Chapter 3: The Return of White

* I don't own this fanfic, all credit goes to Melkor's Mercy. You can read the original on fanfiction.net*

X Karakura Town, One Day Later X

Rukia Kuchiki let out a heavy sigh as she wandered the streets of Karakura town in search for any hollows. The infamous Gillian known as white had been a top priority for many months, but its failure to reappear had left many within the soul society nervous. Due to their concern, they had stationed many Shinigami with high seats on patrol through random cities.

Captain Aizen in particular had been the one ordering these patrols. The raven haired woman couldn't help but wonder why he was so adamant in finding this hollow. She found the idea of a Gillian class menos standing up to a captain preposterous. Though if that was indeed the case, then it would be monstrously powerful if it were ever to evolve.

'If what Onii-sama says is true, then that monster will only become more powerful the longer it is allowed to live,' Rukia concluded as she continued her patrol.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted as she sensed an unbelievable source of Reiatsu.

'What in the world is that?!' she thought horrified as her eyes shifted into the horizon. Not ten seconds passed before a man with red hair and tattoos showed up next to her.

He quickly spoke his mind, "Rukia, did you sense that spiritual pressure?!"

She stood there almost dumbfounded as she briefly looked over at him, "Renji…you don't think it could be another hollow invasion do you?!"

"Go and warn Captain Kuchuki, I'm going to find out what it is!" Rukia said almost commandingly despite the fact that Renji outranked her.

The red haired man left immediately as Rukia set off for the source of the spiritual pressure. It didn't take her long to lock onto it, since it was ridiculously powerful and radiated like a beacon. Rukia was almost convinced it was some type of hollow invasion similar to a few months back. She made her way to its source as fast as possible, but upon getting there and to her utter astonishment, she only saw two hollows.

The raven haired shinigami landed cautiously as she tried to get a closer look at the two hollows. One was pure white with upward horns and demonic green eyes. It had wings and strangely enough, no mouth. It was insanely powerful, by her estimate, but the other one seemed even more terrifying.

It was a mixture of white black and red, but its long orange hair was very distinguishable. The creature's mask had markings going down over the eyes, and forward facing horns. In that instant, Rukia's heart skipped a beat. 'Those eyes…that mask. It can't be!'

Rukia did her best to hide her spiritual pressure as she watched them from a safe distance. Despite their monstrous power, the two creatures appeared non-aggressive as they wandered around. The orange haired one was leading the other as they walked down the street.

Ulquiorra looked around curiously at the world of the living for the first time. 'This place isn't quite as interesting as I imagined…wait, what is that presence I sense? This is where he came from? How could a being as powerful as him be from a place like this?'

Both Vasto Lordes immediately turned their attention towards Rukia's hiding place. She barely had time to react as both appeared in front and behind her. Terror was the only word that could describe her face as she slowly backed away from the intimidating orange haired monster.

She stopped in her tracks and briefly glanced back to see Ulquiorra's eyes boring into her form behind. The female Shinigami was truly worried now. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Rukia tried speak, "This city is under the protection of the soul society. Leave now…we have a captain defending it."

Both hollows seemed completely unfazed by her remark. Ulquiorra barely had any idea what this creature was talking about. He looked over at Ichigo expecting him to deal with the situation. The Vasto Lorde reached out and grabbed Rukia by the throat bringing her closer to his eye level.

She struggled as the creature lifted her off the ground and stared into her eyes. Rukia couldn't comprehend the hatred they seemed to radiate, 'This creature…why is it staring at me like that?!' Forced to stare into this creature's eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if her theory was in fact true.

Grasping for air, she tried to speak, "Are you the hollow called White?"

"Unhand her…now," a calm voice sounded.

Ulquiorra and Ichigo's gazes both jerked towards the source. 'How did he get there? I didn't even sense him?' Ulquiorra thought shocked.

Ichigo dropped the raven haired woman to the ground as he cocked his head at the newcomer. This man had long black hair with a headpiece of some kind clipping parts in place. His eyes appeared calm, but serious as he directed a stare directly towards Ichigo.

Rukia immediately flash stepped to Byakuya's side who didn't even look back at her. The Captain spoke with complete seriousness in his voice, "Rukia…go to the Seireitei and get back up. I will hold them off."

"Brother…a-are you sure? T-there's two of them," the female Shinigami said worriedly. Her older brother appeared unfazed as he reached for this sword's hilt, "That's an order…"

"I'll leave at once," she replied before taking off. Afterward Byakuya glanced between Ichigo and Ulquiorra with a slight curiosity on his face, "You two are small for hollows of such power…are you adjuchas or perhaps Vasto Lordes?"

Ichigo spoke to the man with a sickening, echoing pitch in his voice, "We don't have to tell you anything, Shinigami…go away."

"Why are you in the world of the living? Hollows of your level have no reason to come here…" Byakuya stated. It was evident that he already knew the two of them were Vasto Lordes.

Ulquiorra looked at the captain with a brewing curiosity, 'So this is a shinigami captain? Why is he trying to stop us? We haven't done anything.'

The black haired man drew his unsealed Zanpaktou and slowly walked closer to the duo. He studied them for any sort of movement or aggressive action. 'This is strange…they aren't attacking. They both appear very intelligent. I will have to be careful…'

Upon getting a closer look at Ichigo the raven haired Shinigami narrowed his gaze, "Your mask description is that of the Gillian, 'White.' Though you are no longer a Gillian…Captain Zaraki was very foolish in allowing you to live. It seems you've evolved."

Ichigo glanced down at the man's sword cautiously, 'I wonder what he's capable of…I should hold back my aces until I get a better idea.'

'White? Is that what his name is?' Ulquiorra thought as he looked at Ichigo.

His thoughts were cut short when Byakuya looked over at him, "I've never seen a hollow without a mouth before…what is that thing?"

Ulquiorra's stoic, eyes met the Shinigami's in a passive glare. Byakuya felt slightly nervous at he shifted a glance back at Ichigo who still hadn't moved, 'What are they waiting for? Neither one has attacked me yet…'

Ichigo finally broke the stasis as he began to walk away. Ulquiorra slowly turned and followed him, 'White doesn't appear concerned about this man.'

Byakuya immediately flash stepped in front of them and held his sword to Ichigo's throat, "Where do you think you're going?"

The black sclera, gold-iris eyes sent him a death glare. Ichigo immediately grabbed the sword faster than Byakuya could react and jerked it downward. The force behind it was tremendous as it sent the captain crashing into a nearby building.

He swiftly recovered and came in for another fast attack. Ichigo effortlessly dodged it and appeared behind the man. His eyes widened as he could barely turn around fast enough to stop a clawed white hand from impaling the back of his shoulder.

The man grimaced in agony as he appeared further away and looked at the orange haired creature slightly worried, 'I've never seen a hollow move that fast before. This thing is definitely a Vasto Lorde.'

Taking a deep breath, Byakuya recollected his composure, "It seems there is no point in holding back against a creature of your power level…Scatter Senbon Zakura."

Ichigo watched with curiosity as the man's sword dissipated into pink pedals leaving nothing but the hilt. He cackled at the action as he charged in for another attack.

Surprisingly, the pink pedals came up to block him and ended up slicing Ichigo. Unfortunately for Byakuya, they were ineffective at piercing Ichigo's skin as he tanked his way through the assault.

Byakuya kept his eyes locked on the orange haired Vasto Lorde, but felt a sharp pain from behind as the other hollow ambushed his flank. Ulquiorra mimicked Ichigo's action and tried to pierce the man's chest with his hand.

Luckily for the captain, he narrowly dodged the attack if by a fraction of a second. Temporarily distracted by Ulquiorra, he had no way of stopping Ichigo from clawing across his back. Blood splattered across both hollows and the street as Byakuya braced through their combined assault. His Shikai wasn't effective at damaging either hollow, but it was enough to protect him as he brought it in for a defensive sweep.

The two creatures temporarily ceased their assault as his Shikai reformed into a blade. Byakuya kept his composure but inwardly he was worried, 'The restrictions on my power is preventing me from doing anything to even harm them. Luckily they haven't gone full force, or I would be forced retreat.'

The man took a deep breath as he pointed his sword downward, 'I have no choice…it would be foolish to hold back anything now.'

Before he could release his bankai, several additional figures appeared out of nowhere. All of them were wearing white shinigami outfits quickly preventing Ichigo from charging in. Ulquiorra looked over them curiously, 'More Shinigami? Are they captains as well?'

From the group there appeared to be three additional captains. Two of them, Ichigo recognized from his time as a Gillian, but one was unknown. This third captain had brown hair and glasses, and had an otherworldly confidence about him.

"Captain, Kuckihi…the power restrictions have been lifted. The Captain Commander sent all of us when he heard there were two Vasto Lordes," the white haired, short captain explained.

Kenpachi's eyes widened with excitement, "Those eyes…that mask! You're the hollow, White aren't you?!"

Ichigo looked over at Ulquiorra and spoke darkly, "Let's kill them!"

The green eyed hollow nodded his head, accepting the other creature's command. Ichigo turned back towards the captain and released a deafening hollow howl as red spiritual energy surged from him.

He cackled maniacally as he charged a cero between his horns. It swelled to tremendous size before firing. Kenpachi, deciding to jump into the fray, attempted to block it. Ichigo's beam followed him as he leapt into the air.

The power behind it was so colossal that it sent the man flying. There was no telling how far away he had been launched, assuming he was even still alive. Hitsugaya jaw-dropped, "So this is the power of a Vasto Lorde?!"

Ichigo laughed at the three remaining captains and made a come get me gesture with his clawed white hand. Toshiro immediately took the taunt as he charged in angrily, "You'll pay for all the Shinigamis you killed last time! I won't let you live this time, White! Bankai!"

"Bankai…Senbon Zakura Kageyoshi," Byakuya added as he followed up with his own release. Both Vasto Lordes charged in as they each picked a target.

Right as Toshiro was about to slash Ichigo, two large bladed arms shot from his forearms countering the blade. Hitsugaya's expression was pure shock as the hollow's sword arms quickly pushed him back. The two clashed back and forth in a flurrying frenzy.

Due to the fact that Ichigo had two swords, Toshiro quickly found himself at the disadvantage as the hollow overpowered all of his reckless attacks. Ichigo quickly followed up by parrying twice and uppercut. The blade narrowly missed slicing Hitsugaya in half, but left a large cut across his torso.

The man flew back briefly and caught his breath. "Damn it…I've never seen a hollow move that fast! Captain Aizen, are you going to help or what?!"

The brown haired man was about to speak up before Kenpachi reappeared with a burnt uniform. The spiky haired man announced himself immediately, "There's no need for him to get involved…I'll kill this one! He's strong!"

"I believe the two of you can deal with White…I will make sure Captain Kuchiki is holding up alright," The calm suave haired man spoke.

Meanwhile over with Ulquiorra, the green eyed hollow was moving insanely fast as he tried to find an opening in Byakuya's bankai. The pink pedal blades actually managed to cut him this time which caused the hollow to be more cautious.

Ulquiorra took his time testing the captain's defensive maneuvers before noticing a pattern, 'His attacks move faster when he uses his hands…but it makes it possible for me to predict his moves.'

The black haired Vasto Lorde continued dodging Senbon Zakura as he tried to get closer towards Byakuya. As he got within close range, he brought up his finger and charged a green cero. Byakuya's eyes widened as he drew his pedals in to block the attack.

As he resisted the powerful beam, he barely had time to stop Ulquiorra from breaking past his defenses and swiping him from behind. Unfortunately, the hollow didn't count on it leaving himself exposed as a swift jab shot pedals through his body leaving many deep wounds.

'This opponent is actually putting up a decent fight now…' Ulquiorra thought surprised.

Back with Ichigo, the orange haired hollow now found himself unable to go on the offensive as both captains wildly swung and twirled their blades at him.

Using both of his, he fiercely parried and blocked as fast as he could. Ichigo was surprised by their power to say the least, 'The level between captain class Shinigami and normal ones is as large as the gap between hollow and Vasto Lorde Menos. These guys are strong…'

Ichigo tried to come up with a strategy as the clashing blades continued at ridiculous speeds. Sparks seem to form as Kenpachi brought his blade down for a powerful swing. Ichigo blocked it but quickly felt the powerful Shinigami pushing him down.

Before Ichigo could move to block the oncoming, Toshiro, Kenpachi grabbed his wrist and held him steady, "C'mon…you can do better than tha-" Kenpachi chuckled

Before he could even finish his remark, Ichigo impaled the man's chest with both horns and did a back flip by kicking off his body in order to dodge Hitsugaya's ice attacks. As he flipped, Ichigo ripped his horns free and followed up with several devastating slashes drawing more blood from Kenpachi.

Upon landing he tossed the large warrior aside just in time to counter a torrent of ice attacks from Hitsugaya.

Kenpachi quickly jumped back up and seemed both excited and surprised that the hollow was able to hurt him so effectively. He charged in for another rapid slashing frenzy, but was stopped as Ichigo parried his blade with one arm and stabbed him in the chest again with the other.

Unfortunately, Ichigo left himself exposed by doing this. "Shinku no Kori no Yaiba! (Vacuum Ice Blade)" The attack fired a large ice blast straight through Ichigo staggering him just long enough for Kenpachi to push him back. The ice slowly crept up his body, but was instantly melted as he unleashed more of his power. A shard remained impaled, but Ichigo didn't even seem to care as he continued fighting.

The rabid Kenpachi swung his blade again like a madman at the recovering Ichigo quickly breaking through his defense. He now found himself pushed against a nearby wall as Kenpachi continued. Seizing a moment of opportunity, Ichigo ducked from a furious slash and immediately stabbed Kenpachi in his sword arm.

The warrior howled in pain, but it seemed almost narcotic to the man as he continued trying to push his blade at Ichigo. Thinking fast, the hollow swung his other sword attempting to cut Kenpachi's arm off, but was blocked by Toshiro's blade.

He ripped his sword out of Kenpachi's arm and swung both sword arms in an X pattern sending both captains sliding back from the sheer force of his strength.

Kenapchi stabbed his blade into the ground to slow the momentum while Toshiro leapt back into the air. Toshiro watched surprised as Ichigo cut the ice lance sticking out of his flesh. It fell to the ground and his wounds quickly healed soon after.

"Bakudo number 4. Hainawa! (crawling rope)" Toshiro launched a yellow Reishi rope attempting to restrict Ichigo, but the hollow easily broke out of it as he slashed it apart.

The Squad eleven captain grinned at the display, "This thing's the most powerful hollow I've ever seen…I guess that means you're worthy of seeing my full power."

Hitsugaya raised a brow annoyed, "Have you been holding back this whole time?! Don't underestimate this thing you idiot! This hollow would have cut your arm off if I hadn't been here!"

"Oh shut up will ya? I'll deal with this thing…you can either help or get out of my way. Either way, the killing blow is mine!" Kenpachi cackled as he tore off his eye patch. Ichigo was shocked by the power surge that followed.

'What's with this guy?! He's still got more power up his sleeve? Damn…these Shinigami Captains are no joke,' Ichigo thought as he growled with a hollowing echo.

Toshiro said some strange words as he held his hands up and quickly followed with a shout, "Bakudo number 61. Rikujokoro!" six light beams slammed into Ichigo's body completely immobilizing him. The hollow seemed surprised by the attack, 'What hell is this?! I can't move!'

Hitsugaya followed up as he charged his bankai's power, "Stay back Captain Zaraki! I'll finish this!"

"Like hell you will!" he shot back as the two captains charged Ichigo at the same time.

Summoning as much power as he possibly could, Ichigo roared as he broke free from the spell. Toshiro's eyes widened horrified, 'Impossible…how did he break free?! Damn it…I'm going to have to use my bankai's full power at this rate even if Captain Zaraki's here…I can't allow this thing to live!'

The three shot back into another blade battle, but this time it was much faster and more devastating than before. Each swing and parry resulted in not only sparks, but near earthquake like rumbles. Ichigo howled with bloodlust as he changed his fighting style. This time he used both sword arms and moved them together blocking each captain individually.

Though it seemed less effective at first, it was nearly unblockable as it sent both captains spiraling back. He would sporadically switch stances catching both off guard and breaking through their defenses. This caused them to back off momentarily after a nearly fatal slash against Toshiro. Ichigo cackled almost evilly as Kenpachi came in for another attack, "Gyahaha! Die Shinigami!"

Both captains stopped abruptly as black spiritual pressure outlined in red formed over Ichigo's sword arms. He ruthlessly took advantage of their momentary pause and launched blackened wave like attacks from his swords. They tore through everything in their path, including both captains. Ichigo spun both blades in wild flurries unleashing a torrent of unpredictable, unstoppable blackened waves of spiritual energy.

Kenpachi decided to brute force his way through several of them trading the self harm for a chance to charge Ichigo again. As He closed in, the hollow charged a cero between his horns. He expected the attack to come straight for him, but to his surprise Ichigo fired it at Hitsugaya preventing the white haired captain from getting close.

Believing he had Ichigo cornered, the rabid captain cackled as he jabbed his sword through the hollow's flesh. Much to his approval, the blade pierced Ichigo midsection. The man grinned wickedly as he pushed the blade in deeper. He used his free hand to grab the hollow's throat and squeezed as hard as possible, "I'm going to snap your neck, hollow!"

His grin was wiped off when he felt both of Ichigo's sword arms stab straight through him. He tried to pull his blade out in time, but was unable to as the Vasto Lorde violently ripped both of his blades and made a cross slash across Kenpachi's midsection sending the warrior to the ground.

Toshiro's eyes widened horrified, 'No way…He took down Captain Zaraki?!'

Ichigo briefly looked at Toshiro before snorting in disgust and turning his attention to Ulquiorra. 'I wonder if he's holding up alright against those other two captains?'

To his surprise, Ulquiorra was doing a good job at wearing down the original captain. The brown haired captain didn't appear concerned as he continued to watch from the sidelines.

The Vasto Lorde shook his head at the sight, 'What is he so calm about?'

Ichigo flew down and landed next to Ulquiorra before speaking seriously, "We should leave before more show up. These Shinigami run in packs."

Ulquiorra nodded, 'That's a good idea…but what was the point of us coming here in the first place?'

Toshiro quickly caught up and landed next to Aizen, "Captain Aizen, aren't you going to do anything?! Captain Zaraki was just taken down!"

"Hitsugaya-kun…the two of you failed to kill White on your own?" he asked surprised. Though inwardly he was beaming, 'A Vasto Lorde hollow with Shinigami and Quincy powers…imagine how powerful you would be as an Arrancar, Ichigo Kurosaki.'

Ichigo and Ulquiorra both simultaneously charged ceros at Byakuya much to his horror. He knew he couldn't block both with his bankai, so he chose to block Ichigo's instead. Ulquiorra's cero fired at his blindside. It would have resulted in severely wounding him, but much to his unspoken relief, Hitsugaya blocked it with his own power.

The white haired man panted heavily, "How are you holding up Captain Kuchiki?"

"I'm fine…" Byakuya said passively though truthfully he was relieved by the other captain's intervention.

Both had widened eyes when Kenpachi appeared out of nowhere again attempting to slash Ichigo. It would have succeeded, but much to everybody's disbelief, his sword was parried by Ulquiorra's wing. The white bat Vasto Lorde grabbed Ichigo and pulled him out of harm's way as the four captains now stood across from them.

Ichigo was thankful for Ulquiorra's block, 'I didn't even sense that attack…I thought he was dead. I can't let my guard down around these guys for even a second.'

As they all assembled again with their weapons raised, Byakuya spoke again, "Why did you two hollows come here? What are you after?"

For a moment, Ichigo thought about the question, 'Why did I come here? I feel drawn to this place for some reason. I wanted to show this other Vasto Lorde…but I don't think it's safe for him to stay.'

Ulquiorra looked at Ichigo as well not really sure himself why the two of them were battling in the world of the living. Ichigo said nothing as he simply held his blades in a defensive stance.

Ichigo briefly glanced over at Ulquiorra who had a look of uncertainty in his eyes. The green eyed hollow wondered why they were there himself, 'He wanted to show me this place…but why are we fighting these people? What's the point?'

The orange haired hollow receded both of his swords as he glanced at Ulquiorra. No words were exchanged as Ichigo opened a Garganta behind them. He motioned for the black haired, green eyed hollow to go in first. "Go…come find me when I return."

Ulquiorra did as directed but was confused by the action. 'What is he doing? Why does he want me to leave?' he thought shocked. Nevertheless, Ulquiorra decided to accept the other hollow's words, 'I will find him when he returns I suppose…' After the Garganta closed shut, Ichigo only drew out one of his blade arms.

Aizen seemed intrigued by the display, 'Is he trying to protect that other Vasto Lorde? Interesting…he has a strong need to protect others. I can use that to my advantage.'

"He sent his friend away and only brought out one sword? Is he fighting with a handicap to mock us?" Kenpachi asked with a bloody smirk.

"What is the meaning of this?" Toshiro demanded as he pointed his blade at the hollow. Ichigo quickly disappeared via sonido much to their surprise. A considerable distance away, he snatched up a raven haired girl who had been spying on the battle the whole time and took her hostage before reappearing in front of the captains.

They all jaw dropped as the hollow held the bladearm at Rukia's throat. Ichigo watched their reactions curiously. The white and black haired captains appeared the most concerned, whilst the other two remained indifferent. Something about the brown haired one with glasses in particular caused great uneasiness.

Ichigo pressed the blade closer to Rukia's throat and spoke darkly, "Open the door to the soul society…"

"What?!" Toshiro gasped.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Kenpachi sighed as he hated hostage situations.

Aizen almost grinned at the display, "You're quite ruthless, Hollow…but what makes you think you could match the full power of the Soul Society?"

'I am curious what he wants to do there…I didn't anticipate this,' Aizen thought interested.

"You go back…or she dies," Ichigo replied causing all of the captains to eye him surprised.

"Go back? What for?!" Toshiro demanded.

Byakuya narrowed his brow, "We will consider your request if you tell us what your purpose in Karakura town is."

'Karakura Town?' Ichigo thought for a moment. In that brief instant, he immediately remembered many childhood memories of the young boy with orange hair and his two younger sisters…and a father? 'Maybe that's what drew me here…I knew I was from this place.'

Aizen took a step forward causing Ichigo to instantly press his blade tighter causing a slight trickle of blood from Rukia's throat, "Go now! Leave me alone!"

"We aint done fighting yet!" Kenpachi shouted as he was about to charge in, but Aizen immediately held him back much to his surprise, "Do as he says Captain Zaraki…all of you leave."

'I can't risk him doing anything potentially dangerous to the Hogyoku…' the man thought slowly.

"What!? Screw that! I am not passing up the fight of a lifetime over some girl!" Kenpachi said disapprovingly.

"Do as he says Captain Zaraki," Byakuya stated with dead seriousness in his voice.

Toshiro gritted his teeth and scowled hatefully, "You're a monster! Only something as evil as you would take an innocent person hostage!"

"Enough, Captain Hitsugaya…we will retreat for now. This hollow is clearly aware of our weaknesses," Byakuya interrupted calmly.

"We can't just leave a Vasto Lorde to go rampaging through the world of the living!" he protested.

Ichigo's arm twitched as if he were about to slash Rukia's throat forcing the white haired man to shut up. "I've never seen a hollow take someone hostage before…this Vasto Lorde is a sadistic, cunning creature. Open the door Hitsugaya-kun," Aizen said.

The white haired captain reluctantly opened a door to the Seireitei. One by one the captains lined up at it, all except for Aizen. The brown haired man stared Ichigo down with a calm demeanor, "Release the girl…"

The horned beast charged a cero between his horns as he slowly walked Rukia closer towards the door. The others watched cautiously. Toshiro narrowed his gaze, 'This thing is clever. It's got a back up plan in case we rush it. I knew that Vasto Lordes were smart, but it completely took advantage of our morals. Damn it!'

Byakuya watched closely as he kept his Senbon Zakura circling the group ready to move in an instant. Ichigo hissed aggressively at Aizen, "You too, four eyes…get to the door."

'Four eyes?' Aizen thought almost amused that a hollow could use a childish joke against him. 'He is definitely Ichigo Kurosaki…or at least partly him.'

Aizen slowly walked towards the doorway, but held his hand up, "The girl first…"

However, before anybody could say or do anything, Ichigo moved faster than anyone could react and kicked Aizen into the group. The captain felt genuine disbelief in the split second afterward, 'How did he manage to kick me?' The others had no time act, as Ichigo unleashed his cero at point blank launching all four captains through the open spiritual doorway. Byakuya tried to block it with his Senbon Zakura, but the doorway quickly sealed shut afterward due to the tremendous power surge.

Ichigo still had Rukia in his grip and laughed, "Stupid Shinigamis!"

Rukia fearfully looked up at the creature holding her hostage still. Ichigo briefly looked down at her and grinned beneath his mask, "Guess I'll keep you in case they come back."

"What?! Why did you go against your word?! You honorless monster!" Rukia shouted.

He said nothing in response as he instinctively ran through the city. He used sonidos to travel faster and tried to lock on to whatever it was that drew him here. Before long, Rukia found the two of them in a cemetery of some kind. There, Ichigo spotted two girls both crying at a tombstone. He watched them from afar and covered Rukia's mouth with his now normal hand to prevent her from making noise.

The girl with the dirty blonde hair cried sadly, "Onii-chan…" she couldn't find any other words as she began to burst into tears.

The black haired girl hugged her in a comforting embrace, "Don't cry Yuzu…he hates it when you cry."

Ichigo felt his heart nearly skip a beat as he watched them. He stared at the two girls uncertainly, 'What is this feeling? Why did my instincts bring me here?'

"Karin-chan!" Yuzu sobbed as she buried her head in her sister's shoulder, "it's the two year anniversary of his death. Don't you have anything to say?"

"There's nothing to say…" the black haired girl said with an evident sadness in her eyes, "he was taken from us just like mom. There's no point in crying over it anymore."

Rukia watched the scene with curiosity, 'What the?! I've seen those two girls before…they were attacked by a hollow a few years back. Their brother died if I remember correctly…I couldn't reach them in time before the hollow escaped.'

"After all this time, you still have nothing to say about it…why don't you ever talk about him, Karin-chan?" Yuzu asked sadly.

Anger was evident on the black haired girl's face much to the other one's surprise. Karin shook her head, "It's not fair…why couldn't it have been me?"

"What are you saying? He died to a murderer, Karin-chan…I'm sure he was protecting us," Yuzu replied with tears flowing still.

Karin shook her head again, "No! You don't get it…I shouldn't have just sat there and watched. I could have done something. He was taken right before my eyes."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he briefly remembered the orange haired teenager being dragged away, and the black haired girl he shook his head at. 'Yuzu…Karin? Those are my sisters!' he thought shocked. He kept a stoic demeanor as he continued to watch them.

Rukia had given up on struggling and watched with an equal interest, 'Why is this hollow drawn here? Does it know these two girls?'

She couldn't hear as well as Ichigo but knew that the hollow had some interest in the two of them.

"Yuzu, Karin, come on…let's go home," a dark haired man with a light beard said sadly. From around the corner, Ichigo saw a man approach the two girls. His eyes were bloodshot indicating that he had possibly been crying.

The man sighed heavily as he looked over towards Karin, "Don't hold yourself responsible for what happened, Karin…I should have been there for my family."

'I should have warned him about hollows the moment I knew he could see spirits.' Isshin thought sadly.

"I just wish I knew where he was and why this had to happen." Yuzu said sadly.

Isshin frowned at her question, "We've talked about this before Yuzu…he's gone wherever dead people go. Hopefully to a better place."

Yuzu seemed to find some comfort in his words but Karin on the other hand looked away disgusted, 'That monster killed him and dragged his ghost away…I've had nightmares about it ever since.'

"Somehow I doubt that…" Karin spoke venomously. Her sister was upset by the remark but Isshin remained passive.

'Karin probably saw what happened…I wonder if I should talk to her about it? Though I don't see what good it would do at her age.' Isshin thought.

The father and daughters were interrupted from their conversation when an auburn haired, doe-eyed girl approached them nervously, "Umm…excuse me, but are you Kurosaki-kun's family?"

"We are. I think I know you. Inoue-san right? We saw you at the funeral," Isshin replied.

The girl held her head down sadly, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if the police investigation turned up anything else about it? I was in his class. It seems like everybody else has forgotten about him…but I wanted to know if you had any news. Tatsuki and I still haven't forgotten about him…"

Karin scowled at the girl, "Go away…we don't anything!"

Isshin and Yuzu seemed surprised by her outburst. Isshin sighed, "Don't mind her…she loved her brother a lot. It's hard for her to deal with him being gone."

"I understand…Kurosaki-kun was a very dear friend of mine. I can understand it's hard to let people go. My older brother died a long time ago as well," Orihime replied hoping to show some empathy to Karin. It worked on Yuzu, but not Karin however.

"You were our brother's friend?" Yuzu asked curiously between sobs.

Orihime nodded, "Yes…Kurosaki-kun was one of my best friends."

"I'm afraid we don't know anything else about it, Inoue-san…but I guess it doesn't really matter since he's dead. It's been over two years. All we can do now is move on…" Isshin spoke sadly.

Karin huffed angrily as she ran off leaving Isshin, Yuzu, and Orihime behind. Ichigo quickly followed her much to Rukia's surprise, 'What is this hollow doing?' Before she could give it any more thought, Ichigo dropped her.

Rukia didn't waste the opportunity to flee. She briefly contemplated the idea of following him but chose not to, 'My curiosity has already gotten me captured by this hollow twice. I should just get out of here for now. It doesn't look like it wants to kill anybody for the moment. I suppose that's good enough until the captains get back.'

Meanwhile Ichigo followed Karin for several minutes. She appeared to be running as far away from her family and the cemetery as possible. After about five minutes, she found an abandoned park and sat on a swing set with tears free flowing, 'Ichigo…why couldn't I have helped you?! You died to protect me…'

She was quickly drawn from her sorrow when the noticed a shadow standing over her. Karin slowly looked up with horror and spotted a tall, lean, orange haired hollow with horns. She instantly froze in terror as the creature's hand reached for her.

Karin clenched her eyes shut, 'NO! It's another one of those monsters!'

"Karin…" the creature spoke causing her to open her eyes. The girl shook in fear as the hollow's clawed hand slowly brushed hair out of her face. As his hand trailed down her cheek, his finger caught a tear. Ichigo pulled it back and looked at the girl with a heaviness in chest, 'She's my sister…'

"W-what a-are you? H-how do you know my name?" she finally managed to say in an almost inaudible tone. The horned monster took a step back and stared at her, 'She doesn't recognize me…am I really her brother?'

Karin stared at the creature fearfully, but the sight of his long flowing orange hair seemed familiar. 'Its hair…it's the same color as Ichigo's.'

Ichigo said nothing as his golden eyes stared at her. She tried to get a close look at the monster's mask and was immediately reminded of the creature that dragged Ichigo away, 'This thing has a mask just like the creature that took Ichi-nii's ghost away.'

Her eyes trailed down to the massive hole in the creature's chest, 'What is that?! How is this thing able to walk around with a hole in its body?'

A thousand emotions swirled within Ichigo at that very moment. He felt an indescribable longing for this girl to acknowledge him as her brother. He didn't know how to speak to her however as the girl fearfully stared.

'What could I possibly say to her? How could I make her understand? What is this feeling…' he thought as he fought the urge to go any closer.

Thinking of the best way to make her understand, he finally spoke as non-aggressively as he could, "What was your brother's name?"

The girl immediately glared at him, 'Is this thing mocking me?! It's one of those monsters that killed Ichi-nii and now it's trying to torment me!'

"Why should I tell you, monster!" she finally said as bravely as she could.

Ichigo could literally feel the emptiness in his chest amplify as if the weight of a thousand buildings came crashing down on his hollow heart, 'She doesn't understand…I can't…NO!'

His spiritual pressure was slowly starting to pick up as he felt intense anger at that moment. 'I can't tell her…she'll think I'm lying. How can I show her?!'

Karin immediately regretted her words as the hollow heaved heavily before releasing a bellowing hollow howl. It seemed to shake the very night sky as Ichigo dropped to his knees.

The girl's eyes widened as the hollow reached for its face, 'This anger…this rejection! WHO AM I!?'

He was drawn from his hysteria when several reishi arrows shot directly into his back. Ichigo immediately stood up and turned around noticing a teenager with glasses wielding some kind of bow, "So you must be the source of the fluctuating spiritual pressure around the city. Leave that girl alone, hollow."

'Hollow?' Karin thought confused as the teenager with the bow fired several more light blue spirit arrows at the horned creature.

Ichigo effortlessly dodged them as he made he way towards the Qunicy. Uryu's surprise was cut short as the hollow grabbed him by the throat lifting him off the ground.

He glared at the Quincy, "What are you?"

"Clearly you've never seen a Quincy before…" Uryu half choked as the hollow's grip tightened.

Ichigo carelessly threw him against a building knocking him out cold, before using a sonido to reappear in front of the fleeing Karin. The black haired girl stopped in her tracks as the hollow reached for her face. He pulled back after noticing the look on her face, 'She's terrified of me…my sister shouldn't be afraid of her own brother.' She stood there frozen as he knelt down in front of her.

The hollow looked down and spoke apologetically, "I'm sorry for scaring you, Karin…"

'What the?!' she thought confused as the creature made eye contact.

"What do you want from me? What are you?" she asked again deciding not to run away.

The hollow looked almost sad from what she could tell as he spoke slowly, "I want to know what your brother's name was."

"Ichigo…his name was Ichigo. Why does that matter to you?" Karin asked cautiously.

He stood up upon hearing her response, "Ichigo? My name…"

"What?!" Karin's eyes widened with disbelief, "A-are y-you? Ichi-nii?!"

'That hair…his voice…I knew it seemed familiar! Could he really be Ichigo?!' Karin tried to process the idea.

Upon hearing her nickname, the hollow immediately recalled all of his memories as a human with his black haired sister. He stood there unable to speak as he could barely believe the girl had finally acknowledged who he was.

Much to his utter shock, she had tears free-flowing, "Are you Ichi-nii? What's happened to you?"

The girl stood there trembling uncertainly at the idea that this terrifying monster was her beloved dead older brother.

"I remember that creature dragging me away…it's not your fault, Karin. I'm glad you're okay…I would gladly do it again to keep you safe," He finally spoke after a brief silence.

There was no holding back her emotions now as she ran over to the hollow and hugged him. "Ichi-nii!" she sobbed as she clutched onto the hollow tighter. For some unknown reason, Ichigo felt the horrible feeling in his chest soften slightly from her action. He reached his arms around her and hugged back, "Karin…"

They stood like this for over a minute, but to Ichigo it felt like an eternity. An eternal battle with his emotions waged in the short minute they embraced. Karin finally broke away and looked up at the monster sadly, "That monster…it did this to you didn't it?"

"Yes…I became a hollow," was all he could reply. He wanted to explain in more detail, but Ichigo figured her knowing who he was all that mattered.

"Where did you go?" she asked curiously.

He looked away for a moment, 'Somebody is coming…'

Before he could answer, he noticed Yuzu come around the corner, "There you are, Karin-chan…where have you been? We've been looking all over for you."

Karin looked between the girl and the hollow wondering if Yuzu could see Ichigo. After a moment it appeared as though she could not. Yuzu frowned at Karin's tear-stained face, "Karin-chan, you're always telling me not to cry…are you alright?"

"I…" the black haired girl was unable to reply.

Yuzu ran over and hugged her sister, "You don't have to be so cold all the time…it's okay to cry sometimes. I'm sure wherever he is, Onii-chan misses you too. Maybe he's watching us right now from heaven."

As Yuzu hugged her, the black haired girl looked up at the horned hollow, "Maybe…"

Yuzu briefly turned around curiously, "What are you looking at Karin-chan?"

The black haired girl looked Ichigo dead in the eyes. She didn't reply for a moment causing her sister to look at her curiously, "Is something else bothering you?"

Karin looked back, "It's nothing…go on ahead, Yuzu. I just need a few more minutes alone. I don't want dad to see me crying."

"Okay…but hurry up. Papa's worried," Yuzu insisted before leaving Karin alone.

The girl looked up at Ichigo sadly, "You don't deserve this, Ichi-nii; you're a good person. I'm sorry you became a monster just to protect me…"

Ichigo sensed a doorway to the Seireitei opening from across the city, 'Damn it…those captains are back. I better cut this short and get out of here before my family gets caught in the middle of this.'

"I have to go now, Karin…" Ichigo spoke sadly.

"Go where?! I-is there anything I can do to help you?" she asked nearly heartbroken.

The hollow shook his head, "Just seeing you and hearing my name was enough. Keep Yuzu, and the old guy in line."

"You can't go…don't leave us again. You can stay here," she pleaded sadly as she reached for one of his arms.

He looked down and sighed, "I don't belong in this world…I need to go now."

"Will I ever see you again?" she sobbed heartbroken.

The terrifying creature looked away, "Hopefully not…"

Without another word he disappeared leaving Karin standing there shaken. She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned around heading back to her father and sister. On the walk back she felt as if she could throw up, 'Ichi-nii…why can't I help you?! Why can't you stay?'

She was quickly drawn from her thoughts as she bumped into none other than her father. The man stared at her with an evident sadness on his face and spoke, "Come on, Karin…let's go home."

The girl uncharacteristically leaned into her father's side as she walked home with him. The man sighed heavily as he glanced back in the direction of where Ichigo just was, 'That hollow…I didn't get a good look at it, but I swear it looked just like the one that attacked Masaki. Could that thing be back? I've been sensing strange spiritual pressures all around the city tonight.' he pondered worriedly.

XXXXXX Back In Hueco Mundo XXXXXX

Ichigo returned to the hollow world with an overwhelming despair filling his heart. Leaving his sister like that was difficult for him, but he had no choice knowing that four or more captains had arrived to stop him again.

As he landed back in the desert, Ichigo sighed heavily, 'What am I supposed to do? How do I go on living? I have nothing here…no reason to exist. But…to protect? Yes. Maybe I should hold true to that feeling. The one that saved my sisters. I will find my purpose in protecting others…'

After his concluding thoughts, he turned his eyes onto the horizon. 'Barragan's Adjucha hunting days are over!'

He briefly wondered where the green eyed Vasto Lorde was, 'I hope he can find me again…I didn't even learn his name. Hmm…well I'm sure he'll be able to track me down once I challenge Barragan again.'