Bleach Ch. 7

I don't own Bleach, it belongs to Tite Kubo!

Shirosaki looked around with suspicious eyes. He couldn't see Aizen but he could feel him. It was like he was shrouded in an invisible cloud. Suddenly it moved, making the gang see ripples in the air. Then it was the waves seemed to scatter when Grimmjow shot a cero at it.

"Well, you've certainly spotted me now. Whatever shall I do?" Aizen said boredly before a huge gust surrounded the group. They managed to stay standing, which surprised the Aizen. This was just before three large beams of power came at him full force. When they impacted, it pushed the man back a tiny bit.

"How'd that not do more damage?" As Shiro said this, Ulquiorra looked at Ichigo and narrowed his eyes. The orange dog looked over when he felt the pin-prickling gaze on himself. Ulquiorra then voiced his suspicions aloud.

"Perhaps it has to do with you and your hollow, Ichigo. As you and Shirosaki are not physically joined at the moment, your power is decreased." After this was said, Grimmjow looked at Ulquiorra in shock. Then Shirosaki voiced his concerns with the theory, that he himself felt no fluctuation in power than before.

Though as Ichigo thought for a second, he realized that his power from Zangetsu was blocked from him somehow. He hadn't really noticed too much, focusing on how to change back and strategizing for how to find Aizen. Now that he realized, he couldn't ignore it. And he didn't know how to access it.

Figuring this out during a battle was hardly the time however. Ichigo had to find cover. He signaled to Shiro and the two took off. They hid behind a pillar, but this was futile since Aizen just shot a beam of power at it, and it crumbled.

Thinking quickly, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow rushed at Aizen from different angles, creating what looked like a dust storm from all the wind they kicked up, as well as looking blurred themselves. This gave Shirosaki and Ichigo a little time to talk. Their plan was another idea entirely.

"Ichi, you gotta let me back inside you. It's the only way you'll get our full power back from Zangetsu." Shirosaki was hoping to merge with Ichigo, but was having no luck. Why, he didn't know. Though, he suspected he and Ichigo had to meditate to rejoin together.

"But Shiro! We don't have time for this now! Aizen is barely distracted as it is and I don't know how long that'll be for. If we try to merge now, who knows if he'll attack us when we're vulnerable." As Ichigo said this, he was becoming more worried. Seeing this, Shiro stepped forward to brush against him.

"Hey. Since when have I ever let you down, hmm?" He was momentarily glad when his strawberry offered a small smile. "Listen, don't you worry about a thing, King. Those two are doing fine against Aizen, and once we join the fight at full power, we'll kick his ass so hard, that he'll feel it for years to come. Even after we put the bastard in his grave" Hearing Ichigo chuckle was a delight to Shiro's ears.

"Now, what'dya say we get this merging thing goin' huh?" When he saw the gleam from Shiro's teeth, Ichigo smiled as well.

"Yeah. Let's do this, Shiro."

When Ulquiorra heard screaming, he looked towards Grimmjow. Though he wasn't the one who was emitting those noises. Casting a quick glance behind him, he saw it was the hollow and his mate. Shirosaki and Ichigo seemed to be merging somehow.

White bone-like substance began forming around the pair, much like when Ichigo first acquired his hollow powers. Except the only difference was back then, there had been more panic since Ichigo hadn't known him yet.

Now though, there was more screaming. Since the power block and spell that Aizen had put on them, had been used to prevent Ichigo and Shirosaki from rejoining, now when they were trying to do so caused immense pain.

Shirosaki screamed as he realized that he was starting to disappear into Ichigo's inner world. The hollow was being pulled in at a fast rate. Ichigo was seeing this too. 'It's working! We'll be able to connect and beat Aizen!'

Then everything went black.