Chapter 2: Evolution

*All cred goes to Melkor's Mercy, i don't own anything not Bleach, not this fanfic*

XXXXXXXXXXXHueco MundoXXXXXXXX

Ichigo had no way of knowing if it had been days or months since his feeding frenzy began. Yet as he consumed his final Gillian, he felt a strange sensation as his body began to shrink and transform. His thoughts seemed much clearer as his metamorphosis finished, 'Have I become like him? Am I an Adjucha now?'

He examined himself closely. He was now smaller than before, but possessed a very unusual appearance. Ichigo found himself now resembling a western dragon. His skin was pure white, but had many red markings adorning it. He had four legs with very sharp claws, a long white tail with a red tip. He also seemed to possess wings. Two large forward facing horns came from the side of his head and a large mane of hair that ran from his head all the way down his back. The hair was orange clearly distinguishing him as a bright target.

Though he couldn't see them, his eyes were still the same gold with black sclera. He looked at his appearance interested for a moment, 'I'm an Adjucha…there's no doubt.'

A brief flash of the orange haired human caught his attention again, 'What was his name though? Is White my real name?'

The white dragon instantly noticed a nearby lesser hollow watching him from a distance. For some reason, he could sense things much better than he had been able to previously. Ichigo grinned maliciously, "I'm still hungry..."

XXXXXXX Many Months Later XXXXXX

The sound of wings flapping quickly caught the attention of every Hollow in the forest as the terrifying Adjucha known as White flew looking for any unsuspecting prey. A large assembly of Gillians proved little match as he quickly swooped down and consumed them all one by one. As he consumed the last one Ichigo growled annoyed, 'These weak souls can barely sate me for a minute…how am I going to become stronger eating these things anymore? I think I've scared all of the other Adjuchas away…where did they go?'

He took off again as he flew around the forest. 'It feels like an eternity since I woke up here…is there no way out? Maybe I should go to the world of the living?'

His attention was brought back to reality as a strange source of reiatsu caught his attention. He sniffed the air as he felt it, 'That's no Hollow…'

Ichigo immediately flew towards the source of this spiritual energy curious to see what it was. Upon reaching his destination, he noticed a very unusual sight. A man was there adorned in Shinigami attire with a mask on his face.

He had a large number of lesser hollows surrounding him. The dragon Adjucha watched curiously as the man warded off waves of them. The warrior seemed to be gaining the upper hand until an Adjucha appeared. This hollow resembled a lanky bipedal creature with long claws and a strange shaped head.

The Adjucha growled at the man, "No more hiding, Shinigami…your days of killing our kind in the Menos Forest is over!"

Right as the adjucha charged in for an attack, a blade of some kind intercepted him. From out of nowhere two more Shinigamis appeared. With their combined effort, they made quick work of the adjucha. As the masked one raised his blade for the killing blow, Ichigo swooped down and blocked him.

All three of the robed warriors jumped back with evident fear as the hollow dragon in front of them shrieked.

"What the hell is that thing?! Is it another Adjucha?! I've never seen an Adjucha like that before…" one of them said shocked. The downed Adjucha behind Ichigo quickly leapt to his feet and began to run away. It was evident he already knew who Ichigo was. He didn't make it far as the dragon chased and pinned him down. Ichigo wasted no time consuming the other Adjucha increasing his power even more.

Afterwards, he turned towards the three Shinigami who all stood there fear stricken. The one in the mask was the first to speak, "I've heard rumors there was a powerful hollow in this forest by the name of White…that must be him."

"That Adjucha he just ate was the Lord of the Menos Forest! How are we going to fight that thing?!" another one panicked.

"We need to move, now! We didn't come all this way to rescue you from Hueco Mundo just to die!" the man shouted, but before he could make another move, Ichigo charged a cero between his two horns. The cero grew to an unbelievable size before firing in their direction. It glassed nearly everything in a frontal cone for miles.

Afterward Ichigo laughed, "I hate Shinigamis…"

No trace of the Shinigamis could be seen afterward. Ichigo simply snorted before taking off into the air again. As he flew higher, he looked up, 'I wonder how high this place goes. I've never fully explored the canopy of this forest.'

After a lot of flying, Ichigo finally emerged through an opening in the forest finding himself under a darkened moonlit sky in a vast desert. He looked around curiously, 'I had no idea there was a desert up here? Emptiness in all directions. Where should I go now? I need more souls to feast on.'

Seconds later he sensed a powerful presence in the distance, 'What is that?! Another adjucha? Yes! I need more!'

He flew towards the power source at remarkable speed, and quickly reached it. Upon his arrival, the dragon Adjucha noticed a peculiar sight. A small group of Adjuchas were feasting on several downed hollows. They had varying appearances, but from what he could sense, the one that looked like a panther was the strongest.

All of their gazes shot up towards the dragon with awe. "Grimmjow, look! That Adjucha looks powerful!"

One of them said.

The panther roared with blood lust, "Get him!"

As the group tried to assault Ichigo, he quickly tail swept the panther knocking it to the ground. The others were all too afraid to attack as Ichigo followed up by charging a cero between his horns. Right before it was about to launch however, the Panther pounced on his face throwing off the trajectory.

Ichigo's cero fired behind them into the distance. The blast was overwhelmingly powerful as its pressure resounded throughout the night sky. The panther tried to bite Ichigo, but failed as the dragon head butted him. Grimmjow was about to follow up with another attack before one of his allies called out to him, "Grimmjow we should retreat. This one's too strong!"

"Like hell, we're retreating! We'll never become Vasto Lordes unless we kill powerful hollows!" The panther growled in annoyance.

Ichigo finally spoke for the first time in a threatening manner, "I was wondering where all the other Adjuchas were…I ate all of the ones in the Menos Forest."

One of the group's members had widened eyes, "Grimmjow…back off. If he's who I think he is, then we don't stand a chance."

"Who the hell are you supposed to be then?" the panther asked irritably.

The dragon stared down at him carelessly, "My name is White…"

Grimmjow soon noticed all of his companions running away. He reluctantly looked back at them before turning towards Ichigo, "What are they so afraid of? It's not like any Adjucha in Hueco Mundo can match me anyway. I'm the king!"

"King of what? There's nothing here to rule…" Ichigo countered causing the panther to stare at him distraught.

"Those damn eyes…stop looking down at me! I don't care how strong you are! Nothing's going to stop me from becoming a Vasto Lorde!" The panther roared.

The dragon laughed causing an echoing cackle to fill the air, "I have yet to encounter another hollow strong enough to stop me…care to put that theory to the test, cat?!"

Grimmjow pounced on Ichigo with anger radiating every fabric of his being. The panther rabidly slashed and bit, leaving large lacerations, but to his surprise, they healed unnaturally fast. Blue reiastu seemed to collect around the panther's claws as he pounced in for another flurry of swipes.

Some hit, but many were blocked as Ichigo thrashed back against him following up with a powerful tail swipe. Grimmjow leapt back on his hind legs much to Ichigo's surprise and swished his front legs in an X pattern unleashing tremendous blue arcs of energy similar to a cero.

Ichigo flew up and dodged them, but was surprised when the large cat leapt onto him midair. Grimmjow did his best to tear, claw, and bite one of Ichigo's wings, but quickly found himself thrown off as Ichigo spun in a circle.

He sunk his claws in deeper trying to hold on, but was unable to as Ichigo's tail wrapped around his throat. He bit at it trying to free himself, but was ineffective. Ichigo flaked the panther off sending him spiraling to the ground.

Looking down at the recovering panther below, be charged a cero between his horns. Much to his surprise, the panther charged one from his mouth.

The two ceros collided in a flashy display, but Grimmjow quickly found Ichigo's was much stronger as the pressure began to crush him. In a moment of inspiration he ceased his attack before leaping away in time to not get hit by it.

Ichigo landed on the ground looking around for the panther, and was genuinely surprised as it dove out of the sand attempting to bite his neck.

Unfortunately, Grimmjow wasn't fast enough as Ichigo's front leg back handed him away. He quickly jumped back and panted heavily, "You're strong, White…I'll give you that, but I've never encountered a foe I couldn't defeat! I'm the king!"

"Not anymore…I'm the king now!" Ichigo shot back as he dove towards the panther at terrifying speed. Grimmjow could barely brace himself in time as Ichigo sunk his teeth into the large cat. He roared in pain as Ichigo flew higher into the air biting harder.

In a last ditch effort, Grimmjow writhed in a berserk frenzy clawing rapidly for freedom. He managed to break free right before Ichigo smashed him into the ground. Blood was leaking from the panther adjucha's wounds as he limped a considerable distance away.

"Damn you…White! I won't be killed…not now! Not after all the fighting I've done!" Grimmjow roared angrily.

The dragon cocked his head at him before speaking, "What makes you think I'm going to kill you?"

The panther gave him a confused expression, "What?! The hell are you talking about?!"

Ichigo simply shrugged, "You're the first opponent I've encountered who actually put up a halfway decent fight. You've got more willpower than any other hollow I've encountered so far. I'd say that alone is reason enough to spare your life."

"Don't you pity me, damn it!" Grimmjow growled.

"It's not pity…it's respect. Would you rather die for no reason here and now?" he countered

.

The panther was silent for a moment before sighing, "I guess not…"

Ichigo was about to say something else before he sensed an extremely powerful source of reiatsu closing in on him. Grimmjow seemed to notice as well as his eyes turned towards the direction of the incoming hollows. The large cat simply sighed, "It seems you've attracted quite the crowd. That spiritual pressure is coming straight from Las Noches. I'd be wary about going near the hollows from that place. It might be in your best interest to leave as well."

"Las Noches?" Ichigo questioned confused.

Grimmjow looked at him dumbfounded, "Yeah, the palace…it's where one of the Vasto Lordes is. He took up residence some time back. He likes to come out here and kill aspiring Adjuchas for sport."

"I've yet to encounter a Vasto Lorde…I wouldn't mind testing the strength of one," Ichigo chuckled.

"Suit yourself, White…I guess I'll take your offer and leave with my life." Grimmjow finally replied shaking his head at the dragon.

Without another word, the panther took off in the direction of his subordinates. Before he got too far away he turned back to face Ichigo, "The name's Grimmjow by the way…remember it, White. If you survive, I hope to fight you again one day. There can only be one King…"

Shortly after Grimmjow left, the arrival of a very large group of Adjuchas showed up. Leading them was a robed Skeleton of some kind who had a crown on his head.

Ichigo looked at him curiously, 'He looks almost human compared to the others…despite being a skeleton. His power feels ridiculously strong. Is he a Vasto Lorde?'

The Skeleton King hollow examined the dragon, "Are you the one responsible for that cero just now?"

The dragon looked at him indifferently causing the crowned skeleton to cackle, "You will speak when I ask a question, Adjucha…do you understand?!"

"Who are you?" Ichigo finally asked curiously.

Suddenly the skeleton drew a colossal axe and pointed it at him, "Kneel before your superior…I am the King of Hueco Mundo."

"You're not the first hollow I've encountered to claim something like that. What makes you think you're King of anything here? What makes you my King?" Ichigo asked threateningly.

The skeleton growled at him menacingly, "I am Barragan…a Vasto Lorde! I will make you die for your arrogance. Kill him!"

Suddenly many of his Adjucha underlings leapt for Ichigo from all sides. He moved incredibly fast as he took each one down with tail and claw swipes. As he was doing this, he charged a red and white cero between his horns and aimed it at Barragan.

The attack hit much to his Adjucha entourages' surprise. It didn't kill him like Ichigo expected however. This was the first hollow he had ever encountered to survive a direct hit from his cero.

Barragan laughed at his reaction, "You expect attacks like that to be effective against me?! I'm King for a reason!"

The Vasto Lorde grabbed his axe and flew towards Ichigo ready to behead him. Much to his surprise however, Ichigo impaled him with one of his horns.

The dragon roared furiously as he charged a black and red cero between his horns. Barragan attempted to release a strange miasma as Ichigo's cero grew larger. It seemed to negate the attack's brunt force but was quick to launch the Vasto Lorde away. Ichigo felt his horn start to deteriorate from contact with the miasma, but much to every one of Barragans followers' surprise the horn regenerated faster than it could deteriorate.

Barragan himself seemed bewildered by it, "What the…"

"That attack just now…I can see why other hollows would fear it," Ichigo spoke calmly.

The Vasto Lorde shook his head, "You should be dead…nobody can withstand time itself!"

"Well, nobody except for me apparently…" Ichigo said wickedly.

The King of Hueco Mundo gripped his axe tighter, "You think you're the first hollow to challenge my rule?! You're not even a Vasto Lorde…and I've killed them too!"

"You keep saying you're the King…King of what?! This empty desert? These mindless weaklings surrounding us? You can claim whatever you like, Barragan…but in the end, you're nothing but empty words fading from my memory," Ichigo taunted.

"Lord Barragan…I believe I know who this hollow is. His description matches the Scourge of the Menos Forest. That hollow is White, the Devourer!" one of Barragan's adjucha lieutenants spoke worriedly.

"Shut your mouth Ggio…this arrogant creature will die for even humoring the thought that he could ever stand on my level!" Barragan announced angrily.

"I will stand above your level right after I turn you into dust!" Ichigo howled as he flew towards the King. Barragan swiftly ducked under the dragons massive sweep and swung his axe with both hands cleaving Ichigo dead center in the chest.

Barragan pushed the axe deeper as he held it in Ichigo's flesh. This time, his body was deteriorating faster than it could regenerate. The King of Hueco Mundo grinned almost triumphantly as he believed himself already victorious.

Much to his surprise, however, Ichigo grabbed the Vasto Lorde with both of his front legs and pointed both horns directly at Barragan's bony head. Drawing as much power as he possibly could, Ichigo charged another cero between his horns. This time however, it seemed as if it was absorbing all the nearby reishi causing it to swell to an enormous size.

Before Barragan could do anymore damage to him, Ichigo released the attack at point blank range causing unbelievable damage to Barragan and everything behind him for miles. His body appeared greatly damaged as half his face was blown off as well as both arms. The King didn't get up for a moment greatly alarming his underlings.

Ichigo's face was visibly surprised when Barragan began to regenerate. He wasted no time flying away shortly afterward. As he flew higher in the air, he shook his head annoyed, 'Damn…I wasn't expecting everything to be so powerful up here. I'm really going to have to watch my back now. I won't be able to kill him until I become a Vasto Lorde. Maybe for now, it's best that I do what Grimmjow said, and stay away from Las Noches,' Ichigo concluded.

After getting a considerable distance away, his body slowly began to replenish its lost sections. Ichigo felt relief as he touched down and took a breather. He was deep in thought as he watched the last of his wounds heal. Unfortunately, he still felt constant pain in the areas as if his body was fighting against the miasma. It left a blackened and nasty scar clearly reminding him of where Barragan's axe struck, 'If it wasn't for my regenerative powers, I'd have died countless times now. Or worse…he would have halted my evolution. I'm still in pain from that cheap shot. I can see why so many follow him.'

After a brief respite he thought to himself, 'So many others had the capability…but were in the wrong place at the wrong time. One wrong move here and I'm dead. I should get my arrogance in check.'

XXXXXXX Many months later XXXXXXX

Ichigo had been playing things safer during the past few months. The more time he spent on the surface, the sooner he began to realize that he was far too noticeable. Every hollow even remotely powerful, wanted a piece of him. Many were too afraid to fight alone much to his annoyance.

His orange hair, and intimidating appearance had a certain presence about them as it seemed to have drawn countless numbers of hunting parties. It seemed as if getting the glory of killing him was a prize that everyone wanted.

Thankfully none of Barragan's underlings had even attempted to come after him again much to his approval. They were likely too afraid since they had seen his power firsthand. There was of course no denying how lucky he had been to not encounter any other Vasto Lordes in the past weeks, but Ichigo couldn't help but feel like he was always being followed.

It made it impossible to ever relax or sleep with the fear of being ambushed ever present in his mind. On several occasions he had run into remarkably powerful Adjuchas like himself, but they almost never attacked him head on.

Ichigo landed on a dune and took a breather as he looked up towards the moon. For some reason, it was the most comforting sight in Hueco Mundo. In fact, he loved staring at it so much that he sometimes wondered how he ever lived for so long in the Menos Forest without its comforting light.

He was quickly drawn out of his bliss as the sound of footsteps caught his attention. He jerked his head towards the source and spotted a hollow carrying a weapon of some sort. It had four legs similar to that of a horse or deer, but waist up, its body appeared human. A skull mask completely covered the face, but he could see aquamarine hair flowing from behind the mask. This hollow appeared feminine due to the sight of curves as well.

It didn't take him long to figure out that this was a Vasto Lorde due to its small size but incredible Reiatsu. The female Vasto Lorde approached him cautiously watching his eyes follow her. She slowly circled around in front of him and looked at the wound on his chest.

He couldn't tell underneath the mask, but Ichigo had a feeling she was frowning. The female Vasto Lorde spoke sadly, "Another poor soul poisoned by Barragan…it's remarkable you haven't died to it yet."

He gave her a bewildered expression as she gently placed a hand on his chest feeling his blackened wound, "Your body is fighting it, but the constant regeneration is clearly straining you."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Ichigo asked defensively.

She jabbed her weapon into the ground next to him and held her arms up, "Calm yourself Adjucha…I mean you no harm. I'm already a Vasto Lorde. I have no reason to attack you."

He immediately brushed her off before backing away with a poised glare, "Don't touch me…"

Before he could react however, the female Vasto Lorde opened her mouth fully and hacked a large wad of spit directly on his wound. He immediately took it the wrong way and began to charge a cero between his horns. He fired it without hesitation but was shocked when the Vasto Lorde simply swallowed the cero.

She tilted her head to the right and released the swallowed cero into the distance. Ichigo simply stared dumbfounded as the female hollow glanced back at him.

He was in a state of disbelief, 'Damn it! These Vasto Lordes are ridiculously strong! She negated my cero entirely!'

"Relax, Adjucha…" the female hollow sighed as she took several steps closer. He stood there frozen as she reached up and began to smear her saliva over his wound. Much to his shock, the blackened wound inflicted by Barragan slowly began to fade.

His tension eased slightly as he allowed her to continue, but he stared warily ready for any sign of deception. She spit on his wound again and continued to massage it until finally the blackened wound was gone.

Ichigo was truly at a loss of words. This immensely powerful Vasto Lorde not only just enfeebled his attack, but healed his wound as well. After a brief and very awkward silence he finally spoke, "Why? What are you doing this for?"

"I've been watching you for a while…You're the one they call White. It was very brave of you to challenge a Vasto Lorde as an Adjucha…especially Barragan. I admire your courage," the female Vasto Lorde spoke pleasantly.

"You've been following me?!" he asked with a tone of displeasure.

"Off and on, but never for long…I simply tracked you down after hearing about what you did against Barragan. You're all the talk amongst the higher ups in Hueco Mundo. I've seen Vasto Lordes challenge Barragan before, and fail miserably. None have ever succeeded in even wounding him which is why most hollows in Hueco Mundo fear the King. Only the most powerful Vasto Lordes don't…but they don't really care about challenging his rule." she explained.

"You still haven't told me who you are…" Ichigo interrupted.

"My name is Neliel Tu Odelschwanck…but you can call me Nel," she replied.

"Nel…thanks for healing me. Though I'm really curious why you would do such a thing? What's your angle?" the dragon questioned seriously.

Nel simply shrugged, "I just thought I'd help you is all…"

"Why? Helping others here is a sign of weakness…" he said disapprovingly.

She shook her head at his remark, "You don't truly believe that…otherwise you would have slain that panther Adjucha."

"So you have been stalking me…what are you implying then, Nel?" he asked imposingly.

She picked up her lance and began to walk away, "You won't survive in this place all by yourself. And even if you could, would you really want to? The path of solitude leads to self-destruction. You'll never fill the hole in your heart with that attitude."

Her words seemed to cut deep as he growled angrily, "And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"You can have all the power in Hueco Mundo…but what does it mean if you have nothing to spend it on? Think about it, White…" She said softly before disappearing.

Ichigo huffed at her remark, 'What utter nonsense…relying on others is too dangerous in this place! I don't need anyone…'

Though right as he finished his thought he began to think about all the hunting parties that had come after him. The dragon looked down for a moment, 'Though all of them travel in groups. Even that Grimmjow guy had a pack of followers. Barragan's got an army practically…maybe she's right.'

He briefly remembered his time as a Gillian and his epic encounter against the Shinigamis there. Ichigo tried to recall the feeling that gave him so much drive to fight. He had been fighting and surviving in Hueco Mundo for so long that it was difficult to recall.

After a minute, Ichigo's eyes widened as if a revelation had just occurred. His memories flashed back to his time as a human. He had two sisters…he couldn't remember their names, let alone his own, but he wanted to protect them.

'To protect…didn't I tell Raptor that a long time ago?' he wondered to himself.

These thoughts were haunting to the dragon adjucha as he aimlessly flew for hours in search of his next meal.

Noticing a cave near a large rock formation, he decided to risk going there for some rest. Ichigo touched down softly and studied the area warily for any occupants. There appeared to be none, but he couldn't help but feel as if there was a reason for that.

Nevertheless, he ventured inside the cave and continued to study it for close to half an hour. Finally deciding it was safe enough to rest in, he sprawled against the side of the cave wall in a defensive position. His eyes closed slowly as he began to relax for the first time in ages.

Hollows didn't necessarily require sleep, but the lack of it, was clearly not in one's best interest if they wished to remain vigorous and alert.

Ichigo rested for what felt like days, which in reality could have only been a few hours. It was impossible to tell time in Hueco Mundo. Nevertheless, his slumber was cut short when he soon felt something slithering on him.

His eyes shot open just in time to realize a large bony centipede like Adjucha had him wrapped. It was alarmed by his awakening and instantly tried to constrict him.

He effortlessly broke free from the creature before a scorpion Adjucha burst from the ground. It tried to grab him with its claws, and quickly followed up with a stinger attack.

Ichigo's tail wrapped the scorpion's at the last second preventing entry as his front legs easily overpowered the scorpion's claws.

He tossed both insect like Adjuchas aside easily and distanced himself to the cave entrance where he could see them better.

Despite their different forms, their masks appeared identical. He examined the two Adjuchas curiously. Though they resembled insects, they had almost human shaped torsos near their fronts. The centipede Adjucha's legs were similar to bladed spikes. She also seemed to possess two large tentacle like appendages for arms.

The scorpion Adjucha had scorpion claws on her lower body but had almost human like arms with bladed extensions coming from her torso. Their masks were identical which was quite an unusual coincidence. Ichigo couldn't help but admire their appearance, 'These two would be intimidating to lesser Adjuchas.'

The centipede one spoke first, "Damn, he woke up…you should have been ready Menoly."

"Easier said than done, Loly…I wasn't expecting him to react that fast," the scorpion replied.

"There's no excuse sister…our ambushes never fail. You hesitated!" Loly shouted at her sister.

The scorpion examined Ichigo more closely, "Wait…that's not just any dragon Adjucha. Do you see that orange orange hair?! Then that means…he's White!"

"What?! Don't be ridiculous! I'm sure there are plenty of dragon Adjuchas with orange hair…plus if that guy was actually White then we'd already be dead!" her sister shot back.

Normally, he would have simply killed both of them without mercy, but he couldn't help but feel amused by their bickering. Not to mention the coincidental fact that they had identical masks.

Ichigo finally interrupted their arguing, "Actually, my name is White…"

"Oh shit…" Menoly said worriedly.

"We're screwed then!" Loly said with widened eyes.

The dragon sighed at their behavior, "Am I that infamous?"

"What are you kidding me?! Everyone in Hueco Mundo knows who you are…lots of the Adjuchas are submitting to Barragan just to get protection against you in Las Noches," Loly replied.

Ichigo carelessly snorted, "Whatever…I'm leaving."

"So wait! You're not going to kill us?" Menoly asked surprised.

He briefly glanced back, "I can if you want me too…I mean you did just try to kill me."

"We're so sorry…please don't kill us, White! We don't like King Barragan either!" Menoly tried to justify.

Her sister seemed annoyed by Menoly's quick submissiveness and huffed, "Don't kiss his ass, Menoly…he'll probably just kill us anyway."

"So you two don't like Barragan either huh? Why's that?" Ichigo asked curiously.

Loly scoffed at his question, "What kind of stupid question is that? You clearly haven't been on the surface for long if you don't know what kind of ruler he is."

"If his terrible personality is anything to go by then I would assume I do know…" Ichigo responded.

"So why aren't you going to kill us?" Loly taunted causing her sister's eyes to widen with concern, "Loly! Don't antagonize him!"

He shrugged, "You're both weak…eating you wouldn't really get me any closer to becoming a Vasto Lorde."

"Why you!" Loly began but her sister quickly silenced her, "Thank you for your mercy, White…we'll be rooting for your success."

"Yeah, maybe I'll see you two again one day… he replied before taking off into the sky.

After he left, Menoly sighed in relief, "You idiot…why were you trying to provoke him? Don't you know how powerful he is? He took on King Barragan and he's not even a Vasto Lorde."

"So what…just because he's strong doesn't mean we have to kiss his ass, Menoly. Plus I don't really think he's as strong as the rumors say he is. Otherwise he'd have succeeded," Loly stated.

"If you say so…" her sister sighed.

X Deep in the Desert several days later X

After dispatching a powerful Adjucha hunting party, Ichigo felt a strange sensation. As he consumed them, his body began to glow. A pillar of Reiatsu radiated from him as his entire body was engulfed in power.

He felt himself shrinking the more and more the power condensed. His dragon like form soon dissipated into a now bipedal, demonic looking creature. He had two blades for hands and his feet possessed talon like nails. He no longer had wings or a tail in this more humanoid form. His mask appeared the same, and kept his trademark forward facing horns.

Long orange hair reached all the way down to his back, and many of his red markings were now much darker. His pale hide from the waist down was now covered in what looked like armor skin. It was black and had many dark red markings covering it. Both arms had an almost natural looking bony pauldrons that reached from his shoulders all the way down to his bladed arms. Bony white extensions came from his elbows. His torso remained unarmored showing the natural paleness of his skin.

Markings all seemed to accentuate around the hollow hole in his chest as well.

Ichigo looked at his blade like arms curiously, 'What the hell are these? Bladefists?' As he receded his power, the two blade arms receded revealing clawed white hands. He stared at them interested, 'That seems useful…'

He looked at his new appearance with disbelief, 'If I've changed this much then that must mean…I finally did it. I'm a Vasto Lorde! Yes! Haha!' Ichigo soon began to laugh in an almost maniacal joy.

"Finally!" he shrieked joyously.

Though in this moment of achievement, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming emptiness soon after. 'Now what am I supposed to do?' A long moment of silence passed that felt like an eternity. Neliel's words echoed in his head as he thought for a moment, 'What should I spend my power on?'

His attention was brought back to reality as he turned his gaze towards Las Noches' direction. It was nowhere in sight, but he knew which way it was. 'Barragan needs to die…' However, before he could even move, a strange hollow landed in front of him.

It had unusual resemblance to a bat human hybrid, but possessed no mouth. Ichigo stared at the creature curiously. It was difficult to read this hollow's reaction, but Ichigo was especially captivated by its haunting green eyes.

Part of him wondered if this other hollow could even speak. It didn't speak as he expected, but the Hollow's eyes clearly indicated that it appeared curious about him. It seemed especially curious about his own reaction.

Neither one said a word to the other as they slowly circled locking gazes. 'What's with this hollow? He's definitely a Vasto Lorde like me…but what's with that mask? He doesn't have a mouth? He be must powerful then…a hollow with no need to feed would have to be.' Ichigo thought as his golden black eyes continued staring at the bat Vasto Lorde.

The other Vasto Lorde stared at Ichigo with unrefined curiosity, 'I sensed his transformation from miles away. He must have just evolved. He looks quite strange. But his hole…and his skin…they're similar to mine.' Ulquiorra thought.

Ichigo half expected the other hollow to attack or challenge him as it slowly approached. The creature's green eyes seemed tragically empty. The bat like Vasto Lorde reached out and tried to touch his hollow hole which seemed unusual to him.

He slowly grabbed the other hollow's wrist and directed an uncertain suspicion through his haunting golden gaze, "What are you doing?" Ulquiorra stared at Ichigo's hollow hole before looking down at his own. The sight was unexpected.

For some reason, Ichigo's instincts told him that this creature had an instinctual affinity for him since they were similar in many ways. Both were extremely white, both had hollow holes dead center in their chest, and both were Vasto Lordes. In nature this would be akin to two creatures of the same species encountering another one of their kind for the first time. Ulquiorra seemed shocked when Ichigo mentioned this, "We're the same…aren't we? You're a loner too?"

'He isn't afraid of me…he isn't affected by my power…he says we're the same?' Ulquiorra thought to himself trying to process the idea.

"I guess you can't speak…but that's fine. Where are you from? I've never encountered a hollow like you before," Ichigo replied as he released Ulquiorra's wrist.

The green eyed hollow stared at him briefly before pointing into the distance. It was the opposite direction of Hueco Mundo.

"What's out there?" Ichigo wondered aloud.

Ulquiorra pointed at his hollow hole which Ichigo immediately figured was a the creature's way of saying 'nothing.'

"Are you going there?" Ichigo asked.

The bat like Vasto Lorde nodded his head, 'This is the first hollow who's ever tried to communicate with me like this…why is he curious about me? Why am I curious about him?'

"Do you mind if I go with you?" Ichigo requested. He didn't know why, but for some reason, his instincts compelled him to stay with this other Vasto Lorde. Despite its unusual personality, Ichigo actually enjoyed this other hollow's passive disposition. Plus, he wasn't sure how rare Vasto Lordes really were. For two to encounter each other like this was something interesting.

Ulquiorra's eyes had confusion written all them, 'Why does he want to go with me? Nothing ever even wants to come near me. Does he really want my company? I've never had a companion before…'

"I've been alone for a long time…I wouldn't mind the company of somebody like you. Neither one of us have a reason to kill a fellow Vasto Lorde I assume? Not to mention, you seem like somebody worth my time." Ichigo stated.

The green eyed creature nodded briefly. Inwardly, Ulquiorra couldn't describe what he was feeling, 'He said somebody…and not something. This is unusual…why would he desire my company? I can't even speak to him. This creature is very strange.'

Reluctantly, Ulquiorra left and motioned for Ichigo to follow him. The bat like Lorde, couldn't help but ponder how things led to this, 'He's not afraid of me, like the others…so few can even stand in my presence. He seems unaffected. I can't understand his reason for wanting to follow me? Does he hope to gain a better understanding of what to do now that he's peaked his power?'

Ichigo quickly caught up with the other hollow and glanced over at him as they flew, "Why did you approach me by the way? Did you want to gauge my power or were you just curious?"

Ulquiorra pointed behind them and then towards Ichigo before shaking his head. The orange haired hollow sighed, "I see…you were looking for something and just so happened to sense me?"

The other Vasto Lorde nodded. The more time he spent with Ulquiorra, the more he wished the other Vasto Lorde could speak to him. Ichigo cocked his head, "Do you support Barragan? Do you know anything about the other Vasto Lordes?"

Ulquiorra's eyes had a clear lack of concern written in them as he shook his head. He made a few gestures as he pointed to Ichigo and himself. He had a hard time comprehending the gestures, but from what he could surmise, this creature was implying that he did not know other hollows minus Ichigo.

Ichigo said nothing else as he simply continued following the green eyed hollow into the distance. This continued for a long time. Ulquiorra and Ichigo would often make eye contact as they tried to understand the other.

The bat like Vasto Lorde had an almost saddened look in his eyes as he would often look between Ichigo and the distant desert ahead, 'I wonder how long this will continue…it seems so strange to be in the company of another. I don't know what to do…does he expect me to take him somewhere? He did ask about where I was born. Maybe I should show him? Maybe he would understand?'

Deciding on this, Ulquiorra continued to lead Ichigo further and further into the deep outskirts of Hueco Mundo. Ichigo had no way of knowing how long they had been traveling, but now that he was a Vasto Lorde, he didn't feel the overwhelming hunger he had before.

It felt like an eternity since the two set off on their journey. Very rarely were words spoken, but Ichigo had grown accustomed to the other hollow's way of silently gesturing things. Though this was unusual at first, a silent synchronization between their thoughts seemed to occur.

Ulquiorra had been leading him for a long time to what Ichigo could only assume was where he came from. Part of Ichigo rather enjoyed this other hollow's companionship. Despite their limited communication, he couldn't help but feel as if they belonged together. Having another to stand on your level and not be an enemy was something neither had ever experienced prior to their meeting.

Though during this time, Ichigo couldn't help but wonder how this other Vasto Lorde came into being. 'I'm the only other hollow he knows? I wonder if he doesn't know any others because he's too powerful and they're afraid to come near him? His inability to speak certainly wouldn't help in that aspect…This is unusual though. If he was born this far out, was he ever in the Menos Forest? Are the hollows out here different than the ones closer to Las Noches?'

After a long, silent, but not unpleasant journey, the Vasto Lorde duo arrived at what Ichigo could only describe as the end of the world in Hueco Mundo. He and Ulquiorra both stood on a cliff edge overlooking a massive black pit. It looked as if it were a sea of emptiness…a void.

The green eyed hollow looked over at him and pointed to itself before motioning back at the blackened abyss below. Ichigo glanced down below immediately understanding, "You were born here?"

Ulquiorra nodded. The bat creature looked down below and back at Ichigo before holding out his hand. "Show me…" was all Ichigo said as he grabbed the other Vasto Lorde's hand. It seemed Ulquiorra didn't want them to get separated once they entered it.

They both ventured down for what felt like days. Their white forms, glowing eyes, and Ichigo's orange hair were the only sight the other could see during the descent. Upon reaching what he could only assume was the bottom, he could sense strange shadow like beings similar in appearance to Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra held up his finger and charged a whitened green cero illuminating them completely. Their silhouettes were difficult to make out in the darkness, but he soon realized they were all black as Ulquiorra's cero shined light on them.

They also had mouths unlike Ulquiorra. Ichgo was quick to understand. The longer they spent here, the more he began to understand this other hollow.

The black hollows all fled from Ulquiorra's green cero, which was the only light that could be seen in this darkness. After they left, Ichigo could feel the other hollow clutching onto him tighter. 'He doesn't want to lose me in here? Is he afraid to be alone?' Ichigo wondered curiously.

Ichigo spoke up slowly, "I understand now…you were born in this place? You're not like the others…you're different."

The saddened despairing green eyes were unreadable as Ulquiorra and Ichigo locked gazes. The orange haired Vasto Lorde shook his head, "You don't have to live in this pit…come with me. Being a hollow is difficult enough…you shouldn't have to live alone like this."

In that moment, Ulquiorra felt a very strange emotion which was completely alien to him, 'What is this feeling? It's as if a heavy weight is being lifted from my chest. Does he really want us to remain companions? I had never considered what he would say after showing him this place.'

Without warning, Ichigo began to ascend back up through the darkness, still holding onto Ulquiorra. Time seemed to pass very slowly as the two Vasto Lordes flew higher. During this time, Ulquiorra pondered heavily on that situation, 'How long have we been traveling together? It feels as if I have known him forever…why did I bring him here anyways? Why do I want him to understand me? He says he does…he says I'm different from the others, but like him? This darkness…this emptiness…he says I don't have to accept it? What else is there? What drives him to live?'

As they flew up, Ulquiorra stared at the fiery orange hair flowing above him and the faint glow of moonlight barely reaching them. The horned hollow looked down at him right before they reached the Cliffside. Ichigo turned around and stared at Ulquiorra with the bright moonlight illuminating him. The bat Vasto Lorde could not describe the feelings that surged within him in that very moment, but he looked at Ichigo as if he were the moon in the sky.

'Perhaps I can find my some meaning in this emptiness…through him. Another like myself…one who accepts what I am, and lives on. But I don't understand him…who is he?' Ulquiorra finally concluded as the two landed on the Cliffside.

Ichigo turned around as he looked over the dark abyss one more time. The vasto lorde growled in disgust as he charged a cero between his horns. Ulquiorra backed away slightly as he watched with curiosity, 'What is he doing?'

The cero between Ichigo's horns was colossal to say the least. He howled furiously as he fired the devastating red beam into the darkness. Ulquiorra was impressed by the display of power, but even more so as he noticed the cero illuminate the landscape below.

During his attack which seemed to last for minutes, Ichigo howled as furiously as he could. 'Does this place anger him? Why? What point is there in hating nothingness?' Ulquiorra wondered.

After his attack finished, Ichigo faced his companion again, "This place disgusts me. Don't ever return here. This soul-sucking pit should be buried. You don't belong here…nobody does."

'What is he talking about?' the bat Vasto Lorde tried to understand. His concept on the emotion of empathy was very confusing as he tried to process the idea of Ichigo feeling angered on his behalf.

"Ever since I've become a hollow…I've tried to understand what I'm looking for. What drives me to live? All hollows seek whatever this…thing is. You're no different. It's impossible to find it in that abyss. I don't know what you're looking for, but I do know it doesn't exist down there."

Silence passed for a long moment as Ulquiorra seemed deep in thought the hollow took one last look at the darkness below before turning towards Ichigo, 'I don't know what I'm looking for…but neither does he. Why does he not despair though?'

"Don't give up on seeking this thing…there's more to life and death than this horrid place," Ichigo spoke again as he turned away from the blackened pit.

Ulquiorra felt a strange feeling upon hearing Ichigo's words, 'My instincts were right to draw me away from this place the first time. I never would have met him otherwise…'

Without another word, both departed in the opposite direction of the pit. Ichigo looked over again and spoke distantly, "I don't know what you seek, but I will help you understand it by showing you the place where I came from. Have you ever been to the world of the living?"

Ulquiorra shook his head, 'I've never imagined how the mortal world would be. Is that where he is from?'

"I'll show you…" Ichigo stated as the two continued flying.