A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Ichigo's Worst Enemy

Chapter One: Into the Darkness

Sometime after the first invasion….
Karakura Town

Carrying a bag full of groceries, Yuzu hummed merrily as she walked down the street. She'd been having a good day. She'd gotten an A on a test and her father had treated her by giving her money to buy ingredients for a splendid dinner. Yuzu could almost taste the sweet food that she was going to cook already. She smiled as she thought of her father and sister drooling at the mouth over her food. Over the past few months her cooking skills had refined. She'd thought about when she became older she could go to school to be a chef. "Ichigo would like that," she said before looking up at the sky.

Ichigo had been gone for a few weeks. Her father said that he was at a special training camp. Yuzu tried to put it out of her mind but she couldn't' dismiss the faint notion that her father was lying. Still, Yuzu knew that worrying about her brother would accomplish nothing. She would be content to wait.

Unlike her sister, Yuzu hadn't figured out that Ichigo was a Soul Reaper. In fact, her spiritual awareness paled in comparison to that of her twin sister, Karin; ghosts were but mere foggy apparitions that Yuzu could barely see. She supposed that it was for the best; she didn't want to be haunted by them like Ichigo had. As of now, her brother was off training at the Soul King's Palace with Squad Zero, leaving his sisters in the relative safety of the World of the Living.

Walking down the street, Yuzu saw her house in sight and sped up. The day was growing late and night was beginning to fall. Despite the street being devoid of any other pedestrians or traffic, Yuzu couldn't help shake this feeling that she was being watched. Turning around, she saw nobody behind her but felt shivers run down her spine. The town itself, usually a bustle of activity, had become eerily quiet.

"Hello?" she called out, feeling scared. She looked everywhere around her except behind her, never seeing how her shadow was becoming darker and stretching out as it the devil was behind her.

"Yuzu."

The youngest Kurosaki sibling gulped. There wasn't a person around but she knew someone had called her name. It didn't sound like her twin or her father. A cold chill ran up Yuzu's spine and she brought her arms to her chest. Deciding to run home as fast as she can, she started to sprint into a run. She got no further than five feet when she heard that low, chilling voice once more.

"Yuzu."

Hearing the mysterious voice again made Yuzu come to a halt. This time, she turned to where she correctly assumed where the voice was coming from and fought back the urge to scream. Her shadow was now stretched out along the wall of a nearby house. Compared to the other shadows next to it, Yuzu's shadow was as black as the night, as if Yuzu were peering into the center of a black hole. "What…what is this?" she mumbled in fright, wondering if somebody was trying to pull a prank on her or something.

"Come."

Yuzu screamed in terror as the shadow suddenly converged on her, spreading out like ink in water and wrapping around her in a curtain of darkness. Dropping her bag, Yuzu could do nothing but scream as the shadow drew her into the wall. As soon as her form had sank into the darkness, her sanguine captor faded into oblivion, leaving nobody the wiser. In his home, Isshin would sense Yuzu's sudden departure but it was too late for the father to do anything.

Yuzu was gone.

Later….

When the blanket of shadow was lifted, Yuzu finally opened her eyes and started to shiver. Looking around she saw what looked like something out of a nightmare. Before her stood a fortress of ominous design, spires surrounding it. When Yuzu turned around she saw a white city covered in frost. "What is this place?" she said out loud before hugging her arms. She could see her own breath and looked up at the sky, seeing nothing but starless night. "So cold…."

Scared and alone, Yuzu walked up the steps to the fortress and walked through the opened doors. Despite the voluminous size of the castle Yuzu didn't encounter anyone around….for about five seconds.

"INTRUDER!"

Yuzu squeaked and turned around. She started to panic when she saw multiple men in stark, white uniforms run towards her, sabers in hand. She didn't know who these men were but she didn't want to stick around to find out. She dashed away as fast as she could down the hallway and made a right turn. The fortress was a maze of hallways and Yuzu found herself completely lost after taking five turns too many. Panting, she ran down another hallway when she rounded a corner and ran straight into a pillar.

Except…it wasn't a pillar.

Staggering backwards, Yuzu looked up and shrieked when she saw that what she'd run into was a person. The man looked down at her with dark eyes filled with evil intent. She couldn't see the lower half of his face that was obscured by black mask with five spikes running along the center. His long, black hair cascaded down his shoulders and obscured some of his tall coat. "Well now," the man said in an insidious voice as he observed the intruder. "And who might you be, little mouse?"

The person that Yuzu had bumped into was the F Sternritter and the man who'd almost killed Byakuya Kuchiki with his own Bankai: Äs Nödt.

Yuzu didn't know who this man was but his terrifying appearance alone told her that he was bad news. "Get away from me, you freak!" she screamed before running away from him, taking off down the hallway. When she ran headlong into something she looked up and screamed in horror when she saw that the man was in front of him.

"You're afraid," the Sternritter noted as he reached out to grab the terrified Yuzu. "Good."

"What are you doing?"

The Sternritter turned his head to see another of his fellow knights in the hallway. "I'm catching a mouse that snuck in. What are you doing, Cang Du?"

The I Sternritter walked over to him and scowled. "I heard screaming. Terrifying children now, are we?" He was always disgusted by the man and his abilities.

Narrowing his eyes, the F Sternritter glared at his compatriot. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to pick a fight."

"You know how much His Majesty abhors violence between Sternritter. And besides, your little mouse had escaped."

When Äs Nödt turned back he saw that Yuzu had taken advantage of the argument and had ran away, leaving the two men alone. "Hmph. Now look what you've done."

Cang Du shrugged. "You're the one who was distracted…."

Meanwhile….

Yuzu didn't know where to go. She felt like she was trapped in a cage and the walls were closing in. Feeling the chill of the icy fortress freeze her sweat-covered body, Yuzu knew she had to find a place that had warmer clothes before she froze.

Rounding a corner, Yuzu saw a huge pair of doors with a five-pointed star on them. Shivering, she wondered if she should take a peek inside. The decision was taken out of her hands when she heard the two Sternritter come closer. "I need to hide!" Throwing caution to the wind she opened up the doors and dashed inside, closing the doors behind her.

Making their way past the corner, Äs Nödt and Cang Du heard the doors shut and advanced, certain that the little intruder had gone through there. Walking up to the door, Cang Du put his hand on the handle to the door, ready to pull it open.

"What are you two up to?" came a voice from behind them. When the two men turned around they saw the Sternritter Grandmaster, Jugram Haschwalth, walking towards them. "You know it is forbidden to enter His Majesty's chambers while he's asleep."

"We've an intruder," Cang Du informed. "A girl. We believe she went through here."

The head of the Sternritter narrowed his eyes at his subordinates. "So what you're telling me is that the two of you couldn't catch one little girl? His Majesty will not be pleased."

"Haschwalth, we believe that the girl is inside. It is imperative for us all that we remove her before His Majesty awakens," Äs Nödt pointed out, afraid of the consequences. "Surely you, of all people, could enter without reproach."

The light-haired man shook his head. "I am the Grandmaster of the Sternritter, but I am not above our laws." His eyes turned to the door and he scowled. "I don't sense the presence of anyone in there but His Majesty."

"Perhaps it is because His Majesty's spiritual pressure is smothering hers?" Cang Du suggested.

Haschwalth raised a hand and turned around. "I have already made my judgment clear, Cang Du. Now search the rest of the castle," he ordered. The two men nodded and parted ways, leaving the doors unattended. Little did Haschwalth know that Cang Du was entirely correct and that Yuzu had indeed taken refuge inside.

Taking a deep breath, Yuzu looked around the darkened room. Thankfully the room was warmer than the rest of the castle and she felt heat flow back into her chilled arms. Looking around, her eyes took a moment to get used to the darkness before she realized she wasn't alone.

In front of her was a man, sitting in a large chair and wrapped in a dark cloak. Yuzu cautiously approached the man, not knowing if he was as dangerous as the men she'd encountered. She didn't know why but something about this man felt…familiar.

Walking up to the man as quietly as possible to not disturb him, Yuzu wondered what she should do. Rubbing her cold arms, she sat down at the man's feet, feeling tired from all her running. Exhaustion came over her and she put her head against the man's knee for support. "I'll…I'll rest my eyes for a moment…" she muttered before falling into a deep sleep, hearing that voice call out to her once more before she entered slumber.

"Yuzu."

The Next Morning….

Haschwalth opened the doors to the king's room as the sun began to signal the start of another day. "Your Majesty, forgive me but we were unable to locate an intr-" The second-in-command stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the sight before him.

The youth was asleep in the man's lap, his black cloak wrapped around her to keep her warm. "I found her, Haschwalth," Yhwach, the king of the Quincies said with a sly smile. "Imagine my surprise when I saw that I had a visitor when I awoke."

Haschwalth immediately dropped to his knee, realizing that Cang Du had been right. "Your Majesty! I'm so sorry, I-"

"Have no fears, Haschwalth," Yhwach admonished before patting Yuzu's head. "I called for her."

As if on cue, Yuzu started to wake up. She gasped when she saw the face of the mysterious man. "Who…who are you?" she gasped when she realized he was holding her gently in his arms.

The man smiled, knowing that another part of his plan was now complete. "I am Yhwach. Welcome home, Yuzu…my daughter."

To be continued