I've had this sitting on my computer for a while now and finally decided to post it. I draw inspiration for this story from 26-Lord-Pain's story NU: Birth of the Seekers which, in my opinion, is one of the best kingdom hearts stories on the site crossover or otherwise. After reading the story a while back the idea for a similar type of crossover came into my mind but I couldn't figure out just how to write it. It took a while, and several plotlines and ideas, before this was finally written. Overall this is an experiment of mine to see whether I can do an excellent and faithful Kingdom Hearts and Bleach crossover. If this story becomes popular enough then I will love to continue writing it and I have a lot of it already planned out. Please let me know what you think of this story. In this stage I do not have a firm idea for the rating of the story. For the moment it shall be rated T but if I need to upgrade it to M for any reason I will post it beforehand.

Edited: August 24, 2013: Mostly grammatical corrections and spelling fixes. I changed all instances of Urahara to Kisuke to better suit how English speakers would refer to him. Several pieces of dialogue between the Mysterious Voice and Ichigo in the Dive to the Heart have been corrected and/or changed to fix several potential plot holes. Ichigo's fight against Ragnarok in his dream realm has also been expanded upon. Approximately 500 words added to this chapter.

...

Kisuke Urahara considered himself a very patient man. Whenever something new or exciting happened he was almost one of the last ones to respond. He liked to take his time and analyze the situation before devoting himself to a problem. That's what got him through nearly two centuries of the afterlife and with only one major exception it had always worked out for me. But even with that black mark on his nearly perfect record he was still able to somewhat adapt the situation to his advantage.

He knew from the moment Rukia Kuchiki lost her powers by giving them to Ichigo Kurosaki that his hands were all over it. It was too neat, too…perfect to be anything but his work. He already knew that Aizen Sosuke had located his safe house to the general area of Karakura Town but took pride in the fact that was all the traitor knew. When Rukia lost her powers he thought it was an attempt by Aizen to pinpoint his location more precisely in order to steal the hogyoku from right underneath his nose. Thinking quickly he managed to trick Rukia into taking a prototype gigai with the hogyoku embedded within it. If everything had worked as it should have, Rukia would have lost her shinigami powers until she died of a mortal death but the hogyoku would have been forever lost.

Aizen may have been a bastard but he was a smart bastard. Kisuke didn't put it past him to have foreseen what he did and planned accordingly. In retrospect Urahara cursed himself for his shortsightedness. Why would Aizen bother spending time and effort, with the risk of getting caught, looking for his heavily protected shop when he could simply have Urahara give the hogyoku to him? The real kicker was who he sent to retrieve Rukia. Urahara had expected perhaps several seated officers from the Thirteenth Division to get her but he was surprised when the captain and lieutenant of the Sixth Division, both of whom had rather close ties to Rukia, came instead. Leave it to Aizen to pit family and friends against each other for his own amusement.

When he recognized the spiritual pressures he quickly and subtlety told Ichigo's young quincy friend that there were two shinigami in Karakura Town that were hostile. While he felt bad sending the youth to be destroyed by the much stronger shinigami he didn't intend for Uryu Ishida to die. He just needed the quincy to buy time for Ichigo to arrive. He knew Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's older brother and the captain of the Sixth Division, would recognize Ichigo for who he was and strike him down without hesitation. That was the only way for Rukia's borrowed powers to be destroyed, allowing Ichigo to find his own abilities and bring them to the surface. Ichigo may have been strong but he was nowhere near the strength of a lieutenant let alone a captain and he would never be if he didn't start to rely on his own power.

A scream of frustration brought Kisuke out of his musings. Taking his time to walk over to the shattered shaft, he leaned over the edge and saw Ichigo Kurosaki attempting to run up the smooth walls without the use of his hands only to fall back down with a painful thump.

"It's been almost seventy hours boss," a red-haired boy sitting on the edge of the shattered shaft commented, "It's looking like he's going to become a hollow."

"That's not a nice thing to say Jinta," a nervous looking girl said while twiddling her fingers.

The newly-named Jinta turned on the girl, "Aw, who asked you anyway Ururu?"

"Now Jinta," Kisuke interjected before the argument could escalate, "Have at least a little faith in Ichigo."

Jinta pouted and looked down as Ichigo, "Still…what will you do if he does go hollow boss?"

Kisuke didn't want to think about that. If was being honest with himself the shattered shaft was a truly desperate move on his part. While it was able to give souls shinigami powers if they have the inclination for them the overall rate of failure is remarkably high. He didn't want to subjugate Ichigo to such a process but it was the only thing he had that would have even the most remote chance of restoring his powers before Rukia was executed and the hogyoku lost to Aizen. If he had more time he would have waited for Ichigo's natural spiritual energy to restore itself somewhat before drawing it out painlessly but that required at least a month of preparation, a month that he knew he did not have. With a reduced timetable Kisuke had to improvise.

He had been honest with Ichigo when he told him if he didn't awaken his own shinigami powers within 72 hours he would turn into a hollow but that was simply the incentive. What he may have…conveniently forgotten to say was that the shattered shaft also made it several times easier to enter the inner world and commune with a zanpakuto spirit. If Ichigo simply sat down and concentrated for a few minutes he would have been done hours ago. Sometimes the kid was just too stubborn for his own good. Perhaps he should give Ichigo a hint?

"Nah." A goofy grin spread across his face, "Kids these days are spoiled enough as it is. I'll let him stew around a bit before offering help."

Key through the Soul

CHAPTER 1: Dive to the Heart

Ichigo fell down onto his back for what seemed like the hundredth time since arriving. Muttering curses under his breath he somehow managed to bring himself into a sitting position without the use of his hands and looked up the shaft. He was serious beginning to doubt that Kisuke knew anything about how to become a shinigami and was taking pleasure from torturing him. Taking a deep breath he stood up to try and escape again only for his body to be paralyzed by a wave of intense pain centered around the chain of fate on his chest.

"Ouch. That looks like it hurts Ichigo."

Ichigo frowned at the familiar and highly annoying voice of Kisuke Urahara drifted down the shaft. Despite his mood he didn't look up at the shopkeeper, he wouldn't give him the satisfaction that he heard him. Apparently that did not dissuade Kisuke.

"Testing. One. Two," Kisuke's amplified voice echoed, "We seem to have had a temporary break in communications. Can you hear me now Ichigo?"

Ichigo glared at the shopkeeper and contemplated just how he could murder the man without getting caught, "Shut the hell up!"

Kisuke was leaning over the edge of the shattered shaft with a golden megaphone in his hands, "Now that wasn't a nice thing to say Ichigo. If I didn't know any better I would think you were trying to hurt my feelings."

"Like I care about your stupid feelings," Ichigo replied, "How the hell am I supposed to climb out of here without my hands?"

"Hmm…climb you say?" Kisuke had a pensive look on his face, "I don't remember saying you had to climb out of the shaft. Could it be that your hearing is going bad?"

"What?" Ichigo asked before his mind caught up, "And what the hell do you mean by that?"

Kisuke's demeanor shifted, "Ichigo, listen carefully to what I have to say. When I said you needed to 'transform into a shinigami and climb up' I meant every word. It is impossible for a soul to escape from the shattered shaft without spiritual powers Ichigo. That is why you must either become a shinigami or hollow to leave. Whichever one you choose to become I cannot say but know this: only one of those options will end up with you surviving to save Rukia. So what will it be Ichigo?"

Ichigo hung his head and scowled, "Then help me out here! You threw me down here and said I had 72 hours to become a shinigami but you didn't say how I was supposed to do that!"

"You may have a point there," Kisuke scratched at the stubble on his chin, "I do suppose I could give you a hint. After all, you are my favorite student."

"A hint?"

"Yup!" Kisuke said as he whipped out his paper fan, "Now then Ichigo. I need you to listen very carefully. Are you listening?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

The urge to strangle the shopkeeper rose, "Just say it!"

"Aw, ruin my fun why don't you. Anyway here it is…Sit down and think!"

"Did you just order me to sit down and think?"

"Uh huh! Great advice isn't it? I thought it was. Perhaps I should get into motivational speaking, I hear-"

"God damn it! What kind of idiotic advice is that?"

Kisuke gave an exaggerated sigh, "If you're going to insult me I guess I'll just leave."

Ichigo growled as Kisuke left before kicking the wall, "Sit down and think? What the hell kind of advice is that?"

As much as he wanted to ignore Kisuke's advice Ichigo couldn't hide his growing nervousness. He knew every minute he failed to escape from the shaft was one minute closer to transforming into a hollow and losing both his mind and soul. Ichigo looked at the remaining links of his chain of fate with a grimace. There was no way to tell how much time had passed since he had been thrown into the shaft. The encroachment never went at the same speed. Sometimes one link would be eaten but three would be the next time.

"Like hell I'm going to let this stop me. I just need to clear my mind and think. The bastard said I needed to sit down and think so perhaps he was telling me something else?"

He remembered when he first was able to sense spirit ribbons to track down Yuichi Shibata, a Plus who was hiding inside the body of a bird and a prisoner of the hollow Shrieker. He had to concentrate and focus his spiritual energy in order to sense the spirit ribbons and all that required him to have a clear and tranquil mind. If Kisuke was right and his own powers were lying dormant in his soul then all he needed to do was focus and attempt to draw them out. If he hadn't almost been killed by that shinigami Ichigo would have thanked him after he found out that the power he had wasn't his. Ichigo did not like having something given to him that wasn't his to begin with. To find out that the power you had been using to protect the living and dead was stolen was an eye-opener. Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself Ichigo sat on the ground and tried to focus on finding his spiritual powers.

It felt like Ichigo had been sitting there for hours when he began to feel a strange breeze blowing against his body. Normally that wouldn't be a problem but in the countless hours he spent trapped down in the shattered shaft he had not felt the air move at all. It was only when the breeze picked up into a full-blown gust that he opened his eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Instead of sitting at the bottom of the shaft with his hands bound behind his back Ichigo found himself freefalling through the sky towards an ocean that had to be miles away. Fear overcoming his rational mind he let out a scream as he plummeted towards the water.

"Why are you screaming Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Ichigo turned around and noticed a figure falling down alongside him only a few feet away. The figure, a man if the voice was anything to go by, wore a full body black cloak and hood and was facing away with his gloved hands clasped behind his back. He noticed that despite falling at nearly terminal velocity the man did not seem the least bit perturbed with his cloak barely waving at all.

When he didn't say anything the man asked again, "I asked why you are screaming Ichigo Kurosaki."

"I'm screaming because I'm falling to my death!" he shouted over the wind as if it were the most obvious thing. How could the man not know what was going on?

"Are you truly falling to your death?"

"What are you talking about? Can't you see that-"

At that moment Ichigo's memories of sitting in the shattered shaft quickly and violently returned to him. As he remembered what he had been doing he couldn't figure out just how he forgot in the first place. Calming down from the revelation he glared at the man, "Who are you?"

The hooded man continued to look away, "That is not the right question you should be asking."

Ichigo scowled and tried to reach out for the man but it seemed he was always just out of his reach, "Damn it, what is the right question you bastard?"

"That is up for you to decide Ichigo," the man answered as calmly as ever, "The right question, however, can lead to the wrong answer if one is not careful."

"Stop speaking in damn riddles. How the hell do you know my name?"

When the man turned around Ichigo thought he would finally get a look at his face but instead let out an involuntary gasp in shock. Instead of a face or even a head there was nothing but pure emptiness under the hood. He swallowed nervousness as the feeling of unnaturalness the man emitted washed over his body, "I am aware of much Ichigo Kurosaki. What I know can break a strong mind and destroy weaker hearts. For instance I know that you were sent here by Kisuke Urahara in an attempt to enter what you call an 'inner world' to stave off becoming the creature you know as a hollow. I also know that you are unwilling to involve any of your friends in your rescue of Rukia Kuchiki. In the grand scheme of things you are just a boy attempting to be a man. Need I go on?"

"How-how do you know all that?"

"An interesting question Ichigo Kurosaki," the man said as he pointed at Ichigo's chest, "But the answer is simple. I can read your heart as easily as you might a book. I can see all of your memories. Your hopes, dreams, aspirations, and fears are all open to me. Nothing you know is a secret from me."

Ichigo glared at the man but didn't say anything. If he did know everything then there was nothing that could be hidden from him. Deciding to just be blunt he asked, "Ok fine then. If you know everything then tell me where I am."

"This is the only way to enter. The proper way to this place has long been lost from your world. Attempting any other way would tear your heart apart. Every door has only one key…"

"That's swell," Ichigo deadpanned sarcastically, "And where am I going anyway?"

"Let me ask you a question of my own. If you could go on a trip, where would you like to go?"

If there was supposed to be a secret meaning in the question Ichigo didn't see it, "What the hell kind of question is that?"

"You have no answer? Truly a shame," the man lamented and shook his head, "Your will is strong but your heart is still not ready. At your current level you will not be able to survive what is yet to come."

Ichigo was getting more confused by the second. Nothing the man said made any sense to him. How did his heart have anything to do with where he was? At his breaking point Ichigo reached out and actually managed to grab the man's coat. Briefly ignoring the fact that he was able to touch the man he pulled him in close and scowled, "Look pal. I don't know where I am or how the hell I got here but since I only have a few minutes left before dying horribly there are some questions that need to be answered so start talking."

The man chuckled despite the threat. Ichigo was about to hit the man when he spoke, "Are you so sure you are going to die? Perhaps your mind is tricking your heart into believing what doesn't exist. Trust your heart Ichigo Kurosaki and everything will work out in the end."

He held onto the man a little tighter, "What the hell are you talking-"

To Ichigo's surprise the man vanished from within his grasp in a cloud of black smoke. Staring blankly at the now empty spot for a few moments he growled and cursed his bad luck. The only person that knew where the hell he was and how he could get out of her had decided to leave him to his fate. As the ocean began to draw closer and he broke through the last few clouds Ichigo thought back to what the man said about dying. Perhaps this was all just a dream and the ocean was not actually there. He remembered being in the shattered shaft and then waking up in the sky so this couldn't possibly be right. Could that mysterious man have been his zanpakuto and this was all just a test?

"Damn it all."

Ichigo tensed and closed his eyes as he hit the ocean. Even if his mind knew all this wasn't real and he couldn't be hurt or killed his body still reacted as if it was. His body hit the surface of the water and the ocean shattered like glass.

...

"Something's not right here."

Kisuke's eyes analyzed Ichigo's body from the smallest of muscle twitches to the way he looked. When Ichigo had finally decided to take his advice and sat down he thought it was just a matter of time until he called upon his actual zanpakuto and regained his spiritual powers. Everything was going according to plan when Ichigo's chain of fate stopped its encroachment several links away from his heart. When it had completed vanished without devouring itself Kisuke had expected a torrent of spiritual pressure to be released from the new shinigami. That was the only solution to why the chain disappeared, or so he thought. When nothing happened for several minutes he began to get worried.

"Tessai," he called down without his usual mirth, "Is Ichigo exhibiting anything unusual?"

"No sir!" his loyal friend and assistant replied, "I can see no sign of a hollow mask nor the absence of his chain of fate. Despite the lack of spiritual energy and pressure Ichigo Kurosaki has not begun to transform into a hollow. In fact it appears that he has actually reversed the process without becoming a shinigami. This is most vexing Kisuke."

"You're telling me," he muttered to himself and scratched his face while thinking of a possible reason for what is happening.

"What I'm witnessing should be impossible and yet…it is happening." All souls, from those dwelling within the Rukongai in the Soul Society to the shinigami that govern the afterlife to those still bound to the world of the living have spiritual energy. It is a misconception that shinigami need to eat and drink because they have spiritual energy. It is simply that their level of spiritual energy is too high for their bodies to naturally restore it from the ambient energy permeating the spiritual realms. Up until Ichigo lost his powers when he foolishly tried to take on a captain he radiated spiritual energy like a beacon that had attracted more than one hollow to him but now…now he was giving off nothing. If he wasn't looking at Ichigo at the bottom of the shattered shaft Kisuke wouldn't have even known he was there and that scared him more than anything. Aizen may have power and skill but you could sense him coming if you weren't under his hypnosis but you would never sense Ichigo unless you could actually see him.

Failing to come up with any plausible answer Kisuke moved to his backup plan, "Ururu, begin preparing suppression mode. You are not to attack Ichigo unless he shows himself to be hostile and without rational thought. We are in uncharted waters here and I don't want to travel blind."

The little girl nodded meekly and reached into her pocket. In what had to be breaking several laws of physics she pulled out a bandaged multi-rocket launcher bigger than her body and easily lifted it onto her shoulder, "Suppression mode activated. Target locked. Safeties disengaged. Awaiting further commands."

"Jinta, tell Tessai to began preparing a full incantation Bankin. We don't know what we're dealing with so if anything goes wrong I want as much time as possible as prepare."

The red haired youth looked at Kisuke in shock, "You serious about this boss? I mean, Ichigo doesn't look anything like a hollow."

"Jinta…"

Jinta turned to Kisuke and saw a look that he rarely, if ever, saw on the shopkeepers face, "You may be right about that but this is unlike anything we've ever dealt with."

"I suppose," the red haired kid conceded before jumping down into the shaft. As he watched Jinta leave, Kisuke's mind continued to try and think of what could cause this. While his intellectual mind would normally look upon something like this a fun challenge there was something about what was happening to Ichigo that filled him with a small about of fear and for all the years he had spent as a shinigami he couldn't figure out what was causing it.

...

The reversal of gravity disoriented Ichigo but he managed to adapt before losing his balance.

Ichigo didn't know where he was this time and that pissed him off. Just a moment ago he was falling towards what he was certain was his death but now he was standing on the ground in his normal clothes and looking no worse for wear. After patting himself down to make sure everything all right he looked around, "Where the hell am I now?"

He looked around and realized it was trapped on a plateau of some sort. Walking to the edge he quickly found himself lucky that he ended up somewhere relatively safe. Shambling around the large open plains below were gigantic turtle-like creatures that had to be nearly two hundred feet tall with heads that nearly eye level with him. Hanging off the shells of the creatures were large metal spikes and chains which caused Ichigo to question who had tried to domesticate the beasts.

"I suppose I should be grateful for the small things in life," he said and turned away. He needed to look for a way off the plateau before something else appeared. He was entirely sure but if a place like this could spawn building-sized turtles he didn't want to find out how big the predators have to be. Pacing around the edge of the plateau Ichigo looked for any possible way down, "There had to be some footholds to climb down on or…perhaps…I can…"

Whatever he was thinking was quickly forgotten as he laid his eyes on what had to be both the most incredible as well as most impossible sight he had ever seen. Floating in the sky some distance away was what he could only guess was a small moon and even from his distance he knew it had to be massive in size. Even if his eyes were saying that he was right there in front of him the rational and scientific portion of his mind would not stop reminding him just how impossible this was and how many laws of physics were being broken just by it existing and he had to agree. He might not be all that good in physics but even he knew that without something to hold it up the moon should have crashed to the ground even before it was finished. Well…unless magic was involved but that's just stupid.

"Just where the hell did I end up this time?"

Taking a closer look at the moon Ichigo was able to make out patterns on the surface that eerily reminded him of continents and oceans. Having a floating moon right next to a planet is one thing but to find out it was actually a miniature planet was just too much for him. Ichigo closed and rubbed his eyes, hoping that what he was seeing was just some illusion brought about by his attempts to enter his inner world. When he opened his eyes he saw that the moon was still there but he was also able to make out tiny pinpricks of light dotting the surface. Apparently there were people living on that thing as well.

"Now I know this is a dream," he defiantly stated and crossed his arms, "I could take it floating in midair with no problems but there are people living on it? That's just absurd. I mean come on, it's staying in the air without any form of propulsion or support. This must be a dream."

"Perhaps this is not a dream then."

"I don't know. It's really-"

Ichigo abruptly stopped midsentence when he realized that someone was talking to him and strangely the voice was familiar. Turning around he saw Orihime Inoue, one of his classmates, standing contently not five feet away from him. Blinking a couple of times to make sure she was actually there and not just a figment of his imagination Ichigo stammered but managed to say, "Orihime? What are you doing here?"

Orihime didn't seem to hear Ichigo, "Isn't it wondrous Ichigo?"

"Huh?" he said before noticing her gaze was on the small moon, "I guess. I think it's just stupid though. I mean a floating world?"

Orihime giggled in amusement, "I would think you were more open-minded than that Ichigo. Weren't you a shinigami, a death god, just a few days ago. If such a thing as a god of death can exist why does a floating world make you doubt your eyes?"

Ichigo grumbled in agreement but quickly realized something important, "How did you know I was a shinigami?"

"A world created and maintained by the servants of gods," Orihime said and Ichigo realized that the girl in front of him was not the Orihime he knew, "Abandoned by their creator in ages past and forced to serve man. Unable to kill themselves nor each other to end the misery of their eternal torment they are forced to have the very beings they despise and see as insects do it for them. It's kind of sad isn't it Ichigo?"

That was the last straw. Ichigo quickly grabbed the Orihime look-alike's shoulders, "Who the hell are you?"

"Who am I? What are you afraid of?" the thing that looked like Orihime asked with a sly smile.

"Afraid?" Ichigo was thrown off by her question but tightened his grip, "Who says I'm afraid of you?"

Orihime shook her head, "Everybody is afraid of something. They deny it and cover up their fears with bravado and arrogance but they all fear something. Whatever it is that you fear, you cannot move on until you have confronted it. So what is it that you fear the most Ichigo?"

Ichigo glared at Orihime before shifting his gaze towards the artificial moon hovering in the sunset. Everything that he encountered here had to be a figment of his imagination; there was no other reason why this Orihime lookalike knew what she did. Some part of his mind or soul was questioning his resolve to be a shinigami. He thought back on his first days as a shinigami, his unwillingness to help out every soul he came across, and the powerlessness he felt while confronting Grand Fisher at his mother's grave. His fists clenched as he recalled the taunting Grand Fisher had given him in regards to his mother's death.

"If I answer your questions will you tell me what you are?" he asked.

Her silence spoke volumes and he let out a sigh, "You want to know what I'm afraid of? I'm afraid that despite all my power I won't be able to protect those close to me. That for everything I have it just won't be enough to save everyone."

"Lose everyone around you?" she asked and faced towards the moon, "Would that really be so scary? If you try your best and you fail is that truly your fault?"

Before he could respond a loud roar pierced through the air. Ichigo turned and saw a large purple and white explosion expand over the horizon to the west, "What the hell was that?"

Orihime had a content smile on her face, "Just watch Ichigo. You are about to witness history in the making."

"History?" he asked confused, "Isn't this all just a dream? Aren't I in my inner world or something?"

She didn't turn to him as she answered, "What is someone's dream but the fantasy of an active mind and what is fantasy but just the realization of someone's goal. After a long journey doesn't the goal that must have seemed impossible not appear to be so daunting anymore? What is your goal Ichigo? What do you want out of life?"

Another roar echoed through the plains and was followed by an explosion that caused a mountain to crumble to dust. Below him Ichigo saw that the large turtle creatures had begun stampeding away from the source of the roaring. He didn't know what was going on but whatever can scare those things was something he should be worried about, "Enough of the questions! Tell me what is going on!"

"I thought this was all just a dream?" Orihime asked with a familiar expression on her face, "If this is but a dream how can anything harm you?"

"What is the point to all this?"

"There is a point to everything Ichigo," Orihime answered with a carefree tone, "Our lives are dependent on questions while our dreams are shaped by our desire for answers. What you call pointless may itself have no meaning but could lead to something greater if you just believe it will. Nothing has ever been gained from thinking the impossible will never happen. The impossible is merely the hard to grasp. Every journey must begin with a single step and yours begins with a single question Ichigo. What is it you desire out of life above everything else? What would you sacrifice to obtain at all costs?"

"I don't know about sacrificing anything," he admitted and folded his arms. He frowned and tried to think of something, anything, that he would give up in a heartbeat for his dreams to be made reality and he could think of nothing. There was nothing he was willing to give up or throw away for the sake of his dream, "If it meant giving up something I already had, something I worked hard for, I would rather not have my desire."

"Very well," Orihime smiled, "But what do you want out of life?"

Ichigo thought about it for a moment, "What do I want out of life? I guess I just want to protect people. I can't promise anything like protecting the entire planet but I'm not modest enough to say protecting everyone I can with my hands is fine. I want to protect a whole lot of people. People I know and people I have never met. It doesn't matter who they are. If I can I will do everything in my power to protect them. If I can do that…I think that would be enough for me."

Orihime clasped her hands behind her back, "So you want to protect those around you? Interesting…"

A klaxon wailed through the air and Ichigo bore witness to an incredible sight. One side of the moon had begun to open up and hundreds, if not thousands, of airships began to stream out towards the source of the roaring. Even from his incredible distance he could tell that some of them were over a kilometer in length with several even larger than that. As the airships flew away at supersonic speeds they unleashed a salvo of missiles and weaponry that was so intense that the mountain range where the initial explosion happened was literally obliterated in a burst of hellfire.

Using a hand to cover his eyes from the intense light Ichigo couldn't help but mutter, "That can't be the end of it."

True to his words a shadow darted out of the dust clouds and made a beeline for the fleet. The airships in the front attempted to deploy some kind of translucent barrier to shield themselves but whatever was attacking them flew through it as if it were nothing more than paper. Ichigo heard a familiar roar much closer this time before a beam of energy shot out and into the midst of the airship fleet. Those ships unfortunate enough to be directly in the path of the attack were quickly disintegrated while those lucky enough to not have been in the line of fire were blown away by the sheer shockwave of the attack. One of the ships that had managed to survive both the attack and the aftershock attacked but a clear blue shield blocked the attack. The next moment the front of the ship was caved in before the rest of it exploded

As much as he was transfixed on the battle Ichigo turned to the only person that could possibly know what was going on, "What the hell is going on?"

"What you are witnessing is the result of reality made into dreams," Orihime cryptically answered, "All hearts end up in the same place when the soul sleeps. Sometimes an imprint is left behind by the soul. What you are witnessing is one such imprint of an event that happened in another time, another story."

"Are you suggesting this is happening on another planet?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could this be another world when it looked so similar to Earth? He might not be a genius like Uryu but even he knew the probability to be astronomically impossible.

"There is much for you to learn Ichigo Kurosaki," Orihime said, "That you still don't understand is testament to your inability to understand your own heart as well as the heart of the world. You know so little and yet understand even less. If you want to find out what you are missing then tell me what is most important to you. What would you sacrifice everything you have for?"

Ichigo stared at the destruction going on before shouting at Orihime, "I want to be strong! Strong enough to protect everyone around me so that something like this doesn't have to happen!"

"I wonder…" Orihime trailed off as her voice began to have a strange echo to it, "Is being strong really such a big deal? Will strength give you everything you want or will it just lead you down a path of pain and despair?"

The plateau shook violently and Ichigo was barely able to keep his footing. On the far side of the plateau stood the creature that had been the cause of all the destruction so far. It stood nearly ten feet tall and had blue skin with intricate patterns of red and orange weaved within it. It's orange tentacle-like hair thrashed in the air as if it had a life of its own and the large bladed tail slammed into the ground every few seconds. The creature did not seem to notice him and was busy firing laser blasts at the airships that got too close. Ichigo took a step away from the creature in fear of its power. When it let out a feminine wail he was nearly brought to his knees by the sheer power the roar contained.

"Damn it!" he punched the ground with his fists, uncaring that the rocks were carving trails of blood into his hands, "I need to do something but what can I do? I'm just a normal human now. "

A blade was slammed into the ground in front of him and brought Ichigo out of his fear-induced state. Taking a closer look his eyes widened in shock when he recognized it as the zanpakuto he had been given from Rukia's powers. Holding onto the hilt was Orihime, "I can see in your eyes that you fear this creature. Why do you hesitate to fight it?"

"Are you kidding me? That thing is tearing apart those ships like they were nothing! How can I stand up against it?"

"I see…" Orihime trailed off and Ichigo was stunned by what she said next, "What if I were to tell you that millions, perhaps even billions, of people will die this day if that creature isn't stopped? Does your fear of the creature still freeze your soul and hamper your movements?"

Ichigo's eyes shot open and he reached for the zanpakuto. Before he could touch it Orihime pulled it out of his reach, "If you pick up this zanpakuto you will temporarily have all the powers given to you by Rukia Kuchiki returned but is it truly worth dying for millions of people you don't' even know? Some things are destined to happen Ichigo Kurosaki. If you give up attempting to fight this creature and allow it to continue its fated path of destruction you will receive power beyond your wildest dreams. Knowing all that what is your choice?"

"Screw your choice!" he shouted and reached for the zanpakuto without hesitation. Within moments he was garbed in his familiar shinigami uniform. Hefting his zanpakuto on his shoulder he coldly told her, "I would rather remain weak forever then know I let millions of people die due to my cowardice. I may fail saving those people. In fact I probably will but if I don't do anything then they are going to die no matter what! You can take your choice and shove it whoever you are! The real Orihime would know I'd rather die then give up!"

Orihime watched Ichigo race towards the creature and let out a small smile as she began fading away, "That is the correct choice…"

Due to everything going on around him Ichigo did not hear what Orihime said as she faded away. He pushed his body to the brink with his zanpakuto held aloft to the side in order to reach the creature before it had a chance to notice his presence. When it turned its head and stared at him with one pure white eye Ichigo slid to a halt and raised his zanpakuto. He had seen the amount of power this creature could generated just by raising its voice. There was no way to tell just what other tricks it may possess.

Almost lazily the creature raised a hand at him and made a slicing motion towards the ground. Before its hand had begun descending Ichigo had already dodged to the side to avoid whatever it was planning. It was to his great shock that he noticed a long, thin slice on his shihakusho going from his shoulder down to his hip. When did it manage to reach him?

"That thing didn't even touch me and yet it sliced right through my shihakushō…"

Ichigo managed to avoid a second one of the deadly air bursts and sprinted forward. If he could close the distance then the creature wouldn't have the chance to use any more of those attacks. He watched as the creature pointed a finger at him and ducked as a pencil-thin laser similar to what had destroyed the airships shot at him. Skidding and dancing along the ground to avoid the deadly attack, he pushed his legs to their absolute maximum when the ground where the laser hit began erupting in explosions. Closing the distance and staying one step ahead of the explosions he leapt into the air over the creature and swung his zanpakuto downwards.

"Take this!"

The creature growled and shot several hair tendrils at him. He dodged around a couple of them and was forced to block another with the blunt edge of his zanpakuto, releasing a burst of orange sparks. Aware of just how sharp the prehensile hair was he subconsciously pushed spiritual energy to his legs and maneuvered around the next salvo of attacks and swung his zanpakuto down on its right arm. Instead of severing it as he intended all his attack managed to do was leave a shallow cross-slash shaped cut as well as piss it off. He didn't have a moment to think about this as the creature grabbed him by his neck and effortlessly lifted him to its face.

Struggling to free himself Ichigo still felt the need to get one last barb in, "Aren't you…one ugly…fanged bastard!"

The creature seemed to take offense at that and roared at him in response, nearly shattered both of his eardrums. As his ears bled from the shockwave Ichigo was violently thrown away and tumbled over the ground before coming to a stop nearly a dozen meters away. Coughing from the pain he quickly rolled out of the way as the creature's tail pierced through the ground like a knife through hot butter. Seeing this as an opportunity he let go of his zanpakuto and grabbed the tail with both hands and pulled. The creature nearly weighed a ton but Ichigo wasn't about to allow that to stop him. Using every bit of spiritual energy in his body he managed to swing the creature around and off the plateau.

"That should buy me some time," he thought in between pants of breath, "Oh…goddamn it."

He leaned backwards as a pencil thin beam of energy shot through the air where his head had just been. In his haste to defeat the creature he had forgotten it could fly. Not risking another sneak attack he ducked to the side and quickly brought up his zanpakuto to block a second energy attack. As he struggled to hold back the tidal wave of energy the creature seemed to become furious that he had even temporarily stopped it and decided to go all out. Ichigo grit his teeth as the force behind the attack nearly doubled and grunted when hairline fractures began to spider out across his zanpakuto.

"I don't know how much longer I'll be able to hold it back before my zanpakuto shatters. I need to think of something."

Ichigo suddenly remembered his fight with the Meno Grande a few weeks ago and had an idea. It was a desperate and suicidal idea but he had nothing else to lose. If he did nothing then he would be sentencing millions of people to their deaths.

"You like firing those energy beams don't you? Are you too much of a coward to fight me head on because you know I'll defeat you?" he taunted. The creature narrowed its glowing white eyes and increased the energy once again which was exactly what Ichigo wanted. Risking everything he twisted his zanpakuto and shouted, "Well then, why don't you try it on yourself!"

His zanpakuto shattered but his plan worked. The energy beam reflected off his zanpakuto towards the creature who seemed shocked by the turnaround. Before he could gloat over his success it nimbly dodged its own attack by leaning to the side. Utterly spent, Ichigo collapsed to his knees and awaited his death. He had given every bit of power he had to stop this creature but it seemed nothing worked. Now that he thought about it, its power was exponentially greater then that captain he had fought. If he was going to die he was going to do so on his own two feet and facing his enemy.

While he stood to face his demise the creature seemed to have lost interest in fighting him. It gave him what had to be a condescending smirk and roared in triumph before flying off into the air towards the artificial moon but not before obliterating several airships that happened to be in its path.

"Do not feel bad about your failure Ichigo Kurosaki," Orihime said, reappearing once more, "You were doomed to fail all along."

"What?"

"I said that if the creature was not stopped then millions of people would die. While the creature is destined to be halted on this day it is not by your hands. Take heed that despite your failure the amount of lives lost will be minimal."

Ichigo tried to think but was overcome by a sudden feeling of vertigo. He attempted to keep his balance but quickly found himself falling backwards. Instead of hitting the ground he fell through it as if it was water. As he floated downwards and the inky darkness enveloped him he saw Orihime smile and disappear like dust in the wind.

...

Ichigo felt like he was floating. It was a very odd feeling.

Opening his eyes he realized he was floating in an ocean and let out an involuntary gasp. When he found himself still able to breathe he relaxed and looked around. Despite the absolute blackness that surrounded him everything seemed to be illuminated from a source below him.

When his foot hit something solid he found himself blinded as a flock of birds came into existence and flew past him into the darkness. Coughing and brushing feathers out of his hair he looked down at the newly revealed platform. On it was a portrait of Rukia sleeping and dressed in her shinigami uniform. In one hand she held a pure white blade and in the other a pink rose.

"Where am I now?"

"You are at the first station where your journey starts. The path ahead is difficult but you still have some time. The door has already been unlocked."

"What are you talking about? What door?"

When the mysterious voice didn't answer he looked around and was surprised to find a pair of ornate white doors had come into existence. Finding nothing else on the platform Ichigo walked towards the doors and attempted to open them but failed.

"I thought you said it was unlocked?"

"You must discard the remaining tie to your former powers. Only then shall the path forward be made clear."

Feeling a weight in his hands Ichigo looked and saw the hilt of his twice-broken zanpakuto. He looked solemnly at it and thought about all the good that he had accomplished with his blade, about the number of souls he had saved and the various hollows he had given peace. Even the battle against the creature came to mind because even if the difference in power between them was like comparing a human to an ant, he was still able to cut it and he took pride in that. Now he was at a point of no return and had to make a choice. Would he throw away his only chance of becoming a shinigami for an entirely different power or turn his back on whatever lay beyond those white doors, never knowing what he could have had? Despite everything Ichigo found the choice to be surprisingly easy to make. With a resigned sigh and a heavy weight on his chest he reluctantly let go of the broken hilt and watched it clatter to the platform. As he sadly watched it decay into dust before his eyes, the doors in front of him creaked open and blinded him with an intense light.

When the light died down Ichigo found himself standing in the middle of the platform again or that is what he thought until he looked down. Instead of Rukia there was a picture of Orihime sleeping and dressed in what seemed to be a white version of his shinigami uniform with six fairy-like creatures encircling her.

"Three paths lie before you. Each can lead to great power but what are you willing to sacrifice?"

Three daises rose from the platform as the voice spoke. Floating above each one was a weapon. The left dais had a massive blade with two holes cut into it near the hilt, the middle had a black daito with a chain hanging off the hilt that for some reason seemed like an old friend and the far right dais had a blade that seemed to be composed of flowing water. When he stepped forward to get a better look at them the voice spoke up again.

"The path of the berserker lay to your left. Your strength shall be unparalleled and you will sow destruction among those who oppose you. Your enemies shall cower before your power but will you be able to tell friend from foe?"

"In the middle is the path of the protector. You shall be imbued with unmatched defense and the ability to protect those you hold dear. Nothing can hurt you but does that hold true for those around you?"

"To the right lay the way to become a magi. Your knowledge of the arcane will allow you to enchant your attacks with elemental attributes. You will tear apart space asunder with your abilities but can you expect to control such an intense power without losing yourself?"

Almost instinctively Ichigo reached towards the middle platform before stopping to think. Sure the path of the protector was tempting but was that really what he wanted? If he had the power to protect someone did he also have the power to protect everyone? Turning to the left he thought about the powers of a berserker. To have enough strength and power to overcome any defense or protections sounded interesting. With no limit to his strength he wouldn't have to worry about defense if nothing could stop him. He turned towards the last dais and the power of the magi. It did seem interesting to be able to mix magic with attacks to confuse his enemies. What person would expect someone's blade to just burst into fire or lightning without so much as a]word? All three choices were tempting and Ichigo took a step back and scratched his chin while thinking it over.

"So far everything in this strange place has been a question of character," he thought solemnly while going over his options, "I wouldn't be surprised that this isn't any different. That voice must already know what path I would choose and must be giving me these three options to see if I'll stay true to myself."

He was grateful that the mysterious voice didn't interrupt him in the time it took him to decide what path to pick. Stepping forward he took hold of the black daito, "I choose the path of the protector."

"Your path is now set. Now what will you give up in exchange?"

"Give up?"

"To wield power one must be willing to sacrifice. To follow the path of the protector you must either give up the berserker or the magi."

Strangely Ichigo found the choice to give up a power easier then choosing one, "I choose to give up magic."

"Are you certain about your choice? Once you decide, that path shall be forever lost to you."

Ichigo nodded and the other two weapons disappeared in a burst of light. On the other side of the platform a series of rectangular green platforms winked into existence. Looking around and seeing no alternative way of leaving he rested his new daito on his shoulder and experimentally put a foot on the first platform and found it to be solid.

"Why do you hesitate? The next station is just within your reach. All you must do is take the first step."

As the mysterious voice finished speaking the rest of the stairs appeared and led to another illuminated platform off in the distance, "I guess I'm walking then."

The trip to the second platform was surprisingly uneventful to Ichigo. About halfway there he slipped and would have fallen off the stairs if not for an invisible barrier that kept him on track. Three minutes later, and without any more problems, Ichigo reached the second station. Much like the first station this one too had a stained-glass picture but it was not of Rukia. Instead it showed his father and mother when they had been younger. His mother was wearing a white frilly dress while his father, strangely, was wearing a shinigami's shihakushō Both of them were sleeping like Rukia was but there was a glowing blue string connecting both of their hearts together.

"What the hell?"

A whooshing sound came from behind him and Ichigo saw that the green platforms had disappeared. That was the least of his concerns as a pillar of shadows that suddenly appeared in the middle of the platform drew his attention. Ichigo couldn't help but feel a little on edge. It just felt…wrong to him. He couldn't place where the feeling was coming from but part of his mind wouldn't stop suggesting that whatever is coming for it is very dangerous and deadly. Still on edge from his earlier fight with the creature Ichigo put as much distance between the pillar of shadows and himself and raised his daito in preparation for anything to happen.

"I see you are prepared. That is good. You must not let your guard down for the trials you shall face."

"Trials?" he frowned. Why did it feel like he was being dragged into a 'save the world' adventure, "I wasn't told anything about trials."

Ichigo grew annoyed when the mysterious voice didn't answer his question but received his answer when a creature emerged from the portal. At first glance it resembled a small and completely black imp-like creature with glowing yellow eyes, two antenna, and limbs that seemed to twitch every now and then. Whatever it was, he thought and tensed his body, it was unnatural. The creature looked at him and Ichigo had the strangest feeling it wasn't actually looked at him but through him for something and that put him on edge like nothing else.

"Heartless, a creature born from the darkness held within the heart made manifest. Despite having a heart they have no emotions and are not bound by morality. They steal the hearts of others in order to spread and cover the worlds in perpetual darkness." The imp creature seemed to twitch violently at the voice, "Those strong of heart can survive encounters with heartless but the greater the darkness in one's heart the easier it is to lose it. Be careful"

Ichigo nearly missed the heartless attacking him.

For all the hype the voice had built up about the heartless it was surprisingly straightforward in its attack. It was almost laughable just how easy it was to read its attack pattern and dodge around it. It seemed that all those weeks of being a shinigami and fighting hollows had built up his reaction time more then he thought. Dodging around a swipe from a clawed hand Ichigo decided to go on the offensive. Slicing downwards with his daito he severed the heartless's head from its body and watched as both parts melted into a black liquid before disappearing into the shadows.

"That was a let down. I thought it was going to be more dangerous then that."

"That was but a single heartless and the weakest variety. There are dozens of variations, each with different and unique abilities, and they never fight alone. The heartless will be just the first enemy you face on your journey through the worlds. Come, the way forward is just ahead…"

When a second set of stairs winked into existence Ichigo was much more hesitant to take them. "Hold on just a second," he shouted into the darkness, "Are you going to explain just where the hell I am?"

"…"

"Great," he sighed.

His trip up the stairs was a lot more uneventful then the first and after several twists and turns he found himself at another station. Looking down he frowned at what he saw in the stained glass. In the middle of the station it showed him sleeping and wearing a shinigami's shihakushō with two people on either side of him. One was an older looking man with long curly hair, sunglasses and a long black coat. The other was an entirely white version of himself with a psychotic grin. Both of them were bound by chains that led were held in each of his hands.

Ichigo slowly walked across the station, his footsteps echoing eerily on the glass. Unlike everything else that had happened since he entered this bizarre place this station was entirely empty. There were no riddles, no heartless and that strange and annoying voice had decided not to speak anymore. As he reached the opposite end of the station and looked over the edge the voice decided to break its silence.

"The closer one gets to the light the longer their shadow becomes but do not worry. The darkness within your heart is the least of your concerns."

Ichigo turned and saw his shadow pulling itself off the ground and transform into a giant and much more monstrous version of the heartless he had just fought. It was nearly fifty feet tall and had a heart-shaped hole that took up most of its chest.

"A Darkside, the manifestation of the darkness within the worlds. They are drawn towards the most powerful hearts in a world and only appear when a world is on the brink of darkness. Be cautious when fighting it."

He was nearly blown off the edge of the platform when the Darkside's hand swept across the station. Ichigo had managed to bring up his daito in time to halt his motion and gave the heartless a wound in its hand in response. It didn't seem to do much damage because the heartless brought its wounded hand up and stabbed its fingers into the station, creating a swirling portal of darkness and shadow. Several seconds later a dozen of the imp-like heartless emerged from the shadows and sprinted towards him only to be cut down before they could do any damage.

The Darkside attempted to do the same basic attacks a few more times and it wasn't long before it wasn't even a challenge for Ichigo to dodge and counter its movements.

"Can it really be this easy? I should finish this before it tries something new."

He leapt into the air towards the Darkside and attempted to stab it in the head with his daito but found his path blocked by the creature's hand. With a growl the heartless swung its arm and threw him back onto the station. As Ichigo bounced a few times on the stained glass before rolling to a stop the Darkside slammed a fist into the edge of the platform, causing it to tilt and for Ichigo to start sliding off.

"Damn it!" he growled as he tried to stab his daito into the glass to arrest his movements but found the material to be impervious to damage. Nearing the edge of the platform he saw the Darkside waiting for him with its other first reared back and surrounded by a sphere of darkness.

"Not today!"

Thinking back Ichigo would admit that what he did was probably a terrible idea. Without thinking he threw his daito at the sphere of darkness and was thrown backwards quite hard by the resultant explosion. Coughing as he gathered his wits he stumbled to his feet but nearly fell over again when the Darkside's body smashed into the platform and did not move. Staggering towards the creature with a scowl on his face he grabbed his daito that had somehow appeared on the station and made his way to the heartless. Gathering his strength he raised his sword and stabbed it into the heartless's head.

Ichigo collapsed back onto the ground as the Darkside vanished in a cloud of inky shadows, "I think that I'm going to retire from this hero crap after saving Rukia."

"Do not become disillusioned. That was but a pale mockery of a Darkside created from your inner darkness. The path forward is illuminated for you. The worlds await you and even though your journey begins at dusk the night is always followed by the dawn…"

Ichigo's eyes closed in exhaustion and he slipped blissfully into unconsciousness.

...

Tessai Tsukabishi watched Ichigo's comatose body with rapt attention, his hands ready to cast a full-power Bankin at a moments notice. Some would argue that a former captain willing and able to use a high level bakudo against a soul was overkill but Tessai had no delusions as to the power resting with Ichigo's soul. Given the circumstances surrounding his birth as well as who he was Tessai knew that if Ichigo were to start transforming into a hollow all the spiritual power in his soul would rush out at once and break the kido already cast on him. A total of six hours had passed since Kisuke had given him the order to bind Ichigo at the first sign of trouble and Tessai was starting to buckle from under the strain of holding Bankin for so long. He may have been the captain of the Kido Corps but his stamina was not unlimited.

Shaking his head to dislodge a bead of sweat from his eye he shouted, "Boss, I don't see any change in Ichigo's soul wavelength. Are you sure that he is turning into a hollow?"

"Not really Tessai," Kisuke answered, "We are treading into uncharted waters so I have no idea what can happen. By all accounts Ichigo should have either become a shinigami or a hollow by now. The fact that he is still sitting down there without any progress suggests something unexpected has happened. Just be prepared for anything. It would be really bad if we were to take a break only for something strange and powerful to cut us off in mid-"

When Kisuke stopped talking Tessai thought something had happened, "Boss?"

"-sentence. Damn it I thought that would work. It always does in the movies. Oh well, back to the drawing board then. If nothing happens within the next hour I will take your place. Even you must need a break."

Tessai ignored his mildly eccentric boss's rant to focus on Ichigo. He was not ashamed to admit he was fascinated by what was happening to Ichigo. In the thousands of years since the Soul Society came into being he couldn't recall hearing about a soul that stopped the encroachment of their chain of fate as well as get rid of it entirely without becoming a hollow or shinigami in the process. If the situation weren't so dire he would be casting diagnostic kido left and right on Ichigo just to figure out what was happening.

As the hour passed Tessai lowered his hands as if he were growing tired several times. It was all a ruse though because at this point he had held the final handsign for Bankin so long that it would activate with merely a thought. He had hoped purposely letting down his guard would draw out any hollow that was hiding within Ichigo's soul to fight on his own terms but so far nothing. Either the hollow was incredibly crafty and knew all about Tessai's style of fighting or Ichigo didn't have one. Tessai leaned towards the latter choice.

He may have been proficient enough in kido to sense spiritual energy with frightening precision but not even Tessai could sense mana and the amount building up within Ichigo's soul was starting to suffocate and saturate the entire shattered shaft.

Just as the hour drew to a close Kisuke called down, "Anything change Tessai?"

Tessai cracked his neck, "Sorry boss. Nothing has changed about Ichigo's soul wavelength but for the strangest thing."

"Strange?"

"Yes. Instead of his spiritual energy and pressure increasing due to transforming into a shinigami or hollow it has actually decreased to the point where he feels just like a normal soul."

"That isn't good," Kisuke contemplated, "But I don't think it means what you are implying. If he had lost his spiritual powers permanently there would have been an outpour of energy as it left his body. Since that did not occur it means that something unprecedented is going on. I'm finding myself becoming more and more interested in just what Ichigo is exactly. Anyway you can release the Bankin now Tessai."

"But boss, if I leave now the bindings on Ichigo's arms will shatter! Who knows what will happen if that occurs."

"Don't worry about that Tessai," Kisuke said, "In the time since everything started going strange I have reinforced an area approximately one hundred meters around the shattered shaft with various barrier and sealing kido. I even threw in several anti-garganta spells in case Ichigo becomes a hollow and attempts to flee. At this point even the captain-commander would be unable to break into or out of this place without going bankai. Ichigo isn't going anywhere even if he tries."

Despite his better objections Tessai reluctantly released the kido binding Ichgio's arms. What he nor Kisuke could have possibly have known was that they kido was the only thing keeping Ichigo's ever increasing mana from exploding outwards. The moment the kido dropped the mana within Ichigo sought release and shot out of his body in a pillar of gold and blue light.

Out of all the employees Tessai was the closest to the epicenter and thus was hit the hardest by the attack but he was also the first to recover. He had been quite violently thrown into the wall of the shattered shaft but quickly recovered and stared in shock at the energy being emitted from Ichigo's body. What scared him, scared an ex-captain of the Soul Society, was that he could not sense it. He could see it in front of his eyes but he couldn't feel any of it. It was almost as if it were a mere illusion. That did not stop him from planting both feet on the ground and stabbing his fingers through the solid rock, "Bakudo #99, Part 2. BANKIN!"

Immediately sheets of extremely dense and durable cloth-like material formed around his hands and shot off towards Ichigo. They began to wrap around him only for the energy surrounding Ichigo to lash out and disintegrate the kido as if it were nothing. Tessai grit his teeth in frustration and attempted to do it again only for the same thing to happen despite how much spiritual energy he put into the kido. Before he could attempt it a third time Ichigo shot up out of the shattered shaft, forcing him back against the wall with a pulse of energy.

Up above Kisuke had thrown his body in front of Ururu and Jinta as the beam of energy flew out of the shattered shaft. He was glad that his barrier kidos managed to contain it for the moment. He didn't want to have to find an excuse for why something like that was coming from his shop.

"Jinta, take Ururu and head to the exit."

"But boss…"

"Go," Kisuke warned and drew his zanpakuto from its sheath.

Jinta's eyes widened, "You're going to kill him boss?"

"I'm not certain yet. I have no idea what I might face and it's better to be prepared in any case. Now go!"

He watched them leave before turning back to the shattered shaft and hoped that Tessai was still alright down there, "Come on, where are you?"

Something emerged from the pillar of light and crashed into the ground several meters away. Kisuke tensed and narrowed his eyes when the smoke cleared and showed Ichigo, still wearing his normal clothes as a soul, just standing there.

"Are you truly Ichigo?" he asked without letting down his guard.

Ichigo didn't answer Kisuke. He was too busy inspecting his body for any signs of injury. After thoroughly checking over every inch of his body he turned to the shopkeeper with an evil grin. It took Kisuke a moment to realize what Ichigo planned to do but it was too late for him to do anything before he was hit in the face by a rock.

"Gah! My nose!"

Ichigo's eye twitched in annoyance as the shopkeeper rolled around pathetically on the ground, "Get the hell over yourself hat-and-clogs! You have a lot of explaining to do for that stunt you tried to pull on me!"

"Explaining? But you broke my nose! My beautiful, beautiful nose!"

"Pull yourself together! Damn it, you're almost as pathetic as a heartless."

Kisuke stopped rolling around on the ground as soon as Ichigo had mentioned the heartless. Pushing his body into a sitting position, Kisuke stared daggers at Ichigo, "Tell me about everything that happened. Do no skip any details."