Title: Void
Author: Spirixx
Genre: Drama/Romance/Action
Rating: M for men, madness and mind blowing massacre. Oh and mmmhmm good ;)
Pairing: Ichigo/Renji
Spoilers: Well it takes place after the war.
Summary: Ichigo has to find a purpose with his life.
Word Count: Too lazy… about 1000 a chapter

Warnings: Lots of violence. There will be some graphic sex, but not for a while.

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I do not own Bleach.
Distribution: Too lazy to post this anywhere else.

Dedication: Ian because he got me interest in Bleach. He said I needed to read something else besides CLAMP manga. I love CLAMP but the men of Bleach have peaked my interests.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER I

Prologue - Revelations

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo was not content with his life. The war with Aizen was over and he was a hero, yet he felt empty. H went back to the living world and his life just picked up where it left off. It was too… uneventful he guessed. He did well and school and got his doctorate in medicine. It had taken seven years but now he was a doctor. Three years to get a degree and another four of medicine and internship. He now worked at his father's clinic and lived in his own apartment. Life was normal, life was dull and he didn't have the heart to spend anymore time on his education. Normally doctors took an extra three to four years to specialize in something but Ichigo was lost.

Everyone around him seemed to being moving forward. Orihime and Ishida were dating, to everyone's surprise and just last week they had moved in together. Chad had opened his own self defence studio and was doing very well. Everyone was happy, except him and he couldn't figure out why. Maybe he needed to be fighting to be happy?

As if on cue he was in his dream world, lying on the side of a building. His inner hollow stood over him and blocked out the sun. His large crazed smile beamed down on him.

"Well I'm glad you finally realized it. I am so bored and let's face it, you are too."

Since the war Ichigo had come to terms with this hollow aspect of himself. They had put their differences aside and became friends, after a fashion. Ichigo had even named him in the need to have a name to curse, or at least that's what he told himself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nine Years Ago
Ichigo: 16

The war was in full swing. Everyone was stretched too thin and that included the dynamic duo, Ichigo and Renji. They had found out quite early that they were a match made for battle. Their abilities complimented each other in a way that was very rare among death gods who worked better on solo missions.

They were surrounded by what seemed like an endless supply of very strong hollows. Ichigo was getting tired and he knew Renji was too. A large wolf hollow jumped at Ichigo, he dodged at the last minute, a big mistake. The orange-haired boy was so caught up in pacing himself to deal with the massive hollows that the smaller one caught him off guard. In his tired state he dodged and left his companion's back open. Ichigo's recklessness cost the red haired man his footing.

Driven to the ground, Renji clung to consciousness sprawled on the sandy surface. No hopes for reinforcements were to be found because there was no one left in their area. Renji and Ichigo were the only ones able to withstand the pounding of the hundreds of hollows. Sure there were forces elsewhere but none able to get to them until later the next day.

Ichigo stood over Renji, and raised his zanpakutou before him.

"BANKAI!"

He was low on energy but he wasn't going to let Renji die. It was his fault. If only he had been more aware of what was going on around him. If only he had to have had more experience. His youth was going to cost Renji his life.

"There is only one thing you can do now."

His inner hollow was pacing restlessly. He had been locked deep with the strawberry boy, not allow being out to enjoy the war. He wanted out.

"Ichigo, you know what you need to do. Do you want to win?!"

Ichigo cut down another hollow, finding it increasing difficult to slice them down and keep them off Renji. He flashed and sliced, flashed and sliced, flashed and sliced. It was tearing down his resolve bit by bit. His blood stained his robes, dripping and mingling with Renji's. The large slashes on the red-haired man's back gushed sluggishly.

"ICHIGO, you are going to DIE! Let me out!"

Ichigo panted and looked up at the sky. The stars were out. They twinkled with an odd eerie glow. He had always found comfort in the sky. It was the one thing that was always there.

"You don't have a name…"

"What?"

"YOU don't have a name. Would you like one?"

"We don't have time for this ICHIGO!"

But he wasn't listening. Ichigo was going through all then names he could think of, still slicing and dicing but without really looking at them.

"Listen partner, you need me. Do you want to die?"

"No."

"What do you want, Kurosaki Ichigo? WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

"TO WIN!!"

Ichigo pulled his mask over his face. Preparing himself for the massacre to come he growled. Instincts taking over he howled and held Zangetsu in the star light. Right before the plunge Ichigo let his voice carry through.

"Masaru, your name should be Masaru."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"So partner, what do you say to us going to some abandoned field, slitting your wrists and waiting for the hollow to come to us?"

"That's not morbid, not at all."

Ichigo was continuing to lay and look at the dark clouds passing over head. They looked like they wanted to rain but Ichigo figured they wouldn't because he wasn't exactly sad, just incomplete.

"Masaru, you're blocking my view."

"They view doesn't get any better than this. Until you decide to actually let someone else into your life, I might as well be your boyfriend."

"What the hell are you talking about!?"

"There we go. Looks like you have some life in you after all, you idiot."

Ichigo sat up and glared at his other self. He didn't push people away. He just hadn't found anyone worth letting in. If there was someone out there for him, that person had probably long since died.

"I never understood that whole match made in heaven bull. What's wrong with someone normal? Does it have to be fate or some other bullshit? I am tired of you and your 'emotional scars'. Grow up already."

"You know you make a really crappy friend."

Masaru sat next to him and looked up at the foreboding clouds. He sighed and turned his gaze to Ichigo. No matter how long he had known his inner hollow, he could still never figure out what was going on in his head.

"I guess it is a good thing we aren't really friends. We are partners and there is a difference. Partners tell you the things you don't want to hear, especially when it's true."

Ichigo was back in his apartment, lying on his bed. May Masaru was right. Maybe the gap in his life was someone to share it with. After the war Ichigo had cut everyone out. He had focused on his studies because they let him distract him from the pain.

Renji did not die that day, but Rukia had.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

END I

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Masaru- Japanese boy name meaning victory

Well I decided to write a REAL Bleach Fan Fiction. I hope you guys like it. Please review!