"Normal Speech"

"Internal Thoughts"

"Hollows"

"Zanpaktō"

CHAPTER 6

A cloud of sand bellowed out as Ichigo rode off, leaving Harribel and the others behind as they watched him. Harrible's gaze not leaving his retreating form as the sand slowly settled back to the desert floor once again. "That crow . . . and that horse . . . they didn't seem like they where other Hollows." Harribel thinks, "Could they be some form of himself? Strange . . . and a mouthless mask with no hole anywhere I could see. But when I felt his Reiatsu, even from a distance as he fought, it was dark. Almost the same as a Adjuchas or even a Vasto Lorde Hollow, yet he bore no signs of being such, other than that mask."

The whole incident was strange to see and he was even stranger to see up close. The Crow that landed on his shoulder, the massive horse that emerged from the very sands for him to ride. Nothing about him made sense to everything she knew, yet it only made it more interesting to see in person. "Quite strange . . . and yet quite interesting as well." Harribel thinks, smirking under her mask as she gives a barely audible chuckle. Making Mila Rose and Sung-Sun look at her for a moment.

"Lady Harribel? Is there something you find humorous?" Sung-Sun asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

"No, Sung-Sun. Just pondering something." Harribel says, turning to look back at her followers and their recent addition. Taking a step towards Apacci as he looked the deer over. Any signs of blood and open wounds appeared to have been removed entirely, not even any scars to show they had once been any damage. "Interesting to see a male concerned for the well being of another, especially a female."

!(Ichigo)!

He rode hard and fast, his gaze focused on Dust as the crow flew high above him. It had been probably an hour by now since he left the Vasto Lorde and Adjuchas behind him. He was tied from the fight, but he wasn't going to stop . . . he couldn't . . . not yet. He needed to see this through, he needed to push himself further . . . to force himself beyond his limits if he was going to finish this and set himself free from his past.

"Ichigo," Death says, dragging Ichigo from his thoughts. "you must relax and remain calm, focused. You will win, remember what I have taught you."

"I know . . . but I can't shake the feeling that he might escape again."

"He won't, we won't give him a chance to flee like the coward he is."

At that Ichigo smirked and gave a soft chuckle as he saw Dust dive down, landing next to a opening of a tunnel in the sands. Pecking the sand next to the hole as Despair slowed and stopped next to the crow, snorting softly as it stamped his hoof. "Looks like we found something." Ichigo thinks as Despair turned to a green flame and returned to the earth below him.

"Indeed, be ready to strike hard and fast, Ichigo. Don't even give him a chance to know you're here." Death says, watching his wielder closely as the both kept their senses alert and Ichigo crouched as he grabbed the hilts of his scythes. Holding them tightly as he descended into the tunnel.

It snaked deeper and deeper, slowly growing pitch black around him. But his mask gave a soft glow around his eyes, his gaze being undeterred by the darkness as he heard a soft groan ahead of him. Slowing his movements and crouching lower as he sneaked closer, rounding a corner to see a mass of brown fur. Some blood dried on the hollow's body and staining the stone ground beneath it.

"We are in luck, seems the wounds you inflicted either remain or have yet to fully heal."

"I hope it's the first possibility. Means things would go even faster and cleaner than I expected." Ichigo though, connecting the scythes together as his armor and scyths shifting to Harbinger as he slowly moved around the corner. Pulling the scythe behind his back, drawing his Reiatsu into the blade. Letting it build for only a second before he swung. "HORIDASU!"(HARVEST!) Ichigo shouted, releasing his attack in front of him.

The shout alerted the Hollow who jumped just in time to dodge, the thin legs and lure on its head telling him it was Grand Fisher. The sight of him made Ichigo growl loudly, charging with his large scythe as Fisher turned to face him. "My, My. I wasn't expecting such a tasty tre-" Fisher says before stopping, seeing the orange hair of his attacker. "You!? How are you here?!"

"You don't need to know, you won't escape me a second time!" Ichigo shouted as his Reiatsu flaring once again, surrounding his limbs and scythe. "Terepōtosurasshu!"(Teleport Slash!) At those words he vanished from sight, two deep grooves cutting through the stone as he appeared behind Fisher. Blood erupting from his side as he screamed.

"Bastard!" Grand Fisher yelled, growling and he charged. His claws extending as he tried to spear Ichigo, catching his cloak and tearing part of it to ribbons as the teen dodged with a roll to the right. Ichigo swung the scythe up, cutting into Fisher's arm and leaving a deep gash that made the Hollow recoil as her roared in pain.

The hairs on its side suddenly began to elongate and become sharp as spears. Rushing towards Ichigo who just managed to roll out of the way as they hair struck the stone and broke right through. Jumping to his feet and running at a wall with Grand Fisher following behind him, the wall closing faster and faster before Ichigo jumped and kicked off the wall. Sending himself up and over the Hollow as he turned his body and swung his conjoined scythes, leaving another deep gash on Fishers back as he screamed and Ichigo landed behind him with a grunt, the stone under him cracking like Death when he first met his Zanpakutō before he rolled away.

"You underestimated me before, this time you won't run away like a bitch!" Ichigo says as he charged, once again the Grand Fisher's fur grew and flew at Ichigo like missiles. Ichigo let his Reiatsu pour into his legs and arms. "Terepōtosurasshu!" (Teleport Slash!) He shouted, dodging the hairs and charging at Fisher. Cutting off one of his legs as the Hollow narrowly dodged.

(!Urahara's Shop!)

It was late, past midnight and every house was dark as every living soul in Karakura was sleeping soundly in their beds as a few crickets chirped across the small town. Kisuke Urahara, humble shop owner and Inventor extraordinaire, was laying in his bed . . . or rather splayed out with his comforter barely covering his legs, his pillow held tightly between his arms as drool pooled around his head, his hat seeming to be floating around him in the puddle. A large snot bubble expanding and shrinking as he snored loudly.

As the Blonde shopkeeper slept the night and his wounds away, through the open window of his room a large black cat jumped up to the window sill. Gazing directly at the manchild with it's piercing golden yellow eyes. Silently dropping to the floor, walking over to Kisuke before poking the shopkeeper in the face. "Get up, Kisuke." Only for Kisuke to roll over onto the cat, narrowly crushing the cat under him as he kept snoring. "Oh well, don't say I didn't try before it came to this." The cat says, extending his claws.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWwwwwwwwwwwwwWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Came a loud wail of pain that echoed through the town, waking many people from their slumber as the blonde shopkeeper jumped out of his bed. Holding his face, rolling on the gound as tears feel from his eyes like waterfalls. "YORUICHI! WHY DID YOU CLAW MY FACE?!"

"Because, you nearly crushed me when I tried to wake you. Now quit being a baby, and listen." The now named Yoruichi said, sitting across from Kisuke and he looked from behind his hands. "I saw Ichigo hunt down a Hollow. Not only that, but he forced it to open a Garganta to Hueco Mundo."

"W-WAIT WHAT?! WHY THE HELL WOULD HE DO THAT?!" Kisuke shouted, clearly surprised as he took his hands away from his face to show the scratch scars before he stopped and at Yoruichi. "More importantly how the hell did he do it? I never felt him leave or even wake up. Before he would exude his Reiatsu to the point any seated officer could feel it across the town. But I never felt him leave here."

"If I had to guess, then he's been learning to control himself more. Most likely from his Zanpakutō or even his Zanpakutō supressing his Reiatsu."

"It seems the most likely thing, but to think he'd learn so much in such little time. I didn't think his Zanpakutō would take an active roll in teaching him. But it would seem that it did. Maybe Ichigo's thick headed nature persuaded it to begin training in his Inner World." Kisuke says, beginning to stroke his chin. "When I think I have even a few answers a hundred more seem to pop up from the boy."

"Indeed, but for now we must worry about getting him back. I doubt he can force a Hollow to open a Garganta to the World of the Living."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that. Well there goes my beauty sleep. Now I have to not only open a garganta in my shop but also try to find his exact spiritual signiture to have it open for him." Kisuke says, giving a heavy sigh as he stood. "Better wake up Tessai as well, I'll need as much help as I can get with this." He says as he grabbed a copy of his favorite hat and made his way to the door.

(!Ichigo!)

Blood sprayed from Ichigo's shoulder as he was sent sliding back, planting the straight blade of his conjoined scythes into the stone to slow his speed. He was panting heavily, but so so was Grand Fisher. Blood seeming to be falling from the Hollows severed leg, back and side. Ichigo was exhausted, but his mind was focused. Ignoring the pain as he grit his teeth under his mask.

"Bastard." He snarled as he pulled his scythe from the ground. Spinning them behind him as he charged forward.

"Stuborn little insect!" Grand Fisher shouted, growing more and more agitated by the orange haired teen by the second. His claws shooting towards Ichigo faster, peircing his shoulder and pinning him to the wall. "I'll admit, you'ver certainly grown fast. But that still isn't enough to defeat me, pity your sisters aren't here"

But his remark set something off in Ichigo as his Reiatsu spiked, cracking the stone as he let out a deep growl. Almost animalistic as it seemed to grow deeper and his Reiatsu formed the dark purple, almost black, skeletal figure like Death. But this had glowing yellow eyes and teeth that seemed to be glaring at Grand Fisher. Raising it's scythe with Ichigo as he swung, following his movements as it sent a large blast flying at Fisher. Making the Hollow jump to the side to dodge as his eyes widen. "W-What the hell?"

The Reiatsu continued to pour off of Ichigo, the figure growing bigger as it spun its scythe effortlessly around one of its hands. Ichigo charged forward, his blood red eyes glowing brighter in the darkness of the cave as he snarled. Ichigo was seeing only red as he glared at Fisher, the eyes of his mask glowing brighter as he charged at the Hollow. Almost a blur as he spun his conjoined scythes with one hands with ease.

"ICHIGO!" Death yelled, trying to cut through his clouded mind. Only to be ignored as Ichigo spun his scythes like a lawnmower, slicing through Grand Fishers fur like it was simple grass in his way. Shredding the Hollows body. "DAMN IT, ICHIGO! LISTEN TO ME!"

Ichigo only continued to attack, his eyes now glowing the same sickly yellow as he let out an animalistic growl. His movements becoming a blur as he appeared for one moment on one side of Grand Fisher and slashed deeply along his side, only to disappear a moment later. Each slash cutting deeper and deeper as blood poured and sprayed from every wound. "ENOUGH!" Death shouted in rage, Ichigo's body stopping. Grand Fisher panting heavily, barely standing as Ichigo's eyes shifted to a deep orange.

"Enough of this." A different voice sounded from Ichigo as his head slowly looked up. Spinning the scythes effortlessly as he disappeared and reappeared behind Fisher. A deep grunt was all he gave, staring straight ahead as a deep cut began to form from his mask all the way to his ass. Grand Fisher's body slowly fell apart, cut clean down the center as the body started to disinterested. "You're not ready, Ichigo. Not for that."

Death growled in annoyance before spinning the scythes with one hand, cleaning the blood from the blades before placing them on his hips. He then placed a hand on the right side of Ichigo's chest, placing it under the clothe just covering his body and gave a loud his. The sound of flesh ripping could be heard as he tore a large, sickly yellow crystal that glowed brightly before it dimmed and died in his hands. Death then tossed it aside and let it clatter to the ground as he growled. "You just seem to give me a headache with everything you do, boy." He growled, starting to turn and make his way back to the tunnel Ichigo entered. Only to hear the sound of fabric ripping from behind him.

Turning around he saw the air where the air seem to open into a Garganta before him. He could feel the presence of the blonde manchild beyond the black void, as well as two others. One of which was foreign to him, but he felt he knew it from Kisuke's shop. "Interesting, seems the man child found us." Death says,he started started to move into the Garganta.