, Ichigo," greeted Ichigo's friend Sado "Chad" Yasutora, nodding his head slightly.

"Hey," responded Ichigo, walking beside him to their classroom. "Did you have a good weekend?"

Chad nodded. "You?"

"Yeah," he lied. "I painted my room."

"Oh."

For the first time in his life, Ichigo wished that Chad had something more to say. He usually liked Chad's calm and quiet nature, which contrasted nicely with the rest of his overly excitable peers. However, Ichigo didn't need calm and quiet. He needed excitement, stimulation, something he could immerse himself in so deeply it would give him the strength to crush the voice inside him once and for all.

Chad and Ichigo reached their classroom and made their way to their desks. Sleepy students slowly filtered in as the morning went on, filling the room with the dull buzz of casual conversation. Ichigo watched as his friends Uryuu Ishida and Orihime Inoue walked in together, talking quietly between themselves and throwing him sideways glances from time to time. He grew uncomfortably restless as they approached him, Orihime (very poorly) trying to mask her concerned expression with a smile.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun," she said, taking the seat next to him. Uryuu leaned on her desk, jerking his head quickly in Ichigo's direction in acknowledgment of his presence.

"Morning," Ichigo replied.

"Kurosaki," Uryuu began, "has the Soul Society sent any other shinigami to Karakura Town?"

"Jeez, you really don't know how to make conversation, do you?" Ichigo remarked sarcastically.

Uryuu glared at him

"How should I know?" Ichigo responded. "What they do is none of my business."

"Well, they must have, because this morning I sensed a shinigami around here."

"Oh, that's just Rukia," Ichigo explained, relieved that Uryuu's question had such a simple answer. "And could you not talk about this here? Someone will overhear us."

"It wasn't her," Uryuu continued, ignoring him. "It was someone else. Besides, I've been detecting some abnormal spiritual pressure recently…do you know anything about that?"

Ichigo tensed, suddenly very uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking.

"No, I don't! Would you just lay off the questions? What makes you think I know any more than you do? I suck at sensing spiritual pressure!"

Uryuu scowled, retreating back to his desk as the teacher called the class to order.

Ichigo listened to the lectures that day more intently than he ever had in his life, even going so far as to demonstrate math problems on the board (something he generally avoided at all costs). It wasn't until his substitute shinigami badge sprang to life and announced the presence of a hollow that Ichigo allowed anything other than his education to enter his mind.

Uryuu, Chad, and Orihime, the only ones who could hear the commotion his badge caused, glanced at him sideways, waiting for him to make up some excuse so he could skip out on class to exorcise the hollow.

Ichigo sighed, considering just letting Rukia take care of it, especially since he was not all too eager to draw upon the powers of his zanpakutou. Eventually he decided against it though, recalling how much she hated to be bothered on her days off, and slowly raised his hand to convince his teacher that he simply could not bear to sit in class with such an awful headache any longer.

Once he'd successfully escaped the classroom Ichigo broke into a run, planning to end things with the hollow as quickly and cleanly as possible. However, something in him couldn't help but hope for a challenge, something for him to pour all of his built up energy into. He psyched himself up as much as he could, hoping his excitement for battle would be enough to stifle the voice inside him for the time being.

Unfortunately, Ichigo was terribly wrong.

The hollow proved fairly weak, its movements slow and lacking in power. Ichigo ran towards it, brandishing the edge of his zanpakutou.

Let me out.

Ichigo stopped suddenly, quickly refocusing all of his energy into silencing the voice.

LET ME OUT! I WANT TO FIGHT! GET ME OUT OF HERE! GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!

The hollow swung one of its long arms dangerously close to Ichigo's head. It was all he could to do block the attack with his zanpakutou and jump backwards.

"Shit…shit…this isn't happening," he said to himself, trying not to panic.

"Do you have this under control?" someone called out to him, catching both Ichigo and the voice by surprise.

"Rukia…" he stared at her, not sure why or how she got to him, but he didn't care. She was there, and that was all that mattered.

She's in the way. Get rid of her, demanded the voice, trying once again to take charge of Ichigo's body and mind.

YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER, Ichigo thought back, overcome with anger at the idea of losing himself to something that would harm one of his friends.

I'll do whatever I want. GET HER OUT OF THE WAY!

YOU WILL NOT FUCKING TOUCH HER!

The voice failed to respond. Ichigo remained still for a few seconds, making sure the silence within him would last. It seemed that for now, at least, his determination to protect Rukia was sufficient to regain control.

Rukia approached him slowly after she'd finished with the hollow, the expression on her face quickly switching from concern to anger as she literally tried to beat him into admitting that something was wrong. He eventually managed to escape, smiling bitterly to himself, as he knew that Rukia wouldn't have to wait long for an answer.

Ichigo couldn't keep it from her any longer, not when he was putting her in danger by simply being near her. He'd have to tell her that his inner hollow had returned.

***

"Let's go and sit someplace quiet," Rukia suggested, walking with Uryuu towards the city park. During this time of day there weren't many people around aside from mothers with their small children, who most likely wouldn't be able to see Rukia and would want to stay far away from a teenage boy who appeared to be talking to himself.

"That's fine," replied Uryuu, following Rukia towards an old picnic bench.

"So what did you want to ask me?" Rukia began, saving her questions until she'd heard everything Uryuu had to say.

"I tried to ask Kurosaki this earlier, but naturally he was oblivious…I'll just be forward with you: has the Soul Society sent any other shinigami to this area?"

"Yes, one…I actually just met with her this morning. Apparently the twelfth division has detected some 'strange readings' in this area and wanted to send someone to investigate."

Uryuu nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"We're to stay out of her way," added Rukia.

"Do you happen to know anything about these 'strange readings'?" Uryuu asked.

"No…that was actually what I was planning to ask you."

Uryuu breathed in slowly, shaking his head. "I'd sensed some abnormal spiritual pressure earlier…but it was like nothing I'd ever felt before."

Rukia couldn't help but smile a little. The turbulent pressure she'd felt from Ichigo earlier that day was anything but unfamiliar…she was positive that Uryuu would be able to recognize it in an instant. She relaxed, glad that Ichigo wasn't the cause of such commotion.

"Kuchiki-san? Is something the matter?"

"No…it's nothing. But this spiritual pressure…can you describe it? I haven't sensed anything strange lately," admitted Rukia.

Uryuu, a Quincy who relied on the spirit particles in the environment to form his power, was especially adept at sensing these sorts of things, more so than most of the shinigami in the Soul Society.

"At first whatever I sensed seemed similar to myself…it takes its abilities from the environment as opposed to within itself. But parts of its spiritual pressure were very similar to that of a shinigami…to be honest I don't know quite what to make of it. It's almost as if it were a shinigami-Quincy hybrid."

"Hmm."

Both parties sat quietly for a few moments, trying to make sense of everything. On one hand, Rukia felt as though a huge weight had been lifted. She could stop worrying so much about Ichigo, although it still bothered her that something seemed to be troubling him so much. On the other hand, however, she wasn't sure that the Soul Society could handle another disaster quite so soon after the Winter War. If these "strange readings" turned out to be a serious threat, well…it was something she'd rather not think about.

"Kuchiki-san, you said you had questions for me?" Uryuu eventually asked, breaking the silence.

Rukia shook her head. "No…you've answered all of my questions. If there's nothing else, I should be going," she said.

Uryuu nodded. "That's all I wanted to speak with you about…although there was one thing I wanted to mention. I'm sure you noticed, but when Kurosaki was fighting the hollow earlier today…"

"I know," Rukia cut in quickly. "I'll make him talk to me."

"Of course. Thank you for your time," said Uryuu, standing up to leave. "Oh…it looks as though we have a visitor," he commented, watching Ichigo run towards them.

"RUKIA! Hey, Rukia! What are you doing out here? It took me forever to find you…Ishida? What are you doing here? What is he doing here?" he yelled, looking back and forth between Rukia and Uryuu.

"What are YOU doing here?" Rukia asked, genuinely confused.

"I need to tell you something…but why are you out here with Ishida?" demanded Ichigo, who seemed genuinely confused as well.

"Relax, Ichigo…it's not that," Rukia explained, rolling her eyes.

"I'll see you later, Kurosaki, Kuchiki-san."

"Goodbye," Rukia said as Uryuu began to leave. "Oh, seems like there's another hollow," she muttered, checking her cell phone as Ichigo's badge went off.

"Do you two have this under control?" asked Uryuu.

"Yes, I'll go take care of…that's strange, it's gone," noted Rukia, watching the flashing dot on her phone disappear.

Uryuu perked up. "I just sensed it again," he said.

"Sensed what? What's going on? Maybe Chad or Orihime dealt with it on their way back from school," Ichigo suggested.

"No, it's something else, I'll explain it all later," Rukia said.

"I'm going to go check it out. Are you coming?" Uryuu offered.

"No…the reinforcement from the Soul Society doesn't want us interfering," said Rukia.

"Reinforcement? Rukia, what is going on?"

"Ichigo, I will explain it to you later! Ishida, the Soul Society has this under control…"

Uryuu shook his head. "What the Soul Society does is none of my concern. I'll be going," he said, preparing to run off in the direction of the spiritual pressure. He suddenly stopped himself, though, as someone landed directly in front of him.

"Not a step further," she said, staring Uryuu dead in the face.

"Nakamura-san," Rukia greeted, completely at a loss for words in the midst of the growing chaos.

Her own mind was racing, wondering why Michiko had come and exactly how much of the conversation she had overheard. Meanwhile, Ichigo chattered in her ear, demanding to know where Uryuu wanted to go, why he wanted to go there, and who exactly had stopped him. Uryuu, on the other hand, kept his mouth shut, but matched Michiko's icy glare, returning it right back at her.

"Where I go has nothing to do with the likes of you," he said coldly, attempting to step around her.

"I'd show a little respect if I were you. You'll want to hear what I have to say," she spat back.

"I highly doubt that…"

"Now, now, kids. This is no way to problem solve," interjected yet another person. Kisuke Urahara sat perched in a nearby tree, amusedly watching the proceedings below him. "Besides, I have some information I think you'll all be very interested in…"

A/N: I realize there was a lot going on at the end of the chapter...let me know if the pace was a little too fast. I really want to hear your feedback! Thank you so much for the reviews, keep 'em coming :)