A while ago.
Night approached fast in the town of Karakura. And the sun had begun to sink into the horizon, making way for the moon to shine in all its glory.
While that was true for most people in the town, it was not the case for those with spiritual power.
For the spiritually-attuned individuals who could see the world beyond their sight, it was the time to take their duties.
Hollows weren't actually more active at night or anything. No, they present all the time, looking for souls they can consume. They didn't have a schedule, nor did they care about the time. They would appear when they found their target, whether day or night.
Still, that didn't mean that they were completely unpredictable.
Hollows were creatures that lived off negative emotions and they were attracted to them like bees were attracted to honey.
So if one were to make an emotional event in the night, like a party, the Hollow would come swarming. Ghosts also loved night time for similar reasons.
Which meant, if someone were to cause an emotional event at the night, it could be a disaster for them. Hollows would come, looking to feed off of the emotions that would come from the party.
And that's what happened here.
A hollow had just appeared nearby.
A small one, but Ichigo couldn't exactly ignore it. He was a Shinigami after all, so he had to take care of it.
"I have to take care of that Hollow," he said, sighing deeply. He took out a candy from his pocket, and popped it in his mouth.
Instantly, his soul got separated from his body. The husk without soul became lifeless, so he had to hide it before moving toward the hollow he felt in the distance.
Ichigo jumped to the top of the nearest building and ran as fast as he could, leaping from one building to another.
Soon, he found the hollow. He took out his Zanpakutou, preparing for the battle that would come.
The hollow he found resembled a frog with a tail and was as big as a bicycle, with sharp fangs and claws. It was chasing the soul of a young girl. Ichigo didn't think twice about his decision as he leapt forward to save her from the monster.
"Look out!"
He swung his blade at the Hollow, cutting its tail with one swing.
It screeched loudly in pain as black blood spilled on the ground.
Without waiting for any second, Ichigo then stabbed his zanpakuto through the head of the hollow, killing it instantly.
He quickly went toward the soul, "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yes..." She answered with tears on her face.
Ichigo nodded at the answer and helped her to stand.
"You can't stay like this." He explained to the frightened soul. "If you do, more of those things will come after you. I will send you to a better place."
"Better place?" The soul asked, looking at the Shinigami in orange-hair. Her eyes were filled with hope and desperation.
"Soul Society. That's a place for soul like you to go after your death."
"Is it... A good place?" She asked.
Ichigo paused. His expression was unreadable as he looked down at her with an emotionless look in his brown orbs.
Was it really a good place to go to? The answer would depend on each individual, but Ichigo could tell her one thing.
"Yes." He answered firmly, his face showing nothing but certainty. "It's a peaceful place to live in. Far better than being hunted down by Hollows, I assure you."
His words seemed to have a calming effect on her. Her eyes were filled with tears of happiness now as she nodded. "I understand. I'll trust you then."
She closed her eyes as Ichigo raised his zanpakutou and touched her forehead with the end of his sword, sending her to Soul Society.
"Thank you very much..." Were her last words.
He watched her disappear, and let out a soft sigh.
Sheathing his sword on his back, he looked at the night sky. Stars flickered across the sky, shining brightly against the black canvas. They were so far away, but yet they still managed to look so bright.
And there, standing in the sky, was a blond-haired guy who just transferred to his class.
Ichigo's eyes widened when he saw him, surprised to see someone like that in the sky. "You! What are you doing here?"
The blonde grinned, "I'm glad you noticed me." He said cheerfully.
His bangs covered most of his eyes, obscuring his facial expression. Yet despite his smile, there was something sinister behind it, something that made Ichigo feel wary.
The teen frowned deeply at his sudden appearance.
Shinji then pointed his finger to Ichigo and introduced himself, "Is it so strange that I am here? After all, it's not like I am a stranger in this area."
After saying so, Shinji put his hand above his face and swiped down. At his motion, a white mask appeared covering his face, something that Ichigo was very familiar with.
The orange-haired Shinigami's eyes widened in surprise.
An arrancar?
Wait no. Arrancar had a part of their mask permanently on their face and a hole in their body.
However, Shinji looked perfectly like a human save for that mask. He was familiar with it, but the one Shinji wore looked a little different.
He hid it from his brother and never talked about it with anyone else, but...
'It's similar to this.' He caressed the mask he had inside his shihakusho. It was a secret he kept from everyone, a part of him he never talked to anyone about.
He didn't remember where it came from or how he got it. But it felt familiar, as if it was something he should know.
"It can't be..."
"Hollowfication," Shinji answered, as if knowing what Ichigo wanted to ask. He smirked behind his mask. "You have it too, right? Come on, show me your mask. Don't hide it from me. Let me see that Hollow inside of you, Kurosaki Ichigo-kun."
He didn't expect to get an answer to that question, especially not from a stranger.
"Wha-"
Before the orange haired teen could say anything else, Shinji appeared in front of him, kicking Ichigo away.
Ichigo was sent flying into a wall, the impact causing him to cough blood. He quickly picked himself up and grabbed his sword.
His opponent grinned.
"Your reaction time is bad, Kurosaki-kun."
He swung his blade toward Shinji, who blocked the attack with a bare hand.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Ichigo retorted. "What are you anyway? Are you an Arrancar?"
Shinji chuckled in amusement. "No no no, you're wrong. I am not an arrancar." He corrected, "We are Visored."
Visored.
The term referred to a group of people who had achieved hollowfication.
Their past was currently unknown, and Ichigo didn't know anything about them.
"Visored... So you are not an Arrancar? Then, are you a Shinigami? That sword... It's a zanpakutou."
"I guess you can say so." He chuckled again, and his smile turned wider, "But well, please don't associate me with those idiots at Soul Society. I am different from them. You and I... We are the same. A Shinigami that had a Hollow inside him. And the one that had it is called Visored."
Shinji moved fast, and Ichigo blocked it just barely with his sword. Their swords clashed against one another, and Ichigo gritted his teeth as he struggled against his opponent's strength. He couldn't believe how strong he was.
"Come, show me your mask!"
Shinji had just used a single hand to hold the sword while Ichigo had both hands to grip the hilt tightly. Still, the orange-haired teen was pushed back slightly.
"Like hell I am!" Ichigo roared in anger.
He put strength to his leg, pushing his body forward and swinging the sword to Shinji's side.
Shinji easily jumped away to dodge the attack.
While he was taking a distance, Ichigo took this chance to make his move.
Gripping his swords with one hand and the other hand holding his own wrist, his reiatsu surged around his body.
"Ban- kai!"
In an instant, his zanpakutou was wrapped in a reiatsu that took the form of a black blade. His shihakushou changed into a long, black coat with red lining.
The orange-haired Shinigami leapt forward and swung his blade toward Shinji.
The latter had a grin on his face, but he was forced to block the attack with his sword.
"Getsuga..."
A massive amount of black and red reiatsu gathered on his blade, forming an arc shape.
"...Tenshou!"
As he finished saying, he slashed the air, releasing an attack that sent Shinji crashing down on a nearby building.
Ichigo jumped into the air to go to the same building as the man, his eyes narrowed. He landed on a place not far from where the building was destroyed, and looked at his enemy.
Shinji, the guy in charge of all this mess, was not there.
Instead, he was behind him, unmasked with his sword pointed at his neck.