Author's Notes: I'm very glad to announce that I've been hit by a bit of inspiration recently and that I feel like writing again after taking such a huge leave. My deepest apologies to all those who are still following me after the years of sparse activity.

This is the product of one of my random inspiration moments. I've had this sitting around for months in all actuality, but I've been afraid to post it because I'd just end up abandoning it. Now, I've plucked up my courage and here it is: Crushing Moon.

It's a heavily AU story, which you will see from the very beginning. Ichigo, for one, will not be acting exactly like the one in the canon, but will still be the Ichigo we know and love. There will be a multitude of changes to the original plot, all of which I hope will only serve to give you a new and exciting read.

I have another chapter lying in wait. It will be posted about a week or so after the prologue, after I get a feel of how well-liked the idea is.

Enough rambling from me. Enjoy the story!

Prologue

"You said she was killed. Your mother." Rukia said, trying to tread as carefully as she could. It would be an extremely sensitive subject to anyone, but add in Ichigo's overwhelming need to protect his family at all costs...

"I didn't say that." Ichigo replied in an even tone. He had told her she was only dead, after all.

"Who killed her?" She asked, ignoring his attempt at avoiding her.

"I didn't say that." This time, his tone was just a bit higher, and he spoke just a bit faster. She knew she was on the right track. "Forget about it."

"You said you could see spirits for as long as you remember." She pressed on. "Then, tell me one thing. Was the one who killed your mother a Hollow?"

His eyes widened considerably. Good, that meant that he didn't dismiss it.

"There is the possibility that if your spiritual energy was high enough for you to see spirits your whole life that a Hollow who was after you could have killed your mother by mistake."

"I can't take this!" Ichigo yelled. "Give me a break! According to you, every damn thing is the work of a Hollow!" He clenched the fabric of his jeans' pockets tightly, threatening to rip them. "It's already nothing to joke about, but then you start assuming that's the reason..."

He looked up and she could see something off in his eyes. Something that startled her.

"I've never heard more bullshit in my life!" He said, slowly walking past her. "Sorry, but your guess was wrong. It was no Hollow or anything. The one who killed my mother... was me."

He moved to shove past her, but he found his left arm in a death grip. His eyes snapped to her to see her looking at the ground, her hair shadowing her eyes.

Rukia recognized the look, recognized the words. How could she not? It was one she saw in the mirror for a very long time after his death. It took her decades to get to grips with her emotions and to convince herself that his death was not her doing. Even longer to see a Hollow and not crush it with as much power as she could. She couldn't bear to see the same look on Ichigo's face.

"It's not your fault." She told him, not looking up. "I know what you feel right now. You think it was your fault that she died. It was not. You were little, Ichigo. Even now, when you're older and have my powers, some Hollows give you trouble. What could you have possibly done?"

"How the hell do you know how I feel!?" He demanded, an angry tear rolling down his cheek. "Who are you to patronize me? You don't even know what happened!"

Her head snapped up to meet his gaze with a glare. He almost jumped when he saw that she was fighting tears herself.

"Idiot! Do you think you are the only one who has ever lost someone!?" She asked in outrage, making him step back as she let go of his arm. "I lost someone very dear to me to a Hollow as well! I stood by while he fought a Hollow that possessed him! You watched your mother die, but I had to run my sword through one of my best friends!"

Ichigo stood rooted into place. He could never imagine Rukia living through hell like that. He never even imagined her as a soldier. Ichigo didn't think of Rukia as weak, no, never weak, but he could just not see her as a hardened warrior either. Even if he would drop dead rather than say it, she was too dear to him to think of her as any kind of true, world weary fighter. Hearing this though, changed that fact.

"I blamed myself for a very long time. More years than you are old even. But you know what, Ichigo?" She asked, looking calmer. "I stopped and asked myself 'What would he think of me if he knew I've changed so much because of it?'."

She paused, letting the point settle. "I returned to my life, not immediately, but I did. I returned to my friends. Don't beat yourself up over something you couldn't control. It will only bring you more pain. I know your mother wouldn't have wanted to see you like this."

Ichigo looked down and sighed. "You're right." He said softly, slowly accepting her words. "She wouldn't have wanted that."

A silence ensued, letting both of them calm themselves.

"Sorry for yelling at you." Ichigo said. "I guess I just lost it. Today always brings me down."

"It's alright, I know how it feels." She said softly. "There was another reason I brought it up."

He raised a brow. "What else?"

"The Hollow who did it." She started. Ichigo wanted to reprimand her, but the more he thought about the possibility of a Hollow killing his mother, the more it made sense to him. "Do not let what he did make you hate them all."

Ichigo's second brow shot up. Why was she telling him not to hate Hollows? He killed them, what difference does it make how he felt about them? They get purified either way.

"When we start our Shinigami training, they teach us that Hollows are mindless beasts that seek to sate a never ending hunger for souls and power." Rukia elaborated. "That is true, but only partially. New recruits are told that so that they wouldn't feel as if they were taking a life."

"Over time, I realized that Hollows are too individuals, just like Shinigami and humans. Don't look at me like that, idiot, you've seen it for yourself!" She reprimanded with a swift kick to Ichigo's shin. "Remember how the Hollow that attacked your family acted! Compare that to how Inoue's brother acted. They all have different reasons for their actions and all can make different choices. Inoue's brother decided to take his own life rather than risk being consumed by his hunger again. This is why I'm telling you. Don't hate Hollows. One day, you may stumble upon one that isn't as evil or mindless as the others."

"Geez, Rukia, you're growing soft on me." Ichigo remarked with a cocky smirk.

Rukia rolled her eyes, but she couldn't fight off a smile of her own. She moved closer and leaned her head into his chest, his arms wrapping around her as she melted into the warmth.

"You should be honored." She muttered, failing to make herself sound stern before her tone turned honest. "I've never cared for someone this much."

"I know, Rukia, I know." Ichigo said, pressing her tightly against him. He truly did know. Within a month and a half of knowing each other, he could safely say that Rukia knew him better than anyone else in his entire life, and he knew it worked both ways. It sounded impossible, or rather like a very cheesy romance novel, but he truly fell in love with her over their short time together and he simply knew she felt the same way. They clicked in ways he couldn't even begin to describe and understood each other perfectly. It made teasing that much easier and all the more fun.

Rukia reluctantly drew herself away from him.

"I'll go and leave you to your family." She said and was about to start walking when a hand snaked around her shoulder.

"Don't be silly, Rukia." He told her as he directed them towards the cemetery. "I think it's about time to stop hiding."

Rukia looked up at him to see a serene smile on his face as his gaze met hers. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled into his side as they walked.

"I love you, Ichigo."

"I love you too, Rukia."

His nails dug into the asphalt of the street on which he bled out, his tears mixing with the pouring rain. He could barely move. His chest felt like it was on fire. His heart was breaking apart.

"I..." He croaked, more tears rolling down his cheeks. "I got protected again..."

He couldn't bear it. His mother had given her life to save him from harm, from something that was his fault, not hers. And it happened again. Rukia threw her life away just to give him a fighting chance of survival. Even if he did survive, he'd be nothing. Without Shinigami powers, he wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to save her.

"Rukia!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, ignoring the torturous pain in his chest and slamming his fist upon the wet ground. It exploded in a cloud of debris and water, leaving a small crater.

"Even when so close to death, you show such strength." A smooth baritone came.

Ichigo's head snapped up to look down the street. A man that looked to be in his thirties stood there, arms crossed and leaning against the rail, wearing a black hooded coat that flared in multiple coattails, held together by a trio of X marks on his chest. A mop of messy, shoulder length dark brown hair swayed in a nonexistent breeze along with the ends of his coat.

"W-who are you?" Ichigo rasped, his eyes wide. Ichigo was nothing if not calm, but looking into the man's eyes unnerved him. The unnatural black sclera with equally unnatural golden irises that seemed to glow in the dimly lit street were focused on him with a studious intensity, showing no hint of surprise at seeing that the drops of rain around them were perfectly still.

"I am someone who knows you very well, Ichigo." The man said. "I've watched you grow and mature ever since your birth, but my identity is of no concern for the moment."

He strode forward, the droplets of rain bursting silently as he walked into them. He crouched down, his gaze locked with Ichigo's.

"If you were given a chance to save Rukia, would you seize it no matter what?"

"Yes." Ichigo said instantly.

"Even if it turned you into a Hollow?" He asked with a raised brow.

The question hung in the air. What was the man implying? Who was he? Ichigo knew he was referring to some way of giving him power to save Rukia. Whoever he was, Ichigo knew he could do it, but at what price? Becoming a Hollow?

"Don't hate Hollows. One day, you may stumble upon one that isn't as evil or mindless as the others."

The memory made him stop. He had taken Rukia's words to heart that day, both because it obviously meant a lot to her that he did and because he could find no fault to the logic.

That left Ichigo with a simple choice. Either he was to decline and at best survive to become a powerless human and let Rukia die; or he was to accept and risk his own sanity to save Rukia.

"It doesn't matter if I become a Hollow or Shinigami as long as it is enough to save her." Ichigo said, eyes narrow with determination.

"I am well aware that you would be able to live with yourself being a Hollow. That was never the question." The man dismissed. "What I am asking is whether you would be able to accept it. Would you be able to proudly call yourself Hollow as much as you called yourself human or Shinigami?"

"It doesn't matter what I am!" Ichigo yelled, having enough of the man's plays. "I would be able to call myself a demon proudly if I have nothing to regret in my life! If you can give me a way to save her, then do it! If not, then I'll find a way myself!"

The man regarded him for a moment before breaking out in a smirk.

"I've been waiting for someone like you for a very long time." He said, rising to his feet. With a flick of his wrist, a massive sword formed in his hand. It had a black hilt with red wrappings, two silver rings at the ends and a short length of chain at its base. The black and white blade curved inwards at the backside of the tip similar to a trench knife while a short, sharp point protruded from the bottom of the blade, running parallel to the grip.

"Cast away your doubt, Ichigo. You are the maker of your own destiny. You wield the power to devastate the earth and demolish the heavens. It matters not what you are, but who you are. Take my blade and defend your friends. Take my mask and crush those who dare hurt them. My name is Saigetsu, and I am your power."

Urahara made his way down the rainy street, umbrella in one hand, cane in the other and a cat rolling its eyes at him on his shoulder.

"You could just shunpo down to him, Kisuke." The cat sighed.

"But where would the drama be if I did that?" He whined, turning his head to look at the cat as much as he could without knocking it off. The cat didn't bother dignifying that with a response as it spotted a shock of orange.

"There he is." It said.

What happened next made Urahara falter in his step. One moment Ichigo was facedown on the street, the next he was looking forward. A heavy reiatsu pressed down on the street as his hand sprang to his face and made a tearing motion downwards. A dark, malevolent aura washed over them, making their hairs stand on end.

Ichigo's eyes snapped to them behind the intricately striped mask, golden orbs flashing before he was enveloped in a tower of blue reiatsu.

"Kisuke, that reiatsu-"

"I know, Yoruichi." Urahara said, looking on with a curious gleam in his eyes. "It would seem Kurosaki-san has a trick up his sleeve that even we don't know about."

"SAIGETSU!"

The distorted cry was the only warning given as a wave of pure energy rocketed towards the pair, curving skyward at the last second, a powerful gust of wind whistling as it passed them. Urahara looked upwards, following the last traces of energy as they disappeared behind the rainclouds. A flash of light followed and the dark shroud split apart to reveal the night sky.

Urahara returned his gaze to the teen who was regarding him calmly with gold and black eyes behind his Hollow mask, a massive cleaver-like sword hanging limply over his shoulder.

"Geta-bōshi."

"Kurosaki-san." Urahara returned with a tilt of his hat. "What a nice detail you've gotten your-"

"Cut the crap, Urahara." Ichigo said flatly. "I need training."

Urahara sighed. He knew there was no arguing with the boy when he got like this. He still remembered the beating he got after Ichigo slayed the Gillian a week ago for not helping him and endangering his girlfriend in the process. Then again, he was curious as to how the teen had unlocked all his powers without any stimuli.

"I will have everything prepared in the morning for you." Urahara said, turning on his heel and walking away. "Rest and try to hide your Hollow side, Kurosaki-san! It won't do us any good for Soul Society to finish you off before you even begin your journey!"

Ichigo watched as the man nonchalantly strolled away, not in the least bit fazed at seeing him rise from a fatal injury and with a power Ichigo was quite sure was not normal. With a sigh and a flick of his wrist, the mask turned into black and red reiatsu which he absorbed.

"You there, Saigetsu?"

"Always." The Zanpakutō spirit's voice came from his mind. "You are my wielder now and I am your partner in combat. I will make sure that you always have the power to protect your loved ones and crush those who dare endanger them. I will explain everything in length once you return home."

Ichigo gave a nod, not quite sure if the Zanpakutō caught it, and jumped onto the nearest rooftop.

Ichigo collapsed on his bed, back in his body. He felt different though. He still felt all the power he had in his spiritual form, unlike before where there was a distinct difference when he was and wasn't in his body. He decided to ponder on it later, he had far more pressing things to do.

"Alright, talk."

"It would be better to talk in person." Saigetsu replied. "Close your eyes."

Ichigo did as he was asked. He felt a sudden dropping sensation in his stomach, making him jump. What awaited him was far different than his room. He found himself sitting in an enormous, green plain. At least a few kilometers away was a forest and behind it stretched an enormous mountain range, tinted by a light, bluish mist.

"Quite a calming inner world." Saigetsu remarked behind him.

"Inner world?" Ichigo asked, rising to his feet.

"This is your mind. A representation of who you are." Saigetsu elaborated, making a sweeping gesture. "From what I've heard of inner worlds, especially from Engetsu, this one is quite... normal. Most people aren't nearly as in peace with themselves as you are."

"Thanks. I guess." Ichigo said, scratching the back of his head.

"I know you have questions, go ahead."

"You're not a normal Zanpakutō, are you?" Ichigo more stated than asked.

"Indeed I am not." Saigetsu said. "A Zanpakutō is normally the soul's representation of Shinigami powers. However, in a soul, there are two representations of power. One is the Zanpakutō, and the other is an Inner Hollow. Every soul that has Shinigami powers has dormant Hollow powers and vice versa."

"But why doesn't every Shinigami use Hollow powers if they have them?" Ichigo interjected.

"Because they do not know about them, and even if they did know, it would take immense effort to just awaken one's Hollow, much less make it work with them." Saigetsu explained. "The trickiest part is that a Zanpakutō and Inner Hollow are two sides of the same coin. Depending on the wielder's state, one is always dominant. It takes supreme control and self-acceptance for a soul to be able to have both existing equally."

"When I found out that each Zanpakutō had its own Hollow counterpart, I did something no other Zanpakutō ever even thought of doing. I sought it out within myself and became one with it."

"And that makes you my Zanpakutō and Inner Hollow." Ichigo surmised.

"Exactly." Saigetsu confirmed. "No Zanpakutō other than me has ever pulled this off. Even if they did, I doubt they'd fare as good as I have."

"What do you mean?"

"In retrospect, what I did was incredibly stupid and quite possibly fatal. I changed my soul from the core and was very lucky to have merged successfully." Saigetsu said with a faraway look in his eyes. "And the problem doesn't end with the merging. The society of Zanpakutō is incredibly stiff. In our world, what I did was beyond controversial. In fact, if not for my standing and influence, I would have been cast out as a rogue Zanpakutō."

"Standing and influence?" Ichigo asked, frowning in confusion.

"Oh, sorry, I haven't told you just who I am, have I?" Saigetsu said sheepishly. "You see, in our world, a Zanpakutō's respect is everything. It is earned through power, through age and through accomplishment. With greater respect comes greater leeway to do things you are technically not supposed to do, like help your wielder in combat in ways other than just lending your power. Care to guess what my position is?"

"If you're gloating about it, it must be really high." Ichigo remarked, suppressing an urge to roll his eyes at the proud gleam in his Zanpakutō's eyes.

"I am one of the top dogs." Saigetsu said, his demeanor changing to one of seriousness. "I am Saigetsu, the oldest and most powerful lunar Zanpakutō in existence."

Ichigo's eyes widened. Oldest and most powerful? He had sensed that there was a lot to his Zanpakutō spirit, but most powerful?

"I won't lie, it is considered a great honor to be chosen by the most powerful Zanpakutō of any element. Coupled with the fact that I am very influential even in that circle and infamous for my Hollow powers, I can say that finding out that you are my first wielder ever will ring more bells than the fact that you are a Hollow hybrid. The moment they find out you're my wielder, you'll become their main target."

Ichigo's fist clenched as he looked down, the memory of Byakuya piercing his chest fresh in his mind. A strong wind picked up around the two, stopping only when Saigetsu put a hand on the teen's shoulder.

"That is why you are here now." Saigetsu said, looking Ichigo in the eye. "I will help you get her back in any way I can. I am very picky with my wielders. I have searched for the right person for millennia and now that I've finally found a person worthy, I will give you my all."

He took a few steps back, gesturing towards the world around them. "Time can flow differently here than in the world outside. The power of the Zanpakutō is the only thing that sets the limit with how much time can be slowed and for how long. Fortunately for you..." Saigetsu grinned. "I've got power in spades."

"All training done within your mind will reflect on your body and soul without taking any toll so that you can continue your training in the outside world once you wake up." Saigetsu said, the familiar sword appearing in his grip. "Prepare, Ichigo! As of today, you will be subjected to hell and torment until you are ready to crush your enemies with the might of a falling sky!"

Saigetsu - 砕月 - Crushing Moon