Save Me from the Dark (Old)

Pride

All rights for the characters go to Tite Kubo!

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"So it's the same procedure as last time except we have guests. Got it Ichigo?" Shinji questioned.

"Yeah." Ichigo replied blankly.

A week ago Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of Squad Ten had told him and Orihime of the impending threat of Tousen and what was left of the Espada. Ichigo reasoned it was about time to start training to get his hollow under control again, so it was, in a way, a win-win situation. So here he stood about to unleash his full hollow while two of his best friends were sitting not to far away. As uneasy as he felt there was not much he could do, they were determined to help in any and every way they could during the training. Orihime being here to train with Hachigen really put him on edge. Even though she needed help with the Shun Shun Rikka, Ichigo wished she hadn't accepted Hachi's offer.

"Ichigo, focus!" Shinji called, awakening Ichigo from his thoughts.

"Hachi's puttin' up the barrier, so you need to get your butt over there!" Hiyori hissed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going!" Ichigo growled back.

Once within the barrier Ichigo began to feel the nauseous wave of uncertainty flow over him as a gas within the barrier caused everything to go black. An unimaginable weight fell on his back and that's when he felt it. The hollow stirred and took over, however, this time an unsettling aura blanketed the room.

The moment Ichigo stepped into the barrier Orihime knew something was wrong, something wasn't right. When the sealing weights fell onto Ichigo, a spiritual pressure arose that she knew all too well. It subsided, then a moment later the spiritual pressure exploded. It was dark and heavy, it made the air almost unbreathable. It made everyone and every living thing in the room feel like it was going to drown. Orihime slowly looked over to where Uryu sat and saw the fear flicker in and out of his eyes.

"This isn't like last time! Ichigo's spiritual pressure wasn't this heavy!" Hiyori cried to everyone.

An inhuman and feral howl rang through the training grounds. The spiritual pressure continued to climb higher and higher and soon it became too much for the barrier to contain. It shattered, the golden shards drifted to the ground, and the massive dust cloud settled.

"What's going on?" Shinji asked to no one in particular.

"It's just like in Hueco Mundo!" Uryu shouted as a reply.

Shinji looked back at where Ichigo once was, but there now stood a hollow that looked to be a Vasto Lorde. Shinji's eyes narrowed upon seeing Ichigo. Was it normal for a vizard to become a Vasto Lorde durning hollowfication? Ichigo sonidoed out of his sight, and then from behind he heard a desperate cry of agony. Shinji turned to see that Ichigo had run Mashiro through with Tensa Zangetsu.

"Mashiro!" Shinji shouted.

Shinji drew his Sakanade and prepared to take on Ichigo. While Shinji distracted Ichigo, Hiyori and Orihime bolted toward Mashiro to heal her.

'Crap, Ichigo's hollow is different and stronger than last time! When we first started training him and his hollow, he was at the level of an Adjuchas, but now he's at the level of a Vasto Lorde.' Shinji thought regretfully. His short period if thought would've cost him an arm had he not reacted fast enough. Ichigo released a feral howl and lowered his bull-like horns to charge a cero. Love noticed what Ichigo was doing and flash-stepped to Shinji's defense. Shinji and Love instinctively hollowfied to protect them from the blast of the massing cero. Its power was far too great for them to pass through without sustaining injury.