Chapter 3

Ichigo scowled under the tight bandages, thrashing and yelling harder, but only muffled noises left the bindings over his mouth. Nothing he tried could break the fabric. Nothing he tried even stretched it—not even when he flared spirit energy to his maximum, which was many times higher than what he could reach before.

The low voice of Zangetsu echoed in his head. 'Calm down, those seals are for everyone's good.'

This wasn't doing him any good. And who was everyone?

A feminine voice also called to him. 'Oh I didn't know you liked being tied up so much.'

He looked around in the nearby dirt, before realizing she was the other half of Zangetsu. Accepting that was difficult, for she was a young woman, and he was a half-Hollow. Complete opposites, yet they had the same name now.

'I should do this to you some time, Ichigooo,' She said, giggling in his head.

Ichigo struggled harder in response, refusing to take her bait, but his stomach clenched at her implication. Her tone was way too sexual. He wasn't like that, he wasn't that kind of man, he kept reminding himself.

But he had to rely on them right now since no one else was coming to help.

No one else was coming. And he was tied up. This could be bad—really bad. Worse than when Aizen was meters away from everyone in Karakura. This could all even be Aizen's doing.

'Hey you two!' Ichigo roared in his mind. 'Help me now, we could be in big trouble!'

'We're fine, and no can do, you left me sooo unsatisfied earlier. I guess this will just have to be your punishment.'

Ichigo's face heated up against the cold fabric. She couldn't possibly be part of his soul; however, her reassurance seemed genuine. He breathed through the bandages, and kept on wriggling.

'Looks like you're tied up good and tight—though I wouldn't mind, if I was in your situation.' She added.

He had to break free, or he'd lose his sanity to her teasing. He thrashed even harder, but the bandages wouldn't budge the slightest.

"DAMMIT!" he muffled into the fabric.

Many spiritual pressure signatures appeared next to him, several meters away.

"Looks like the seals are holding, at least when he's in that state. I wonder what will happen when he releases his Zanpukto," a voice mused.

There was a click and a flash of white light—a lot like a camera.

"Quick, we need as many pictures as possible," a familiar voice said.

Definitely a camera. And he never liked photos either.

"I agree, yhis would be very valuable, for the association and magazine."

Was that Kyoraku and Rangiku?

Ichigo raised his brows, bending his neck upwards to get a view, but the bindings were too stiff. He thrashed once and rolled over onto his side with all the strength he could summon.

A crowd of captains and lieutenants in a large but very shallow crater greeted him. The head captain stood in the front, along with Ukitake , Kyoraku and Unohana. Urahara twisted around them and waved his fan. Yoruichi boinked him on the head, and he fell to the ground on his behind.

Ichigo's head spun. His friends and allies tied him up in seals?

"He looked much more mysterious before, and sexy. Don't you agree Rukia?" Rangiku said from within the crowd.

"W-What? I don't-" Rukia stuttered from next to Yoruichi. Her appearance piqued Ichigo's interest for a second—she looked different, but was standing a bit far.

"I don't care if he has orange hair or girl's hair," Kenpachi said loudly as he stepped into view, and drew his sword.

Ichigo swallowed. The maniac could do it after all, if their fight in the Seiretei and battle in Huecuo Mundo said anything. 'I'm about to be diced up here you two,' he called out to his spirits.

A whistle of a tune was all he got in response.

"Out of the way you simpletons, I need to collect my samples," Mayuri Kurotsuchi said as he stepped forward, pulling out a syringe and small, circular saw.

Ichigo's heart hammered twice as the mad clown approached. The makeup and head ornament said it all—one hundred percent crazy and insane. He thrashed backwards, barely moving an inch.

"MMMMMMMMMMM" he muffled, looking to Rukia. She returned a deadpan look, and closed her eyes.

Thankfully Unohana stepped forward, waving off Kenpachi and Mayuri. "I think we better leave this to Lieutenant Kuchiki and Jushiro," she said, smiling her dark smile. "My patient must be very confused right now. It would be best if we didn't overwhelm him." Her voice dipped lower with each syllable, tainted with a dark aura.

A shiver ran through Ichigo's bones.

The head captain half opened his eyes and grunted in agreement. "You are dismissed until further notice."

Many of the captains and lieutenants bowed and left in flash steps. Renji gave Ichigo one last glance, and smirk, before leaving with Byakuya, who only gave Ichigo a glance that lasted for two seconds. It wasn't one of his usual stuck-up, snobby glares.

"What an embarrassment," Soifon said, leaving in a silent flash step after punching her lieutenant's arm.

"Pfft. I only wanted to get one sample… Was that too much to ask?" Mayuri complained. "Come Nemu."

"Ahh how lame," Kenpachi said. "We came all this way for a damn light show." He groaned, and beckoned at Yachiru. "Let's go."

"I'm sure you'll fight him soon Kenny. Ichi's spiritual pressure was much stronger," Yachiru chirped from his back.

"Yeah you're right…" He said with a grin and ran off.

Ichigo shoved thoughts of fighting Kenpachi and Mayuri while tied up out of his mind. He shuddered at what Mayuri might do to him.

"Oh your sisters are going to find his hilarious," Yoruichi said. "And so will your stuffed lion." She laughed.

Ichigo sighed. That was definitely Kon. He better not had done anything perverted with his sisters.

The head captain, Ukitake , Yoruichi, Rukia and Urahara stayed behind, and walked to within a few meters. Rukia had puffy eyes and wet cheeks. Was she crying? And her hair was different—less messy, and shorter. It looked good on her.

"Maybe we should have brought the chair as well after all," Kyoraku said, grinning under his hat.

"Let's not be hasty, remember, Ichigo is not Aizen."

"True, but he'd at least have some of his dignity."

"Very few deserve to be tied to a chair like that."

They both shrugged, then smiled, as if enjoying some inside joke. Though they said Aizen was also in seals similar to Ichigo's current bindings, and tied to some kind of torture chair. Cool relief washed over him.

But that still didn't explain why they bound him as well. He muffled and wriggled some more.

"Enough smalltalk," the old head captain interjected, banging his walking stick against the dirt. "There is much to discuss."

"Well that should be for the best, we all know how much Ichigo overreacts," Kyoraku said, chuckling.

Ichigo sent him a one-eyed glare.

He just chuckled some more.

'Don't you think it looks cute? Imagine what she would look like if she was wearing what I was,' his sword spirit whispered in his mind.

The black bandages covered his blush, hiding his shame from Rukia and the others. He looked back to the head captain, ignoring his perverted spirit.

"Ichigo Kurosak, we have much to discuss. You have been unconscious for quite a time," the head captain said.

Discuss with his mouth bound and pressed against a dirty bandage. Ichigo rolled his eye.

The head captain raised an eyebrow, and without removing the seals, he gestured towards Ukitake.

He stepped forward. "I must say Ichigo, you are the first in several hundred years to have a Zanpukto that comes in a pair," he said with a raised finger, smiling. "I was starting to think Shunsui and I would be forever alone."

To Ichigo's surprise, two swords sat next to his head—both adorned in black including the sheaths, except, a red-black pattern coated the grip of the Katana and indigo-black for the Wakizashi.

Then it hit him. Sealed blades? But Zangetsu was a constant release type. 'Zangetsu, are you still young? What about my inner hollow?'

'So, you finally noticed.'

'You mean I'm still in Bankai?'

Ukitake spoke up again, pulling him out of his mental conversation. "Rukia, I believe you may have supporting material to help with this explanation?" he asked with a large smile.

Supporting material—that could only mean…

Ichigo inwardly groaned.

"Yes captain, Of course," Rukia said, smirking. She pulled out a large, thin book from her Shihakshou.

Ichigo groaned against the bindings.

She walked closer, and sat down. Beads of sweat dipped down her face and neck, which was strange, if the cold air biting at his exposed skin said anything.

She opened the book to the first page. Nothing but crudely drawn rabbits covering the margins, and three large ones in the center of the page.

More muffled groans escaped the fabric over his mouth.

"Blink once for yes, and twice for no. Do you understand?"

He blinked twice, wriggled more, or anything just to be rid of those drawings.

"Idiot!" She yelled and leaned forward, with a fist drawn.

Urahara stopped her. "Those seals merely restrain his spiritual pressure to roughly half a meter around him," he said darkly, adjusting his hat. "In other words, the spiritual pressure around him is so dense it would most likely kill you. It's incredible that we can even feel anything."

She visibly swallowed, and jumped back an inch.

He'd have to work on his control, when they release him from these damn bandages. He focused into his center, trying to push back the rage of spirit energy. Rukia didn't seem to relax, or even notice his effort.

She continued with the story. "According to ex-captain Urahara's report-"

"That's me, your lovely handso-" Urahara chirped behind his fan, cutt off from a slap to the head from Yoruichi.

Rukia tried again, holding her book upright. "According to ex-captain Urahara's report, he arrived at the battlefield after you used your sacrificial technique on Aizen. It managed to push him to his limit, causing the Hogyoku to reject him. He was changed back into a normal soul reaper. This allowed for the sealing Kido he invented to take effect, which you saw." She pointed to a bunny with a cane and green hat, then a bunny with brown hair and a stab of red coming out of it.

He scowled. Those drawings weren't adding to her points.

Ukitake and Yoruichi chuckled. The head captain smiled faintly.

Ichigo let out a loud muffle.

"Do you understand so far?" Rukia asked.

He blinked twice.

Her eye twitched as she continued. "What Urahara didn't expect was that the Hogyoku recognised you as its master, instead of the traitor Aizen, due a result of what happened during and after your battle. Got it?"

There was more to it than that, but he could speak up to let them know, so he blinked, leting Rukia continue.

"This caused the Hogyoku to activate and transfer itself to your soul, when it reacted to your desire to protect," she explained, pointing to an orange haired bunny connected to a brown hared bunny with a purple arrow.

He groaned again. They were unbelievably bad.

"You passed out as this happened, and Aizen was sealed." She showed him a drawing of a white-grey cross, and an orange-haired bunny lying on the ground.

He frowned at the cross. Did the Hogyoku turn him into a Quincy?

"When the Hogyoku rejected Aizen, it made him immortal at the same time," she said, tapping the page. "He was taken to soul society and sealed in Muken—it's an underground prison for souls that can't be killed." She turned the page.

The drawing wasn't even recognisable. A blur of black and red rectangles marred the paper. Ichigo let out a long muffle and thrashed about.

Everyone laughed except the old head captain and Rukia.

"Why you… My drawings are not terrible!" she yelled and threw her book at him.

Ukitake chuckled. "Alright, as amusing as that was, I think I'll give you the short version," he offered. "Ah–I think we can make do without your helpful drawings."

Ichigo sighed, and then shut his mouth when Rukia narrowed her eyes.

"Hmph!" Rukia grunted and crossed her arms.

Hopefully that would be all she did, and not kick him senseless while he couldn't run. In fact, she hadn't even made a single move to punch or slap him like usual.

Ukitake began his shortened recount, before Ichigo could blink morse code to ask Rukia what was wrong.

"To summarise everything, Kisuke was able to seal Aizen because of you. The Hogyoku fused with you but at a more perfect level–Kisuke wasn't able to get it out or even find it. However, after Kisuke put you back into your human body-" He paused with a blank face. Yoruichi and Urahara shared a look, and the old head captain remained impassive as usual.

Ichigo blinked a few of times at Ukitake.

Moments passed till the white haired captain spoke. He eyes were tense, but held sadness at the edges that Ichigo couldn't quite decipher. "When you were put back into your body, it disintegrated due to your new spirit energy. We had to take you to the soul society for the safety of the living world. We kept you here at the fourth division under a Kido barrier. That was three months ago. Today your spirit energy surged and you began to transform." he said quickly and picked up Rukia's book, flipping through it. "I believe you looked like this."

A bunny smeared in a black blur took up two thirds of the page.

Ichigo shrugged, assuming that was Rukia's way of saying his powers returned. His spirit energy while in Bankai was black half the time after all, which he never got the chance to ask Zangetsu about. Perhaps his new spirit would be more helpful.

'Yup that's right. We're in it for the long run now. You and I! You're not very good at pleasing a woman though… despite how much you really want to.'

Ichigo muffled into the black cloth again. She was really going to be the death of him.

Ukitake raised eyebrow.

Ichigo blinked, signaling him to continue with the speech.

Urahara leaned forward from behind his fan, and Rukia grimaced, but Ukitake spoke again nevertheless. "Kisuke theorised that you might become a transcended being more powerful than what you became when you defeated Aizen," he said, pausing, hardening his features for a second. "Just as that happened, we restrained you, and sealed most of your power to your to your Zanpukto with a special Asauchi," he finished and took a breath.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow—an Asauchi sounded like something from a bad Manga.

"Quite a mouthful," Ukitake quipped.

Ichigo looked back to his new sealed Zanpukto. They called out to him, emanating a gentle hum of multicolored energy. The pull was almost electric, alluring the valleys of his soul.

He needed answers now.

Closing his eyes, he meditated and focused on his blades.

"Ahh, Ichigo? Are you oka-" Was the last thing he heard before he entered his inner world.


Ichigo picked his blades from the grassy field of his inner world, strapping them to the sash of his new Shihakshou—not a typical Shihakshou. It flowed in thick, silky fabric that seemingly ate all light in a matte black. The overcoat didn't have sleeves, and the neckline plugged rather low, revealing his more muscled chest compared to when he fought Aizen.

He swiveled his gaze, searching for his spirits. They were elusive as ever; probably hiding somewhere in the trees, which did make his inner world more pleasant, Ichigo had to admit. Old man Zangetsu was right about that, and the lake of course. He never swum often, or sailed in the living world.

"I'm surprised Ichigo," Zangetsu's called from behind, still young and sharp.

Ichigo spun around, heel digging into the soil under the grass. His jaw dropped.

Tensa Zangetsu stood there in his white cloak, fluttering in the breeze. And he was still half-Hollow. Ichigo unstrapped his Katana, examining the fine details of the sheath, grip and guard. It was indeed a standard blade, no different from a black-finished blade found in a sword shop.

"So does this mean… Is old man Zangetsu gone?"

The half-Hollow nodded, expressionless, yet menacing at the same time. The single black-sclera eye and Hollow mask fragmant stood out, taunting Ichigo of his failure in Hueco Mundo. Uryu and Orihime nearly paid for it with their lives, because of him. Because of the inner Hollow he couldn't control.

"So are you my inner hollow now?!" Ichigo demanded. "Are you going to try to take over my body?!"

"Are you stupid?"

Ichigo glared, stretching out an arm in a frenzied gesture. "Answer the question dammit!"

"Did you not listen back in the Dangai?" he said, pausing as the horned fragment grew to a full mask. Red and black spirit energy swirled from his form, giving off gusts of wind. Then a hole burst open in the center of his chest.

"What the hell.."

"We are your power!" he yelled, gesturing with an arm much like Ichigo. "If you prove yourself to be unworthy, if you let yourself drown in despair, if you stop moving forward… we will be forced to take over," he finished in a dark, multi-layered voice.

"But what does that mean?!" Ichigo yelled, glaring even more. "So you were my Hollow the entire time?!"

"I was, and I was not."

"What the fu—"

"As I said, we were one and the same, two sides of a blade. What form we take is irrelevant."

Finally, Ichigo received some answers. It wasn't an answer he liked, nor did it explain why his Hollow was so crazy and insane. Was it a Hollow's way of training? But at least the spirit wasn't going off on a psychotic rampage at the moment. He swallowed, taking a step back. "So… you two were both really Zange— Tensa Zangetsu?"

"Indeed." Irritation coated his snappy reply.

Ichigo's mouth dropped to a gape. It couldn't be possible. Old man Zangetsu and his hollow were both his Zanpukto now. His Zanpukto was part Hollow. How could that even be possible? The quandary bounced across the corners of his mind for several minutes.

"If that's really so… then we will fight as one," he said as Tensa Zangetu's hollow mask reverted back to a fragment.

His other sword spirit appeared next to Tensa Zangetsu. She wore a bottomless Shihakshou that revealed much of her chest and thighs. "Hmph! You said the exact same thing to me earlier." She pouted. "I thought I was special."

Ichigo averted his gaze from her curves and unstrapped his other blade, examining the similar details. It was shorter by a couple of inches, but nearly the exact same as the Katana. To his surprise, the hum of energy was completely different.

"So you're also Tensa Zangetsu?"

"Yup."

"Wouldn't that get a bit confusing?" he asked, giving her a wavering smile.

She leaned to the side, poking her tongue through her cheek. "Nope, we'll know who you're talking to."

He shrugged. She could read minds, and his other spirit wasn't that talkative in the first place. "Right."

A thought sprang. "Does that mean you two can fuse together?"

"Nope, whatever that Urahara guy did put us in these forms permanently—that's why you have two blades now," she explained, crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them up like usual. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Ichigo's face began heating up. He changed the subject before she could do anything perverted. "How do I release these anyway? Do I need one of those release commands?"

His Hollow spirit raised an eyebrow. "You don't know? You should be able to figure out how since you know our name already."

"Tch, of course I can," Ichigo said, drawing his blades. They were both pitch black, matte in finish, reflecting no light. It was like staring into two shards of a void. He held them out, crossing the Katana over the Wakizashi. "Roar! Tensa Zangetsu!" he shouted, and flared his spiritual pressure to the best of his ability.

They remained sealed.

"Cleave! Tensa Zangetsu!"

Nothing.

His spirits exchanged a look. A smirk crept on his Hollow's face, and he disappeared in a buzz. Then his blue-haired spirit adopted a wide grin, and walked up to him, swaying her hips.

"I could just tell you, but what would be the fun in that?" She said in a sly tone, and fingered the knot holding her Shihakshou together.

He gulped, tensing his body. "Wait, what are you doing?"

She kept on swaying, taking her time with each step. "Helping with your release, silly."

"Don't we usually fight for stuff like that?"

"Oh, I meant helping with your release—in more ways than one." She stretched out her arm and pointed at him, then fired five indigo rings at his arms, legs and forehead. Within a second, Ichigo was pinned to the ground under the rings. She strutted over to his side and kicked away his blades.

His stomach clenched. This spirit was crazy. "W-What the hell are you doing?!"

"You'll find out in a moment," she said and pulled off her Shihakshou. "Like what you see?"

Blood rushed up his neck, ballooning his head to a bright red. "GAH! How the hell is this going to see if I'm worthy of a release dammit?!" he yelled, squeezing his eyes shut.

"hmph! why did you close your eyes? We're completely alone here… Just you and I."

his eyes snapped open in a flash of purple-white light.

This was not happening.

He looked anywhere but her. "No! Get away! I'm not that kind of man!"

"Don't worry, you only have to slightly satisfy me," she said and giggled, moving to stand over him with a foot on either side of his waist. Slowly, she crouched down to her knees and straddled him.

"W-What are you doing?! This isn't how a Zanpukto should act!" he shouted, voice rising in pitch. His nose almost bled and ears nearly steamed from all the blood pumping into his head.

"I think I'll decide on how I should act, andnd according to desires you've been repressing for so long, I think this is exactly how you want it." She growled and ripped open his Shihakshou, then pulled down his Hakama and underpants. She traced her finger over his abs, up chest and jawline. She bent over and pushed her full body up against his, rubbing back and forth.

He felt everything.

Fire exploded on his cheeks and blood trickled down his nose. "N-No! I don't want my release command anymore! I don't want my release command anymore!" Every inch of her skin caressed his. Her firm, slim waist. Her large, soft breasts.

"Oh, looks like little Ichigo has woken up," she said, pushing her stomach against his hard member.

"W-Wai-" he squeaked, but her lips descended upon his.

Her tongue entered his mouth and danced with his. He fought back, pushing her away with, but his resistance only added to the delicious dance. She kept twisting, licking him, sucking on his lips. Her sweet taste was intoxicating.

She grabbed his hair, pushing her body against his even tighter, deepening the kiss.

He could only lay back and enjoy, for it was one of the best moments ever.

She moaned into his mouth and pulled back, looking into his eyes. "Looks like you pass."

He blinked. What did he just do?

"As I said, you only had to slightly satisfy me," She said, laughing and stroking his abs.

She leaned to his ear, whispered the release command, and got off him.

He shook his head, shaking off the stupor of the sweetness, and replayed the command to himself. It was long—long enough that someone might stab him before he said it in battle. He might even mess it up, and have to start over it if he wasn't careful. Did Ukitake and Kyoraku also have these ridiculous damn releases?

"Why's it so damn long?"

She shrugged. "I dunno, why's your hair orange?"

His eye twitched. "Theres nothing wrong with orange hair!" he yelled, struggling against the rings. "Are you going to let me up?"

"Hmph." She undid the bindings and conjured another see-through dress for herself.

As his blood settled, he put his Shihakshou back on and grumbled. "Damn perverted Zanpukto."

After a moment, his mind sprang back to the outer world—Ukitake and everyone were probably waiting, or making fun of his sudden departure.

She stuck out her tongue. "I'm only this way because of you," she said, fingers on her hip. "I'm a manifestation of your deepest desires."

He groaned, palming his eyes. Just great. Forever stuck with a pervert like her.

"And not bad for a first kiss."

It was indeed not bad, he grudgingly admitted, but not out loud.

"I can read minds remember…"

"Yeah whatever," he mumbled and picked up his Zanpuktos.

Taking a big breath, he shouted.

"However, that's only the first half," She interrupted.

He scoffed. The first half! The current length can already get him killed if he fought someone fast enough like Ulquiorra or Byakuya. They wouldn't even give him a spare second to say the damn thing, especially Byakuya. Kenpachi or Grimmjow might let him, out of the lust for a good fight. "Are you serious?!" he said, pointing a blade at her.

"Yup," she said, nodding, then strutted up to him again.

He braced himself, not having expected another round of… whatever that was. "W-Wait- I'm sure we can work something out, without doing something, like that again."

She only gave him a pointed look. "Sorry, but you're going to be disappointed."

He sighed in relief. "I'm not disappointed!"

She ran her fingers down to her waist, and stroked her lower lips. "Don't worry, little Ichigo will get his hands on this… soon."

He averted his eyes. "GAH! Don't do that—Especially not while wearing that!"

"But I love this dress…" she said, frowning a mock-frown. "You'll just have to get used to it."

"I doubt it." That see through dress was much worse than the Shihakshou—one day it'll get him in trouble, or ruin his reputation built up from years of hard work. He'd be treated like Keigo, of all people. His stomach sank at the thought.

His Hollow spirit appeared in a buzz next to her, holding a pure-white copy of both sealed blades, then his counterpart materialised the same blades as well.

"Your next test is upon you. You will now fight us together. If you cannot figure out what your release is before you collapse-" Tensa Zangetsu began.

"Then we will be forced to beat it into you," she finished.