Phew, I just finished this chapter; I haven't even had time to check for errors in it yet. I tried to update earlier, but I've had midterms all week and that's taken a lot of my time and I'll be on spring break till the 15th I believe, so I'm not sure how much writing I'll get done in that time. Also, the poll for whether Ichigo should sleep with other woman and whether Rangiku should be in his harem will close on Sunday the sixth, so make sure to vote if you haven't already. As always PM if you have any questions or see parts of my story that could be improved as I am a perfectionist and want my story to be perfect.

Chapter 7

"Regular Speech"

"Thoughts"

"Hollow Speech"

Techniques

The next morning, Tia awoke to a delicious aroma filling the air. She slowly opened her eyes, reluctant to move from her comfortable position in Ichigo's bed. Her eyes snapped open. That was right, she was in Ichigo's bed. But if that was true then yesterday...

"Hey, sleepy head," said Ichigo, grinning at her drowsy face.

"Huh," said Tia intelligibility, looking up at Ichigo, confused, her mind not quite awake yet.

Then shaking her head to clear the cobwebs, Tia squinted her eyes to shield them from the invading sunlight. Looking over at Ichigo, she noticed he was carrying a tray filled with a wide assortment of foods if the heavenly smell originating from them was to be believed.

"What's that?" she asked, her mouth watering.

Still grinning, Ichigo replied, "It's breakfast. You slept like a stone and missed normal breakfast, so I made you some and brought it up to you."

"You didn't have to do that for me, Ichigo," said Tia, berating herself for imposing upon Ichigo's kindness yet again.

"No, it's alright. I enjoyed doing it," answered Ichigo dismissively.

The truth was that when Ichigo had come up to wake Tia for breakfast, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. God forbid his dad ever find out, but he thought she was extremely cute when she was asleep. She had shifted during the night so that she lay in a fetal position, hugging her pillow like a doll. She even had a small line of drool running from her mouth.

Yawning, Tia sat up as Ichigo gave her the tray.

Looking at it in curiosity, Tia asked, "What types of foods are these?"

Ichigo was surprised when she asked that, He hadn't thought she might not recognize human foods. None the less, he said, "The yellow part is scrambled eggs, the brown circles are sausage patties, the bigger circles with the syrup running down them are pancakes, the square, toasty part is toast with jam, and the drink next to it all is orange juice."

Tia gave no sign that she'd heard him, instead reaching down for the fork next to the plate and carefully sticking it into the pile of eggs and then just as carefully, moving it to her mouth. Her eyes widened.

The next minute left Ichigo speechless. After that first bite,Tia seemed to remember how hungry she was in this new body. She engulfed the food with gusto. What would have taken a normal person several minutes to eat, Tia finished in less.

"W-Wow, you sure eat fast," said Ichigo, still trying to comprehend how someone could fit that much into their mouths at once. "Do you want more?"

"No, that's alright," replied Tia calmly. Then putting on a look of confusion, she said, "I don't know how to describe it, but it's like I don't want to eat anymore."

Sweat dropping, Ichigo said, "You're full then."

Looking at him, confused, Tia said, "I don't understand."

Not quite sure what she was getting at, Ichigo answered, "You know, when you've eaten enough and you don't need to eat anymore for a while."

Eyes widening in surprise, Tia said, "What?! Humans don't need to eat."

Realizing that there was more to this than what met the eye, Ichigo frowned slightly and said, "No, humans need to eat, but after we've eaten, we don't need to eat again for several hours."

Looking pensive, Tia said, "That's not what hollows do. When we eat, our hunger gets suppressed, but it never actually fades. That's why we're always hunting for more food because if we go without for too long, the hunger we worked so hard to suppress begins gnawing at the back of our minds, eroding at out sanity. If this then goes on for too long, our minds start to grow twisted and even friends start to look appetizing." Then shuddering, Tia said, "Starvation is something I wouldn't wish even upon Aizen."

Ichigo was greatly disturbed when he heard Tia's account of what it truly felt like to be a hollow. He'd always thought that hollows were just mindless beats out to hurt innocent souls. This by itself was still true for the most part, but it was clear to him now that there was more to it than what he originally believed.

"Will you be alright?" asked Ichigo, concerned.

"Yes, I'll be fine. It's just that it's been so long since I haven't felt the need to go hunt for food that it's surreal," responded Tia, handing the empty plate and tray back to Ichigo as she rose form the bed.

Letting the issue go for now and getting back on track, Ichigo nodded and said, "Alright, were going to be going to the store in a little while to get you some more clothes and anything else you might need while you're staying here. For now though, you should go take a shower in the bathroom right across the hall."

Nodding back, both Tia and Ichigo left the room to do their own individual tasks.

When Tia got to the bathroom, it took her several minutes to figure out how to operate the shower. When she'd come in, she figured there would be some sort of pool to bathe in, but instead there was this odd contraption that sprayed water form a nozzle.

Deciding it was just another quirk of the living world, Tia stripped and stepped in.

With Ichigo:

Ichigo had gone down stairs to place the used silverware and plate in the washer. When he'd finished, he sat down at the table until heard the water up stairs go off. Figuring Tia had finished, he went back up stairs and waited outside the door for her.

When he saw the door open though, it was like an electric shock went through his body. Tia had stepped out with a towel wrapped around her waist, but nothing more, leaving her chest completely bare before him.

"Hot damn, that's a nice body," whistled Hichigo appreciatively.

Ignoring him, blood began trickling from Ichigo's nose as he shouted panically, "Ahh! T-Tia, why aren't you covered!?"

Tia was just as shocked as Ichigo. When she'd gotten out of the shower, the only towel she could find was a small hand towel that could just barely go around her slim waist. Realizing she would just have to make do, she covered what she could and hoped she'd be able to make it back to Ichigo's room without meeting anyone, least of all Ichigo himself, so of course that's exactly what happened.

Her mind finally catching up with her, Tia immediately gasped and brought her hands up to cover her breasts. This only made the problem worse though as when she thoughtlessly raised her hands, the towel that just barely covered her groin fell to the floor, showing off her hairless mound to Ichigo's widening eyes.

Realizing her blunder, Tia only managed to dig her grave deeper when she dropped her hands from her chest and knelt down to retrieve it, effectively giving Ichigo full view of her nude body.

Unable to take the strain from both Tia's body and Hichigo's cackling anymore, Ichigo's mind proceeded to activate it's prude defenses and fall into a heap on the floor, knocked out cold with blood steadily flowing from his nose.

It took several more moments before Tia had situated herself and noticed Ichigo's unmoving form on the floor. Looking around quickly to make sure no one had saw what just transpired, Tia tried her best to lift Ichigo and drag him back to his room; a task made even more difficult due to the limited strength this body provided her.

Meanwhile, Isshin was grinning stupidly behind the corner, a heap of towels resting behind him.

"I'll have grandchildren one way or another," he said as a slow trickle of blood moved down his face from watching the earlier proceedings.

Ichigo's Bedroom:

"Great, Tia, I knew you could do it," said Tiburon excitedly.

"What are you talking about; I didn't do anything?" questioned Tia, her face still glowing red as she finished placing Ichigo on his bed.

"Oh, come on. You know what you did. Knocking him out with your body was a stroke of genius even I hadn't thought of. Now all you have to do is get those pants off him and we'll have ourselves a man," responded Tiburon, still excited.

Realizing what her zanpakuto had meant, Tia gritted her teeth and thought back angrily, "I will do no such thing. What just happened was an accident."

Down stairs, Isshin sneezed.

"So, I guess Ichigo marveling at your body was an accident too then," answered back Tiburon, irritated at being shut down again.

Blushing even more than before, Tia thought back, "He wasn't marveling at my body; he was just in shock."

Surprised at her partner's sheer denseness, Tiburon replied, "You've got to be kidding me. If he was any less a prude, he would've died from blood loss."

Frowning, Tia thought, "Ichigo isn't a prude; he just respects woman."

"That's just another way of saying he's a prude," retorted Tiburon.

Frown deepening, Tia said dangerously, "What are you implying?"

Realizing her words may have been misinterpreted, Tiburon quickly said, "I mean that no sane man would ever close his eyes in front of a nude woman, especially one of your caliber."

Anger appeased, Tia asked, "Do you think he liked what he saw?" sounding significantly less sure of herself now.

Grinning like the animal she represented, Tiburon asked, "Oh, what's this. Does Tia have a crush on Ichigo?"

Quick to respond, Tia hastily said, "No, I just was just curious is all. You know what, just forget about it."

Scoffing, Tiburon replied, "Whatever. For the record though. For those few moments, all he was thinking about was you."

Tia didn't say anything, but somewhere in her mind, she felt quite pleased at that little bit of information. Not that it mattered of course.

Neither Tia or Tiburon got a chance to continue their conversation as Ichigo groaned and began to sit up in his bed.

Tia jumped from where she had been sitting on his bed and got to her feet, nervous about what Ichigo would say.

Sitting up, Ichigo mumbled out a few intelligible words, rubbing his head and the bruise that was forming from his recent trip to the floor.

"I just want you to know, I have never hated you as much as I hate you now," said Hichigo, surprisingly calm.

"At least I'm doing something right then," thought back Ichigo blearily as he slowly looked around the room.

"Bull shit! Of all the times for you to play pussy and faint, you had to choose then. I can't believe you're able to face down threats a thousand times more powerful than you are, but can't stand to look at naked woman without falling over yourself," answered Hichigo angrily.

Not responding as he had noticed Tia standing towards the back wall of his room, he immediately blushed as he remembered what had happened. Luckily though, she had put on some of his clothes during the time he was knocked out, leaving her clothed in an old T-shirt and worn jeans.

Ichigo wanted to say something, but despite his best efforts, couldn't form the words in his mouth, leaving him looking like he was going to say something, but then not.

Ichigo didn't know it, but Tia had the same problem. She wanted to address what just happened and make sure that everything was still alright between them. Logically, she knew that everything should be fine, neither of them had expected what happened to occur and both were caught equally off-guard by it, but never the less, she was still slightly nervous.

Finally managing to speak after several awkward moments, Ichigo asked, "Uh, d-do you just want to ignore what happened and pretend it didn't happen?"

Tia rapidly nodded her head. She 'd never heard of anyone solving their problems by ignoring them before, but it sounded like a great idea. After all, what could be wrong with just living in denial.

Blush slowly beginning to recede, Ichigo said, "Alright then, I was going to take you to the mall today to shop for some things for you while you're here."

Nodding her approval, Tia said, "Alright, I'm ready when you are."

Nodding himself, Ichigo got up and handed Tia a coat to put on while getting one of his own also.

When they were ready, Ichigo was making towards the door when he noticed Tia's slightly uncomfortable look.

What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing, it just that for so long I've had something that covered the bottom half of my face, that it's a bit disconcerting to have it bare all the time.

Putting on a thoughtful expression, Ichigo said, "Hold on, I might have something for that."

Slightly curious as to what Ichigo might have, Tia watched as Ichigo went to his closet and grabbed some form of cloth strip.

"It's a scarf, " he said. "You wrap it around your neck to keep warm, but it'll also wrap around the lower portion of your face."

Handing it to her, Ichigo watched as she put it on and grinned when he heard her hum in approval.

"Thank you, Ichigo, this is much better," said Tia gratefully.

"No problem, now lets go," said Ichigo, continuing onwards out the door.

Ichigo and Tia walked for about half an hour, Ichigo talking and Tia just listening for the most part, occasionally adding her own input.

"And then you should've seen his face when I appeared behind him. Imagine someone like Ulquiorra and you'll have a pretty good idea on what it was like when I pulled the metaphysical rug out from under him. It was priceless, " said Ichigo, grinning as he told her about his fight with Byakuya on Sokyoku hill.

A small smile formed on her face as Tia imagined what it would have been like to see Ulquiorra completely shocked for once.

"I think I would have liked to see that," said Tia, eyes sparkling with concealed mirth.

Grinning back at her, Ichigo said, "Yeah, before I beat him, he was the biggest, most arrogant prick you could imagine. He mellowed out a bit afterwards though. Still a dick though," he said as an after thought.

Tia couldn't help the laughter that escaped her when she heard him.

Ichigo couldn't help his it, his grin widened a little further at hearing Tia's melodious laughter fill the air.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Tia said, "If he was anything like Ulquiorra then it must have been a good fight. He may have been just the fourth Espada, but even Baraggan was weary around him. It was like he was hiding a large portion of his strength."

Ichigo frowned slightly and said simply, "He was."

Looking at him oddly, Tia asked, "What do you mean?"

"When I fought him, he used something even more powerful than your resurreccion. Something he called 'Segunda Etapa'. With it, he was easily stronger than the primera," said Ichigo, frowning as certain memories resurfaced.

Frowning herself, Tia said, "If you had said that about any other Espada, I wouldn't have believed you, but Ulquiorra always did seem to be stronger than he on." Then looking at him, she asked, "But if her was so strong, how was he defeated?"

Frown deepening, Ichigo said, "I'd prefer not to say. Just know that it was I that beat him."

"Pussy," said Hichigo, scoffing.

"Quiet. You're going to answer questions on that later," thought back Ichigo angrily.

"Hm, I'll think about after I get my time in Hueco Mundo," answered back Hichigo uncaringly, seemingly unbothered by Ichigo's anger.

Ignoring his Hollows blatant disrespect, Ichigo looked back at Tia who was looking at him oddly.

Accepting Ichigo's answer, Tia nodded in response and said, "That's alright. I'm sorry for making you remember."

When Ichigo didn't respond, Tia looked over at him to see him staring off into space.

"Ichigo?" she called out.

Ichigo blinked and looked over at her.

"Hm, did you say something? Sorry, my head was in the clouds," said Ichigo apologetically.

"I apologized for bringing up bad memories about Ulquiorra," answered back Tia.

Frown returning, Ichigo said, "It's alright, you didn't know." Then grinning, pointed and said, "It doesn't matter anyway, we're here."

When Tia looked over towards where Ichigo was pointing, she was shocked at the sheer size of the building. Sure, it wasn't quite the size of Las Noches, but it was still massive.

When they had arrived in the store, Tia looked towards Ichigo and asked, "What do we do now?"

Putting on a thoughtful expression, Ichigo said, "Well, first we should go and get you some more clothes that way you have a few different outfits to choose from."

"Okay then, I'll follow you," said Tia calmly.

When they arrived in the clothing section, Tia was amazed at the wide variety of options displayed before her. There had to be thousands of different choices in her here.

"Alright, here we are," said Ichigo. "I'll go wait over there while you look around for any clothes you think you might like. Just come find me when you're done, alright."

Tia nodded as they both went their separate ways.

Approximately 20 minutes later, Tia went back to Ichigo with a bundle of clothes in her arms.

"Okay, I've found some I find aesthetically pleasing," said Tia calmly.

Grinning, Ichigo said, "Good, now we'll go to the changing rooms so you can see if they fit you."

Ichigo then led Tia to a section of the clothing section she hadn't explored yet. Eventually they stopped in front of a series of small rooms.

"Go on in and I'll wait here for you. After you've changed you can come back out and look in the mirror," explained Ichigo.

Tia nodded and went in, locking the door behind her.

Ichigo sat there in silence as he waited for Tia to finish. Trying to avoid looking at the bottom of the door where he could see Tia in the process of stripping. During this time, an unwelcome presence made it self known.

"Oh, if only there was some way to look through that door," lamented Hichigo suggestively. "Oh, wait, there is," he said grinning.

"Don't even think about it. There's no way I'm sensing through that door," thought back Ichigo, yawning.

"You fucking prude. How long are you going to go without getting laid. If I was in control, I would have already fucked, impregnated, and ditched almost every girl you know," shot back Hichigo angrily.

"I'll get a relationship when I'm ready. Unlike you, I actually want more from a relationship than just sex " said Ichigo irritated.

"When you're ready," said Hichigo angrily. "If you haven't caught on yet, dipshit, you hit puberty six years ago."

Scowling, Ichigo thought back, "You know what I meant. I'm not going to invade Tia's privacy by peeking on her."

"Ah, how'd I get stuck with a loser like you! With you in control, we're going to end up dying a virgin!" shouted Hichigo angrily.

Gritting his teeth, Ichigo thought back, "What if I promise not to die a virgin. Will that make you happy?"

"NO, I want us to die from every STD known to man!" shouted back Hichigo angrily.

"You idiot, I'm not getting STD's just so you can be happy," answered back Ichigo, irate.

"Alright, alright, I hear you. I'll worry about healing us from anything you contract and you'll nail anything with breasts. Sound fair," said Hichigo, bargaining.

A tick-mark growing on his head, Ichigo thought back, "Were not bargaining you pervert."

"Hey, just remember that I'm a reflection of your most hollow like traits. It's not my fault you're a closet pervert in denial," retorted Hichigo snidely.

Ichigo was about to respond when he hear Tia call out to him.

"Ichigo, can you come here?"

Curious, Ichigo got up and walked towards the changing room Tia was in.

Opening the door when he got there, he asked, "What is i-"

He stopped mid sentence in shock when he noticed what Tia was wearing. Instead of the old clothes he had let her borrow, which lay neatly folded on the bench next to her, she was wearing a cropped top that showed off her toned stomach along with a matching pair of the smallest shorts he'd ever seen. Those things looked like they barely covered her groin as it was, never mind if she bent over.

Stifling a nose bleed, Ichigo asked, aghast, "Tia, what are you wearing."

Surprised at his reaction, Tia said, "I'm wearing some clothes I found that looked like they'd offer a wide range of movement."

"Wide range of movement she says," thought Ichigo to himself. "If those clothes offered any more 'freedom', she'd be naked."

"I like it," said Hichigo, grinning lecherously.

"Shut up. I knew you'd like. If her shirt was any shorter, you could see her bra," said Ichigo, looking at Tia's shirt of choice.

Then scowling, Ichigo looked closer at Tia's shirt. Paling considerably, he said, "Uh, Tia, are you wearing a bra?"

"A bra? What's that?" asked Tia, confused as to Ichigo's odd behavior.

Somehow paling even more, Ichigo said, "You know, undergarments. Those things you put on under your regular clothes, like a bra to support your breasts and a pair of p-panties to cover your groin."

Appearing even more confused, Tia said, "No, I don't have anything like that on. All I'm wearing is what you see."

Face suddenly going from deathly pale to redder than an apple, Ichigo thought, "If that's true, then if a strong breeze should blow and Tia's shorts get blown up..."

"Hahaha," cackled Hichigo madly as Ichigo's face grew steadily redder as his thoughts continued down a less than moral path.

Reaching his limit, Ichigo turned around stiffly and walked two steps before crashing to the floor in a heap.

"Ichigo!" exclaimed Tia, worriedly.

"You said he'd like it," thought Tia accusingly as she checked Ichigo over for any injuries.

"Yeah, and it seems I was right," said Tiburon, grinning.

"What are you talking about, he collapsed on the floor?" answered back Tia, irritated.

"Poor, poor, innocent Tia. Ichigo only did that because he couldn't withstand the magnificence that is our body," answered back Tiburon, shaking her head in mock disapproval.

Growing a tick mark, Tia responded, "What do you mean? Stop speaking in riddles."

"Come on, you can't be this dense. Just look in the mirror. That should tell you why Ichigo fainted," said Tiburon, exasperated.

Narrowing her eyes, Tia looked back at the full body mirror mounted on the wall next to her. She hadn't actually thought to check how she looked before she called in Ichigo, thus when she saw her appearance, she was shocked. No wonder he'd fainted, she was hardly wearing anything.

"Tiburon! Why would you tell me to put something this scandalous on?" demanded Tia angrily.

"Um..., because I thought you'd look good in them," answered Tiburon lamely, knowing she was screwed.

Suffice to say, Tia didn't buy it. "You're still trying to get me to sleep with him, aren't you?" she accused angrily.

"Nooo...," answered back Tiburon, averting her eyes.

Glaring inwardly at her zanpakuto spirit, Tia thought back angrily, "I've already told you, I'm not sleeping with Ichigo regardless of any of your machinations."

"Come on, Tia, I'm just trying to help you. You don't honestly want to spend the rest of you life alone, do you?" complained Tiburon.

"We won't be alone," answered back Tia stubbornly. "We'll have each other and we'll have Ichigo as friend. We don't need anyone else."

"I'm a personification of your soul; you can't lie to me. I know that you don't really believe that. You want someone who'll view you as an equal and won't betray you like Aizen. Mila, Sung Sun, and Apachi filled this role somewhat, but they always looked to you as a superior, never an equal. At best, they were like daughters to you, not someone you could turn to when you needed help or you were troubled by something," retorted Tiburon angrily.

Tia was silent for a moment as Tiburon waited for her response until she said, "You may be right, but even if I do desire that type of bond with someone, it wouldn't be with Ichigo; it would be with another hollow."

"Oh, really, then why did you ask me if I thought Ichigo would like the original clothes you picked out?" asked Tiburon pointedly.

Bristling, Tia said, "I only asked that because he was a human and would know the common styles to help me fit in better."

"Bull shit. You wanted to know if he'd like how you looked," snorted Tiburon.

Gritting her teeth to prevent herself from giving a biting remark, Tia calmly said, "It doesn't matter what you say; I know my own feelings."

Sighing, Tiburon didn't respond, slightly saddened that Tia wouldn't see sense. Didn't she know that she only wanted to see her happy.

When Tiburon didn't respond, Tia frowned, feeling slightly guilty at the saddened emotions coming from her zanpakuto. She hadn't meant to offend her. She was just irritated at her partner's constant pestering for her to sleep with Ichigo.

Resolving to make it up to her later, Tia consoled herself in the fact that she knew her own feelings better than anyone and if she had any feelings towards Ichigo other than friendship, she would know, right?

Several Minutes Later:

Ichigo slowly returned to consciousness. Opening his eyes, he realized that he was lying on a bench with Tia looking down at him in concern.

Lifting himself, Ichigo noted, slightly embarrassed, that this head had been resting on Tia's lap.

"Are you alright?" asked Tia, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm alright," said Ichigo, looking towards Tia and noting her new clothing. Instead of the slightly revealing clothes she had worn earlier, she now wore a pair of skinny jeans that hugged her legs like a second skin and a sleeveless, pale lilac colored shirt with small ruffles at the bottom edges. In Ichigo's honest opinion, she looked quite stunning.

"Wow, uh, Tia, you look really nice in your new clothes," said Ichigo awekardly.

"Real smooth, king," mocked Hichigo.

"Shut up," thought back Ichigo.

Tia blushed slightly and said, "Thank you, I changed from the last clothes I had after I got some bad advice from a friend of mine. I'm sorry about embarrassing you like that though."

"It's alright; I was shocked is all," said Ichigo, rubbing the back of his head.

"So," he said when Tia didn't say anything, "are you ready?"

"Yes, while you were knocked out, I grabbed several more outfits along with some undergarments," answered back Tia.

Blushing slightly at the reminder of Tia's lack of unmentionables, Ichigo said, "Alright, then there are only a few more things we need to get for you and we can leave."

Roughly 30 minuets later, Ichigo and Tia were standing in line as the teller rang them up.

Grinning, the middle aged woman manning the station said teasingly, "Getting your girlfriend some new clothes are we."

"Uh, no, I'm just helping her shop, "said Ichigo, blushing slightly.

"Hm, that's fine too I guess. I wish my husband would be so kind as to take me out shopping," said the teller absentmindedly as she pointed for Ichigo to swipe his debit card.

Following through, when Ichigo swiped his card and got his confirmation receipt, he was shocked at his ending balance. Coming into the store, he had had several thousand dollars saved up in his back account from all the hollows he'd killed as a soul reaper. Turned out that every time he killed a hollow, the Soul Society would deposit 100 hundred dollars into his account. He didn't question how they'd gotten his bank information, but apparently they must have counted all the arrancar and Espada he defeated because his balance now numbered in the tens of millions.

"Holy shit," he mumbled quietly.

"What?" asked Tia curiously.

"Oh, uh, nothing," said Ichigo, not wanting to discuss his finances in front of a stranger.

When they had collected Tia's clothes and were on their way home, Tia asked, "What was that thing you gave the teller back at the mall?"

"Hm, oh, that was just my debit card. I used it to pay for the clothes," answered Ichigo casually.

"What!? You paid for the clothes with your money?" asked Tia aghast, hating that she'd just infringed upon Ichigo's kindness again.

Frowning, Ichigo said, "Well, yeah, someone had to pay for them and I figured you didn't have any money or even knew how it worked, so I paid for it. Why, is there a problem?"

Appearing conflicted, Tia responded, "Yes, you've taken me in and been nothing but kind to me. I don't want to continue to impose upon your kindness by taking your money too."

Scowling, Ichigo turned towards her and said, "Tia, I've been kind and helped you because I want to, not because I want something in return. The same thing is true for my money. I wanted to buy those clothes for you because you needed them and I could." Then smiling slightly, said, "Besides, if it makes you feel better, with all the money I've saved up from killing hollows and defeating Aizen, I've got more than I could ever possibly spend. I could have bought every article of clothing in that store and it wouldn't have put a dent in my fortune."

Tia didn't say it, but that did make her feel a little better knowing that she wasn't straining Ichigo. None the less, she said, "I just don't want to be a burden to you. All I've done so far is live off of you without giving anything in return. It might be because I'm a hollow, but kindness without asking for anything in return in Hueco Mundo is nigh nonexistent."

"Well, I guess I'm the exception then. You're not a burden to me and you never will be. In the few days I've known you, I've enjoyed your company and that's all the compensation I could ask for," said Ichigo firmly.

Smiling gently, Tia said, "I know I've already told you this, but I truly am grateful for everything you've done for me and if there's ever anything I can do in return; you have but to ask."

Ichigo smiled too and said, "No problem, and if there's ever anything you need, I'll do anything I can to help."

As they walked the rest of the way home, Tia couldn't help the small smile that found itself on her face as her opinion of Ichigo rose a few more notches.

When they walked though the door, Isshin immediately came down upon Ichigo yelling.

"MASAKI, OUR SON HAS FINALLY HAD HIS FIRST DATE!"

Tia smiled silently at this. She could clearly see the affection Isshin had for his son and the rest of his family despite his odd way of showing it.

"Shut up, old man, all I did was take Tia out for some clothes," said Ichigo grumpily.

"Come on, Tia, lets go up to my room, so we can put away those clothes," he said as he began his ascent up the stairs.

"Alright," she said, following him up.

Isshin just grinned like a maniac as he watched Tia follow Ichigo up the stairs. Just yesterday, she'd been a walking bundle of nerves, but now after spending just a few hours with Ichigo, she seemed to to have relaxed a bit and maybe even enjoy her time around him.

"You sure work fast, Ichigo," he said to himself.

After Ichigo and Tia had finished putting away all her new clothes, Tia asked curiously, "What are we going to do for the rest of today?

"Well, shopping was all I had planned for us for today, but Soul Society is making me the captain of a new squad, so I'll probably head over there soon and get that taken care of," said Ichigo thoughtfully.

Tia was shocked. She said, "A captain? There going to make you a captain? But you're still alive and so young."

Snorting, Ichigo said, "Yeah, I know. I reminded them of that when they told me, but they didn't seem to care. I found out what was up in the end though. Turns out that when the Seireitei went to war against Aizen, Soul Society was put under military rule, but now that the war is over, a new Central 46 will be elected and the captains are afraid that they'll see me as a threat and try to have me killed."

"What?!" asked Tia, horrified. "But didn't you save them? You said you were the one that defeated Aizen."

Looking at her grimly, Ichigo replied, "I did, but they're afraid of anything they don't control and as I'm only loosely affiliated with Soul Society, they're worried I might dethrone them or something. The hope is that by making me a captain and thus firmly allying myself with Soul Society, Central 46 will leave me alone."

Tia's face contorted angrily as she said, "Those bastards. How could they betray you like that? Without you, Soul Society would've been destroyed and Aizen would've won."

Smiling sympathetically, Ichigo said, "It's alright. I figured I'd end up being a captain anyway with the power I have now; I just didn't expect it to be so soon."

"Yeah, but it still isn't fair. I just don't understand how they could be afraid of you when their entire way of life revolves around soul reapers. What's there to be afraid of?" asked Tia, irritated.

"Well, I'm not just a soul reaper," said Ichigo.

"What?" asked Tia, confused.

Elaborating, Ichigo said, "I mean that I'm more than just a soul reaper. My mom was a quincy, my dad a soul reaper, and I've had a inner hollow since before I was born. I'm essentially a perfect hybrid between all three powers. Throw in that I'm also a human and you've got cause for disaster right there."

"Wait, are saying that you're also a hollow?" asked Tia, shocked.

"Yeah, partially, but I can only open gargantas," explained Ichigo.

Tia was still in shock from discovering that Ichigo was like her, a hybrid.

"D-Do you have a mask?" asked Tia shakily.

"Hichigo," thought Ichigo, trying to get the hollow's attention. "Is there anyway I could summon my mask to show Tia without mixing our powers?"

"Hm, well, seeing as it might help us get laid, I suppose I'll help you this once for free," mused Hichigo lazily, lying on a rock sunning himself.

Dragging himself up from his resting spot, Hichigo said, "Hand control over to me and watch what I do." Feeling Ichigo about to say something, Hichigo said, "Don't worry, I won't do anything but form the mask."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Ichigo conceded. He felt his hollow slide into his consciousness alongside him. Due to past experience, he didn't react when he felt his left arm raise and swipe across his face.

And just as fast as he appeared, Hichigo disappeared, leaving Ichigo wearing his hollow mask, though without any of the boosts it usually afforded him.

Tia was shocked again. She hadn't really believed that Ichigo could be part hollow, let alone part quincy, but the proof sat right before her in the form of the mask that now adorned Ichigo's face.

Not speaking, Tia stepped forward and gently touched Ichigo's mask. Her eyes widened, there was no mistaking it; this was a genuine hollow mask.

"How? Are you like those masked soul reapers that also fought Aizen?" asked Tia, looking at Ichigo seriously.

Sighing, he said, "I suppose you could say that. The people you're talking about are called the vizords, but unlike them, my case is a bit unique."

"Explain," said Tia calmly.

Nodding, Ichigo said, "When I was still developing within my mom, a hollow attacked her and tried to infect her, so that it could take over her soul. It didn't know she was pregnant though and accidentally infected me as a result, but due to my soul still forming, it mixed and fused with my soul completely, giving me an inner hollow and the ability to learn any hollow technique. There's more to it than that, and I might tell you later when I get to know you better, but for now, will that suffice?"

Tia nodded silently and said "Yes, thank you for telling me this."

Then grinning, Ichigo said, "No problem. I'm going to go to Soul Society and get that captain business sorted out. You can just stay here and maybe bond with my sisters or something, alright?"

"I can do that," responded Tia, affirmatively.

"Okay then, I'll probably be back in a few hours, so don't wait up for me," said Ichigo as he focused and ripped open a garganta.

Tia already knew, but she was none the less amazed when Ichigo, a soul reaper for all intents and purposes, opened a garganta right in front of her.

Watching Ichigo step through, Tia was soon left alone in the room.

Going over and sitting down, Tia sighed, she had a lot to think about now.

"Yep, because now you need a new excuse," quipped Tiburon happily.

"Quiet."

Soul Society:

When Ichigo exited the garganta, he was immediately grateful that no alarms went off due to his appearance in Soul Society.

Whistling a tune he'd heard on the radio a while back, Ichigo began his walk towards the first division's captain's chambers.

When he arrived at the, thankfully unguarded, door, he could hear Kurotsuchi yelling something from within.

Not delaying any longer, Ichigo opened the door and stepped in, causing all eyes to turn to him.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, why have you come here?" questioned Yamamoto. "I excused your last appearance coinciding with the activation of the reiryoku limit alarm as mere coincidence, but not this time. Several witnesses state they saw you exit an undetected garganta. Explain," he demanded.

Holding up his hands in mock surrender, Ichigo said, "Alright, alright. I admit it; both those events were my fault."

His face hardening, Yamamoto remained silent and waited for Ichigo to explain.

Realizing it'd be best for everyone involved for him just to explain, Ichigo said, "When I came to Soul Society two days ago, the alarm that went off activated because of me."

"Impossible. That alarm measures the amount of reiryoku within a soul. To make it go off, you'd need more reiryoku than each of the captain's combined, including the head captain. No person could ever contain that much power, much less a human" sneered Kurotsuchi.

"Have you already forgotten Aizen?" asked Ichigo, irritated. "If I recall, he not only managed to gain that level of power, but also use it to almost wipe out the 13 Court Guard Squads. I would've thought someone as brilliant as you could remember something so important."

"Don't mock me, boy; I've lived over twenty of your lifetimes. In that time I've learned and done more than your feeble mind could even begin to comprehend. I-" Kurotsuchi would have continued his tirade, but Yamamoto silenced him with a flare of his spiritual pressure.

"Hold you tongue, Captain Kurotsuchi." commanded Yamamoto angrily. Then turning towards Ichigo, said, "Your power feels considerably more potent than last I sensed it, but it is hardly at the level you describe. Have you learned to suppress it?"

Speaking out before Ichigo could respond, Soi Fon asked, "Head Captain, are you truly considering trusting this boy's word on a matter as sensitive as this? Isn't possible he could have lied or at the very least been biased in his description?"

Remaining impassive, Yamamoto answered, "For serving Soul Society and failing to give ample reason to mistrust him, we will trust his word until after his inauguration where proof will be provided."

He knew his tale was far fetched at it was, thus Ichigo was grateful when the head captain gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"Thank you," Ichigo, nodding his head towards the head captain.

Yamamoto merely grunted and motioned for Ichigo to continue.

Taking his cue, Ichigo answered the head captain's previous question, "Yes, I managed to learn the basics on how to suppress my power and for the next week, I'll be focusing on perfecting my control over it, but after that, a seal I placed on my power to help me learn to control it will break and my strength will skyrocket."

"How much of your power did you seal away?" asked the captain commander.

"Uh, I'm not sure actually," said Ichigo sheepishly. "I had my zanpakuto, Zangetsu, seal away as much as he could. I could as him though if you'd like," he offered.

"No, that won't be necessary," responded Yamamoto calmly. "We will see how powerful you are after the inauguration ceremony."

Nodding his head, Ichigo asked, "And when will that be?"

"As you are already here, we will hold the ceremony in a few hours," answered Yamamoto.

"So soon?" asked Ichigo, eyes widening. "I was only here two days ago, that can't possibly have been enough time to get everything ready."

"Do not underestimate the efficiency of the Court Guard Squads. When you last left Soul Society, preparations were made and placed on hold until your next visit. Now that you are here though, it will take but a few hours for the ceremony to commence," said Yamamoto, a small bit of pride coloring his voice.

"Well, I guess I'm ready when you guys are then," said Ichigo, still slightly surprised things were moving along so quickly. Last time he ended up standing here for what felt like forever explaining his actions against Aizen.

"No!" shouted Kurotsuchi indignantly. "There's still the matter of the garganta opening undetected in the Seireitei that needs to be addressed."

"Oh, yeah, I had to come to Soul Society by garganta because I can't open senkaimon," said Ichigo, shrugging his shoulders.

The atmosphere in the room which had been relatively relaxed,suddenly grew much more serious.

Noting this, Ichigo said, "Okay..., I take that's a bad thing."

"Head Captain!" said Soi Fon angrily. "This boy has just confessed to using forbidden techniques. Something like this can't be ignored, he must be punished!"

"Be quiet, Captain Soi Fon," commanded Yamamoto sternly.

"Bu-," began Soi Fon.

Raising his spiritual pressure threateningly, Yamamoto turned and glared at Soi Fon.

Bowing her head, Soi Fon said, "Yes, Head Captain, I'm sorry for my insubordination."

Accepting her apology wordlessly, Yamamoto turned back to Ichigo who was starting to fidget.

Glaring at him sternly, Yamamoto said simply, "Explain."

Nodding readily, Ichigo said, "After the captain's meeting two days ago ended, I went to the R/D department to get my zanpakuto registered to open senkaimon. When I got there, Captain Kurotsuchi told me to place my zanpakuto into the machine and let my reiryoku flow into it. Unfortunately though, it exploded from being unable to handle reiryoku as dense as my own, thus preventing me from opening senkaimons."

"Ichigo Kurosaki, 100 years ago you would have been tried and executed without preamble for using forbidden hollow techniques for whatever the reason," spoke Yamamoto gravely.

"I'm sensing a 'but'," said Ichigo hopefully.

"But in light of the recent war and events leading up to it, I have been led to believe that such actions may be too extreme."

Remaining silent, Ichigo listened as the captain commander said.

"Because of this, I am willing to overlook this infraction and allow your continued use of garganta provided you inform myself and the captains present of your current skill in using hollow techniques," finished Yamamoto.

Soi Fon looked like she wanted to say something, but wisely stayed silent.

Sighing in relief, Ichigo said, " Alright, I can do that." Then recomposing himself and glancing at each of the assembled captains, said, "As of now I can only open gargantas, but I have an arrangement with my inner hollow were he'll teach me new hollow techniques when I need them."

Soi Fon looked about ready to explode at hearing this, but a quick glare from Yamamoto was enough to silence her.

Frowning, Yamamoto said, "We will speak more of your inner hollow at a later date, but for now, it is time to prepare for your ceremony."

Hearing this, the assembled captains began making their way to the exit, intent on preparing for the upcoming event.

Three hours later:

"The old man wasn't kidding when he boasted about the efficiency of the Court Guard Squads," thought Ichigo as he stared nervously out at almost 3000 soul reapers from a large outdoor stage.

Looking over to his right, Ichigo saw each of the captains standing in line alongside him in descending order.

Seeming to sense Ichigo's discomfort, Ukitake leaned over and whispered, "Relax, Ichigo, it's not as bad as it seems. I remember when we had to do this for Captain Hitsugaya, he could hardly keep himself from shaking, but despite that, it all went off without a hitch and yours will be no different."

Ichigo didn't say anything back, instead trying to imagine what it must have been like for Toshiro to stand in front of so many people. As he thought of this, he couldn't help but grin slightly at the thought of the diminutive captain shaking with nerves.

When he heard Yamamoto's cane clacking against the wood, Ichigo turned to watch the old man make his way up the stairs and to the podium until he stood staring out at the assembled soul reapers.

Silence fell as soon as Yamamoto began his ascent up the stairs.

"Soul reapers," he began loudly. "Four days ago the war with Aizen ended." Silence reigned as Yamamoto spoke. "Four days ago a hero rose to challenge Aizen when the combined might of the 13 Court Guard Squads couldn't."

Continuing, Yamamoto said, "This hero though, was not a soul reaper. No, this hero was substitute soul reaper Ichigo Kurosaki who single handily faced down Aizen in mortal combat and defeated him when no one before him could."

"It is for this act of bravery and duty that we honor him here today by making him the new captain of the 14th division."

"Ichigo Kurosaki, step forth," commanded Yamamoto loudly.

Ichigo walked up steadily, trying his best to remain calm and not embarrass himself.

Standing in front of the head captain and thousands of wondering eyes, Ichigo gulped as Yamamoto said.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, do you swear to uphold the laws of the Soul Society with all your strength?"

"Yes," said Ichigo calmly, grateful that his voice wasn't cracking.

"Do you swear to protect Soul Society from threats both foreign and domestic till your death?"

"Yes," said Ichigo, looking the captain commander in the eyes.

"Then, for your selfless duty and sacrifice in the defense of Soul Society despite being under no obligation to do so, I formerly name you captain of the Gotei Special Task Force," proclaimed Yamamoto. "Take your haori and wear it proudly."

Ichigo took the offered coat and put it on, smiling slightly when he noticed the insignia on the back was a single, black crescent moon.

Stepping towards the edge of the stage, Ichigo stared out at the thousands of eyes straining to see him. It started as a low rumble, but clapping and cheers soon dominated the air around him as people celebrated his new status.

After a minute Ichigo stepped back and took his former place in line next to Ukitake who smiled at him proudly.

The ceremony drew to a close soon after that and soul reapers were given the rest of the day off to celebrate their new captain. Despite the numerous parties that he would no doubt be welcome at, Ichigo took the nearest opportunity to excuse himself politely from the multitude of people that had stormed him, asking a million questions.

Retreating to a nearby alley, Ichigo opened a garganta, anxious to get back to his family and Tia. A moment later, he was gone.

Finally, stuff is starting to move along. I'm not completely happy with how this chapter turned out, so I'll likely post an updated copy in a few days that fixes grammar errors and some of the tiny errors that are certainly present in the chapter.