AN: LOL I did NOT misspell the title of this story. I did that on PURPOSE yall!

And now with the coming of this chapter comes an announcement.

I have posted a challenge for anyone willing to take it up. It's in my profile. Read it then decide on whether or not you want to indulge.

Now then, time for the next chapter yall!

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Chapter one

Time became irrelevant to the two as they trudged side by side across the desert, walking endlessly with seemingly nowhere to go and seemingly getting nowhere. Naruto had grasped the concept of walking on four legs quite quickly. "It's like crawling," he mused as he took carful but quick steps in order to keep up with his new friend. He still hated the fact that he had turned into a fox when he died and he was glad to know that this bleak desert wasn't heaven either. But it didn't stop him from wondering what this place was though. So far the only form of life he's encountered was Ichigo and he was just as lost.

The two came upon a small white and very dead tree and collapsed by it. "This sucks," said Naruto with what would have been a pout had he been in a human body.

Ichigo agreed with him with a nod. "I thought little kids always got into heaven."

"Apparently not," grumbled Naruto as he lied down and rested his head on his front paws. Ichigo cast a sideways glance at the fox but said nothing. He just gave a sigh and diverted his eyes toward the sky.

"It's so dark here," he muttered. "And it feels…scary." He couldn't describe the feeling that constantly lingered in the air but it did make him feel afraid, as if he'd get attacked if he didn't find a good place to hide. Naruto on the other hand just chuckled. "You die and turn into a skeleton monster thing and you're still afraid of the dark?"

"Hey shut up!"

Naruto laughed. "It's okay though, I know whatcha mean. This place feels extra funny."

"Do you think we should keep moving?"

Naruto yawned. "Nah we can sleep for a little bit."

Ichigo sweat dropped. "You've taken three naps already," he deadpanned. Naruto shrugged. "So? I get tired easily."

"You're just lazy," he said.

"And you're a crybaby but ya don't hear me saying it all the time."

Ichigo glared but said nothing else for a minute. "Just don't sleep for a day like last time."

Naruto curled into a little ball and yawned again. "Okay," he said drowsily, already nodding off to sleep.

The truth is that Naruto is actually tired very easily and he couldn't figure out why. When he was alive he had energy in droves. He could go on for days. But now that he's dead he seemed to have very little energy and was tired out very easily. It got better every day but the first week he'd been here had been a real inconvenience. He was borderline Narcoleptic. He gave a slight smile as he finally fell asleep though. He could feel his old strength and stamina returning a bit more after every nap.

---

"Hey fox, is it me or are you getting bigger?"

The fox just shrugged and continued to walk. "Eh, I'm not sure," he said. Ichigo examined the fox a bit more. He was indeed bigger. How the hell Naruto hadn't noticed was beyond him. The fox was nearly as tall as he was now!

Two months had gone by and both Naruto and Ichigo had adjusted well to their new lifestyle. Not that there was much to adjust to. They traveled all over the place, encountering nothing but desert and harsh winds, but they managed to pass the time by talking about their past lives.

Ichigo still couldn't believe people like what Naruto had described of his home actually existed. Where he's from the only ninjas he's ever heard of were performers and dramatic cartoons, and likewise Naruto had never heard of anything Ichigo had described. The level of technology Ichigo had described to him had amazed him.

"We gotta find out how to go there someday!" he had exclaimed. He had also ignored Ichigo's "Aren't we dead? I don't think we can get back."

The two talked about everything. Naruto found himself wishing he had lived in Ichigo's home as the people there had probably seen far too much and far too busy with their advanced society to be worried about some random blonde kid while Ichigo was interested in meeting this Sakura girl Naruto had talked on and on about. Something about natural pink hair just couldn't leave his curiosity button alone.

They had also gotten a feel for each other's personalities a bit more as well. Naruto was hyperactive, loud and overly cheerful yet at the same time he was solemn, grief ridden and angry. Ichigo didn't blame him. He'd be angry too if he grew up being hated then murdered in cold blood. What amazed him though was that fact that despite all of his pent-up emotions, Naruto still had the capacity for great love and purity. He could tell just by the way he talked about the Old man Hokage.

Naruto had found Ichigo to be sarcastic, whiny and prone to losing his temper. But Ichigo was very loyal and brave as well. His courage was matched only by a few, though it was hard to tell with no obstacles in the way to test his theory. Still though, he liked Ichigo's attitude.

The two were also both surprisingly intelligent for a couple of six-years-olds. One month after they had died and Naruto got the full story on how Ichigo died, including the part where he was eaten by a masked monster, they had come to the conclusion that the desert world they now travelled was the home world of all monsters with masks and that they were automatically brought here when they transformed. But it still didn't answer the question as to the reason they were transformed and sent to this world after they died or where the hell all of the other residents of this world were. What did it mean? What did these transformed bodies represent? Were they being punished? Tested? Were they misplaced? Maybe this world was limbo? They couldn't find an answer.

That is part of the reason they travel endlessly. They are searching for these answers.

"Hey ya know what?' began Naruto with a cheerful tone as he and Ichigo walked at a leisurely pace across the sand.

"Yeah? What?" said Ichigo in a more annoyed voice. Naruto grinned. "Ah don't be like that Skull Boy. I was just thinking that this place is like a giant sandbox that we have all to ourselves, Think of the fun we could have!"

Ichigo huffed. "I hate sand," he said simply. "Stupid kids that always tried to pick on me cause of my hair always played at the sandbox."

Naruto deflated. "You're no fun," he grumbled. Ichigo turned and gave the fox a stare for a few seconds before he spoke.

"And besides, you're a fox. How're you gonna build anything made out of sand without any thumbs?"

Naruto growled. "Shut up jerk. I woulda found a way."

"Sure."

Naruto was about to respond when he suddenly tripped on something and face planted in the sand. Ichigo burst into laughter.

"H-hey shut up! It's not funny!" Naruto directed his glare towards what had tripped him. "Stupid rock," he growled out as he took a swipe with his right paw. He gasped in surprise when the object suddenly sunk into the sand and out of sight.

"Hey wait what was that?" Naruto instantly began to dig in the spot where the object was, curiosity having already overtaken him. Ichigo turned to watch his friend as he dug in the sand at an almost frantic pace.

"What are you doing?" he asked. But Naruto ignored him. Ichigo sighed and sat down. Knowing Naruto this could go on for another hour.

Several hour later Naruto leapt out of the large ten foot wide thirteen foot deep crater with a disappointed huff. "Whatever it was its gone now," he said as he took a bit of time to regain his breath.

"You think?" said Ichigo sarcastically. "I knew it was gone ten minutes after you started digging."

"Shut up."

Ichigo got back to his feet. "So are you ready to go?" he asked with a sigh. At Naruto's nod the two turned away from the hole and headed off.

Not even three seconds after they had vanished over the horizon, a single eye stalk rose from the center of Naruto's hole. It peered in the two children's direction, relief shining in its golden pupil. A foot more and that fox would have discovered him. He was glad they quit when they did. Otherwise he'd end up having to fight them. And he honestly didn't want to do that.

Because even though they had the appearance of children he knew that was just a façade.

Because no child has such a powerful and unique aura. No. He was better off leaving the likes of them alone.

Naruto and Ichigo, completely unaware of the creature they had barely missed meeting, just continued on, once again quiet. The two were quite odd for children. They could go on for hours, even days without uttering a single word, each one lost in their own thoughts while at the same time they could talk for days on end about everything and nothing at the same time. They could get so caught up in their thoughts that they completely lose contact with the world around, something that could be considered quite dangerous for them.

But to them it didn't really matter. They were in no danger as far as they were concerned. How could there be if there was nothing to endanger them? But even they knew that was foolish thinking. Obviously there had to be more than just them here. Especially if their theory about this place being the home for all masked monsters was correct. But even then they still weren't all that concerned. They were already dead. What more could happen?

"Hey Ichigo what's that?" asked Naruto suddenly as he looked straight ahead with squinted eyes. The orange haired boy followed the Fox's gaze and spotted his friend's object of attention almost immediately. It wasn't too far off but at the same time quite a ways away. It shimmered against the sand a sickly black color while at the same time seemed to take the shape of something.

Naruto eyes got wide.

"It's a person!" he exclaimed. "C'mon let's go!" he said excitably as he dashed off towards the object. "Naruto wait!" shouted Ichigo but it was too late. The fox was already a few yards away. Ichigo sighed and gave chase.

As the two got closer and closer they were able to identify a bit more of the creature in front of them. It was hunched over and facing away from them, energy pitch black, swirling around it and disrupting the surrounding sand. It was powerful. The two children could literally taste the energy in the air.

"Whoa," exclaimed the fox kit as they came to a halt a dozen yards away from the creature.

It was tall and humanoid, its masked resembled that of an ogre skull and its skin was orange/red. It stood there for a second, examining its own fists before it started to laugh.

"Hahahahahahaha! Yes! I did it! After hundreds of years I'm finally a Vasto lorde! This is great. I can't wait to slay my first victims in this form!"

The creature laughed a bit more and Naruto decided that perhaps it wasn't best to let this guy know they were there. So he tried to back away slowly, Ichigo mirroring him.

Unfortunately for the two, The Vasto Lorde already knew they were there, and before they even got two steps back, the creature was upon them, looking down in curiosity.

"Well well well what do we have here?"

"Crap!" explained Naruto as he tried to run.

"Ah, ah, ah not so fast there." A large hand shot out and grabbed the little fox by the scruff of his neck. His other hand grabbed the top of Ichigo's head. Fear gripped both the children's hearts as a pair of glowing red eyes peered directly at them.

"Two little hollows with such an unusual reitsu, how…interesting."

The two children felt confusion suddenly enter their minds, replacing their fear in an instant.

"Hollow? Reitsu?" what're those?"

The vasto lorde seemed genuinely surprised for a second before he chuckled. "Ah, Newly dead souls then eh? Heh heh and children no less. He licked his lips. "How very interesting."

Ichigo, unable to hold back his remark any longer blurted out, "Look, you're starting to creep me out. Get to the point already!"

Naruto growled. "You baka! You tryin to get us killed faster?"

The vasto lorde laughed. It was a sound that sent chills up and down their spines.

"Heh heh amusing brats. Luckily for you I have no interest in your power."

He then looked to the east. "However, there are countless others that will definitely come after you. You won't survive a day if you face these foes, uneducated as you are."

"Eh?"

The vastor lorde chuckled again. "Come. You need to learn what you are." Then, the hollow vanished, taking the two with him.

They reappeared in a dark forest deep under the desert.

"This," began the vasto lorde. "It's the true home of the lower ranks of the hollows. This is where you two belong."

Naruto looked up, confusion shining in his eyes. "But…I still don't get it. What are we? What are hollows?"

The vasto lorde merely pointed to the right and said, "See for yourself."

The two children obeyed. What they saw, shocked them to the core.

There were hundreds of masked monsters gathered in a huge group, slaughtering each other, devouring body parts, ruthlessly ending the existences of those around them. Agonized screams tore through the air and reitsu particles drifted through the air. For over an hour the two children watched, mesmerized by the brutality they were witnessing.

"W-what…is this?" asked Ichigo as he took a fearful step back. This couldn't be happening. Naruto was in a similar state of mind.

The vasto lorde chuckled again. "Let me be the first one to welcome you two to Huecho mundo. The home world for the Hollow spirit, the only domain for the souls lost in darkness and despair to exist. This…is the afterlife for lost souls."

The two boy gasped and stared up at the larger hollow in shock. This…was the afterlife? This was supposed to be heaven? This…couldn't be true. It couldn't be possible!"

The Vasto lorde chuckled as he saw the emotions pass over the two children's eyes. "Hollows are beasts. We have no peaceful afterlife. Your only chance at survival…"

The hollows killing each other suddenly disintegrated then reformed as one gigantic cloak wearing long nosed mask creature with a terrifying howl.

"Is to get strong."

Ichigo and Naruto could only stand there in shocked horror as it became clear to them. They were monsters. They were never going to see heaven. They couldn't even tell if a heaven existed anymore. Not after witnessing this.

The vasto lorde began to fade away, chuckling the whole time. "Grow strong little hollows. Learn to harness those unique energies you have," he said.

"Because after all…" the last of the hollows faded away and so did the vasto lorde.

"That's all you can do. Heh heh heh heh heheh…"

Then he was gone, the two children were once again alone. The giant beast had lumbered away, now a mindless drone. Naruto and Ichigo felt like crying. Is that what they were doomed to? Was this their fate? To wonder an endless desert slaughtering all who stand in their path for eternity?

"No…" said Naruto. "I won't."

Ichigo nodded in agreement. "I'm…not a monster. I won't be a monster."

"We'll find heaven," said Naruto.

"No…" said Ichigo. "We'll create heaven. This afterlife sucks. I don't think its much better for the people who haven't turned into…hollows. I don't think…a heaven exists."

Naruto nodded and forced himself to turn away from the former battleground. "But first…we do have to get stronger."

Ichigo nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, we'll have to fight."

The two children nodded to each other one more time then looked into the darkness that forest was enshrouded in. There were numerous secrets hidden in that darkness, danger hidden behind every corner.

"We'll get strong," said Ichigo.

"We'll become…gods," said Naruto.

"We'll save my Kaa-san and create a true heaven."

The two then gave determined smiles and ventured into the forest. Never to be heard from again for another ten years…

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And that was the first official chapter! Hope you liked it.