A Black Heart

Another day, another update. Here's the latest chapter I'm sure some of you have been hungering for.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

"Normal speech"

'Inner speech/thoughts'

"Kido/Zanpakuto Attacks/Quincy Techniques"

"Zanpakuto speech"

"Hollow speech"

XXX

Chapter 5:

The following morning found Ichigo, seated in his classroom, idly gazing out the window as he listened half-heartedly to Orihime's tale. Considering that he was there when it happened, he didn't need to, but hearing her speak about two monstrous robots having a grudge match near her home that ended up in the middle of her apartment was simply too amusing, especially with the amount of theatrics she was putting in to it.

"I assume this is what you meant about them not remembering last night," he whispered to the girl next to him, noticing her glance at the group and give a slight nod of her head. "Figures…though the story could use a little more realism in it," he muttered as he stretched his arms above his head and leaned back in his chair. "But then again what can you expect when the dead are absolutely blind to the World of the Living," he said in a mocking tone, earning a glare from the petite girl next to him.

"The memories replaced by the Kikanshinki are based upon findings found in the Living World and are considered to be in line with what a reasonable human would expect to have happened after examining the damage to their surroundings," she hissed at him, causing him to scoff in response.

"And what reasonable human being would expect giant robots to have a grudge match in their home, let alone exist in the first place?" he retorted. "Plus from what I can see, that thing didn't give the same memory to everyone involved last night," he said, jerking his head over in Tatsuki's direction as said girl calmly patted Orihime on the head and explained that it was a gas leak from one of the other tenants.

"She's probably defective like you then since this is practically guaranteed to work on any normal human," Rukia huffed to herself, but paled as she suddenly found a large shadow standing over her. Worried at the possibility that Ichigo had heard her, she turned towards the shadow, only to balk at the sheer size of the teen standing in front of her. Towering over her, looking the least bit fazed at her gaping at him, was a dark skinned teen that stood well over 6'5", with dark brown hair that covered his eyes, hiding them from view.

"Yo Chad, you've been missing from school for some time. Nothing bad happened I hope?" Ichigo asked casually as he idly twirled a pen between his middle and index finger and paying no mind to the silent giant two desks away.

"No, but I caught a cold," Chad replied, his voice hoarse as he spoke, which caused the pen in Ichigo's grip to fumble and slip to the floor with a clatter.

Looking over at his giant friend, Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise at the hint of red on his nose, the sweat beaded on his skin and the sound of sniffling that he was pretty sure was coming from him. Unable to even hold it in any longer, Ichigo exploded into laughter, startling several of the other students and Rukia as his chair leaned back precariously. After several moments of his raucous laughter and Rukia wondering whether he was about to earn the beating of a life time, Ichigo seemed to calm down and let out a few stray chuckles as he stood to his full height and smiled up at the tall teen.

"You take a beating for standing up for others on a regular basis and it doesn't even scratch you, but one little bug and you're done for the count…you've gotta be kidding me," Ichigo said with grin. Hearing a slight flutter behind Chad, Ichigo craned his neck to the side and spotted a bird cage with a small parakeet resting inside it. As he bent down to examine it and maintain his caring façade, he felt an eerie shiver run down his spine as his fingers brushed over the small creature. To his and the other students surprise, the bird seemed just as shocked by his touch and hurriedly retreated away from his fingers, hiding it's head under its wing.

"Ah guess he just doesn't like me," he said as he withdrew his hand and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. As everyone went back to their own conversations and Chad took his seat, Ichigo's expression darkened with distaste, unaware of the eyes that watched him.

XXX

Hidden away in a disused classroom during the lunch-break, Ryo frowned as her fingers danced over Ichigo's skin, relieving the stiff tension she felt in his shoulders. Ever since that new transfer student had arrived, she'd found that he either had some injury he didn't want to explain to her, or was frustrated with something. Finding that she was growing tired of strain on her fingers, she gave his shoulders one last squeeze and moved to stand in front of him. Staring up at her with an eyebrow raised, he was taken back when she settled herself into his lap, her crotch grinding into his own. Placing his hands on her waist to support her, he felt her lips glide up his neck, past his cheek and ending with a peck on his lips.

"What's wrong today?" she breathed into his ear, nipping at his neck as she ran her hands through his hair, feeling him relax all the more quickly under her initiative. "With how worked up you've been," she placed a kiss at the hollow of his neck as she worked to unbutton his shirt, "you're going to start dropping places on the rankings." His shirt undone, she slipped her hands into it, her nails scraping across his flesh and sending a shiver of pleasure down his spine. "You know I won't be pleased if all these tutoring sessions were for nothing." Feeling his fingers slip under her skirt and pinch her rear harshly, she looked up and was met with a blank expression on his face, while his eyes burned with a hint of indignation.

"I told you that failing is not in my nature Ryo, you'd do well to remember that," he muttered under his breath, before crushing his lips to hers and pulling roughly on her hair as he threaded his fingers through it.

XXX

Meanwhile, Rukia was staring curiously at the parakeet several metres away from her as she munched on her lunch. She knew full well that a plus inhabited it, but what she couldn't understand and what consumed her curiosity was why it had flinched away from Ichigo, not that she blamed it of course. Thinking it had been his presence as soul reaper, she had watched for the same reaction, but was surprised when the soul was instead affectionate, rubbing itself against her outstretched fingers.

It was most likely similar to the way that other soul reapers often spoke of the 'feel' of someone else's reiatsu, which could evoke feelings of terror among other things to the person. If that was true, then did other souls also inherently feel this fear when Ichigo approached them? For those that did retain their memories after crossing over, did this mean that they would naturally be wary of soul reapers, fearing them all because of Ichigo's impression? Despite the obvious drawback, what choice did she have but to have him continue and hope that word of his exploits didn't make it back to the Seireitei.

"Yo Ichigo!" she heard another student shout as the subject of her worries walked across the field in her direction, returning some of the greetings. When he was finally in front of her, she was unsurprised at the scowl on his face.

"That bird…is it a danger to Chad?" he asked, earning a shrug from her.

"For now, no" she said as she returned to her lunch, not paying any attention to him. "I'm surprised that you care though. I thought you only went for anything with a pair of breasts and wearing a skirt. Feeling him flick her on her nose, she bristled slightly and glared up at him.

"If that were true midget," he whispered under his breath, "I would've already broken you in. I've had plenty of chances too. But no, Chad owes me a debt and I'm not about to let something happen to him if I have the power to stop it."

Hearing that she scoffed and stood up, still having to look up at him due to his imposing height. "So what, if they can't pay you, you enslave them, why am I not surprised!"

"Have you learned nothing from looking at everyone around me Rukia? I don't force people to submit to me, nor force them to repay me. They simply want to repay me for helping them."

"You say that as if the Living are the only ones truly capable of paying you back Ichigo. Is the promise from a soul not worth anything to you?"

"Tch, you should know the answer to that already Rukia. The Dead can't help me, the Living can." Before she could utter another retort, he looked over at a group of girls calling him and walked off to join them, leaving the soul reaper to fume in silence.

XXX

Grunting as he dove out of the way of a falling I-beam, Chad spared it brief glance, before checking the cage in his hands and making sure that the bird in it was safe. Seeing it unharmed, he got to his feet and started on his way home again. It seemed strange that accidents like that kept happening. First it was the motorcyclist that crashed into him, followed by the scaffolding from another construction site. Of course the one that proved the greatest loss was the shipment of ice-cream that he was literally buried under. Not only did it give him a slight head-cold, he had dug himself out to the sight of hundreds of litres of ice-cream simply melting on the street, certainly a terrible burden to the company representative and kids that stood watching it.

"Sorry for being so much trouble Mister," the parakeet said in a high-pitched voice, drawing his attention.

"It's no problem," he replied, his voice still hoarse as he kept walking. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

"Will you keep that man away too?" it asked, prompting Chad to pause mid-step.

"Which man?"

"The one that laughed at you this morning," the bird said as it seemed to shiver recalling its first meeting with Ichigo. "He…he scares me." Hearing that, Chad frowned and started walking again.

"He won't hurt you Yuuichi, I can promise you that too."

XXX

After what he considered to be a tiring day, both with his studies and matters related to the spiritual world, Ichigo sighed and kicked off his shoes as he entered the apartment he shared with Tatsuki. Hearing his roommate's raised voice; he suppressed a sigh and muttered a curse at her inviting Orihime over for dinner. By all means she was completely within her rights to do so, but considering that she knew just how her friend reacted around him, he would've hoped that they had held the dinner at her place.

"I'm home," he called out as he made his way to the kitchen, after all there was no point in being rude to her, at least on the outside he though with a chuckle. As he rounded the corner to the kitchen though, he froze as he found that it was not the orange-haired ditz that was staying for dinner, but the violet-eyed annoyance.

"Oh hey Ichigo," Tatsuki called as she turned her attention away from the pan for a second. "Rukia here was just telling me how you invited her to stay for the week considering her parents are out of town.

"Yes as much as I want to prove that I can take care of myself, they are rather afraid of leaving me to watch the house for a week by myself," Rukia said as she turned to smirk at Ichigo, said teen still trying to form a logical sentence in his mind.

"Ah yes, how unfortunate indeed," Ichigo said after some time, a smile on his face, while inwardly he was contemplating bashing the arrogant midget's skull in repeatedly with a tire iron, or maybe a crowbar. Yes the crowbar would work splendidly.

"Can you guys set the table please, the food will be ready soon," Tatsuki spoke up, breaking into Ichigo's fantasy.

"Ah of course Arisawa-san," Rukia said with a polite nod of her head, before rummaging through the cupboards in her search for the required dishes. Striding over to her, Ichigo opened up one of the overhanging cupboards and pulled out a stack of plates, thrusting them into her hand and earning a yelp of surprise from her. Grabbing a few glasses, he followed her into the dining room, watching as she set a plate at each of their seats, before blocking her path and towering over her.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face here again Rukia," he hissed under his breath, while Rukia glared back at him defiantly.

"You're already using the resources I was supposed to receive towards my lodgings for yourself Ichigo. The least you could do is provide me with an alternate means of room and board. Besides you still need me to keep collecting on those bounties don't you, so getting rid of me will be just as hard."

"And what if I just kill you to rid myself of this problem?" he muttered, seeing a smirk appear on her face again.

"Well then I guess that the police will be informed that the last place I was seen alive was your home, especially since I've told several students and teachers that I will be staying at your home for at least a week while my 'family's' home undergoes several renovations. Even if you cover it up Ichigo, they will be looking at you and I wonder what they'll find."

"You manipulative little bitch," he said with a demented grin on his face. "I'm actually surprised that you've given it this much thought, my congratulations on a job well done. Just a word of warning though, I learnt long ago that some people will snap if pushed hard enough and when they do…things tend to get messy for everyone involved. Let's not push too hard now shall we?"

"I suppose we have a deal then. By the way, I expect you to go after that soul tonight and remove it from that bird."

"Now see that Rukia is an example of pushing me too far," he muttered lowly, his expression turning blank as he stared down at her. "The stupid bird will still be alive tomorrow morning and you said that it was no threat to Chad. Therefore we're going to wait until I can think of a way to remove it from Chad without fucking myself over."

XXX

Unfortunately for Ichigo, the next day came and went and he was nowhere nearer to exorcising the spirit from the bird, partially due to his numerous extracurricular activities and partially due to the fact that Chad didn't even pitch for school…again. Of course explaining this to the thorn in his side was easier said than done.

"For the last time Rukia, NO I can't ditch practice!" he hissed through gritted teeth, slamming his fist into the wall above the soul reaper, returning her glare with one of his own. "You said it yourself; it's not a threat so fuck off with your bitching and moaning about me leaving it. If it's bothering you so bad, go steal the fucking canary and bring it here for me to deal with."

"It's a parakeet Ichigo and we had a deal. You take over my role and I pay you in return for the service!" she hissed right back at him, while his arm shook in anger.

"I honestly don't give a fuck what it's called. Chad's a big guy, he can take care of himself for just a few more hours," Ichigo spat, before turning on his heel and leaving her fuming on the spot.

"You can't keep brushing it off like this Ichigo!" she shouted after his retreating form, "One day you'll turn a blind eye to something like this and it'll come back to bite you in the ass!"

Stomping off to find Chad and the bird on her own, both were unaware of the figure hidden away in the shadows, their form pushing off the wall to stare after the two of them.

XXX

'Stupid fucking midget and her fucking…RUGH!' Ichigo thought as he silently fumed, a scowl on his face dissuading anyone from talking to him. 'Who does she think she is asking me to throw this image away?! I've worked too damn hard to create it, to simply throw it away on a whim.'

Rounding a corner he was abruptly knocked aside as someone rushed past him, sending him crashing into several dustbins and bathing him in their putrid contents.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I'M GONNA…" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he fought his way free of the dustbins, a tin lid on his head. Glaring after his assailant, he was surprised to see Chad sprinting at full tilt without looking back, the bird cage in his hands.

"Chad? What's…" he tried to get out, only to yelp as someone used the tin on his head as a stepping stone, leaping clear of the mess and sending him face first into the ground. Slowly rising to his knees, a bestial growl ripped its way free of his throat, as he watched Rukia chase after Chad.

"You bloody midget…" he spat, feeling a rush of wind pass over him, covering him in the rubbish that lay scattered around him. Brushing it out of his eyes, he watches as a large greenish-grey hollow with overly muscular arms and a white, tiki-like mask flew after the fleeing pair.

"Oh sure, let's just make it a fucking party why don't we?" he muttered under his breath as he finally made it to his feet, scraping what filth he could from his skin. "Well…at least I get to repay at least one of them for this insult," he said as a demented smirk appeared on his face and he sprinted after them.

XXX

Feeling her lungs burn from the effort it was taking to keep up with Chad and slow the hollow Shrieker down, Rukia gasped as she slowed to a halt, her hand clutching her chest as she panted. Even if the hollow himself wasn't enough trouble, the minions he summoned that covered everything they aimed at in leeches was simply the proverbial icing on the cake.

"What's the matter soul reaper, tired already?" Shrieker taunted her as he landed in front of her, blocking her path. "I'm so thrilled that you've led me on such a hunt even though you haven't used your true form, but now the fun and games are at an end."

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Rukia leapt back just as his fist collided with the ground where she had been just a moment ago. "Hado no. 33, Sokatsui!" she chanted, causing a blue fireball to fire from her outstretched hand and collide with the hollow, exploding on contact. Falling to her knees from expending so much energy in her drained state, she looked up through bleary eyes, cursing as the hollow emerged from the smoke unharmed.

"What's wrong soul reaper, even the weaklings before you put up a bigger fight than this," Shrieker taunted her, drool pouring from his mouth as he approached her. "I was hoping that you had one last trick up your sleeve, but it seems you don't. Don't worry; you won't get a chance to curse your existence for much longer."

As he bent over to consume her though, both the hollow and soul reaper were surprised by the fist that impacted with the hollow's face, sending it flying several feet away. Looking back at the direction the fist had come from, Rukia was surprised to see Chad standing there, fist outstretched and panting slightly.

"Got him…" he muttered, pulling his fist back.

"You worm!" Shrieker screeched, rubbing the part on his mask where Chad had cracked it. "I'll make sure that I devour you while you're still alive!" it shouted in a rage, only to earn another fist to its face.

'Can he really stand against this hollow?' Rukia thought as she and the hollow were astounded by this mere human's fighting capabilities. As they watched him punch the air at random though, she quickly felt her enthusiasm vanish as it was evident that he could only hear the hollow.

"It seems that your friend is all out of luck soul reaper!" he screamed in exhilaration, summoning his minions to cover them in his exploding leeches.

"No! Chad get out of the way!" Rukia screamed at him, leaping in the path of the majority of the pale purple globs as they stuck themselves to both of them. Smirking evilly, Shrieker stuck his tongue out, the sound emanating from it causing them to explode and sending both soul reaper and human to the ground, covered in burns.

"Hahaha! See! Nothing can stop me once I've set my sights on you!" Shrieker screeched as he reared his head back and howled.

From her position on the ground, Rukia watched as Chad stubbornly rose to his feet, fists raised as a sign of defiance.

"Well that's really cute, but be a good boy and put those fists down boy. Otherwise who knows what might happen to the little guy here," the hollow taunted him, just as his minions arrived with the bird cage held in their paws, setting it down behind the sadistic hollow. "If you just let me eat you now though, I might just let the kid live a little longer." Watching as Chad dropped his fists in defeat; Shrieker chuckled and started to make his way towards the giant teen with deliberate slowness.

"Oi bastard," a cold voice cut through the silent atmosphere. Recognising the voice from when she was spoken to in that same tone, Rukia and Chad watched as the minions that had been holding the cage before were smashed into the hollow's mask, followed shortly after by the heel of his assailant.

"I just can't leave you guys alone to handle yourselves can I?" Ichigo groused as he set the cage down with them and kept his eyes fixed to the hollow, his expression less than pleased.

"You idiot, what took you so long to dig yourself out of the trash," Rukia groaned as she reached into her pocket to retrieve her soul removal glove.

"Considering you two put me in there, I think I earned the right to take my time," he muttered in reply as he pulled her to her feet with a single strong tug. Almost instantly he was freed from his body, his soul bursting free with ease. "Ah now I finally get to work some of this stress out," he said, rolling his shoulders, just as Shrieker got back to his feet, glaring at him with his bright yellow eyes.

"Another soul reaper eh? Another delicious meal for me then! This is the best hunt ever!" he roared, charging at Ichigo with his fist drawn back.

"Tch, impatient bastard," Ichigo growled, drawing his zanpakuto from his back and cleaving Shrierker's arm from fist to elbow in two and showering himself and the area in the hollow's black blood. "Do you have any idea how much of a headache that bird's given me since I've seen it?!" he shouted at the hollow, his voice barely carrying over its screams of pain. "I know exactly why Chad's caring for the stupid thing and why Rukia's so concerned with it. What I don't know is why you're after it?!"

"You really want to know what I want with him." Shrieker spat through gritted teeth. "Well here's the truth…it's all a game soul reaper. The spirit in that bird…I put it in there after the brat killed me while I was still alive. I, who decided who lived and who died, who relished in my superiority over the bitches I killed; to be killed by one of their whelps was inexcusable! So I told the boy I'd bring his mom back to life. All he had to do was run away from me for three months!"

Smirking at Ichigo's expressionless face, he continued to gloat much to Chad and Rukia's disgust.

"The best part about it; is that the brat believed it. He's led so many souls, both human and soul reaper to their death and still believes that having mommy back will make it all better! I can't wait for the day when I consume him and feel the despair, the betrayal…the loathing! It'll be glorious!" it giggled in glee, drawing a grunt from Chad and murderous glare from Rukia.

As she was about to retort and cut the hollow off, Rukia was silenced by the overwhelming feeling of rage she was feeling from Ichigo.

"You like killing kids and their mothers huh…" he whispered, his voice carrying through to all of them and causing any icy shiver to run down their spines. "You're proud that you picked on those weaker than you, that you probably ruined countless lives in the process beyond those you killed."

"Eh…you're thinking a bit too hard about this, aren't you soul reaper?"

"No…I don't think I am," he replied, his movements barely registering before his fist smashed into the hollows mask, breaking through its teeth and leaving a fist-sized hole where its mouth would've been. With a wet squelch, Ichigo tore the hollow's tongue from its mouth, causing it to let out a guttural shriek as its mouth was filled with its own black blood.

"This tongue has enraged me enough for one day," he muttered clenching the dark pink muscle in his hand. "I've killed my share of people, but vermin like you…YOU DISGUST ME!" he roared, leaping forward to thrust his blade clean between the hollows eyes. Ripping it down, he easily bisected the creature and landed slashed his blade to the side with a flourish.

Unlike the other times though, Ichigo was surprised to see the hollow not disappearing into countless particles as its soul was cleansed. As a sinking feeling settled into his stomach, he watched as a demonic pair of dark red doors with black flame decals and golden chains sealing it flashed into existence, a half-skeleton protruding from each one.

As the two humans and a soul reaper watched, the skeletons reached out with a single arm each and began to pull at the door, unleashing a violent wind that tore through the area with abandon and bathing the area in an eerie red light.

As the feeling in his gut morphed into one of dread, Ichigo began to shake and feel queasy at the sight before him. Taking an unconscious step back, he felt sweat begin to bead his forehead as an enormous blade began to exit the slim opening that was created.

"Any sins a soul commits as a hollow are cleansed by a soul reaper's zanpakuto," Rukia began to explain, drawing his attention away from the gate for a moment. "This is done to give them the chance at peace that they deserve. However, those that have committed great sins in their mortal lives will be denied access to Soul Society and are instead condemned to Hell, where they will spend an eternity paying for their sins.

Hearing an anguished cry, Ichigo spun back to face the gates, his eyes widening as the blade completely destroyed what remained of Shrieker's body, before drawing its remaining essence back into it. As the Gates snapped shut with a deafening boom, Ichigo let out an explosive breath and stood panting, clutching at his chest as he felt his heart beating frantically.

Seeing his distressed state, Rukia turned her back on him and made her way towards Chad, intent on healing him and erasing his memory of this event. She paused though as she heard Ichigo call out to her.

"You said those that have sinned in their human lives…what of soul reapers Rukia, where do they go when they die?" he asked softly, his demeanour uncaring, but his tone revealing his worry.

"The worst punishment I have learnt of for a soul reaper is for them to be executed by the Sokyoku, a weapon powerful enough to erase a soul completely from existence. Its use has been reserved for soul reapers of a certain rank though," she explained with a shrug. Watching him nod his head slightly in response, she scowled as he walked over to his lifeless body and returned to it, before slowly waking away.

"Make no mistake though Ichigo…you are still a human soul…despite the fact that you possess the powers of a soul reaper." Seeing him pause in his step, she could see him give the slightest nod, before he continued on his way, his hands in his pockets and his head bowed.

XXX

Another chapter done and a particularly fitting end if I do say so myself. Make no mistake about it; Ichigo is about as evil and heartless as I make him, so of course he kind of seems like the ideal candidate for a one-way ticket to Hell. Anyway I'm back again and having fun for the most part. I don't intend to follow a strict schedule, but I will try and surprise you guys quite often.

Till next time.