Chapter Two: Face to Face

Ichigo's House

The Substitute and his friends were having a much needed rest, chilling at Ichigo's house for some rest and relaxation after the war with the Vandenreich. Ichigo and Orihime especially were taking it easy, having sustained terrible injuries at the hands of Yhwach.

Ichigo and Chad sat on the couch while Uryu sat in a nearby chair. Orihime was with Yuzu in the kitchen making tea for the group.

Slumping back against the couch, Ichigo sighed as a familiar jolt of pain hit him. Because Orihime was badly hurt, she wasn't able to heal Ichigo, leaving his treatment to Rukia. Though the lieutenant was able to treat his wounds, there was unfortunately a shadow of pain, an echo that left itself as a reminder of when he almost gave up the fight. Turning his head, he looked over at Chad, the only one of the four to make it out of the conflict unscathed. "How're you holding up, Chad?"

His friend gave him an assuring smile. "I'm doing fine, Ichigo. I'm just glad everyone made it out okay."

Uryu pushed up his glasses. "Hopefully with Yhwach dead, we can finally get back to our normal lives. Chad, you mentioned earlier that you were thinking of going into sports?"

"Yeah," Chad looked down his hands. "I decided to go into boxing. I'm proud of my hands. I think I could do pretty good as a boxer."

"Tea's ready!"

The three boys turned to see Orihime walk into the room, carrying a tray with four cups of tea. "Here you go! Yuzu and I just finished."

Ichigo took a cup and eyed it suspiciously. He liked Orihime but was always on guard whenever she cooked anything, even with his sister's involvement.

Ding-Dong!

Taking his way from the suspicious tea, Ichigo set down the cup and stood up. "I'll get it." His father was busy in his clinic and Karin was still at her soccer practice. Not wanting to bother his sister, Yuzu, he walked to the doorway.

Ding-Dong!

"Hang on! I'm coming!" Ichigo shouted annoyingly. He unlocked the door and opened it. "Rukia? Renji?"

The two lieutenants smiled at their friend with their Gigais. Renji was wearing a black shirt with Kisuke's hat on it with jeans while Rukia opted to wear a white blouse. "Hey, Ichigo. Mind if we come inside?" Renji asked.

"Sure, come in."

Ichigo's friends welcomed the pair as they entered the living room, Orihime giving Rukia a warm hug. As everyone got settled in, Ichigo asked the obvious question. "So what brings you here? Is there a problem in the Soul Society?"

Thankfully the pair shook their heads. "No, everyone is still trying to sum up the damage in the Seireitei. The Head-Captain's busy trying to get a headcount of the fallen. It'll be a while before things get back to normal. We haven't even started to rebuild yet," said Rukia

Renji spoke up. "Captain Kuchiki sent us. Apparently there was an incident at Squad 12 the other day. We were sent here to investigate."

Uryu looked perplexed. "Investigate what? Is it the Vandenreich?" He'd overheard what Mayuri was doing with some of the Sternritter and it rankled him that the scientist was continuing more experiments on the Quincies, even if they were his enemies.

"We don't know," Rukia told him. "It all began when Third-Seat Akon noticed something odd…"

On Mayuri's orders, Akon went into the Squad's storehouse in order to find more supplies for a new experiment of his. He assumed he simply needed new clothes for when Mayuri grew the next Nemuri after Nemu was brutally slain by Pernida. Reaching the storehouse interior, Akon soon became aware that something was wrong. The door had been cut to ribbons and there were footprints everywhere, stained not with water or any liquid Akon was aware of, but of a strange white matter.

Squatting in the doorway, Akon examined the nearest footprint. His inquisitive mind raced as he struggled to piece together who or what made it. His mind initially thought it was one of the Sternritter that escaped the aftermath of the war. But he quickly dismissed it. All of the Sternritter had been accounted for, their bodies now officially Mayuri's property. Examining it further, he couldn't quite make out what it was. The white matter surrounding it made the details more muddled.

Heading deeper into the room, Akon looked around to see what had been disturbed. It was clear to him that whoever came in here was no longer around. The footprints leading to a broken window attested to that theory. Looking through the boxes that had been haphazardly opened and discarded, Akon quickly found several missing items: in a box full of discarded Shihakushos, Akon did a count and found that the box was short one uniform. Amidst the other stolen items included a pair of Tabi socks and sandals, some food and a map of the Seireitei.

"I'd better inform the captains," he said before leaving, though not before getting what he came for. An intruder was bad enough. But he wouldn't dare forget his captain's items and risk his wrath.

Listening to Renji's story, Chad spoke up. "So why are you here? You said that it was a map of the Seireitei that was stolen."

"Well, Akon first thought it was a rogue Quincy. Maybe one of their foot soldiers. But then the communications department that was monitoring the Senkaimon flagged an illegal entry. Someone stole one of the Hell Butterflies and used it to guide themselves to the World of the Living."

"Who was it?"

Nanao entered the Soul Society's communications section. She had come at Kyoraku's request after one of the messengers told her that there was a situation. "What is going on?" she asked as she walked up to one of the men at the monitors.

"We were alerted to an unauthorized use of the Senkaimon, Lieutenant."

Nanao frowned behind her glasses. "What of the guards? How did they let an intruder through?"

"We've sent several men to investigate. They found the guards all unconscious. They have yet to regain consciousness. We're bringing up the data now."

A picture popped up on the monitor. Nanao leaned down to get a better look. Inside the dark Precipice World, a figure hurried through the path, guided by a Hell Butterfly, obviously stolen. Unfortunately she couldn't tell who the miscreant was. The figure wore a hood over their head. There was something on their back but it was bundled up and obscured from view.

"Do we know where they're going?"

Hitting a few buttons, the man found the trespasser's destination. "They're heading for…Karakura Town!"

Nanao paled. Was it a rogue Quincy? Out for revenge on Ichigo for killing Yhwach? "We need to alert the others. Wait…" she leaned closer when she saw something strange. "Zoom in there, on their face." When the assistant did so, she noticed an odd detail. While the hood obscured most of the face excluding the mouth, she did noticed a startling feature. "Long…orange hair?"

All eyes turned to Orihime. The girl gasped in surprise and put her hands up defensively. "It wasn't me! I haven't been to the Soul Society since we got back! I'd never hurt anyone!"

Rukia merely chuckled. "We know, Orihime. Besides, you don't have a sword. The guards at the Senkaimon said they were attacked by a hooded figure armed with a blade."

"Did they see who it was?" Ichigo asked curiously. "What was their weapon? A zanpakuto?"

"We don't know. They said they were all knocked unconscious before they saw the trespasser use their weapon. Whoever it was, they're fast."

Renji finished the story. "Head-Captain Kyoraku was worried that someone was targeting Ichigo, so he sent us to investigate and to keep you safe while you're recovering."

"Hey! I'm just fine! And besides, you two got banged up pretty bad too!"

Rukia put a hand on her friend's shoulder to stop them from arguing. "That's enough. We're all not in the best condition. But then again, nobody else is, either. But we wanted to come to make sure you guys were safe, Ichigo."

"Aww!" Orihime fawned. "Thanks, Rukia!"

No sooner did the pair finish their explanation did their phones go off. "Hollows?" Ichigo asked as they flipped their phones open. When he saw their faces turn sour he knew that something was up. "What is it?"

Uryu's finely tuned senses picked up the problem before Rukia could explain. "Hollows! And lots of them." He suddenly stood up and looked out the window. In the distance he could see a Garganta start to tear its way through the sky.

Putting her phone away, Rukia nodded. "Ever since the war with the Vandenreich left us with so few men left, the Hollows had been entering the World of the Living in droves. They want to turn the Human world into a buffet before the Thirteen Court Guard Squads get back on their feet."

Ichigo was already in his Soul Reaper form, having pushed himself out of his body with his combat pass and letting it sink back into the chair. "Then we have no time to waste!"

"What about the intruder?" Orihime asked concerned.

"It'll have to wait. Our first priority is protecting Karakura Town. Besides, if the intruder is after you guys, then it's for the best if we're closer to you."

Opening the window, Ichigo charged at the window and headed for the encroaching Garganta, followed by his five friends.

Unbeknownst to Ichigo or the others, they were being watched. Outside the Kurosaki house, crouched in the shadows, a hooded figure looked at the team as they left to fight Hollows. The figure's eyes laid squarely on the Substitute Soul Reaper, recognizing him from the images its birthing matter fed it.

"Ichigo…Kurosaki…" it said, tasting the name in its mouth. Gripping the weapon on its hip, the figure leapt out of the shadows and followed the group, taking care to lag behind enough to make sure they didn't realize that the experiment was following them.

Sometime later…

"Huh, you know…I thought this'd be harder," Ichigo said as he cut down another Hollow with ease, his longsword slicing through its mask.

Chad crushed one Hollow with his master fist before blasting another. "We have gone through a lot since you became a Soul Reaper."

"He's right." Uryu unleashed a volley and destroyed several Hollows at once. "Between the Soul Society, the Espadas, Aizen and the Vandenreich we've grown exponentially. Even a hoard of Hollows like this feels trivial after all that."

The group made it to the Garganta just as massive hoard of Hollows descended on the town. What the hungry creatures were not expecting, however, was the team of Soul Reapers and Humans waiting for it. Fighting on top of a wide rooftop, Ichigo and his friends went to work and engaged the Hollows. Even though they were recovering from their injuries, minus Uryu since he healed himself by transferring his wounds to Haschwalth, Ichigo and his friends were still more than capable to fight simple Hollows.

Out of the Garganta emerged a massive snake-like Hollow. The monster hissed at the pair and shivered, its scales bristling before erupting from its body. "Whoa!" Orihime cried out before protecting everyone with her shield. The scales bounced off the shield and landed on the ground, littering the rooftop with countless white scales. Chad charged past the shield and fired an El Directo at the Hollow. The Hollow was unable to dodge and was obliterated.

"Nice save, Orihime!" Rukia praised.

"Thanks!" Orihime giggled back before noticing the scales were starting to move. "Guys! Look!"

Everyone watched as the scales came to life, forming a whole army of small insectoid Hollows. "Looks like we're not out of the woods yet," Ichigo said, quickly drawing his shortsword.

"So let's cut the down!" Renji held his sword up and unleashed his Shikai. "Roar: Zabimaru!" His whip-blade slashed at the nearest insect Hollow, cutting it in half. "They may outnumber us but they're still Hollows. Cut them down!"

"Right!"

Rukia took a stance. "Dance: Sode no Shirayuki!" Her sword transformed into its more beautiful form. "Tsukishiro!" She jumped away from a group of insects as they lunged for her, the area where she was standing lighting up in a bright circle and freezing them into oblivion.

Chad found himself surround on all sides. Slamming his fists together, he called upon the full power of his Fullbring. "Brazo Derecho Del Gigante. Brazo Izquierda Del Diablo." Bring up his shield, he swatted away one of the attacking creatures before destroying it with a blast, repeating this process over and over.

Orihime saw a trio of insect Hollows coming right at her. "Koten Zanshun! I Reject!" She summoned Tsubaki and sent him whirling towards them, cutting them to ribbons. Hearing sounds behind her, she found more of them trying to flank her and readied her hairpins again. "Santen Kesshun!" She blocked one of the Hollows strikes and sent Tsubaki to destroy them again.

Taking to the air with Hirenkyaku, Uryu summoned his new bow and picked them off one by one. He was taken aback when he saw five of the Hollow slam themselves together to fuse into a hideous bigger insectoid. "So they can merge together. That must be how that bigger Hollow can reproduce. We'd better destroy them all before it can come back." He fired another volley and destroyed the bigger insectoid before it could grow further.

The hotheaded Renji and Ichigo were working together, cutting down the creatures one after the other. "Think that thing's the last of the Hollows to come through?" Ichigo asked as he chopped one in half.

"How should I know? Just focus on destroying the ones here. We'll get Kisuke to deal with the Garganta after this." He hurled Zabimaru at another Hollow and cut through it. "There, that's the last one."

After defeating the hoard, the six reconvened. "Looks like that's that," Ichigo smiled as he put away his swords.

"Looks like it. We'll have to be on guard for a while though. Like we said, more and more Hollows are coming in hoards to try to get the jump on the Soul Reapers," Rukia said before sealing her sword.

While the group was celebrating their victory, they didn't realize that one last insectoid Hollow still remained, hiding in the shadow of a water tower. Looking over at the group, it noticed the Human with the strange arms off its guard and prepared itself. Knowing it wouldn't get a better chance, the Hollow jumped from its hiding spot and aimed its sharp appendages at Chad's back.

Ichigo saw the white blur out of the corner in his eye and gasped. "Chad!" He reached for his shortsword. "Behind-"

"Getsuga Tensho!"

Out of nowhere came a crescent-shaped beam of energy that intercepted the Hollow, obliterating it into atoms. Everyone immediately drew their weapons in alarm and looked around. "That…that was a Getsuga Tensho!" Orihime gasped, confused as everyone else. "But Ichigo was standing right here!"

Looking around, Rukia saw a figure on a nearby rooftop and pointed. "I believe we found our intruder."

Ichigo gripped his sword tighter as the figure came into his view. The mystery intruder wore a plain Shihakusho with a wide black hood that obscured their face. His confusion grew, however, when he saw what the person was holding in their hand. "That's…"

"That's Ichigo's Zangetsu blade!" Uryu exclaimed.

All eyes turned to the sword in Ichigo's hand and back to the intruder's. It was an exact copy of Ichigo's shortsword. "But how?!" Chad gasped. "Is it a Reigai?"

"No. Kageroza never created a Reigai of Ichigo because he couldn't replicate Ichigo's spirit energy," Rukia reminded. Her eyes narrowed as she got a better look at the intruder. Like everyone else she initially thought it was a Reigai. 'But this person is thinner than Ichigo.'

Uryu likewise caught a similar detail. 'This person's spirit energy feels similar to Ichigo's but something feels…off. What is he? Wait…" His sharp eyes saw something else. 'The intruder's hands. They're more…slender like Rukia's or Orihime's. A woman?'

Renji stepped forward and pointed Zabimaru at the stranger. "Identify yourself! Who are you? Why did you trespass through the Senkaimon?!" he demanded with authority.

The stranger looked from person to person until their eyes rested on a certain Substitute Soul Reaper. "Ichigo Kurosaki…" it said in a low voice.

Everyone jumped in surprise when the figure Flashstepped over to the rooftop and calmly walked over to them. Renji and Rukia immeideatly put themselves between the stranger and Ichigo. "Why are you after Ichigo?" Rukia demanded. "Why do you have his Zangetsu?"

"Zan…getsu?" it repeated, looking down at the blade in its hands. "Is that…what this is? Everything…is muddled…"

Too confused by the stranger's actions, Ichigo pushed past his friends and stood in front of the stranger. "That's enough! Who are you?"

"Ichigo…Kurosaki."

"Yes, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki." Getting agitated, Ichigo grabbed the stranger's hood and pulled it up. "Now who the hell…are…you?" Ichigo's voice trailed off and his eyes widened to their limit when he got a look at the person's face. Everyone gasped at the same time when they finally say who had joined them.

Ichigo was looking at…himself…as a woman!

Standing a few inches shorter than the original, the experiment looked like what Ichigo would have become if he'd been born the opposite gender. Her long orange hair trailed down her shoulders while she stared at him with dark brown eyes. Up close, Ichigo could see that the girl was slender than him, her chest just as big as Orihime's. Looking at the object on her back, everyone realized that it was the same wrapped up Zangetsu longsword that Ichigo had.

"What…" Ichigo stumbled backwards, the shock more than he could bear. "What are you?!"

The experiment put a hand to her chest before pointing at him.

"I'm you. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

To be continued

A.N.: Sorry for the long delay. Will try to update more frequently. As always please R&R.