Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any associated characters.

Hollowed

Chapter 1: Hunting

Rukia looked nervously around. Recent scans had reported several hollows in the area, one of which appeared to be devouring other hollows; a menos.

She pulled out her communicator and checked again. Two hollows were nearby.

The small soul reaper quickly closed in on the site. A man with orange spiky hair was battling a hollow. He was laughing manically as he dodged the hollow's swipes. "Time's up!" he yelled, and suddenly he was right in front of the hollow's gaping maw. With one stroke he cleaved the masked face in half. "You loose!"

Rukia gapped at the sight. The man had to be a soul reaper, he could see that hollow, and he wielded a sword. "Yet, he doesn't wear the uniform of a soul reaper. Is he an exile?" she wondered.

Suddenly, she felt a flare of spirit energy. The hollow's body began to condense into a bright orb of energy, which floated up and moved towards the man's outstretched hand. The man flicked his wrist in an almost casual manner and popped the orb into his mouth.

Rukia gasped, "What the hells! He purified the soul then absorbed all its energy!"

"That was a disappointing," the man muttered. "You can come out now, little soul reaper!"

Rukia jumped out of her hiding spot, and landed behind the man, her zanpakuto pointed at his back. "Who are you, and what did you do to that hollow?" she demanded.

The man turned around giving Rukia a full view of him. He was dressed entirely in black with a coat that was left open to reveal his chest. There was a hole where the heart should have been.

"He has a hollow hole!!" Rukia realized with horror. She looked him straight in the eyes. They were golden and surrounded by black. A mask fragment clung to his face and over his left eye. Red stripes ran down from the edges and teeth lined the bottom.

Rukia took a step back in alarm. It wasn't a normal hollow, not by far. She had only heard of this type of hollow. He was an arrancar, a hollow that had ripped their mask off, in order to gain the powers of a soul reaper.

"Who am I?" he asked in a mocking tone, as if he found amusement in her request. The arrancar leered at her, his face split in an ear to ear psychotic grin. "They called me Ichigo!"

xXxXx

Isshin Kurosaki sat right up in bed. A hollow was nearby, a powerful one.

Normally he would rely on his ability to diminish spiritual energy, to protect his family from hollows. But, a hollow like that, couldn't be ignored.

"And, knowing the soul society, they likely have some unprepared rookie assigned here," Isshin muttered as he removed a false bottom to one of his dresser drawers. He then pulled out a small, battered soul-candy dispenser.

He popped out a candy and tossed it in his mouth. His body toppled back into bed, and his soul was yanked out of the body.

He gripped the handle of his zanpakuto. Time to see what that hollow was up to.

xXxXx

Rukia barely had time to raise her zanpakuto to block, as the hollow brought down his giant cleaver. There was a clang of steel and sparks flew on impact, bouncing along the ground.

"You have more energy then that pathetic hollow," the Ichigo drawled. "It will be fun killing you!"

Before Rukia could react, the arrancar kicked her in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of her from the force of the blow, and she flew backwards. She just had time to spin to the side, before Ichigo's zanpakuto slammed into the concrete, smashing it to pieces.

"Just fast enough!" the hollow taunted. "Try your worst, soul reaper!"

Rukia gritted her teeth. The hollow's kick had broken a rib, or two. She shakily climbed to her feet and glared at Ichigo's smirking visage. "Dominator! Mask of flesh and blood. All living beings. Fluttering. That which has the name human. Truth and Temperance. Slightly imbed your claws into the walls of innocent dreams! Destructive Art 33! Blue Fire Fall!" Fire basted from her hand and pulverized the street where Ichigo was standing. Thick smoke welled up from the crater obscuring the scene. "Take that bastard!" the tiny shinigami spat.

"YOU MISSED!" Rukia spun around. Ichigo was standing behind her, completely unharmed. "Play time's over little soul reaper!"

He lunged forward so fast; Rukia did not even see him. The only thing see felt was the pain of the sword cutting her shoulder, and the spray of blood across her face. A slash across her chest. A blow to her back. A sword to her knees. The Arrancar continued to blitz her with attacks, wielding the giant cleaver with astonishing speed.

Rukia coughed up blood. Before a kick from the hollow's booted feet sent her flying; the blood from her numerous wounds staining the pavement. Desperately she tried to move her injured body, yet she had not the strength to do so.

There was the quick swish of flash steps and the hollow Ichigo appeared by Rukia. His massive form towering over her injured body. He raised his sword above his head. "You have the honor of being the first soul reaper to die by Zangetsu."

Rukia shut her eyes and waited for the final blow to come.

xXxXx

Isshin couldn't believe what he was seeing. Not the defeated soul reaper bleeding on the pavement; he was expecting that. It was the hollow standing over her, ready to give the final blow. He was expecting a menos, not an arrancar. Not an arrancar that resembled his deceased son.

Ichigo lowered his zanpakuto and turned to face Isshin. "So old man, it seems you are more then you appeared."

"What do you want here, hollow," Isshin hissed. "That thing is not Ichigo, no matter how much he looks like him," Isshin reminded himself.

Ichigo let out an insane laugh. "Power. What else? You soul reapers are so full of spirit energy. NOW DIE!"

Isshin effortless blocked the strike from Zangetsu and countered. Blood sprayed from the new wound on Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo hissed in pain as the wound rapidly closed.

"High speed regeneration!?" Isshin raised his eyebrow.

"You really are powerful, old man," the hollow retorted. "To think I used to believe you to be weak." With a burst of speed, Ichigo struck again, and again. Each time Isshin blocked. "Damn! I didn't think the old geezer would be this strong!" With a swish of he vanished.

"Huh?" Isshin looked up to see Ichigo dashing away, leaping from the top of one building to the other.

"I'LL BE BACK, OLD MAN!"

The ex-soul reaper watched the soul of his son make a hasty retreat. He had no doubt that would not be the last time he saw Ichigo.

"Uhhgg…"

Isshin spun around. He had forgotten about the soul reaper. By the looks of things, Ichigo had done quiet a number on her. He'd have to get her some medical attention, good thing he had learned how to heal.

xXxXx

The cold night air blew through Isshin's hair, as he stood on the roof of the clinic. He had healed up the injured soul reaper as best he could; she was now sleeping in a bed in the clinic. There were other things that needed answering however.

"Isshin."

The ex-soul reaper turned around to see a blonde man with a green striped hat, wooden sandals, and a cane, walking across the roof.

"Urahara."

"So, you have seen him."

"Yes," Isshin answered. "He fled when he faced me. I never imagined Ichigo would turn into a hollow, let alone an arrancar."

"Not quiet an arrancar," Urahara retorted.

"What?"

"You noticed his zanpakuto? It was in unsealed. Arrancar do not have releases on their Zanpakuto."

"Then what is he?"

"I don't know," Urahara admitted. "He is neither an arrancar nor a vizard. Neither a hollow nor a soul reaper. He is something else."

"Then what is he doing here?" Isshin asked. "He says his goal is power, but that is hardly an informative answer."

"Yet it may be entirely true," Urahara answered. "He broke into my store a few nights ago and stole several rather powerful items; and that's not the worst of it. There are rumors flying around, that he is capable of creating vizards and arrancar. Some even claim that he has his own army of loyal arrancar. Plus, if you consider that he was devouring hollows, it is likely to assume he is trying to gain power for himself." The store owner looked Isshin in the eyes. "We must be careful. Whether the rumors are true or not; we must be prepared."

Authors Note: Well, the first, somewhat long, chapter.

I'll try to make the next chapter even longer!