Ishida cut the bandages with his teeth and tucked the edge into one of the layers. He hoped that if his hand healed well that night, then he would be able to go to school the next day. School...the thought of it brought a smile to Ishida's lips. Finally, an excuse to forget all of his troubles and go into this false reality. At least he wouldn't be troubled with Hollows anymore, but then again...

...Hollows have a way of finding him.

oO0Oo

Ishida packed up his things into his pack before flinching his hand. His folder came open and fell, throwing all of his papers on the floor. Ishida sighed and got up to get his things when a pair of arms came out from before him and began to help regroup the papers.

Ichigo neatly placed the papers in Ishida's hands before turning around.

"Uh, I-Is it true? What Inoue-Chan said?" Ichigo asked uncertainly.

"Its none of your business, Kurosaki." Ishida spat out. He turned and started walking again when Ichigo grabbed his bandaged hand. "I told you!" Ishida shouted, jerking his hand out of Ichigo's grasp. Ichigo hesitated before speaking up again.

"But it is my business! If anything happened to you on that trip to soul society, then it's my fault! I dragged you there with me! At least let me help you!" Ichigo reasoned. Ishida, however, didn't buy it.

"It's not your fault! Okay?! I went to go and save Rukia--you had nothing to do with it! I wasn't weak then for you to worry about me! And I'm not weak now so leave me alone!" Ishida shouted, loosing his cool. Ichigo was taken aback by the sudden outburst and froze. Ishida started on his way without looking back. Everyone from their class seemed to be giving him weird looks for yelling at Ichigo like that.

oO0Oo

He was attacked by a hollow that evening. His father, a full-outcaste Quincy had come and saved him--at a price. Either regain his Quincy Powers--or Never speak to Ichigo, and any other shinigami in that case. Ishida had gone home after that, running; he had a tough decision--wait!? He didn't even like Ichigo! So why was he thinking so hard about this decision?

Why was leaving Ichigo so hard?

Ishida rested his head on his pillow, trying to empty his mind when he felt an immense spiritual pressure nearby. It couldn't have been a shinigami because it was so condensed and a shinigami likes to warn off hollows. But it couldn't be a hollow because hollows have no control of their spiritual pressure. He got up and checked out the window to find A shinigami dressed hollow? What the hell was this?

Ishida locked his door. hopefully Ichigo or any other shinigami would kill it in a few minutes, right? He went back and sat down. He felt he should at least apologize to Ichigo, who had tried to help him. He wondered why he was always pushing the orange haired teen away from him when they had a lot in common. Ishida paused, sensing, feeling, finding...finally his hand caught the reiatsu, or spiritual thread, of Ichigo. Only thing was it was tattered...
...and black. Ishida got up instantly, running out the door only to get pushed back in by a pale white hand.

"Now look who I got here! Just the 'Quincy I was lookn' fer!'" Ishida opened his eyes to a hollow-shinigami. No, the strange thing was that it was Kurosaki--Kurosaki was a hollow?

"Gah--who the hell are you?" Ishida choked out. The hand that was around his neck tightened as it lifted him off his feet. Ishida coughed, eyes cracked open to find a faint smile. He couldn't tell if it was a smirk or smile since his glasses had fallen off at the sudden shove.

"Ah! I haven't properly introduced myself, have I?! The names Hichigo Kurosaki! I'm Ichigo's inner hollow!"

"W-What?!"

"Not that bright as he thought, are ya'?" Hichigo stated. His smile seemed to fade but grew three times a second later. "My name is the clever mashing of 'hollow' and 'Ichigo', see?" Hichigo burst out in laughter, shaking the powerless man. He tossed Ishida upon his own bed and climbed over him. "I just have a little something I wanted ta' do with ya, so behave!"

Ishida shook, trembling in an emotion so alien that it just had to be fear. HE couldn't move or speak--Hichigo took advantage of the powerless man. Ishida simply couldn't think straight. Why? Why was this happening?

oO0Oo

The room was extremely large and barren; It was a training area. The walls where made of a substance harder than stone, yet whiter than pearls. Ishida made his way into this very room, finding the figure, his father, across it.

"I see, so you have finally decided?"

"Y-Yes. I will break off every tie to the Shinigami, soul society, and Kurosaki Ichigo."