A/N: Hey guys! Thanks soooo much for your awesome reviews! If you have questions, feel free to ask. You've probably noticed that I don't have a cover for this story so if any of you feel inspired to make one, go ahead!
"We need to talk."
Urahara's eyes were concealed by his ragged blond bangs, seemingly unaffected while both shinigami and Ichigo's friends jumped at Yoruichi's loud and unexpected arrival. She ignored the questions directed at her and her appearance and made her way straight to the silent shopkeeper.
"Can I have a word with you, Kisuke?" The dangerously low tone of Yoruichi's voice caused Urahara to visably stiffen, he opened his fan and turned to regard the mocha skinned woman dressed in a white bath robe.
"Ah, Yoruichi. What did he say?" Said woman narrowed her eyes at the blatent dodging of her question but the warning look that Kisuke directed at her quickly stopped her from persuing any further questioning. "Well?"
Yoruichi folded her lean arms and sighed in irritation, "He said yes, you can tell them." She huffed before seating herself against the wall, glaring at Urahara the whole way.
"Who said?" asked Rukia, her violet eyes narrowed in suspicion, she turned from staring at Yoruichi to looking at Urahara. Said shopkeeper sighed and prepared himself for the outbursts he was bound to get from the group of people infront of him once he revealed what he knew.
"As you may already suspect, Ichigo has managed to retain all of his memories-"
"What?!" Rukia rose to her feet, her eyes wide and her body tense, "Are you saying that Ichigo remembers what we did to him? What he is and what he has done!? But that mea-"
Urahara's raised hand silenced the furious shinigami before him, he observed that Ishida and the other humans simply sat in a tense state of shock while Renji audibly ground his teeth. Urahara knew that what he was about to tell them would come as an even greater shock but he knew that if Ichigo was to make it through this ordeal with his sanity intact, he would need the help and support of his friends.
"Unfortunately, there is more. The seal placed on Ichigo did indeed manage to contain his powers and prevent him from using them but whoever ordered this to be done obviously did not take into account the nature of Ichigo's powers." Ishida narrowed his eyes,"What are you saying Urahara? Get to the point."
"Very well. Ichigo's powers do not stop flowing ... ever. Most shinigami's spiritual pressure, once depleted, will restore itself to its original level, almost like a reset button, but because of Ichigo's inability to control his spiritual pressure, no such button exists for him. His spiritual pressure continues to build and because it can no longer leak from him uncontrollably, it is starting to damage his body because it can no longer handle that extreme amount of power," Urahara paused and surveyed the faces around him, all in various states of horror. " This means that his powers are slowly poisoning his body, breaking it down from the inside but... for some reason that I have yet to discover,his hollow regenerating abilities are still active and repair the damage to a point where he can still survive but it still causes him an imense amount of pain regardless."
The silence that greeted Urahara was thick with the wild emotions emitted from the people before him. He glanced at Yoruichi, she sat with her legs folded and her arms crossed, a small frown on her face showing her displeasure at hearing this news.
Renji seemed to snap out of his daze first, he looked at the shopkeeper his eyes burning, "What can we do?"
Urahara dipped his head, his face hidden in shadow, That's just it... I don't know if we can do anything at all.
A thick fog surrounded him, he could barely see his hand infront of his face, the dampness chilled Ichigo to the bone, the cloying mist seemed to drag him in circles and he was having trouble walking without tripping on the pieces of rubble and debris around him. As Ichigo continued on, the ominous fog seemed to thin, allowing him see his surroundings a little better. What Ichigo saw stopped him in his tracks, an ice cold dread settled in his stomach as he took in the ruins of numerous skyscrapers around him.
What happened here? Where am I?
The further Ichigo ventured, the thinner the fog became and eventually it lifted completely, Wait! This... this is... Ichigo sank to his knees as he realised where he was, the once tall buildings of his inner world that proudly reached for the sky now lay in ruins at his feet, not a single one was left standing. How did this happen!? Where are Zangetsu and the Hollow!? Ichigo now spun in frantic circles trying to see any sign of the residents of his inner world... he found none, what he did find was an ominous shadow that seemed to have consumed one side of his inner world and as Ichigo watched, it seemed to slowly creep closer, engulfing more of the ruined buildings.
Ichigo stood strangely transfixed by it and eventually it stopped roughly five metres from where he stood. He could see a vague shadowy figure in its depths.
"Zangetsu? Hollow? Is that you?" Ichigo waited for an answer but the figure remained silent almost as if it was just watching him, "Damn you! Answer me!" Ichigo began to take an defensive position but the appearance of two glowing white eyes froze him in place.
"Do not fear Ichigo Kurosaki, I mean you no harm."
The figure seemed to float closer, Ichigo took an involuntary step back as dark tendrils reached out to wrap around his legs.
"Who are you and where are Zangetsu and my Hollow?" Ichigo tried to put as much menace into his voice as possible but failed miserably, the past days fits had left him fatigued, his voice hoarse from screaming. The figure tilted its head to the side as if contemplating Ichigo's questions.
"Both are simple enough questons to answer but for now I will only answer your second...They are both within me, residing in my shadows to escape the torture of the seal placed on you."
"What!?" Ichigo peered past the figure, trying to see deeper into the shadows that lurked there for any sign of them but found none. "I don't see them anywhere."
The figure chuckled, the sound put Ichigo oddly at ease. "No young one, they reside here." The figure lifted a shadowy hand and placed it on his chest, over his heart.
Ichigo frowned, "I don't understand." The figure beckoned him closer, Ichigo stepped forward reluctantly until he was within arms reach.
"I shall show you."
He placed a hand on Ichigo's chest. When Ichigo blinked, he found himself standing infront of both Zangetsu and his Hollow. Ichigo sagged with relief and was about to ask the two of them what had happened when Zangetsu interrupted him.
"Ichigo, I beg of you to take the deal this person will offer you. If you do, we can be reunited and you will be able to use your powers again. Do not worry about the state of your inner world, the damage caused by the seal can be mended again but only if you accept-"
Ichigo blinked and was back before the figure again. He couldn't help the feelings of abandonment and disapointment that flooded his soul.
"I apologize, I can only keep you in there for a short time and your time in this world also draws to an end so I will get straight to the poin-"
"I accept!" Ichigo couldn't keep the near hysterical tone from his voice.
"I have yet to tell you what this deal entails, are you sure you want to accept without knowing the details?"
Ichigo didn't hesitate,"Yes! If it means that I'll get Zangetsu back and the pain will go away, then YES! I'll do anything to get rid of this pain, this feeling of emptiness, I'll do anything..." Ichigo shivered with excitement at the prospect of having his powers returned to him, of having his life go back to normal.
"No, I will tell you what will be required of you should you accept, only then will I accept your final answer."
"But-"
"No! You will listen! I will not have you regret this decision later."
Ichigo sighed,"Fine, I'll listen but I doubt anything you say will make me change my mind."
"Very well then, I shall now answer your first question." The figure paused.
"My name... is Hell."