Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does.

Feedback: Reviews are what keep me writing, so please don't forget to review! No flames though.

A/N: Sorry for the wait. Originally, I wanted to update monthly but unfortunately that didn't work out (Not that I won't be doing that in the future!).

And just so you guys know:

Italics means thoughts.

'Italics in single quotes means Ichigo's thoughts while talking to his Hollow.'

'A bold, italicized font means Ichigo's inner Hollow is talking.'

Thanks seji and mysticalphoenix-avalon for your reviews! I'm looking forward to writing Ichigo and co's reaction to the news of his future daughter. Thank you to everyone who added me to their alerts, don't forget to review as well!

Edited 1/22/18

Tsubokura Rin couldn't stifle the yawn that escaped from his lips as he rubbed his tired eyes; he hadn't slept in over twenty four hours. Just when he had been about to be relieved from his post, the alarms had sounded indicating an unusual spurt of Reiatsu that had been similar in nature to the opening of a Senkaimon gate, but surprisingly its force was five times that of the latter. He along with the other members of the Shinigami Research and Development Department had been working nonstop to discover who was behind this mysterious Reiatsu. Thus far, they had figured out that the disturbance had originated in a sector where Kurosaki Ichigo had been fighting some Hollows in the Fake Karakura Town and that half an hour later that same Reiatsu was detected at a reduced strength for about ten seconds. They were certain that it belonged to some type of portal that was unlike a Garganta or Senkaimon and that there was no indication of Aizen or Arrancar in the area.

However, they had been unable to detect who or what had come out of it and whether they were still in the vicinity.

Kurotsuchi-taichō and Yamamoto-sōtaichō had already been informed of the situation.

Yawning yet again, Rin continued to stare at the screen before him, studying it. Suddenly, the screen lit up announcing the presence of that elusive Reiatsu.

"Hey! It's that Reiatsu again!" he cried out, snapping awake one of his companions.

"It's moved to a different sector," Hiyosu, the green researcher, said, reading the information on his own computer.

"It barely lasted ten seconds again," Rin pointed out.

Hiyosu grunted, annoyed. "Damn it, it's gone."

Yet again, they were left without a trace of the intruder.

Ukitake Jūshirō was resting in his bed, watching as the sun was starting to peek through the blinds when his eyes widened upon briefly sensing a strange Reiatsu. What was that? He wondered. It seemed to be coming from far away yet it was still strong enough for him to sense.

"Always been an early riser, haven't you?" Shunsui smiled as he appeared at the doorway without his straw hat; it had been lost during the battle with Starrk. He'd managed to recover his pink flowered kimono that he typically wore over his taichō's haori though it was a bit singed.

"Did you sense it?" Jūshirō asked, ignoring his old friend's teasing remarks.

"Yes, I sensed it last night as well. It was much stronger then. I thought perhaps Ichigo-kun had taken care of whatever appeared."

"Last night?"

"Seems like you must have been pretty out of it."

"It seems that I was," the white-haired man admitted. He suspected that it was the medicine in the tea given to him by Unohana-taichō that had caused him to fall into a deep sleep. Despite his injuries being completely healed by Orihime, the Fourth Squad medic had been adamant he stay on bed rest because of his underlying illness. The fight had caused a lot of exertion on his body.

"Last night, Ichigo-kun was fighting some Hollows when I sensed that Reiatsu. As far as I know, nothing serious has occurred. I'm sure Yama-jii would have told us by now if that were the case."

Jūshirō nodded, concern clouding his features.

Shunsui sighed."Reinforcements arrived yesterday. Didn't get a chance to tell you because Unohana-taichō said you needed your rest."

"You mean..."

"One of the divisions was called in."

Neither man liked the idea of the divisions being involved in the Winter War, but it seemed that the current situation called for it. The original plan had been to deal with Aizen in Fake Karakura Town with just the Gotei 13 elite and Ichigo and his friends. However, those plans have changed due to the unfortunate escape of Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen. It seemed that the former Fifth Division taichō had just been toying with them because even if Byakuya and the others had arrived earlier, it didn't seem like it would have been a valid reason for him to depart since he didn't seem bothered by Ichigo, the only one who hadn't seen his Shikai. The real reason surmised by Jūshirō, Shunsui, and the rest of the Gotei 13 was that the Hōgyoku was still not ready. Regardless, Yamamoto's stand was that the artificial town had to be maintained as long as possible and with the injuries plaguing the Shinigami and the uncertainty of Aizen's next move, it made sense to reinforce the city. It was a war that they could not afford to lose after all.

Down the hall, Hitsugaya Tōshiro stopped in front of a door then slowly cracked it open and peered inside. As expected, he found his childhood friend, Hinamori Momo and fukutaichō, Matsumoto Rangiku sleeping soundly. He carefully shut the door behind him and sat down in the chair that was between both patients' beds.

Ever since they were moved into this room three days ago, he always came early to visit the two most important women in his life since sleeping did not come easily to him these days. It had only been four days ago when they had all had been engaged in fighting; he'd come so close to losing both of them but fortunately they were both safe and sound, recuperating. He took a moment to stare at his fukutaichō, who was snoring in her sleep as usual. He couldn't help but notice the troubled look in her azure gaze when he informed her about his battle with Gin and his subsequent escape. He understood the betrayal she felt but all the same he hated seeing her feel saddened if only for a moment because of that bastard. He couldn't help but wish he had been able to finish him off.

He turned his gaze towards Hinamori. Her usually pinned up hair was loose and a tranquil look graced her features. He was glad that she seemed to be doing a lot better mentally as well as physically. Matsumoto had told him when they were alone that she referred to Aizen as Aizen-taichō when she had arrived on the battle scene. He had questioned Hinamori about it and she had said it was out of habit; it seemed that it was finally getting through to her head that Aizen was a traitor although he did not press her too much on the subject for fear of upsetting her.

He was just happy with her current progress and the fact that she was alive. According to Kira, Hinamori could have been dead if not for the timely arrival of the Fourth Division taichō. Unfortunately, she had arrived on time due to Hiyori's fatal injury. While he has glad that his friend was alive, he didn't like that the young Visored had perished.

Suddenly, Hinamori shifted slightly causing a stray hair to fall into her face, across her closed lids. She twitched slightly, seemingly bothered by it. Before he knew it, he had stood up and brushed the hair away from her face. For a moment, he studied her face and the rise and fall of her chest. All of a sudden, he heard a loud yawn behind him.

"Morning, Taichō," Rangiku greeted him through her yawn.

Tōshirō turned to her, whispering harshly, "Would you shut up!"

She looked confused for a moment then she mouthed "gomen nasai." She always forgot that she shared the room with someone else.

The white-haired prodigy glanced over his childhood friend. Thankfully she was still asleep or so he thought. A moment later, she began to stir and then she opened her eyes.

"Hitsugaya-kun." She blinked, staring at him.

"Hinamori," he greeted her, smiling slightly then frowning, added, "It's Hitsugaya-taichō."

He shot an annoyed glare at the blonde-haired woman behind him. "Look what you've done. You've woken her."

"Oops." Rangiku smiled apologetically.

"It's okay, I'm fine. I've had a good night's sleep anyway."

"Me too. Well, I could have slept more but I'm hungry. What's for breakfast, Taichō?"

He sighed in response; of course, there had to be a reason why Matsumoto was awake so early.

"Hey! That was mine!" Ichigo cried out, as Renji snatched one of his bowls filled with steamed rice and nattō, fermented soybeans.

"You snooze, you lose."

"I'm gonna get you back for that later," Ichigo snapped as he continued stuffing his mouth with the remaining food he had.

"We'll see about that." The red-haired man smirked as he plopped himself next to Sado, who was sitting across from Ichigo.

"Kurosaki-kun, you can have some of mine," Orihime offered, smiling. She was sitting on the other side of Sado, wearing a Shihakushō instead of the uniform given to her by Aizen.

Ichigo paused in his eating, "It's alright, Inoue. I'm fine."

"Oh, okay." Orihime's smile faltered slightly, but Ichigo didn't notice as he continued to eat, Uryū on the other hand did. He was sitting right across from her to the right of the orange-haired substitute Shinigami.

Silence resumed as Ichigo and his friends with the notable exception of Rukia, who was visiting her taichō, finished eating their breakfast. The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky above them but they weren't bothered by it thanks to the cover provided by the trees surrounding them. It had been Orihime's idea to have breakfast at Karakura Park under the warm sun instead of their usual spot in the hospital's cafeteria. They had only stayed in the hospital one night before Ichigo, Sado, Uryū, and Orihime moved into the replica of Ichigo's home much to the annoyance of Yamamoto. Despite the fact that the house along with the rest of the buildings of the town resembled nothing more than a large dollhouse—furniture intact but no actual possessions— Ichigo preferred to stay in a place that was his own rather than with the rest of the Shinigami. Besides, he had argued it was better to have everyone spread out instead of the same place and it wasn't that far from the hospital. Rukia served as their liaison, dividing her time between staying at Ichigo's house and the hospital. The truth was they always came to the hospital to eat anyway since there was no food available except for what was brought over from the Soul Society.

Ichigo suddenly looked over his bowl as he swallowed the last mouthful and said, "Yo, Rukia!"

Orihime and Renji turned around to indeed find the petite Shinigami behind them. "Hey, guys," she said as she walked around to sit between Renji and Ichigo.

"So, how was Ukitake-san?" Ichigo asked as he deposited his empty bowl on the ground.

"He's fine," Rukia replied, a hint of gravity underlying her words. "Unohana-taichō said that he doesn't have to be on bed rest anymore but nonetheless he should take it easy as usual."

"What's the matter?" The orange-haired teen pressed, sensing that something wasn't right.

Rukia sighed. "I'm afraid that it seems that there's an intruder among us."

Orihime gasped, Sado grunted, and Uryū's eyes widened while Renji shouted, "What the hell?"

"While I was visiting my taichō, a Jigokuchō came to inform us about a strange Reiatsu that was detected last night by the Research Department which you might have sensed, considering it was pretty strong. It seems to have come from some kind of portal but so far it has not been determined whether the so-called intruder left or is still on the loose. It was detected when you were fighting Hollows, Ichigo." Rukia turned her violet gaze on him. "And two other times. Did you notice anything strange, Ichigo?"

Ichigo's brows furrowed as he thought back to last night. "I do remember sensing that Reiatsu, but I didn't really notice anything strange. It was just a bunch of Hollows."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Well," he paused. "I kinda did notice that the Hollows seemed to be different than normal."

"How so?" Uryū asked, joining the conversation.

"They were faster than normal Hollows and they had more Reiryoku," he responded.

"More Reiryoku?" Rukia repeated. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Maybe because your Reiryoku sensing abilities have always been questionable," the Quincy pointed out.

The substitute Shinigami glared. "Oi! I've improved them."

"Or maybe you've just gone soft. What's a matter Ichigo, can't handle a bunch of old Hollows anymore?" the red-haired Shinigami chimed in with a teasing grin on his lips, earning him an annoyed glare from the orange haired teen.

"I see. I'll need to report this," Rukia said.

"So, what about this intruder?" the substitute Shinigami wondered, excitement shining in his amber orbs. "Are we gonna go find him?"

"No," the raven haired girl responded but before she could continue Ichigo burst out saying.

"What the hell? What do you mean we aren't gonna find him?"

"Yamamoto-sōtaichō has asked everyone to be on high alert for anything unusual but as it stands now the Seventh Division has been tasked with finding the intruder."

"The Seventh Division?" Uryū echoed.

"Yes, they just arrived last night actually."

Uryū shot him a pointed look. Earlier the Quincy had mentioned that there were a couple of unfamiliar faces, maybe six or seven, in the cafeteria but Ichigo had just shrugged it off, not really caring. The truth was he vaguely remembered the names and faces of the Shinigami he'd met.

"Why the hell can't we? I'm not just gonna wait around..." Ichigo snapped.

"Ichigo," Rukia chided. "Just let them do their job. What's the point in getting involved if maybe it's not that serious? Aizen has not been sighted or detected, and besides based on what you've told me it might just be Hollow related."

"It might just be that Aizen is now altering all Hollows," the Quincy stated, his expression grim.

Everyone froze as they pondered the Quincy's statement.

"Let's just focus on training," Rukia said in an attempt to refocus everyone's thoughts.

Ichigo scowled, standing up, but before he could take a step, he felt a sharp tug on his sleeve that sent him crashing onto the floor. "What the hell, Rukia?"

The whip like sword came at him full speed only to clash against his own cleaver like blade. The resulting impact rang loudly in his ears and tremors shook his arms. He pushed against the blade. Metal scraped against metal until Renji recalled his sword. Zabimaru slinked back to its master for a second before flying towards Ichigo once more. He leapt up from his position on the ground, avoiding the pick like intrusions jutting out from Zabimaru and then in a rare act he focused on the energy surrounding his sword. The energy swirled and pulsated, ready to be released in a large blast, but instead it came out as a condensed half-moon streaking towards the red head. Despite its smaller size, the power emanating from it combined with its speed and precision would have made significant damage had Renji even lingered a millisecond longer before Shunpoeing away.

Grass and dirt filled the air. A hole marred the once pristine emerald surface. Renji didn't have a chance to even glance at it as he shifted his sword, blocking Ichigo's incoming attack. Their fight continued for several moments before Renji broke out saying, "Alright, that's enough playing around. Let's get down to business."

"Alright," Ichigo agreed.

"I mean it, Ichigo," the pineapple haired man said, fixing his gaze on him.

"We're in a war," Renji reminded Ichigo. "We can't afford to slack off, so hit me with all you've got, including your Hollow powers."

Ichigo stared at him surprised; he supposed that he shouldn't have been, it was Renji after all, but nonetheless he couldn't help it.

He contemplated his friend's words. They were true. They had to be prepared to face whatever lay ahead of them, but he wasn't sure if he should fulfill Renji's request. He had no doubt Renji would rise to the challenge of fighting him with his mask on, even if he'd never beaten him in previous fights without a mask. That was not his worry, his Hollow was. Ever since he suppressed his inner Hollow thanks to the Visoreds' training, his Hollow's comments had been drowned out to mere whispers, but lately his voice had started to grow louder. He'd noticed it the day after the fight with Aizen. Yet another sign that his hold on his Hollow was unraveling.

'Are we seriously gonna fight him, King?' sneered his Hollow.

'He's pathetic. He's not even worth my time.'

What the hell? Was his Hollow honestly turning down a fight?

'But I suppose it's better than nothing,' he laughed. 'Killing him now would mean no more fights with his pathetic ass.'

'Hey! You're not gonna kill him, he's my friend,' Ichigo growled. 'Besides, you're not in control, I am.'

'Are you sure about that?' he cackled.

Anger surged through Ichigo. No, he wasn't gonna let him get to him.

'I'm sure,' Ichigo retorted. 'Just shut the hell up'

'Maybe, you are,' the Hollow allowed then added, 'But for how long? I'm coming back, King.'

'No, I won't let you,' Ichigo yelled, concentrating on pushing him out of his head.

"Yo, Ichigo! What's it gonna be?" Renji called out, snapping him out of his thoughts.

The orange-haired teen glanced at his friend. His Hollow had admitted that he was still in control and that in itself was at least positive. He made up his mind.

"Alright, Renji." Ichigo nodded. "Let's do this."

"I'm gonna kick your Visored ass," the Sixth division fukutaichō grinned cockily.

Ichigo smirked. "I told you I was gonna get you for breakfast. So,now's the time to pay, Abarai."

They stared at each briefly before calling on their second release.

"Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!"

"Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru!"

"All right," Renji murmured to himself, as he glanced up to see his friend's face donning a Hollow mask. It was strange seeing that white mask with four thick black stripes that started from the widened eye holes and disappeared into the top of his mask and below his jaw covering his friend's face. And even weirder were his eyes. His left eye looked normal enough but the right eye showed neither sclera or iris. Ignoring his senses that were screaming that this was a Hollow before him, he braced himself for the fight.

A couple of hundred of feet away, Rukia glanced up, sensing the spike in Ichigo and Renji's Reiatsu. Ichigo. She could feel it in his Reiatsu, the way the Hollow's Reiatsu melded with his usual Shinigami Reiatsu; he was Hollowfied. He was wearing that new mask; the one that seemed to mark the change in him. He'd definitely grown stronger because of his fights in Hueco Mundo but somehow down the line he'd seemed to have lost his spirit. She'd already smacked him to snap him out of his post-Aizen funk, but still there seemed to be an underlying reason for the way he was behaving. She suspected it was because of his Hollow. She heard Ishida and Inoue's accounts of Ichigo's transformation during their group meeting, but Ichigo himself hadn't really talked to her about it, so she hadn't bothered him about. She just hoped he would take whatever steps were necessary to master the Hollow within him.

Rukia winced as pain shot up her shoulder.

"Gomen nasai," Orihime immediately apologized.

Rukia mentally cursed herself for getting distracted. "Don't apologize. We're training after all."

"Right." Orihime nodded.

Rukia noticed that the auburn-haired girl was looking out of the corner of her eye, over the tree tops, at the fight between Ichigo and Renji. In all honesty it seemed like Ichigo was running circles around Renji's giant skeletal snake and that it wasn't much of a fight.

"Striking when an opponent is distracted can be advantageous, Inoue," Rukia began lecturing, immediately regaining the girl's attention. "So don't be afraid to strike when the opportunity arises. Your enemy won't be so forgiving."

Orihime nodded.

Rukia gracefully leapt into the air and disappeared. Orihime scanned the area, awaiting her friend's attack. Above her a blue glow appeared.

"Sōkatsui!"

The Kidō spell sizzled as it met with Orihime's orange shield. Rukia flipped in mid air over the girl, already preparing her next attack.

"Sōkatsui!" she yelled out as she shot the spell towards Orihime's exposed back but once again her attack was denied.

She's definitely improved, Rukia thought, as she landed behind the girl. High in the sky, a sound like a zipper being unopened erupted, revealing a horde of Hollows. Small and big Hollows rubbed against each other like squirming worms as they spilled out from the Garganta, covering the sky.

"Getsuga Tenshō!"

Ichigo's attack wiped out a third of them only to reveal two Arrancars. He was already streaking towards them, Renji hot on his tail. Blue arrows and energy blasts illuminated the sky over the area where Sado and Uryū had been training further reducing the number of Hollows, but there was still another cluster heading towards Rukia and Orihime.

Rukia reached for her Zanpakutō at her waist and held out in front of her, turning it counter clockwise in front of her. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she called out and as soon as the blade became snow white, she attacked.

"Some no mai, Tsukishiro," she yelled, creating a large circle of ice, a hundred feet ahead of her that enveloped the Hollows in a pillar of ice, rendering them into tiny ice fragments. Some Hollows though had managed to evade her ice circle. It seemed like Ichigo was probably right; these Hollows were a bit tougher but not that bad. She flew towards them, slashing and striking every Hollow within her reach; four of the Hollows dodged her attacks and flew past her and several more were still coming. Inoue, she thought as she blocked off incoming strike from a reptilian looking hand.

"I reject, Koten Zanshun!"

Rukia killed her opponent just in time to notice that the Hollow, a large, apelike creature, had easily dodged Orihime's attack and was still coming towards her.

"Sōkatsui!" She fired the spell towards it, but it barely even grazed his back as he easily sidestepped it. Before she could even try another attack, a Hollow came at her from behind.

Kuchiki-san, Orihime thought as she watched her friend get caught off guard. If only Tsubaki had destroyed the Hollow. No, she couldn't allow those thoughts. She had to fight just like her friends; that's why she'd been training. She'd survived Hueco Mundo. This was just a mere Hollow, she could do this. With a determined look, she called upon Tsubaki again, firing him straight at the gorilla bodied creature.

Why did it have to be an ape Hollow? She thought disappointedly, watching as he nimbly avoided Tsubaki again and all subsequent attacks as she tried in vain to stop him. She focused her energy on one final attack, but he jumped, appearing right above her. He lowered his fist only to strike her Santen Kesshun. She stared as he shook his head and fists angrily. Behind her, she heard a snarling noise. Her eyes widened as she felt claws grab her waist; she'd been so caught up in trying to destroy one particular Hollow that she'd forgotten about the others. Her shield immediately went down, and the apelike Hollow reached for her even as she was being dragged away. She turned to stare into glowing red eyes that seemed to be eyeing her greedily.

Air rushed by her face as a cinder block fist punched the Hollow holding her in place; she fell watching as both Hollows fought each other. She landed with a loud thunk on the ground. Shaking away her disorientation she started to rise, but to her horror a shadow loomed over her and nails starting digging into her legs.

She cried out.

Suddenly a cool mist began to cover the area. Orihime watched as the Hollow paused for a moment and then the familiar sound of a swinging sword met her ears. Instantly she felt the claws in her legs disappear, and through the fading reishi and mist, she caught a glimpse of orange.

Kurosaki-kun.

He had saved her yet again; while she was glad she couldn't help but feel dismayed with herself. Through the haze, she watched as his orange-haired figure moved swiftly and with a purpose as he dealt with the remaining Hollows, but then as it cleared up more she realized the extent of the hair flowing down his back. Not again, she thought as dread filled her. Images of that horrible mask with the horns and his lack of self control flashed through her mind, making her heart race.

He stopped as the last Hollow died, slipping his katana into the sheath at his waist. Confusion overcame her; he always carried his Zanpakutō on his back whenever it reverted back to his Shikai, but wasn't he still in Bankai wearing that awful mask? What was going on?

Suddenly a gust of wind blew away the remaining mist, revealing not Ichigo but a female Shinigami with bright orange hair that matched Ichigo's own hair. It flowed down to the middle of her back, not straight like Ichigo's Hollow transformation, but like Kuchiki Byakuya's or Rukia's hair. A white crescent moon barrette stuck out amidst the girl's sunset colored hair.

Standing in front of the female Shinigami was Ichigo, still in his Bankai form sans mask, coat billowing behind him with Zangetsu slung across his right shoulder.

"You all right, Inoue?" he asked, glancing over the female Shinigami.

She nodded and then he turned his attention to the girl in front of him."Who are you?"

Quick Glossary:

Shinigami- soul reaper

Reiryoku= spiritual energy/power

Reiatsu-spiritual pressure

Taichō-captain

Fukutaichō-vice-captain/lieutenant

Sōtaichō-captain commander

Gomen nasai- sorry

Shihakushō- Shinigami uniform

Natto- like I wrote earlier fermented soy beans. They're a traditional Japanese breakfast.

Jigokuchō- Hell Butterfly

Shunpo- flash step

Reishi- spirit particles

A/N: Orihime's healing and defensive abilities have gotten stronger to the point where she doesn't need to chant the incantation. I'd figured she'd only have to say it for offensive ability since she has not improved it.

Please don't forget to review! Reviews motivate me to write!