Hey! I finally passed the part where Ichigo learns to control his inner Hollow! This opens up worlds of possibilities of where his part of the story could go! Also, to you Fairy Tail fans out there, sorry if you were expecting Natsu's point of view, but I just can't exactly "put myself in his shoes", so to speak. If you are also a big fan fiction writer, then you know that to make a good story about someone else's characters, you have to know that character, inside and out. And everyone who's seen Fairy Tail knows that nobody but Hiro Mashima knows what's going on in our favorite Dragon Slayer's head (besides the obvious stuff, you know, eating, sleeping, fighting). Hopefully by the next chapter, I'll have his role figured out. Until then, wish me luck!

Because this is from my OC's point of view, I will try to include some explanations to his abilities and add some history about him and his friends, Soron, Jace, Ayden, and Airi (by the way, each has a separate title for the element they represent). And yes, Ember is his Iri's name.

Kajin woke up to find himself draped over someone's shoulder in a rescuer's carry. He couldn't tell who it was, because everything in his field of vision was so blurry, there weren't even dull lines separating shapes. It was all just a swirling mass of dull colors. The only reason he could tell he wasn't still asleep was because all his other senses (besides hearing, that still seemed a little out-of-whack), were still working perfectly.

But what he was really relieved about was that he could hear (not really hear, just, you know, telepathically), his Iri's voice again. Even if said Iri was an extremely annoyed dragon who didn't care how much mental noise he made, throwing a fit about how Kajin had "abandoned" him in that strange white space. Despite being one of the most feared creatures in the galaxy and being bonded with someone who was responsible for the fate of the universe, Ember still acted like he had the mind of a seven-year-old, every time something went wrong, which was a lot.

Again, Kajin wondered if all Iri were like that, or if his was just unique. And his friends didn't exactly work for comparison, because they were all supposed to be as special as he was. Soron and his Iri were exactly the same: quiet, sneaky, and deadly serious, emphasis on deadly. Jace and his Iri were the best of friends and couldn't wait for their next opportunity to fly through the clouds like nothing else mattered, while Ayden had a lot of fun pulling his out on perfectly timed moments to complete some prank he came up with. And Airi and her Iri were polar opposites, though they seemed to get along fine. Then again, Airi got along with everyone. Why should a large, lethal, feline predator be any different? And he had to admit, despite all those unsettling, perfect assassin traits, Soron's mind was probably chaos. He really was unique, being the only person in history to summon two Iri. But with two Iri came double the trouble. Kajin really didn't want to know what a day in that guy's head was like.

His vision finally started to clear, and he saw that the guy carrying him was wearing long, billowy black pants and sandals made out of some kind of straw or dried stem. So I got rescued by a Soul Reaper, he thought drowsily. I bet Ayden could come up with a good joke about that, if he was here. It was exactly the kind of thing the Windbrearer would do.

Kajin blinked rapidly, attempting to clear his vision. Then he tensed as he wondered if his captors had gotten a glimpse at his eyes.

Relax. Ember's grating voice rose from his subconscious, irritatingly calm again. How Ember went from immature to all-knowing just like that was beyond Kajin . The people here aren't aware of their significance.

His muscles relaxed again. He was too used to war. Back in his universe, the red color of his eyes identified him as a part of the Azkiar's Fire Caste, and therefore made him a target for the Illusi, the Azkiar's eternal enemies. He made a point of carrying eye tint with him whenever he left the sanctuary of the alternate dimension that the Azkiar were based in. And besides war, how many people had red eyes, anyway?

"You're finally awake. Can you run, or are you still a bit groggy?"

Kajin craned his head around to look up at the back of Ichigo's head. "So you felt that?"

Ichigo's shrug was miniscule. "I could ask what's got you so worked up, but I get the feeling it doesn't really matter. Anyways, can you run or not? I'd rather not have to carry you if I have to."

Kajin closed his eyes and tried to get an idea what condition his body was in. It all felt all right. His feeling was confirmed by a purr/growl from Ember.

All right, then. "Put me down. I can run."

Ichigo stopped long enough for Kajin to slide gracelessly off his shoulder and helped him up, before taking off running down the long hallway, chasing after Ben, who was carrying Natsu, and Edward. Kajin gave a small shake of his head, wishing he was more alert, and ran after them.

Ember, meanwhile, was doing the mental equivalent of a cat stretched out in the sun. How did we end up here, anyway?

You can always look back through my memories, Kajin replied.

I don't feel like it, Ember yawned. Even though it was all mental, Kajin was still able to produce an image of the dragon's toothy maw, scarlet eyes glinting with dangerous intelligence.

Whatever, Kajin thought, waving away Ember's laziness. Just make yourself useful for once and tell me what you think of these other guys.

Ember seemed to think for a moment, before replying. You should stay near the Jedi, Ben. He knows where he is going here, and he seems like a trustworthy boy. The Alchemist Edward has had a rather torturous experience, but he is clever and powerful. Natsu, however, should not be trusted near anything flammable, and seems to have limited brainpower. He kind of reminds me of you.

Huh? How so?

Oh, I don't know. You both use fire, but besides that, you also have destructive tendencies, can only think so far ahead, and charge headfirst into trouble on a daily basis. In other words, you're both idiots.

Hey!

Kajin was broken out of his internal argument by Ichigo, who had come to a stop without warning right in front of him, almost resulting in a collision.

Ember snorted. What's his problem?

Just shut up already, will you?

Kajin didn't think he was short. In fact, he knew he was taller than most humans. But Ichigo towered over him by at least six inches, and for once Kajin had to step around someone to see what was happening.

What was happening wasn't good.

In front of them stood a line of helmeted soldiers, each holding a gun of a sort Kajin had never seen and aiming it at the escapees. Ben had handed Natsu off to Edward, who looked like he was struggling under the weight of the bigger boy, though Kajin could tell he would never admit it. The Jedi was standing between them and the soldiers, practically staring them down. Ichigo whistled under his breath, so softly that Kajin hardly heard it. He looked over, curious to what had the Soul Reaper so impressed, and had to do a double take, trying hard not to gasp.

There were two Ichigo's, one in a billowy black outfit, the other wearing what resembled a 21st century outfit. The one in black was the same Ichigo Kajin had seen before; he had a permanent scowl that could give Soron a run for his money, plus that jumbo sword. The other one had a slightly frightened, jumpy expression, and was carrying, of all things, a stuffed lion toy. They may have looked alike, but it only took Kajin seconds to spot the differences in character.

Care to explain that, Ember?

The dragon huffed. I was going to, but you told me to shut up.

I meant stop saying things that don't help, not stop talking entirely!

Ember's offended voice was obviously staged. Well, how was I supposed to know that?,before continuing. Simply put, you and the other three boys here are the only ones able to see the Ichigo with the sword.

Weird, but not shocking. How?

That is only his soul. Soul Reapers are spirits, in particular, dead spirits. They don't have bodies.

So why are there two of him?

Ichigo is a special case. He is a Substitute Soul Reaper, the result of spirit energies being inserted into his body from another Soul Reaper. His spirit is dead, but his body is not, so he can still return to it. He currently has an artificial soul inhabiting his body, so that nobody has to carry it. The toy is that soul's regular body, when not in use. Ember stirred, and Kajin pictured his eyes narrowing. He is extremely powerful, and I can sense another spirit living inside him.

Like an Iri?

No, something else. Ember sighed. Besides that we are lucky to have him on our side, I can't tell you anything else.

How do you know so much about another universe?

For a moment, Kajin's head was completely silent. I honestly don't know.

Great. Real helpful.

He would have commented, but he was forced to focus his attention on the confrontation when one of the aliens, an officer from the looks of him, stepped forward and said something in a language that sounded like it was meant to cut through metal.

Ben responded by just spreading his hands in front of him. The message was obvious: I don't understand.

The officer looked extremely annoyed, for no good reason. After all, how were they expected to know gibberish? Kajin caught a glimpse of Edward trying hard not to smile, and Ichigo looked like he might join him.

The officer repeated what he said earlier, slower this time. Ben just stood there and shrugged, smiling.

Kajin decided then and there that these were his kind of people. No one else he knew could perplex a military officer as easily as Ben just did. And he was finding it just as funny as Edward and Ichigo were.

The officer gave up and said something into a device attached to his arm, and the staring contest continued.

Finally, after a good seven minutes of tense silence, a portion of the wall behind the soldiers slid up, revealing a small lift with what looked like an even higher-ranking blue skin and three guards. This officer looked much more serious than the other, and was probably dangerous, given some of the experiences Kajin had lived through.

This officer stopped just behind the line of soldiers and examined the situation, his gaze settling on Ben, before the soldiers moved back to provide the officer a way through their ranks.

When he stood about five feet from Ben, there was another moment of silence before he spoke.

"You're rather young for the Jedi to send you out here."

Kajin raised an eyebrow when he heard the officer speak in Common. But, given that this universe's structure was so close to his own, he shouldn't have been too surprised. All the higher-ups of any race knew that one language everyone agreed to speak.

Ben just smiled before replying. "Age doesn't matter. It's experience that counts."

The alien nodded. "True. May I ask who you are?"

"Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker. But you knew that already, didn't you?"

This coaxed a smile onto the officer's face. "Indeed. I imagine it's rather hard to keep your identity a secret, no matter where you go."

Ben slowly shook his head. "You have no idea."

"My name is General Prard'ras'kleoni, but you humans find it easier to call me by my core name, Drask."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "You were on the Chaf Envoy for the expedition to Outbound Flight, weren't you?"

"Yes. I see your father has told you about that." Before Ben could say anything else, Drask turned sharply on his heel and barked an order at the troops behind him. They holstered their weapons and left down the corridor in perfect formation, their job done. When they were gone, Drask turned back to group of boys. "I have someone who is very interested in meeting you waiting up above. Follow me."