Soldier

A/N: Ichigo's family does not appear in the anime arc as this was a filler arc set between the Hueco Mundo arc. So I decided to go with creative license. Terms used in this chapter are at the bottom.

Also we moved Harry Potter's timeline up to mid-July when the Dementors showed up in Little Whinging from the first of August.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Reviews are welcomed, Flames aren't.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 2: Listen Children

Harry Potter wasn't having a good summer.

He was still recovering from the magical tourney held at Hogwarts last year. He had been entered despite the fact he was under age at the time, and entered against his will. It hadn't been fun. . . . in fact, it had been downright terrifying! Harry had so hoped for a quiet year, only to be put in mortal danger yet again! Frankly, he was fed up with Hogwarts and the whole bigoted, ignorant Wizarding World.

During the past year, unbeknownst to anyone including his close friends, Harry had been in contact with a race of beings who had no love for wizards, and very little respect – the goblins of Gringotts.

They were more than willing to work with the last heir of the Ancient and Noble house of Potter, and were appalled at how the scion had been raised ignorant of his heritage.

At Harry's request they had been searching for anyone that was even remotely related to him, other than the Dursleys. Harry didn't care if that relative was magical or not, anyone would do. And he made it plain that was how desperate he was to be free from everyone that thought they had a right to control his life.

Just before he left Hogwarts for the summer, Harry received a report informing him that on his grandmother Evan's side, there was family, very distant family.

He wrote a letter and sent it through muggle post via Dobby-mail. As of yet Harry hadn't received any replies and he had a suspicion that his mail was being screened when he used an owl.

He'd been forced to return to his 'prison' at Number 4 Privet Drive once more at the insistence of the headmaster of his school.

So no mail, no contact, had been the order. Harry was to 'grieve and make peace' with what happened this past school year on his own. That had been the old bastard's decree.

Harry made two trips into London to Gringotts before he was caught by the Order and brought back to his hell on earth. There was no way he was calling living with his relatives – home. They hated him as much as he did them!

He knew he was being watched, 'for his own good', but really, who were they kidding?

0o0o0o0o0o0

Dr. Isshin Kurosaki sat as his desk going over the letter he had received last week. He still didn't know what to do. The letter had been addressed to his very late wife who had been dead for over six years. It was from a young Englishman looking to connect with family?

The tall, muscular, unshaven Japanese man looked around at his office and sighed, then tossed the letter down on his desk. Besides being a doctor that ran a small clinic, Isshin had a deep secret that even his children didn't know – he was a retired Soul Reaper hiding in the Living World. He picked out another letter inviting him to a small medical conference in London, England. Maybe?

Entering the family living area he looked over at a huge, larger than life-size poster of his late wife Masaki. Maybe this was just what his son needed? Yes, he would take Ichigo with him, but first it was time to call in a favor.

"Oi Goat face!" called an orange-haired teen to his father.

"Ichigo!" The huge man made a dive towards the teen. "My son! If you have a problem, daddy can . . ."

Ichigo delivered kick to his father's face. "Can it! I'm going out!"

Isshin sighed, rubbing his throbbing face as he watched his son walk out the door. What he had to go through to keep this family together. . .

0o0o0o0o0o0

Two days later, Isshin and Ichigo were on a plane to England. His son had been hard to convince, but eventually agreed to come with him. The girls, Karin and Yuzu, had agreed stay with friends for the week.

Isshin peered over at his son who was listening to something on his ipad. He knew that Ichigo was living a secret life as a soul reaper and it broke his heart to know that his son was carrying such a heavy burden. There was nothing, as a father, he could do. Isshin could but give what support his son will allow him. It was still too painful to tell Ichigo his true past. It just wasn't the correct time.

Then there was the fact that his son had promised to help a dying zanpakuto. Even going so far as to allow the katana to temporarily bond with him – unheard of! Zanpakutos are suppose to die with their wielders. Granted his son had almost unlimited spiritual pressure, enough to support even two spirit swords. 'Ichigo's something else', he thought with a proud smirk.

He had heard the history behind that weapon from Kisuke Urahara, and just how powerful that zanpakuto had been.

Something told Isshin that Ichigo might find who he is looking for when they get to England.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Ichigo closed his eyes and escaped into his inner mind as the plane taxied down the runaway. He hated leaving Karakuro Town defenseless but his father had been adamant.

His inner mind-scape was as serene as normal. Zangetsu was standing on his flag pole and Shiro Ichigo was no where to be found. Nothing unusual there. He didn't feel like dealing with his inner hollow anyways.

Sitting against the flag pole was Muramasa. He was looking better than the last time Ichigo had seen him.

"Ichigo Kursaki," the teal-eyed spirit intoned softly, refusing to stand. Ichigo could see the spirit was still pretty weak.

"Hey, guys," Ichigo said stepping closer and squatted down to get a better look at Muramasa. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Arigato." The spirit opened his eyes to peer at the teen.

Ichigo gave a slight smile. "That's good. Look, we're going to England. Goat face insisted! Some conference, he says. Don't know why I have to go along, but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

"That is fine," the spirit said, not moving from where he was sitting against the flagpole as he glanced up to the blue sky between the sideways buildings. "I sense change is in the air."

"Ichigo," came the deep voice of Zangetsu, above them. "Can you feel it?"

Ichigo looked up through the sideways buildings at a blue sky dotted with white clouds. "Ah. I think I will be fulfilling my promise soon. Just hang on and get better."

"Let us hope so," Muramasa agreed, with a sigh closing his eyes. "Thank you for allowing me to heal here." Even with tapping into Ichigo's massive spirit energy, the zanpakuto was slow in recovering.

"Don't mention it," Ichigo assured him. "Just get better."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Harry was angry. He still hadn't heard from anyone and now he found out that he was being slandered in the magical world's paper, 'The Daily Prophet!' Honestly, didn't they know he had his ways of finding things out? Some friends he had.

His nightmares were getting bad and no one was helping him. His uncle threatened to beat the shite out of him if he didn't stop waking everyone up in the middle of the night. It had gotten so bad that Harry had sent away his beloved owl, Hedwig, so she didn't get hurt, or worse, killed.

Now he was kicked out of the house because of someone coming over for dinner. He had cooked the bloody meal, and he didn't even get to enjoy it! He snorted contemptuously. 'That's my life in Durzkaban for you.'

Harry sat on the beat up swing in the park not far from his house. His cousin Dudley and gang had really done damage to the park, and of course, Harry took the fall for it. To everyone in the neighborhood Harry was "that boy". The one who the Dursleys, out of the goodness of their hearts, had taken in. No one really wanted to go against the Vernon, or Dudley and his gang for that matter.

Thankfully tonight Dudley's hoodlums were busy elsewhere. Dudley had been made to stay home to foster the illusion of being a proud, normal family.

It was unusually cold out for a summer's evening, and Harry shivered as a frigid wind bit through his ragged clothes and across his thin body. He was only wearing a torn t-shirt and ragged jeans that were several sizes too big for his small frame.

Suddenly, he heard a woman scream: "NO! Not Harry!"

Then a man saying: "Out of the way you foolish woman!"

Harry, clutched his head and hopped off the swing as two huge, shrouded nightmarish creatures floated towards him. Dementors!

Just as he was about to cast the one spell that would save his life another figure stepped between him and the ghoulish guards of Azkaban.

Before Harry could shout a warning the orange haired figure, dressed in black, raised a huge meat cleaver-like sword and shouted: "Getsuga Tensho!"

A huge wave of black and red energy shot out of the sword towards the dementors and cut the pair of monsters into a shower of black glittery bits!

0o0o0o0o0o0

Earlier that night Ichigo slumped in the taxi that pulled into a suburb of perfect little houses. "What the hell?!"

"According to my research, this Harry Potter is related to you on your mother's side. He contacted us, looking for family," Isshin told his son. "Keep an open mind."

Ichigo snorted. "Che! What a drag." He didn't like where this was going. Too many things just didn't add up. For one, Goat Face was, for once, acting normal.

The dinner was just as bad as both Isshin and Ichigo feared. The Dursleys were self-centered, self-important asses in the teen's opinion.

There was no sign of Harry Potter living in this house. The only pictures displayed were of the three Dursleys. When they arrived, Ichigo could feel an itching sensation when he stepped out of the taxi. He was sure they'd crossed a barrier of some sort, and a weak one at that.

"Hey jii! "Where's this Potter kid we came to see?" Ichigo asked in Japanese.

Isshin shrugged before turning back to the approaching Petunia Dursley.

"I'm going outside," Ichigo said switching to English as he rather rudely stood. He'd had enough. The teen-aged boy he was introduced to, Dudley, was a pig and an over-sized one at that! Mrs. Dursley was a stuck-up prune and Ichigo shuddered just being in the same room as the husband Vernon.

In his mind, there was something off about the whole situation.

Ignoring the offers to have their precious 'Dudders' show Ichigo around the neighborhood, the orange-haired teen left, slamming the door behind him.

He froze on the doorstep and stared up into the darkening sky, seeing two eerie shapes soaring overhead. Hollows? Here? It can't be.

He took out a green pill and popped it into his mouth as he pulled a large pentagram pendant and pressed it to his chest. Suddenly standing on the front step of the Dursley's were two Ichigo Kurosaki's. One was dressed in a long sleeve shirt and jeans while the other was dressed in traditional Japanese attire, all black, known as 'shihakusho.' The most unusual accessory was the large meat cleaver-like katana wrapped in white linen and strapped to his back.

"Kon! Go hide and stay out of trouble. Don't go back in the house!" shouted the one dressed in black.

"Ich. . Ichigo?" stuttered the normal dressed one.

"Do It!" The black clad one shot straight up into the air, knowing that the modified soul that had taken over his body would obey him or Ichigo would do terrible things to it.

In the nearby park, there were two mini Menos standing in front of a boy that looked to be 12 or 13. Hollows came in many forms and sizes, but Ichigo had never seen anything like those two. Menos usually tower over humans far more than these two did.

Shaking the white wrap off his zanpakuto, Zangetsu, Ichigo landed in front of the kid.

It hadn't taken much work to remove the threat.

As Ichigo straightened with the satisfaction that those two Menos would never eat another soul, a voice spoke from behind him.

"Merlin! Who are you and how did you do that?"

0o0o0o0o0

Again thanks to NeoRyu777 for the terms and if you need more information look up Bleach Wiki.

Shinigami – Death God, Soul Reaper

Zanpakuto – Basically, the sword every Shinigami uses. It has a spirit that communicates with its user, and when evolved can use specialized attacks.

Katana – Japanese style sword

shihakusho – also known as the garment of death. According to Bleach wiki: A black kinomo. It is customary to wear a white undergarment underneath.

Menos – Based in Spanish, meaning "Minus" – a reference to souls that have not degenerated, known as "Plus" souls – After a Hollow has eaten enough souls, it undergoes a transformation into a Menos.