Yes, it's true. I've started writing this again! (triumphant music plays)

I really should go back and fix some beginning chapters, since this was my very first fic. I'm sure there are tons of things I could change…

Anyway, this is chapter 20. I've decided to break the battle up into several chapters instead of one big one, because for some reason I was getting too intimidated to write it. So, here ya go!

I have a plan.

And Ichigo did. It was brilliant, foolhardy and dangerous all at the same time. Yet it still had a slight chance of success.

"Are you going to tell us what this plan is?" Urahara lazily waved the fan in front of his face. Ichigo noticed for the first time ornate designs on the surface of the paper.

Rukia stared with wide eyes as she waited for the substitute soul reaper to speak.

"I'll just be faster if I do it. Just stand back and let me work. When it comes down to it and it seems like neither of us are going to pull out of this as we were…don't hesitate with the killing blow."

Ichigo didn't make eye contact. He knew he didn't have to. Silently, he left the conference room.

Whoa, Spikey…you're not saying what I think you are!" Jinta called after the quickly disappearing shinigami.

At least most of the people understood his meaning.

"Don't ignore me!" Jinta howled, throwing a baseball bat at the back of Ichigo's head. The soul reaper caught it in one hand.

"Jinta, I know you're afraid of what might happen. Just leave it to me, okay?" Ichigo's brown eyes, though saddened, had a glimmer of reserved hope as he nodded at Jinta. The redhead was still breathing hard, fists tightened to the point of turning his knuckles white.

"You…" The kid started, "You just better not go and get yourself killed. We worked really hard on bringing you back." With that, the emotion on his face melded back into that of an unreadable, placid expression, only frowning when Ichigo tossed the bat back over his shoulder.

After shedding his material body with the aid of Kon, Ichigo stepped outside of the shoten. There was a park a few meters out; the soul reaper nodded to himself that it would make a good a place as any to draw Uryuu back. Not even bothering to unsheathe his zanpakuto, he began running, taking long strides toward his destination.

Rukia and Kon followed at a distance. It seemed that Ichigo was unaware of them, which worked out to their advantage. It didn't make sense to provide backup if Ichigo was worried more about their safety.

Touching down in a clearing, Ichigo began increasing his spiritual pressure. It was hard to get the hang of at first; most shinigami had to work to unleash their power, while he had to find a way to suppress it. More or less he failed at the ability, accidentally letting his energy spill out randomly. Now trying to coax it out, he had to figure out what exactly he was trying to let loose.

He scanned the horizon of Karakura. Hunting for hollows here seemed like an indulgence; all the souls here were charged with that shinigami's energy. Kurosaki's power.

He even began to feel his cherished mask creep over the side of his face. Inhabiting a Quincy proved to be a worthwhile experience; though the event was indeed a lucky happenstance and probably never would have occurred if not for the caring gesture of his King.

The hollow purred at the thought of his once custodian. Their last encounter was more than memorable. To finally have his King at his mercy was more than enough to cause the smile to spread across his face.

And he could do it again, if he so wished.

Yes, this Quincy was definitely a good host. A good captive as well, since the boy's weakened state gave him free reign over the body. It hardly took any effort to keep him contained.

He brushed away the long, raven colored strands of hair from his face and finished consuming the hollow he just struck down. In this short amount of time, he had gained vast amounts of power from the souls he devoured. The promise of more caused a deep rumble of a laugh that filtered across the landscape and into the night.

His attention snapped towards the west. It was his power; he felt it, wanted to be caressed by it. The hollow had missed that feeling.

Wiping his face of the dark ichor of its feast, he turned toward the spiritual pressure that it knew so well. It seemed to be calling to him, begging him to come.

Then I will answer, The hollow smirked.

"Come on, what's taking so long?"

Ichigo's brow furrowed more. What was taking so long? He had made no effort to check the radiating spiritual energy from his body. Why wasn't the bastard here yet?

Ichigo's brooding faltered a bit as he recalled Uryuu nonchalantly mocking his inability to contain his spiritual pressure.

Maybe that talent may pay off in the end, he thought bitterly, checking Zangetsu on his shoulder.

Suddenly he was removing himself from the wall of a building, a sizzling arrow jutting from his shoulder. Plaster and concrete fell from the dark shinigami clothes as he stirred, cocking his head to determine the origin of attack.

Ichigo winced as the barb disintegrated into nothing, leaving a hole filling with blood now that the wound was open. He couldn't help but send a condescending response in kind.

"That's not exactly fair – and I thought you were different." The sarcasm couldn't have been more evident.

A breath on his ear startled him, sending him careening away from the source. The laugh sent chills racing down his spine.

"Such a low opinion of me, after all we've been through? I thought that we had something special…" the hollow practically purred, adding to the primal fear that already engulfed him.

Ichigo willed himself to concentrate, but how could he? How could he separate this thing with the Uryuu that he knew? Somewhere inside that Quincy existed; if it were any other hollow, it would be eating the dust off of the ground. But Uryuu…

"What's wrong, king? Did I offend you?" Stepping from the shadows of the collapsed structure, Uryuu – or rather the hollow – stood. Blood red embroidery accented his pale white costume. A crimson glove pressed against the glint of metal frames; however part of the Quincy's face was blocked by a hardened, white shell that looked very familiar.

Back when Ichigo had almost died…

Back when Urahara had barely saved him from the brink of death…

The hollow mask mocked him from its new perch, the dark, sinister eye sockets and wicked smile. The long, jagged, crimson claw marks and sharp, fanglike teeth.

Matched as Uryuu's own evil smile, so unlike the Quincy that he knew. Not even when they first met did Uryuu ever seemed so foreboding.

How could this have happened?

"Well, Ichigo? Did you call me here to stare – rather rudely I might add – at me?" The hollow shifted his weight. "Or…?" he let the question drop, accentuating with a wave of his hand.

"I have a proposition for you." Ichigo smirked. "Die quietly and let Uryuu go free."

The hollow made a mock gesture as though he mulled over the proposal. "That's not much of a deal for me. What if I refuse?"

"I know the soul of the guy you're inhabiting," Ichigo's smirk didn't flinch, "and he wouldn't have any qualms about me going through him to get to you."

The hollow simply smiled as the shinigami talked, seemingly oblivious to the threat. Instead, he mocked Ichigo. "Maybe you asked me here so that we could get…reacquainted?" The sinister grin spread across his face.

Ichigo growled in frustration. Would it really come to this, striking Uryuu down after resurrecting him in the first place? Killing Uryuu, even though the archer saved his life? Certainly the few choices he had made the outlook of this battle bleak, and when he thought of the time they spent together at Urahara's shop, Ichigo' arms felt even more sluggish to strike. However there was still a chance…

He had a plan.

"If you're finished, I'd like to get down to business." Unsheathing Zangetsu, the zanpakuto's cloth wrapping unfurled as he brought the weapon down in front of him. "It's time for you to go back to wherever the hell you came from."

The hollow sniggered, disappearing and reappearing within seconds. Strategically aligned with Ichigo's blindside, Uryuu fired five arrows synchronously toward the shinigami.

Ichigo's eyes widened, but he was prepared. Raising Zangetsu to deflect the arrows, each blast knocked him back several yards, though his feet were firmly planted.

The hollow grunted in satisfaction. "Very good. I don't know how you deflected that attack, but I guarantee it won't happen again."

Ichigo defiantly stared at the hollow bringing the sword to an attacking position. "I know everything about the archer you're possessing, including the fighting style that you stole from him."

Uryuu bared his teeth. "I stole nothing. This is my vessel now. It belongs to me!" He fired several more shots in succession, plowing into Ichigo's form. Dust and debris scattered everywhere as Ichigo deflected more hits, each blow stronger than the one previous.

Ichigo himself wasn't sure how he was able to detect the hollow's attacks. They were fast, much quicker that Uryuu had been even at the peak of his training. Each arrow was hard to block as well; the reiatsu poured into the darts was enough to deliver a staggering shock to his body.

So, if the hollow has all of Uryuu's strengths, than what does that say about his weaknesses? Ichigo wondered, dodging several more of the charged projectiles. This may be easier than I thought.

"Is this the best you got? My grandfather could do better than this," Ichigo grunted as he swatted away several missiles. "Hell, you're grandfather could do better… and he's dead!"

The hollow hesitated, jerking violently in place. Furiousness on the archer's face confirmed a definite reaction to the insults Ichigo directed towards him. It seemed that the hollow had shared more than just physical strength with Uryuu. Fortunately knowing a little of Ishida's estranged family gave Ichigo an advantage.

It didn't seem like much of an advantage as Uryuu snarled in rage, firing several projectiles at once. Ichigo flipped and dodged most of the attacks, barely managing to avoid them. An arrow found its way into the other shoulder, fizzling in a reddish glow before disappearing altogether.

"How dare you insult me?" the hollow chocked out. There was malevolence in his voice that was undeniable, and it sent shivers down Ichigo's spine. "How dare you taunt me?"

There was a twinge in the back of Ichigo's mind as the hollow spoke. Certainly there was a hollow standing before him, but somewhere just beyond that enemy there was a spike of familiar reiastu from within that being.

Ichigo smiled. Somewhere, Uryuu was there. He could feel his presence.

Why are you just standing there? Get to him while he's distracted! It seemed to say; Ichigo was happy to oblige.

Ichigo jumped, body phasing as he moved impossibly fast towards his target. He let out a cry as he moved to stab Zangetsu into the hollow.

He hesitated. That blow could kill Uryuu.

The hollow smiled at the sudden advantage, flash stepping conveniently out of the way while maneuvering Ichigo's blade from his hands.

The shout became a strangled gurgle as Uryuu stabbed Zangetsu into Ichigo's back.

Kon nearly jumped from his hiding place as he seen the sword plunge into Ichigo's body. Blood poured from the wound as Ichigo staggered forward, clutching the protruding blade in his hands.

Rukia pulled on his shoulder, holding him back.

Kon's expression was enough to question their hesitation to aid Ichigo. He needed their help, or he was going to die!

"Ichigo's alright," Rukia whispered, barely over the sound of the battle. "A shinigami cannot be killed with their own zanpakuto." She glanced down, a sad expression on her face. "I know it might be hard for you to understand, but so long as Ichigo fights for both their honor, we cannot interfere."

"Why the hell not?" Kon barely whispered mostly yelled at her. "What does honor matter if they're both dead?" Kon proceeded to move toward the battle again, yet as his attention shifted, the sight froze him in his tracks.

Uryuu thrust the sword in a little deeper. "How does that feel, soul reaper?" the hollow purred. "Who is the one in charge now?" Ichigo groaned and tried to grab for the attacker behind him as Zangetsu buried into him further. "Are you surprised that I can touch him?" thrust. "Wield him?" thrust.

The sword was now buried halfway through the shinigami's body, impaling him from gut to sternum. The tip of Zangetsu quivered above Ichigo's shoulder, tainted deep red with the color of blood. Uryuu whispered into his ear, leaning over his shoulder as Ichgio staggered forward. "Are you surprised that I can use him?" The hollow laughed deeply as he leaned forward and licked blood from the tip of the blade. "How would you feel to die by Zangetsu's edge?"

Ichigo roared, thrusting his elbow into the hollow causing it to stagger back. Gripping Zangetsu with both hands he screamed, pulling the shaft of his own zanpakuto through his body. The sound was bloodcurdling as the blade passed through the thin torso and Ichigo collapsed, sword in hand, as the hollow smiled victoriously.

Suddenly there was a pulse of spiritual power; Uryuu began to glow with a vicious red energy. Spirit particles began to draw toward the hollow in a malignant cloud, energy forcefully pulled from the surrounding area.

Rukia staggered to the ground, clutching at her chest. Her breath hitched. She couldn't breathe!

"Rukia? Rukia! What's wrong?" Kon nearly shrieked, watching as Rukia struggled for breath. Kon glanced back up to the battle because if something was wrong with Rukia then…

Wait.

Uryuu was gone!

Kon gasped, attention back to the struggling shinigami next to him. "Rukia! Rukia he's gone! He's…"

A current of wind made him stop mid thought. Brown eyes shifted to the looming figure beside him, mouth twisting up in fear as the figure spoke.

"I guess we've got a couple of…spectators who've come to watch your death," the sinister voice cackled.