If you want this in another languge, hang up and move to another country that speaks it - something on the radio

It watched.

And waited.

Not like there was much else the being could do. The first thing the being discovered since it was 'born' a few days (or what it guessed was days) ago was that the world it was in was empty. The world was simply a black void of power. There wasn't a single object in it. Not even the being itself could be considered an object. It was simply a mass of power and energy with a conscious thought. It didn't have a form at all.

But the being didn't mind. And even if it did, there was nothing it could do. Its welder was still in the womb of its mother. The world and itself would gain form later. The zanpaktou would simply have to wait.

Zanpaktou. It knew that was what it was. It also knew that a zanpaktou's appearance and abilities and the inner world depended on its welder. As its welder wasn't born yet, an inner world had yet to take shape or for the beings body to be formed.

While waiting in the black abyss, the being wondered what its abilities would be and what its welder would be like.

Some time later, its welder was born, screaming and wailing like any newborn child and the being learned its welders, the boys, name.

Ichigo Kurosaki.

The being couldn't help but notice the presence of another zanpaktou inside his welders' father. It was strange though. The being knew that Ichigo's father was a shinigami (it somehow knew what a shinigami was the same way it knew it was a zanpaktou) but the power that it sensed from the other was very faint. Actually, Ichigo's father's, Isshin's, spirit energy seemed so weak that the being had to wonder how someone with so little spirit energy could form a zanpaktou within him.

It confused the being greatly but that was alright. It knew it was going to spend many years alone. At least it had something to think about during the years of solitude ahead.

The zanpaktou noticed that objects were beginning to form in the black abyss. It didn't know what they were, though, as they had no definite shape and were constantly changing shape as they grew.

A majority of them were blue, which was nice, something different from the never ending black. Some of the blues were much darker than the other and a few were black and others off white.

Ichigo's inner world was beginning to form.

A year had passed since Ichigo had been born. His inner world had somewhat taken shape during that time. The black void had been replaced by a bright blue sky and an incredibly odd city.

The unidentified blue objects the being had noticed a year before had grown and joined together creating warped looking buildings, ranging from only one story too three stories tall, the windows in all of them dark blue. The buildings weren't strait either, but instead they curved and twisted like in a dream or a fun house mirror. Another thing odd about the buildings was the material they seamed to be made of. Instead of hard concrete, it was soft and moldy, for lack of better description. If the being had to compare it to anything, it would say the stuff was like the playdough its welder liked to play with.

The black and off white objects the zanpaktou had seen formed very sad side walks and streets. Bother were in horrible condition, cracks everywhere and potholes in various sizes. There wasn't a single smooth surface, making it a drivers worst nightmare. The roads and walkways also seemed to be made of playdough, so the cracks on the roads and sidewalks weren't rough or sharp.

However, the oddest thing about the world wasn't the strangely shaped buildings or the horrible conditions of the streets and sidewalks. No, the oddest thing was that the entire world was sideways.

But the being didn't' mind any of this. It somehow knew that the building and streets would eventually straiten out and become smooth and hard. The being also knew that the hard buildings would mean Ichigo would have a strong personality, maybe even a bit stubborn. But that was okay, because stubborn people wouldn't back down from an adversity no matter what. Ichigo would become a fine man one day, and the being would be with him every step of the way.

It had been a few years since Ichigo had been born. Recently the boy had learned that his name meant "he who protects." The zanpaktou took note that the material the buildings, which had gotten taller by three stories, and roads had gotten firmer and smoothed out some.

While Ichigo learned about the world around him, the being learned more about Ichigo. Or more specifically, the meanings of Ichigo's inner world.

It already knew what the buildings and roads meant. It also guessed that the tilt of the world meant that Ichigo had a gravity-like personality that would draw people in. It also discovered that the clouds and winds had meanings as well.

Small, white clouds with a grey outline meant the little boy was worried. The zanpaktou saw very few of these clouds but saw them often enough to understand what they mean.

Small, white clouds with a silver outline meant that Ichigo was in a good mood.

Small, grey clouds meant he was sad. These clouds only came when the boy cried but Ichigo was too young and cheerful to truly understand sadness, so it never rained like he knew would happen one day. The zanpaktou guessed that the small grey clouds really meant he was unhappy instead of sad.

Wispy clouds meant Ichigo was in deep thought, or as deep as a child could get anyway.

No clouds and bright sunshine meant the little child was ecstatically happy, usually when he had done something exceptionally well and was overjoyed or when he was sugar high. It was mostly when he was sugar high, which greatly amused the being.

And, very rarely, the sky would go from midday to sunset. A sunset only formed when the boy was content. The sunsets were the beings favorites and hoped there would be more in the future.

The winds in the sideways world had meaning too. They didn't come very often but they still come, usually carrying names and smells.

It carried the smell of flowers and tress, one flower in particular that also came with the word mother. It carried the sent of different foods, usually when Ichigo was eating them, liked what he was eating, and wanted to remember it. The being could smell coffee, pastries and mud that the little boy played in after it rained. The zanpaktou watched in amusement at the cheerful boys antics.

The wind carried names. Names of his classmates, his father, his mother. Mostly his mother. Ichigo was very attached to his mother.

The zanpaktou hoped that one day, its name would be in that breeze as well.

Ichigo was going to be an older brother.

Ichigo was absolutely thrilled about this, so, of course, the being was happy too.

And once again, the boy was reminded of the meaning of his name. He who protects.

Its welder had taken his name to heart years ago already. The little boy was currently in a martial arts class so he could learn to protect his mother. He still cried whenever he lost (which was often) and the sky would darken with rain clouds but whenever his mother came he would cheer right back up. The news that he was going to have younger siblings to protect only made him try harder in his classes (even though his still lost).

The being watched as the buildings became firmer, straighter, and taller. The roads became smoother and the cracks shrunk.

The beings own body was beginning to take shape as well. He, for it was, indeed, a guy, couldn't really see its form yet but he could feel it. He was tall and lanky and wore a long outfit that covered him entirely as well as boots. He could tell he had long hair, for a guy anyway, that blew in a non-existent wind-his clothes did that too-. He couldn't see what color it was, though, or really how long it was, he just knew that it was long. He felt as though he had something over his eyes, glasses he supposed.

He was taking shape.

The being shivered as torrents of rain fell down on him. Grimly, he relived the recent event that caused this drastic change in weather.

Earlier, his welder and his mother had been walking home in the rain that had been falling for several days. They were retuning from Ichigo's martial arts class when they passed by the river, where Ichigo saw a girl who was about to jump in the river. Without thinking, the boy had run after her to save her, not feeling the negative pressure that surrounded her.

Up to that point, the zanpaktou had never tried to call out to his welder. He knew the boy wouldn't have been able to hear him but also, he didn't have a name. The zanpaktou was just a useless hunk of metal if he didn't have a name or even a true form. But at that time he called out. The being knew what the negative pressure was-hollow-and that Ichigo would die and become a hollow if he got to close to that girl.

What happened next happened too fast for the being to take it all in, only certain images and sounds. The girl falling and vanishing, Ichigo's mother crying out to her son, a pink umbrella flying, and then blackness. The zanpaktou sat there, restless, as he waited for his welder to wake up.

Later, the being wished that Ichigo had staid unconscious.

When Ichigo woke up, he found that it was still raining and his mother was lying on top of him, the coppery sent of blood in the air. The clouds formed. When Ichigo saw that his mother wasn't waking up when he shook her, when he saw that she was dead, the rain clouds released their hold and the water started falling onto the being in the sideways world.

And he just stood there as the rain pelted him, listening to his welders screams for his mother, the winds roaring past him with something new in it. Fear. Ichigo's fear. The being called again. Again and again he called.

Ichigo didn't hear him.

Day's had passed since Ichigo's mother had died, and the rain had yet to stop. The being had decided that he absolutely hated the rain.

The rain in Ichigo's inner world was nothing like the in the outside world. The water was as cold as ice and it was hard when it hit his body, like he was being pelted by hail instead of water and in every single drop was all of Ichigo's sadness and despair. The zanpaktou absolutely hated the rain.

What scared him the most, though, was the thought that the rain would never stop.

The wind blew again, carrying his mothers name and the flower he associated with her. He heard the name repeated many times before he heard a new name, one that he never heard before and knew that Ichigo hadn't.

Zangetsu.

And he knew. The being knew that that was his name.

"Zangetsu," he said, hoping beyond hope that Ichigo would hear his name and know he was not alone, that he had someone to depend on and that he could stop the rain.

The rain didn't stop.

Eventually the rain did stop and the sun came back but it wasn't as bright as before, the sky wasn't as blue. The buildings became much firmer, resembling concrete more than playdough and the buildings were taller as well, looking more like skyscrapers. In the places where the water collected, Zangetsu saw that instead of reflecting a blue sky, it showed a black one with little white dots-stars-and a crescent moon. Zangetsu didn't give it much thought.

Ichigo changed after the death of his mother. He became tough and stubborn. As he got older, he got into fights because of his hair. And while he had a pleasant life so far, nice house, school, family, ect., Ichigo wasn't a happy boy. Oh sure, he was happy, he was human, but he wasn't happy the same way his mother seemed to make him. Ichigo's face was always in a scowl.

But Zangetsu knew that even though Ichigo had become tough that he was still a softie on the inside, he knew. He saw. Ichigo continued his martial art classes until he beat Tatski, the strongest girl in the class, and after that he quit (but didn't get rusty thanks to his dad). Ichigo still tried to live up to his name "he who protects" by watching over his family and taking care of his sisters. Ichigo the "tough guy" took baths with his sister, Yuzu, sometimes (though this was because she asked and as she got older, Ichigo was slowly weaning her off of it). Zangetsu also knew that while his welder found the mornings to be annoying at times thanks to his father, he genuinely liked to spend time with his family.

He was smart. He got into fights. Ichigo had friends and family he would go to any lengths to protect. He was close to all of them, yet his heart was closed, not truly letting any of them in the same way he let his mother in. Zangetsu knew he did that to protect his own heart from the pain of losing someone else. Despite that, it rained often, especially when that time of year came around.

Zangetsu saw everything; he was always there, always silently supporting him, his cloak blowing in the non-existent breeze.

Over the years, Zangetsu and the inner world had changed and completed as well. The sky scrappers were now at least twenty stories tall, one of which had an upright flag pole that Zangetsu liked to stand on. The buildings, roads and sidewalks were all smooth and hard. Somehow, Zangetsu knew that the world had finished forming.

Zangetsu's form had completed as well. He was a man who looked to be in his thirties, with dark, shoulder length brown hair, with a slight beard on his chin. As he guessed earlier, he was wearing glasses. He wore a black outfit that was form fitting at the top but flared out at the bottom and looked to be a cross between a cloak and a dress with ragged ends. It was long sleeved and at the end were ragged white tufts. He had a white collar that was also torn up. He was complete, now he had to wait until his welder was ready to hear him.

Unbeknownst to Zangetsu, this would come sooner than he thought.

Zangetsu stood silently as he stared down the woman in front of him. Earlier, Ichigo and his family had been attacked by a hollow and in an effort to protect his family, Ichigo had blindly tried to fight back. Ichigo would have been killed had the shinigami woman not jumped in front of him, taking the blow. And then she transferred her powers to him. Now there was an unfamiliar woman in Ichigo's inner world, but Zangetsu could tell that the woman was the shinigami's zanpaktou.

The male zanpaktou had to admit that the woman was beautiful. She was tall and slender with pale skin and blue-white hair that reminded him of freshly fallen snow and stunningly blue eyes. She wore a white kimono that had a rather large, light colored bow on the back. All in all, she was beautiful and had Zangetsu been any lesser man he would have been drooling on the spot.

"Who are you?" he asked, his deep voice echoing. The woman smiled.

She spoke in a soft yet firm voice, "My name is Sode no Shirayuki, I am pleased to meet you. And what is your name?"

Zangetsu mentally berated himself for being so rude earlier but answered her.

"I am zzeerrriiinnggsss (1)." Instead of his name coming out, it sounded like static. Zangetsu was surprised but at the same time wasn't. Sode no Shirayuki gave a sad smile.

"Ah, I should have known that I wouldn't have been able to hear your name. Your welder has yet to hear it himself."

Zangetsu didn't say anything and they lapsed into silence as they watched what happened outside. Zangetsu felt a pang of something as he watched Ichigo, his welder, use a zanpaktou other than himself (2).

For three months (3) Ichigo used the sealed form of Sode no Shirayuki. The two zanpaktou watched as the boy got himself in some serious, and sometimes funny, situations, such as the time when Ichigo officially took up the title of a soul reaper or when he had to deal with that guy from Ghost Bust. They saw Ichigo ruthlessly attack the hollow that stuck a boy's soul in a bird. They were with him in the rain when Ichigo fought Grand Fisher, almost to the death. And they witnessed the boy, who had only been a soul reaper for a short time, force back a menos (Sode no Shirayuki explained the different levels of hollows).

The two also kept tabs on Ichigo's friends, who also seemed to have powers of their own. Zangetsu had asked the female zanpaktou about their powers, as they were not a shinigami's, and she stated that they were unique and that she had never seen powers like that before.

Rukia had been taken away, Sode no Shirayuki with her, and their departure left Ichigo almost dead. And when Ichigo heard the female shinigami's harsh words and retreating back he momentarily gave up, his determination deserting him. Once again it rained. It didn't last long though, as Ichigo's determination came back stronger than ever. Then Ichigo's mind went dark as he slipped into unconsciousness, the rain beating down on him and the sound of somebody approaching going unnoticed.

Zangetsu watched as Ichigo went through the first test. Then, when the second test came, where he had to regain his lost shinigami powers, Zangetsu started calling. And, as per usual, he got no response. Even though he didn't show it, Zangetsu was getting quite frustrated, his patients wearing thin.

Then, finally, Ichigo fell into his inner world. He watched the boy as he looked around, his back to him.

Zangetsu called his name and Ichigo turned to him. The zanpaktou was inwardly thrilled that Ichigo finally heard his voice after all these years. The boy asked for his name and he answered but he was unable to hear. The happiness that Zangetsu felt earlier came crashing down. Then the world came crashing down and Zangetsu tried to make him remember how to use shinigami powers and thus find them.

And he did find them, granted he pulled him out of the box at the very last minute but he did get his powers back. Now, they were performing the third and final test.

And again, Zangetsu became frustrated. He was saying his name but Ichigo wouldn't listen, couldn't hear! He was running around the training basement, trying to get away from the stronger male. Getting fed up, he blocked the world around him, making him stop in his tracks, Urahara doing the same, but he didn't matter at the moment. He spoke to Ichigo, the boy taking in every word and then moved into a crouch as if he was about to draw a sword from its sheath.

"Shout my name! My name is…!"

"Zangetsu!"

The zanpaktous name soared out of Ichigo's lips and Zangetsu couldn't have been happier.

End

Think about it. A persons personality is not preset so their zanpaktous appearance and abilities as well as the inner world would not have formed the moment a person was born. I had actually thought this for a while but when I read a fic with Zangetsu and Ichigo an idea just formed in my mind and this was created.

(1) This is just a thought. At first Ichigo couldn't hear Zangetsu's name and I'm pretty sure that most shinigami had trouble hearing their zanpaktou's name's at first as well. And I thought 'If the shinigami can't hear their own swords name, why should any one else?'

(2) Watch the first episode of Bleach. When Rukia is leaning against the light pole after being bitten by the hollow she picks up her sword. Look at the design of the hilt. Then when Ichigo is using that oversized sword look the design of the hilt. They're exactly the same. So really, he was using an oversized form of Sode no Shirayuki not Zangetsu. Which makes me wonder what Zangetsu's sealed form look like.

(3) I heard somewhere that Rukia stayed in the human world with Ichigo for three months.