Hey guys! I'm back with the next chapter of this fanfiction! It's a bit later than I first expected but I hope you guys enjoy it anyways and can someone PLEASE reivew!!!!!!!!!!! Even if it's just a one or two word review please -makes puppy eyes-
Anyways, on with the chapter!

-o0o-

Chapter 3: When the protector becomes a Shinigami

-o0o-

As Akira and Ichigo passed through the school gates after final bell they heard the sound of Tatsuki yelling in the destance.

"What do you think Chizuru did this time?" Akira asked, turning his head upwards to look at his (slightly!) older brother.

"The usual," Ichigo replied. "Probably flirting with Inoue." Akira shook his head.

"You'd think the girl would get a clue after the fifth beating," he commented as they rounded a corner, heading towards the street where the ghost would be waiting for them. "I mean, what is it gunna take for her to realise that Tatsuki won't let her near Inoue?"

"Who knows," Ichigo commented before the pair lapsed into a comfortable silence. A lot of their time was spent like this, just in silence. They were both comfortable with it and it was familiar. When Akira had first come to live with them it had taken a while for him to ajust. Ichigo had barely ever left his side. Akira hadn't known the language so they couldn't really talk to each other so a lot of the time had been spent in silence, sometimes drawing or playing a game or even just staring up at the sky and day dreaming. It was their rutine and they liked it.

When Masaki had died they had spent even more time together, if that were possible, and their bond had grown stronger. It was almost a physical connection, a thick rope tying the two together.

As they neared the street where they would meet the ghost Akira looked around him. Good, there was no one watching. At a nod from Ichigo Akira pulled out his wand and muttered a spell quietly under his breath. Immediately a bunch of light blue and white flowers appeared in his other hand. He looked at his handy work before slipping his wand carefully into teh hidden pouch of his sleeve.

Most of the magical folk in Japan carried wands but few chose to use them after they completed their education. You see unlike most wizarding nations the Japanese government believed that to stunt the growth of a magical core by using a wand too often was to dampen the potential of the magical child in question. Wands were used for the first few years and then afterwards the child would slowly be weened off of them, like a baby being weened off of it's mother's milk. As it got stronger it no longer needed the nutrients from the mother to survive. As the wizards increased in age and experience they no longer needed the wand to direct their magic as often. When they reached the age of fourteen or fifteen they were only required to use their wand for advanced classes and for delicate work, such as runes or blood and ritual magic. As Akira had opted for advanced Transfiguration he had to use his wand to conjure items from thin air. It was much more difficult than simply transforming one object into another and so required a wand to help direct the magic in the correct way. By the end of the course he would be expected to complete the exam without the use of his wand at all. But I digress. Lets get back to the story at hand.

As the pair reached the street that connected to the Alley where the girl lived they heard a strange sound. It was somewhere between a growl and a hiss. Akira looked around but he couldn't see where it was coming from. It was a low sound and it sent chills up both teen's spines.

"What was that?" Akira asked.

"I don't know," Ichigo replied. "But I'm gunna find out. Stay here." He began making his way towards the source of the noise, the alley way where the kid ghost 'lived'.

"Like Hell I am," Akira replied flatly before making his way after his big brother. Ichigo cast an annoyed look at him but didn't try and force the issue. Akira could defend himself just as well as Ichigo could, maybe a little better with his magic added into the mix, so he wouldn't stop him. That didn't change the fact that he wanted to but Akira wouldn't grow if he shielded him from everything, he'd learned that a few years ago. All his brotherly instincts told him to keep Akira back but he ignored them for now, better to keep him close in case he needed to shield his little brother.

Anyway, back to the present situation. As the pair approached the alley way they suddenly heard a sharp cry. It sounded like the kid. Abandoning all pretense of stealth the pair rushed forward and entered the alley way.

What they saw made them freeze in their tracks like they'd suddenly hit an invisible wall.

The creature before them was hideous. It nearly reached the height of the surrounding four story buildings. Itw as a dark grey in colour and it's long, rope like limbs ended in deadlylooking claws. There was a gaping hole in the creature's chest, right where the heart should have been. Yet it was the face that drew the most attention. While the rest of the creature was a dark grey in colour the face was bone white. They eyes were a sickly yellow and glaring with a deep hatred buring in their molton depths. The mouth of the creature was disgusting, two rows of razor sharp teeth stretched into a permenant malicious leer. Right now the creature's sights were set on the small ghost covering near the entrance of the alley, trying desparately to hide behind a garbage can. As the girl spotted them she let out a frightened cry and leapt up, running towards them with all the strength she posessed in her thin limbs.

The creature, taking note of it's fleeing meal, let out a howl, if it can be called that. The sound reverberated around them and sent a shiver down Akira and Ichigo's spines. As the girl ran the ten feet that separated them Ichigo grabbed Akira's arm. Akira grabbed the girl's hand as she reached them and together the trio began racing towards the street, determined to escape the alley. The creature let out another shriek as they ran and gave chase, one of it's arms barely brushing a building and sending glass adn brick flying as window and wall alike crumbled.

"Come on!" Ichigo told the pair. "We have a chance if we can get outta here! Move it!"

They heard a sound from behind them and the sudden destraction caused the girl to stumble and fall. Ichigo cursed and turned to help Akira lift her to her feet. What the brothers saw made their eyes open and they bodies freeze in shock.

Standing between them and the hollow was a girl. She was a few inches shorter than Akira and had black hair that passed her shoulders with a single long strand running down the centre of her face. Her eyes were a dark blue and she was glaring at the creature in front of her. It was her outfit though that really caught their attention. She wore a pair of black hakama with a white sash around her waste with a kimono top covering her upper half along with Zori (sandals) and tabi (socks that separate the big toe from the four smaller toes). What really shocked them was that she carried a sword and was pointing it straight at the creature.

Before the sight before them could fully register the girl jamp into the air and raised her sword before slashing down, cutting a clean line down the centre of the creature's face. It let out a howl of pain as it's face disintigrated and it colapsed to the ground, dissappearing in whispy vapours.

The girl sheathed her sword. Ichigo tried to call out to her but she igonred him and quickly exited the alley way the same way she came, be jumping from ledge to ledge until she reached the top of th enearest building.

"Okay," Akira sais faintly. "What the hell just happened here?"

-o0o-

Later that night Ichigo and Akira lay in their separate beds with the lights turned off. Moonlight filtered through the window, casting a faint bluish glow about the room. It was around Ten O'Clock at night and all seemed peaceful in the house. Yuzu was in the kitchen, giving it a final clean before she went to bed and Karin was probably watching the TV, flicking through the channels for something decent to watch. Their dad, they didn't really want to know what he was up to.

"Any clue what that thing was?" Ichigo asked Akira.

"Not a clue," he replied dissappointedly. He'd looked through all of his magical creature books and he couldn't find hide nor hair of the creature. "I can't believe I couldn't find anything. You'd think someone would notice if a giant thing like that walked down the street."

"Well," Ichigo thought out loud. "It could see the ghost so maybe it's a ghost itself."

"But a ghost of what?" Akira asked him, turning to face Ichigo who was staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't know," Ichigo replied. "But I don't like it. That girl we saw..." He trailed off, thinking back to the events in the alley way. "She cut through it's face like it was nothing, then just dissappeared."

"It was weird," Akira agreed. "Do you think we'll ever see her again?"

"Who knows," Ichigo replied before turning his head to look out the window, his eyes trained firmly on the moon as it hovered in the midnight blue sky. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"You're probably right," Akira agreed. "What are the chances we'll see her again anyway? "

You'd think he would have learned something by now wouldn't you? If he had then he would have known never to say something like that, especially with this intrepid authoress around.

-o0o-

On the other side of the street from the Kurosaki Clinic a figure stood poised on the end of a roof, the girl from earlier.

"It's close," she whispered to herself. "I can feel it." Her eyes took in his surroundings with a calculating look and settled on the building just oposite her. "There!"

-o0o-

"What the Hell?"

Akira awoke from his light dozing and turned to look at his brother. It had been Ichigo's exclaimation that had broken his out of his almost-sleep. What he saw made his breath catch in hos throat.

Standing on the desk between their beds was the same girl from earlier today. In the blue light cast by the moon her skin looked even paler than it had in the sunlight and it glinted off her sword as she held it losely by her side. Her face was set in a frown and her eyes were scanning the room intently, looking for something maybe? Akira wasn't sure. Ichigo was trying to get her attention but it wasn't working, she probably thought that Ichigo was talking to him (Akira) as she didn't expect a living person to be able to see her. She was a ghost after all, or at least he thought she was a ghost. What else could she be?

"Hey!" Ichigo was still calling to her but she was, as before, ignoring him.

"It's close," she whispered to herself, taking no heed of the teenagers in the room.

"What's close?" Akira asked.

"But where is it?" She asked herself. Ichigo's eye began to twitch.

"I know it's around here but where?"

"That's it!" Ichigo growled before jumping out of bed and delivering a sweep kick to the girl's stomach, knocking her off of the table and on to the floor between their beds. For a moment she just lay there, eyes open in shock as she stared at the two teenagers leaning over her, one looking annoyed and the other concerned.

"Are you alright?" Akira asked her, stretching out a hand to her to help her up.

"You can see me?" She breathed, her eyes wide with shock. "But how? You're just humans, how is it that you can see me?"

"Beats us," Akira replied. "We've always been able to see ghosts."

"Always?" the girl replied. "But, that shouldn't be possible."

"Doesn't change the fact that it's the truth," Ichigo told her, still annoyed. "Now, mind telling us what you were mumbling to yourself?"

Immediately the girl's face changed, becoming harder and she lost her slightly scared look. "That is none of your concern," she replied crisply, ignoring Akira's offered hand and hauling herself to her feet.

"Okay, fine," Akira told her before Ichigo could put his foot in it, so to speak. "But can you at least tell us what you are? I mean, there's no way you're a normal ghost right? Normal ghosts don't dress like that and they definitely don't carry swords around. And what was that creature anyway? We've never seen anything like it before."

"Very well," she replied. She looked them both in the eye, maintaining contact for a few seconds before breaking it. "I am a Shinigami."

There was total and utter silencei n the room, no one spoke, no one even moved. Akira and Ichigo stared at the girl, now known as a shinigami. Finally it was Ichigo that broke the silence.

"Mind giving us some details?" He asked her, scepticism clear in his voice. Akira gave him a slightly annoyed look before turning back tot he female.

And so the girl, now known as a Shinigami, began her story, starting from the beginning and telling the two teenagers about the duties and responsibilities of a Shinigami and the danger posed by Hollows, the creature that they had seen that afternoon. Finally she finished and silence decended between the three once more.

"So," began Ichigo after a minute. "You're a Shinigami?"

"Yes," Shinigami replied.

"And it's your job to hunt down these Hollows to kill them?"

"Yes,"

"And you're needed to help cross other spirits over, the ones that don't become hollows?"

"That is correct," Shinigami replied, sounding slightly annoyed.

"That all makes perfect sense," Ichigo said calmly. "Except that it's all impossible!"

"Ichigo!" Akira admonished immediately.

"Come on!" Ichigo turned to Akira, giving him one of his best 'you can't believe this crap!' looks. "Don't tell me you believe her!"

"Why not?" Akira asked him right back. "Why is it so hard to believe in Shinigami? I mean, look at me, do you think I'm impossible?"

"No!" Ichigo said immediately.

"Then what's the big deal?" Akira asked, a smirk trying to pull at the corners of his lips but he forced it down. No need to antagonize Ichigo firther after all.

"But we have proof of that!" Ichigo argued, continuing to fight the battle he already knew was a lost cause but his pride wasn't willing to admit it.

"You need proof?" Shinigami asked, a sly smirk making it's way accross her face. "Very well then, Bakudo 1: Sai!"

Immediately Ichigo found his arms pinned behind his back. He lost his banalce and fell, face first on to the carpeted floor where he lay, twitching slightly. Akira did his best to stifle his laughter but a snicker got through. Ichigo growled at him.

"Not funny!" He vehimently told his brother.

"It is from up here Ichigo," Akira replied, allowing a grin to spread accross his face. "Reminds me of that time I practiced that full body bind on you."

Now, the shinigami didn't know what he was talking about so she just asumed taht it was a family thing so ignored it. She gazed down at Ichigo, a self satisfied expression on her face.

"Proof enough for you human?" she asked him, prodding him with her toe. Ichigo growled while Akira let out another chuckle.

"Fine," Ichigo muttered, managing to rise from his position on the floor to a (barely) more dignified position on his knees.. "Lets just say that, for the purposes of this conversation, I believe that you are really a Shinigami. What are you doing in our room in the first place?"

All signs of humor drained from the female's face and she looked at the two teenagers with complete seriousness in her midnight eyes.

"I was tracking a hollow," she said finally. "It's location is around here somewhere and as I came closer I detected a strong reiatsu. I asumed taht it belonged to a spirit, they are the only beings able to pocess reiatsu after all, but instead I find you two."

"Do you know where the hollow is now?" Akira asked, ignoring the reiatsu part for now. These hollows sounded dangerous. That one from earlier had been huge! Who knows what damage another one of those ghings could do.

"I lost track of it becuase of the reiatsu," the Shinigami replied, a slightly self concious look on her face.

"Can you track it again?" Ichigo asked her, pulling himself up to sit on his bed.

"I believe so but it will take time. The reitasu is clouding the air, making it harder to sense the hollow's presence."

Just then there was a crash from downstairs and a howl like sound floated to their ears. Well, perhaps floated wasn't the right word for it. It was more like it tore at their ear drums and gave them minor headaches. Ichigo looked at Akira and they both turned to look at the Shinigami who had frozen in place, her eyes going wide as a realisation hit her.

"What was that?" Akira asked, looking to their door.

"I don't know," Ichigo replied. "But I don't like it."

Another crash sounded from downstairs along with a small cry.

"Yuzu!" Ichigo and Akira exclaimed. They both jumped to their feet but Ichigo over balanced and landed on the ground again. He cursed under his breath before trying to pull himself back up. That did not sound good.

"It's here," the Shinigami whispered. "How could I have missed it?"

"What's here?" Akira asked, looking at her. Suddenly his eyes widened as realisation dawned. "The hollow," he whispered. "Its here isn't it?" The Shinigami nodded. That was all it took for ichigo to leap to his feet and make his way towards the door.

"Wait!" the Shinigami called after him. "You can't go out there. You may be able to see spirits but you are not a shinigami. You can't fight a hollow!"

"That's my family down there!" Ichigo snarled at her. "I'm not just gunna stay up here nice and safe and leave them down there! Not a chance!"

Just before Ichigo reached the door it opened to reveal Karin. Her face was pale and her eyes large.

"Ichigo," she breathed. "Downstairs...Yuzu...help." With that she colapsed. If Ichigo hadn't been so close he wouldn't have been able to catch her slightly. He was unable to hold her because of the binding spell on his arms so he supported her with his chest until Akira came over to gently settle her on the floor.

"That settles it!" Akira growled, a fire blazing in his eyes. "There is no way that thing is getting away with this."

"No!" the Shinigami told them firmly. "I'm going to deal with this. You two stay here. You'll only get in the way."

With that she quickly unsheathed her sword (which they now knew was a Zanpakto) and raced out of the room, careful to avoid trodding on Kari's prone form. Akira lookea at Ichigo, who still had his arms pinned behind his back, and took off after the Shinigami.

Ichigo cursed (In Japanese and English) before rushing forward and overbalancing and falling. Letting out another stream of curses he picked himself up and charged down the stairs.

As Akira charged down the stiars he noticed that he'd left his wand on the bed side table. Silently cursing he continued his descent down the stiars, no time to go back for it now. As he raced down the stiars he saw it. The creature was hideous. It's skin was a dark grey like the last creature and it's face was a disgusting leer. Right now it held Yuzu in it's clawed grasp, it's tongue running over its sharp teeth.

"Leave her alone!" Akira shouted, coming to a stop, his body in a ready stance in case he had to move quickly. The hollow looked over at him and if possible its leer became even more demented.

"What's this I see?" it asked, it's voice dark and eerie. Akira felt a shiver run up his spine but he stood his ground. "Now that's more like it. I need a decent meal, not this little snack here. Perhaps I'll finish her off before I move onto you eh boy? I'll save the other one for desert."

Akira growled before firing off a stunner. The red light passed through the hollow without scratching it. Akira's eyes widened. That wasn't good. The hollow let out a mad cackling sound.

"You'll need to do better than that if you want to hurt me boy," the hollow taunted. Akira grabbed the closest item, a chair, and hurled it at the hollow. The chair hit the arm holding Yuzu and the hollow let out a yelp of pain before dropping the girl. So the physical object hurt him but the spell didn't.

Just then the Shinigami appeared and quickly ran towards Yuzu and caught her. She turned back to look at Akira who quickly took Yuzu from her, checking her vitals and sighing with relief. She'd just fainted.

Just then Ichigo appeared at the top of the stairs. His hands were still bound behind his back and he was glaring daggers at the hollow. Akira could see that he was trying, in vain, to break free of the spell holding his arms behind his back.

"Get back!" The Shinigami told him. "You cannot face a hollow! Do not try and break free! The force of it will tear your soul appart!"

Ichigo paid her no mind however as he continued to struggle to break free. His glare intensified as he stared at teh hollow.

"What's this?" the Hollow jeered. "Another tasty snack? Well well, I'm spoilt for choice. Should I go for you or that other boy, both would make good choices wouldn't you say boy?"

That was definitely the wrong thing to say.

Ichigo growled at the Hollow before closing his eyes and re-doubling his efforts to break free of the kidou. As Akira and the Shinigami stared at him they saw tendrils of blue-ish energy begin to swirl around his body. Ichigo's teeth were gritted and his body was trembling slightly.

"Don't!" the Shinigami cried as she watched him. "You'll kill yourself!"

Ichigo gave a final hard pull, breaking the Kidou and causing the spiritual energy around him to explode, the tendrils stretching away from him before fading into nothingness.

"What is this?" the Shinigami whispered, almost too quietly for Akira to hear. "How did he do that? It shoudl not be possible for a non-shinigami, much less a human, to break free of a Kidou. This is unheard of."

Ichigo smirked as he stood up fully, now free of the Kidou and glared at the Hollow.

"Here I come, ready or not!" He yelled at the hollow before charging straight at the beast.

The hollow let out a roar and batted Ichigo away with one of its massive clawed hands. Ichigo flew back and landed hard against a wall.

"Ichigo!" Akira called out as he quickly made his way towards his brother, Yuzu still in his arms.

"I'm fine," Ichigo told him through gritted teeth. He strugged to stand up, using the wall as support as he glared at the hollow. The hollow in question let out a laugh like sound before raising it's hand and thrusting forward. Akira closed his eyes as Ichigo pushed him adn Yuzu down. They waited for the attack to come. Instead they heard a pained cry from above them. Akira looked up and stared in shock. The Shinigami had taken the hit.

"Idiots," she wheezed as the hollow drew it's hand back. "I told you you weren't a match for the hollow. Why didn't you listen to me?" She coughed harshly then.

"Can you still fight?" Akira asked her worriedly. That injury of here did not look good.

"No," she replied solemly. "I am too injured to fight. One of you must do it."

"What?" Ichigo exclaime. "I thought you said we weren't strong enough to beat it!"

"As you are now you are no match for it," the Shinigami told them. "But there is a way, a way that will allow you to save your family."

"How?" Ichigo demanded immediately.

"One of you must become a Shinigami," she said bluntly. Her face was grave and there was no sign of falsehood to be seen in her face.

"One of us...become a shinigami?" Akira asked, his mind working quickly. Didn't you have to be dead for that to happen? "How does that work?"

"I will temporarily be able to transfer some of my power to one of you," she explained. "It will not last long but it should be enough for you to defeat the Hollow. Which one of you will it be?"

Ichigo looked at Akira. From the look in his younger brother's eyes he wanted to do it but Ichigo could not allow that. He had promised to protect Akira with his life when he was younger and he was going to keep that promise, no matter what. He looked back at the Shinigami, determination burning deeply in his brown eyes.

"I'll do it," he said with total conviction. "How do I gain your powers?"

"Take my Zanpakto and stab it through your chest," she instructed. "My power will pass to you through my blade."

"Ichigo," Akira said, worry clear in his voice. "You don't have to, I an always do i-"

"Not a chance Otouto (little brother)," Ichigo told him sternly. His brown eyes bore into Akira's emerald ones. "I'm not putting you in that much danger."

"I'm already in danger!" Akira told him hotly.

"That's not what I mean and you know it!" Ichigo replied vehimently. "Look after Yuzu okay?" His voice had softened and Akira could see the unspoken request in his brother's eyes. If he didn't survive this then he wanted Akira to look after the family for him. Akira closed his eyes in defeat and gave a silent nod of acceptance. Ichigo smiled at his brother before turning back to the Shinigami.

"Now, give me your sword Shinigami," he told her, his voice ringing with finality. At that point the Hollow gave a deafening roar, it's patience wearing thin. The shinigami let a small smile cross her face as she looked at the orange haired teenager.

"Take it," she told him. "And it isn't 'Shinigami'. My name is Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki."

Ichigo returned the smile as he lifed the sword, setting the tip just above his chest.

"Well then, Rukia Kuchiki, lets hope that this isn't our last meeting." With taht he slammed the sword down, piercing his chest. A wave of spiritual pressure exploded from Ichigo and he was enveloped in smoke and light along with Rukia. Akira and Yuzu were blown back slightly by the force of it and they landed against the adjacent wall. Akira accidentally banged his arm against the sharp remains of a chair and caused a jagged gash to appear, running from his elbow to mid way to his wrist but he ignored it, his focus completely on the spot where Ichigo had dissappeared from view. As the smoke began to clear Akira felt his jaw go slack and his eyes widen.

Ichigo's outfit had changed. Now he was wearing a pair of hakama held up by a white sash along with tabi and zori (the socks and the sandles). He was wearing a black kimono like top and part of a white version could be seen underneath. That wasn't what Akira was staring at though. Accross Ichigo's back was one of the biggest swords he had ever seen. It was roughly the height of Ichigo's body, probably a little more as it was in a sheath that went horozontally accross Ichigo's back. It was held there by a red chain like thing that went over Ichigo's right shoulder. A smirk was on his face as he stared at the hollow. Akira could practically feel the energy pulsating around his older brother. Then he turned his attention to Rukia.

She was staring at Ichigo with a look of complete and total shock on her face but that wasn't what caught his eye. Instead of her black Shinigami uniform (or at least he asumed that it was some kind of uniform) she was clothed all in white and her sword had vanished, dissappeared completely with no trace left whatsoever.

"How is this possible?" she whispered, looking down at her white clothes body. "I only meant to give him half of my power at the most, how did he take it all?"

"Are you alright? Akira asked her, concern in his voice. Did the draining of power effect her in any way?

"I am fine," she replied absently, still staring at Ichigo. "But, how is this even possible? Not to mention the sheer size of his blade. I have never heard of a Zanpakto that size before."

"Ichigo is known for being unique," Akira told her, a small smirk crossing his face at the mention of his brother. There was no one around quite like Ichigo. If Rukia stuck around then she'd find that out first hand.

The hollow took the time to study Ichigo before lunging, it's mouth opening in a snarl as it charged towards the teenager. Ichigo moved, almost quicker than the eye could see, and unsheathed the giant sword from his back. Leaping into the air he used it to cleave the Hollow's left arm off. The creature let out a roar of pain before lunging at Akira, hoping for an easier meal. Ichigo did not approve of this.

"This is for attacking my family!" he yelled as he brought his Zanpakto down, slicing clean through the white as bone face of the hollow. The creature let out a screech/howl sound before it seemed to implode upon itself and dissappeared.

"It's over," Ichigo said tiredly, the adrenaline rush fading from his system leaving only tiredness behind.

"Nice job Ichigo," Akira told him, a small, proud smile pulling at the corners of his lips. Looks like Ichigo lived up to his name after all.

-o0o-

As always feedback is highly appreciated!