Yikes, this was a terrible thing to do. Not updating for months I am so sorry, this story is not over yet! So to make up for it I have a chapter to give you along with a few things. Alright the first thing is that as soon as that first week of June hits I will be out of school and I can update easily. As I have said before school is a pita, and I know I uploaded a lot of stories in the months that I haven't updated, but that was because I wanted to make this chapter something good and then I got writer's block for this story again. I had to reread my own story to figure out where I left off in all truthfulness. I hope this chapter satisfies you all. I wrote this at separate times so sorry if the style changes suddenly. Also I did write the last part of this late at night so if there are a lot errors I will correct them in the morning, or later tomorrow. Ah now for the incredibly long list of reviewers. I beat 150 that's amazing.

Thank you for reviewing Kage Kurai, Phantom Claire, AbsoluteReafer1995, AngryHitsu, Daiki-chan, Guest, BOOGEY-MANN-HEART-ICHI, sugarcadet, Green Eyes, Guest II, Scarlett Foxie, pumplkin123456, Guest III, KageNekoReborn, Gracy4519, Shirawashi, Zmeiss, and finally Huntress9894.

Again I am sorry my lovelies for not updating a long time. Life sucks. Please enjoy this chapter and yell at me after, kay? Disclaimer time!

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH, ONLY THE PLOT AND SOME OF THE OC's

It was early morning, the sun had barely begun to breach the horizon, and yet a specific white haired captain was awake. He had slept, but he suddenly woke up and couldn't return back to sleep. So instead he spent a good few hours staring at the ceiling of his room.

Something just felt wrong.

Sighing he finally gave up on the battle for more sleep. Standing he popped the bones in his back and headed off towards the restroom to clean himself up.

Half an hour later he emerged. Dressed and ready to face his subordinates, but as he looked the sundial he saw that the squad wouldn't be waking up for at least another two hours. Toshiro made a face at the lack of urgency that was around Soul Society. The Head Commander was being too secretive for his tastes.

Toshiro wondered what he would do for two hours, no paper work was in need of being finished this very second. No one to reprimand. He was at a loss of what to do.

I could go visit Ichigo at the hospital, it couldn't hurt right? Internally debating with himself for a minute or two, he started to head towards the hospital, feeling like he had the right to visit someone that he had saved.

Walking into the incredibly less hectic hospital was a benefit.

"Captain Hitsugaya?"

The white haired captain turned towards the voice, spotting the Captain of the fourth squad.

"Captain Unohana." He inclined his head slightly.

"What brings you here so early?" The woman asked innocently.

"I wanted to check up on Ichigo and the others. I won't have time later today, so since my squad's breakfast and morning routine isn't for another two hours I thought I would come now. Is that a problem?"

Unohana looked at him evenly for a few moments before nodding. "Of course. You haven't seen Kurosaki-Kun yet have you?"

Toshiro widened his eyes slightly, he had made a slip up in calling Kurosaki by his first name. It had just felt natural for him to say Ichigo. He hoped that Unohana hadn't noticed his blunder.

"No I haven't. I let his friends visit him first, and I have a feeling Kurosaki the senior will be around soon. I have no wish to interrupt a reunion between father and son."

"True, and the debriefing is happening today is it not?" Unohana asked leading Toshiro down several hallways.

That's today? Shit. Toshiro thought. He had been so concerned with getting his teammates treated and seeing them alive that he had forgotten that he had set the debrief date for two days after the mission. He'd have to inform the others.

Eventually they made a few more turns and got to the room that Ichigo was being healed in.

"He's alone, we didn't want word getting out that he's severely inured." Unohana had seemingly read his thoughts. "Try not to stay longer than twenty minutes. He's classified as critical and healers will be in the room in half an hour to try and stir his reiatsu."

Toshiro had never heard that term before. "Stir his reiatsu?"

"His reiatsu seems to be dormant and we have little chance to wake him without it. We could try a last resort treatment, but that may end up preventing him from accessing his reiatsu for a time. Which would not be beneficial for Soul Society should the situation be worse than we currently know." Unohana smiled gently. "I'll be leaving now."

Toshiro nodded and watched the female captain walk down the hallway gracefully. He shook his head and stared at the door. Never before had something seemed so very daunting. He inhaled building up his confidence, before he gripped the handle. He wasn't sure what he was going to do. Maybe a quick look to confirm that Ichigo was alive? That would surely be enough to settle him, his inner world, and Hyorinmaru.

He pushed open the door and swallowed. Ichigo was hidden beneath a large amount of blankets. But he already looked better than when he had been found. Toshiro could barely see the mess of orange hair, it was still dull but this time it was clean. Toshiro didn't miss the dirt and blond that had been caked into the vibrant locks before.

He stepped in closer, trying not to make a sound. Ichigo could very easily be sleeping, of course the young captain knew better but that still didn't stop him from padding into the room as softly as possible.

He sat down in the chair that was next to the bed, as it was at an angle he could only guess that Rukia and Renji had moved it on their visit yesterday. He turned it towards Ichigo's face.

He looked at the teen that was laying in front of him, completely vulnerable. The teen seemed to be getting some of his color back, he was no longer that deathly pale skin tone. Toshiro nearly hummed in approval. Progress was progress.

As he observed the other, he noticed the smaller things as well. Like the occasional flicker underneath Ichigo's eye lid that showed that Ichigo wasn't completely lost to him. His cheeks were still sunken, though the injected nutrients seemed to be make them seem like they weren't being stretched. Toshiro's eyes continued to move downward to where the other's lips were. They were cracked and dry. He quickly tore his gaze away from them.

He also noted a few new scars on his face, the worst being the one that was right by the corner of Ichigo's eye, it stretched until it reached the hairline where if Toshiro had to guess it extended. But there were a few smaller ones scattered about his face.

Moving onto the body now he the scares were varied. They were either long and thin, or short and thick. If that's what he saw on the arms and little bit of the neck he could only imagine what the rest of the orange haired teen's body would look like.

An uncontrolled rage filled him, but he bit his lip to stop him from doing something that he would regret. He balled his fists as well.

Did you not notice that you can't feel his reiatsu? Hyorinmaru interrupted his thoughts.

"No." Toshiro answered out loud.

I thought as much.

"Don't sound so snide. Unohana told me as much."

True, but place your hand over his heart.

Toshiro wondered why but did as he was told. After all it paid to listen to an ancient dragon. He placed a palm right over the top of where Ichigo's heart was beating, lightly but steadily.

"Now what?"

Concentrate.

The captain had to wonder why people made others work for their help, shouldn't it just be given? He closed his eyes, focusing on his palm. Nothing happened for one… two… three seconds, then suddenly it felt like he had been shocked as he yanked his hand away.

"What the hell was that?" Toshiro asked not worried about keeping a calm head that the moment, he was alone after all, well actually the only person that was with him was in a coma so he figured he was safe.

Your soul mate's reiatsu reacting to yours. It's buried deep. Someplace that by normal means it would never come out.

"So what's the brilliant idea?"

Try again, this time focus on pulling the reiatsu towards you, don't let it pull you in.

Toshiro furrowed his brow. "Where exactly is it? You said it buried deep but there's only some many places it can withdraw into."

True. But with soul mates there is one place more that it can go.

"Where?"

Into their joined inner world. Within you and Ichigo you have one inner world each, like every other shinigami. But because you are soul mates you have another that you can both enter. But it takes years of practice with it for it to be a proper place to meditate.

Toshiro sighed. "So how'd Kurosaki get into this place?"

I do not know child, I imagine that the bond and his zanpakuto forced him there to save him from something.

Toshiro placed his hand on Ichigo's chest once again. "So I just pull?"

That's my best guess.

If Hyorinmaru was still in his human form Toshiro wasn't sure that he could stop himself from punching the dragon because of his complex way to help.

As it was closed his eye and focused like he did when he felt the spark. This time when it happened he didn't jump but imagined that he had a hand and that this feeling was a rope.

He grasped the rope with his hand and started to pull the resistance that he felt was incredible. He pulled with everything that he had. The rope only budged slightly. He continued to pull, now visualizing that he was in his full body yanking on this rope digging his feet into the group.

He took one step back and the rope shifted, but it remained taught.

Toshiro gritted his teeth as he continued to pull. Somewhere in his mind he realized that he was going to have to pull whatever was on the end of the rope up this time, otherwise he would lose whatever was on the other end permanently.

He didn't want that to happen. In hindsight he probably should've done this when he more prepared; even though he knew that he couldn't prepare for whatever this was. This was a trial of resolve. He wasn't going to lose.

He wasn't sure when things started to change but he noticed that it was starting to get easier to pull the rope up. There was actually some slack to it now. Eventually there was a large pile of rope behind Toshiro, logically the rope should almost be at the end.

But what was logic anymore really?

When Toshiro finally reached the end of the rope, what he found was nothing.

"Huh?"

Toshiro was out of his vision of pulling the rope. Frightened that he had failed with pulling out Ichigo's reiatsu he focused on the prone body in front of him. Relief hit him like a ton of bricks when he was able to easily sense Ichigo's reiatsu.

He looked at the teen's face. He was still comatose, but he looked more relaxed than when his reiatsu was reclusive.

Very good young one. Hyorinmaru spoke up after Toshiro had finished his appraisal of Ichigo.

"He's still not awake though." Toshiro mumbled.

No, but now it is up to him. Before he did not have the option, but now, his fate is in his own hands.

Toshiro blew air out of his nose at that last comment. He wasn't thrilled with the answer but now the chance that Ichigo would return to him (not really, though it was a nice sentiment.)

The captain stood up and left the room guessing that a nurse would come in soon, and he didn't want to be compromised. Shinigami are terrible gossips and he wasn't acting in the way that a captain should. He scowled at the thought, he would have to learn to control himself in the near future if he didn't want to be seen as a love-struck teenager.

As he left the room, a seated officer of the fourth, that Toshiro knew was acquainted with Ichigo scurried in the door after giving a quick bow to him.

Toshiro headed towards the hospital exit, he had to prepare himself for a debriefing. Ikkaku and Rangiku would have to give theirs at later time since they were currently out of commission. He wasn't sure what he could say since he didn't encounter any of the primers. The only enemies he encountered were the two guards in front of Ichigo's cell.

Ichigo awoke to one of the strangest feelings that he had yet. It felt like someone had tied a rope around him and was now pulling him. He didn't understand what was happening; honestly he would've fought it if he could. He lacked the strength to do so now. The rope continued to tighten around him as he was lifted up.

It was a very strange feeling. He was slowly being lifted above the ground. For what seemed like ages, he had trouble identifying the passing of time now, the ground got further and further away from him.

By the time that he was almost to the ceiling he had to be nearly 100 meters above the ground, from this height he would die if he was dropped. When he was about to the lowest stalactite he wondered if he was going to be impaled by one.

That honestly would be another pathetic way to die. Apparently Ichigo had gotten good a finding those ways recently.

When his torso hit the tip, he was surprised to find that he passed right through it. The cave ceiling shimmered and rippled the more he was pulled through it. He arched an eyebrow at the strange occurrence.

So all of this was an illusion?

He was passing through the ceiling for quite a distance, when he was sure this was going to be endless he found himself face down on what appeared to be glass?

Ichigo pushed himself up, looking around. His new location wasn't new at all. It was his inner world, but it wasn't.

This inner world looked like a post-Armageddon movie city. The sky that was once blue in color was a dark orange red, almost reflecting the fires that were randomly burning throughout. The buildings themselves were dilapidated. The concrete that made up the walls was chipping and cracked. The windows were in varying states of destruction. Some were shattered completely and others only cracked.

Ichigo turned around, the devastation looked worldwide. He pursed his lips in confusion. Then he realized that he was standing without much of a problem.

What's going on? He thought.

He heard the familiar clicking of shoes of the building, and he spun on his heel coming to face with the personification of this zanpakuto. So he really was out of the blizzard-cave, even if this wasn't the best place he thought he could end up. It was familiar and there was actually another being in existence; that in itself was a big thing.

Zangetsu looked unfazed for a second, before a slight smile came across his lips.

"Ichigo." His voice sounded like heaven, to Ichigo at least.

The orange-haired teen nodded his head, knowing that he couldn't speak that well.

"Welcome back, king." His hollow self appeared out of apparently nowhere next to his sword.

Ichigo's throat tightened at that word. "Don't call me that."

Surprisingly Hichigo didn't mock him like he was expecting. Instead the yellow-black eyes flitted to Zangetsu. The zanpakuto frowned. Then both of the spirits turned their gaze to Ichigo.

"I suppose you have many questions." Zangetsu said.

Ichigo nodded.

"I'll explain why your inner world is like this." The spirit exhaled. "Because of your physical body's state, well your spirit bodies to be exact, your inner world started to crumble as you got closer and closer to death. There are even a few buildings that have collapsed. Your soul has also been very uneasy causing damage to this world."

"How?" Ichigo grit out.

"Well I assume you know what happened to your physical body to some extent. They continued to damage it even after you locked yourself away. Somehow while you were, off the radar shall we say, your soul became extremely volatile. I can only assume it was because what you were facing or feeling in that world."

Blinking, Ichigo processed what he was told. It was way over his head and would take a while for him to understand, if he ever understood at all. He was still confused about the soul mate part.

Then it struck him, and with a great effort he spoke. "You know what's happening in the physical world?"

Hichigo looked almost offended. "We do because we're part of you, we know what's happening to your body."

Zangetsu cut the hollow off. "You were rescued by the Captain of the Tenth and a few other shinigami's. You are now in the fourth division being treated by its captain and vice-captain."

Ichigo sighed in relief, at least he was out of the horrible place. But he was still stuck in a crumbling inner world and he didn't think that he could leave it like every other time.

"You are correct on that matter." Zangetsu replied walking towards one of the shattered windows. "This world has to be repaired to some extent."

Ichigo bent down and picked up a shard of glass looking at it. It was only the size of his finger nail, it would take forever if he were to practically glue the entire place together.

"You won't rebuild it like you did last time there were cracks." Hichigo walked over to him.

Zangetsu turned around. "He is right. The inner world will heal itself as more and more of your reiatsu returns and is restored. Not to mention that it'll be rebuilt quicker when you are reunited with your soul mate with the knowledge that you now have a soul mate."

Ichigo's face was morphed into one of confused shock.

"We're part of you. Of course we know things like that you idiot." Hichigo growled.

"Who?"

Zangetsu held up his hand. "You have to find them yourself. Otherwise this world won't be restored properly."

The teen looked around his inner world wondering if this could be restored at all. Or if it was would it still be the same as it was originally or would it be changed? It would make sense if it was changed, after all his soul and mind were scarred from this ordeal. Ichigo had no illusions that adjusting after this would be near impossible. Somehow knowing it didn't make it better.

He hated this. He just wanted to curl up and die, but he couldn't people were still in danger. Though he wasn't sure how much help he would be. He was at one point a hero, now he was a victim.

Zangetsu and Hichigo looked at the young man with sorrow. He had been through so much more than a normal person could take, and this was making this worse. They had a feeling things were going to get a lot worse before they even started to look up.

Unohana had seen a lot of peculiar things in her career as a medical shinigami. Things really shouldn't surprise her anymore, perhaps the injuries sustained from stupid things but that was to be expected. So when she was dumbfounded for the third time that week she didn't know what to think.

Hanataro had come rushing into her office, looking even more worried that he usually did. Of course she had expected him to report something terrible, like Ichigo had died.

Instead what she had taken for worry was actually confusion. Which she felt as he explained.

"The patient Kurosaki, has shown incredible improvement in the past thirty minutes, and his reiatsu is no longer dormant. It is still low but it is most certainly there. His mental activity has increased as well as his vitals."

To this Unohana could only manage to respond with the incredibly intelligent, "Huh?"

After allowing it to mesh in her brain she started to put pieces together and felt herself grown slightly irritated. Kisuke was most likely right about the situation then. Damn him, but if it wasn't for him this would still escape my understanding.

She realized that the aura she was emanating was scaring her fourth seat. She calmed down quickly though her fists were clenched under her sleeves. "I shall go check it out. Could you find Kotetsu for me?"

Hanataro nodded, and stepped out of the office quickly.

Unohana took a second to reorganize her thoughts before she headed to the room the substitute shinigami was being kept in.

This situation was getting out of hand in her hospital with people making miraculous recoveries and spontaneous blood loss deaths. She just wondered what the debriefing would unearth. Hopefully something useful.

As she pushed open the door, she easily noticed the familiar wild reiatsu. It was faint and to anyone who was unskilled in sensing they wouldn't notice it. She checked the vital outputs and noticed a four-percent increase on everything.

She stared at the vitals attempting to discern the meaning of this through the numbers. There had to be a logical reason this happened, Kisuke had to have done something given Captain Hitsugaya something to try on Ichigo, that's why this impromptu healing happened.

I have a place where I am going to start next chapter, and I do know for a fact that we'll see the primers again, it's been awhile since we've seen them in their home territory and I haven't really touched on what happened after Ichigo got rescued. So prepare for that, whenever that may be. Please feel free to spam me in my inbox with questions, ideas, or to nag me to update. That helps my creative process because then I am thinking about it more than I normal. So I love you all for reading this so far, and welcome new readers. Please review! Later! ~IF