"Kurosaki Ichigo." The stoic voice of the 6th squad captain greets as the orange haired Shinigami walks into his barracks. "Have a seat, would you like some tea?" He offers pouring some from a small teapot on his desk.

"Yes, please." Ichigo says casually before having a seat in front of Byakuya's desk. The older captain finishes pouring the second cup and offers it to the young shinigami. Ichigo gives a slight nod as he accepts the cup. "What did you want to talk about? Captain Ukitake said that you wanted to see me."

"It has nothing to do with what had happened a week ago Kurosaki. I wanted to continue our conversation regarding Rukia but under a less hostile setting." Byakuya states calmly, motioning for his subordinates to leave the room. Renji closes the rice paper sliding door behind him as he exits the room. "I had done a lot of thinking about what you said. I wanted to formally apologize for my actions towards you and towards Rukia."

"O-oh. T-thank you then." Ichigo stammers being caught off guard by the elder Kuchiki's response.

"During our battle, I was under the impression that you had lusted over the powers of a shinigami and were making a mockery of what we are and what we uphold." He begins, taking a sip from his tea cup. "In my blindness, I couldn't see what I had become. In upholding an oath to serve the law, I had betrayed another oath I had made to my late wife. Rukia's elder sister, Hisana."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Ichigo says calmly, taking a sip from his tea. "What did she ask you to do?"

"Swear to protect Rukia with my life. Above anything else... and I failed her. I went so far as to even try to kill her just to uphold my oath, what kind of man would that make me?" Byakuya asks rhetorically standing from his chair and walking towards the open window of his office. "I am unsure if you know the pain of the loss of a loved one, but it stays with you. Forever. I lost her almost 70 years ago in your time and I miss her more and more each day." He says before letting out a short laugh at himself. "Im thankful that you did defeat me, Kurosaki Ichigo, had you not and I had actually carried out the deed... I don't think I could live with myself."

"I understand your pain." Ichigo begins, "I lost my mother to a hollow when I was only nine years old. I only accepted Rukia's powers in order to protect my family from a hollow that had attacked us. It destroyed part of our house and was trying to eat my youngest sister Yuzu. Rukia was forced to give me her powers after the hollow bit her." Byakuya turns when he says this statement.

"She was bitten?" He says in shock. "That explains what had happened with her hollowfying. What about you? How did you get a hollow's mask?" Byakuya hastily asks getting back to his chair.

"I was training to unlock my own Shinigami powers under Kisuke Urahara. He started by forcing my soul from my body, then he severed my soul chair effectively killing me. From there I was thrown into a pit and forced to try to manifest my powers. It took three days but at the end of it I started to hollowfy. The next thing I remember I had become a shinigami and had a hollow mask on when I exited that hole." Ichigo responds, explaining his training with Urahara and Tessai.

"This is troubling. Normally you would have to be exercised like a normal hollow but we can't do that. Not since the betrayal of Aizen. You're too important now since that has happened." the captain responds, still pressing his fingers together in thought. "You haven't seen the release of Kyoka Suigetsu as for Rukia we can only assume that her hollow is immune to its release since it hasn't seen it yet, Captain Sui-feng believes that when she touched his sword she became immune to the effects but I believe that's a bit far fetched. You're on borrowed time Kurosaki Ichigo. That hollow is incurable and will eventually overtake and devour your soul."

"Oh yeah? I'm just going to beat it into submission then, and I'll show Rukia how to as well." Ichigo declares, almost bringing a smirk to the elder captain's face. "Why did you really bring me here Byakuya?"

"Refer to me as Captain Kuchiki please. You are my subordinate despite being at captain class." Ichigo swallows a lump of anxiety when he hears this tone shift from Byakuya. "I brought you here for a simple request. Protect Rukia, as I am no longer fit to be her protector." Ichigo remained silent allowing the captain to continue. "I have dishonored my promise to Hisana and failed to protect her. I didn't just betray that promise, I actively tried to murder Rukia." Byakuya says before his voice breaks slightly and he's forced to pause in order to collect himself. "Whereas you sacrificed your humanity, risked soul death, and went as far as to challenge the entire soul society. You even fought and defeated Kenpachi in order to protect her."

"I only wanted these powers to protect her and everyone else I care about, but you're her brother. It's the older brother's job to make sure the world is safe for their siblings. You haven't broken your promise, but you let your duty to the Gotei 13 become more important than your duty to protect your family. If you really want to help protect her, you need to help her get stronger. Captain Ukitake said that you're holding her back from promotion, you're afraid that she's going to get hurt but you're forgetting what we are and what she is. She's still alive and forgives you for what happened, you didn't break your promise to Kuchiki Hisana." Ichigo explains bringing a smirk to the captain's normally stoic face. "Between you and me, if I was ever ordered to kill my sisters or my friends, or even my dad... Id probably stab whoever told me to."

"Then I was wrong about you, Kurosaki Ichigo. If the others haven't said it, then let me be the first to. Your actions these past few days have been the very definition of what it means to be a soul reaper. Risking everything just to save a single soul. Above that, your prodigal ability to exponentially increase your skills and powers has only been seen in one other person, Captain Hitsugaya. I would like to formally recognize you as a full shinigami." Byakuya says before bowing to Ichigo prompting him to return the gesture to the sixth squad captain. "I'm sorry to cut this meeting short, but I have to get ready for a captain's meeting here shortly. I also have been told to ask you to seek out, if they're still alive, a man named Hirako Shinji. He can help you with you and Rukia's hollowfication. Go head to the 11th barracks, the rest of your friends are sparring there with a few of their members. and before you go, you have my condolences for your mother." Byakuya quickly cuts the conversation short and opens the door to his office before flash stepping away.

"Never thought I'd hear him of all people say that, I probably should go find Rukia." Ichigo says to himself before leaving the barracks and shutting the door behind him. "How was she able to use my Bankai? She did it so easily too." His thoughts wandered to the events that had transpired against the traitors the previous week.

The murmured voices raise her from her sleep, she had no recollection of what had happened over the past week and her only memory was of being impaled by Aizen. As she opens her eyes the blurry sunlit room nearly blinds her, she instinctively shuts them once more wincing from the light. Slowly she starts opening them allowing her eyes to get used to the light again, her blurry vision starting to come back to her. As she becomes aware of her surroundings she realizes she's in the squad four hospital on a cot. Scanning the room, something catches her eyes and causes her blood to run cold. Next to her bed, is a broken white mask in the shape of a Kyubi fox with blue curved line accents over the left of the mask's face. The blue whiskers and markings give an eerie sense of foreboding as she looks at the smiling fox mask. It didn't look like a normal hollow mask as she was used to seeing, but part of her knew that what she was now holding was a hollow mask. Her attention is brought away as someone trips and falls through the rice paper door to her hospital room.

"Stupid lanky shihakusho. Dammit Hanataro, you tripped me into this." Ichigo curses as he's now in a heap on the floor with a large Ichigo shaped hole in the rice paper wall. "Oh hey. You're awake." He greeted Rukia.

"H-hey..." She says shakily, having been unconscious for over a week had taken a toll on her voice. "Do... Do you remember what happened?" She questions, pulling the mask up to her lap so she can study it again.

"There's a lot that happened. Three captains turned traitors, Aizen, Tousen and Ichimaru. Of the three of them, Aizen seems to be the ring leader and he stabbed you with his whole arm and stole this weird orb from your body." Ichigo begins, after collecting himself from the heap on the floor and making his way to Rukia's cot. "Renji and I tried to stop them, but Aizen almost cut me in half and Renji was practically shredded to ribbons." He emphasizes this by opening his shihakusho and showing Rukia that the majority of his torso is wrapped in bandages. "After you were stabbed by Aizen, you... hollowfied."

"What?!" She exclaims, her tone filled with panic and fear. "I became a hollow?!"

"You didn't completely hollowfy. But when you were being controlled by it, you not only summoned my sword by just opening your hand but you proceeded to beat the shit out of Aizen, you even used my getsuga tensho and almost cut off his arm but they escaped and your mask broke when Yoruichi hit it and you returned to normal. It reformed while you were out and Orihime took it off your face after you healed." Ichigo explains before noticing the mask she's holding. "That was your mask." Upon hearing this, Rukia acts predictably and throws the mask out of fear of it, the calcified mask shatters as it hits the ground and disappears into reishi.

"How did this happen? How could I become a hollow?" She asks herself now, huddling her legs up to her chest. "It was all for nothing then... central 46 is going to have me killed anyway for being corrupted by a hollow."

"Rukia. Aizen murdered central 46. Right now the captains have declared martial law and they're holding a meeting to discuss what's going to happen with us. You're not the only one with an inner hollow." Ichigo says getting her to turn to face him. "Your brother almost beat me, but when I lost consciousness I hollowfied as well and almost killed him. I remember bits and pieces of it but I do remember stealing control back from him."

"Ichigo." The calm gentle voice of Captain Unohana questions as she enters the room. "Why is there a you shaped hole in my door?" The calm voice scares Ichigo nearly out of his skin as he turns and sees the eyes closed with the gentle yet foreboding smile of the captain.

"I-I... t-tripped over h-hanataro's shihakusho and fell through the door." Ichigo stutters in complete fear of the gentle captain.
"Ah, well since this is the first time I'll let you off with a warning. Do be careful when walking around my barracks and my hospital. It isn't the first time this has happened, but if it happens again, I'm going to have you make new doors for the entire facility." She explains before opening what's left of the door and entering the room. "I also have news in regards to what will be done with you two."

"If they think they're just going to kill us then there's no way in hell I'm going down without a fight." Ichigo declares getting the elder captain to giggle slightly at his response.

"Oh heavens no. We're having you two sent back to the human world, that is after a bit of training. You're to return to your duties as soul reapers."

"Wait... we're free to go?"

"Yes. All I have to do now is make sure you both are healed and you'll be free to return to the world of the living." Unohana explains, "Ichigo I will have to ask you to leave the room and head to the other examination room down the hall and to the left. I will be there shortly for your exam."

Ichigo doesn't argue with Unohana and does as he's told, making his way down to the other examination room allowing her to wrap up and discharge Rukia. "I'm only going to tell you this once, King. I'm not the bad guy here, just let me help you. With my power you can have anything you want. Especially the queen, everything can be ours." The twisted voice of his hollow laughs within his head. "You could never have hoped to defeat that belligerent noble fool Byakuya. I don't even know why you wanted to spare him, Oh. I know, the queen would have been mad if we killed that prude. But you owe me big time Ichigo. I saved your ass and if it wasn't for me you'd be dead. I expect a thank you." The warped voice in his mind taunts.

"Who're you anyways. Who the hell do you think you're talking to!" Ichigo yells back at the voice in his mind, despite the fact he's staring at the corner of the medical exam room. "You're definitely not Zangetsu."

"You wound me Ichigo. You should know who I am, I am Zangetsu. The old coot just calls himself that because he thinks you shouldnt trust me. I was the one who helped you when we fought Kenpachi, all that old bastard has done is hold you back. He was fun to fight wasn't he? I still haven't heard a thank you for saving your hide." Ichigo grumbles hearing this, but has no evidence to argue otherwise.

"Fine. Thanks for the save against Byakuya." Ichigo forces himself to say.

"That ain't too hard to do, I'd be glad to lend a hand from time to time but you need to earn it. I refuse to play horse to a king weaker than me. So, if you get weaker than me, I'm going to commandeer this body and then you'll be the horse and I'll be the king."

"The hell are you on about. And quit calling me King dammit! You know my name!" Ichigo retorts but only hears laughter in his mind from Zangetsu.

"Oh I think I made myself very clear. You want my power then show me you deserve it. I'll be waiting... Ichigo." With a final chuckle the voice disappears, returning Ichigo to the silence of the room.

"Um... Ichigo? Who were you talking to?" Rukia's voice chimes up from behind him, "Hanataro and Isane asked me to see what you were yelling about." Her voice was slightly timid about approaching him.

"I... was talking to him. My Hollow, he was taunting me." Ichigo answers truthfully. "Said that he refuses to be a horse to me if I'm weaker than him and if I am he'll take my body."

"Ichigo. I'm scared, I don't know what I'm going to do. Nii-sama is going to hate me for being a hollow and Captain Unohana had said that we're to leave the soul society until we can gain control over our hollows. I don't know if that's possible." Ichigo walks over to the short and scared Shinigami and wraps his arms around her.

"We're going to be fine. Like I said, we'll kick our hollow's ass and then Aizen's." Ichigo says as she looks up at him through the embrace. "Your hollow did call me something though."

"What did she say?"

"She said I was her "little Strawberry." Wonder why she calls me that. Think your hollow is into me?" Ichigo teases getting Rukia to scowl at him before turning and crossing her arms indignantly. "Relax Rukes. Come on, let's go find Chad, Uryu and Inoue, and let's go home."

"Ok. and don't call me Rukes. It's embarrassing." She blushes before following Ichigo out of the room and towards the quest quarters near the 11th division barracks.