I never really considered why, or how it was that I was able to see ghosts ever since I could remember. Then again, I never really considered why it was that I dreamt of blades either. It came naturally to me, they calling me as if they were always meant to be there on that hill of swords. On that desolate hill where the broad shouldered back of a man who peered up at the horizon lost in thought could be seen. Perhaps I should have contemplated it more, but perhaps not. After all, it was in my dreams where I felt complete, whole. I had always felt it in my daily life, that I was missing an important part of myself which made me who I was, but for the love of god, I just did not know...

"Shirou-nii, play!" A young orange haired boy said to me, a strawberry plushie flailing around in his right hand; said plushie was old and worn from continues use. The boy wore a set of blue pajamas that fully encompassed his short frame. The clutter of little steps was all I heard before said boy was at my side; persistently tapping at my arm.

"Sorry Ichigo, but I have to finish this." I said, my gaze on the stack of papers next to me that wouldn't disappear no matter how much I willed them to. Homework, I never really liked it, but that didn't mean that my mother couldn't persuade me to do it. She was a gentle woman of loving character and charm. Whenever she smiled at me, I couldn't find it in me to deny her and upset her. Although the same could be said for my father, it took a greater deal of time.

Ichigo pouted, his gaze on the floor, and his foot kicking at his spare stationary chair that creaked whenever he sat on it. "But-but..." Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed, a frown marring his face as he looked up. "Please?" He held out his strawberry plushie for me to take.

In spite of my homework being in front of me and my concentration at its max, I could do little to appease the sentimental value of what Ichigo had just done.

I promised him; promised him that whenever he was sad or lonely, that he need only lend me the strawberry plushie which I had given him on the day he was born. It served as temporary tribute, for I could not simply let Ichigo run to me for all his troubles; all of his misgivings that he would have to be able to solve by himself in the future - that was then, and this is now however.

Gingerly, I plucked the strawberry plushie from Ichigo's hands, noticing the slight whimper in his bottom lip whenever he was separated from said plushie. I patted his head, and he smiled up at me, his wide brown eyes focusing on mine.

"So," I began, standing up from the desk in which I worked; a hands supporting the back of my neck as I tidied up all the loose clutter. "What do you say we play a game?"

Ichigo smiled up at me and bounced on the balls of his heels. "Yeah! Lets play!"

I watched him scamper off out of my room, his small steps echoing off of our house's hardwood floors. I chuckled, hearing his voice calling me from the living-room.

"Not so loud Ichigo, You'll wake up Karin and Yuzu." I walked down the hall and towards the living-room; Ichigo's strawberry plushie left in his room so that he would find it when he gets tired of playing.

Carefully, I walked across Karin and Yuzu's room, making sure to lighten my steps to keep them from waking up from their afternoon nap, children needed their sleep after all.

Ichigo sat by his toys, waiting for me to come over. I smiled as I sat down next to him. "Well," I picked up a firetruck that was hanging precariously over our small center-table's edge. "Lets play."

I was born on the fifteenth of March, two year older than Ichigo, six years older than Yuzu and Karin. Apparently it was quite a shock to my parents Masaki and Isshin Kurosaki when I was born with a bush of red hair, but then again Ichigo was born with orange. As it so happened to be, I was named Shirou, a name that resounded within my very soul. In my infantile state, I had no way to voice my opinion on the subject, but apparently it was my eyes that had convinced my parents to name me Shirou. Eyes are a window to the soul, the part of ones body that cannot lie, cannot conceal their feelings, and mine were no different.

Life from then on, was nothing much to talk about. It was a life of a regular child living in the world, and yet I could never shake off the feeling of emptiness that followed me wherever I went, and whatever I did. I could never shake away the unfathomable gilt I felt whenever I watched another in need, but did nothing to help. I took solace with my family, forging bonds that could last a lifetime and becoming the source of inspiration to my siblings who looked up to me.

It was selfish I knew, that I neglected to inform them of my plight, but I did not wish to cause any worry, any grief on my part.

The sun shone bright in the sky, its rays giving life to the world, but similarly blinding me from looking up at it. I was walking, and Mother was smiling down at me, my hand held comfortably in hers; the white dress she always wore when leaving the house pressing itself against me.

"Mom, why does that boy always look so sad?" I asked, my gaze drifting to the boy who sat by a bushel of roses, his knees tucked around his arms.

Mother turned in the direction of my gaze, the smile on her face faltering before she masked it behind a cough. She looked at me, her eyes downcast and full of the wisdom magically granted upon entering adulthood.

"Shirou, sometimes life isn't always what it ought to be. There are people in the world who suffer from strife and starvation while others wallow in their good fortune."

I stared quizzically up at mother, trying to decipher the meaning of her words.

"Sometimes, life passes you by, and you end up like that child over there. I do not know why it is that that child is sad, or why it is he chooses to remain there," I missed the subtle furrowing of her eyebrows; my height inadequate to even catch a glimpse. "But it would be best if you don't approach. The only cure to sadness is time after all."

I stared at the boy, mulling mother's word within my mind before my trail of thought went awry; a strange oddity catching my immediate attention. I pointed at the the boy's chest.

"What's that on his chest?"

Loosely dangling from the boy's chest was a single chain-link, its gleaming silver reflecting the light from the sky.

Mother's grip on my hand tightened, her knuckles shifting to a dull white. "M-Mom, your hurting me." My hand strained against her grip, my fingers being squeezed tightly together.

Mother looked down at her hand that held mine, and recoiled in shock. "I-I'm sorry Shirou, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I rung out the stiffness in my hand. "Just fine, but what was that all about?"

Mother didn't meet my gaze, nor did she look back at the child by the bushel of flowers until we had turned into the nearest curb. "Shirou please, just trust me," For the first time that I had ever known, a serious look adorned mother's face. "Don't approach that boy."

"But why?" My gaze began to drift back towards the boy's direction.

"Don't look!" Mother turned me by the shoulders and guided me forward. I faintly heard mother murmur more, but thought nothing of it as I waited for an answer to my question.

"Shirou," Mother said at last as she stopped in front of Ichigo's Dojo place. She looked at me, her face in contemplation for the right words. Hesitantly, she spoke with a hint of trepidation. "You will understand one day that-"

"-You can't save everyone."

"Yes I can!" The words left my mouth before I could even register them leaving.

"Shirou..." Mother met my gaze, the expression on her face becoming sober. "I'm proud that you would try to save everyone, but... you have to trust me on this. Sometimes things are better off left alone than interfered with." Mother brushed a hand against my cheek. "Please, do it for me."

Reluctantly, I nodded my head, still in the process of understanding what had come over me a scant few seconds ago; every muscle in my body had tensed, my mouth going dry, my eyes dilating.

I quieted the rapid beating of my heart and contemplated the feeling of revulsion that had flowed through me. No answer came to mind, nothing but the vague images of a group of people that vanished almost as soon as they appeared. Frustrated, I didn't notice the punch aimed at my face until I felt the impact on my lower mandible.

"Huh?" A young pubescent girl around Ichigo's age stood confused, her fist still extended were my face had once been. "Y-You didn't dodge?" She asked stupefied.

"Tatsuki! Why'd you hit Shirou-nii!" An all to familiar voice said before the squabbling of children could be heard.

I rubbed a hand against my reddening jaw, and slowly turned to the source of commotion on my right. A girl sat on top of Ichigo, her unkempt black hair blowing in the wind as the white uniform she wore rubbed across Ichigo's face.

Tatsuki Arisawa, the girl who vowed to defeat me ever since the day I quit going to the Dojo to pursue archery in another. Persistently, she claimed that I had left because I knew that she was catching up to me in skill level, but perhaps there was something more in her argument; she never did tell me why it was that she would single me out of all the other seniors better than her who quit. I'm half convinced that it was because I was the only senior Dojo student present on the day she enrolled that beat her on the first spar. Then again, I was her sparring partner for the better most part of two years, and I did spill water over her face once... Yeah, it was probably the water, but I could never really know, not for certain at least.

"Shirou-nii!" Ichigo came running towards me, the water works already beginning to pour from his eyes. "Tatsuki-chan's too strong!"

I sweat dropped as Ichigo hid behind me, his head peaking out of the back of my left leg, and his watery gaze still on Tatsuki.

"Tsk, weakling." Tatsuki said, her arms crossed and body turned to the side. "I only tapped you on the chest."

"Tatsuki, what did I tell you about self control?" I asked, my voice dropping a tone as I reprimanded her actions.

"I don't take to heart the words of a quitter." Tatsuki peaked an eye over at me, and turned away when I noticed. "Especially one who couldn't dodge a warm up punch."

"You cheated though!" Ichigo yelled in my defense, his arm pointing accusingly at Tatsuki. "You punched when he wan't even looking!"

Tatsuki ignored Ichigo and reluctantly turned to me, a frown on her face. "...Sorry," She said, her eyes downcast, her left hand rubbing her right arm. "I thought you were ready like always."

I stared down at her smaller form, watching the way her body seemed to close in on itself before making up my mind. I took the bag on my back, and fluidly opened the zipper that ran across its top. I tossed her one of the water bottles inside; having brought some for Ichigo to re-hydrate himself.

"This..." Tatsuki openly stared at the water bottle in her hand.

"Take it. It was a good punch, it was my fault for not paying attention." I smiled down at Tatsuki, the numbness in my jaw no longer bothering me.

Ichigo gaped, his mouth wide open, his eyes the size of saucers. "Shiroun-nii, why?"

I turned my gaze towards Ichigo, handing him a bottled water in the process. "Forgiveness is better than pettiness, didn't mother already tell you?" Ichigo stood with his mouth wide, his voice fading away.

"I do believe I have." Mother said, walking up to me and Ichigo. "I'm proud that you've taken it to heart Shirou."

"Thank you." I said. Mother turned her attention to Ichigo.

Ichigo blushed, hiding from mother's gaze behind my pant leg. I felt his grip on my jeans for all but a minute, before he finally relented and gave up; running over to mother to talk about his day.

He was childish that way, but then again, I was probably the same at his age. Mother was after all, the center of the family. It was she who brought life to the home, brought the family together, and cared for us more than herself.

Tatsuki stood alone awkwardly; staring at us while un-wrinkling her uniform still tussled from her previous actions. The water-bottle in her hand was soon placed on her lips, and promptly emptied.

"Thank you." She said quickly, bowing to me before turning to return inside the Dojo to wait for her parents. She fiddled halfheartedly with the handle of the Dojo's sliding door, her movements seeming stiff and uncertain.

"Tatsuki," I said, moving away from Ichigo and mother to approach Tatsuki who had stopped after I called her name.

She turned around to face me, her face looking slightly confused.

"Want to spar for old times sake? I mean you're still waiting for your parents right?"

Tatsuki's face lit up in excitement, a smile near instantly forming. Subsequently, I sighed. I knew that face. It was the face of one who would not give up until they had won...or dropped dead because of exhaustion. It wouldn't be the first time that it had ever happened. I turned to face mother, scratching at the back of my head while I focused my eyes on the ground.

"Sorry mom, but I don't think this will only be one spar." I turned to Ichigo who looked at Tatsuki as if she had just stolen me away from him - his face was scrunched up in displeasure. Mother noticed this, and held Ichigo close to her; a hand running through Ichigo's orange hair which eventually calmed him down.

"It's alright Shirou, but be sure to return home before dark - and Shirou, by dark, I mean 5 pm. Not 9 pm like last time." Mother turned to leave, Ichigo reluctantly following even as he periodically glared at Tatsuki who never noticed.

"Okay." I said to mother, before turning my attention to a smiling Tatsuki who was urging me to walk faster into the Dojo; her motions transitioning to become more fluid from what they were before. There was only one thought that crossed my mind at that moment. How can I lose without making it seem like I threw the spar? No answer came to mind, none but the helpful cawing of a bird in the distant horizon. "It's going to be a long day..."

"That's not fair!" A black haired girl protested, her hand grasping the hand of a girl of similar age except with brown hair. They stood next to me and Ichigo who was at my right holding on to a soccer ball. "We were here first!"

Around me was an open field of lush grass, previously trimmed a couple days ago. On either side of the field, was a soccer goal post.

"But we need the space for our practice!" A boy in a soccer uniform said as he motioned to his team. He was around my age, eleven, but based on his actions alone, he was still far from mature. "Our regular field is undergoing repairs."

"We were her first!" The black haired girl persisted, her eyes beginning to water due to her frustration.

"Karin," I said, my hand finding its way to sit comfortably on her shoulder. "We don't have to play soccer today."

Karin turned her face in my direction, the loose white T-shirt she wore fluttering in the wind; the identical one Yuzu wore, was no different. "But you promised..." Karin trembled before turning her gaze back towards the soccer team. There was a fire in her eyes. "It's all your fault!"

The boy who was arguing with Karin took a step back in surprise before retaliating in the same manor.

Before things could escalate, I quickly motioned for Ichigo to pass me the soccer ball, and then began to dribble it between my legs.

The attention quickly centered around me, the ball somehow finding its way up to my head where I managed to keep it up in the air. I flicked the ball up, then began using my left foot to balance it in place as I signaled for Karin with a wave of a hand. She beamed at me, letting go of Yuzu's hand and setting herself up in front of me to receive the ball.

I did just that; tapping the ball gently enough with my right foot that it sailed up to land perfectly on Karin's leg where she bounced it back to me with vigor. I bounced it back to her, aiming it slightly to her left so that she would have to move to hit it. Eventually, we had left the field; Ichigo catching on to what I was doing, and following close behind with Yuzu in hand.

"I'm sorry about today." I apologized to Karin, my breath coming out faster than it would have do to my physical exertion.

I aired out my sweaty shirt and tossed Ichigo, Yuzu, and Karin one of the towels kept in a drawer in our house.

"Juggling a soccer ball probably wasn't what you wanted to do,"

I turned to Ichigo and Yuzu, wiping down some of the sweat Yuzu and Ichigo had forgotten to wipe away on their faces; not stopping until I was satisfied with the results.

"But it seems that Ichigo and Yuzu enjoyed it, regardless of how terrible we all became later."

Ichigo and Yuzu smiled at me, their bodies having collapsed on the floor.

"It's fine," Karin said with a pout before she wrapped her arms around my stomach in a hug. "Thank you, it was fun." She turned her gaze on the panting Ichigo before turning back to face me. "For the record though, we weren't terrible - Ichigo was."

"Hey! I was not!" Ichigo yelled indignantly.

I laughed at the scene as Karin released me from her hug. One by one, Karin, Yuzu, and Ichigo joined in, Ichigo having been effected by the happy mood finding little trouble in laughing. A flash suddenly lit the room as a shutter went off.

"Isshin, they grow up so fast..."

"I know dear, but we still have the photos."

I turned towards the hallway connected to the living room and saw mother around father's arms, a camera in her hands.

The casual shirt and trousers that father regularly wore were replaced with a formal suite and tie; probably since they just returned from the medical conference they had attended.

I waved at them, alerting Ichigo, Karin, and Yuzu of their presence. Like a flock of baby birds, they ran up to mother and father, surrounding them. I stood for a moment, watching the spectacle unfold before my eyes...

A girl waved at me. I could not decipher her expression, for her face was but a blur, but around her was a whole group of people; all of which seemed to be smiling at me.

"Shirou c'mon!" They called me. "We can't start without you!"

"Shirou!" One suddenly called out. I couldn't move, my mind trying frantically to understand what was happening. "~Make me food~"

"-"

"-Shirou, hurry up! We're having a family picture!" Father urged with the endless enthusiasm that always seemed to exude from him.

I snapped out of my funk and walked over, a smile over my face even as I dealt with the effects of the phenomenon that I have come to label as 'flashes'. Awful name I know, but there was nothing else I could use to describe them. I clenched my hands into fists, deciding that I would handle my problems later, for at the moment, family was more important.

Mother stood at my right, Ichigo on her left. We were on our way home from Ichigo's practice at the Dojo which had ended only five minutes ago. Luckily, Tatsuki was sick, and as such, she could not challenge me to another spar; the girl was to determined, and besides, I knew Ichigo would have complained to me later.

I moved gradually in front of mother, climbing up on some cobblestone rocks to peer ahead. Ichigo tried to imitate me, but mother wouldn't have it. Then again, she yelled at me to come down not soon after.

The sky was dark, the storm predicted by the weather man on T.V. proving accurate. Rain pelted against the ground as cold winds blew in from the north and tussled my damp hair. The water from the river bank I was walking beside had risen, the current sweeping up loose debris by the banks.

"I knew I should have brought the jackets." Mother muttered as she rushed me and Ichigo home.

There was a girl, standing by said river bank we were walking next to; her stare directed at me before turning towards Ichigo. I paid it no mind, choosing to rush along with mother, but Ichigo had stopped, his gaze meeting the girls.

I stopped, mother stopping too as she looked towards me and Ichigo. Colour began to fade from mother's face, her expression stricken with apprehension as she stared at the girl across the river.

The girl took a step forward, her leg hanging precariously over the river's edge.

"Wait!" Ichigo yelled, his little feet already running toward the girl.

"No Ichigo!" Mother yelled, but she was to late in her warning.

The hairs on the back of my head stood on edge as I witnessed a grin form over the girl's crystalline face. Immediately, I took after Ichigo, my strides longer and faster than his, but I was to late. Too late to pull him away from a fur like whip that clipped him by the head; sending him flying through the air to land on the damp grass.

My stomach dropped, my limbs grew tense. I ran over to Ichigo, hearing mother calling I and Ichigo's names, but I payed it no mind; single mindlessly focusing on the un-moving form of Ichigo. He was alive, blood dripping down from a cut on his forehead, but alive nonetheless.

Mother was over Ichigo and I in an instant, her face scrunched up in fear. Yet I could clearly see that it was not fear of her death, but of ours.

"Heheheheheeh, To think I would encounter three delicious souls," A monster appeared, its body hamster like, its limbs like a bird's. And there, hanging from above the monster's masked face, was a tentacle like limb attached to the girl I had seen preparing to jump into the river.

"Shirou," Mother whispered, pushing me behind her. "Take Ichigo and run away!"

My legs were frozen, my gaze directed at the monster in front of me. What was mother saying? What did she ask me to do? I questioned myself in denial. Surely she did not just ask me to leave her alone with this-this monster.

"Shirou!" Mother said urgently. "Go!"

Reality reared its ugly head. I absolutely refused to believe it, but the wind and rain drizzling down on my face did little to help.

One moment mother was there, the next she was gone.

Where was she?! Why was she no longer in front of me?! I slowly looked over to my right, and there she was laying on the ground.

Blood flowed into the river, tainting it a crimson red. Mother was panting heavily, a large wound cut across her chest. She attempted to stand once again, but failed due to her arms giving way to her body weight. She stared up at me, her eyes pleading for me to go, to leave her behind. Far from leaving, I stood still, my mind stuck in indecision.

I didn't want to leave mother behind, but I didn't want to leave Ichigo in danger either. I ran to mother, placing Ichigo beside her, and turned to protectively stand in front of them. My body trembled from fear as the monster lurked ever closer, mother still pleading with me to flee. I stared it down, a quite calm descending over me...

"I don't want to regret anything...If you walk down the path that you believe is right, you cannot be wrong!"

"Trace On!" An indescribable feeling of euphoria flooded through me; my body becoming light as a feather and as swift as a sparrow. Faint patterns of navy blue appeared on my body, tracing the veins beneath the surface of my skin. I no longer trembled, my breaths coming out evenly, and my eyes remaining on target. A black bow materialized in my left hand, its grip perfectly aligning itself to mine.

I stared at it, confused in what good it would do without any arrows.

"That's!" Mother called to me, her expression one of sudden surprise. "Shirou, imagine that you are loading a gun - believe in it with all of your heart!"

Loading a gun...A gun cocked itself within my mind, a sensation of a foreign quantity of mass gathering on my right palm. Bright azure light encompassed my field of vision; its light hue of indigo causing stars to appear within my eyes. My fingers interlaced together, grabbing hold of that which could not possibly be there. For in my hand was an arrow of luminous light created from the condensation of the original lustrous azure which turned a deep denim blue.

Before I knew it, I found myself knocking the arrow to the black bow, the motion in and out of itself, fluid and without fail. Fine dust and loose gravel began to gather in the air around me; the ground cracking beneath my feet. I strained against the pressure inflicted upon my right hand, the tension from the string of the bow drawing blood from my fingers that dripped down my arm.

Despite the pain of doing so, I knocked the string back further; releasing it when I arrived at its maximum elasticity.

The arrow flew through the air; in its wake, a cone shaped vortex of wind that left a trail of destruction upon the earth.

Furred limbs shot up into the sky, an unearthly scream of pain seemingly echoing out for miles on end.

"AAAAHHHHH!" The monster screamed erratically, a hand grasping at his stump of a right arm.

I knocked another arrow, its light reflecting off of the monsters ivory mask.

Eerily, the monster stopped screaming, its gaze now fully trained on me and not at mother and Ichigo.

"Do you really think that I would fall for the same thing twice! Insolent little bug! Had I known you were a Quincy things wouldn't have turned out the way they had!" The monster's masked eyes narrowed into a loathful glare.

I released my knocked arrow, watching it sail across the air at the monster that was no longer there. My hairs stood on end, my gaze frantically looking left and right. I prepared another arrow, the blood dripping down my right hand no longer bothering me.

"Above!" Mother yelled.

Her warning came to late, the heavy impact of what felt like an iron fist, sent me soaring across area. The air rushed out of my lungs, my vision began spinning. Faintly, I felt the blow to my chest hurt, but didn't mind it as much as the nausea I was currently experiencing. I stopped, my body ending its sudden flight by dragging across the ground.

The uncomfortable feeling of rocks against my skin, and the need to protect was enough to get me back on my feet. I paused, noticing the absence of the black bow that was once held in my left hand.

"That should have pierced you..." The monster said, its stump of an arm somehow regenerated over the course of time I had my eyes off of him.

What mattered to me however, was the black bow under his feet.

Drawn by the direction of my gaze, the monster smiled as it picked up the black bow and snapped it like a twig. A chill ran down my spine, my earlier sense of accomplishment fading away as my only means of attack had been destroyed so easily.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance, Quincy." The monster leered. "Now there is no hope."

The monster took a step towards me, followed by another; its figure getting larger and larger.

"Run!" Mother yelled from her position with Ichigo to my far right. "RUN SHIROU!"

The monster turned its gaze towards mother and Ichigo, and it was then that I knew that I would not run...

For the next ten minutes, I was beaten like a rag doll, mother's frantic screams acting as a back drop to my plight. Blood pooled into my mouth, my insides felt like the mush they probably were, but somehow I could barely feel the pain. Despite the blows the monster dealt to me, I took no damage from them; only the impact seeming to have any effect on me.

"You are durable."

The monster relented in his blows, holding me up in the air by my hair.

"Almost as if I was punching a hierro, but I have come up with a solution to this problem."

The monster opened its mouth completely. Peering into it, I couldn't help but think of an abyss of darkness. I felt myself being lowered in, my blurred vision making it hard for me to determine whether or not I had already been eaten.

In a final act of defilement, I punched at the hand still holding me up by the hair. Subsequently, it broke under my strength. I only had a moment to marvel at this feat before darkness enveloped me; my final moments spent staring at mother's tear stricken face. Her lips were moving, but I could hear nothing of her words, my gaze transfixed at her grief filled features. Her hands were trembling, her breaths coming out in un-even intervals, but most of all, I could see a fire die in her eyes. And that is what pained me the most...

-Die!

-Curse you!

Voices. Voices of all kinds melding together in a horrific display of hell.

I covered my ears, but found that it did nothing to stop the voices. I drifted, unable to move as parts of my body began to grow numb. First my hands and feet, then my legs and arms. Mobility was restricted only till my head. I looked around me, seeing a hole that revealed the outside world, and a hand reaching for mother and Ichigo.

I fought against the torrent of voices, fought against anything that hindered my movement towards the hole. That was my family out there. I couldn't let anything happen to them!

"Stop!" I yelled, my hands reaching, yet unable to. "Stop!"

Time seemed to crawl agonizingly slow as the hand drew nearer and nearer to mother and Ichigo.

Hands, dark-thin shadow like hands, but strong nonetheless gripped at my limbs. The faces of my family flashing before my eyes like a film with no projector. They were happy, all smiling, all content, and suddenly...It was all ripped away. Yuzu and Karin cried in their sleep, Yuzu's big bright eyes dull and lifeless. Father too was no better then the rest. They all huddled around a gravestone, I, mother's, and Ichigo's gravestone.

And I, I would have been the one to let this happen. I would have been the one to let them and myself die...

Because of me...

I shook in denial, my body spasming, my arms going limp.

Because of me...

At the time, lost in despair, I did not know that the power that I was emitting was pushing back against the darkness. The arms that had chained me recoiled and burned to ashes, my gaze devoid of emotion.

Before me appeared the form of the monster, its masked visage having yet to notice my presence.

Ever slowly, I stalked forward, my breath coming out in laboured pants that soon progressed to a healthy calm. Step by step, strength returned to me, first my legs, then my arms and body. I didn't know when it was that I found myself tearing through the expanse between the monster and I, only that I had the intention of righteous violence.

Armed with nothing but my bare-hands, I thrashed the monster across its chest; each consecutive blow producing impacts that rippled across its body which caused it to stagger. A final blow to the face sent the monster flying away from where it stood peering into the hole.

I simply stood there, not caring as the monster began to recover; my gaze held firm on both Ichigo and mother.

I reached a hand for them, a furred appendage making contact with mother's face. Surprised by the action, mother cringed and backed away to the best of her ability, Ichigo cradled under her.

My hand froze, my breath hitched in my throat. I retracted my hand, the furred appendage retracting itself away.

"I...I...I'll...Save...You..." I croaked out, my voice not my own, but that of the monster's.

I clenched my fists and tensed my muscles.

"I'll...Protect...You..."

Tears fell anew down mother's face, her sobs soft, but clear and distinct to my ears. A pained grunt drew my attention back to the monster.

"Impossible!" The monster said, it's face doing little to hide it's surprise. "You should have been digested by now!"

I didn't respond, the strength that had been flowing through me having suddenly vanished. Yet in its place was an aura of crimson red that enveloped my entire body. Like the flickering of a fire, it danced to and fro, expanding ever bigger, ever greater in purity. It destroyed the voices that had surrounded me; destroying them so utterly that everything became silent.

"AAAHHH!" The monster screamed it's body steaming.

It glared at me, but was unable to speak further as a wisp of aura covered its face and body; dying it in iridescent crimson. By the time the aura had died out, there was nothing left but me in the dark void that was much akin to a lasting emptiness. Fatigue soon hit me like a ton of bricks, forcing me to black out.

I awoke in a desert of white sand, a great pain emanating from my head. What was I doing? I wondered. I tried to recall, but nothing came to mind. Where am I? I looked down at my clawed hands. What exactly am I? My body stretched eight meters tall, and three meters wide.

Sand shifted beneath my feet, my gaze drawn to the full moon in the over head sky.

Gradually, I lowered my gaze and began walking aimlessly in this world of white, the gnarled branches of trees the only indication that I was not walking in circles. The occasional harsh winds bit across my back, urging me to stop; to fall down and put my efforts to rest. Be that as it may, I pushed on, convincing myself to go another hundred meters, and then another...

I lay on the ground, my body motionless and in great pain.

Around me were searing hot flames that melted even the steel girders that had been used as a foundation for the nearby buildings. Ash covered the air, muffling the screams of the many trapped beneath the remains of what had once been a city; their flesh melting away to reveal the white bones beneath, and yet that too was taken away and burnt till nothing remained...

Sand found its way into my mouth and the hole located directly at the center of my chest. I breathed in, the grainy texture of the sand feeling unpleasant; my masked visage doing little to ease the feeling. The horns attached to said mask made it difficult for me to brush off the sand that was in my long flowing red hair - I had given up after only a few minutes.

Movement drew my attention to the first sign of life I had glimpsed on my journey. Red tribal marks, much like the ones that ran across my body, ran down its back. Lizard like in appearance, it stalked towards me, a smile present on its masked face. Willingly, I drew closer, perhaps there were answers to be found.

"What are you?" I asked, stopping just in front of the thing.

It didn't bother answering me, just continued to get even closer; saliva dripping down its maw. Before I knew it, it tried to bite at my legs; the flash of its teeth beneath its mask, the only indication of its intentions.

"What are you doing?" I asked, having jumped back before the thing could get a hold of me. Again it didn't answer, a smile returning to its face as it approached me for the second time.

It was then when I felt it, staring into the things eyes, the vast hunger within me. Saliva began dripping down my mouth, my eyes tracking the thing's movements, my body reacting in tandem with them. I looked at my hands, at the serrated claws I possessed on the tips of my fingers. All to soon, the hunger became unbearable, my muscles tensing in preparation. The thing made to bite at me again, but met the lethal edge of my clawed hands piercing into its face. It dropped, and didn't move again.

My mouth opened then sunk into the flesh of my kill. The thing's blood oozed down my mouth and down my throat. The large chunks of meat that my hands had cut soon followed. There was nothing left. I had eaten everything down to the last bone, and only then did my hunger satiate itself to a tolerable level. I stared at my bloody hands; felt the blood still drizzling down my body, and found myself wondering for the second time...What am I?

No answer came of course, and I soon found myself wandering aimlessly again.

Wandering...Wandering...Always wandering through the vast desert. I didn't speak, I didn't sleep, I never stopped for rest. My hunger followed me wherever I went, the deep impulse for more causing me to eat anything I found; dead bodies, or fresh kills in the form of the thing in my earlier encounter, I didn't care; I just wanted the hunger to go away. It never did, never ceased to impede me on my travel; at least until the day I changed.

I was not exactly sure what had happened, just that I finished devouring another meal and my view of the world had suddenly changed. In more general terms, I shrunk down to half my size; my body becoming more sleek and robust to how it was before. A knight like helmet covered my face, my boned protrusions from my body resembling medieval armour. I no longer had claws, they being traded for usable hands that were probably used in accordance to the black bow on my back.

And so I wandered again. Wandering...Wandering...Always wandering through the vast desert of white until I stumbled upon a tree.

In stark contrast to the scenery around it, a white tree with many sharp spines appeared in view; its gnarled branches reaching up towards the sky and reflecting the over-head moon's light into my eyes. I pressed forward, my body seemingly drawn to the tree.

And there I would remain for the better most part of several days? Months? Years? I couldn't know for sure. I hunted of course, traveling great distances in search of food, but always returning upon sighting the tree's familiar white. It was on one such occasion that I stumbled across an anomaly in the form of two humanoid beings.

They walked together, a brown cloak over their shoulders that did nothing to hide their faces. That in itself was the anomaly. They didn't possess a full mask; something I was used to seeing on every creature I ever encountered. One had brown hair, the other green. One was short, the other tall. One wore a white helmet with a red flame design, the other did not. One was a man, the other a woman. They noticed me, their gazes meeting mine. Each step they took towards me reminding me more and more, that I did not know what their intentions were. I was curious however, and did not move from my location.

They stopped in front of me, an indifferent look on the man's face, and a smile on the woman's.

"You didn't run." The man said, his posture slouched as if standing straight was a hassle.

"Should I have?" I replied, reaching a hand towards the black bow on my back to act as insurance.

"Shut up Starrk!" The woman said, jumping onto the man's back and pounding his head. "Don't make us sound like were super powered villains!"

"Enough! I know what I'm doing!" Starrk yelled as he plucked the thrashing woman off of him.

"Obviously you don't!" The woman pointed at my hand that had frozen in the process of grabbing my bow. "See, he would have attacked us had I not stepped in!"

I sweat dropped at the scene and lowered my hand from my bow, watching as the woman continued to pester Starrk. It would seem that these two didn't have the intention of eating me like so many others before.

I sighed as Starrk got a hold of the woman who had yet again jumped on him, and threw her...at my direction.

I felt the sand against my back, my chest feeling sore from the woman's impact. She peered down at me, a smile forming over her face as she literally sat on top of me.

"Lilynette Gingerbuck." She said formally, pointing to her chest in the same instance. "And that over there is..." A thoughtful look spread across her face as one of her index finger pointed towards the other. "Starrk the Idiot."

"Coyote," Starrk cut in. "Coyote Starrk's my name." Starrk turned a half lidded gaze towards Lilynette. "Take your pettiness elsewhere Lilynette." Starrk reprimanded, but it had no effect as Lilynette simply stuck her tong out at him. I got up as Lilynette vacated her position on my chest.

I stood there, watching them interact with each other, and soon found a laugh escape my throat; Lilynette having latched on to Starrk's head by biting him. It was the first time that I ever recalled laughing in this world, but I knew it wouldn't be the last. Starrk and Lilynette stared back at me, their gazes curious to what I would do. I turned to return to the white tree, my gaze locking onto its familiar sheen in the distant horizon.

I walked away, my steps sinking into the sand beneath me. The rhythm of my steps were soon followed by another two pairs. Starrk and Lilynette walked gingerly behind me, a languid expression on Starrk's face, and a pleasant one on Lilynette's. I did not know if that was a good thing, or a bad thing, but if there was one thing I knew for sure, I wasn't going to stop them.

Authors Note: I do not own Bleach or Fate.

My reasoning for when Shirou's veins lit up in faint navy blue was his innate process of reinforcement and his Quincy blood factor. On another note, Shirou wasn't able to do much in the battle against Grand Fisher because he was inexperienced, and did not know who he was, which removed access to his stronger abilities. Furthermore, regardless if he had reinforcement, the body's first main instinct is to defend, and that is why Shirou did not utilize his reinforced strength to put up a fight with Grand Fisher till the end when it caught him by surprise. The reason why I figured he could trace Archer's black bow in the fight was also due to his Quincy blood. That's basically my reasoning for what happened during the battle.

A question some might ask is if Shirou is a Gillian, Adjuchas, or Vasto Lord. He is currently an Adjuchas after his transformation. Another question could be: is this an OC. The answer would be no. It's Shirou, but Shirou without his memories of his past life on his way to regaining them. I can't think of any other questions, so I'll leave that to you. (I won't answer questions that happen further along or deal with the plot - it's like a spoiler if I did.)

I also used a quote from Shirou Emiya in this chapter, if any of you notice that.

Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you feel like it.

-Parcasious.