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'Ichigo thinking'

-Shiro thinking-

*Zangetsu thinking*

-Luna Nueva thinking-

"Normal talking"

"Shiro"

"Zangetsu"

"Luna Nueva"

Unexpected Interruptions

"Have you recovered Ichigo?" The wise zanpakuto smirked clearly amused by his masters helplessness.

"Yeah, I guess we should all be making a plan now?" Ichigo asked his spirits and Chie.

"I suppose the least I could do is help you." Chie chipped in nonchalantly.

"What do you want to do?" Nueva asked from his position between Zangetsu and Shiro.

"We need to deal with Aizen." Both Chie and Ichigo said.

"How'd you plan on doing that king?" Shiro asked as he touched the tip of the only horn on his head. One Ichigo also had. Ichigo may have regained control but he was still more hollow then soul reaper. He had a hole in his chest, a fractured mask on the left side of his head and half of his shihakusho was white while the other half was shinigami black.

"I should be able to take him down with my resurrection and bankai, he'd weaker than before and-"

"You will have my aid and this," Chie said cutting him off as she gave him a familiar hair pin, "for luck. I have a feeling it will be useful."

"How did you get these?" As the words left Ichigos mouth the others sweat dropped at his stupidity.

"You're seriously asking that question? We all know where she got them from." Shiro cackled.

"I know that I just mean why?"

"I'm not sure on that, just seemed like we might need them. The power's still there." Chie said dreamily.

"I think we should continue with making a plan, Ichigo. I sense a familiar presence on its way." The zanpakuto said as he glanced to his left.

"I just assumed that-" Ichigo began.

"You'd go charging in and cut down anyone in your path?" Nueva supplied.

"Uh, yeah I suppose that was it."

"Seriously? After all the battles you guys have been in, all you do is dive in?" Chie queried her eyebrow clearly twitching in annoyance.

"Well king never thought of the plans, the others did."

"Looks like I'll be the one thinking of it this time." Chilled the dragon-like woman, unimpressed by their hack 'n slash tactics.

They said nothing, only nodding in agreement.

"Good, well I suggest that we set up a barrier around the fight. We don't want others interrupting." She paused, "Then I suppose I can set some kind of explosions off where his army is, making them easier to deal with later. The only thing it getting to Aizen undetected."

At that she looked to Ichigo and his spirits for help, only one had the answer.

"We could send Shrio off as a decoy, he looks exactly like Ichigo from a distance and can easily disappear by being dematerialised." A wise comment from a wise zanpakuto, the only objector to his idea was the decoy.

"No way! I don't want to be chased all over town by Oni! I may not die but it still hurts to be hacked at you know!" Shiro growled only to be silenced by his resurrection.

"If you don't do this then you shall be chased by much worse than Oni. Me!"Nueva roared hitting Shiro round the head with his down sheath.

"So are we all happy with the plan?" Chie asked as they nodded, "As for your spiritual pressure I can put a cloak on you."

"You won't need to worry about that, all of his spiritual pressure will appear to be with Shrio."

"We done now?" an irritated Ichigo asked, desperate to go kill the man who turned him into a monster.

"No! You are not done!" a collection of familiar voices thundered around the room. It was Shi.

Ichigo turned, his spirits dematerialised and anger raged through his bloody ruby eyes. It was the man who'd as good as killed his family. He was no better than Aizen, and then it hit Ichigo. Neither was he. Afterall he'd killed his people he and others cared for. But now was not the time to think of that. Now was the time to deal with one of the instigators. Shi!

"You! You're the one who started all of this!" he gestured to the graves behind him.

"Me? Why it was all your own doing Ichigo." The embodiment of death smiled, "I've come to deal with you. I'm sure you'll thank me for it after all you have done such hurtful things. Those that know you shall rejoice in your death."

As he spoke a screen flickered into existence, followed by at least half a dozen more. On each of them a moving image of someone Ichigo knew was fighting for those they believed still alive. The barrier Chie had put up mimicked their spiritual pressure and until they left it would stay there.

"That doesn't matter. If I die Aizen shall go down with me. No one shall be hurt by him, or me, again!" Ichigo charged at Shi, ready to try out his new powers.

Shi deflected Ichigos attack with a wall of familiar shadows.

"All that you love shall become shadow. All that you see shall become death." Shi whispered and shadows began to pool at his feet. The pools ran upwards creating skeletal forms which were eventually covered in skin and then took their final form. They were those they'd just buried. It was a cruel trick to make Ichigo will less to fight. The trick was working until Chies airy voice snarled at Shi, "What a cheap trick. Don't worry Ichigo the people who loved you wouldn't come back. They're in you now, not with this bastard."

"Why Ichigo? Why'd you kill us? Weren't you are friend? Our brother? Our protector?" The forms wailed, their icy voices freezing Ichigos resolve.

-Che, Ichigo after all of this you're going to get taken down by some half built replicas.-

'You're right'

"Chie you get these," he gestured to the replicas, "I'll get Shi!"

Using the familiar giant cleaver Ichigo flash-stepped behind Shi and brought the blade down. The attack clipped Shis shoulder before being deflected out by a swell of shadows. The Oni turned and slashed forwards with the green and black smoky blade in quick succession. With his improved speed Ichigo managed to block the blow pushing the Oni backwards.

"You can never escape the darkness. It flocks to you always and all that you are shall die!" Shi called his body covered in shadows before disappearing. He appeared behind Ichigo intent on catching his by surprise but Ichigo was ready for him and ducked out the way. They continued trading blows for a short time. Shi showed no other abilities and Chie remained back by the graves beating down the last of the wispy forms. Her expression was cold and emotionless, as if she didn't care but the tears rolling down her cheeks said otherwise.

"Why do you continue? It would be easier if you were to accept your fate!" screamed Shi.

"Because I can still protect others. They are still fighting. I may have failed everyone and who said I'll live through battling Aizen?" Ichigo roared, "Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!"

His dark reiatsu flooded the area, smothering everything around him as he entered bankai. When the reiatsu cleared away from him Ichigos bankai looked exactly the same except his coat was white and his hollow sword was still on his hip.

"It ends here Shi." In an instant Ichigo was gone from Shis vision. He appeared right in front of the dark Oni, his sword impaled through its chest.

"What happens to a piece of flesh when darkness touches its soul?" The Oni asked, its voice no longer a collection of others. Shis skin began to revert back to a red colour and the shadows began to leave him, "You become what I was. A being consumed by nothing more than destruction, but I believe you know that."

The eyes that had begun to turn into a shining green were consumed again by blackness as Shi was no longer his former self. His breathing began to slow as he strength ebbed away, not before he sent a stream of darkness at Ichigos shoulder. Not expecting it Ichigo too it square on but there was no pain and before he could ask anything Shi muttered his last words.

"I am...I am shadow... and death." The multiple voices faded as quickly as they'd come back as Shis body disappeared into black spirit particles. Ichigo touched his shoulder where the mass of darkness had hit it. It didn't feel sore nor did it bleed. The only difference about it was that it was icily cold.

'What did it do?'

-We're unsure, nothing has changed but we'll tell you if it does.-

"Ichigo?" Chie called from the gravesite

"Yeah?" he said walking around the rocks and towards her.

"You okay? I mean the replicas…" she trailed off.

"Yeah it's okay. It just takes time. Time that I probably won't have." As he talked he touched the blue hair pin he'd clipped onto his shihakusho and glanced at the one Chie had placed in her hair.

"Don't say that you idiot!" she said punching him in the icy cold shoulder, "With an attitude like that you will die…wait what's wrong with your arm? It's like what happened when one of the shadows hit me in the leg. Nothing appeared yet it felt cold."

"I don't know, the guys are keeping an eye on it." Ichigo said gently pushing her away. Knowing it was time to go Chie bounced to the stairs dropping the barrier when she got there. Ichigo took one last glance at the training arena that was now empty save for the usual rocks that occupied it. The room was where it had officially begun for him and it seemed it was the last place he'd see. Memories were echoed in this room, ones that were mainly to painful for him to look upon. But one stood out, one he'd always remember Urahara for.

~/~

He was sat at the bottom of a huge hole, he was in soul form and his arms were bound behind his back. A chain fell from the centre of his chest. Tessai sat in front of him his eyes closed in focus.

"May I have your attention please," Uraharas voice called from above, "You have a period of 72 hours at the bottom of shattered shaft Ichigo. That is how long it will take for the chain of fate to completely encroached. By the end of that time if you have not become a soul reaper Ichigo, we shall have no choice but to kill you."

"You bastard!" the old Ichigo had roared, upset with Uraharas methods to regain his powers, "So you intend to kill me?"

"That's right I do." Replied the green-hatted Urahara, a smirk on his face.

~/~

The whole air in the town was nostalgic. It was brimmed with memories for Ichigo. Memories that seemed a lifetime away.

"You ready?" an airy voice brought Ichigo back from his reminiscing.

"Yes, it's time. Your barriers ready?" He said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"The explosive ones will be done by the time we get there." She simled, "They require a certain knack so they don't go off before their time."

Well I guess there're only one or two more chapters left. The poles at a tie right now so I guess its going to be a nasty ending :D

Hope this chapter was good and the next one shall be soon.

Remember to Review!

Next time: The Beginning…