It was that dream again. The dream in which he stood next to a tall, pale, black-haired man and watched, what he assumed to be, that man's life, though that didn't make any sense, these images lasted several centuries, possibly millennia, no man lived that long. But then again, the same man appeared in each memory, perhaps it was reincarnation?

These dreams had gone on for years, ever since his mother, Kurosaki Masaki, may her soul rest in peace, died. These dreams had effected him. To live centuries in your dreams would undoubtedly change you. He could feel everything the stranger felt; the fear, hate, love, loss, everything. He watched loved ones he had never met before pass away, watched the figure wallow in sorrow and depression before forming more bonds and repeating the process. His heart was broken so many times he couldn't keep track, and he still hadn't been on his first date yet!

The memories made him colder, calmer, and surprisingly, more elegant, more noble, it was kind of scary. He thought his remaining family might say something, but they seemed to consider it his way of coping, though they still found it disturbing when he drank his tea so, so perfectly! It wasn't natural!

He had taken to wearing clothes like the stranger in his dreams; grey slacks, a blue dress-shirt, brown shoes, a white tie, and a white, two-button jacket. His hair, like the dream intruder's, was long, usually covering his eyes. His family found it odd but, once again, figured it was his way of coping with the death of Masaki.

The memories suddenly stopped, something that had never happened before. Gracefully, the figure turned to him.

"We will stop your learning for now." It spoke. It's voice was smooth and flowing, completely devoid of any unnecessary emotion. "You have an uninvited guest within your room, shake off your slumber and determine why, we will resume when you return. Now, awaken!

His dark brown eyes opened to see a woman in a black hakama standing above his head, a sword at her side and a black butterfly hovering next to her. They seemed to emerge from a black portal on his wall, he thought he would have noticed that before he went to sleep.

The intruder finished their jump over his bed and landed in the middle of his room, looking around as if searching for something. He absentmindedly noted that the black butterfly with her landed on his desk.

Silently he got out of bed, moving with the inhuman grace he picked up from his dreams, and moved behind his midnight visitor. A quick strike rendered her unconscious. He moved to his closet and removed several ties that soon found themselves tightly wrapped around the petite intruder, which would keep her from moving should she wake up.

Once she was bound he removed her sword, a plain looking katana. He examined it, noting the superior craftsmanship and that it felt too heavy for it's size. Either the person who made the blade messed up somehow, or it was resisting movement for a reason he couldn't determine.

It wasn't long after he took her sword that she woke, which was surprising. He had expected her to be out longer. His face remained impassive, however, as he watched her wake. He had left her on her stomach and was standing before her, the stranger's sword in his left hand and it's point hovering near her face.

After her violet eyes had opened and she found herself immobile she began looking around the room, her sight settling on the sword near her face and the bare feet in front of her. Her neck craned upwards to see her captor, clad in black pajama pants and a white T-shirt. His face was unreadable and his eyes, the little of them seen from under his hair, were cold.

"Good evening, intruder-san." he said in what could be called a bored tone. She struggled with the binds but they held strong. These were the best ties he could get, he wouldn't accept anything less, and he would've been disappointed if they broke so easily.

"Hey you!" she called out. "Let me go!" she continued her futile attempts to get free as he looked on in slight amusement.

"And why, might I ask, should I do that?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You were trespassing and entered my room with a weapon. Do you even have a license for that?"

"Wh-what? No I don't have a license for my Zanpakuto! You shouldn't even be able to see me!" she shouted.

His eyebrow raised once more. "So I should be blind? Or perhaps you're a spirit, and were expecting me to be spiritually unaware. I happen to be spiritually aware and, because you've been tied up, I can obviously see you." he turned his attention back to the sword, trying to discover the reason it moved through the air so slowly.

"Stop ignoring me and let me go!" she yelled. This had to be the most embarrassing thing ever, captured by a human and ignored in favor of her sword. She was a shinigami! How could she possibly be less interesting then her blade?!

"I'm a shinigami, you fool!" she shouted. "Let me go or I'll take your soul!" she was bluffing, of course, shinigami were forbidden from harming human souls, but he couldn't know that.

His attention returned to his captive once more. "And how do I know you won't take it anyway?" he asked. "You came into my room with a sword, for all I know you were here for my soul anyway, something I don't feel like losing anytime soon. Besides, if I was able to defeat you with one hit, how could you possibly do anything to me? You are in no position to make idle threats, little shinigami."

Her face turned red, whether it was from the embarrassment of being defeated so easily or anger because her captor wouldn't free her even she didn't know. She could only imagine the look on her Nii-Sama's face when he found out.

That cold voice of his was pissing her off, he didn't seem to care that he had captured a shinigami, and treated her as though she was some random stranger breaking into his house, it hurt her pride, damnit!

Ichigo froze while moving the shinigami's Zanpakuto. 'You will not wield me!' did the sword just speak? 'Return me to my mistress!' apparently it did, and it didn't enjoy being held by his human hands, tough luck. The sword seemed to speak to his mind, so he figured thinking would allow him to talk to the blade. 'I have defeated your mistress and have taken you for myself, for as long as I find need of you. You will bend to my will, the will of your current wielder, and nothing you do will change that.' pain shot up his arm and he could swear it was freezing, judging by the blue tint to his skin, he was probably right. He could feel the will of the sword's residing spirit like a cold gust of wind. It seemed to show around the blade as a white aura that traveled up his left arm.

"My blade is made of my soul, ningen." said the shinigami smugly. "You cannot wield it, even other shinigami are unable to unless either I or my Zanpakuto allow it."

"You and your sword have a will, and so do I." as he spoke a red aura covered his entire body and, in response, the shinigami began glowing the same white as her sword. "If I force my will onto the sword's spirit, and overcome it's own, it will obey me."

The shinigami's amethyst eyes widened, she had never thought about it that way, and she doubted any other shinigami had either. Theoretically, it should be possible, but to exert enough will to overcome two souls at once would be nearly impossible, in her opinion, only the Captain Commander would be able to accomplish such a thing, maybe one of the older captains, but not a human.

"Your resolve is of the purest white." he spoke again, his tone colder then the Zanpakuto's icy aura. "I shall stain it crimson until none remains, and I will force your soul to submit to my own. I wish to wield this blade, and wield it I shall." the aura surrounding the teen increased, it's red glow intensifying . Slowly it began creeping across his arm, pushing back the white aura that was attacking it's owner. The white became pink and the pink grew darker, swiftly changing into the deep red it should've been.

Ichigo allowed a small smirk to grace his features as his will began overtaking the Zanpakuto's handle. The shinigami was panting on the floor, doing everything to stop him from crushing her soul, but it appeared to be useless, his desire to wield the blade continued to travel the length of her sword, breaking through any resistance it put up. The bloody aura reach the tip and with one more push from Ichigo it's will was shattered. No, not shattered, crushed, turned to a fine dust that blew away in the wind, fading into non-existence.

The shinigami winced as she heard her Zanpakuto scream, losing control over it's being.

She couldn't believe it, he had actually done it, he had forced the Zanpakuto to accept him as it's wielder. She pitied the sprit that was to become his Zanpakuto in the future, there was no doubt that he would become a shinigami when he died.

A loud roar sounded from outside and her head snapped up. It was here, the hollow she had been looking for, (see: 'trying to locate reiatsu while exerting all your will and attention in an effort to keep one's Zanpakuto') she had found it! (see: 'it found targets in the house she happened to be tied up at.') she struggled to get free again, needing to purify the hollow before it consumed nearby souls, but still had no luck escaping.

"Untie me, ningen!" she yelled. "I must purify the hollow before it devours the souls of the living!" surely he would untie her so she could save innocent souls, right?

He ignored her and began walking to his door, Zanpakuto in hand.

"I don't need you're help, shinigami." his cold eyes seemed to bore into her soul, judging her, and ultimately finding her unworthy. He left, moving with inhuman grace down the stairs to face the beast that was her duty to purify.

When he was out of sight she began moving, as fast as her bound state would allow, to the stairs. Maybe she could find a way to free herself down there and stop the hollow, preferably after it ate the teen who caught her.

When she crashed at the bottom of the stairs she couldn't believe her eyes. There, kneeling before an unmoving orange-haired teen, was the hollow. What the hell?!

/Earlier/

Ichigo swiftly descended the stairs to find huge hole in his living room, taking up most of, what used to be, the living room wall. Karin and his father, usually referred to as Goat-chin, were sprawled across the floor amongst broken furniture. The monster stood outside in the street, Yuzu, the youngest, squirming in it's grasp. The beast took notice of the Zanpakuto wielding teen, tossing away Yuzu, who landed on a couch, and turning to face him. Ichigo walked calmly out into the streets and the hollow, seeing as it had no reason to keep it's meal away, made no move to stop him.

When he arrived in the middle of the road the hollow licked it's lips and released a roar. As it charged time appeared to slow around him.

'Ichigo, I bestow upon you my powers. Command it and it shall obey, no will can match your own.' spoke the dream-man.

Ichigo's eyes glowed red as he stared into the eyes of the hollow, pushing every ounce of his will into his frozen gaze.

"Kneel." The simple order had so much authority the hollow immediately stopped it's charge, unable to move even a millimeter more, and was on one knee within a second of the command. A smirk tugged at the teen's lips, and he made no move to resist it spreading over his face.

'H-how?' Questioned the death god as she stared in amazement. 'To control a hollow is considered almost impossible, even for extremely powerful hollows. For a hollow to obey a human they have never encountered before, just who is he? First he shows the will to overcome two souls, and now the ability to completely control a soul!'

Despite the somewhat serious moment, the petite woman couldn't help but imagine Ichigo, clad in robes, wind blowing through his hair, and a staff in his left hand calling himself a 'Soul-Mage'. Perhaps she should stop watching all that anime on T.V…

She continued to watch as Ichigo moved up to the hollow, which made no move against him, to lay his empty right hand on the hollow's mask. His left hand raised and leveled her sword to the monster's forehead. Instead of plunging it into the hollow that attacked his family like she had expected, he spoke.

"Purify yourself, demon." His frozen voice cut through the night air, smooth and nearly emotionless. The authority it held was unmistakable and the shinigami felt as though she should 'purify' herself, even when he was speaking with the hollow.

To the shinigami's amazement the nameless hollow obeyed once more, leaning it's head forward until the blade pierced it's mask, causing it to dissolve into ash and reiryoku [spiritual energy]. Instead of dissipating the remaining reiryoku flew to the orange haired teen, where they were absorbed into his chest, near the heart.

Having no more use for the sword he tossed it in the air, causing it to imbed itself before a baffled shinigami, a little too close for comfort.

"Take it," Ichigo spoke as he grabbed Yuzu and began moving upstairs. "I have no need for it now." He returned for the rest of the family, placing them in their beds before heading for bed himself. He turned of his light and crawled under his covers, he would deal with the living room in the morning…..if he felt like it, which would be unlikely.