"Normal Speech"

"Internal Thoughts"

"Hollows"

"Zanpaktō"

CHAPTER 1

(Ichigo's Inner World)

Ichigo lay on his back as his senses return to him. "Ugh, my fucking head! I'm going to kill you, Hat n' Clogs!" Ichigo says as he gets off the hard ground, rubbing his head. "Huh? Where the Hell did they put me this time!?"

Around him was the closest thing he could describe as Hell. The sky looked to be alight with flame as soot and ash dropped like snow from the heavens. He stood on what looked like a rocky island surrounded by an deep Abyss and a large range of land far across it. At the center of his island was a large pool of lava with three rock formations that looked like faces, each with a different look, the right in a scowl and roar of anger with horns curling onto the side of it's head, the center with it's eye's in a puzzled expression, and the left a neutral, almost sage like, all with glowing yellow/orange 'eyes'.

"HEY, HAT N' CLOGS?! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE! BEFORE I KICK THE CRAP OUT OF YOU!"

*Caw*Caw*Caw* A bird call sounds behind, catching Ichigo's attention. He turns and sees a Dark green Crow with Orange eyes fly close to him. "So, this is the 'Shinigami'? A LOUD . . . BOY!?" A deep voice echos to Ichigo's side as the crow flies over his head. Turning towards the voice he only hear the sound of beating hooves.
"What the hell? Who's there?! Quit hiding!" Ichigo shouts as he frantically looked for the source of the voice, only to see nothing save for a few other floating platforms in the middle of the lava flow. He hears more Hooves coming from the heads, he turned and look back just in time to see a LARGE horse Charges from top the center head jumping across the other side of the pool of lava.

It's fur gone showing pale green skin, some of it's flesh appeared to be rotting off as holes and even it's stomach was missing and an almost skeletal face as the teeth and nose were both barely covered by any trace of flesh and the eyes glowed a bright blue, wisps of what looked like souls flowed from its 'mane', 'tail', and hooves before disappearing as the horse charged towards him. On it's chest was a metal plate with what looked like a fanged demon skull and glowing blue eyes, with a chain on both sides acted as a harness to a saddle that was adorn with a few broken chains and some skulls depicted here and there, a tattered clock hung out under both sides of the saddle, and a metal like spine connected to the saddle and fell back through the tail of souls and seemed to move with them.

On its back is a man with long raven hair reaching his shoulders, holding a scythe in his hands as he rides the horse. He wore what looked like a tattered purple cloak that left his chest, right shoulder, and his upper arms exposed, showing he was muscular but built for speed, not power. His legs were covered in what looked like white bones and skulls over dark purple metal, even his gauntlets had a similar design that made them look like a skeletal hands over the metal. His skin was a bluish tint and his right shoulder had what looked like a tattoo/brand that looked vaguely like a bird. Covering his face was a white skull like mask with no mouth, and a permanent scowl.

The man jumps off the horse as it disappears into the ground, the man's scythe separates into two smaller scythe/sickles. As he lands the ground CRACKS under him, though he looks unaffected by it. "Brash and loud . . . probably better suited with my brother." Was all he said as the man stood at his full height, easily a head above Ichigo and walked towards him until he was a few feet away.

"That mask . . . could he be a Hollow? But I don't see a hole anywhere. . . just what is this guy?" Ichigo thought as he saw the man's eyes had no irises, but were filled with a dark orange and yellow sclera. Looking closer at the man's armor Ichigo took note of the scythes on his thighs. Both of them were the same width as his old Zanpakutō with a wicked double edge to both with a fuller groove on each that grew wider the farther it got from the tips and were filled with runic carvings in them, a skull on each surrounded by four spikes connected to a studded handle, both with a half circle on each acting as pommels that locked them together.

"Where am I? Where the hell is Hat n' Clogs?"

"Do you not remember what you were meant to do? Are you that foolish boy?!"

Ichigo thinks back to why Hat n' Clogs dropped him in that hole. 'If you don't get your shinigami power back before you become a hollow, we'll have to put you down, Ichigo. So I suggest you don't wait around too long.' "God damn it, Hat n' Clogs! If I get of here, I'm kill you! So where am I then? Cause this definitely isn't the hole Hat n' Clogs dropped me in."

"You truly are a fool. We're in you Inner World. Where a shinigami's Zanpakutō reside." The man says, clearly growing more and more annoyed with the teenager.

"Then . . . you're my . . . Zanpakutō?"

"Finally, you truely are the dumbest human I've seen in years." The man says as he gave a slow clap as Ichigo's eye twitched at the man's words. "What makes you think you even deserve you powers back, let alone to have mine?"

"Look, I don't have time to aruge. Tell me how to get my Shinigami powers back." Ichigo says, glaring at the man who only seemed to chuckle and scoff at him.

"So you can what? Go charging off like an idiot and get us killed for some girl? I think not. Maybe becoming a Hollows will teach you to think before you act." The man says sending a glare back at the boy and resting his hand on one of the scythes.

"Damn it, I don't have time for this! Just tell me what I want to know!" Ichigo shouts, gritting his teeth with rage. But this only made the man chuckle loudly.

"Such arrogance, you don't even know the first thing about what it is to be a 'Soul Reaper'. But you still wish to blindly charge in like a fool and fight those who have vastly more power and experience. ALL FOR ONE GIRL?!" The air between them was tense. Neither one seeming to back down as the world around them shook. Some lava and obsidian breaking off and splashing onto the ground around them. Finally the man sighed and rubbed the part of his mask covering his brow. "Stubborn fool . . . Very well." He says before matirializing the Broken sword Ichigo once used as his Zanpakutō and toosed it to the orange haired teen.
Ichigo caught it but fumbles and barely clasps the hilt. "HEY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! I COULD'VE CUT OFF MY ARM!" He shouted, only for the man charges without a word and brings both scythes out, holding them just below where the blades met the hilts and held them in a reverse grip as the blades extended and curved across his back and the blades crossed each other with the tips just poked over opposite shoulders, as Ichigo barely blocked the blow of one scythe and jumps back. "What the hell? What are you doing?!"

"If you want my power, then show me your resolve!" The man shouts as he charged again and kicks Ichigo in the chest as he does a backflip, sending Ichigo flying back and into the sky.

(Urahara's Underground Training Facility)

Kisuke Urahara stood at the edge of the Shattered Shaft, looking through a pair of binoculars that where a few sizes too small. Ururu and Jinta standing next to him, both looking down one end of a pair of binoculars that looked more military grade than Kisuke's opera glasses.

"Boss," Jinta begins as he still looks through the right lens of the binoculars, "why do me and Ururu have to share this set and you have the small ones?"

"Well, Jinta. Since you didn't grab a set for Ururu, so it's only right you learn to share!" Kisuke replied as he held up his fan with one hand to hide his grin as he continued to watch Ichigo's body at the bottom of the shaft.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Jinta says, clearly annoyed at the blonde's reply.

"Um, Mr. Urahara, sir. How long has it been since he stopped screaming?" Ururu asked as she looked at the shopkeeper.

"Hhmmm, I'd say about fifteen hours now." "Something's off, he should've started transforming more after the mask formed." Kisuke thought as he looked closely at the mask. The mask was skull like, though stopped at Ichigo's hair, a skull like nose and a permanent scowl was the only characteristics her could see as there wasn't even a mouth. "Hurry, Ichigo. Whatever is holding the Hollowfication off won't give you forever."

Suddenly black tendrils began to sprout from the hollow hole on Ichigo's chest, each either latching onto the orange haired teenagers body or grew and lashed out for anything to grab. Sickly yellow Crystals begin to grow from the tendrils covering Ichigo's body, slowly coating his left arm and right shoulder.

"W-What the hell?! That isn't a normal Hollowfication!" Kisuke thought as his binoculars zoomed in on one of the crystal and analyzed it as the crystals began to accumulate and cover Ichigo's body. Tessai began the next incarnations as white bandages covered Ichigo's body, only for the crystals to cut right through them as more and more of both coated him. "This isn't good. Whatever those tendrils and crystals are, they seem to be giving off an unknown type of Reiatsu, as well as drawing directly from Ichigo's body. I've never seen anything like this before. What the Hell is happening?!"

(Ichigo's Inner World)

The man links the ends of the scythes together and make the large one before he throws it at Ichigo as the teen barely has time to block as sparks fly from the scythe as it grinds against the blade. The man dives forward as the scythe flies back to him. He forces the scythe blade over Ichigo's shoulder as the orange haired teen tries to hold back the surprisingly powerful strikes. "Why do you want this power? Why can't you return to your normal life?"

"You talk like it's a simple thing, to just walk away from everything, to just turn my back on a friend!" Ichigo shouts as he pushed back harder. Sending the man flying back a few feet, before suddenly he stopped midair and fell to the ground on his feet as the ground shattered under him.

"You desire my power, but for what purpose? Do you just wish to save one person? You don't get it, do you? This isn't some fairy tale where the idiotic hero gets his way!" The man says he rolled forward and threw the scythes as one. Ichigo narrowly dodges, but the scythe returns to its master's hand and the man pressed the attack once more. "I may be your Zanpakutō, but that doesn't mean I share your feelings. A Zanpakutō isn't a simple blade for you to just swing around like a child!" The man shouts as he jumps over Ichigo and hooks the scythe's blade under Ichigo's armpit before launching the teen ahead of him as he lands. Ichigo grunts in pain as he slams and slides across the hard stone, a large gash under his arm from the man's maneuver.

"Damn it! I can't . . . I can't even hit him, he's too fast! Even if he wasn't, each of his attacks feel like I'm taking a sledgehammer to my arms!" Ichigo thinks as he opens his eyes and see the man charging towards him before jumping into the air and holding the one large scythe in his hands and dark purple energy flows from his body and forms an spectral body two if not three times larger than himself. The only features Ichigo could make out was a hood covering the face, a massive scythe over it's head, and large skeletal wings that were spread as wide as the could extend behind its back as it brought the scythe down on top of Ichigo sending him flying back again and sliding on his back and stopping at the edge of the lava pool.

"Pathetic!" The man shouts as he walked towards Ichigo, holding the large scythe with on his shoulder as he held it with one hand. "Is this how you're going to 'save' Rukia? Flail around till you die or your enemies can't beat you anymore?" The man asked as he watched the orange haired teen slowly stand. "That one Captain took you down faster than you could react, you didn't even know where he attacked you from! You had better get it though your head, and come at me with the intent to kill me!" He shouted as his Reiatsu began to flare and formed the hooded figure behind him once more.

Ichigo's watch with his eyes practically popping out of his head as he felt the Reiatsu smothering him as the ground beneath the man cracked and even started to float away from him. "This Reiatsu . . . I felt it before. Before they took Rukia, I felt this. The intent to kill them, to protect her." Ichigo's thought as he slowly moved both hands down the hilt of his Zanpaktō. "He's right, I'm pathetic. I just blindly rushed them, I can't even control my Reiatsu."

Ichigo thinks as his arms go limp. " What am I even going to do?! That was one Captain! How many others will I face to just Reach Rukia? Let alone get out. Damn it! DAMN IT!"

Suddenly Ichigo thought back to Rukia, tears in her eyes as he look at him on the ground befor they took her. The fate that awaited her, just for giving him the power to protect his family, his friends. Then his mind wandered to his own mother, crumpled lifeless before him, despair the only thing he could feel as tears streamed down his own face. "NEVER AGAIN! I'm not going to let you die Rukia . . . Not for me! I wouldn't let anyone else die because of me!" Ichigo thought as his hands tighten, his knuckles cracking against the hilt, his face holding a determined glare as the tears stopped and he stared down the blue skinned man before charging.

"He just doesn't know when to give up." The man thought as he swung the large scythe, the figure behind him mimicking the movement with it's own scythe. Only for Ichigo to roll under it like the man did. "His speed has improved." The man spins as he brings the scythe in a upward slash, only for Ichigo to jump back and charge again. Ichigo swings with both his hand on the Zanpaktō as it's size increased to a third of his first Zanpaktō's size. The man breaks the Scythe in two once more and blocks the attack, a shockwave ripped through the air as the weapons met. The man connected the scythes behind his back and swung it around his body, the momentum keeping it in the air as it circles the man's stomach as Ichigo jumped back. The man grabbed the scythe as it came to his front and slashed towards Ichigo, the figure behind him mimicking the movement but sends a arcing wave of Reiatsu from the scythe towards Ichigo. The teen blocked the attack with the edge his Zanpakutō, slowly being forced back, before he pushed back harder. His anger fueling him as he pushed the scythe away and tried to strike the man. Only to be kicked back once again as the man does a backflip off Ichigo's chest.

"He's dead set on storming the Soul Society, just to save one person he considers a friend? The man thought as Ichigo fliped onto his feet and charged once again. The man blocked Ichigo again and agian, now one the defensive as Ichigo continued to press the attack. Dodging any counters with a roll even kicking the Man in the chest as he dis a backflip. "Maybe there's enough embers in this dead flame." The man smirked under his mask at the sight.

Suddenly the earth began to shake as lava started to fly up and land all around them, Ichigo moving around quickly to avoid the raining lava as the man stood still. "We're out of time, boy. If you want to save yourself from becoming a Hollow, then prove you have a right to my power!" The man said as he crouched low and bring his scythes in front of him. Behind him and in all the lava pools, inky black puddles begun to bubble up, the lava around the black liquid cooled and solidified as sickly yellow crystals begun to sprout and grow as they glowed the same yellow colour.

Ichigo is the first to move, charging straight at the man as he held the broken remains of his Zanpaktō with both hands. The man takes the scythe in his left hand and slashed across in a wide arch in front of him, his blade meeting nothing as Ichigo rolled to the left. Ichigo jumps to his feet just behind the man and lunged forward as the man turned around, narrowly blocking with the other scythe as Ichigo struck. As the blades met a shockwave exploded out, cracking the ground under them as the each swung again and again. Each hit creating a new shockwave, neither backing down as they only struck harder and harder, though Ichigp's arms where weakening. But he pressed on, swinging harder and faster as he rolled to the right, hitting the man in the leg as Ichigo past by and got behind him. The man hissed but was unharmed thanks to his armored boots.

The two once again charge, this time the man jumping in the air as he connected the scythes together, holding both tightly as his body radiated purple Reiatsu that formed the fimiliar hooded winged figure behind him, holding it's scythe a similay way as the man brought the weapon down hard. Dust and lava spraying out like an explostion as the attack destryoed the earth where Ichigo stood. As the dust cleared, Ichigo was no where to be seen. The man looked left, then right. Seeing nothing before a sharp sting of pain hit his back from behind. Growling loudly he looks behind him to see Ichigo, the broken end of the Zanpakutō coated in his blood.

"He's moving faster, striking harder." The man thinks as his own arms start to feel weaker. "Mimicking my own movements." The man spins and swings both scythes up and across each other. Ichigo blocks but is sent back a few feet. Digging the Zanpakutō into the ground to slow hims before he charged again.

"You'll never give up will you? No matter how much I beat you down, no matter how much i keep throwing at you. You'll only keep fighting . . . not for yourself . . . but your friends . . . your family." The man thinks, stopping for a second as he almost forze. "We are not the same, we have different Ideals, different methods and goals. But deep down we both have one thing in common." This single second was all Ichigo needed to dodge the scythes, standing infron of the man as he goes to stab him. "We'd storm the gates of Heaven itself for those we care for."

(Urahara's Underground Training Facility)

Ichigo's body was violently thrashing, tryign to break free as pins inserted themselves in his shoulder and neck. His now distorted screams muffled under the white wrapping surrounding his body. The black tendrals on ripping through and coating over them as the crystals grew bigger and glowed brighter. Illuminating the shaft almost the the surface, blinding everyone as the Reiatsu skyrocketed. The ground cracking and flaking off before pieces start floating up into the air.

"This Reiatsu, I've never felt anything this dark! It feels like someone's trying to choke the life out of me!" Urahara though as he tried to make a bubble of his own Reiatsu around himself, Jinta, and Ururu just so the kids could even breath as they lay on the ground, gasping for air. "DAMN! Ichigo, you better come out of there soon!"

(Ichigo's Inner World)

Ichigo and the man stand before each other, the man's hand on his conjoined scythes as his other hand lays on Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo himself however was holding his Zanpakutō with both hands, holding it tightly as it piereced the man's stomach, though no blood flowed out of the wound as they pant.

"So . . . you're too stuborn to simply accept the truth?" the man says, dropping the scythes as he tightens his grip on Ichigo's shoulder. Grabbing the Zanpakutō with his now free hand and puling it out before it disappeared from Ichigo's hands entirely.

"Why did you want this? Why did you want us to fight when I could've turned into a Hollow as we fought?" Ichigo asked, looking the man in his glowing pupiless yellow eyes.

The man released a laugh, "You were beaten, nearly killed by those two before. If you truely desired to reclaim your powers, I needed to see you understand what you will face. But you have the resolve to push back, to keep fighting and never stop." The man says, slowly standing back to his full hieght. "We will have to see if that means anything in time. You've shown me you won't back down from even me, so you have earned the right to hear my name."

Ichigo let out a low sigh as he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He let a small smile grace his face, before the man grabbed him by the shoulders and tossed him to the side. Landing near the scythes with a thud as the man grunts in pain. Ichigo quickly turned and looks, seeing the man hit in the shoulder by one of the tendrils as it started to coat his body, the crystals cutting deep into his flesh as he tried to pry it off.

"Grab . . . Grab my Scythes! Call out my NAME!" The man shouted, ripping off some tendrils, but only more latched on. Slowly coating him as the crystals imbedded themselves in his right shoulder.

Ichigo quickly grasped the large scythe in both hands, each one near the blades as it split in two once again. Feeling as though they where made for his hands as he was mesmerized by the feeling washing over him. Power unlike anything he ever felt before as he held them like the man had done with the blades behind him in a reversed grip. Holding both scythes out in front with his arms crossed as he felt a singular name come to him. It was something deep down that knew this was the right name, the only one fiting his Zanpakutō spirit. "Ride now: SHI!(DEATH!)"