On that day, the Kurosaki family fell into sorrow—for in a single day, they lost Kurosaki Ryujin.
They had been on their way home after karate practice. Ryujin had just beaten the boys who were bullying his twin.
"You have to fight, Ichigo," Ryujin had teased, tapping his crying brother on the forehead.
The bullies writhed in pain on the ground; no one could explain how a ten-year-old could be so strong.
The two looked nearly identical. The only difference was that Ichigo had orange-red hair, while Ryujin's hair was black.
Misaki was comforting Ichigo when he spotted a girl standing by the riverbank, crying.
He pulled free from his mother to go to her—but the moment he got close enough, the girl transformed into a monster.
"Ichigo...." That was all he heard before he blacked out.
When he awoke, he was lying atop his brother's body, and his mother lay unconscious beside him.
Misaki remained in a coma for six long months, her condition worsening with every passing day. Then, for some reason, she finally woke—only to faint again from the shock of losing one of her sons.
(—)
The world was nothing but a vast desert, lit only by a single moon. And in that desert, a dragon slept.
It was colossal, its body stretching at least six meters long. Its mask bore horns pointing forward, its scales a pale, ghostly white—and a hollow hole gaped in its chest.
The dragon slept peacefully in a cavern at the heart of a giant forest, teeming with thousands of masked monsters far larger than itself.
Every day, it would leave to hunt and feed on those monsters, then return to its cave.
The only thought in its mind was to go home. But what home? It could not remember. Yet the longing remained, unshakable.
Sometimes a voice would call to him—soft, sweet, gentle.
Ryujin, Ryujin, Ryujin.
He kept thinking of returning home, but there was no home to return to. He could not recall this place he yearned for, and so he lingered there, lost in nostalgia.
Fifty years passed this way. Then one day, as he devoured one of the monsters, his body began to glow.
He shrank, shifting into a humanoid form. The horns still jutted forward from his head; the mask remained, marked with black streaks running vertically down over his eyes.
(His form was identical to Ichigo's Vasto Lorde state, save for a tail and massive wings.)
His memories began to return, piece by piece.
"I am Kurosaki Ryujin…" the humanoid said, his voice heavy with grief. "Mother, Father, Yuzu, Karin… Ichigo."
He remembered. Beneath the mask, his form blazed.
"I have to go home!" he cried out, overcome with emotion, and took a step toward the cave entrance.
Instantly, every monster outside the cavern fell to its knees and died.
"What the hell…"
Thinking he was under attack, he spread his wings and took flight. But he gasped—for everywhere he passed, Hollows perished the moment he drew near.
"This… this is my fault," the Hollow murmured, horrified. "I can't go back like this."
Sorrow washed over him. He could not return home and put his family in danger.
So he chose to isolate himself until he could find a way to control his power. He found a distant cavern to hide in, and sank once more into loneliness. Another fifty years passed.
(—)
Within his mind, skyscrapers stretched endlessly into the sky. Ryujin floated above them, his vast wings spread wide.
"Ryujin," a voice called—so faint he barely heard it.
"Where am I?" he shouted, and the very world trembled beneath his spiritual pressure. "Show yourself!"
Ryujin.
The voice came again, growing weaker still. Then he looked into the distance—and saw her.
A young woman, no older than twenty. She wore black robes that looked like a blend of kimono and overcoat.
She sat perched atop one of the tallest buildings. With a sonic boom, Ryujin appeared behind her.
"Who are you?" he demanded, glaring at her. "Why are you here? How are you still alive?"
The question was obvious. Everything that came near him died. Nothing should have been able to endure his presence.
"You're still as impatient as ever," she said, turning to face him and smiling. "Even after all you've changed… you're still the same."
"Don't act like you know me," Ryujin snarled, and the air shuddered again.
"You know, Ryu… I hate the rain," she said, her tone turning sad. "But ever since the day you became a Hollow… it rains every single day."
"What are you talking about, woman?" Ryujin growled, his fists clenching. "Who the hell are you?"
"No one knows you better than I do," she said, stepping closer. "You know my name, Ryu. You speak it every day."
"I don't know what you're talking about." He backed away, but she was already there, touching his face.
"Ryu… make the rain stop. Say my name."
"Who the hell—?" He swatted her hand away. "Why do you call me Ryu? My name is Ryujin!"
But she did not pull back.
"Remember, Ryu. Remember." She reached out and snapped one of his horns clean off.
In that instant, the mask shattered. His pale marble skin cracked and fell away, revealing his true face beneath.
"Call my name, Ryu," she whispered—and vanished.
(—)
Ryujin woke with a start. He sat up, staring at the cavern ceiling, then reached up and touched the broken horn with his hand, gripping it.
"I remember," he said, his voice calm yet thick with feeling. "I am Kurosaki Ryu."
He pulled. The horn broke completely, the mask disintegrating along with it. His pale, stone-like skin crumbled away, leaving him naked. The hollow hole that had once scarred his chest was gone.
In his hand, where the horn had been, a sword materialized—a Western-style blade, entirely black with gleaming gold detailing.
He looked at the sword and murmured:
"Wake up, Ryujin."
A pure black aura erupted around him. The spiritual pressure that followed was so immense it felt as though an ocean had crashed down upon Hueco Mundo. So powerful was it that, even from miles away, a faint trace of it was felt within Las Noches.
Orihime Inoue was tending to Ichigo, desperate to heal the wound in his chest that Grimmjow had left when he'd dragged him there. She froze, her eyes widening.
"Kurosaki-kun?" She glanced at Ichigo, who was still recovering. But this immense spiritual pressure… it wasn't coming from him.
She shook her head, telling herself it was just her imagination.
"Woman, hurry up and heal him!" Grimmjow snarled, advancing on her.
"No! If I heal him, you'll just hurt him again!" Orihime stood her ground.
Grimmjow seized her by the throat, lifting her off the ground. "What did you say?"
But at that moment, Ichigo woke—and stopped him before he could hurt her further.
(—)
Ryu looked down at his hands, then at his body. He was no longer trapped in that monstrous form.
"I'm being called," he said, looking toward the horizon.
He spread his wings and took flight, vanishing into the sky.
(—)
Ichigo was at his limit. His Hollow mask was almost completely shattered. He and Grimmjow had been fighting for a long time, both exhausted.
Orihime watched, horrified. With every passing minute, she was reminded more and more of the brother she'd lost—the one who'd turned into a Hollow and tried to hurt her.
"You have to cheer for him!" Nel shouted beside her. "Ichigo is fighting for you! He's hurting himself for you! Cheer for him!"
The little Arrancar yelled and pleaded, urging her to support him.
Then, in a single violent impact, Ichigo was sent crashing into a pillar. It was too late.
Grimmjow was already there, looming over him, ready to drive his fist through his chest.
"Don't lose, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime screamed.
Her voice cut through the darkness like a beacon. Ichigo caught Grimmjow's fist in his hand and looked up at the Arrancar.
"Sorry… I can't lose," he said.
He struck Grimmjow in the chest, sending him crashing down—and finally defeated him.
But peace did not come with victory. The moment the fight ended, Nnoitra appeared and attacked the fallen Arrancar. Ichigo stepped in to defend him.
But Ichigo was already spent. He was defeated, helpless to stop another Hollow from dragging Orihime away.
Nel revealed her true form—the Third Espada—but she was too weak to maintain it for long.
Just as the killing blow was about to fall, Ichigo tried to save her, only to be struck down again. A brute of a Hollow was beating him mercilessly—until it was suddenly hurled away.
Nnoitra stared in shock at the newcomer: a Vasto Lorde-like Hollow with forward-curving horns and dragon-like wings.
"Who the hell are you?" Nnoitra snapped. The brute Hollow got back to its feet.
The newcomer ignored him, glancing first at the fallen Ichigo, then at the brute and Nnoitra. "Did you do this to him?"
"Who are you?" the brute demanded again.
The only answer it received was being cut clean in half. It died instantly.
"You son of a bitch!" Nnoitra roared, lunging forward. "I'll slice you to pieces!"
He attacked again and again, but the Hollow deflected every strike, never retreating, never flinching.
The Hollow looked at Nnoitra—indifferent—then down at Ichigo.
"Looks like I'm going to have to save you again, Ichigo," he said, his voice heavy with disappointment.
Ichigo's eyes went wide. "How…?"
"Go after your girl. I'll handle this trash." He glanced at Grimmjow and Nel. "Take these two somewhere safe."
Ichigo didn't hesitate. He grabbed Nel and Grimmjow and vanished with Shunpo.
"You bastard! You're making me wait! I'm going to kill you!" Nnoitra screamed, charging once more.
Once Ichigo and the others were gone, the Hollow's mask shifted as if he were smiling beneath it.
"Now that they're gone… I don't have to hold back anymore."
Black aura erupted from his body, crushing everything around him. Nnoitra fell to his knees, pinned by the sheer weight of his spiritual pressure, straining just to remain upright.
"Oh? You can still stand?" the Hollow said, his tone mocking. "You're the first who hasn't died just from standing near me. But that's all you get."
With a single sweep of his blade, Nnoitra was cut in two. He died where he fell.
"You… are strong," a voice called out.
A man with spiky hair and an immense frame stood before him, seemingly unaffected by the crushing pressure.
The Hollow narrowed his eyes, studying him. "Who are you?"
"Zaraki Kenpachi." Zaraki laughed, raising his sword. "And you?"
"Ryu." The Hollow-dragon spread his wings. "It was a pleasure to meet you."
He took to the skies—but Zaraki pursued.
"Don't run away! I finally found someone strong enough to fight! Let's go!" Zaraki shouted, wild with excitement.
"I'd rather not. I don't want to kill someone who can actually survive my presence," Ryu called back.
He tried to vanish—but Zaraki kept chasing him. One wanted to find his brother; the other just wanted a fight.
(—)
Ichigo was in trouble again. A gaping hole had been torn through his chest. And in the middle of it all, something unexpected happened.
Ishida and Grimmjow were fighting side by side against Ulquiorra, in his second release.
Grimmjow was furious that Ulquiorra had hidden such power from them. He was also still angry at Ichigo for saving him from a humiliating death.
Orihime desperately tried to heal Ichigo, while Nel wept beside his broken body.
It was then that Ichigo's Hollow power awakened. He transformed, and in that state, he overpowered and defeated Ulquiorra.
"That power… that Hollow… it's almost exactly like the other one," Grimmjow said, stunned.
But there was no time to think. Ichigo turned on them next. He was about to strike them down—when that voice spoke again.
"Seriously… you really are incompetent, little brother."
The voice rang in everyone's ears. The Hollow looked at Orihime. "You—shield them. Now."
Orihime raised her barrier just in time. Ichigo lunged—but Ryu appeared before him, blocking the strike with his sword.
The force of the blow sent shockwaves that nearly shattered Las Noches itself. Orihime's barrier strained to hold.
"You're still an idiot—attacking without thinking," Ryu said.
He kicked Ichigo back, and the two began to trade blows, each strike more powerful than the last. Ryu was struggling; he had immense power, but little experience. Most enemies died before they could even fight back.
He gathered a Cero between his horns. Ichigo did the same. The two blasts collided, annihilating each other in a massive explosion. Ryu's arm was burned. He stared at it.
"This little brat is surpassing me?" he snarled, charging forward.
Their spiritual pressures were so intense the fabric of space itself groaned. They appeared and vanished, clashing again and again—every blow shaking the world. It was a battle of titans.
Then Ryu slipped up. Ichigo appeared beside him, his blade slicing deep into Ryu's abdomen—not killing him, but a brutal, devastating wound.
Ryu was thrown back, crashing into a ruined pillar.
"Damn it… I'm the older brother!" Ryu roared, blood spilling. "I have to be stronger!"
He fired another Cero—but Ichigo was already there, swinging his blade straight for Ryu's neck.
It would have been fatal—until Ulquiorra appeared and severed Ichigo's horn.
Ichigo's Hollow form crumbled. Before he could fall, Ryu caught him and lowered him gently to the ground.
(—)
"AAAHHH!" Ichigo woke with a gasp, clutching his face. "What the hell happened?"
"You're insane," Grimmjow said, staring at him. "Why didn't you use that power against me, Shinigami?"
Ichigo looked down, his expression darkening. "It's not something I can control… Did I hurt anyone?"
He looked around, horrified. Ulquiorra lay nearby, missing an arm and a leg.
"Damn it… Cut off my arms and legs," Ichigo muttered. "That fight wasn't fair."
He stood up, angry and shaken—only to be kicked hard and sent flying.
"Who did that?" he shouted, scrambling up.
Standing before him was a Hollow, his hand still raised.
"If you'd gone through with that, I would've saved you for nothing," the Hollow snapped, clutching the bleeding gash in his abdomen. "You really haven't changed at all, have you, idiot?"
Ichigo stared. "Who are you? Why did you save me?"
"Of course I saved you, you fool!" the Hollow shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. "I saved you today. I saved you years ago. And you were about to throw your life away!"
He sighed, sheathing his sword. His form began to shift, returning to human.
Nel's eyes went wide. "There are two Ichigos!"
"Ghh…" Ryu sank to one knee, gritting his teeth as his wounds slowly knitted together. "It's healing… but it still hurts."
"Ryu?" Ichigo gasped. He ran forward and embraced his brother. "I thought… I thought you were dead."
"Well… a Hollow isn't exactly alive, is it?" Ryu said, returning the hug with a faint smile.
Nearby, Ulquiorra spoke briefly with Orihime before fading away into dust.
Ichigo introduced his brother to everyone. They prepared to leave to help Ichigo's friends—but Ryu stayed behind.
First, he had no desire to walk into a war between Shinigami. Second, he still couldn't fully control his spiritual pressure—not in this state, not while injured. If he went near the others, they might die just from being near him.
Nel and Grimmjow stayed with him, too—neither fit to fight in their current condition.