The Strawberry Arrancar

Chapter 1

Kisuke raises an eyebrow at Ichigo's new form.

"Well then, at least you weren't entirely too late." He says, amused. "You still gained some Shinigami powers. You're just more Hollow than Shinigami."

Ichigo looks down at his Hollow hole, then at Urahara, then back at his Hollow hole, then back at Kisuke. This repeats a few times until, suddenly...

"Hat and clogs, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?"

Kisuke chuckles. "That, my friend, is the result of you turning fully into a Hollow before regaining your Shinigami powers. You're a sort of hybrid of the two, now, though there's more Hollow in you than Shinigami. You're what's known as an Arrancar, a Hollow that has undergone shinigamification and gained a Zanpakuto of their own alongside a human form. You're a naturally formed one, too, and those are quite rare. Based on your reiatsu, I'd say that you're a Vasto Lorde class one, too, which proves my theory that Vasto Lordes form naturally when a human with potent reiatsu becomes a Hollow, rather than by them eating other Hollows to become one." He explains, though he lost Ichigo early on in his explanation, the young man having gotten caught up on the fact that he's a Hollow now.

"You mean to tell me that-" Ichigo begins, only for Kisuke to interrupt him.

"You're a soul-eating monster who also happens to possess a Zanpakuto and the powers of a Shinigami? Yes." The shop owner/semi-retired scientist says without missing a beat. Kisuke then pulls a sword out of his cane and points it at Ichigo. "Now then, let's see how strong you are, shall we?"

Ichigo looks down at his Zanpakuto, then back at Kisuke. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

Suddenly, Kisuke ducks under a punch from Ichigo, who had suddenly appeared in front of him while a buzzing sound played. Kisuke glances at where Ichigo was before, and raises an eyebrow to see an afterimage of him left behind, though it quickly fades.

"Sonido already, hmm? And you were fast enough to leave behind an afterimage, too, how intriguing."

Kisuke then leaps back to avoid a stomp from Ichigo, and raises an eyebrow when he sees that Ichigo hasn't drawn his sword yet.

"Oh? Are you underestimating me? How come you haven't drawn your sword yet?"

Ichigo scoffs. "Bastard said that I can't use him until I manage to land a hit on you without you letting me, so I couldn't draw him if I wanted to."

Kisuke chuckles. "Then it'll be a long time until you can draw your sword. How unfortunate." Ichigo just glares at him.

Having decided that there had been enough banter, this time it's Kisuke who goes on the attack, moving in with speeds that Ichigo can barely keep track of. Kisuke moves so fast that Ichigo can't even dodge properly, and his arm gets severed from the elbow, only for him to instinctively channel reiryoku into the wound and regenerate it, shocking both of them.

"I can regenerate!?" Ichigo asks incredulously.

Kisuke nods. "Indeed. It's a rare ability amongst Hollows, as most sacrifice their regeneration ability in exchange for extra power, but it would seem that it is a power you possess. I would recommend that you remain careful, however, as I am fairly certain that it cannot be used to restore vital organs."

Ichigo rolls his eyes. "Of fucking course I'm going to remain careful, even if I can regenerate. Everyone has a limit to how much they can take, no exceptions. I'm not keen on finding out what mine is."

Kisuke laughs. "Fair enough!"

On a nearby Plateau

"How long have they been at it?" Yoruichi asks as she walks up behind Tessai, who is watching the fight.

"Two days. As an Arrancar, Ichigo requires neither food nor sleep, as you know." Tessai responds.

Yoruichi nods and sits down. "Yeah, but Kisuke does. He been using kido to sustain himself?"

Tessai nods. "Yes, he has."

"Has the kid managed to land a hit yet?"

Tessai shakes his head. "He has gotten close, but as of yet he has not managed to land one as of yet."

Suddenly, it happens, Yoruichi's eyes narrowing as she sees it.

Kisuke flash steps behind Ichigo, raising his sword for a downward slash, only to be met with a fist to the side as Ichigo spins while holding his fist out, the maneuver apparently catching Kisuke off-guard if his slightly widened eyes say anything as he gets sent flying into a nearby boulder.

'Interesting tactic there, Strawberry.' She thinks to herself.

Back with Ichigo and Kisuke

"About damn time!" Ichigo hears, instantly recognizing the voice as that of his Zanpakuto. "Now that you've managed to land a hit on the smug prick, I will grant you the privilege of using me in battle, now wipe that smug smile off his stupid face!"

Ichigo grins maliciously. 'With pleasure.'

Ichigo grips his Zanpakuto's handle and pulls the stark-white blade from it's sheathe. "Hey hat and clogs!" He calls out into the dust cloud that had erupted from Kisuke impacting the boulder. "This time, it's your ass that'll be getting kicked."

"Now, call out my, no, OUR name, and waste this smug asshole!"

Ichigo grips his sword with both hands. 'Whatever you say.' "Eclipse The Sun, Sol Oscuro!"