Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of the following. All I own is the computer I typed this on.

Evolution

Summary: What if things went a little differently when Ichigo's mom died? What if there were others who died that day, including Ichigo? Follow Ichigo and company through their evolutions from hollows to arrancar. Ichi/Ori/Nel.

"Hello"- Talking

'Hello'- Thinking/Thoughts

"Hello"-Yelling

"Hello"- Grand Fisher Talking

'Hello'- Grand Fisher Thinking

Chapter 1:

Hollowed Out

RING. RING. RING. Click.

The sound of the alarm had scared her awake. 'I'd better make sure to lower the volume on that thing.' The girl thought sadly. What was the use getting up in the morning? There was nothing for her in this world anyway. Shaking the pessimistic thoughts away, she sluggishly got up from her bed and moved toward the shower. She was average size for a nine year old. She was about four feet tall, give or take a few inches. Her face was cutesy, yet elegant. She would grow into a beautiful woman, and very well shaped by the slight increase in size in her hip and chest area. Her big brother had explained everything to her already; sex, puberty, she knew about it all. Despite her blooming beauty, and body, her most striking features were her hair and eyes. Her hair was medium-length; it fell to the middle of her back, in the process of growing out. But the oddest thing about her hair was that it was orange. Not fluorescent orange but a darker shade. It suited her beautifully. Her eyes were large and expressive, still the eyes of a child. But they looked on with experience; there were no child-like fantasies, or wonder. They were the eyes of someone who had lost everything. They were a deep grey-blue shade, very enticing eyes. This Was Inoue Orihime.

'Sora-nii-chan…' As she rinsed her body of soap and grime, her thoughts drifted to her brother. It's been two months since he passed away, taken from her in a horrible traffic accident. She didn't blame the other driver, it was an accident that could have happened to anyone, and her brother was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Orihime stepped out of the shower, toweled herself thoroughly (A/N: she's just drying herself you pervs. She's still only nine!), and quickly got dressed. Her school uniform consisted of a grey skirt that ended about mid-thigh, and a white button up blouse.

BOOM! CRASH!

She looked out the window, to see cloudy skies, thunder and lightning. 'Rain?' It really did look like it would rain today with the clouds and lightning. The clouds were the darkest she'd ever seen. It gave her an ominous feeling. 'Oh well', she thought, 'I'd best not be late.'

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After getting her jacket and leaving for school Orihime's thoughts became morbid and pessimistic, thinking about her brother's death. Today was the anniversary. So after a boring day in school she left for a flower shop in the rain. It came down hard. Almost hail-like. 'I wonder if heaven feels sad for me too?' She wondered briefly. She shook the thought away as the store clerk handed her a small bouquet of flowers.

"Thank you very much!" Orihime thanked the clerk.

"Oh my, such good manners in such a young girl. Well, you're very welcome dear." The kindly elder woman replied.

Orihime nodded. She prepared her umbrella, and quickly darted out the door, bouquet tucked safely under her arm.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Orihime set the bouquet of flowers down on the street corner, the site of the accident that killed her brother. She didn't hold back anymore, or rather she couldn't. Tears fell from her face, though they were unnoticeable due to the rain.

"Why Sora-nii-chan? Why did you have to die? Was it your time to go? Or is the world really so cruel? WHY!?" She finally broke down. Orihime fell to her knees and cried. She cried and cried, probably harder than when Sora initially died. The loss was painful, but living without her brother---no, her father was too cruel. When she started to calm down, she heard a loud rushing sound. She looked over, past the road there was a steep slope that led down to a concrete, man-made river. These were designed to prevent city floods, but right now it was roaring. The current moving fast, and crashing into concrete walls. 'I'll end this now,' she thought. 'Then I can see Sora-nii-chan again.' Orihime, crossed the street, moving towards the steep slope. She walked down the steps that led to the rushing water. She briefly thought about what she was leaving behind. She thought about her best friend, Tatsuki. She thought about her other girlfriends. She thought about that funny boy Keigo, about how his jokes and antics always made her laugh. But most of all, she thought about Ichigo. She didn't know what it was about him. He had never spoken to her, yet something about him drew her in. Before Sora-nii-chan died her childish and girly mind toyed with the idea that they were soul mates or something of the sort. But now she was letting all of that go. She leaned forward, letting herself fall into the black, roaring river. Despite the rivers roars, she could faintly hear the voices of a boy and a woman, they didn't interest her though, she would cease to hear them soon enough.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

When Sora died he didn't cross over immediately, he couldn't allow that. He couldn't leave his baby sister to fend for herself. She was still too young to be left alone. But he did stay, he always watched over her. He was there at school, at home, every time she cried he wanted to hold her and tell her everything was alright. They were siblings by blood, but he was her father. Ever since he took her from that horrible home and lifestyle their parents forged, he raised her. He taught her right and wrong, he comforted her, he taught her, he raised her. He couldn't leave her.

He was scared today though. The look in her eyes was one of utter defeat, of death. So when Orihime took an interest in the concrete river, he became frightened. His worst fears were confirmed when she walked towards it.

"No Orihime! Don't do it!" He yelled and begged. But his cries fell on deaf ears. He knew she couldn't hear him, but he had to try. "Stop Orihime! Don't kill yourself, don't do it!" He was about to shout again when a young boy and his mother's voices interrupted him.

"Hey girl! What are you doing! Get away from there!" A young boy yelled. He was about four feet tall. He wasn't thin, he had slight muscle on him, most likely due to the karate he practiced. He also had sharp brown eyes they were narrow and analyzing everything. They were eyes that reflected intelligence. And he had orange hair, bright orange, not like Orihime's darker hair. He was an adorable child. He would no doubt grow into a handsome man. The boy's mother followed after him, though she wasn't calling out to Orihime. She was calling out to Ichigo.

"Ichigo! Come back here! Ichigoooo!" Her cries were desperate; she was a mother who was worried about her child and nothing else. Sora couldn't blame her, despite the danger Orihime was in.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"Girl! Don't jump! Get away from there!" His cries fell on deaf ears. Ichigo ran passed a man. It was the same man that he heard calling out to Orihime. If Ichigo never heard him, he would never have noticed her. He was sort of handsome with semi-long hair. He was wearing a navy blue suit with a white button up shirt, and a navy blue tie. As Ichigo ran passed him he heard him say something he ignored it. His only priority was the girl. She started to fall into the river. 'Gotta save her!' He thought. Ichigo sped up. She continued to fall forward. Ichigo jumped.

THUD. SPLASH!

XxXxXxXxXxXx

The boy, Ichigo, ran passed Sora. He was rushing, panic on his face, obviously trying to reach Orihime before she fell.

"Thank you." Sora whispered. He didn't scream, or yell his thanks. He felt---no, he knew this would not end well. And somehow he felt it may be all his fault. He could do nothing now. All he could do is watch. He watched Orihime fall. He watched Ichigo jump towards her. He was nothing but nerves as watched it all go in slow motion. Ichigo grabbed Orihime and fell forward. He twisted his body away from the river turning him and Orihime in mid-air. They landed in a puddle of water with a thud and a splash. Sora released the breath he didn't know he was holding.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Masaki finally caught up with Ichigo and the orange haired girl. She saw how Ichigo saved the girl from killing herself. She also saw the man watching everything. He was unable to interact at all, of course, due to the fact he was a plus. She saw the resemblance between him and the girl; either he was her father, or an older sibling. She approached the children cautiously, the immediate danger was over. As she neared them, she could hear them talking.

"Hey, what were you thinking!? You could have died if I hadn't done anything." Ichigo asked gently.

"That's what I wanted." She sobbed. "I'm all alone now. I'm just a burden to everyone, even society." She continued to cry. "What's the point anymore!?" She yelled through her tears.

"The point is to live. Every time life brings you down, you make a comeback then rub it in life's face!" Ichigo explained calmly. "You have to win and never give up!"(A/N: That's my philosophy ;))

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Orihime looked up at her savior. Despite the circumstances, she blushed. It was Ichigo. He risked his life just to save her. Worthless good for nothing Orihime was worth something to someone after all. 'I'll never forget this, no matter what. If you ever need anything of me, I will do it. It's the least I can do…Ichigo-sama.'As she finished her thoughts, she saw one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen walking towards them. She seemed winded, as though she'd been running. She was tall compared to her and Ichigo, but she was only about five feet and three inches. She had long curly hair; it was a light brown color. The curls stuck to her face, because of the sweat. She also had a terrific figure. She approached them after staring down what looked like empty space.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"Thank God you both are safe." She looked at Orihime. "You frightened me, little girl. I thought you weren't going to make it. I guess it's a good thing Ichigo and I came by when we did." Orihime nodded.

"Thank you Ichigo-sama, and thank you too Kaa-chan." Orihime bowed to them. "I was not thinking right, and in my depressed state attempted to end my life." She turned to Ichigo. "Thank you, Ichigo-sama." Ichigo blushed and scratched his head sheepishly.

"You know, you don't have to address me so respectfully, Ichigo-kun, Ichigo-san, or just plain Ichigo will do." Ichigo stated.

"Yes I do. You saved my life! I must give you the proper respect!" Orihime exclaimed. Both Ichigo and Masaki were shocked at her intensity. 'My son, the heart throb.' Masaki playfully thought to herself.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

He saw everything. He saw how the girl was going to kill herself. He saw the plus standing beside her, begging her not to do it. It didn't matter of course, she didn't have the spiritual awareness to even sense him there. He saw the boy and his mother. He saw the whole rescue and how the boy and his mother comforted the little girl. God it made him sick. He hated all that mushy, lovey-dovey shit. Oh well, it was time to feast. He normally just ate women, but he was feeling especially hungry today. He would devour that plus first. Then he would get the mother. The boy could see spirits, so he would devour his mother in front of him. Then he would feast on the children. 'Man, I'm gonna be full for a month after this meal.' He moved forward, preparing for his attack. In an incredible display of speed (especially for a being of his size) he pounced.

No one noticed until the plus was brought down. He tore the plus's arm off, devouring his spiritual energy. He fell down, blood leaking from his open wound. The woman saw him. They made eye contact. He shivered in anticipation. The boy saw him too. The fear in his eyes was intoxicating. 'Maybe I should eat women and children?' He thought to himself. Oh well, time to devour these pathetic humans.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The rain continued to fall heavily. Masaki had the two children close to her, under her large umbrella. She watched the plus standing there watching them. He was happy. Obviously relieved with how things turned out. The girl, now known as Orihime, was ignorant of the plus. She wasn't spiritually sensitive. Masaki sighed. She was about to announce her intentions to take the children home, when she felt it. A hollow. It was fairly strong, if what she recalled from her husband's explanations it was about Lieutenant level. It was intelligent as well. It attempted to hide its spiritual pressure, and it did pretty well. Just before she could run or even yell, it appeared in a shower of blood. Its speed was remarkable. The instant it appeared, it tore off the plus's arm and quickly devoured it. Blood shot out of his stump. She only saw the hollow for a split second. It was disgusting. He looked like cross between a hamster and a bird. Its majority was a hamster while it had bird claws for hands and feet. It had a yellow glowing lure sticking out of its forehead. His white, hollow mask was twisted into a permanent twisted grin. It's hollow hole went straight through the middle of its body.

"Mommy what is that scary thing?" Ichigo asked his mother. His voice was shaky. Obviously filled with terror.

"It's a hollow!" Masaki grabbed both children. She heaved them up, under her arms, with strength she didn't no she had. She turned and ran. She knew it was useless. She could never outrun a hollow, no matter how hard she tried. "We have to escape!" She yelled.

"What are we running from Kaa-chan?!" Orihime piped up. Her tone was full of fear, but also uncertainty. She didn't know what the hell was going on.

"I'll explain later!" Masaki heaved. If she didn't know any better, Masaki could swear the hollow chuckled. Before she could take another step, the hollow appeared in front of her. Her heart fell like a stone. Before she could react the hollow knocked her down, forcing her to drop the children. He pounced.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The woman ran. She grabbed the children and ran. He chuckled. Well it wouldn't be fun without a little chase. So he charged forward, appearing in front of her instantly. Well it was a chase, albeit a small one. He raised a claw, and knocked her down, forcing her to release the children. Then he pounced. He tore her head off. "God a woman's spiritual energy tastes so much better than a man's!" Just as he had hoped, the boy saw everything. The look on his face was priceless! The look of utter defeat was delicious. 'I'll get the girl too! Maybe that will destroy him even more!' Using his speed, he moved towards the girl.

"Get away from her! Don't touch her!" Ichigo screamed at the sinister looking hollow. The hollow seemed to grin. He lifted the girl in his claws.

"Wha…what's going on?" Something was lifting her up. She was really high off the ground. "Ichigo-sama! Help me!!" She wailed. The hollow grinned at Ichigo. Ichigo felt his blood run cold. 'No.' The hollow brought Orihime to his mouth. He bit her head off, silencing Orihime. Ichigo watched, his eyes were filled with malice and hate. The hollow walked slowly towards Ichigo.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Man that was good. Devouring three souls within the hour was very filling. He looked at the boy. 'I got room for one more.' The hollow thought. He walked towards the boy slowly. Hell, he might as well eat him anyway. With the hate that the boy stared him down with, it wouldn't be long before he devolved into a hollow anyway. Might as well speed up the process.

"Do you hate me boy? Do you wish to kill me? Then become powerful! Evolve and come find me, and kill me! If you need help, I am called Grand Fisher" He put ideas in his head. Maybe he'll get killed in Hueco Mundo trying to evolve. Man, that would be hilarious! Oh well, time to eat! He bent down and devoured the boy. He listened to his screams of anguish as he bit in the top half of his body. He completely bit his body in half. Effectively ending Ichigo's life.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ichigo saw them. His mother, Orihime, that man in the navy blue suit. Orihime was crying into the man's chest talking animatedly. Theywere all together and his mother was waving him over. He saw their bloody bodies on the ground. 'We're…dead.' Ichigo thought. It wasn't a question or a statement. It was a fact. Before he could step over he saw something. All of them. Orihime, the man, his mother, and he were enveloped in a white, blinding light. An incredible pain shot through his body. It felt as though his body was being twisted and compressed. He screamed, and he could hear the other's cries of anguish. As soon as the pain came, it went.

Ichigo woke up groggily to gentle prodding. He woke up and took in his surroundings. He saw everyone around him. He could feel them and sense who they were. They each had an individual aura or 'pressure' about them. But it was just as well, because if he couldn't sense who they were, he would have run off screaming. He saw three monsters, surrounding him. Two were distinctly feminine, while the other was obviously masculine. He was big, inhumanly big. He could probably grip an ordinary human in his hand. The masculine one was bright red. He had the upper body of a man. He was muscular and broad shouldered. His lower body, from the waist down, was that of a snake. He kept his straight, black hair despite the new mask. His underside, from the waist down, was a dark beige color. He had a hole straight through his body, in the center of his torso.

Ichigo looked at the smaller of the two females. She was obviously Orihime. He could feel it. She was different. Her form was humanoid. Her body was thin and lithe, yet curvaceous and feminine. She got taller too; she stood about five foot even. Her arms and legs were orange, and her head and torso was white. Her head was rounded like a skull, and her bony mask had an orange imprint of a flower on it. Unlike the other male, she had no hair. On the top of her mask was what looked like a bony tiara, a solid part of her mask. Her hollow hole was positioned in the lower torso, just above where her bellybutton would be.

Ichigo now looked at the larger more animalistic female. It was a large fox. It was his mother. She looked similar to an ordinary fox. Just much bigger. She was about four feet high and six feet long. Her fore and hind paws were brown. The same shade as her human hair. The tips of her triangular ears and tail were brown too. She, of course, stood on all four legs. Her hollow hole was in the center of her torso. Just underneath where her breasts would be if she were human. She sat on her haunches, watching Ichigo worriedly.

"Are you alright, Ichigo-sama?" Asked the now hollowfied Orihime. "We were worried about you." The large male nodded, and Masaki spoke up.

"Ichigo, do you feel any different? Have you seen yourself?" She asked. Ichigo shook his head. 'Huh, it stopped raining.' Ichigo noted. He stepped over to the now still river and looked at his reflection. Needless to say, he was shocked. What he saw was a reptilian reflection. His body was relatively humanoid. He stood on two legs and whatnot. He was white with sharp red streaks across his body. He only had two fingers and one thumb on each hand. They were elongated and sharpened into claws. His feet were the same. Three toes, shaped into claws.

"Wha..what are we?!" Ichigo yelled, shocked at what happened to them. Masaki responded.

"We are hollows now…Ichigo." She said in a melancholic tone.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

A/N: Sup everyone! This is my first Fanfic ever! Hope you everyone leaves good reviews. I don't care if you flame me either. I need constructive criticism.

To clear something up, I did not copy King Of Everything's fanfic: Life Within Death. I always preferred Hollows to shinigami. Their evolution is very interesting, and Arrancars are just cooler in my opinion. The aforementioned fanfic did inspire me to finally write down this idea that was bouncing in my head for a while now.

It also was originally going to be Ichigo/Orihime only. But after seeing the recent Bleach episodes, I decided to add Nel in.

Also, Ichigo's Zanpakutou will be called Luna Cortante. Not beacause I'm copying King Of Everything's fanfic, but because Zangetsu is literally translated to Luna Cortante. I know. I speak Spanish.

So please review:)