Unknown

Unknown

02:

Harry was greeted by the sight of glowing, twinkling crystals on the ceiling.

He blinked at that before he slowly sat up and looked around. Was I moved to another location sometime in my sleep? He asked to himself. Death wasn't there with him anymore when he looked for the entity. That wasn't the only thing he noticed though at his curious glance. He saw that the he was still in the cave he had been before.

Except that the place looked like it was now fit to be called home than before when he initially claimed the place as his. It looked more spacious than before. The uneven ground before now looked like smooth floor. It was like someone cemented the ground to make it even. He had what looked like a stone trunk just at the right-end corner that he thought might contain some clothes. On its left-end was a tall, rectangular shape stone that made him think it was a bathroom.

There was also a stone round table and four round chair with it that looked like it was naturally stuck on the floor a few steps away from the opening of the cave that now looked like it has a stone door.

He looked at the place where he is sitting and saw that he was lying in what he knew as futon with a pillow and blanket. Lastly, he looked above as he was curious about that glowing thing he had seen when he first woke up.

It was really crystals like he had initially thought. Clear crystals that had trapped lights inside that made him think of glowing pixies. There was something inside him though that instinctively knows the lights trapped there were spirit particles.

A reishi.

He licked his lips at that and dropped his gaze to his still blanket-covered legs. He didn't want to contemplate about the reishi trapped there.

He couldn't.

He was jerked out of his thought when he heard a deep rumble from inside his stomach, telling him that he really needed to eat now. He sighed and ignored his growling stomach before he finally stood up and fixed his futon. He then explored the now renovated cave he claimed as his new home.

Nothing extravagant was there. Everything looked like a stone molded into something. Harry knew Death was the one who did all this. He remembered the frown on the entity's face when he found him inside the small cave.

He shook his head at that. Really, Death is like an overbearing, overprotective mother. Only dangerous, more dangerous than any mothers he knew.

He walked towards the stone table to look at it but was instead intrigued when he saw what looked like a complicated rune drawn on it. He caressed it with his hand but immediately snatched it back when he felt a small amount of his magic being sucked.

Only a second later, there was food on his table.

Harry blinked, looked at the food again and sighed in fond exasperation, a small smile settling on his lips. It was kind of unusual for him already, smiling. He hadn't done that for what seemed like a very long time. But it seemed appropriate now.

It was what he was feeling right now, no matter how strange it is.

Really. Death can be such a worrywart.

. . . . .

Time passed by and Harry didn't venture out of his cave home, not even once Death visited multiple times and had kept him company simply because he refused to go out and socialize. Not that Death demanded it of him. He just sort of suggested and he refused. Then Death didn't mention it ever again.

Simple as that.

He did found it strange though to see how Death himself – as was the gender the entity was prone to showing him even though he knew Death could have many forms – was the one telling him to socialize when he never do it himself. Even if he only did mention it once.

When he mentioned it to him, he answered in his usual stoic voice.

"You need it,"

"Why don't you socialize then?" Death had looked at him for a while before speaking.

"I am Death, Master. I don't socialize with humans,"

"I didn't mean humans. There are others like you out there, right?" he asked curiously, voice still a little raspy because let's face it, the only one he ever talked to was Death. Though the entity had always tried to come to him, it wasn't daily. For some reason, Death has become busy nowadays. Not that he bothered to question because honestly, Death's business is his own.

He might be Death's master, but he wasn't his keeper. He also wasn't that keen on exercising his rights as his master. That would mean he has accepted living, and that isn't true at all.

He didn't know how long he stayed in his house cave and he found that he really didn't care enough to know. He did know that he has been there for a very long time though, if only because he got more and more relax around Death. He was getting talkative and opening a little at him. He didn't bother stopping himself though because he was certain that he would only ever be like that with Death. He was already familiar with him and he was the only one he had been seeing for what felt like a very, very long time.

He did say he never ventured out of his cave. Not even once. All his needs were being delivered by Death even though he didn't ask for them.

Who knew Death could be such a worrywart?

When he asked those words, Death froze and his form was suddenly flickering in different bodies just like the first time he had seen him before the features of a human melted away.

He was greeted by a, what looked like a human male, though there was something in his features that screamed otherworldly beings.

He was taller than him, though it looked like he was only that tall because his legs looked like they were stretching. He wore an overall black attire that seemed to be molding on the surface of his body. He was paler than anything he had ever seen but still looked healthy than the sickly one he expected. His eyes were entirely black and had a long, inky black hair that he tied in a high ponytail and the end looking like a shadow as it moved. His lips looked like the curious mix of luscious red and dark purple. His body was also shrouded in shadows that seemed to be moving all around his body. He looked attractive despite the obvious signs of death around him.

Stunning and deadly.

Expected yet unexpected.

He was sure that he had just seen the true form of Death.

But then the image vanished right before his eyes and turned back to the original hooded man he had associated as Death's form when around him and he had to blink rapidly to get over the sight.

"They are not worth our time Master," Death said. Harry had to take a few minutes of silence before he managed to understand what he had said.

Then felt the strangest urge to snort.

That just now means: 'I don't want to socialize' in Death's language.

He wondered what the other entities were like to gather that… unsettled reaction from Death. If there were other entities like Death out there.

He got the feeling that there are, and Death wasn't that fond of them.

. . . . .

Harry had always been alone. If you want to count the reishi's presence inside his house cave as also a person – reishi was supposed to be the magical people after all – then he's not. But for Harry, he has always been alone.

Death comes, but never that frequently. He also comes inside his home using his shadows gathering until he arrives.

Not that the stone door opens.

He wondered how someone could even do that when he knew perfectly well that Death made his door heavy with his own magic.

He continued just sitting on his bed but watched as that unknown person came inside and then closed it again with his own bare hand – because it was obvious with his built, even if he did look lean at distance that the unknown person was a male. He looked like it took little effort to do that. The man was silent when he rested his head on his door before he finally turned around and walked a few steps inside.

Then promptly stopped seeing the room. He looked around for a second before finally seeing him sitting on his futon bed.

"You're Harry?"

He didn't speak, because he is still getting over the fact that the unknown person, who came inside his home without warning and opened his door like it weighed paper instead of heavy, enchanted stone has an orange hair.

An honest to Death's orange hair.

How is that even possible? Unless the man was a secret metamorphagus or uses a glamour, in which he knew perfectly that he isn't simply because magicals turns into reishi, then that shouldn't be possible.

Maybe he dyed his hair, he mused while still staring at the man. But we are in Soul Society. This place is for souls, so the man must be a soul. He stared at the man speculatively. How did he dye his hair as a soul?

He suddenly got the urge to dye his hair green, and he didn't even know why. Strange.

Someone suddenly touched him on the shoulder and he involuntarily flinched. The touch wasn't hard or painful but he couldn't help his reaction. His eyes went wide and an irrational shot of fear ran through him, his sight looking blurry and his chest tight for some reason. The touch was suddenly gone from him and he heard a distant bang. Not that he paid attention to it seeing as he suddenly couldn't breathe.

Am I going to turn into reishi? He thought dizzily.

He suddenly felt someone – comfort… Death? – scooping him and holding him, firm and comfortable.

"Master, please calm down. You are only hyperventilating,"

How am I supposed to do that? Harry asked inside his mind, though his panic ceases just a little bit. Hyperventilation. He knew that term, though he hadn't felt that – ever – in his entire existence.

"Please follow my breathing. Inhale… exhale… repeat it master, slowly,"

He followed the instructions he heard, along with others Death said. He continued it until Hispanic completely ceased and his breathing finally returned to normal.

"… told you not to spook my master," Death's voice was soft, but it held a dangerous edge to it and his house cave felt like it was quivering.

"I didn't know touch triggers him," a quiet yet a little rough voice said. He opened his eyes and saw that the orange haired man was leaning on his stone wall looking like he was thrown roughly.

Harry knew that they were talking about him, especially with his panic attack. The man looked apologetic and concerned. He looked like he was wary to even come close to them. He found that odd as he wasn't holding a grudge against that. It was his own reflexive reaction since he hadn't been touched by another person other than Death for a very long time. He didn't want Death to be angry with the man so he spoke.

"How did you dye your hair?" he asked curiously.

He so wanted to ask that question ever since he saw that intriguing hair. He wanted to try dying his.

Death and the man stared at him.

He stared back.

. . . . .

Death's master was odd.

Ichigo looked at his left and watched Death's master sleep just like any other normal teen. The only difference was he looked calm and innocent.

Everything about the teen was odd, and contradictory.

He looked like a teen, petite and beautiful than any other people he had seen, both male and female, human or soul. He was pale and shorter than even some other females and looked like he would be able to be carried by the wind.

Despite all these disarming physical traits, along with his plain, boring, foreign name Harry with the 'Y' as the last letter of his name, he was Death's master.

The only thing that really made him think that what he knew and seeing was the truth was Harry's eyes.

Unique luminous green eyes that put any gem to shame that even with that black rimmed glasses on his eyes, it didn't obscure the brilliance of it, at least not completely.

It also glowed in a rather ominous green when he was thrown hard towards the walls and held there by an invisible force. He was only let down roughly when Death, in a male form opposed to that skeletal being that he had seen before, came and helped the teen to stop his panic attack.

He really hadn't known touch could trigger it. Death neglected to inform it. Might be the reason why he was still alive and here in this time instead of back in his own and killed.

Ichigo sighed and stared above the ceiling that had those curious crystals that had reishi trapped in them.

A second chance. Another chance of getting everything right.

At first he was dumbfounded to find himself way back into the past, probably at least by a century, or more. He wasn't quite sure what to do then. His plan was to start everything before it happened, but he thought he'd be deposited right when he first became a substitute Shinigami by absorbing Rukia's powers. He shouldn't have assumed.

It was no wonder Death said to be prepared. What should he do now?

Maybe I should observe Aizen's movement at the moment, expose him a little early or something…

'Are you sure about that Ichigo? Aizen is a respected member of the Gotei 13 at this time. They wouldn't believe it,' Zangetsu said.

King, just pound him into dust.

Ichigo snorted at what his Hollow just said.

Why am I not surprised?

'Just observe Aizen for now Ichigo. Don't do anything else at the moment. You're going to be here for a very long time. Why don't you heed what Death said?'

Ichigo sighed again. Right, Death's master. Keep him company and protect. As if Harry needed protecting when he is Death's master.

He did look like he need protecting, he thought. Speaking of harry, he still can't get over what little Death shared about his master.

Harry apparently has another source of energy within him aside from Reiryoku – which he was sure was what he had experienced when the teen was having his panic attack – and that he never went out of his cave after he made it his home.

Never. Not even open those heavy looking stone door of his. He was sure he managed to open it with no difficulty because Death wanted him to enter. Otherwise he wouldn't have moved it even using his reiatsu. There was just some sort of… energy there that made him feel like his reiryoku was both afraid and in awe of it.

Weird considering it was the first time he even felt an emotion on his reiryoku. He didn't know that was possible.

How could he even suppress his curiosity? He wondered to himself.

KING!

Ichigo jerked out of his thoughts when Shiro suddenly bellowed gleefully.

Don't shout! Dammit Shiro!

His hollow ignored him and continued speaking once he paid attention to him.

Have the Master kill Aizen!

He felt Zangetsu smack Shiro with the holder of his sword.

OW!

'Don't be obtuse Shiro. Harry is Death's master. No one can order him to do something. If someone does and Harry gets angry, Death will erase that person's existence.'

...He doesn't look like he care about anything right now.

He could feel Zangetsu shaking his head at what Shiro said. He decided to just speak to his stubborn hollow.

He might not look like he care now, but Death does. I think he always looks after Harry. If someone thinks he can control him, Death would kill that person.

Shiro finally shut up and even though he felt his hollow wanted to say something else, he was happy that he didn't.

"Ichigo," said man once again jerked out of his thought and turned to the direction where he heard the voice.

He saw Harry's unobstructed green eyes staring at him. He felt himself freeze.

"Harry-san,"

"Sleep,"

Ichigo felt himself follow the words without even thinking about it.

TBC.

A/N:

I decided that I am incapable of leaving this story alone until I have more chapters – like ten – so I decided to post this immediately after I finish writing this.

RL drama tapered a little so I'm fine. Btw, I haven't followed recent releases of Bleach and I don't want to. At the moment anyway. Just accept what I put here cause, as you can see, I am deviating from canon Bleach.

So happy you like this crossover. Remember the note above, slow update. Don't expect me to do it immediately. I may update on February though (no given date). Cross fingers.

Give love guys.

P.S.

Love, love, love, love the reviews! I keep rereading them so I could motivate myself to write.

Review again!