Phew! This is probably the longest chapter to date by about 1000 words, maybe more. I guess it owes to how excited I was to cover this point in the story, simply because I was eager to put into words my ideas for how this event would go. There are so many intricacies to be played with, given what we now know of Ichigo's ancestry and subsequent power set, so many avenues to explore and questions to answer. I'm probably setting this up to be bigger than it is by itself, but it'll play a big role in how events will unfold in the future.
I won't spend any more time explaining, so I hope you enjoy this latest installment.
Note: Y'all know the drill, copyright notice goes here. lol
Chapter 46: Hunting Grounds
I have been sleeping for seven moons, and now I'm awake
I have a hunger deep within me I can't shake
You see it twist and turn, I won't let it take a hold of me
The time to hunt has come, it's time for me to feed
We know one of us is going down
So I say we do this anyway
We know one of us is going down
So I say we do this anyway
(One of us is going...)
Down in the darkness, beneath the light
Meet on the hunting grounds, down
Down in the shadows, become the night
Meet on the hunting grounds, down
If one of us is going down (One of us is going down)
I say let's do this anyway (Let's do this anyway)
If one of us is going down (One of us is going down)
I say let's do this anyway
On the hunting grounds
...
Hunting Grounds - In This Moment feat. Joe Cotella of Ded
If Ichigo had doubts about Urahara owning this particular building before, they were quashed the moment he was led down to the secret basement of the warehouse. If it weren't for the stairway leading up in the place of the ladder, well that and the altered rock formations, he would swear that this was the same training area as the one in Kisuke's shop, complete with the painted sky.
"Does Hat-and-Clogs do this with every place he owns?" he wondered aloud.
"Well, we would have used the shop's training ground, but it would've been weird having so many people living and working in that tiny building" Love chimed in nonchalantly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his track suit.
"Plus, it would've been more difficult, not to mention dangerous, to gain control of our hollows in a more populated area. Kisuke hooked us up with this, instead" Shinji explained.
"And the use of my Kido to ward off any unwelcome visitors would have made business a non-starter" Hachi added with a sheepish smile, his mustache curling upward right along with it to add even more to the jolly giant aura he gave off.
"Uh-huh." The teen just nodded slowly to himself as he looked around, taking in the increased dimensionality. "And I guess having more room didn't hurt, what with there being more of you."
It had been a few hours since the ill-fated test, Hachigen having taken the time to heal up both fighters, though Ichigo hardly needed it, given that he only sustained a few scrapes. The Substitute had been surprised by the nature of the man's powers, seeing how similar they were to Orihime's. He'd said as much after the Vizard had finished, leaving the pink-haired gentleman curious to meet the young woman. It wasn't everyday that someone came along that could match his diverse array of custom-designed kido spells.
Hiyori grumbled to herself, her arms crossed so tightly that her shoulders were level with her chin. "Hey, Shinji" she hissed quietly. "What're we doing bringing the shit stain down here already? Shouldn't we be testing him on my patented elliptical machine?"
"Wouldn't help much" the taller blonde commented. "Kid's got too much spiritual pressure for it to make much of a difference. Besides, I played spectator while he trained with Kisuke and his little girlfriend. From what I saw from the sidelines, he'd beat the three-day limit on the first try."
"Still would've been hilarious watching that dumbass try" she said between her teeth.
"Why am I not surprised that you were keeping tabs on me that far back?" Ichigo threw out without turning around.
"If only you knew" Hirako said, his grin and leer making that statement much creepier than intended. "We felt your hollow emerge while you were training to invade the Sereitei. I had to do due diligence. It was only a matter of time before it became too much for you to handle."
"If it weren't for those Togabi-whatever stirring shit up, I could've handled it" he bit back.
This had most of the group, aside from Shinji, Hiyori, and Lisa (the latter because of her focus being on her lude magazine), raising brows. "So you put it together that these intruders from Hell have something to do with our inner hollows being closer to the surface?" Rose asked with an impressed tone, more as a confirmation than anything.
"That guy was the only new addition in town, other than you all" he reasoned, turning back to face them. "But seeing as you've been in the background here all this time, it didn't seem likely you Vizards had anything to do with it."
"Sharper than your dumb ass looks" Hiyori said snidely.
Hirako chuckled lightly. "Something about Hell's influence here in Karakura is drawing out the baser instincts of our hollows. We don't know how long it'll stay that way, if it's just a lingering thing with those Sinners fading over time or what? Whatever it is, make no mistake, kid."
The former Squad 5 Captain narrowed his eyes. "You would have lost control sooner or later. This just happened to make it sooner."
Ichigo exhaled through his nose, his eyes cutting off to the side. "Whatever…"
"We've all had to go through this" Kensei said stoically, turning to lean against an errant rock jutting up beside the group. "It was never a matter of if. Only when. And you drew the card of having a particularly powerful hollow inside you, so don't get all strung out that you couldn't keep the wild dog caged. Even us Captain-level players had to fight to gain complete control."
It took a few moments, but he met their gazes once again, steeling his determination. "Let's get this over with, then. What do we have to do?"
"Simple. Beat the beast into submission and push it down deep into the core of your soul" Shinji said as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
"What do you think I've been trying to do?!" the strawberry blonde raged indignantly.
"You don't get it. I mean face the thing directly. Inside your mind, your inner world."
The Substitute cocked his brow before nodding to himself, clenching his fists. "Fine. Okay, but one little problem. I've only been drug in there when my back was against the wall and Zangetsu saw fit to do something about it. Lately, any other time that's happened, my hollow just takes over."
"Oh, don't worry" Hirako said, grinning slightly wider as he raised his hand. "We've got that part covered."
Without a word, the Vizard cast a kido, impacting Ichigo before he even knew what to think. His eyes glossed over before he wobbled on his feet, taking a beat before sinking to his knees and tipping forward to faceplant in the dirt.
"We don't have long. Hachi, set up the barrier. I'm up first" he said in a more business-like fashion, drawing his Zanpakutō.
"Right away." The larger gentleman clapped his hands and sank into his familiar lotus position as an orange barrier quickly formed in a sizeable radius with the prone teenager at its center, Hirako only a few meters away. The four corners solidified into a solid transparent box. "I will pour as much as I can in while still keeping the barriers outside going. It will take much more to hold him, judging by what I saw when Hiyori attacked him."
"Just do your best. I'll keep his attention off of you. Be ready, because you're up next, Hiyori" Shinji finished, right as a bloom in dark spiritual pressure shook the foundations of the cavernous room, one of Ichigo's hands slowly raising before slamming into the rocky earth to lift his body up.
The girl in question couldn't help the small tremor in her hand as the beast inhabiting the boy's soul reared its head back and roared, golden eyes blazing as a mask began to materialize much more solidly than before. "R-Right…Gotta pay that asshole back for earlier" she said, barely managing to keep up her bravado.
The blue sky faded into view slowly as his vision cleared, taking note of the more navy skyscrapers jutting in at regular intervals. A glance to the left and right revealed the same scenery surrounding him in all directions, déjà vu washing over him. He could feel the stone pressing into his back, pulling him in that direction as opposed to towards the street below as with the previous time.
"I guess…this is how it's supposed to be when I'm not about to die" he said as he propped himself up on his elbows. "Weird."
"Poor choice of words…" a distorted echo of his own voice called out to him, a snide edge to it. "Your soul might not be crumbling apart, but you're definitely about to die!"
He barely dodged purely on instinct as a white blade with a black edge pierced the space he had been resting, rolling to a stop on one knee. A glance at the blade had his eyes shooting wide open, the overlarge sword a mirror image of his own. Only…the colors were inverted.
A mad cackle made him follow the path of the black wrapping on the hilt, a long trail of it taut to a figure some ways off in a dark cloak. "Who the hell…"
"Oh, you know who I am…" the figure said gleefully, again in a layered version of Ichigo's voice. "We haven't met in person…although…I guess that would be a relative term in this case…"
A hard yank brought the white Zangetsu back to its owner, a deft movement stopping its momentum cold in the grips of a bleached white hand.
"You…That was really you?" Ichigo said incredulously, memories of the previous night coming back to him clear as day even as the figure reached up with its other hand to grasp the top of the cloak.
"Did you think I was lying when I said I was you, King?" Ripping the cloak clean off in a flourish of the long cloth, the hollow revealed himself, the same mirror of the teenager drained of all color aside from the malevolent golden eyes and blackened sclera and teeth. Grinning maniacally, the hollow glared at his counterpart. "I've always been here. I've always been a part of you. But now…I want the reigns of this ship. I'm gonna be the King, now."
"Like hell" Ichigo spat, drawing Zangetsu from his back, the white wrappings falling free. "It's time I put you in your place where you belong."
The hollow threw his head back, howling with laughter. "Go ahead and try, if it makes you feel better, but let's face it. You're too weak!"
Spinning his Zanpakutō by the cloth, he hurled it yet again towards Ichigo at wicked speeds. Only the boy's quick reflexes allowed him to parry it over to the side. Diverting his eyes to the offending weapon, however, was a costly mistake, for in the next moment, the hollow was in his face, pulling the blade back to himself and swinging wildly downward on the unprepared teen.
A panicked backstep was all he could manage, though the force of the inverted Zangetsu impacting where his feet had been sent him careening away. He couldn't even put his feet under him to stave off the hard landing against the adjacent building, a cloud of shattered cement pluming around him.
"Shit…Old Man, I might need your help, here…" he said as he drug himself back up, trying to steady his stance. "Zangetsu…"
The dust began to settle as he looked around himself, seeing no signs of his Zanpakutō spirit. "Where the hell are you?! Zangetsu?!" he yelled louder.
A dark chuckle from the hollow quickly rose to a crescendo of guffaws, Ichigo finding him across the gap doubled over in his humor. "What's so goddamned funny?!"
There was a solid stretch of thirty seconds before the creature could calm himself enough to answer. "If you're looking for Zangetsu, then look no further, King. Why do you think I refer to our little relationship as king and horse? Face it, you've been riding on my power all along."
"You…What?" he sputtered incredulously.
"I'll spell it out for you, moron" the apparition said with a menacing grin. "I AM Zangetsu!"
Hiyori dodged a wild overhead swipe from the huge sword and counterstruck with her own, leaving a massive gash down the berserker's arm.
"How do you like that, asshole!" she cried, grinning triumphantly behind her mask, even as the single jutting horn sported a broken tip from the near miss.
Her reverie was cut short as, with a hissing cry of rage, Ichigo's hollowfied form spewed white viscera from the bloody wound, the material latching onto the wounded limb to become a second layer of skin. The damage done only seemed to help in the end, the hollow transforming more of the teen's body to suit itself.
"Son of a bitch" she swore before being forced to back off as the hollow lunged at her once again. "High-speed regeneration. Lucky bastard."
From outside the battlefield, Hachi was sweating under the effort to maintain the barrier through the force of the exchanged blows. "The amount of power he is outputting is frightful. If any of you lose his interest for even a moment and he lashes out at the cage, I don't know if I can hold it."
"In that case" Mashiro said, skipping up to the side of the barrier. "I'm next. I can hold hollowfication longer than any of you anyway."
"You'll be good for pestering him, at least" Kensei said with a shrug and a smirk, making her huff indignantly.
"Not nice!" she pouted. "Though, you're not wrong. I tend to get on people's nerves, don't I? I dunno why, though" she added, her attitude doing a 180.
"Too bubbly for your own good, I suppose" Rose interjected, shaking his head with a good-natured smile.
"That's time" Shinji remarked, Hachi opening a small hole in the barrier in response. "Hiyori, tag out!"
An errant swipe sent her flying out right through the hole just as he finished the call out, the rampaging beast getting ready to charge through right after her before Mashiro jumped in, her sword clashing with his own. The teen growled unintelligibly as he tried to grind right past her to no avail.
"Sorry, big guy!" An insect-esque mask appeared on her face before she gave a mighty heave despite her size, tossing him right back to the center. "Can't let you go. Why don't you play with me for a bit?"
"The hell do you mean?!" Ichigo cried angrily. "I've seen Zangetsu, and you're not it, you lying bastard!"
"Oh, I'm the liar here, am I?" the hollow said, grin not dropping in the slightest. "You have no idea, King. Aside from training for your precious Bankai, have you ever once seen the old geezer use me? I don't think so. Hell, believe it or not, that Black Getsuga of yours, you got that from yours truly."
The white Ichigo widened his stance, leveling his sword out in front of him before gripping his forearm, the familiar pose shocking Ichigo to the core. "I'm the real deal, whether you like it or not! Your power is my power and vice versa! I've been with you from the very beginning, I'd just been sleeping away quietly in here until I found my chance to wake up. And when you decided to release your real powers as a Soul Reaper…I was finally free."
"That's bullshit!" Ichigo called out, mimicking his hollow's stance in a panic. "Hat-and-Clogs told me the truth! The Hogyoku created you inside me!"
"Oh, that thing?" If possible, the manic grin of blackened teeth grew wider. "It just helped to wake me up even before your little waifu's powers went poof. I was here since the day you were born. You're the one who wanted the power of a Shinigami that slept within you. I just came as part of the package deal."
The golden eyes suddenly went wild. "And now I'll prove it! BANKAI!"
An explosion of red-tinged white spiritual pressure engulfed the building the hollow had been standing on, threatening to crumble the structure apart beneath it. Ichigo grit his teeth, fearful of the new level of hell that awaited him. One thing was for sure. If this thing was telling the truth, he had to match it in kind to stand any chance at all. "BANKAI!"
His own blast of black and red matched the former in intensity, a great gout of smoke obscuring all vision surrounding the pair and their individual footholds. This would have continued unabated, the inner world lacking any breeze, were it not for simultaneous bursts of spiritual pressure from the both of them sending the cloud forcefully out of range.
"I won't be held back by that old bastard anymore…" the hollow said in a low tone, smirking as his eyes glinted at his opponent. As before, it was like looking into a mirror. The cloak from Tensa Zangetsu was there, bleached as white as the spirit's skin. The same could be said for the Zanpakutō, down to the four-pronged guard and small length of chain at the pommel. "Mommy can't protect you now, little Ichigo…"
The mere mention of his mother sent him into a rage, his spiritual pressure propelling him forward instantaneously. The hollow matched his movement, the two clashing blades in midair with simultaneous battle cries.
"RRRRRAAAAAAAGH!"
A baleful gale of dust and smoke suddenly poured outward, forcing Lisa backwards. "What the hell…Oh shit…"
Her eyes widened behind the veil of the cross-shaped hole in her mask, her senses alight with the insidious energy now pouring out of the kid. What was left of him, anyway.
The dust settled to reveal a shredded black cloak over his torso, both of his bulky white arms too large to be constrained by its emergence. By now, his hair had started to lengthen into an untamed mane, his head completely consumed by his mask. What was more worrisome was his Zanpakutō, now changed to its smaller katana form. It was unusual for a Zanpakutō to get smaller outside of reverting forms, but they all knew better after Shinji's reports. Things had just escalated drastically.
"How long do I have?!" she called out, a hard edge to her voice in her trepidation. "We're gonna need Captain-level strength from here on out!"
"Two minutes" Shinji called back. "Try to stay out of his reach as best you can! Keep his attention, but don't get too close!"
"Dammit…" Gritting her teeth, she took hold of her sword's scabbard and smashed it to the hilt, twirling it above her head. "Smash, Haguro Tonbo!" At the end of the spin, her Zanpakutō lengthened out into a polearm weapon with a monk's spade for a blade, the whole of it resembling a nodachi. "Increase in range coming up…"
Her uptick in spirit energy alerted the rabid Substitute, his glowing eyes focusing on her as he growled low in his throat. Disappearing with a strange buzzing sound rather than a flicker in the air, he was suddenly on her, striking down on her weapon and forcing her down on one knee.
"Stay out of his range, my ass!" Hiyori shouted in helpful commentary.
The grinding of metal set the atmosphere of the inner world aflame, sparks flowing outward almost constantly.
"Don't you dare…talk about…my mother!" Ichigo growled, the effort of maintaining the pressure against the opposing sword clear on his face.
In contrast, his hollow seemed almost at ease, smiling tauntingly. "Why shouldn't I? It's her fault I'm here in the first place" he replied, shocking Ichigo into almost faltering in their stalemate. "And it's her power passed down to you that's kept me in chains this whole time. But that old geezer can't hold me down any longer."
"What?!" That was the last straw, Ichigo's distraction at those words giving the hollow the upper hand to rear back and bat him away. The creature was quick to pursue, propelling himself forward and swatting at the boy's sword over and over to keep him careening backwards.
"Did you think Mommy dearest was just a lowly human?!" the hollow taunted, cackling with every swing he landed. "WRONG ON ONE COUNT!"
A final push left him crashing into another of the skyscrapers, a crack forming all the way through to one side, the structure shuddering as it attempted to maintain its integrity enough to stay standing. The rubble around the formed crater was slow to settle, Ichigo staying on his back both from the pain and from the revelations laid on his head.
The hollow flashed into view above him, standing on the air. Even with the Substitute Shinigami in his vulnerable state, the apparition seemed content to wait for now. "She tried to destroy me. Can't say I blame her, her kind and hollows don't get along too well. Still, I returned the favor."
Ichigo was hesitant to open his eyes, looking up at his adversary in disbelief. "That…That can't be…"
That incessant grin returned as he pushed on, completely ignoring his wielder's protests. "Of course, as I was eating her up from the inside, your Daddy got involved. I only remember seeing him for a moment within her soul before I went to sleep. Next thing I know, I wake up attached to you, wreathed right into the very essence of your Shinigami self. How's that for some shit, huh?"
As the hollow laughed at his own story, the teen struggled to come to grips with everything he had been told. If this…thing…was to be believed, then the Zangetsu he knew was actually something passed down from his mother. It hadn't really been Zangetsu after all. And the monster that had been tormenting him for months…he had been born with it. It went hand-in-hand with his nature as a Soul Reaper. His hollow was truly a part of him from the beginning.
He struggled to haul himself up to his feet, having to push off chunks of stone to find his footing. His eyes were unfocused, the burden of this knowledge leaving him at a loss for what to do. "I…I can't…This can't be real…"
This halted the hollow's laughter, the gilded eyes turning back down to his owner. "No more nightmares for you, I'm afraid…"
Letting the energy keeping him aloft dissipate, the true Zangetsu dropped to the building's surface, standing a few feet in front of his "master." "You may not like it, but this is your reality, King. And you know what? I'm sick of it!"
He looked up just as the hollow spat in disdain, the first true expression of anger evident on his face. "I'm sick of the old man keeping me locked away! I'm sick of him taking MY power and giving it to you only as it suits him! I'm sick of being the GODDAMNED HORSE!"
Startled by the tirade, Ichigo could barely register well enough to parry the strike aimed for his neck, baring his teeth as the harsh ringing of metal permeated the air. Another swing came, then another, successive strikes all being blocked or deflected harmlessly as the hollow lost himself to his anger.
"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU AND BE FREE AGAIN! I WON'T BE HELD DOWN BY YOU OR ANYONE ELSE EVER AGAIN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!"
White and red energy cloaked the ivory blade of Zangetsu as the hollow formed a silent Getsuga, using the infusion on the sword to strengthen his swing. The blow took Ichigo by surprise, his feet leaving the ground as he sailed towards the streets "below" the cityscape. The asphalt provided as much comfort as the cement of the skyscraper façade, the impact stealing the breath from his lungs. There was no respite for him to even catch a lungful of air back, the hollow flying right for him, looking deranged in its desperate rage.
He was forced to copy his hollow's earlier maneuver, letting a black Getsuga form around his Zanpakutō and swinging up at his attacker in blind panic, the added power just enough to stop the momentum of the approaching sword. "Getsuga…" he choked out as the swing of his arm came to a halt above his head. With that, he brought it back down forcefully. "Tenshō!"
"Jeez, this kid just doesn't get tired, does he?" Kensei said, the only fighter thus far not to don his mask against the rampaging hollow. A thin sheen of sweat covered him, his breathing only slightly labored as he watched the results of the latest damage he'd dealt with a slash of wind from Tachikaze. It certainly wasn't pretty.
A thick tail impacted the ground, the tip accented by the same red markings as the infamous mask. His bulk had increased as his transformation continued, his leg reforming after the last attack to complete a set of nasty talons adorning his feet. The dark crimson of old blood followed a winding pathway down his arms, legs, and chest, contrasting starkly with the white of his second skin. Spiky, spindly growths protruded from his collarbones as well as his Achilles tendons, providing better defense and more stability and power to his movements respectively. His orange hair hung in a tangled mess past his waist, small splotches of what little blood the Vizards had drawn matting strands together here and there. Lastly, a large hole in his chest completed his transition. All in all, he could barely be called humanoid any longer.
"Ichigo" snarled in abject rage as he rushed the former captain once more, his speed with his alternate version of Shunpo increasing as he acclimated to it. More and more, he was forcing the silver-haired man into a corner, though he could still manage to knock Tensa Zangetsu aside when the beast's attacks came too close for comfort.
"This power" Hachi said, a slight tremble in his voice. "He has the might of a Vasto Lorde without question, but his form appears closer to an Adjuchas. Is his hollow's growth incomplete?"
"Could be" Shinji replied with a nod, signature smile absent for once. "It doesn't seem static like ours. Whatever the Hogyoku did to him, his hollow seems to grow stronger right along with him, their two spiritual pressures molding together and magnifying. I don't know if the kid can actually make his hollow submit."
"What will we do, then?" the rotund man asked, his clenched hands shaking as he concentrated everything he had on keeping the barrier maintained.
"Love is up next, then Rose, then it's back to me. If he can't get himself under control, I'll use Sakanade. He won't know what hit him." Shinji's expression turned truly remorseful at the prospect. "Isshin won't like it, but…I'll make it quick, regardless."
"Tch…" Hiyori clawed at the material of her pants as she sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes locked on the boy turned hollow as he pursued her comrade relentlessly. "Won't save you from getting burned to a crisp, dumbass."
She wasn't fool enough to think Isshin Shiba wouldn't avenge the death of his son in some way, even if it would be short of a killing blow. Call the Shiba Clan anything you wanted, but family was the absolute when it came to them. Aside from that, she couldn't help feeling torn. She begrudgingly held respect for the kid now that she could see just how much of a monster his inner hollow was. How he had held it in check for this long, she had no clue. On the other hand, the thing scared the hell out of her, and she would be lying if she said she wouldn't like to see it put down for good.
An errant kick from the Substitute caught Kensei square on the temple, tearing his golden piercing clean off his brow and sending him rolling end over end. Years of experience and sheer willpower to power through the pain allowed the man to roll onto his knee and skid to a stop.
"Alright…I guess we're getting serious, now…" he commented, wiping the blood from above his eye.
Bloodlust mounting, the hollowfied teenager hissed as it raised a finger towards his current prey, a dark crimson orb beginning to manifest and growing quickly.
"Oh, shit…Hachi! Brace yourself!" Kensei yelled as he hurried to don his mask. "This is gonna get messy!" His urgent warning became warbled as the pseudo hockey mask took shape.
The other Vizards could only jump to their feet, drawing their Zanpakutō in preparation for the worst. One way or another, this had to end soon. "If the shield holds up, Love, I think you and Rose will have to go in together to keep him distracted. It'll cut the time short, but it's our only choice."
"That would be a bit overkill, don't you think?" Rose asked right as the thing formerly known as Ichigo roared viciously, firing his massive cero towards Kensei. Raising his spiritual pressure as quickly as he could, the Vizard's fist pulsed and sparked with energy, his combat knife-like blade subsequently flowing with a small cyclone of wind. Rearing back with a mighty yell of his own to match the teen's, he threw his punch right into the incoming blast. A binding flash was seen for only a moment before the cero was forcibly split into multiple weaker streams, impacting the shield surrounding the pair. Spider webs of cracks spread out from every impact point, Hachi sweating profusely as he worked to repair the damage in as short an order as possible.
"Nope" Shinji finally answered simply.
As the shield repaired itself to its former pristine condition, they all watched as the hollow stumbled forward, its shoulders hunched. From outside, it sounded as if it were panting for breath, steam pouring out of its mouth.
"Did he exhaust himself with that last attack?" Lisa asked, hand still poised on her weapon.
"I don't think so…" Love said, his sense of foreboding coming through audibly in his voice. "Something's happening."
Kensei's mask shattered like porcelain, the pieces disintegrating as he tried to catch his breath. "You're something else…I'll give you that…Looks like I'll have to give you everything I've got after all…"
He sank into a wide stance, half-facing his target with his knife hand out front, his spiritual pressure beginning to climb. "Sorry, kid, but holding back isn't my style. You're too dangerous to be left unchecked. Ban-"
An ear-splitting shriek cut through the air as the teen's monstrous head whipped upward, his own spirit energy erupting in a bright white pillar of flame. The wind pressure could have given Tachikaze a run for its money, leaving Kensei skidding slowly backward. "What the hell?!"
"What the fuck is he doing?!" Hiyori screeched, nervous sweat beading on her brow.
"He's…changing" Hirako said, eyes wide in shock. As he watched the dark silhouette from within the raging inferno of reishi, it began to shrink in on itself, slowly compressing to Ichigo's normal size. His hair, or what could be assumed as such given the lack of clear visibility, was still whipping around violently, maintaining its length, but the thick tail could be made out disappearing from whence it came, new appendages instead forming around the head.
Worst of all, the spiritual pressure radiating off of him was…to put it best, alien feeling. So dense that it felt as if an ocean were residing overhead, threatening to drown them all at any moment. The former lieutenants were all frozen in place, struggling to breathe. As it were, all of them felt hard pressed to even move, the sensation coming just as much from fixation of emotion as from the shear power. It was as though the feel of his immense energy stirred something within the group. It was not the fear of him, which was there to be sure, nor the creature's abounding irate nature. The best word to fit would have been…stagnation.
"Whatever the kid is doing in there, it can't be good…"
A harsh breath brought blood sputtering out between his clenched teeth, the spray settling to run down his chin. How he could even manage to breathe with a sword blade lodged in his chest, he couldn't fathom.
"I told you…You're too weak, King…It's my turn to rule now…"
The Getsuga seemed to have worked at first. The ensuing blast had made all go quiet afterward, the smoke obscuring all vision. He remained alert to his surroundings as he tried to level out his breathing, not trusting the attack to have finished the fight. His heart pounded in his ears as his eyes darted in every direction, trying to guess where the counterattack would come from.
Of course, he hadn't expected, nor did he even sense it, when the white version of Tensa Zangetsu suddenly pierced the veil directly in front of him, running him through and literally pinning him against the perpendicular road at his back.
"I'll finally be free of your shackles…Yours and the old man's…" Zangetsu said, his expression almost soft in comparison to his usual sneer. He looked…downright relieved.
Ichigo coughed more stray blood up from his lungs, trying to focus his thoughts. "They'll…they'll kill you…The Vizards…"
A hard scowl, much like Ichigo's own, etched onto the Hollow Zanpakutō's features. "Let them try. I'll cut down anyone who gets in my way. And even if they kill me…better to die with my freedom than live in a cage any longer…" he answered with solemn resignation.
Ichigo grit his teeth, pushing past the pain. "And…if you live…what then?"
The hollow's eyes narrowed, incredulous. "I'll…have everything…do anything I want…I can have the world if I want, everything I could desire…"
"Including…her…?"
Golden eyes widened, lips trembling in an attempt and failure to maintain composure around his shock.
"You're…a part of me…right?" Ichigo lowered his head, his hand coming up to grip the sword embedded within him. Crossing blades with the monster before him, the teen had felt his intentions, his desires. He had been able to see the truth within his soul, confirming to himself that this was his errant Zanpakutō, but there was more to it than that.
"Looking back…it should have been obvious to me…" he soldiered on, slowly meeting his hollow's gaze. "When you…came out…it was always for her…to protect her…and even before, when you were just a voice in my head…"
"What are you getting at?!" Zangetsu spat angrily, shoving forward until the cross guard met his master's sternum.
"You're my…Zanpakutō…" he choked out past the searing agony. "You're have…a soul all your own…but you're also a part of…mine…That means…we share…the same desires…"
The hollow grit his blackened fangs in defiance even as his grip on the impaled sword trembled. "What could I possibly share with you? I existed even before I was stuck in your sorry excuse for a soul! Before I was tainted by your Shinigami existence!"
Ichigo's eyes were almost vacant as he replayed what memories he could of his transformations. Maybe he had been a separate being once upon a time, but now, he was interlocked with his own essence. Maybe that was influencing the hollow before him, that was the only explanation for the emotions he could sense. "I could feel how angry you were…every time you came out…It wasn't just my anger…You were just as angry…when she was hurt…"
"Yeah? So what? What's your point?" he spat dismissively.
"You…care about her…"
The predator's eyes widened, his hand nearly falling away from the hilt of the sword.
Ichigo's gaze hardened to steel as he met the golden ones of his counterpart. "You may not…love her like I do…But you do care about her…same as me…"
The hollow's mouth slowly closed, eyes relaxing until his face became almost stoic. It appeared as though he saw no point in denying the assumptions. "I am you…You are me…If we die, we die together, same goes for living. I suppose…the little vixen…I suppose she's as much my mate as your lover…Ironic, wouldn't you say?" he finally replied, a ghost of his usual smirk forming. "So forgive me for feeling territorial if someone dares lay a finger on her."
"So why fight me?" Ichigo asked, feeling the pain less and less. "If you're really a part of me…shouldn't we be on the same side?"
The hollow Ichigo raised a curious brow at this. "You could say…that we have common ground in this case…"
"And if you just ran free, we'd both end up dead. Maybe not by the Vizards, but the Sereitei would come after us eventually, too."
"So what are you suggesting?" he asked, eyes narrowing.
"You're my real Zanpakutō, right? The real Zangetsu?" Ichigo confirmed, a smirk of his own mirroring his hollow's. "Then you're also my partner in this. No more cages. No one holding you…us down. No one holding you back inside me. And no more King vs Horse crap. Equals."
The hollow chuckled, amusement shining in his eyes. "You'd really be willing to accept that your other half is a hollow? You could live with that?"
Ichigo chuckled even louder in response. "It is ironic…There's nothing I can do about it, though, so why fight it?"
Zangetsu grinned. "The old man isn't gonna like this, ya know that, right?"
"I'll deal with him when the time comes, whatever or whoever he really is. My soul, my choice, right?" Ichigo shot back, his smirk not dropping an inch.
A small chuckle led to another before Zangetsu burst into full on laughter, the menace formerly characterizing it gone for the moment. "You're something else, King…er, Ichigo. Alright. If I must, I guess I can live with being…partners. Can't promise I'll always be on my best behavior, though."
"When have we ever been good at following the rules?" Ichigo said, his voice reflecting the same humor.
The hollow cackled once more. "Fine, then. You know the drill."
With a nod, Ichigo took a firmer grip on the Zanpakutō in his chest, black coloration seeping into it and traveling down from his wound, his own spiritual pressure subsuming his Zanpakutō's once more. Ebony began to stain Zangetsu's clothes as well, traveling up his body even as it seemed to flake away and absorb into the blade.
"See you on the other side?" Ichigo asked. "Partner?"
"I suppose I will…" he answered with a grin just before he seemed to completely disappear. The now black Tensa Zangetsu began to glow brighter and brighter, its light swallowing the Substitute whole. Moments passed before the light died down, Ichigo no longer in sight. From a ways off, the figure of a boy no older than Ichigo appeared, messy dark tresses dancing in the non-existent wind.
"You don't know what you've done, boy…I was only trying to save you…"
New cracks began to form in the barrier, the storm of spiritual pressure too strong for the kido to remain stable. The dark figure at the epicenter stood straight up once more, looking downright demonic with its new horns, eyes glowing with deadly intent.
"Kensei, back off!" Shinji yelled. "It's too late! We've all got to regroup and take him down! He's failed!"
"Shit…" the silver-haired man said under his breath. "Too bad, kid. I kinda liked you."
Before he or any of the others could make a move, the light seemed to brighten tenfold, the wind pressure growing right along with it as the protective field shattered all at once.
"What the shit is THIS?!" Hiyori yelled, covering her eyes to block out the stinging bright glow.
"Fuck if I know!" Shinji yelled back, in the exact same position.
Just as suddenly as it came, the lighting of the cave returned to normal, the breeze dying down to nothing. It took some time for everyone to blink away what amounted to a solar flare and regain their vision, especially Kensei with him being so close to the source. Regardless, once it did, the view before them nearly stopped them dead in their tracks.
"I'll be a son of a bitch…"
Where the monster stood before, Ichigo had taken its place. His hair was back to normal, all other evidence that he'd been in a beastly state missing as well. The black, form-fitting cloak of his Bankai sat untarnished, any damage to his underlying Shihakusho now gone in tandem. There was one startling new addition, however.
Breathing out as if to relax, steam shot out between the teeth of the solid mask he now sported, still serpentine in appearance. The only change notable was that where tiger-like stripes occupied the one side, two vertical crimson lines ran parallel over his eye holes all the way down to his chin.
"The kid actually pulled it off…" Love said shakily, sweat dropping behind his strange afro as his nervousness slowly ebbed.
Before any of them could make a further move, the newly minted Vizard tipped forward and fell flat on his front, his new mask shattering. A loud snore echoed off the walls of the chamber. The boy was out cold, exhausted beyond words from the experience.
The group gathered around his sleeping form, all of them awed to some degree and unable to really describe to themselves how he managed to wrestle a monstrosity like that under his complete control.
"You're full of surprises, Ichigo" Shinji finally commented, his customary grin returning as he shook his head in disbelief.
Thanks for reading. I'm eager to hear what you guys think of this one.
I always wondered to myself after hearing about White's backstory if he was cognizant of his existence before becoming a part of Ichigo's soul. It never seemed to be the case, perhaps owing to Ichigo's own ignorance to it, but that got me thinking about what would happen if he was actually aware. Furthermore, I was curious to explore White's feelings on the matter. Yeah, back when we saw his origins, he never seemed to be more than a mindless beast, but what if there was more to his personality than that? Maybe fusing to Ichigo's Shinigami essence gave him more of a well-rounded character or maybe he possessed those qualities to begin with, who knows? Regardless, I figured I would give his personality and motives a little more of a spotlight here, especially since we learn that Old Man Zangetsu had been suppressing Ichigo's growth and interaction with his real Zanpakutō all along.
In that same vein (There's an opportunity for a Quincy pun lol), that got me thinking about what would happen if White were aware and flaunted that information, how would Ichigo react? We already know that Ichigo's battle instincts, thanks to both Urahara and Zangetsu, allow him to read his opponents as he crosses swords with them, as so happened with Kenpachi and Aizen to name a couple, so him discerning the truth behind White's words wouldn't be an issue. If we think about it in terms of canon, it didn't take him long to come to grips with his true ancestry, once he figured out all the intricacies to it. Sure, he was older and more mature at the time, but then again, he was always more level-headed than most gave him credit for when it came right down to it. With them united now, I wonder how things will play out...
Also, super fans might note that the reference to Ichigo's spiritual pressure as he was going through his "mystery" transformation is a direct reference to how Uryu described Ulqiorra's spiritual pressure when using his Resurreccion. Given how Vasto Lorde matched up with his Segunda Etapa and exceeded it with extreme prejudice, I thought it a fitting tribute. You might notice, however, that instead of despair, the Vizards likened it to a very different sensation. That little nugget will be a sign of things to come, so stay tuned.
Welp, I think that about covers everything for now. See you guys around.
Next time: Making waves and stamina training.