Greetings everyone. I'm sorry this took so long, but I wanted this to be perfect since it's a changing point. I refuse to publish anything below 3,000 words and managed to put down 3,733. I went on an 900 word spree. YAYYYY.

Anyway, I'm pleased with this and I hope you enjoy it. Again, I'm sorry for the wait. 6 months is not what I've had in mind for an update. I can't say when I'll update again, only know that I WILL update again and I won't abandon this story and will see this through. -IMC

Lost Heart

I fall to the ground

The light's gone out

Yet I have little doubt

I'll hear the trumpets sound

His breaths were coming in large, strained gasps. Hands, cold and bloodied, were gripping Tensa Zangetsu shakily.

Shinji was behind him. He was the last of the original Vizards. The others were cut down only moments before. Now they were left protecting each other, guarding each other's back while standing hundreds of feet up in the air.

Ichigo scanned the crowd of Soul Reapers surrounding them, his hollow eyes empty of emotion. They were speaking to him, saying empty words of regret or half hearted attempts to make him surrender. It seemed even they had their consciousness' condemning them for what they had just done. It seemed that even they knew the difference between killing hollows and cutting down their own trusted allies. But the Soul Reapers were resolute in the task before them. They would finish their job. After all, who could stop them? The two that remained were drained from the power struggled with Aizen and recent battle. They would fall just like the rest. It was only a matter of time.

They would die like the ones before them.

Lisa was beheaded by Komamura, never even having the chance to pull on her mask.

Love and Kensei went down explosively after a nasty assault from the Head Captain and Kenpachi. Mashiro had tried to save them, but was caught in crossfire between Toshiro and Rose and was cut in half.

Hiyori was brutally sliced into pieces right in front of Shinji, making him go ballistic and nearly kill Byakuya in vengeance.

Hatchi was the next victim of the Head Captain when it became a contest of power and not their skill in kido.

Rose succumbed to rapid blood loss during his bout with Soi-Fon, still fighting in the end, upholding his honor like a warrior.

But all the while, they had still protected him.

Ichigo hadn't caught on what they were doing till Kensei threw him out of the way of kido explosion; it was obvious to Ichigo because it was so out of character for Kensei.

He was then horribly aware of what exactly they were doing.

The Vizards had surrounded him in a circle, fighting their own opponents, but always one would keep an eye on him. When Ichigo would begin to struggle with his opponent (Shunsui), one of the Vizard would go out of their way to take a hit from a blade swung at him or jumping his opponent from behind. Sure, he was worse off than the rest to begin with; the tiresome battle with Aizen's hollowfication left him weaker than usual. But it was more like they were treating him like a little brother, like he'd been with them ever since Aizen's experimentation.

It was…touching. He was part of their family. They cared for him more than for their own well being.

It was that thought alone which made him tremble with a quiet, deadly rage when he saw each one fall, why it made him nearly rip Soi-Fon's arm off when Rose's body fell to the ground, lifeless and empty, it was why he'd thrown Getsuga upon Getsuga on Byakuya as Hirako charged below him.

He'd nearly lost himself to anger and despair. Every eye had been drawn to his figure as he let out a beast-like roar, sending shock waves of wild, chaotic spiritual pressure, turning the town below them to rubble.

He could smell their fear. Rain was pouring down in his soul. He was about to kill them all and send them all to hell when calm, desperate voice told him to stop.

It was Shinji's voice.

Ichigo's rage stilled, making the battlefield seem eerily quiet.

They exchanged a long glance with each other before turning back to back, reading to fight.

It was the end. They both knew it, but couldn't find words to speak. There was no false reassurance that they would live to see another day. No last pat on the back or hug to encourage the other. No last goodbye. No more tears to shed.

There was only the sword of fate, and it fell through the air with ease, smiting all those who had the misfortune of encountering it.

Their enemies had quickly closed in and swarmed them, wearing the two remaining Vizard down to the last ounce of energy.

It was clear that they were going for Shinji, to Ichigo's horror. Byakuya and Soi-fon were merely occupying him while the rest dealt his friend.

Shinji must have seen this too, because he soon shouted, "JUST GET GOING ICHIGO! RUN! JUST RUN AND DON'T LOOK BACK!"

No, he wouldn't run. He couldn't abandon his friend. How could he run like a coward, leaving him to die? How could he sacrifice Shinji just to save his own skin?

If they were to die, it would be together.

"Ichigo Kurosaki…"

They surrounded him, leaving Shinji bleeding out his last.

Despair filled his soul.

This was the moment.

They charged him all at once.

Ichigo looked at them and then returned his gaze to Tensa Zangetsu. There was no way he'd be able to block all their swords at once. He couldn't fire another getsuga tenshou without collapsing and could barely muster the energy to stand in the air.

His mouth twisted into a smile as his dead eyes watched the four swords pierce through his guard and delve into his vitals.

They couldn't kill him, not here. No. That would be a lie.

He couldn't die here. It was impossible.

There was only one place where he would give up his soul.

Ichigo opened his eyes as wind whipped past him. He was falling fast towards the demolished buildings below.

With what little strength he could muster, he forced his remaining spirit pressure into his feet and preformed a single flashstep.

It sent him to where he needed to be.

He felt sick; like he'd eaten three courses of Orihime's poisonous recipes. Ichigo tried moving his arms to support his queasy stomach, but found it useless since they were stuck on the wall behind him.

His stomach curled again, though it was not from nausea. Cautiously, now hyper sensitive of his surroundings, he analyzed his current situation.

From what he could tell with his eyes closed, he was in a small room and chained by the arms to the wall. His use of spiritual pressure was blocked and locked away. There were seals on his wrists, neck, ankles, and chest, insuring restriction and the containment of his usual oozing of spiritual pressure. There was one more thing to take into account. He was not alone.

His eyes snapped open.

"Y—you?!"

Gin Ichimaru smiled lazily.

"Who else would ya be expectin', kid?"

Ichigo tugged at his restrained arms, wanting to punch the man.

"Ah, so impulsive. If ya'd stop movin', I'll undo all the seals and stuff."

"What?" Ichigo deadpanned.

"But of course," Gin went on, his smile growing wider as he poked Ichigo on the nose, "it all depends if yer stable and all. I don't really fancy myself being blown ta bits by your violent spiritual pressure, ya know?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow while tilting his head away from Gin's finger. "Go on…"

"Yer recoverin' from a life threatenin' condition, kid. I'll have to do it slow like, so we make sure yer soul doesn't crack and all and you know…cause yer rather unfortunate death."

"I see. And who's "we"?"

"Oh," Gin chuckled, "just me and Harribel. Remember? The Arrancar Espada weird tattoos on her face and pretty golden hair?"

"I—yeah, I do. The konso lady…"

"So ya do remember, I'm kind of surprised ya did, seein' how ya were…bein' nearly dead an all…"

Byakuya Kuchiki had left only seconds before, his intentions unclear. The other lower ranking Soul Reapers went him to assist.

Gin smiled. This was perfect.

"Now's our time ta shine, Harribel!"

"Now's not the time for your useless comments…"

The bloodied Arrancar followed the former captain at a limp, clutching her stomach with her left hand and her sword in the other. Her body was in great pain, but not as bad as it had previously been. Gin had seen to that.

"Why are you bothering to save this child?" she asked; not bothering to hide the disgruntlement in her voice.

Gin smiled, his voice becoming rather deadly as he patted his wakizashi with one hand.

"I owe the kid a debt, since he managed somethin' I couldn't. I promised myself, ya know? I was goin' to make sure Rangiku would never cry again…but I couldn't. Now she's gone…but so is the monster too. So I can at least make sure that the one who killed him won't die. After all, the kid's life is too important to waste away. Big things will be happenin'. Lots of interesting things…"

Whilst Gin was talking, they'd reached the place where the boy was lying comatose on the river bank. The open wounds in his stomach were leaking his last ounces of blood; staining the grass a dark crimson.

Harribel bent down, putting a hand on the exposed, bloodstained neck.

"His heart barely beats; he doesn't have much time left."

She looked questioningly at her companion. Gin merely stared back and motioned to her sword.

"Tell me," he said, "do ya know what happens when an Arrancar attempts konso?"

Harribel glanced at her blade and then back at the ever smiling fox.

"Hueco Mundo?"

"That was my guess. Cept who knows what will happen to the soul…"

"This is your way of repayment?"

"No time for reasonin', just do it."

The Espada sighed heavily before lifting her blade, hilt facing the boy whose glazed eyes were staring up into her own.

"Your sacrifice will not be in vain, for you are not alone, little one. Look for us…"

Harribel gently pressed her hilt onto the boy's brow as his eyes closed peacefully. There was a bright light, an eerily familiar presence, and then all was silent.

The Arrancar rose to her feet, stilling looking down upon the place where the child had lain, her mind buzzing.

"Huh," Gin mused, a small frown marring his features. "So that's what happened to the hogyoku."

"Thanks for that…how long has it been since then?" Ichigo asked. His mind was still foggy around the edges. "It's all been a little—fuzzy."

"Nearly three years."

"W—what?!"

Gin tilted his head, studying Ichigo's face. Ichigo began pulling at his restraints again.

"What about my family!? I've been gone way too lon—Gah!"

A sharp pain in his chest halted his struggling. His head sagged down and he glimpsed his bare chest.

"My my, ya might wanna be careful there. Wouldn't want to rip your soul now…"

"R—rip?" Ichigo croaked, wincing at the throbbing pain.

"Yeah," Gin pointed a finger at Ichigo's sternum. "Yer soul was nearly destroyed with Harribel's konso. It probably would have reformed into a low class hollow and your memories would be lost to the wind. Luckily, you had the hogyoku to prevent that. It held together your damaged soul until you could repair it again."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at Gin's.

"The hogyoku," he stated. "I remember now…what made Aizen fall…"

"Good, things will start to comin' back one thing after another, but now isn't the time to dwell and mope, we've got a new problem."

"Problem?"

"Ya remember why Gotei 13 tried to kill you?"

Ichigo shook his head. Gin had started to undo the seals on his right arm. The removal of the seals probably had to do with the sudden dull in the pain from his chest.

"Well, there was an order from Central 46 to purify all of Aizen's experiments involvin' hollows. They wanted a fresh start in other words. "The great purge" they call it."

"I'm not one of Aizen's experiments."

"No, you aren't," Gin agreed, "But Central 46 lumped ya with the Vizards. Course, there were a few other people who wanted you dead and were very insistent about your demise. It left no open room for discussion with Gotei 13 and the pompous idiots threatened them with dissolvent and accusations of treasons if they refused to comply. Or, in other words, they threatened to remove all the squads and replace them with their own wee puppets."

Both of Ichigo's eyebrows were raised high.

"That's a little extreme."

Gin laughed happily, "Pissy nobles through and through, though mind you, never say that ta Captain Kuchiki's face since he'd throw a tantrum. But then, it's not wholly unexpected (not the tantrum part but the other stuff.) There was a lot of dislike for the military government take over. All the nobles threw a fit at the lack of their righteous opinions."

"Something to do with 'traditions must be upheld' crap?"

"Now ya get it. Say, Ichigo, do you remember much after Harribel konsoed you?"

"Uhhh," Ichigo scowled as he tried to get his mind to work. It was harder than it sounded. "No, not really. Why, did something—err, happen?"

"You kind of attracted the attentions of every powerful soul reaper and Central 46…"

"H—how?"

Gin's face became stonily serious.

"You invaded the Soul Society and had a fight to the 'death' with Kenpachi, the 'dead' looser had to dye their hair."

"I DID WHAT?"

"Just kidding!" Gin patted Ichigo's head in what he must have thought to be a comforting manner. A large vain began to pulse in Ichigo's temple as he strained against his bonds to punch the man. Luckily, Gin hadn't undone Ichigo's shackles yet so he was safe for the time being.

"Hey hey! Teasin' aside, all ya did was hangout with Neliel, visit the world of the livin', and have some trouble controllin' yer spiritual pressure."

"Oh, well that was stupid."

"You callin' yerself stupid now?"

"No! It was just a stupid decision on my part!"

Gin shrugged his shoulders and then refocused on undoing the seals that were nearly finished.

"What's done is done is done I suppose, though you're gonna have to deal with the consequences."

Ichigo grunted in reply. He didn't care much if Centrel 46 was hunting him.

Let them send their pathetic mannequins and then we'll see who's stronger now that I'm at full strength!

"So how are ya doin' and all since their deaths?"

An uncomfortable silence filled the small room at the sudden, personal question. Gin obviously had no qualms in asking, well, kind of expected since he was a bit of a psychopath. Truth be told, Ichigo felt awkward talking about it with a person like the ex-captain, personality aside. And now that he thought about it, with the deaths of the Vizards registering in his mind and sinking into reality, an ocean deep sense of guilt had filled his soul. It weighted him down like a large boulder was pressed on his chest.

It was unfair. His comrades should have lived; they should have been laughing and celebrating with Aizen's downfall behind them, not dead and beneath mounds of earth.

"I'm…I can manage," he murmured, his heart sinking in the regions near his stomach.

"I suppose that's passable," Gin said skeptically, finally undoing the last seal and releasing Ichigo from his bonds. The ex-captain stood up and stretched lazily, observing Ichigo stand up as well through slit eyes.

"We'd best be going and meet Harribel,"

"Oh?" Ichigo tilted his head in question. Konso Lady? I guess I should thank her then…for saving my life.

"This way!" said Gin cheerfully; smiling like usual again and making Ichigo jump at the sudden mood swing.

Gin Ichimaru lead him out the door to a demolished Las Noches. Absolutely nothing was unscathed with broken walls, piles of rubble, and fallen in ceilings at every turn. It made walking a rather hard task, as they had to climb over some sections of piled high rock.

Harribel was perched on the highest point of Las Noches. She greeted them in a callous manner upon their arrival, her eyes still fixed on the horizon.

"We have waited too long," she said, "It would seem a band of Soul Reapers have entered Hueco Mundo. The Protector Reals have moved along, back to their domain. Come, or we will miss them, shinigami are such temperamental things."

She made to move down from her lookout point, but Ichigo grabbed her arm.

"Sorry," he said, quickly releasing her limb, "it's just…I wanted to say thank you."

Harribel turned her head and looked him in the eye. It was a moment before she replied.

"It is only chance that you've ended up this way, and it was of no means my doing. You must credit the strength of your will for commanding the hogyoku."

"Commanding?"

But neither Gin nor Harribel answered him. Both in fact had started out across the desert, making him having to run to catch up. Feeling slightly abashed, but none the less determined, Ichigo ran wholeheartedly, enjoying the feeling of cold air flying past.

"You're Itsygo's friends!"

Rukia sighed heavily for the third time. This small Arrancar child's glee was starting to try on her nerves.

"Yes, Nel. Now, can you just keep still while Orihime heals you?"

"Let her be," Uryu said, pushing up his glasses. "She won't listen, no matter what you say."

Chad grunted before sitting down and distracting Nel while Orihime's Shun-Shun-Rikka did their work.

"Rukia," Renji called, walked back over from exploring a bit, "the remains of Los Noches are located about twenty miles to the right from here. I also saw about 12 sets of foot prints coming to and from the site in a four by four formation. I'm guessing they're the Protector Reals come to investigate why the Royal Guard crossed boundaries."

"Interesting," Rukia murmured, a small finger touching her chin thoughtfully, "that doesn't give us much to go on. I suppose we should check out Los Noches if there's any hope of finding—"

POOF!

"Ahh, that feels so much better!" Neliel stretched her now adult sized arms high above her head lazily. "Thank you, Orihime."

"Oh, no problem!" replied Orihime cheerily, helping the Primera Espada to her feet. "It's good to see you again, Neliel!"

"I wish it was under better circumstances…" She glanced over to the bodies and bloodstained sand. "I take it you found no trace of Ichigo."

Rukia shook her head, "Only the mutated bodies he left in his wake."

"It's unlike him," Uryu said, "Ichigo, memories or not, would not resort to killing. He's never been one who could stomach killing."

"Of course," Neliel agreed, "however, his sanity left him along the way. He became an unstoppable killing machine, running on instinct. Though, on his behalf, they attacked first, we were only trying to esca—"

Everyone froze. A very familiar spiritual pressure was heading towards them along with two others.

"Can it be?" Renji said hopefully, moving in the direction of the energy.

"Yes, of course it is," smiled Rukia, cracking her knuckles in preparation and started forwards as a recognizable figure flash-stepped into view.

"Yo," said Ichigo, waving a hand in greeting. He was back in his usual Soul Reaper uniform and no longer had a hole or mask. The young man seemed to be in a good mood, his scowl barely visible.

"YOU FOOL!"

A small fist met jaw and jaw met ground.

Ichigo twitched in pain as Rukia stood over him, seething.

"YOU TACTLESS, MORONIC, STUPID, UTTER FOOL!" she screamed, "HOW DARE YOU SAY "YO" AFTER ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE!"

"I'm sorry," he whimpered as her small heel dug into his side. "I don't know what I did, but I'm really, really sorry!"

"It's fine! We fixed Ichigo for ya~." Gin said, appearing out of nowhere and causing Rukia to stumble a few steps backwards only to be caught by Renji. The former third Espada sonidoed next to the ex Soul Reaper captain, glancing at Orihime.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Ishida asked bluntly, skeptically watching the new arrivals.

"Don't worry, Quincy!" Gin patted Uryu on the shoulder, "I'm immortal!"

…

"Just kidding!"

"Hello Tia," Orihime said politely, "I'm glad you managed to survive the purge."

"I'm happy to see the Soul Reapers didn't harm you in turn, Orihime," Tia Harribel nodded to the girl.

Chad walked between the chattering people and picked Ichigo up by the neck of his shirt, setting him on his feet.

"Hey Chad, it's good to see you again," said Ichigo gratefully. Chad nodded.

"Your family is fine, Ichigo," said Chad before Ichigo could ask, "We looked out for them after you died."

"Thanks man, I really appreciate it,"

"It was the least we could do, fool," Rukia chuckled, managing a small smile. "What poor friend would we be if we didn't look after your little sisters?"

"It was a hard time looking after him," Neliel laughed, "Ichigo's a tough kid to babysit."

Renji grinned widely, making Ichigo frown and shift uneasily on his feet.

"You weren't that bad," she said sympathetically, noticing his embarrassment, "You weren't too much trouble, standing in one place for days on end. It was a bit of a shock that you'd forgotten everything I'll admit, but you managed well. I…well, was childish around you to help you around. You seemed to be in a constant state of shock. Well, actually, it seemed like you were never fully awake or had your senses about you. I'm glad you're better now…it was hard, watching you go through that."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that pain, all of you," Ichigo mumbled, "I should have—"

"There was nothing you could have done," Rukia touched his arm, drawing his eyes to her face. "You needn't apologize."

"Well, I'd hate to break up this chatter, but there are pressing matters to attend to."

It seemed, while talking, no one had noticed a sleek, black cat walk in their midst.

"Yoruichi!"

"Greetings, young Ichigo, it seems you've regain your memories."

"Yeah," Ichigo shrugged, as if it was no be deal.

"I have important information to relay, gather close everyone!" the cat snapped, flicking her tail in an irritated manner. Once everyone had complied, Gin included, Yoruichi tucked her tail neatly beside her paws and promptly dropped the bomb.

"Central 46 has been disbanded and the Soul Society is waging war on the Royal Dimension."