He never would have guessed that he would die this way. He thought that he would die during a war, during a fight protecting his friends, or better yet fighting hollows!

But instead... he died by the hands of his own friend.

Who he thought was his friend, he thought bitterly as he stared at the sky..? What he think is a sky. Only he could see is.. darkness.

Darkness was soothing, he thought, as he looked around the place where he is in now.Darkness was in every direction.

He finds it a bit disturbing, of course. Weren't souls suppose to be going to Soul Society? He died, didn't he?

He stood up slowly.

A hand touched his shoulder.

"It's been a while, King."

He looked over, and saw his hollow self. He paled slightly. But slowly, he relaxes. He's your zanpakutou. It's okay, he won't hurt you anymore.

"What happened?" He asked to the other, who in the first time in years, looks very calm but worried for him. Why was he worried?

"Yes, something did happen. You died by the hands of that kitty arrancar, that's what." He didn't want to be reminded by that. "But that's not what made me worried, surprisingly. Even if I hate you for being so weak that you got back stabbed... literally."

"What is making you worry then?"

The hollow's eyes darken slightly. "Don't you feel it?"Feel what? He was about to ask, when he froze at the coldness of his heart. What the hell was that? He panicked slightly.

"That, King... You're turning into a full fledge hollow."

"What the fuck!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth."He turned to him and something hit him. he is confused on why he was worried, shouldn't he be happy that he was finally, finally getting the body he always wanted? As if reading his expression and what caused it, the hollow frowned.

"I didn't want to mentally scarred you, King. I was angry. I was livid. Zangetsu wouldn't let me give you all of your power, the power you deserve... So, what else would I do but to give it to you forcefully, to be the role I don't want to?"

Ichigo stayed silent. This honestly warms his heart. So, his hollow zanpakutou cared for him. He should have known, he should have, ever since the War of the Quincies came and they finally bonded... But hearing him say it is special.

"Please stop being so dramatic, King. The good thing about this place is that it doesn't rain."He is amused at that. "Would you rather live in total darkness?"

"I'm a hollow, King, I am Darkness itself."

Now who's being a drama queen? He thought as he rolled his eyes and started to walk around the plain darkness. He didn't look back to know that his zanpakutou, and his Quincy powers (who was hiding somewhere. How he did that? Camouflage.) followed him.

"Zangetsu... This isn't normal."

The two hummed in agreement.

The wielder looked at his zanpakutou, looking worried. "What are we going to do?"

"Wait for someone to save us."

"As sad as that sentence may be, there are times we needed someone to save us from the darkness within our souls." The Quincy said, always the one who gives the wisdom that their wielder needed.

"Just promise me you won't go away again."

"We're stuck with you, king."

"Always."

Toshiro Hitsugaya was inside the Urahara Shouten, waiting patiently in their living room while waiting for news of Ichigo Kurosaki's health.

He saw everything.

His phone warned of an arrancar attack, and he went to check it out. Never did he ever expected at what he saw...

He saw how Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez stab the unsuspecting Kurosaki from behind as a surprise attack.

He saw the HUMAN BODY of Ichigo lying there, eyes widen in shock, blood covering the injury that the arrancar inflicted.

He remembered flash stepping, ignoring his laboured breathing, his tired body and mind, to take him to Orihime Inoue.

Why couldn't you heal him?! He remembered himself yelling at Inoue, as tears streamed down her face when she couldn't reject the wound. She told him she did her best, but the wound wouldn't go away, and it won't heal--

They decided to take him to Urahara Kisuke.

He remembered panic, and he remembered Ichigo's eyes...

Haunting.

He couldn't help the shiver that went down his spine, rubbing his hand together to stop himself from thinking about it. He saw a lot of things... War, genocide, death...

But seeing another friend's haunting look was frightening.

"Captain Hitsugaya."

He looked up to see Urahara Kisuke, and the shop owner sat down in front of him so they can talk. Seeing his lips frowning, he expected the worst.

"He's dead." Toshiro said bluntly.

Silence came after that statement.

He already expected this. He knew no human can survive the stab wound on the chest. He knew--

"He's not dead, Captain Hitsugaya."

That... he did not expect.

"Excuse me?"

cliffhanger because why not--

Review if you want more!

Please QuQ