I don't own Bleach

A Different Path

Chapter: Three Abiding the King and New Enemy's

The underground passage way opened and all the Vaizards made their way down the stairs until they reached familiar scenery almost like the training ground under the Urahara shop. They then placed Ichigo on the ground right next to Zangetsu, until Shinji said,

"Hachi, place a barrier here as well."

"Huh?" Hachi said.

"What do you mean huh? An old fart really shouldn't whine like that." Shinji said while clearing his voice. "Also, place a five-degree barrier around Ichigo."

"Yes." Hachi said as he then clapped his hands together and his reiatsu was starting to build up. "Wall of iron sand, formed from hate," He began as five little almost spherical objects started forming in between his hands and started to ascend. "Forge molten iron and neatly finish in silence." He finished the spirit chant and the sphere like objects started to circle around his fists. "Way of binding number 75: Quintet Iron Pillars." He finished as he slapped his fists into the ground. There was a shaking feeling as a light from above reveled five tall iron pillars descending upon Ichigo, each pillar binding his arms, legs, and head.

Now the process was about to begin.

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Inside the Inner World of his mind, Ichigo then heard his hollow counterpart begin with, "It's been a long time King."

Ichigo began to look to his right from the corner of his eyes, but didn't see what he was looking for. He then looked to his left, and still couldn't find what he was looking for, and finally returned his gaze back at the hollow.

"Where's Old Man Zangetsu?" The White copy of Ichigo just smirked and then replied with, "Still haven't figured it out have you Ichigo?" He began, "When you mean Zangetsu, do you mean the one you have or," he then unwrapped the sword on his hands and revealed a white Zangetsu, "or Mine!" He finished.

"A white Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked confused as to why his hollow even had Zangetsu, let alone a white one.

"Yo really wanna know where Zangetsu is," The hollow sneered, " The truth is…." He said as he flash stepped right above Ichigo hover the white sword down "… I'm Zangetsu!" He finished as he and Ichigo collided in a full blast with the swords.

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There was a thud feeling and a sweeping reiatsu blasted its way and caused a sweep in wind. It brush past the Vaizards. As he watched this happen Shinji said, " Here he comes." He said looking up in the direction they left Ichigo.

There was a low moaning sound from the limp body of Ichigo as his fingers started to seep into the dirt. There was a rattling sound and the iron pillars collided with each other and fell apart. There Ichigo stood up to reveal on his face a hollow mask partially developed.

Knowing it was her day on duty, Lisa stood up and walked to the barrier. "Hachigen, open it up right here." Hachi then complied and then extended his index finger and wisped it around and an entrance formed for Lisa to enter.

As she entered, the hollowified Ichigo then picked up Zangetsu as Lisa began to unsheathe her sword.

"I'm Yadoumaru Lisa, nice to meet you." She said as the hollow in front of her the unwrapped the cloth around Zangetsu and the pounced on her with great speed.

Ichigo was knocked back by a few feet as his hollow thrusted into Ichigo with great strength. The hollow then continued his attack as he laughed, "bastard, Where's Old Man Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked getting frustrated now.

"Persistent huh. Quit making me repeat myself, I'm Zangetsu!" The hollow said as he slammed Ichigo to one of the walls.

There was a loud thud sound as Ichigo crashed with the surface. His hollow still hovering over him saying, "Ichigo, I know you're not aware with this, but Zangetsu and I were originally the same. Both Zangetsu and I are your power, I was a part of Zangetsu, but when certain forces influence the body, its appearance is changed by the stronger power. As my power grew, I got the right to rule and so Zangetsu is apart of me. And with the more of you trying to get power from Zangetsu, it makes much easier for me to take over your soul." He finished. With that being said Ichigo brows lowered, "Is that so? If I beat you, then Zangetsu will become my source of power, right?" Ichigo asked now standing up fully.

"Beat me?" Hollow Ichigo asked, "That ain't happening."

"Oh yeah?" Ichigo asked pointing his sword forward and the cloth the wrapped around his arm, "Look at my sword and try saying that again!"

"You don't get it do you?" The hollow asked. He then cracked his neck and followed Ichigo in the same movement he did as the black cloth the wrapped around his right arm.

They both stared each other down until both shouted, "Bankai!"

There was a massive blast or reiatsu as the building around them collapsed in a heap. Standing above the wreck was Hollow Ichigo now dawning a white Tensa Zangetsu and White coat similar to the black Tensa Zangetsu and Coat Ichigo had on.

"You bastard, when did you learn bankai?" Ichigo asked now really confused and frustrated now.

"Isn't obvious, I learned it same time as you." They both flashed out of sight until both strained against each other then swiped at one another and released an intensive amount of reiatsu from both further destroying the landscape.

When they departed from each other, another blast of reiatsu was brushed past the both of them and they were both forced back a little.

"Don't be to angry, let's have some fun." The hollow said as he then continued to smile as he watched Ichigo stumble and kneel down from the strain.

"Shut the hell up." Ichigo said confused as to why he was feeling like this.

"This isn't the time to be losing focus." His hollow continued as he charged right for Ichigo.

"I'm not." Ichigo said as he blocked the upcoming attack.

"Bullshit, you were staring off into space." His hollow continued to pester him.

"I was not, damn you!" Ichigo said as he whined up his arm and thrust forward towards the hollow shouting, "Getsuga Tenshou!" There a crescent shaped, black moonfang raced at the hollow.

He then used his right arm and split the incoming attack and it cut right there in two directions past him, destroying the building behind him in the process.

Ichigo was obviously shocked by the look on his face. "He blocked it with his hand!"

Hollow Ichigo then smirked and then flashed stepped above Ichigo colliding his sword with his. He then braced the sword with his hand and said, "Getsuga Tenshou!" There a large crescent moonfang appeared and destroyed almost everything under it.

Lisa seemed to be holding her own against the hollow without calling out for her mask or releasing her zanpakuto.

She dodged a fairly well number of attacks as she returned the favor with a few swipes herself, but she could feel that she was getting exhausted.

"Two, one … it's been 10 minutes." Kensei said as watched the stopwatch hit the appropriate mark. He then stood up and looked at Ichigo while saying, "Hachi it's been 10 minutes. Time to switch out. Open it up right here."

Ichigo had somehow forced Lisa back and was incoming to make another attack. Right when he was near, Kensei thrusted his elbow into Ichigo's chest and forced him back. Without turning, he handed Lisa the stopwatch and said, "it's been 10 minutes, time to switch." There a opening in the barrier was formed, and there Lisa stepped out. Ichigo hollowified body sprawled up again and charged at Kensei. Kensei then placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a knife that he started to whirl with his finger. "Muguruma Kensei, and I'm going to crush you." Kensei finished.

Blood dripped on the floor of the cold surface. To be exact it was Ichigo's blood, that last Getsuga practically cut through his chest giving him a large cut across the stomach and most of his bankai's front was scorched.

Blood dripped off the white version of Tensa Zangetsu. "See, like I said. You really do suck Ichigo." The hollow said "Have you forgotten who was the first to use The Getsuga Tenshou in bankai anyway. You watched and tried to imitate me, but failed miserably, you're a pathetic fake, Ichigo!" The hollow said as he flash stepped right in front of Ichigo and grasped his sword with his hand.

"Give it up." He said as the blade that was once black started turning white. "You can't use bankai." He then scrunched his hand and the sword then crumbled into small pieces/fragments till the disappeared. Ichigo watched with otter shock on his face as his sword was now gone.

"Za Za Zangetsu." Ichigo stuttered as he saw the blade vanish completely.

"That isn't Zangetsu." The hollow said as he held the tip of the broken sword and then released it and it turned to dust. Then out of nowhere, with blinding speed, Hollow Ichigo grabbed Ichigo's face and just pushed him back into a wall behind him.

The wall collapsed as Ichigo stood there in a daze wondering how he was going to win.

"It never ceases to amaze me at how brainless you are sometimes." The Hollow said this time without the smile on his face. "Why do you always space out like that." He asked now annoyed at Ichigo's behavior.

"Ichigo tell me what's the difference between a King and his Horse?" His hollow asked as he started to twirl Zangetsu by the chain attached on the top.

"What?" Ichigo asked with almost half-closed eyes probably due to the lost of blood.

"I don't mean that kiddy shit, one's a human and the other an animal. Or that one has two legs while the other has four." The hollow continued as he stopped rotating the sword.

"If their form, ability, and power are the same, why is that one becomes king and controls the battle, while the other becomes the horse and carries the king?! There's only one answer, Instinct! For identical beings to get stronger and gain the power they need to be king," he said as he once again started to twirl the sword again, "they must search for more battles and power! They thirst for battle, and live only to crush, shred, slice, and destroy their enemies! Deep inside our body lies the ability to shred; slice, and kill, but you don't have that! You don't have those natural instincts; you fight with your brain. You try to defeat you opponents with logic, and it doesn't work. It's almost like you trying to attack with a sheathed sword." He continued now stopping the twirling and having a firm hold on the sword and said, "That's why your weaker than Me." He said as he released the blade and it impaled Ichigo right in the middle of his stomach.

Ichigo then looked down and noticed the white sword that was now lodged into him.

"Instinct," Ichigo thought, "seeking battle…" he continued then he finally realized that something inside of him was pure instinct, and so he held upon the sword and it turned into black which caused his hollow to step back.

Somewhere in Ichigo's thought when he was stabbed, he had a revelation.

Ichigo slowly opened his to find that he was in place he was not familiar with. He then looked around and saw at the last minute a sword plunging at him. He dodged at the last minute and was shocked to see whom he saw.

"Kenpachi, what are you doing here?" Ichigo asked confused at to where he was and how Kenpachi ended up being in here.

"Kenpachi, who's that?" The Kenpachi look alike asked. "I just came here to kill you." He said as he lunged his sword down at Ichigo's own.

The force this person was putting on Ichigo was incredible and then with a swift movement pushed Ichigo back.

"Cut it out, we finished our fight a long time ago!" Ichigo shouted at the looming, figure a few feet away.

"Finished," it said, "it'll never be finished." He continued as he started walking forward, "A battles not like some stupid argument, as long as someone is breathing, the fight isn't over."

"I don't have a reason to fight you!" Ichigo yelled at the approaching figure.

"You want a reason for fighting, why don't you accept it Ichigo?!," he said as he continued to make his way to the orange-haired youth. "You look for fights, you desire power, isn't that right Ichigo?"

"Every person that looks for power looks for fights. Do you fight to become more powerful? Or you seek power to fight? I don't know, but all I can say is that guys like us were made this way." He said raising his arms high in the air. "We were born to fight Ichigo! Your instincts will lead you into new battles where you can get stronger, and if you want to control him, use the sword in your hands and cut him down. That's your only option. ICHIGO!

Ichigo grabbed the sword and removed it from his stomach letting all the blood spill as he held the newly transformed black blade and then looked at his hollow. His eyes changed color to his wispy, light blue shade filled with reiatsu and killing intent. The hollow was stunned at this and just watched surprised as Ichigo began to twirl the sword until he was hold onto the guard. He then rushed at his hollow looking to strike a heavy blow.

"Die." He said

The blade of Tensa Zangetsu was sticking out of the hollow's body from his midsection. Where the wound should have been, black reiatsu started to engulf the hollow.

"Shit." Was all the hollow could say as the dark reiatsu started to engulf most of his attire, changing the white to black. "Looks like your instincts, and your desire to fight aren't completely gone." He continued as he started fading away. "I guess there's no way around it, but don't forget that if you give me the chance, I'll drag you down and crush your skull."

"And one last warning, if you want to control my power, then don't die before I show up again!" Said the hollow as he fully started to disappear and a white light consumed him.

The Vaizards all watched in awe, as the light grew bigger. All wondered what happened to Ichigo. All of a sudden there was an explosion. There the outer form of Ichigo's hollow form started to decay and the true Ichigo emerged with a hollow mask dawned on his face.

He then collapsed on the ground and Shinji ordered Hachi to get rid of the barrier, which he did with just a snap of his fingers.

Shinji then made his way towards Ichigo and then asked, "How do you feel, Ichigo?"

Ichigo then turned his head and answered, "Not bad actually." This remark brought a smile to Shinji's face as he retorted back, "good deal."

Ichigo then turned to the blade on the ground that was next to him. He then remembered what his hollow said and thought there was no way in hell he would give him the chance to control.

As the days progressed, so did Ichigo's ability to maintain his hollow mask for a total of one minute and forty-five seconds. He believed that was high, until Shinji told him that was still to low.

But the peace and tranquility didn't last for at the Northern part of Karakura Town, something descended into the park. Many people looked around but couldn't see anything, but if you were spiritually aware, you'd notice two individuals where white, with holes, and hollow fragments.

"Is this the place, Ulquiorra?" Yammi asked looking around.

"Yes Yammi this is the place Aizen-sama told us to go." Said the stoic Arrancar.

My god this was a long chapter huh, well please enjoy and review bye now.