This is a rewrite of a fic by the same name. There are quite a few differences to help continuity.

Full Summary: Ichigo lives his life cut off from the rest of the spiritual world after the Winter War. Ichigo regains his power, to the surprise of all who know, so he goes to Hueco Mundo to contain it. While there, Ichigo encounters a mysterious being with a proposition to become the bridge between hollows, quincy, and shinigami. But first, Ichigo must go through a set of trials to learn more of his world, and prove his worth to his future employer. The Soul Society is the first arc.

TLDR: Ichigo trains to become a bridge of quincy, hollow, and shinigami

Some things will change from the cannon but it basically starts 10 years after the 1st war.

Inner Hollow

Old Man Zangetsu

Inner thoughts/telepathy

xXx

Ichigo Kurosaki, Substitute Soul Reaper, Visord, and general thorn in the side of anyone who stands between him and protecting those he loves, the resident doctor of a small medical clinic in Karakura town, and a man of few words.

In the time since the Winter War ended and Ichigo lost his powers, the now 30 year old man grew increasingly distant from the friends he once considered closest. Rukia Kuchki and Renji Abarai stopped coming to see him after finally giving up on him retaining his shinigami powers. It hurt them both too much to see the man that could once shatter the world as nothing more than a human with experience beyond anyone else of his age.

Orihime , Uryu, and his family slowly moved away. Each of them easily found a place in the world of spirits.

Karin began hanging out at the Urahara Shop after finally awakening her latent shinigami powers. Yuzu, being much less in tune with the spiritual, simply went off to college. Ichigo was always happy to hear her weekly phone calls, but even she seemed more distant, like she was hiding something from him.

Uryu worked to rediscover quincy secrets and traveled all over, mainly around Germany, for that express purpose.

Isshin returned to his post in the Gotei. They practically begged him since they were so short on captain class shinigami. Ichigo had never had the strength to ask why his dad was a shinigami and never told him. The father and son entered into a quiet silence on important topics. Isshin only agreed to rejoin the Gotei after both his daughters moved out, which didn't take long since they were easily preoccupied.

Ichigo was left alone in his childhood house. He could no longer see spirits but he could still vaguely sense their presence. Once he graduated high school, Ichigo decided to go to med school, then reopen the clinic.

Ichigo would always find himself disappointed by his new lifestyle. He no longer had the thrill, or the rush of battle. Never before had he related to Grimmjow and his inner hollow so much. Shortly after his dad moved out when Ichigo was 23, he turned to meditation to try to focus his thoughts and life. As he hoped, he eventually made it back to his inner world.

He was greeted by the quiet skyscrapers he had come to know. At first, he didn't even bother seeking out his missing spirits. He simply sat alone and enjoyed the small connection he felt to his spiritual powers. It was muted and dull, like a dying voice, but it was there.

Meanwhile, his two spirits were hiding inside one of the numerous skyscrapers.

"We should tell King. He doesn't deserve to be given the silent treatment," Ichigo's inner hollow said to Old Man Zangetsu, who had a contemplative look on his face.

"This is not about what he deserves. We have a duty to protect him. I don't want to see him in battles like he faced in the hollow-shinigami war ever again," Old Man Zangetsu said with a frown slightly deeper than usual.

"That's where you're wrong. Ichigo misses those fights. We can give it to him. I thought you wanted what's best for Ichigo," the inner hollow said, getting increasingly angry. "You're not doing this for Ichigo. You're doing this for your own damn conscience."

Old Man Zangetsu didn't meet his gaze.

"That's what I thought." The inner hollow broke through the glass and rushed over to Ichigo. "Long time no see King. You keep wallowing like you have been and I'll have to take over for good." He looked the same as always, but without his inverted color Zangetsu.

Ichigo looked up from his resting place. "It's good to see you too, Whitey," Ichigo said with a grin nearly identical to his inner hollow's. His expression turned to quizzical, "Actually, how am I seeing you?"

"Well that's an easy answer. You lost your shinigami powers, not your hollow powers."

"Does that mean Zangetsu's gone?" Ichigo asked, a little bit of sadness leaking into his voice.

"Oh of course not. He would be the last one to disappear."

"But you said it's my shinigami powers that disappeared."

"I did, didn't I. Well, you should come and beat the answer out of me," he said with a grin.

Ichigo smiled before a frown crossed his face. "I can't. I don't have my powers, remember."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're a wuss who won't use your hollow powers without full control. Boo hoo." He made a mock crying motion.

Ichigo glared at his inner hollow. "Yeah forgive me for not wanting to destroy everything in sight. You should just tell me why Zangetsu is still here."

"Nah, can't do that. Just ask him yourself. You're too boring," the inner hollow said as he leaped off the building.

"Can't you ever be anything more than a pain in the ass?!" Ichigo yelled at him. He settled back down into the quiet.

Back within the building where Old Man Zangetsu was in, said spirit refused to emerge. A deep frown was on his face as he cursed the damn hollow for throwing him to the dogs.

Ichigo exited his inner world after a few hours of relaxing. A small smile crossed his face. Not all hope was lost, some of his powers remained, though most of what his inner hollow said confused him. Ichigo got up off his couch and prepared for bed.

xXx

The next morning, Ichigo set out for Urahara's shop, determined to find a way to reawaken his powers.

"Yo, Gueta-Boshi, you in?" Ichigo said as he barged in, not bothering to knock.

The sound of spilt boxes came from the other room as Kisuke Urahara fell. He poked his head though the doorway. "Ichigo-kun! I forgot you had no spiritual pressure. You've gone and snuck up on this poor old man," he said as he wiped the likely explosive powder from his green robes. "Now then, what can I do for you after all these years? You never even bothered to stop by. I'm hurt."

"Cut the crap. Anyway, I entered my inner world last night and I met my inner hollow."

This simple statement peaked the attention of Urahara. "Are…are you sure it wasn't a dream, Ichigo-kun…hehe," Urahara said nervously. This little development had numerous implications, most importantly, Ichigo could get his powers back.

"I'm sure. I wouldn't joke about something like this. More concerning, he said Old Man Zangetsu is still in there. I'm not one to trust a hollow, but my inner hollow has never lied to me so far."

"This isn't good. Depending on how your power may return, it could have catastrophic implications. I think, for now we should modify your body to seal your power in case it does come back. I would suggest going somewhere other than the mortal plane, but you are more or less a mortal," Urahara suggested.

"That makes sense. How long would that take?" Ichigo asked

"Probably about a week of visits to administer a treatment. Other than that, just go about your normal daily life. Lets start now. I don't want this getting out of hand too quickly," Urahara finished. He lead Ichigo into the back where he had Ichigo lay down while he went to look for his materials.

xXx

The treatment passed without a hitch. As time passed, Ichigo was able to further connect with his inner hollow. Since Old Man Zangetsu never showed up, so the identical two became increasingly close in a brotherly relationship. Ichigo wouldn't deny he used his inner hollow, who he now called Shiro, as a way to vent his frustrations.

Also, an added bonus was how since Shiro was no longer ignored by Ichigo, he mellowed out. Ichigo once compared it to a toddler with an attention complex…which he will never do again.

Their power was still safely sealed within Ichigo's body, but that didn't hinder his ability to use it within his inner world. Ichigo came to understand just how displeased with him Shiro was for neglecting their hollow abilities. Shiro demanded he learn at least the basics of being a hollow, much to Ichigo's displeasure at even admitting to that part of himself. The only reason Shiro was able to convince him, was better understanding, means better control, which means he will have a harder time going bat shit crazy like he did in the fight with Ulquiora.

The progress was slow, Ichigo had a hard time getting a feeling. Since he was never really in any danger, he wasn't pushed like he was in the war.

Ichigo's power continued to slowly return. It began to put a strain on his body after a year and he also began to see spirits again. He was still completely untraceable, so he didn't have to worry about encountering hollows without his abilities to protect him. One day when he entered his inner world, he was greeted with a proposition from Shiro.

"We could go back now. We don't have to return as a Soul Reaper."

"No."

"What do you mean no? That's all you've wanted for the past 8 years?!" Shiro retorted.

"I don't trust the Soul Society. Shinji and the Visords were in hiding for a reason. They still don't really engage with the Gotei. I don't think they would exactly appreciate a superhuman wild card now that they don't depend on me," Ichigo said with a bit of sadness leaking into his voice.

"What about your old friends?"

"They aren't exactly the quietest bunch. Orihime is a loud mouth, and while I think Chad would be better, if he ever let it slip it would put him in danger to be manipulated. Uryu probably doesn't care either way since he's in Germany."

"You're being too hard on yourself King, but I understand your point," he laughed. "The Old Man would probably be really happy to hear you looking after your own hide for once."

Ichigo returned to the world outside. With a deep sigh, he went downstairs to do something monotonous to take his mind off the little choice he had made.

xXx

Two years after Ichigo's power was sealed in his body, he began noticing fissures in his skin. He tried everything from bandages to any of the salves he or Urahara had, but nothing would stop his skin from splitting in a new place every so often. According to Urahara, this wasn't only happening within his body. The fissures started out small at first. Ichigo thought he was just becoming clumsier and scratching himself in odd places, but as they grew to be more common, he found the contrary to be true.

Three years after sealing his powers, Ichigo looks down at his arms, covered in scars and glued shut lines in his skin. Nothing worked better than some good old super glue for his purposes.

'Maybe it's been long enough now. My body is failing me, and I have nothing for me here anymore.' Ichigo thought to himself and his inner tenant.

"You got that right King. There is nothing left for us in this world. Not even the old man stays here anymore." His hollow, Shiro said spitefully. "It would be more fun to just run away and do as we please. The soul society couldn't catch us if they tried." The hollow descended into maniacal laughter.

'You and I both know that's wrong. Also do you know how lonely that would be?' Ichigo thought back to Shiro.

"Aren't you already lonely?" That retort was met with silence. "We can't keep living like this. You'll go more insane than me."

Ichigo muttered a retort under his breath and threw the broken tube of super glue away. "We need a permanent solution. My body will have split itself into pieces by the time of my natural death," Ichigo paused and asked his spirits another question, "Would it be insane to go to Urahara and try to turn this body into a Gigai?"

"At this point, to not would be suicide, and I sure as hell don't want to go down with the ship," Shiro said.

Ichigo sighed, agreeing with Shiro, and turned the sign of his clinic to say 'closed for the day' as he walked out of the house and down the long road towards the Urahara Shop. He didn't pause to knock, only letting himself in with a cheerful "Yo!"

Urahara poked his head though the doorway. "Ichigo-kun! I've once again forgotten you have no spiritual pressure. You should stop sneaking up on me," he said as he wiped the likely explosive powder from his green robes. "Now then, what can I do for you on this fine day?"

Ichigo rolled up his sleeve, which he had taken to wearing even in the summer due to the fissures. "My body isn't strong enough to sustain my power anymore. The fissures have gotten worse" Ichigo finished.

The old scientist examined his arms, first with intrigue, then a grim look on his face. "You're right. At this rate, it won't last more than a month. Cutting it close, aren't ya."

Ichigo nodded along.

"Well that confirms that. Your spirit energy is trying to fight its way through your body since that is acting as it's prison, if that weren't obvious. And second, I believe your body is simply just…dead. Simple as that. You are keeping it alive through sheer willpower but your body, like you, are more or less dead."

Ichigo cringed a little inside as Urahara said he was dead with such cheer. "Soooo…what's a permanent solution?" Ichigo asked impatiently. "Could I just use a gigai?"

"Well, yes. But you would run into some problems still, without a doubt. I may be able to figure out a solution but it will take time. I would request that you leave the body here so you don't damage it further, if that is alright. I have no idea how long this could take since I have never had to make a gigai to retain this much strength," Urahara said.

"People would wonder if I suddenly disappeared. Should I just die, officially I mean? No offence to Kon, but I wouldn't trust him to stay in my body for a day, especially since I work as doctor now," Ichigo shuddered at the thought of Kon in his body anywhere near medical equipment.

"No, that won't do. I suppose you wouldn't want to live in the Soul Society?" Urahara suggested

"Not since Central 46 is back. They would surely turn me over to Mayuri for testing and possible mutilation."

"The only other place I can think of is Hueco Mundo. You would be able to survive there, couldn't you Ichigo-kun?" Urahara said teasingly, as both knew that wouldn't really be an issue.

A woman clad in orange made her presence known to the duo. "You could use that time to try to refine your abilities. No offence Ichigo, but when it comes to low level abilities you don't consider necessary, you are a little bit more than lacking. I think it would be a good opportunity to practice some control."

"Hello Yoruichi," Ichigo said with true happiness. He had missed his old teacher, despite her perverted nature. "It would give me something to do there...I think that's a good idea. How would I know what to train though?"

Urahara got a look in his eye, the one when he had an experimental device he was exited to try. "Well, I may have just the thing." He scrambled to the back room and came back with a small device that looked like a rudimentary cell phone. "This lovely thing here, is something I've been working on since the war. It was a little inconvenient to have to set up the entire call center just to send a simple message, so I developed this. It simply taps into the recipient's soul signature using stored riatsu and then sends a message directly to their mind. Isn't that amazing!"

Ichigo and Yoruichi laughed nervously. "Well, the utility can't be denied, though as always your creations are borderline creepy and invasive," Ichigo said with a smile.

"Then there's the plan! I would be correct in assuming you don't want the Gotei to know?" Urahara said enthusiastically. He poked Ichigo out of his body, which promptly fell forward.

There was a massive explosion of power before he reeled it mostly in and things returned back to the way they were. "Of course. You'll let me know when you're done?" Ichigo asked as he turned towards the door, his zanpakto in his massive shikai state.

"That would be correct my boy, good luck out there." Urahara and Youruichi waved the young man off as he stepped away from the two former Shinigami captains. Ichigo allowed Shiro to take control for a second in order for him to open up a garganta. The shop, being lined with numerous wards, hid the presence of the garganta itself from the soul society. "I'll see you two later," Shiro said with a cackle from Ichigo's body as he stepped through the black vortex.

The two left behind shivered, startled he so easily let go of control to that monster.

Meanwhile in the Soul Society

"Captain Korotsuchi!"

"What? What is it?" Captain Korotsuchi huffed at the poor 12th division shinigami who dare distract him from his experiments.

"S-sir, Ichigo Kurosaki's riatsu spiked then disappeared."

"What?! Nemu, let the Captain Commander know, and call a captains meeting."

xXx

Boom, chapter 1 revised. I had to tie up quite a few loose ends and I'd rather get off on the right foot. There is some overlap between the chapters, but I think this is mostly new content.

Fun Fact: This entire story started because I got superglue on my fingers so I couldn't feel my skin there and started thinking about what would happen if you slowly detached from your body or you had to use it to hold yourself together. So on that light note…

-SilverKing