A/N: Okay, so, if you are here from any of my other stories, I'm not abandoning them. I've just been on a bit of a bleach kick as of late, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to make one. This'll likely be a side story, but I just can't resist. Plot bunnies plague me day in and day out; I gotta release at least a few of them. Sorry. I promise I won't do more than 3 stories at a time, though.

Anyway, this story will likely be the amalgamation of a number of theories I've had about certain things in bleach for a while, combined with the views on them I've gotten from reading other stories and some inspiration I've gotten from them. Don't worry, I won't be outright copying anyone(the set up chapters will probably be rather similar to White, but that's about it for intended similarities), but a familiar concept might pop up here or there. It'll start out cannon then change drastically after the first few hundred words, if even that.

'I am but a part of you' - Thoughts/Zanpakuto communitcation

"You look tasty." - Hollow interaction(be it thought or speech)

(hint: I'll be combining the two above.)

Bakudo #90: Kurohitsugi - Techniques

Kurosaki Yuzu, a blonde haired little girl, stumbled up the stairs and towards here brothers room. She had a few marks on her, indicating that at least some damage was done, and she was stumbling toward the door. "O-onii-chan..." Unable to keep going, she fell in front of the open door, her voice alerting her older brother of her presence. Dragging herself onto her hands, she looked through the door. "Onii-chan, Karin-chan was..." Above her, Kuchiki Rukia, a shinigami, was looking down at her in surprise, though the girl couldn't see her.

Kurosaki Ichigo, the same older brother Yuzu was pleading with, shared Rukia's surprise, though it was quickly followed by anger and an overwhelming need for retribution. He was unable to move, unfortunately, as his hands were bound behind his back by a simple Bakudo #1: Sai(Way of Binding #1: Restrain) from Rukia only moments prior.

Yuzu, reaching a hand towards her brother desperately, continued on, sounding more hurt than she seemed. "Please save... Karin-chan..." She promptly fell on the floor, face first, the arm she had been using to hold herself up giving out in much the same way her legs had. Rukia, once the girl was down, knelt beside her to check on her state.

She quickly interrupted by a cry from outside the home she was in. Rushing to its source, she left Yuzu and Ichigo in their respective states. "Oi!" was Ichigo's indignant cry as he watched the black haired soul reaper rush off, leaving him immobilized and his sister in whatever state she was in. Growling, he proceeded to get himself onto his feet without the use of his hands, which wasn't an easy process. "Damn... it...!"

Meanwhile, Rukia was flying down the stairs, trying to get to the source, only to find a whole in the side of the home, a huge, humanoid, black bodied and white masked creature outside holding a black haired young girl off the the ground. A hollow held Kurosaki Karin in the air, lifting her higher with an over-sized fist. "Lemme go!" was the demand made by the girl, likely intending to sound threatening, but it came out as a feeble request, on the verge of begging. The hollow only held her tighter, making the tight grip painful. "S-stop... it..."

Rukia drew her sword, preparing to strike the beast down. As she prepared to charge in, Ichigo fell down the stairs behind her, his arms still bound. His arrival surprised him, as a human shouldn't have been able to move while under the effects of a Bakudo. She voiced this as he began to actively get up, cursing his helplessness. "He's... MOVING after I put that spell on him..."

Ichigo once more got to his feet, forcing himself upright. Rukia regained her composure as he stumbled a bit before steadying himself. "Move, you're in the way."

He surprised her once more by moving with relative ease towards her. "Shut up!" He then noticed the hollow outside the hole in his house and his sister, currently in pain and in its grasp. Its mask gave Ichigo the impression the it was grinning, but he couldn't tell and didn't care. "KARIN!" He began to struggle extremely hard against the Bakudo, straining himself.

Rukia stood, watching him for a moment before commenting. "Stop that! No human strength can hope to overcome it. If you try to force it, you'll..." She trailed off as he saw the spell, which was invisible normally, manifest itself for a moment before he glowed a light blue and shattered it after a while of struggling.

He caught his breath for a moment before rushing the hollow, grabbing a foldable chair as his impromptu weapon and giving a battle cry. Rukia was shaken out of her shock by the sound. "Wait!" He wasn't about to listen, with his sister in immediate danger and jumped at the monster.

Karin, recognizing the danger her brother was putting himself in shouted at him to leave, despite the pain the simple act caused. "Ichi-nii! Run!" Ichigo was having none of that, though. Time seemed to slow down for him as he sailed towards the monster at what felt like a snails pace to him.

Out of the corner of his right eye, he could see the hollow's other monstrous fist flying at him at what he registered was normal speed, impacting with him a moment later and breaking a few ribs with a crunch. He his the ground, slamming into it multiple times before he came to a stop, thoroughly beaten from the single blow but unwilling to give up.

Rukia, despite her respect for his bravery, could only shake her head. 'Such a fool.' She felt completely validated in her thoughts when he got up again, albeit wobbly.

Charging again, he managed to dodge another fist that would've turned him into a blood stain on the pavement, picking up his discarded "weapon" as he ran through the extreme pain he was feeling. Jumping onto its arm, Ichigo brought the chair down on its head, stunning it momentarily. The moment didn't last long enough, sadly, as he was once again swatted away.

The hollow bent over him, its even grinning mask of bone seeming to grin even further as it opened its mouth to consume him. Rukia, who'd been watching awestruck, jumped in, blocking the attempt with her sword. Unfortunately, the hollow had been closing its powerful jaws, making the blade damage further him but grievously damaging Rukia's stomach, which was unguarded, and shoulder, which she was unable to protect.

As it reeled back, it dropped the now barely conscious Karin from its grip, having tightened said grip multiple times in the previous altercation. She fell to the floor, watching what would happen through bleary eyes, unable to move or even speak as she recovered while still being smashed by the hollow's reiatsu.

Rukia was batted to the side, her current state making her an easy target for the hollow, but she wasn't the target. At least not this time.

Ichigo had begun to glow a light blue, forcing himself to get up again, not even registering the world around him as one phrase kept echoing around in his head. 'Must... protect...' He didn't see when Rukia protected him, nor when she was swatted like a fly. He hadn't even registered that the hollow had attempted to eat him. All he knew was that he was being tested. Again. He felt as though his failure to protect his mother years ago had a chance to be wiped away if he managed to protect his sisters, there and then.

Getting up, which was a feat on its own in his condition, he breathed out a ragged breath, his body taking on a light blue glow. The hollow focused on him, completely enthralled by the power held within a single, living soul. Without another moment of hesitation, he lunged forward, consuming the teen.

After he gorged himself, he turned to the horrified pair watching him, his hunger growing instead of diminishing. Suddenly, he stood stock still, even as he attempted to move towards his prey. Whenever he tried to move a single muscle in an action that would bring him closer, he would freeze up, unable to go through with it. The same went for the shinigami, even though he managed to make a little headway.

Growling in annoyance, he was about to just destroy the house and leave, but a sudden boost in his power triggered a response. He tapped the air in front of him, a tear within the air itself appearing. It grew large enough to accommodate him, which he took advantage of by all but flinging himself inside of it. Soon after the hollow's sudden departure, it closed up, leaving an insensate Karin and injured Rukia to pick up the pieces of the family that was just shattered.

Hueco Mundo

Wasting no time the moment it arrived, the hollow began to attack other hollows who were already in the bloodbath, making sure to go after those that were injured already. It retained enough sense to not waste its strength needlessly... or had it just gained this sense? The hollow didn't know or care as it indulged itself, taking pleasure in the souls it was devouring while none others stood on it's level.

After but a few hours of this, the hollow began to glow red, the bodies of the mindless hollows around him disintegrating into red particles, which he soon joined. They coalesced into a very tall, extremely powerful creature. A Gillian class menos, or menos grande as they were commonly known.

This one, however, was different. Normally, a Gillian was just a simple black, extremely tall, humanoid figure with white hands, feet, and pointy-nosed mask, with spikes around its neck and a hole in said neck. THIS Gillian was white, which alone would be grounds to be interested, but the differences didn't stop there. Its mask was simple: white and skull-like with two vertical, red stripes going over the eyes, but it had no discernible nose, a defining trait of most Gillian.

To keep the differences coming, it had black shoes/feet and black hands. It lacked the prominent spikes around the neck that one would see around a normal Gillian. Probably the biggest difference was the lack of immediate screaming, almost as though it was deep in thought about something. Well, it was.

It was thinking about what the hell was happening. Before the... self-awareness that it currently had, it could recall little. Bits and pieces that didn't seem to fit together. Suddenly, it was hit by a deep-set hunger and screamed out in an instinctual challenge to all those around. As other Gillians gathered to the call, the bloodbath resumed.

In the fighting, the special Gillian was a monster. The ceros fired at him, as they seemed to focus on him, lost effectiveness as time went on. Originally, it was countered by its own, but now, after consuming at least part of easily a hundred of the never ending tide of Gillians, even including a few special ones, there was no need. After a few more hours of this, the Gillians outright STOPPED putting up resistance. That, or they stopped getting the chance. It was mayhem, the never ending hunger that drove the hollow only seeming to increase the more he ate, and he'd eaten far too many in the span of the last few hours.

After the hollow saw a small figure on the ground, it stopped its rampage, curiosity shining in its gold on black eyes, much to the surprise of whoever was watching. "Oh? You can think, huh? Well, that's a bit of a rarity down here, and you were lowering the numbers of even that in your little hissy-fit." The Gillian just cocked its head, showing at least some level of understanding.

It opened its mouth to speak, but all that came out was another shriek, this one far more intimidating that the one before and of the other Gillians that still surrounded them. The figure chuckled. "Don't bother trying, as I doubt you can. Now, I WOULD just eat one as powerful as you to evolve from an Adjuchas to Vasto Lorde, but I need your help for now. Follow." The command rang out, and every single other Gillian came towards him as he turned and walked.

The white Gillian did nothing of the sort, its cocked head remaining as such, and what looked to be suspicion in its eyes. The Adjuchas turned, surprised at its resistance. "Don't worry. I am the Guardian of the Menos Forest. I am more honorable than most other hollow, and I give you my word that this is in your best interest. I'm trying to protect you from Shinigami."

At those words, the white Gillian had a flash of memory. A short, black haired girl who called herself just that. It couldn't help but growl out, "Shinigami..." The mere fact that he was capable of speech was enough to shock the Guardian, but it went further when the Gillian asked him a question. "You... protect?"

The Adjuchas was silent for a long moment before chuckling. "You can think for yourself, act on your own, and now speak? You are an interesting one. But yes, I am the protector of this forest from the Shinigami that come here, seeking to destroy as many of us as possible, even those who have done nothing but exist. Now, come. If you are this developed, you must be powerful, for a Gillian." The Gillian cocked his head at the term, unaware of hollow evolution, for the most part. It followed none the less.

Along the way, the Guardian jumped onto the white Gillian's shoulder, directing it in a single direction. The Adjuchas took the time to look over the Gillian, thinking. "Hmm. Do you, by any chance, have a name, Gillian?" He got the Gillian equivalent of the shake of the head. "Well, until you evolve and get your own, I'll call you Kuro."

The Gillian cocked its head once more, thinking on it. "Kuro...?" It didn't understand why, but that name made him feel odd, as if it was a joke that everyone was sharing about him, but he didn't get it. It also felt... incomplete to him, but the odd feeling was ignored.

The Guardian more or less confirmed this with a chuckle, which would've sounded the slightest bit terrifying if Kuro wasn't already able to shriek like a demonized banshee. "Yes. There was once this hollow named Shiro, and he was black, but you're actually white, so I figured I'd do the same. As aware and thinking as you are, you're still a Gillian, so I doubt you can do any better. Now, we're here."

The hollow jumped off, walking up to a group of Gillians that were facing away from him. At the front of the group, Gillians were falling left and right, but the ones behind them were ready to take their place. Two to three rows of Gillian behind that were all charging and firing ceros, the destructive beams of energy apparently not making any headway against whatever enemy they were facing.

The Guardian of the forest called for them to stop, walking up to the front as they split for him to pass. When he reached the front, he could only scowl... well, scowl as much as his mask allowed him. "I am the Guardian of this forest. Tell me, for what do you come here, Shinigami!?"

A Shinigami with a white haori over the normal uniform and blue-white hair, Hitsugaya Toshiro, was the one to answer him. "We do not answer to you, hollow." His cold voice cut through the relative silence with ease, but the mass of Shinigami behind them didn't mind.

A man with a crazed grin, spiky hair, an eye patch, and his own white haori, Kenpachi Zaraki, jumped at the Guardian. A tail-like appendage came out of the ground in front of him, blocking the strike. The man's grin seemed to grow, if possible, when he found that he could be blocked by the tail, even if it did suffer a minor cut from the action. "Oh? You can handle a bit of actual power, then." He then proceeded to slice the top off the tail like appendage.

Shiro, seeing his the only person to ever talk to him, growled. "Protect... Guardian..." A cero of massive proportions charged in front of its now open mask, causing the ground to shake from the power compressed into it. Even the Guardian, who was already an Adjuchas, stared in shock before jumping back, landing on Kuro's shoulder.

The cero went flying, tearing through those unfortunate enough to get caught in it and turning any nearby sand into glass in an instant. The beam continued, and Kuro swept it across the force that opposed them, decimating numbers. Only when it reached Toshiro was it stopped. "BANKAI! DAIGUREN HYORINMARU(Grand Crimson Lotus Ice Ring)!" Wings made of ice formed on his back just in time for him to wrap them around him, deflecting the blast into the other Gillians.

Once the blast stopped, Toshiro dropped to a knee, the drain of keeping the wings up through a blast like that taking a toll on the diminutive captain. Other Shinigami, seemingly from his squad, surged over to him, checking on their leader only to be waved off.

Kuro, on the other hand, was having flashes of the one Shinigami girl, anger boiling up inside him at seeing them so relieved. Another cero, this one even larger, roared to life between Kuro's jaws. The Guardian had to stop him, though not because he was concerned. "Wait, Kuro." The cero did not dissipate, but Kuro held it there, only barely stopping himself from obliterating everything in front of him.

The Guardian turned to the Shinigami. "Leave this place, and take a message with you. We will not take any more of your senseless hunting of our kind lying down. The next time you see Kuro here, he will kill you, so stay away from this place. Forever."

Half of them seemed to take his words to heart while the other half got... excited. A bald on with the normal Shinigami shihakusho and some markings around his eyes jumped up to his captain. His name was Madarame Ikkaku. "Taicho! Can I have this one!?" His excitement was shared by the entire company, to the point where the seemingly battle crazed captain let him do it.

"Che. Why the fuck not. Try not to die, Ikkaku!"

"Thank you, Zaraki-taicho!"

Focusing on the Gillian, he smiled, drawing his Zanpakuto and touching the pommel to the opening in his sheath. Bringing his hand down the blade and holding it like a spear, he began to glow red while a funnel of opaque wind covered the connected sheath and blade. "NOBIRO! HOZUKIMARU!(Extend! Demon Light!)" Once the funnel cleared, he was holding a naginata(google it) with a tuft of red fur at the end.

Once the dust cleared, he wasted no time in jumping at Kuro, reaching his mask and seeking to shatter it. "The name's Madarame Ikkaku! You should know the name of your ki-!" With surprising speed, Kuro's hand came up, cutting him off and sending him even higher in the air, before he charged a quick cero, blasting the airborne and stunned Ikkaku.

It was over rather quickly, the unconscious, burnt, but grinning Ikkaku falling to the ground in a heap, Toshiro's squad members going to his aid as Ikkaku's own squad left him. After all, in the 11th squad, defeat normally meant death.

Kuro let out a triumphant shriek, drawing their attention back to the Gillian. Zaraki grinned, jumping at him this time. "HAHAHA!" was his battle-crazed battle cry. He cut Kuro across the chest, leaving a gouge running diagonally from one side to the other. Zaraki's grin widened when he saw the wound bubble and heal, taking mere seconds to heal fully.

He was so immersed in the battle that he didn't notice that the Adjuchas had jumped off the shoulder due to his strike and sent some if his tails into the ground. They came up below him, stabbing him through in multiple places, sending blood spraying in multiple directions as his eyes widened. He fell to the ground, bleeding out.

Toshiro had been accepting some healing Kido from one of his squad members when this happened, as he was just laying down a trap but needed a little boost before he could activate it. His eyes widened, not comprehending how a captain could fall so easily. His eyes narrowed when he felt five other Adjuchas hollows surround them, seemingly comrades of the Guardian.

Laughing cruelly, the Guardian looked around at each of the newcomers. "It's about damn time! I had to take care of two captains! Thankfully, Kuro here is a powerhouse for a Gillian. Probably about to evolve." Some of them shrugged, not really caring, while others observed Kuro, noticing his odd appearance for a Gillian.

Their momentary distraction cost them, though, as Toshiro had no qualms with taking advantage of it. They were too busy with each other for the moment to notice that he was focusing. He whispered, "Ryojin Hyoheki (Woven Ice Wall)." A thin ice wall formed around everyone, except Zaraki. As he was still in bankai, he threw the chain at the end of his sword around Zaraki's leg, dragging him in and alerting the Adjuchas that something was happening.

It was too late, though, as the wall of finely woven ice finished forming and Toshiro called out his technique. "Rokui Hyoketsujin(Six-Clothed Ice Binding-Array)!" All around, the 5 ice crystals Toshiro had ice clones place connected to one another, forming a pillar of ice within its bounds that encased all the Adjuchas, though Kuro was far enough away that he was untouched.

Once the attack subsided, Toshiro called out one more attack after dropping his protective ice barrier, seeking to finish the job. "Hyōryū Senbi(Ice Dragon Swirling Tail)!" A crescent wave of ice flowed from his sword as he swung it in a horizontal arc at the frozen Adjuchas in front of him, and another followed as he turned around, doing the same for the ones behind him.

They ice shattered and most of them fell to the ground, all except the Guardian, who'd pulled his tails around him like a barrier and was able to survive, but even he was in a bad state, frost spreading along his body from the gouges the last attack had dealt him along with the sluggishness that had overtaken and almost consumed him for the time he was stuck in the ice.

Kuro stepped forward, a shriek bursting from his mouth. "Protect...," was all Kuro said before another massive cero was brought to life in front of his mask's open mouth, the red glow rather eerie in the decently dark forest.

He fired it directly at Toshiro, concentrating the beam on him, though it was large enough to affect those around him. The other Gillians joined in, following Kuro's lead and focus firing on Toshiro. Even though he was in bankai, and was getting healing Kido moments prior, he couldn't weather an assault like that, even if he was at 100%.

Eventually, his wings were blown away, though they did manage to deflect enough ceros into other Gillians to lessen the incoming damage to a survivable level, and he took the attack, shielding his face feebly with his arms.

When the attacks died down, the squad members were shaking in their boots. Toshiro's uniform was blown to bits, barely enough left to cover his modesty, and more than half of his skin was burnt. Badly. Deciding that they'd had enough injuries, they retreated, grabbing any injured who could still make it and fleeing through a special Senkaimon that one of them had kept active through the endeavor.

Once they were gone, Kuro shrieked in triumph, something the other Gillian joined in with. Unfortunately, the Adjuchas were injured beyond the point of helping, and wouldn't last another hour. The Guardian, being the least injured of the group, ate his comrades, trying to regain enough strength to make it through.

Kuro just watched on curiously, though his own hunger was rising, prompting him to go after the weakened Adjuchas. Fortunately for the Guardian, the feeling was overshadowed by the curiosity Kuro felt. Unfortunately for the Guardian, his comrades energy wasn't enough to save him, as his wounds were closing a bit faster but frost continued to creep up his body, albeit much slower. Eventually, he knew it would overtake him, and he would cease to exist.

Looking up at Kuro, he observed the Gillian, trying to peer into the soul that was currently dominant, to see if it had any chance to actually reach Vasto Lorde. Sighing in resignation, he said one thing. "Kuro! Eat me!" The Gillian, while not having any facial features, seemed almost mournful. At the very least, it wasn't completely happy to devour this one.

The Guardian stared at him in shock. "You can think, you can talk, you can feel, you LOOK different... no, you ARE different. I'd be honored to reach Vasto Lorde as a part of you, Kuro. I'd prefer it to one of the common Gillian chowing down, or, worse yet, I simply die from my wounds and cease to exist..."

When Kuro didn't move, he did something he never did in his entire hollow existence. Begged. "...P-please..." This is the best way you can protect me, and yourself. I'm strong, so you'll be that much closer to stopping the hunger, to focusing on doing what drives you. You'll become an Adjuchas like me with ease, and I know you'll make it to Vasto Lorde. You wish to protect, right? So, protect me from the scavengers... by taking me with you, as a part of you."

That was the final push. Reaching down, Kuro picked up the almost dead and slowly freezing Adjuchas and brought him up to his mouth, swallowing him whole. Kuro's body glowed before shrinking down, becoming far more compact, yet many times stronger, which was amazing, considering the strength he had before.

When it was all over, in the original Kuro's place stood a humanoid hollow with a long, reptilian tail. Its mask was similar to the Gillian it once was, but the stripes below the teeth were closer together, offsetting them a bit, and tapered off, coming to a point at the hole that was located in the center of his chest. From that hole, other markings extended, one going up each arm, splitting into five when they reached his wrists and trailing down to his clawed hands, coloring the actual nails black, while two others, coming out the bottom, went down to his legs, which had layers reminiscent of samurai armor but smoother.

The lines continued, splitting into five different markings that each took a position equidistant around the leg until they reached clawed feet. The feet them selves had three claws in the front and one in the back, the two stripes in the back coming together to reach the tip of the back claw.

After a moment of complete silence, the hollow screamed. After a moment, he stopped, all of the Gillian around focusing on him. "Kuro...saki. Ichigo. Yeah." Memories were coming back to him in a flood, though there were some that weren't his. There were at least two different Shinigami he felt, along with a multitude of other souls. They threatened to overwhelm him, but, in a show of will power, he forced them down.

When he finished securing his individuality, he looked around at the Gillians around him, a very non-Ichigo-like glint coming into his gold on black eyes as the hunger that was there returned in full force, and he decided to indulge. The wails of Gillians echoed through the forest for a long time.

A good amount of hours later, there were no more Gillian in the area and a content Ichigo Kurosaki. "That was... satisfying. Now, what the hell happened to me? I remember a hollow attacking, then... then I was giant... or was it one of the others?... no, I was there, and that Guardian guy was calling me "Kuro"... Well, he was saying something about becoming a Vasto Lorde, and he called me something like a... Gillian? Yeah, I'm a Gillian, whatever that is... No, I WAS a Gillian. I think that I'm an Adjuchas now, right?"

He brought his clawed hands up to his head. "Agh! This is complicated! I think what I need to do is keep eating... yeah. I'm still hungry. Maybe I'll be stronger for it too. I feel better after eating those other... Gillian." He didn't even notice how easily he adapted to the situation, how his mind pointed him in the direction of progress without him actually possessing the knowledge.

A/N: Yup, OOC Ichigo. I'd imagine that becoming a hollow would change ANYONE, no matter how kindhearted. Their very existence is based on defeating and eating their own kind to gain power until they reach the point of no longer needing to do this, aka Vasto Lorde. Then what? Ichigo's gonna find out the hard way, but HOW he goes down this path... well, read the next chapter when it comes out.

Also, I think I have some explaining to do. So, Ichigo was eaten by a hollow. In my story, a hollow has to reach a certain level of power before they can even be a candidate for becoming a Gillian. Fishbone D, which was the hollow's name, was right under the level needed. Ichigo is the son of a Shinigami and a Quincy while he possessed a natural born hollow side(will be explained later in the story), so his power is rather large, just untapped.

That sent Fishbone WAY over the level of power needed to become a Gillian, putting him above most Gillian in terms of power already. When he sought to sate his hunger on the other souls around him, Ichigo's will, which was stronger than his own, put its foot down, telling him to leave. He did so and went back to Hueco Mundo, possessing enough power to evolve but still needing a few more souls.

After killing off his fellow hollows, they merged, becoming a Gillian. Now, in my mind, the process of becoming a Gillian is something of a competition. If any of the souls eaten had an extraordinary drive, surpassing that of the others by a decent amount, then it would come out on top. Normally, it's a hollow soul, but Ichigo was in their. He is part hollow already, giving him the ability to triumph over them, and his will is strong. The biggest thing to him was protecting others, at the time, so, with that drive still fresh, he triumphed.

THEN there was the Guardian of the Forest and Shinigami hunting party part. This was just so the Shinigami would recognize the name Kuro, and Ichigo could recognize his hate for Shinigami, though it has faded substantially. I'll get to what they did after the encounter eventually, but I'd rather not spoil that now. Regardless, they pushed the Shinigami back, but the Adjuchas were just about dead after Toshiro's surprise attack.

In the end, the Guardian of the Forest ate them trying to replenish his power, but it wasn't enough, as Toshiro's ability to freeze what he cuts was sapping his power. He asked Ichigo to eat him, as he didn't know what would happen if the frost overtook him. He might've become a meal for another lucky Gillian, he might've ceased to exist completely, the ice taking over completely before shattering but keeping the shards of him from dissipating.

Ichigo ate him, and since the Guardian was rather powerful, as shown when he could take Zaraki with his eye patch on, he evolved into a rather strong Adjuchas right off the bat.

He started getting information that wasn't his from memories of the souls within him, though he pushed them down. His own instinct was active, telling him what to do. Now, don't worry when I say this, but he and his inner hollow are currently one. In the story, his inner hollow is both his shinigami and hollow powers, making Zangetsu Quincy. They'll both appear later on, but, for now, they're silent.

Seriously, though. He'll get OOC as hell, and that's because no one goes down the hollow path and comes out the same... if they come out at all. And a little tidbit of info that likely won't be relevant. His shinigami powers get rid of his need to feed, he's just prompted to by his instinct because he's a hollow.