A/N: This is only the second fanfic i've written and the first i've ever posted so be kind. Plus I would like to thank my 2 amazing besties, little Ashley and corinasaur for fixing my sucky spelling and posting this because i have NO INTERNET! -starts crying- please review.
Disclaimer: I dont own bleach, that privilage belongs to the great Tite Kubo only. If i did aizen would be dead and ichigo would be a captain. =)
Part of his world
I paced restlessly across the floor of Urahara's shop. I looked down at Ichigo's unconscious form once again and shook my head thinking of the events leading to this. I hadn't been there for any of them but i heard reports.
Apparently after aizens sentence, he said something as they were dragging him off. He sounded crazed. Very unlike him, but when your plan crumbles that's what happens. He shouted, "You think you've won? Ha! I still have someone out there! someone loyal! He's carrying a virus and soon he will release it on Ichigo! It will eat away at his inner world and even if he survives he will be nothing but an empty shell and when I get out nobody will have the power to stop me! And mark my words I WILL get out!"
The Soul Society marked it off as an empty threat, but then two weeks after, Ichigo had suddenly fallen unconscious in his class. He was immediately taken out of class and brought here, Urahara's shop, and I came the minute I heard. Now, here I was pacing, waiting for him to give me the virdict.
Finally, Urahara sighed and looked up at me, I stopped pacing.
"So?" I said, my voice tense. There was no mischief or playfullness in his eyes. A rarity and a very bad sign.
"I'm afraid Aizen was telling the truth. This virus is eating away at Ichigo's inner world."
"What does that even mean!" I shouted in obvious frustration and fear.
"It means this thing is attacking Ichigo's very essence. If it is destroyed, everything will disappear, his power, memories, feelings, all of it. The trauma alone could kill him."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" I asked desprate now.
"He hesitated, then looked at me and seemed to have a mental war on whether or not to tell me. Finally he sighed and looked back down at Ichigo.
"Well, there might be one thing but it might not be worth the risk Rukia."
Sudden fury bubbled up inside me and i exploded.
"Might not be worth the risk! This is Ichigo we're talking about! This guy who put himself on the line several times for all of us! This is the guy who gave up his powers which he worked so hard to gain to save the world! And your telling me it 'might not be worth the risk?' Tell me, I'll do anything, I dont care about the damn risk as long as it will save him!"
He looked at me long and hard then nodded.
"Very well. The only way is to send you innto his inner world."
"Fine, I'll do it." I said determined not to let my resolve falter.
He nodded again seeming to try more to reassure himself then me. He then started up a strange chant I had never heard before and was to stressed to try and memorize it. He then streched out his arms and touched me and Ichigo on the forehead at the same time.
Then all I saw was black, dark and engulfing...
When I finally woke up I glanced around quickly trying to take in my surroundings. I was sitting on what appeared to be a skyscraper. The strange thing though was that it appeared to to be on its side. The colors all consisted of grays, blues, and whites. Ichigo's inner world was strange indeed. Then a calm voice spoke up behind me...
"You came just in time"
I jumped up and whipped around to see who had spoken. Before me was a man with long, wavy, dark brown hair in his face and an expression that showed no emotion.
"Who are you?" I demanded. The thought of someone else in Ichigo's inner world was disturbing.
He looked at me calmly then spoke again...
"I am Zangetsu. Ichigo's zanpakutÅ."
"Zangetsu! It's really you?" I said with happiness and a bit of fear. He, however, ignored me.
"You managed to make it just before things got really bad."
"What do you mean?"
"Ichigo's world has always been a very stable place. The only time it threatened to fall was when he almost turned into a hollow. But now the thing is eating away at it's foundation. Soon it will crumble taking everything with it. Including you." He said looking at me pointantly. I remembered what Urahara said about it not being worth the risk and for a second I felt a flicker of fear. Then i remembered when the Soul Society was going to exacute me. Ichigo had come to my rescue even though I and many other people told him Iwas not worth it. I clenched my fist, my resolve renewed.
"How do I stop it?"
I couldn'tbe sure, but I swear for a split second he smiled.
"You will have to go to it and slice it in half. However, I cannot take you there. It destroys anything from this world and since I have always been here, even before Ichigo could reach me. But there is one who hasn't always been here who can lead you there."
I was confused. Someone else? Wasn't the zanpakutÅ supposed to be the only other being in someones inner world?
"Who would that be?" I finally asked. Then a voice the chilled my very being spoke up behind me.
"Me, of course."
I whipped around and was met with a shocking sight, He looked just like Ichigo but at the same time he was his exact opposite. His skin was pure white, as was his hair. His eyes were a predator yellow surrounded by endless black. And he was wearing a white soul reaper outfit.
He smiled slyly.
"Whats the matter? You seem surprised."
"W-who are you?"
I hated the tremor in my voice but i couldn't help it. He inspired fear and I had a feeling he meant to.
He smiled with evil delight at my stammered question.
"Why, Zangetsu was just talking about me, I am Ichigo's inner hollow."
I felt my own eyes widen out of fear. Ichigo's inner hollow. The only thing i had ever seen truly scare him. A being so terrible he isolated himself from us so he could learn to control it before it destroyed everything.
He seemed to enjoy my fear for a second thenn his face suddenly darkened and he glared to the left. I followed his gaze but saw nothing. Then in a blink of an eye he turned his glare on me.
"I may not want to accept it, but I am part of the king. If his land falls so will I. I can lead you to the virus but i cant destroy it myself. I am part of his world now even if I was not originally here."
A silent understanding settled over us.
"Now go." said Zangetsu speaking for the first time since Ichigo's hollow showed up. "You must hurry. This place will not stand for much longer."
As if to emphasize his wordes the ground beneath our feet rumbled.
"Come on." said Ichigo's hollow before running off in the direction of his earlier glare.
I ran after him.
While we ran were were silent. He was fast and moved with predatory grace.
We jumped from building to building until I could see a red glow in the distance. Then we came to a sudden stop. He turned to look at me, then spoke...
" There is something Zangetsu told me before you arrived. I think you need to know. This thing is alive, it has a mind. It will use anything at its disposal to protect itself. Be prepared for anything."
And with that, he turned and continued running before I could even reply. We jumped over a few more of the sideways buildings until we came to the source of the red light. Before us there were thousands of white boxes floating in the air. Each one was giving off a faint red glow. This sight seemed to enrage the hollow i was traveling with. He almost growled his next words...
"Zangetsu told me about something similarto this. When ichigo was trying to regain his powers and this world was crumbling, the pieces came down in boxes. He had to find the one with Zangetsu inside. This damn virus must have pulled that image from his memories! He must be in one of those boxes!"
This info interested me. I had not ever heard the exact science of how he returned his powersbut I pushed my interest aside. We had more important matters to attend to.
"How did he know what box Zangetsu was in?" I asked.
"He summoned their spirit ribbons. The one that was red was Zangetsu." He turned lifting his eyebrow at me. "why?"
"Then thats how we'll find this virus." I lifted my hand and concentrated. Out of all the boxesshot white ribbons. All but one. One was green. I prepared to reach out and grab it when something unthinkable happend. All of the white ribbons, who previously were fluttering in the wind, shot out and sunk into Hollow Ichigo. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground thrashing for a minute. The he abruptly stopped.
He stood up slowly, his once yellow eyes now red, glaring down on me. His hand reached for is white Zangetsu. My eyes widened and my body reacted before my mind did. I snached my own sword from its sheeth and raised it just in time to block a crashing blow from him.. The force of the blow alone was enough to blow me back. I skidded to a stop and resumed a defensive stance.
"What are you doing this for? I thought you would die with Ichigo! Dont you want to save him to?"
I was answered with his sword slamming into mine once again. We continued to fisht like that. Him swinging with all his might and me just barely blocking each blow. While we fought, the trembleing below our feet increased until it was hard to stand.
I blocked another blow and by chance looked up at his face. What I shocked me. Since the moment he stood up, his face had been completely blank, showing no emotion, and it still was except for one thing. Tears were flowing down his face.
Suddenly what he said earlier flashed through my mind, "It has a mind. It will use anything at its disposal to protect itself." Only now did I realize what that meant. The thing was protecting itself and using Ichigo's hollow to do it. That must have been another reason why someone from the outside of this world had to kill the virus.
I also realised something else, while we were fighting, the thing was continuing to eat away at Ichigo's inner world. The hollow knew this and it caused him to cry. Cry for himself, cry for this world, cry for his king. He truely cared for Ichigo.
He came in to deliver another blow, which I now realised were powerful but clumsy. I didnt think he would ever fight like that on his own. I was ready for him now. I took half a step to the side and hit the back of his blade as he brought it down, using his own momentum against him and causing him to fall to the ground. Once he was there I quickly brought down my sword, hitting him on the back of the head with it's hilt.
I quickly turned around. The shaking was almost unbearable now. I reached out and grabbed the green ribbon, the only one that remained. I pulled on it and instead of the box opening, it fell away completely.
In its place was a glowing red and black spear. Energy flowed around it strong enough to make me want to fall to my knees. I realised it was truely using everything at it's disposal to protect itself. The energy around it was Ichigo's. It's colow had been revealed in the ribbon. Green like the disease it was.
I stood before it and raised my sword. I closed my eyes and held one image and one image alone. The look on Ishigo's face when he saved me from exacution.
I smiled and swung down with all my might, I sliced it in half and it released its hold on ichigo's energy causing an explosion. I had just enough time to think 'I did it... He's actually safe.' Before I became oblivious to the world.
I woke up with rain drops hitting my face. I opened my eyes and stared at the cloudy sky in confusion.
"So.. She finally decides to wake up.. huh?" said a voice i had come to recognize over the short time i had spent in Ichigo's world. I sat up and turned my head in the direction of the voice. Ichigo's hollow was leaning on his white Zangetsu, smile back on his face while he looked at me.
The actual Zangetsu however was looking at the sky. As if he could sense my gaze he looked at me.
"You did well. You could not have any doubt in your heart to do what you did."
"Why?" I asked
"That virus could destroy and control anything that is part of this world. The minute you got here, you became part of his world no matter how small. If your heart had wavered, you would have beed destroyed."
I was to stunned for words. I was a part of Ichigo's world?
Zangetsu looked back up at the sky.
"It's raining because of you."
This shocked me to.
"Why?"
You succeded. Ichigo's awake. However, you are not. He believes you are dead so the sadness turnes to rain."
Ichigo's sad because of me?
"That means get going." said Hollow Ichigo finally losing his patience. "Or i'll have to kick his ass personaly."
I felt myself fading and knew I was returning to my body. Before I left, the hollow gave me one last smile.
"See you later, Queen."
Queen?
Then I was gone. Back to my body, my world. But i knew, no matter how small, that I would always be part of his world.
Me: Sorry if I spelled any of the words/names wrong. I did the best I could. And I REFUSE to call Ichigo's inner hollow Hichigo. He specifically says he has no name. So deal with it. Please please review! Oh and My friend, little ashley, typed this up and changed a lil bit of the stuff... -glares at ashley-
Ashley: =) well... you better review before she murders me.. please? -puppy dog face- i will wuv you fowever? =) Oh good lord of chappies! shes after me! -runs away screaming bloody murder-
Me: Well i gotta go, thanks for reading, now i have to find the lil midget before she- aha! found ya!
Ashley: PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! it just MAY calm her down... wait... an idea... Hey look over there, its ICHIGO!
Me: WHERE?
Ashley: Bye!