A Black Heart

Greetings one and all. Recently there have been a few comments on the direction of this story has taken and I wanted to clarify a few points.

1 – This is not a Dark – Ichigo Story. As the title implies, I wanted a character whose heart was blacker than the night sky, to whom an eternity in Hell would be seen as too lenient a punishment. As such I will continue to push down that road until this story reaches that point.

TLDR: This is a Villain – Ichigo Story.

2 – The Warnings that this story will contain. Excessive Violence, Extensive Foul Language, Non-Explicit Sexual Themes, Underage Drinking and Drug Abuse, Torture Physical & Emotional, Descriptions of Genocide.

If you still want to read this after this warning, great. Otherwise please try and keep this in mind before questioning my morals and humanity. This is a dark fantasy and a work of my imagination. That doesn't mean I want or wish it to be real.

PS. The sheer amount of Fav's, Alerts and Reviews for this is staggering in my mind and I thank each and every one of you for sticking with me for so long.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

"Normal speech"

'Inner speech/thoughts'

"Kido/Zanpakuto Attacks/Quincy Techniques"

"Zanpakuto speech/Inner Power"

"Hollow speech"

XXX

Chapter 22:

'This is a mess…' Yoruichi thought as she flitted across the rooftops around her, gazing down at the devastation below her. The explosion from Sui-Feng's Bankai had not only obliterated the immediate area, but the resulting shockwave from the blast had sundered the ground and buildings in its path, turning part of the Seireitei into a desolate wasteland.

Thinking of her pupil, she sighed at the memory of her bleeding body being carted to the Fourth Division, even as her reiatsu dwindled. 'It wasn't supposed to happen like this. We were supposed to be in and out, avoiding combat as much as possible. Now…now I might have to teach him Bankai just so that he can survive the backlash this battle has caused.' Spotting a hint of movement off to the side, she changed direction in mid-air and landed on an outcrop of stone and scanned the area for it.

Spotting it again, she vanished without a sound, reappearing behind the object of her curiosity. As she took in their burnt form though, she hissed and darted forward, coming to a stop in front of the crawling man.

"Ichigo…" she whispered, astonished that he was alive, let alone able to crawl, despite the severity of his injuries.

"Yoru…ichi…" he choked out in a raspy voice, shortly before collapsing before her, his breathing coming out in shallow gasps.

"It's okay, I'll get you somewhere safe," she murmured, padding closer to him, before they were obscured by a cloud of smoke and disappeared without a trace.

XXX

"That explosion…could it have been one of the others?" Orihime asked Chad from where the duo stood, overlooking the Seireitei from the entrance to the underground base.

"If it was…it could only have been from Ichigo," Chad mumbled, while Orihime's lips trembled.

"What should we do?"

"We stay here and wait for Yoruichi to return. She seems to have a better understanding of the layout of this place. If we leave now, we'd just put everyone at risk by forcing them to search for us too."

"Well now, that's certainly a mature attitude ta take," a voice spoke from behind the two of them, causing them to freeze in place. "Makes me wonder how much times have changed if teenagers are actually listening to their elders." Turning around, they came face to face with a lean silver-haired man smirking at them from behind slit-like eyes.

"W-Who are you?" Orihime asked, her voice trembling as she took in the white haori that Yoruichi had warned them was the mark of a Captain.

"Me? Considering you're in our city, I don't think I need to answer that. The better question to ask would be who are you?" Seeing them tense up and back away, he chuckled and raised his hands in a placating manner. "Now, now relax I'm just messing with you. I'm Captain Gin Ichimaru…a friend of Ichigo's."

"A friend of Ichigo's…how did that happen?" Chad asked cautiously, knowing how unlikely the story really was. Then again, how Ichigo viewed people, versus how they viewed him was completely different.

"Well as hard as it may be for you to believe, not everyone here thinks that Rukia-chan's execution is fair. Giving her powers to a kid so that he could save their lives? That seems like a worthwhile goal to me."

"Then why didn't someone stand up for her?" Orihime asked, even as some of the tension in her body slipped away after hearing that he was a potential ally.

"Oh believe me people tried, but the people most likely to be able to influence the judges aren't able to…or won't do it," Gin lamented with a sigh and a shake of his head. "For those of us that can only sit by and idly watch, your rescue is just the thing needed for us to help without causing a civil war."

"How do you know Ichigo?" Chad inquired, causing Gin to frown slightly.

"He happened to sneak into my barracks the first night he arrived. Naturally I tried to stop him at first, but once he got talking about his reason for being here…you could say that I decided to throw my lot in with him."

"Why would you care about Kuchiki-san so much though? You just said that most people don't want to help her."

"I'm an old friend of the family's. I've known Rukia since she joined the Gotei 13. I've been there to see her grow into the woman she is today and seeing her own brother turn his back on her, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do something to try and save her," Gin muttered, inwardly patting himself on the back as Orihime's lips quivered at his story. "Now as much as I'd love to keep answering your questions, we need to leave. It was a stroke of luck that I found you before the Special Forces and believe me; they're firmly on the side for Rukia's execution. We need to leave now and get to somewhere safe before we're surrounded. "

"But Yoruichi-san…" Orihime whimpered, her lips trembling as she looked back at the entrance to the hidden base.

"Would they want you to get captured just because you stuck to their orders to the letter?" Gin added, a hint of exasperation entering his tone, making her shake her head in the negative.

"Should we leave a note or something behind? If they do come back…they might be worried for us."

"And leave a trail for them to follow us? Not happening," he snapped. "Look once I get you guys to a safe place, I can come back and hopefully catch up to them before the others do, but I can't do that if we don't leave now." With a last nod from the two of them, they all set off into the distance, with Gin smirking internally.

XXX

Dropping into the underground training area, Yoruichi frowned at the absence of Chad and Orihime's presence. "Orihime, Chad?!" she called out, as she set Ichigo down near the healing pool that Kisuke had created and headed into the alcoves they'd been using as a shelter. Finding no trace of them, or of anyone else, she frowned. 'There's no sign of a struggle, or any indication of where they've gone. Where could those teens have wandered off too?' Glancing at the injured teenager over her shoulder, she sighed and ran a tired hand over her neck muscles. 'Of all the times for me to need to think back on my trauma training,' she groaned, before grabbing some of the medical supplies they had on hand and heading back to him.

XXX

'Everything still hurts…' Ichigo mumbled to himself as he lay on his back, his body seemingly floating listlessly as he slowly began to rouse himself. Feeling a hand combing through his hair, he stiffened and struggled to open his eyes.

"It's okay, you can relax Ichigo-kun," a soft feminine voice spoke, causing him to freeze up.

"M-Mother…" he choked out, his eyes cracking open slightly, but unable to see anything more than a dim outline above him.

"Good Morning. You've been asleep for quite some time," Masaki said with a smile as his eyes finally came into focus, revealing his mother's smiling face.

"H-How?" he gasped out, tears pouring from his eyes.

"Don't be silly Ichigo-kun, I've always been here. Just because you couldn't see me, doesn't mean I wasn't watching," she said almost chidingly, as she continued to stroke his hair.

"Then you know…everything I've done…?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer she'd give him.

"Everything Ichigo," she replied solemnly, causing his body to spasm ever so slightly. Watching him struggle to roll onto his side, she was surprised as he buried his face in her lap and began sobbing uncontrollably. Cupping his chin in her hand, she gently lifted his head up so that their eyes could meet. "Why are you crying?"

"You know I'm a monster…the things I've done. The pain I've caused. The son you remember wouldn't have done that," he murmured around his sobs as he fought not to meet her gaze.

"You're right…the boy I raised would never have done any of those things. But the boy I raised had a mother, father and his sisters to help him, didn't he?" she whispered, causing his sobs to slowly die out.

"I'm not happy with what you've done Ichigo, but what you've done doesn't change the fact that I still love you," she continued, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I want you to know, that no matter what you do, no matter what the world says about you that I will still love you, all of us will."

"Us?" he asked pitifully, to which she only nodded. As he tried to sit up though, his body acquired a slight glow and he began to disperse, like dust in the wind.

"It seems you need to go now though," she said with a sad smile.

"What? Go where?" he asked in a panic, watching as more and more of his body disappeared.

"You need to go back Ichigo-kun, it's not your time yet," she explained as she cupped his cheek one last time.

"No wait, there's still more things I need to ask you!" he shouted, vainly trying to grasp onto his mother.

"Don't worry Ichigo-kun, I'll be here waiting for you when it's time…and then we can talk for as long as you want," she said, before he vanished completely from the blank abyss he'd been in.

XXX

"Mother!" Ichigo cried out as he jerked awake, before crying out in agony as his body throbbed in pain.

"Foolish boy, that's what you get for jerking like that so suddenly when you're still injured," a male voice drawled, causing him to flinch and turn in their direction.

"Yoruichi…where are we?" he asked, tentatively as the black cat padded into view, causing him to relax ever so minutely and take in their surroundings.

"A safe haven for now," Yoruichi explained, as she sat down next to him. "You caused quite a stir out there."

"I never realised that Captains could be quite so powerful," he muttered, clenching his hand experimentally as he remembered the pain of his battle with Sui-Feng.

"Idiot…do you truly believe that you've seen the true might of the Gotei 13 by fighting just one Captain? Your opponent, no matter how destructive her attack was, is merely a bump in the road compared to some of the others."

'And yet, not all of them seem to be completely loyal either,' he thought as he remembered the 'request' one of them had given him. "Where are the others?" he finally asked, noticing that the others were nowhere nearby.

"Uryu and Ganju have been captured and imprisoned, but they are not my primary concern right now. I ordered Chad and Orihime to stay here and wait for us, but they seem to have disappeared. I doubt we were found, so I can only assume that they wandered off when they saw the explosion your battle caused," she said with a sigh.

"Those idiots…what do they plan to do when they run into a Captain? Talk them to death?!"

"Yes…well there's nothing we can do about that now," she replied with narrowed eyes, as she made a mental note at his flippant attitude towards his friends. "All we can do for now is let you recover and then I have a technique that will you give you an edge next time."

"Great…" he muttered as he collapsed onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. As he lay there though, an important detail made itself known. "Say, how did I get here anyway?"

"Why I carried you of course. It was no bother really once I returned to my original form," Yoruichi commented casually, while watching the boy out of the corner of her eye.

"Right your original form…" he repeated, as he slowly digested her words. "Hang on, what do you mean original form?" he sputtered as he sat ramrod straight, aggravating his injuries once again.

"Hmm? Oh I suppose none of you know me as anything but a cat. I guess I can show you now."

Watching as she padded away from him, Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise as she was enveloped in a cloud of smoke and her figure began to warp.

"You're…you're…" he stuttered out as an athletic, buxom woman with chocolate coloured skin and long purple hair appeared in the mist, smirking at him. As he remained silent and mute though, she quickly became irritated and crossed her arms across her chest in agitation.

"I must admit that I'm slightly disappointed that you're not freaking out more over this, but I suppose we don't have time for games," she said as she crouched down on her haunches next to him, revealing more than what he expected from a woman.

'Why's she just crouching down like that?! Doesn't she have any sense of decency?! Oh god purple's actually her natural hair colour going by her pubes. Dammit it's been forever since I got laid!' he muttered internally as his thoughts ran a mile a minute and he continued to gawk at her.

"Ichigo are you even listening to me?" he dimly heard her say, causing him to snap his eyes to her own.

"You're expecting me to pay attention to what you're saying when you're standing like that in front of me? And people say I'm idiotic," he said lowly as his eyes drifted back down to her sex.

"I guess some clothing would be a good idea," she replied, as she stood warily. "While I change you can take care of your 'little' problem," she teased him in an attempt to hide her own apprehension from his open staring.

"I don't need to take care of it! And what the hell are you calling little?!" he blustered, glaring up at her, even as she chuckled half-heartedly at him.

XXX

"Ready now Ichigo?" Yoruichi called out as she smirked at where he had emerged from the shelter they had.

"Fucking bitch…" he muttered under his breath as he took in the skin tight black leggings and orange top she now wore, her bare body still featuring prominently in his mind's eye. "So what's this technique you want to teach me?"

"By now you know that there's still another stage of release for your zanpakuto correct? Attaining your Shikai required being able to communicate with your zanpakuto and learning its name."

"Yeah, yeah I get that. The bastard shopkeeper mentioned as much as to me and I think I got a pretty good idea of what else they can do after fighting that bitch."

"Bankai being the final release requires a bit more effort than that. In order to attain your Bankai, you need to force your zanpakuto spirit to appear in our realm and force it into submission," she explained, piquing his interest even more.

"You say, force it into submission…but besides acquiring a Bankai, what else happens? Also how am I supposed to bring it into our world? It pretty much comes and goes as it pleases."

"While the individual strengths of a Bankai vary, the wielder's power normally increases anywhere from five to ten times," she explained, catching his eyes widen in surprise. "As for how you'll get it to appear, we have Kisuke to thank for that."

'Using a method that bastard created? The more I hear about him, the more convinced I become that there's more to this rescue than he's telling me.'

"The risks of course are great," she continued, drawing his attention back to her as she held a white cardboard-like cut-out. "If you don't achieve Bankai within three days, you might…"

"Spare me the consequences Yoruichi. I really don't have time to be worrying about them," he snapped, causing her to bristle slightly. "Now tell me what I need to do."

"Very well then…stab the doll with your zanpakuto."

Nodding, he strode up to her and thrust his blade through the doll's centre. As the flames died away, he grimaced as the familiar form of his zanpakuto spirit appeared before him, a smirk on her lips as she knelt before him.

"It's good to see you again…my King," she spoke as she looked up at him, only to be sent flying backwards from a kick to her face."You're rather eager to get started," she commented as she picked herself up and wiped away a dribble of blood from her chin, her grin never fading.

"You know…this is almost a blessing in disguise," he muttered as he stalked past a shell-shocked Yoruichi and started cracking his knuckles threateningly. "I've been thinking about how you could hold back your power from me back when we fought that first Menos. I can't deny that it leaves a rancid taste in my mouth considering that you are a part of me. And now, even when we're in the middle of a fight for our lives, you're still holding out on me."

"I had my reasons my King. Your power is great yes, but left unchecked, it is but a blazing beacon to our enemies."

"I don't care for your reasons bitch," he shouted causing her to look up at him in shock and finally wiping the grin to fade from her face. "I thought I could control you with kind words and gestures. I toyed with your affections in the hope that it would make this…partnership easier. You've proven to me that I was a fool to even think that…" he muttered as he finally reached her and lifted her up by the collar of her shihakusho.

"Is that what you really think my King?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke. "What do you expect to happen now? Do you simply expect me to bow down and submit to you? I MADE YOU WHAT YOU ARE! I CAN END YOU JUST AS EASILY!" she screamed, only to find herself flying through the air once again. This time though, she righted herself in the air and came to a grinding halt in a crouch.

"No one person alone is responsible for what I've become…no one person can claim the credit for making me what I am," he hissed, his reiatsu slowly rising as he spoke. "I am exactly who I want to be!"

"I thought we could be friends Ichigo…it seems I was wrong," she whispered as she slowly stood to her full height and hellish flames began to erupt around the pair of them. "I guess I'll have to kill you now and take your body for my own then,"she muttered, even as her blade form flashed into existence in her hand and she charged towards him with a raw-throated yell.

Far above master and zanpakuto, Yoruichi frowned and felt a shiver run down her spine as she witnessed the venomous attitude between the two. 'This…this is…unreal. Is this really Masaki and Isshin's son? Is he like this because of the Hollow that was passed on to him? Is it because Kisuke trained him? How many more lives must be ruined before this game finally comes to an end?' she thought bitterly, as she stared up at the roof of the chamber, lost in her own thoughts.

XXX

"The situation is growing worse by the moment. The last time we were all summoned like this…we lost almost half our number," Jushiro Ukitake murmured to his age old friend Shunsui Kyoraku.

"Mmm, but it's to be expected. We all saw Sui-Feng use her Bankai earlier, despite the prohibition on releasing one's zanpakuto within the Inner Court of the Seireitei," Kyoraku replied, his face turned downwards to hide his expression. "I have to wonder though, where is Captain Aizen? It's unlike him to be late."

"Captain Ichimaru is missing too, as well as Unohana," Ukitake added, glancing around at the rest of the assembly. Their conversation was brought to a grinding halt though, as the double doors of the hall ground open and admitted Captain Commander Yamamoto and Captain Unohana."

"Report Unohana," the grizzled veteran growled out as he came to a halt at the head of the procession of Captains, his gnarled hands clasped around the head of his cane.

"Captain Sui-Feng is in a critical, but stable condition," she spoke, her expression pensive. "She has sustained multiple fractures, puncture wounds and third degree burns, but provided she lives through the week, I expect her to make a full recovery." At her words, several murmurs broke out amongst the assembled Captains as they digested her words. They were quickly silenced however, by the sound of the Captain Commander's staff being slammed into the ground.

"This is an outrage. Our enemy is nothing but a group of teenagers and yet somehow they have continued to evade our efforts to capture them."

"Lieutenant Hisagi was able to apprehend one of the ryoka Captain Commander. And if I'm correct Lieutenant Abarai has captured one as well," Captain Kaname Tosen spoke up, earning some nods of acknowledgement from his comrades.

"And yet the culprit that injured Lieutenant Kira and engaged Captain Sui-Feng is still unaccounted for. An enemy of that calibre should not have free reign within our…" Byakuya Kuchiki tried to say, only to fall silent as the doors opened once again to admit a dishevelled looking Sosuke Aizen.

"You're late Captain Aizen. I trust you have an explanation for your state" Captain Commander Yamamoto muttered, his eyes cracking open a fraction.

"Forgive me Captain Commander, but I have made a terrible discovery," Aizen spoke as he strode between the double line of Captains. "I discovered Captain Ichimaru in the company of a group of ryoka within the Seireitei and confronted him. We fought briefly before he managed to incapacitate me and escape together with the ryoka." Glancing at his fellow Captains and their frowns, he inwardly smirked and delivered his final line. "I believe that there are those among us that are actively aiding the ryoka," he murmured, causing an outcry of several angry outbursts and vehement denials.

"You can't possibly be serious Captain Aizen. The chances of that are…" Ukitake tried to say as he stepped out of line, only to fall silent as Kyoraku spoke up.

"Captain Aizen has raised a valid point. One of the possible explanations for our losses is if the victims did not suspect their attacker until the very last moment. As much as it pains me to admit it, we have had our share of traitors in the past," he explained, sharing a pointed look with his friend, as the continued to argue amongst themselves.

"You're being awfully quiet about this Kuchiki," Kenpachi Zaraki spoke up suddenly, drawing the others attention to himself. "Ever since your sister was captured, you've said jack shit on the topic. Being her brother, I can't help but think that you'd be her biggest supporter in her bid for freedom. And seeing as Ichimaru's such a buddy of yours."

"I always knew that thinking was a difficult task for you and I see I was right if you're delusional enough to believe that familial ties have anything to do with this. Rukia Kuchiki has been found guilty by Central 46 and her sentence decided. If they ordered it, I would carry out her sentence myself." Byakuya murmured quietly with his eyes closed, his tone heavy with contempt for his fellow captain.

"Of course you would," Mayuri Kurotsuchi chuckled with a gleam in his eye. "After all what else would one expect from the ever 'loyal' Kuchiki clan leader. No, our gaze should perhaps be fixed on those who Rukia is much closer to," he finished with a sneer, his gaze drifting to Ukitake.

"I would suggest you watch who you accuse of treason Captain Kurotsuchi," Tosen interrupted, his brows furrowing as he glared in the direction of the clown-faced Captain.

"Enough!" the Captain Commander barked out, slamming his cane into the ground and raising his prodigious reiatsu enough to cause each of the assembled Captains to sweat slightly. "We're facing a crisis the likes of which we have not seen in over a century. I will not have you all squabbling like children."

"Captain Commander I request that I be given leave to hunt down my former subordinate. I trained him for decades and know him best," Aizen spoke up, causing the Captain Commander to turn his steely gaze on him.

"Denied Captain Aizen. Your past with him makes you unsuitable to this task, as evidenced by the fact that he has eluded you once already. Captain Hitsugaya, I am leaving it to you to capture Ichimaru and his accomplices. You are all free to use whatever measures you deem necessary in their capture…or termination. Dismissed."

As the Captains began to file out slowly, some more wearily than others, Aizen could only smirk at how easily they were marching along to his tune.

XXX

This was an annoying chapter to write. Either way, it's out of the way and I can get back to gross dismemberment and anguish soon.