Um so yeah going to try my hand at a bleach fanfic that's still in the bleach world just a little warped.

Hope it's okay! Oh and this is following the anime not the manga so no Quincies. Also Masaki is human and no more. Also there will be a lot of changes so a lot will be different. Anyway so here it is XP

OH and it will be on the shorter side. It's just to show how everything starts.

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Time early January 1702, Edo time period.

Isshin Shiba looked around at the rain soaked ground. Around him were ordinary humans doing what they do on a rainy day, meaning running for cover.

Or so he thought.

He heard screams and looked over to the edge of the small town. The town's people were running from something, what he didn't know. He soon found out when he saw the last of the town's folk run past him.

It was then when he saw her. She was beautiful, long flowing orange hair big eyes that at the time held only fear. Her eyes met his and to his shock she yelled out for him to help. Being a Shinigami Isshin couldn't harm a human but he could help. He nodded and held out his hand for her. She grabbed on and made a yelping noise when he jumped over a rooftop with ease.

When he looked back he saw the cause of the panic. Bandits.

When he landed on a roof not close to the main road he set the woman down on her feet gently. She looked at his with large big soft brown eyes. Isshin looked her over and from what he could see, she was wearing a yukata so not much could be seen. She looked to be unharmed. He sighed in relief and looked over to where the bandits were scouting out the houses, this small town however had very little of value.

"Um… excuse me…" a soft voice spoke from behind him. Isshin looked back to the woman and gave a small smile to put her at ease. It worked to a certain level. "I'm not going to hurt you so don't worry." She tilted her head to the side, her wet hair flopping down over the side of her face.

"You're not human are you?"

"No but…"

"Do you have anything to do with those monsters?" she asked with a serious face. Isshin looked to the bandits and frowned.

Did she mean the human bandits or hollows? He turned his confused gaze back to her, she gave a small smile. "Not the bandits but… those… other things that only I can see, please tell me that they're real and I'm not going crazy!" as she spoke she came closer till she had his shihakusho and haori in tight fists shaking him back and forth slightly.

Isshin regarded the human before him with shock filled eyes. "You can see hollows?" He grabbed her wrists gently and pried her hands from his clothes. He looked around when he noticed that the sounds of horses and shouting men have slowly faded.

He sighed and looked back at the woman in front of him.

She looked tired, the rain slowly started to dwindle to just a light mist like fall. "Yes, I have something to do with those monsters. They are called Hollows, they are souls who turned bad either by remaining here for too long with regret or a bad emotion or eaten by another Hollow." He tried to explain a little. He was happy to notice that the woman was smart and could understand that much at least.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I have to go back." The woman looked rather sad. "No please don't. I need to know more please… you don't understand they all think I'm crazy but I'm not… right?" the sadness in the quivering voice made Isshin waver.

"I am a captain of a squad. I will come back as soon as I can. Where do you want to meet?" he asked. She looked thoughtful. "There is a tree just outside of the village that's where I tend to be at sunset." She watched as the man nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait!" she called after him. Isshin turned around. "What's your name?"

He smiled. "Isshin Shiba, what is yours?"

The woman smiled back. "Masaki Kurosaki."

As time went on Isshin came through and visited the world of the living when he had a chance to be with Masaki, he told her all about the afterlife. Gotei 13, Soul Society and the Shinigami with all their powers and quirks as well as duties, he also told Masaki about Hollows and the stages that they can be at, Masaki listened with rapt attention.

Soon weeks turned into months seeing as Isshin could come whenever he wanted to.

Afterwards when there was nothing left to say Isshin thought that he wouldn't need to come back. However Masaki asked if he would come again soon.

Isshin felt his heart flutter when he received a kiss to the cheek, her lips were very soft.

The following days in Soul Society were hectic, not in the sense of they were attacked but the state of Isshin Shiba's mind. There was a knock to his door of his office. "Come in Kisuke."

The raven haired man looked up to see his eccentric friend and fellow captain. The blond man with wild hair and sharp deep storm grey eyes regarded his friend. "Well… it seems someone is a little in love, or at least is fancying someone. But why do I get the feeling that it's not a fellow non living being?" the smile took the edge off the accusation.

It was no secret that Isshin was getting tired of being a captain and clan leader, Kisuke felt for him. If it was just being a captain then yes it would have been different. He didn't know how Byakuya did it.

Isshin sighed. "Because you are too smart for my own good." He grinned for a few seconds before the smile faded. "But to answer your question yes, I have fallen it seems for a human. One that can see spirits." Kisuke arched a brow when he saw Isshin lean back in his chair with a sigh.

"I don't know what to do. I can't just leave like a normal Shinigami, I'm just so damn tired. I'm not made to lead." Isshin sighed and rubbed his face. A very tired looking face. Being captain of the tenth squad was a lot of work. There was a knock on the door.

Kisuke hummed and stroked his jaw. "I might have a solution but I need time." With that he left. Through the open door his third seat came in. Toshiro looked at his captain with a concerned look, tea tray in hand. "Sir?"

Isshin looked up at his third seat and smiled. "I'm just tired Toshiro don't worry and thank you for the tea." The smaller man gave a smile and nodded his head. Toshiro still looked worried but smiled and placed the tea tray down on the desk. A few minutes into them drinking tea in peace the door slid open and a hung over Rangiku walked through the doors, sat at her chair and allowed her head to lie down on her folded arms.

Neither man made a peep about it already too use to it by now.

A few months went by, Isshin coming to the human world as requested. The more time the two spent the more feelings grew.

Soon the meetings turned into dates, they shared long nights talking when Masaki fell asleep Isshin would make sure she was tucked in and safe before going back to Soul Society. Each time that he had to return made his heart clench. It was a late night when Kisuke came to the Shiba manor in an overly happy manner.

He found the Shiba heir in the garden drinking a cup of sake, the blonde man flopped down next to his friend. What he was about to say was somewhat hard for him. He was going to miss his best friend but seeing him so lonely was more painful.

"So… Isshin… I have something I think you will enjoy, so please come with me!" the blonde man spoke cheerfully and flailed his limbs a bit making the other man smile at his friend's antics. With a dramatic sigh Isshin stood up and walked alongside his friend to the 12th division lab. Once they were down to where Kisuke tended to do his experiments.

What Isshin saw made him gawk, there on a steel table was a gigai that looked just like him. Isshin moved closer and poked the gigai's cheek. "What is this?" he asked the grinning blonde captain.

The grin softened as did stormy grey eyes.

"A special gigai that will allow you to be human if it is linked with a human soul. You will become fully human, no more souls, hollows. Just a normal human. All we need to do is make it look like you either died or well you can just vanish…" Kisuke said looking to the side with a sneaky smile.

Isshin looked down at the gigai. This is what he needed to be with Masaki… he was so tired of being captain and heir, Kaien could take over easily. He smiled and laughed tiredly showing for the first time just how tired he actually was.

"Thank you Kisuke… thank you…"

Urahara smiled and nodded. That night with the clothes on Isshin's gigai and a few pockets of money that came from Kisuke to lower suspicion the two sneaked though to earth. When they finally came to Masaki's home it was early morning.

The two men breathed a sigh of relief that the woman's house was at the edge of the town. Isshin knocked softly, they waited a few minutes before an already dressed Masaki Kurosaki opened the door with still somewhat sleepy eyes.

Those soft brown eyes went wide however when she saw two Isshin's and a new blond man who was looking her up and down with a nod. "I commend your taste my dear friend. Now you can live together!" the last sentence was aimed at Masaki.

She looked confused yet happy.

Kisuke then went on explaining how it would work. Isshin's gigai would be bound by Masaki's soul, he would be stuck in the gigai like any human stuck to his body. If Masaki were to die Isshin would be released of the gigai.

They went through with it both ecstatic at the idea of being together. When all was done Isshin bid his best friend farewell with a sad smile. The two lovebirds decided to move to a different town. People would want to know how Isshin suddenly appeared.

So they moved to a town named Karakura.

And settled down.

They decided that Isshin would take Masaki's last name in case someone of Soul Society would overhear a conversation about him.

Soon they had Ichigo, the small child was the couple's everything and they dotted and spoiled the child. The boy was born with shocking orange hair a few shades brighter than his mother's hair and beautiful golden amber eyes.

When he grew older Isshin noticed that the small child of five could already see ghosts. Worried the two parents decided that Isshin would keep a closer eye on the boy.

As he grew so did the boy's spiritual pressure. It grew daily so much that it was worrisome to Isshin. When the boy reached the age of nine he could see ghosts as clear as a human. That was when Isshin began to teach Ichigo of souls and those that were darker. As the years passed Ichigo learned more, he always listened with adorably wide eyes and a small 'o' shape when he finally understood something.

When Ichigo was old enough to pick up a sword Isshin started to teach him the basics of Zangitsu and kendo. Soon he began making Ichigo meditate. It annoyed the young teenager but he followed his father's orders. It was late one night when Ichigo came running to his parents' room with large eyes.

"I… I'm hearing a voice!" He yelled and looked to his father with wide excited eyes. Isshin was floored as to the fact that his still human son made contact with his zampactou's soul… without dying or even having a sword of real steel.

Ichigo's reiatsu began to grow too much and Isshin knew he'd have to teach his son how to control it. So he did. He taught Ichigo how to control it, how to mask it. It was hard, due to the boy having a constant flow to block.

Ichigo grew older and so did his hair, he didn't like having it cut, each year it grew longer with him.

Training became more intense as the voice now added to the mix, it was far more strict than his father not letting up till Ichigo was near or passed our cold. Both parents watched on worried.

Isshin was worried about what kind of zampactou soul his son had as it was clear that it was a strict one when it came to training.

But the soul never pushed Ichigo beyond breaking. Keeping in mind that he was pure human, or so they thought but truth was that Ichigo was part Shinigami, his father's Shinigami genes were passed on not the gigai's human ones.

As time went by Ichigo grew in size, maturity and so did his reiatsu. It just kept growing, each time his zampactou trained him till he passed out he woke up with more. Isshin just knew that his son would be a frightfully strong Shinigami and was damn well proud of that fact.

They thought that nothing could have gone wrong. How wrong they were. They lived in dangerous times, bandits and such, so much could go wrong.

So much did. All in one night.

One night all went belly up.

Bandits.

A large group.

Ichigo woke with a jerk as he heard screams of terror, he scrambled out form his bed and ran to his parents room, just as he made it the door to their house broke open showing a large bandit with a leering grin. He was disappointed when he saw not a cowering girl but a 6 ft 1 long haired male with a fierce scowl.

The two fought, Ichigo at the disadvantage at not having a weapon. His father luckily taught him more than just swordplay, he taught Ichigo everything he knew even the things Ichigo couldn't do while being a human like kido.

The man was more bulky than him thus slower where Ichigo had youth and speed on his side at only being twenty years old.

The man yelled and charged at Ichigo but fate was not smiling at him that day as the moment the man came near him he heard the one voice he didn't want to hear screaming a scream, the laps of concentration cost him greatly. A sharp pain flared in his side as he was stabbed though the gut.

"ICHIGO!" both his parents yelled in unison, Isshin made his way to the struggling two but before he could reach the sword sticking though him was twisted and yanked out. A bloodcurdling scream was ripped from his lungs. He flopped down to the ground in a heap already bleeding to death. With haze eyes he could make out his mother crying over him and his father dispatching the bandit mercilessly.

Blood gurgling from his mouth making it hard to talk. "So-sorry… I… t-tried… so-rry I' use-less…"

Both Isshin and Masaki cried out that he wasn't useless, that they were proud of him all the same.

Through his haze he saw both his parents with tears in his eyes. "Son… son… you'll be going to Soul Society… when you get there try to find a man named Captain Urahara. He'll help you…" His father said in a sombre voice as Masaki cried into his shoulder. Both his parents had one of his hands in theirs. His body started to go numb.

With a last gurgling breath, Ichigo told his parents that he loved them.

With that a large explosion of power burst through the night as Ichigo became a full-fledged soul, no longer bound by human skin.

Ichigo opened his eyes, unsure of where he was. He was laying underneath a tree near his town… his burning town.

Karakura was burning?

Huh?

Ichigo sat up looking around; it was quite around him, not a peep. Even the sounds of the flames were those of dying ones. Looking at the flames it all hit him like a large weight on his heart.

He died.

He.

Died.

Taking a shuddering breath Ichigo looked down at his body, no wounds just blood on his yukata from where he was stabbed.

He looked like what he looked like for the past two years. Long shaggy orange of a mane reaching the middle of his back, it was cut jaggedly at the top but the lower half was long and straight, he had long bangs that easily hid his eyes when he wanted to. His eyes lost their childish flare and went slightly angular. He was thin lean but had a large muscle mass if you looked closely. There wasn't much money for food so he had very little fat on him. He also had wide shoulders along with narrow hips. Ichigo looked just like a fierce young man that he was.

Standing up he started to wobble around. He just wanted to move. A little part of him wanted to go back to his parents but he knew that would only bring them pain.

"Ichigo…" A gruff familiar voice spoke.

"Zangetsu?" Ichigo spoke out knowing no one would hear. He never told his father that he had learned his zampactou's name a long time ago.

"Yes, it seems that you are now dead but I would advise lowering your reiatsu. You're leaking it out everywhere."

Ichigo gave a sheepish smile. It was a lot more though Ichigo noticed with a frown. "Why is it suddenly so much more?" he heard a chuckle in his head.

That made him frown more.

"You died Ichigo, you're reiatsu is no longer caged by its cage."

Ichigo huffed and pulled his reiatsu back till it was hardly there. He was still an odd ghost with some reiatsu but he could never get it all inside. He sighed and frowned. After he heard his zampactou's voice he grew stronger. He was never an emotional child after that. He grew serious and started to hide his feelings.

It soon became the walls he had around himself. He didn't like showing weakness as his zampactou told him that showing weakness was a bad thing. Emotions were a bad thing he now knew. Attachment as well.

With a long groan he felt a headache come on. Always when he drew his power back he'd get a headache seeing as he withdrew it all nearly.

Looking around he finally decided on what to do.

He needed to find a Shinigami.

Days passed as he moved around the forest area surrounding Karakura, he watched with detached happiness as the town rebuilt and moved on. He saw his own funeral. He was the only one to die that night. It was roughly around a month after he died when he felt a great pressure close to him; it was like his father described it.

He looked around; the pressure was getting closer and closer. He finally felt it behind him and swirled around to see a man with black shihakusho and katana looking at him oddly. The man was plain and had no real characteristics that he would remember but the man smiled gently.

"Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you." He moved closer to Ichigo unaware that Ichigo knew what he was about to do, where he was about to go. He just stood there with a scowl. He didn't move, didn't talk just looked the nameless Shinigami in the eye.

The man faltered when he locked eyes with the young ghost. He had never seen such strong eyes and that the boy hadn't been attacked yet was a miracle. He had a strong reiatsu for a ghost.

The man held the butt end of the sword close to Ichigo's forehead. The man frowned when he saw that the boy was calm as a lake with no wind. Those brown eyes looked him deeply in the eyes, amber with flecks of gold. He smiled gently again and nodded.

"There is something different about you, you're the calmest soul I have yet to send over. You would make a good Shinigami."

Ichigo decided to play along. "Shinigami?"

The man nodded. "Yes, that is what I am." Ichigo nodded and closed his eyes.

He felt the thump of the sword's hilt against his forehead. As the ground lit up he opened his eyes to look at the man who was a Shinigami.

"Thank you." The man's wide eyes made Ichigo chuckle.

He always loved surprising people.

With a thud Ichigo landed on a grassy area near a small poor looking town, with a growl he sat up and stayed where he was. He saw a sword in front of him and curiously picked it up. The moment it was in his grip he felt the soul of his zampactou within. He grinned but it didn't last as he felt his control on his reiatsu slipping with a groan he pulled it back in.

Headache check...

Now he felt normal, one reason for his constant frowning was that he pretty much always had a headache.

Just in time seeing as in a few minutes he was surrounded by three boys, one was dressed in a ragged yellow short yukata, the other a patched up teal on and the other a purple blue one. They were staring at him in awe.

He cocked an eyebrow.

"Can I help you?" he watched and had to fight the grin when he saw the three young teens shake a bit when he spoke. He didn't have a very deep voice but it was deep enough.

The three went on their knees and crawled forward. Pure curiosity was burring in their eyes. He couldn't fight the small smile that crawled onto his face.

Seeing the smile as a good thing the three went about questioning him, did he remember how he died, what was the sword in his hand and so forth.

Ichigo explained that he just got here and the sword was his, he kept the fact that it was a zampactou from the smaller ones who were in all probability older than him.

So as they spoke Ichigo was dragged along being told that he was now the leader of the small group. He didn't argue he didn't complain. He did ask how it was like in the area and was told that it was bad, poor and not nice at all.

Ichigo wondered if he would be able to find food, he knew he would need it. He head Zangetsu's agreement in his head. The lair they lived in was a rundown house but better than nothing.

That night Ichigo examined his sword when the three younger ones were asleep. It was a nodachi in length. The silver steel gleamed in the moonlight, the sheath was black with a red ribbon at the top and the hilt was also black and red crisscross grip.

The butt end was smooth and had a silver finish.

He sighed and lay down unaware that the three younger looking eyes were watching him. He didn't know that his face looked very sad, very lonely.

The next day he walked around with the three younger looking spirits and was told about the area he lived in, or would be living in.

With a frown permanently on his face he took everything in, the worn out looking faces, the bare shops and the terrible conditions of the buildings. With a sigh he rubbed his forehead.

"I see… what is this place's name?"

The three answered in unison. "Inuzuri, Rukongai."

Ichigo would learn to hate the name with a passion.

Like I said, it's just to show how Ichigo got to soul society, his life as a human is somewhat irrelevant.

^^,

Will update soon!

Oh and the three boys Ichigo meet are the same as the, the three Rukia and Renji grew up with but there is no names for them so I will not be giving them because they play a shot but important part.

It will pick up soon, I promise and sorry for any mistakes.

OOOOH yeaaaah.

I received a review with a request and this person was a guest, so if you read this please find a way to get in contact with me, review again or login if you can but I want to do your request but I am a little confused so please, your review was named with a Dara. So please if you read this I would like to discuss your request. ^^