This is a Bleach fanfiction story that I am teaming up with Openminded15 (from fanfiction.net) to write. We do not own anything associated with the Bleach series and/or its characters. However this story is an original idea as some of the characters may seem a bit OC as we have also thrown in some completely OCC characters for this story. Please leave your comments and reviews telling us what you think. Thank you!

Key guide: bold - hollow voice, italic - zanpakuto voice, *mental speech*, "regular speech", 'thinking', bold italics - attacks, (author notes/translations)

Chapter fifteen: angelic mother

Grimmjow ran as fast as his legs would carry him back to the barracks. He kicked the door open as the Shinigami that were hold up in there jumped back ready to attack.
"Hold it..... It's only me! Kurosaki needs help and fast!" Grimmjow stated as he dropped off Kenpachi to a nearby bed. But he was a bit gentler when it came to Ichigo. Both Unohana and Hichigen could feel it, Ichigo's spiritual pressure dropping and fast.
"What happened?" Unohana asked as she began to place a healing kido around the young teen. Hichigen placed a healing barrier around Ichigo as they all looked at Grimmjow for answers.
"Hakurai sent that brute after us." Grimmjow replied pointing to the unconscious Kenpachi. He highly doubted that any of them knew full well what Ichigo was capable of becoming. Hichigen nodded his head as if to tell Grimmjow to speak about the incident. "Kurosaki had to become a vasto lorde in order to battle him. I went into Sengua Etpa (second release) to keep the brute occupied. In the end Kurosaki won as he poured his powers into the brute changing him back to normal. I am afraid that the more Kurosaki changes into a vasto lorde, the more we will lose him. I think that Hakurai is starting to affect that form of him." Grimmjow growled as he sat down cross legged onto the ground. "It seems our battle plans to attack will have to be put on hold until Kurosaki can regain consciousness. Do you Shinigami have a way to contact the others?" Grimmjow asked. Head captain Yamamoto nodded his head as he called upon the hell butterflies to send the message to the groups who were still out there in the white rain. The butterflies weren't affected as easily as a human being was when it came to the white rain. Yamamoto's hope lied with Kurosaki as he hoped that Unohana and Hichigen can help him.

Meanwhile within Ichigo's mindscape, Shiro could see the unconscious teen falling from the sky as he felt it firsthand. The destructive powers of the vasto lorde was eating the teen alive.
"King!" Shiro yelled out racing to catch him before it was too late. "Tensa, he is heading your way!" Shiro yelled out to the zanpakuto that lived within the watery realm. Ichigo splashed in the water slowlying down a bit as the sword spirit easily caught him. He could feel the water shift as Shiro came splashing in afterword. The look on the hollow's face said it all. He was worried. "How is he?" asked Shiro.
"He isn't dead but his spiritual pressure is dropping rapidly. I fear that we may not be able to help our master." he replied. Shiro shook his head as he didn't want to hear those words from the zanpakuto spirit.
'There has to be something that we can do!' Shiro thought to himself. Both Tensa and Shiro moved him to the surface as when they broke through the water, they were blinded by a bright light. When their vision cleared they could see a ghostly angel in the form of Ichigo's deceased mother, Masaki Kurosaki.

She stood alongside with the vasto lorde form of Ichigo's hollow form and Zangetsu. Shiro went for his zanpakuto but was stopped by Tensa Zangetsu and Zangetsu.
"Easy Shiro..... They are here to help." both spirits spoke in unison. Shiro looked at the two almost like they have lost their mind. Masaki leaned down stroking her son's bright colored hair.
"My son. I am so proud of you. You are doing what you are meant to do." she stated softly. "We don't have a lot of time as we have to act fast. You four are the very pillars of Ichigo's strength and power. Only you can help him. I am here as a guide to explain what needs to be done." she stated. The two zanpakuto's nodded their heads accepting Masaki's words. Shiro looked at the vasto lorde as it didn't seem aggressive as it just looked at Masaki with sorrow stretched across its skull face.
"If it is to help King. Then let's do this!"

Masaki directed them all to stand at four different points as Shiro was at the head, Zangetsu and Tensa Zangetsu at each of the sides, while the vasto lorde stood at the feet. She told them to all focus what they felt for Ichigo. At the same time they were to focus every bit of power they had into Ichigo. The four nodded their heads understanding Masaki's directions. They all took their respective spots as they all closed their eyes focusing solely on Ichigo. Soon enough soft angelic chanting filled the mindscape as the four of them could feel their powers and feelings flowing into Ichigo. No one noticed that the vasto lorde vanished completely leaving only the hollow and two versions of the zanpakuto.

Soon Masaki's voice faded out as the three remaining parts of Ichigo's powers opened their eyes.
"Did it work?" Shiro asked. A soft moan came from Ichigo as he began to open his eyes.
"Shiro..... Zangetsu..... Tensa Zangetsu...." Ichigo moaned out softly as he could recall how he ended up in his mindscape.
"Thank goodness you're all right King as you had us all worried for a second." stated Shiro. Ichigo slowly tired to sit up as his blurry vision finally rested on one person he hasn't seen since he was ten years old.
"Mom...?" he questioned in shock.
"Hello my Ichigo. You have become a fine strapping young man. I am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished." Masaki stated. Ichigo leapt to his feet rushing over to his mother as he embraced her in a tight hug. Tears streaked down his face. Masaki allowed her son to hold her close using her shoulder to cry on.
"I'm so sorry..... It's all my fault....." He rambled sobbing loudly.
"Hush now Ichigo. Nothing that happened that day was your fault. You were just a kid as you had no idea of what you were truly seeing. Fate played a very important part of what happened that day as I wish I could tell you more. But I will leave that task to your father. Just know how proud I am of you as I am always watching over you and your sisters even though you can't see me." Masaki stated. Ichigo pulled away from his mom whipping away his tears onto his shihakso.

Masaki turned towards the two zanpakuto spirits and Ichigo's inner hollow.
"Please continue to guide and help my son." she stated as the three nodded their heads. "Ichigo..... you will be able to transform one more time but you must use it wisely. Also your final attack shall be able to set things right again but it will leave extremely weakened. But it won't cost you what it did last time." Masaki stated Ichigo nodded his head that he understood as he hugged his mother for one last and final time.

Masaki spread opened up her angelic wings taking off into the endless sky before her presence vanished completely.
"I take it that you completely understood her cryptic message?" asked Shiro
"Yeah..... it was good to see her one last time. At least this time I got to tell her how much I loved her, how much I missed her, how sorry I was, and goodbye." Ichigo stated as he kept looking up at the sky. He could see a lone feather floating down as it touched his heart causing it to glow.
'I love you too my little protector. Remember that I am always with you deep inside of your heart and your memories.' whispered a soft voice into his ear before the feather vanished into his heart.
"Let's finally end this thing once and for all!" Ichigo stated as the two zanpakuto and hollow nodded their heads.