Greed: Another chapter for those that have showed there love! And I mean love as in, "Thank you for not killing us!" Here are some answers to reviews that have been sent.

deidrasha the fallen angel: glad you enjoyed the mayhem! Heehee=] I will always enjoy a confidence booster like your review!

Anon6: I am well aware of the fact that Shiro and Tensa Getsuga merged together in order to fight Ichigo while he was trying to learn the final Getsuga. However, this is not very relevant to MY story. As I stated in the first chapter, "Any other inconsistencies with the story, you can just ignore." But thank you for trying to help, if that was your intention.

Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo: Believe me, I would love that just as much as the next person…. So, to make us both happy… I'll start on a one shot with a ton of ShiroIchi yaoiness! Whoot whoot!

SoulReaper1975: Thank you bunches! And here is your update! YAY! ~(-,-)~ Wiggle wiggle wiggle!

Mayuzu: glad you enjoyed the twist! (not the dance, I swear) But like I said to Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo, I'll have a one-shot with them up, hopefully soon. I need some ideas, though.

Vanity: Alright. There are your answers. Now read the damned story!

Greed: Now you're the one being mean, Vanity. Enjoy, my underlings! *cough cough* I mean readers! READERS!

Both: We don't own. DUH!

Salvation? … Chapter 3

"King, ya 'ave ta calm down!" Shiro warned as he sensed the panic within his host's mind. The teenager's inner world was literally a typhoon. "You're leaking spirit pressure!" But his warning came too late.

Three Shinigami were already on the young boy's tail. Soi Fon had been tracking him for three days straight, and at the slightest change in reiatsu, she dropped whatever she was doing and came after the terrified boy. And now she was back on him along with two of her squad. Kurotsuchi and Kenpachi hadn't been seen since that first attack. It was just Soi Fon now. And the second captain of the Gotei 13 was a persistent being.

Shiro watched quietly as Ichigo struggled with the two shinigami accompanying that witch of a woman. Those bracelets were still on Ichigo's wrists. And she was going to pay dearly once they figured out how to get them off. His host wouldn't be having this much trouble with those pieces of trash if it wasn't for that reiatsu suppresser! And that annoying bitch! She was just standing there watching the proceedings before her. When Shiro got out of the shackles that scientist had put him in, he would die, and then she would.

A sickly smile formed upon his face. Ah, the future was something to look forward to.

…

Ichigo clashed swords with an unknown shinigami and dodged the second attacker's blade headed toward his leg. This would have been no problem if he had access to all of his energy. The two shinigami he was fighting were probably about fifth and sixth seat at most. And Soi Fon was always in the corner of his eye.

The boy upped his spirit pressure to the max that it would go with the band on his wrist. It gave him enough of an advantage to flash out of there. He could not stay and fight. He wasn't an idiot, contrary to popular belief. This was not a fight that was worth anything but his life. And to keep his life, running worked just fine at the moment. Usually, a fight the redhead fought was for the sake of others. And now he was running for himself. This was not cowardice. It was smart thinking.

Shiro, I need you to take over half of the spirit pressure. I can't keep it in check and run at the same time.

"What would ya do without me, king?" Shiro laughed. "But, I suppose I'll help you for now. Can't have you killing our body, can I?" The hollow took control of half of the available reiatsu, leaving his doppelgänger with the other half. Both halves were concealed quickly.

Ichigo ran through alleyways and behind houses when he could. He even went so far as to pass through the walls of homes, knowing the people in them could not see him, but feeling uncomfortable all the same. Soon, he was really and truly lost. He needed to go to Okayama and find the Vizards. There was no way that was going to happen with him lost.

Right now he was in a dark alley. The sun had just sunk below the horizon and Ichigo was growing tired. And hungry. He hadn't stopped to eat at all during his reckless flight from Karakura Town. And the boy had gotten very little rest. It was hard to keep his spirit pressure below the radar of others when sleeping, as had been proven several times thanks to the help of the shinigami. The most he could get was maybe an hour if he was lucky. Then his reiatsu would lash out of his body, jerking him awake, and forcing him to leave whatever hell hole he had decided to rest in.

A rather large box served as his shelter this time. A blanket was thrown over it in a lame attempt at privacy. He was a spirit. What kind of privacy did he need when humans were about? It was a slight comfort, though.

The teen was trying to clear his mind, however, when his thoughts went to his ex-allies. Why had him being what he was born as, made a different in how he was perceived? He was the same person he had been before and after the war with Aizen. And now, here he was, a pathetic excuse for the hero he had been. He was running from his supposed friends, dirty, hungry, and tired. Obviously, clearing his mind was not working.

Ichigo closed his eyes. When he opened them, it came as a surprise that he was in his inner world.

The blue of everything around him was almost blinding after being in that dank alley. But what was even more eye catching was the inverted version of himself that was in front of him. Shiro wasn't even wearing his usual grin at the sight of his king. He seemed to be serious for once. The white teen approached the tan one. "King, we need to figure out what the hell is going on around us. And soon."

"Don't you think I know that? Neither one of us know where the hell we need to be exactly. Then there seems to be a war, with us being Soul Society's only enemy. Soi Fon and her squad is becoming a big nuisance. And I'm sure Mayuri Kurotsuchi isn't far from trying to take us alive for experimentation. I realize that we are in trouble. And you need to realize that you are stating the obvious!" the king shouted at his horse.

Shiro's grin reappeared. His king had gotten his fire back. Soon, the horse was behind his king, arms wrapping around his waist. The poor teen was thinner than ever. "Ichigo," the hollow purred against the teen's exposed throat, "I would be careful if I were ya. Just 'cause I'm stuck in 'ere 'cause of that fuckin bracelet does not mean ya do not 'ave to worry about me. Nah, it's just tha opposite. I would be a lot more wary if I was you." The hollow swiped his tongue up from the junction of Ichigo's shoulder and neck, up to his jaw bone. The teen shuddered slightly, tense against the body of his inner demon.

"What are you doing, Shiro?" said teen asked with anger coloring his voice.

"What I want ta do," came the snide answer. "Yer too weak ta do anything."

"That may be true of me, but it's also true of you. All I have to do is call out my mask to cause you pain. Back the fuck off." The berry boy was livid at his hollow's advances. Never had the demon been so forward. However, before Shiro let go of the boy, he bit his neck and broke skin. The caught teen whipped around and shoved his double to the ground. "Bastard! What the hell are you thinking? Neither of us have the time for this shit if you haven't noticed? We are running to keep alive. Also, with this bracelet on, you can't take over. Or have you forgotten that?"

"'Course not, king. I'm just bored is all. You should play with me more often."

"Well, I don't like your idea of playing," Ichigo started in on the parasite then stopped. He was immediately back in the real world. What had made him freeze were the four heavy spirit pressures hanging over the town he was hidden in.

"They couldn't 'ave found us, king." The hollow's voice seemed to try and reassure the suddenly terrified child hidden within the alley.

"Then why are they here?" he whispered aloud.

"Who know? They probably had someone try ta figure out tha most likely place ye would end up, Ichi-berry," Shiro mocked. But it was actually a pretty smart assumption. Ichigo calmed his breathing from the ragged pants he had been taking into calmer, more shallow, breaths.

Now that he was calmer, Ichigo could tell that the shinigami he felt were miles or more away. Those cruel hunters were nowhere near his hiding spot. Even though he would prefer them to be two towns over, this seemed to be the best he could get at the moment. 'Should we move?' he asked.

"Only if they get closer," the parasite answered quickly. Ichigo asked the same of Zangetsu, who agreed. Moving now would have no meaning if they just bypassed the area. Waiting, for now, seemed to be the smartest move.

…

Soi Fon's eyes moved over the dark houses where humans were either already in bed or getting ready to lay themselves to sleep.

According to Mayuri, Kurosaki would be somewhere near or in this town. The problem was, there was no way her team could patrol the entire city without alerting the boy. Everyone in her squad could suppress their reiatsu, but it was taxing after so long in the human world. For now, it was just fine to search with their energy unmasked. If they got close enough to the boy, it could easily flush him out of hiding. Too bad Kurotsuchi didn't put a tracking beckon in one of the bracelets, the small captain found herself thinking for the fifth time that night alone.

…

They were closer now. Too close. The double mind within the same body had to move.

A hand slowly pushed the blanket covering the entrance of his small shelter away. He then exited the pathetic place he had to rest. But he was still tired. There had been no calming sleep to rest his eyes and mind and body. There had only been minutes of dozing before fear would crash into his body, sending his mind into alertness once more.

The thin body moved out of the alley, wary for any shinigami. Even though the boy could tell they were close, he could not pinpoint exactly where they were.

Instead of moving into the open streets, he went back into the alleyway and went into the closed restaurant that made up one of the outside walls. From there he exited through the other side and then into another building. He continued like this for the next two hours. Running down the streets would be idiotic, so this seemed to be the smartest option. He didn't account for one of the shinigami to be in one of the buildings he went through, though.

After entering a closed clothing store, the redhead was attacked out of nowhere. A shinigami with a strange shikai had flown at him from the roof. The shikai was like a double headed blade with a circular hold in the middle. It was easily spun by the shinigami and almost lopped off Ichigo's head before he threw himself backward and away from his opponent. "Bastard," the teen hissed.

"Give up, traitor, you have nowhere to go!" the unknown man shouted.

Traitor? They were labeling him a traitor? That was not true! After all he had done to help and he was reduced to the status of a deserter? Was that how they were justifying their actions against him to the lesser shinigami?

"I am no traitor!" he shouted to the man before him. He grabbed Zangetsu from his back and lunged. There was no way he could run in this condition. He had to incapacitate his attacker and bypass him. It was the only way he could see to get out of this situation.

"Why would I believe the words you spit out of that foul mouth?" the skillful man asked while blocking Zangetsu with his strange weapon. "But, I must say, you were quite easy to find with that shock of orange hair darting between buildings." Ichigo froze. It was his hair that had given him away? Shit! Why did he have to have such a strange appearance? "Die and repent your sins, traitor!"

The former substitute shinigami snapped out of his self-pity. He then dodged the attack aimed at his torso and flashed behind the attacking figure. He turned Zangetsu in his hands so that the bladeless edge was what would hit his opponent. And swung. The cleaver crashed against the unknown man's back in a diagonal line. Ichigo could hear the sickening sound of bone cracking as his sword hit the body before him. The shinigami dropped to the ground, in pain but still alive.

Ichigo knelt by the man and took a hold of his shinigami robes. "I'm sorry," the boy muttered several times as he tore off several strips of fabric from the man's clothing. He had to hide his hair.

The man stirred painfully. "Why didn't you kill me?" he croaked.

"I don't kill anything but hollows."

…

"Welcome to Okayama," read a sign covered by paint and graffiti. Unnoticed by the boy that skittered passed.

…

The wind howled.

There was nothing moving but the leaves on almost naked trees.

Further along the empty streets there was nothing human eyes could see. Yet there was something beyond human vision. Black clothes rustled in the foreboding wind, trailing behind a hooded youth. Silent footsteps land upon the earth and roofs of houses as the teen flashes deeper into the unfamiliar city. Frantic eyes swept the area as his mind searched for reasons that this could have happened. Ribbons of spirit energy crept passed his shield that was supposed to keep it hidden from the world. Shit. This was anything but good, the boy thought as dark figures appeared a short distance to his right.

This was really not good.

"Shinigami, eh?" one of the three figures cooed. This man had blonde hair cut in a bob. His companions were a white haired, muscular man, and a green haired, petite girl. "I didn't really expect on of you to show up here so soon. But that won't matter. We'll just dispose of you here and now."

Ichigo's eyes widened. This couldn't be happening. Now they were dressing normally to blend in or something? What was going on? He didn't answer. He just ran the opposite direction. Unfortunately, those that had found him were not too keen on letting him go.

The blond man was now in front of him, sword drawn and fighting stance ready. "Now, now, that's nothing to do. You're being rude. Draw your sword and fight." The cold eyes of the man scanned the kid. "Though, it doesn't seem like you have much reiatsu. Oh well, a fight is a fight. You shouldn't have come here." Before the teen could speak, the man lunged forward.

Ichigo got his large sword up just in time to block the attack, but he was thrown back into the wall of the nearest building. He dropped to the ground after attempting to step away from the building. On his knees now, the boy looks up at his oppressors. The white haired one was now in front of him with the girl off to the side. The older man landed a kick on Ichigo that sent him across the street. The green haired girl was giggling away at Ichigo's beating. "Kensei, this shinigami is no fun! Finish him off already."

"Yeah, he's not very skilled," the man named as Kensei agreed. "I didn't think Soul Society was the type to send them out right after graduating from the academy."

The blond marched up to the downed teen. "Doesn't matter. We need to get rid of him before other shinigami know that he's here." His sword's tip rested on the boy's abdomen and then he pressed down, sending the tip into skin. Ichigo's fluttering eyes snapped open and he screamed as the sword was then dragged down.

"Damn, Shinji, are you gonna make him suffer?" the girl asked.

"Shut up, Mashiro. The damn shinigami need to learn to leave us the hell alone." Shinji sighed. "I feel bad for doing this, but they won't learn unless we are harsher than we have been." He looked down at the panting shinigami. Hell, he only looked like a kid. This was better than him having to die by a hollow's hands, though. He put his beloved sword to the shinigami's throat. Then a hand came up and closed around the metal. A surprising amount of reiatsu came from the rookie, but it still wasn't even half of the ex-captain's energy. It was enough to shock the blond and let his sword be pushed away.

Then the hooded death god was trying to run. Kensei stopped him, though. The muscular man came up behind the skinny boy and put his arms under and then around his shoulders. Even with the almost fatal wound on his stomach, the kid was putting up a hell of a fight. His hood was slipping off his head, just not enough to show anything yet.

Shinji walked calmly around to the front of the struggling body. "I'll make this quick if you would just hold still, idiot!" he barked.

Orange hair started to slip from beneath the makeshift hood. Black could be seen creeping through the sclera in the boy's eyes. The pupils were turning into a cat-like yellow. A mask started to form over the teen's left eye. "Leave us alone!" exited the teen's mouth, slightly distorted, as if two people were speaking.

Shinji stopped himself from moving away in shock. How was this possible? They heard that Aizen was dead, so there should be any new Vizards created by him, and that crazy ex-scientist captain wouldn't do such a thing. So, why, oh why, was there another of them standing right here? And if his looks were anything to judge by—now that the obscuring hood was removed—this child had been running. Running from who was far too easy to guess.

Then the boy started screaming. Screaming in obvious pain. Kensei dropped the orange haired Vizard in obvious confusion. But then the two men noticed the kid was clawing at his mask with one hand, and his other was clawing at the bracelet that covered the opposite wrist. Shinji got the picture quickly. The shinigami—no, he was a Vizard now—needed the mask or the bracelet off. The masked seemed to be the easiest problem to deal with. So, he took the hilt of his sword and smashed it into the white, bone-like substance oozing out of the tear duct of the left eye. The screaming stopped almost immediately.

However, the pain didn't. Ichigo coughed up blood. His stomach was aching. His head hurt as if it had been repeatedly pounded into a concrete block.

He blacked out.

…

Greed: Whew! That was one hell of a chapter! Poor Ichi got attacked thanks to mistaken identity! That's never good. Hope it was good for you though! I had a ton of fun writing it!

Vanity: We, had fun writing it. I am pretty happy with the way this turned out! Hopefully the next chapter goes well for Ichi. He needs a break.

Both: Review please!