Disclaimer: Bleach. Yeah, I wish I owned it.
X-X-X-X-X
"Instinct is intelligence incapable of self-consciousness."
-John Sterling
X-X-X-X-X
With a resounding bang, the large wooden doors shut, leaving the plain and vast chamber virtually empty save for the bearded Soutaichou occupying the wooden chair behind the desk. Many thoughts plagued his aged mind as he contemplated the results of the mission.
There was three main outcomes that were most likely to transpire. The first was that the two officers he had sent to Hueco Mundo would be able to persuade the rouge substitute to return to the Soul Society without resistance. This possibility, although the most favorable, was not very probable. Yamamoto was still taking into consideration the hollow's presence. With the malevolent spirit, the odds of there being no confrontation was minimal to none. From the brief report he received to give him a vague understanding of the recent incident, the elderly man was confident that this outcome would not happen.
The next was that Abarai and Kuchiki would be forced to subdue him. The boy's hollow still had the high prospect of being in control when encountered by the Shinigamis and would undoubtedly engage in combat. With their high levels of skill, the two soldiers could be able to subdue and bring back the substitute accordingly.
Finally, the last and by far most undesirable possibility of the mission was it ending in failure. The second scenario would still happen to a certain point where the two forces fought, but the similarities would end there. The hollow could overpower his opposition, defeating them with ease. He was able to kill one of his captains – although exactly how still eluded him - along with a large amount of lower level officers, the exact number not yet known. His power would easily overwhelm them, leaving the uncontrollable youth free to cause unsurmountable destruction as he pleased.
Yamamoto leaned forward on his elbows, resting his chin in his folded hands. He could only hope that it never came to that. Not only would he lose two nearly invaluable soldiers, but also have an even more complicated situation to deal with.
This mission was more delicate than Yamamoto would have preferred. The main factor was too unpredictable to foresee the turnout of the events. It all depended on the boy and his mental condition at the time he encountered his comrades.
One thing Yamamoto did not like was unpredictable factors. It was almost a constant that he always knew the results of events even if multiple possibilities were present. It was a benefit to his old age. The wisdom he had gained through his years allowed him to easily predict practically everything. Nearly nothing surprised him. But virtually all of Kurosaki's actions he had seen thus far went against all his foretelling. Adding the now uncontrollable, berserk hollow into the mix only complicated the situation farther than the Soutaichou would have ever expected.
He had barely any information about the hollow's nature, only that he was incredibly lustful for bloodshed, much like a certain captain he had under his jurisdiction. Although that was not enough to base any assumptions off. For all he knew, the heartless beast could escape capture and cause serious problems to arise in the future. Or, if he was brought into captivity successfully, he could theoretically break free of his restraints and lash out at whoever was nearby. The entire incident that occurred only minutes ago would be repeated, leading to even more casualties.
Quick, precise footsteps quietly echoed around the walls of the room, becoming louder as they approached the head captain's desk. First division fukutaichou Sasakibe Chōjirō stopped at Yamamoto's left, one arm folded behind his back while the other held a small object. "I have brought the item you have requested, Soutaichou," Sasakibe stated in a smooth tone, setting the object in the center of his captain's desk.
The item was purely black, square in shape and only about four inches long on all sides. A small, circular button protruded from the side which Sasakibe pushed after setting the device down. After a light click, a soft whirling sound was emitted before the machine opened down the center and the sides folded back. Two round lenses were revealed of different sizes, both immediately beginning to project images into the empty space in front of the desk. A three dimensional scene was created, producing a clear view of Mayuri's lab before it was reduced to a pile of rubble.
The clown-like captain had installed cameras years ago in order to enforce security, not trusting any under his command or the other squads enough to let them run around unsupervised. There was a previous incident where important information had been stolen and he had since become paranoid about not knowing everything that those in his division were doing. Even though the culprit had been apprehended and punished accordingly for his actions, it was not enough for Kurotsuchi. He had a constant eye on every room in his department, each camera recording the footage and saving it to archives in a different, more secure location.
Thanks to Kurotsuchi's paranoia, Yamamoto was provided the ability to see firsthand how the battle leading up to the massacre happened. He might be able to discern the outcome of the mission better after watching it.
The scene started to play, at first only giving the feed of the unchanging lab. Eventually, after a short time, the grand metal doors parted, allowing three individuals to enter. The twelfth-division captain, his lieutenant and the orange-headed prisoner walked into the room. The latter struggled weakly in the grasp of the emotionless fukutaichou when he laid eyes on the steel examination table he was being forced towards.
The Soutaichou continued to watch with an unwavering gaze as the teenager was strapped down and Kurotsuchi prepared a glowing syringe to inject into his experiment's arm. He was not surprised either when the captive ceased his struggles. All of those unfortunate enough to face similar situations acted nearly the same. They would either give up all together and accept their fate or fought back, which he had somewhat expected Kurosaki to do. He did, however, raised an eyebrow at what occurred next.
The tip of the needle penetrated the tanned skin, glowing contents still in its glass container, when an unexpectedly large amount of black reiatsu exploded from Ichigo. For a moment, the projection's image was blurred partially with static. The force behind the wave of power pushed Mayuri and his lieutenant off their feet and they both landed feet away. The metal vile crashed onto the concrete floor. The center casing shattered on impact, spilling the liquid in a messy puddle.
The mad scientist was quick to rise from the ground as a squealing chuckle made its way from his painted lips. "This is wonderful! To think that he still had this much energy left… astounding. Truly magnificent!"
"Quit yer yappin'," drawled the figure on the table, "It's annoyin'." With a flick of his wrists and a tug of his legs, he broke the metal clamps holding him down with ease and sat up. He faced the two and produced a feral smirk, extending one open hand to the side.
In an instant, the cleaver-sized sword flew into his palm with the white cloth flowing elegantly behind. Without pausing, he tossed the weapon in the air and grasped the fabric dangling by the end. In a strong swing, the blade was careening down towards the two Shinigami faster than they could react.
A shout of "Nemu!" was heard when the zanpakuto connected with the tiled floor with a loud crash. Dust billowed into the air, obscuring the camera's view of the scene temporarily. Several yells and steel clashes could be discerned through the chaos, including two sets of nefarious laughter. It took no more than twenty seconds for the dust to clear enough to allow those watching the video feed to gain visibility and observe the damage caused.
The hollowfied teen had locked blades with Kurotsuchi's released zanpakuto. The painted captain struggled to hold off his opponent, visibly shaking from the strain of keeping the other's sword at bay. Yet he still had a grin splitting his face. His adversary wore a similar expression with a darker tint, only gripping the hilt of his weapon with one hand while the other kept its hold on the cloth.
Against one of the destroyed counters, Nemu was partially buried underneath large sections of broken tile and concrete. She was unconscious from a large gash on her head, crimson blood freely flowing from the laceration and coating the side of her face in sticky red. Neither competitors paid her any mind, instead choosing to focus solely on each other.
"Marvelous!"Mayuri said with a strained voice, obviously still struggling with the force oppressing him, "Tell me… How is it that you are able to exhibit such astonishing strength in order to function at this level? Is it anatomical differences or perhaps the characteristics of your reiryoku as a hollow compared to Kurosaki's Shinigami reiryoku?" the scientist questioned analytically despite his situation. Even when faced with an imposing threat, he continued to seek answers. Truly, he was mad.
"I told ya ta shut up," the hollow responded darkly, pushing harder against Kurotsuchi's blade and forcing the captain to take a step back. Black reiatsu rolled off him in heavy waves and the mask adorning his face grew. "It's givin' me a headache."
In a flash, the twisted youth shoved Mayuri backwards, causing him to momentarily falter. In his short lapse of vulnerability, the hollow dove forwards and grabbed the captain's flailing right arm in his left, holding him in place. Before Mayuri could react, the possessed substitute swung his zanpakuto down intending to severe his opponent in half.
At the last possible second, Kurotsuchi managed to jerk his body to the side. The hollow's strike instead sliced cleanly through the arm, separating it from his body.
Now free, Kurotsuchi shunpoed away from the hollow to the other side of the lab a presumably safe distance away. He acknowledged his injury with a brief, annoyed glance. "Really now. This is going to be rather vexing to deal with before I can regrow the appendage," he muttered.
"Yer much weaker than I thought," the hollow suddenly interjected, stopping the madman from continuing his monologue, "I wanna get to the real fun."
Still clutching the severed appendage in his hand, the hollow swung Zangetsu in Mayuri's direction. A wave of obsidian energy was flung from the dark steel and crashed into the opposing figure. Kurotsuchi could only gape at the large surge of power before he was hit, not having enough time to evade from the large, swift attack.
The explosion following the collision shook the entire building. The camera's view was jostled briefly from the impact before it was abruptly cut off, turning to a static gray.
Sasakibe reached over and switched the projection off, picking the device up from the Soutaichou's desk. He silently stood beside the wooden furniture, awaiting for his captain's orders.
Yamamoto stoically stared ahead with his eyes shut in thought. A minute went by in thick silence. Eventually, the head captain spoke, dismissing his loyal lieutenant from his side. The aged man slowly rose from his chair with cane in hand and made his way to the open balcony in the office. It offered a wide, expansive view of the entire Seireitei. With a stern, hardened gaze, he looked over the many streets and buildings, able to get a glimpse of the scene of destruction in the distance that was causing him so much trouble.
Doubts were rising in his mind. From what he had just witnessed, the mission was looking to be more of a suicide than a retrieval. His fears had been confirmed.
He had basically sent his officers straight to their deaths.
X-X-X-X-X
A lone figure clad in black laid motionless on the fine, white sand. No other form of life could be seen within miles of the orange-haired Shinigami. His eyes were closed, face the picture of serenity, a stark contradiction to his usual scowling expression that adorned his features.
His peaceful demeanor was disrupted when the teen's tranquil face scrunched up in strained effort. He moaned softly from an unknown discomfort as he futilely tried to pry his eyes open. His eyelids parted after the third attempt and allowed him a glance at his blurry surroundings.
He was only able to make out colors at first. The basic white and black of the scenery blended into a murky gray at the edges where they met, churning together haphazardly. His vision was a cloudy kaleidoscope of swirls, giving him a sharp headache. To stop the world from spinning, the young man shut his eyes tight, fighting against a sudden wave of nausea that overcame him.
Once he managed to calm his queasy stomach, the Shinigami cautiously opened his eyes again. This time, he was met with a stilled landscape that he could easily focus on. The bleak scenery he saw confused him since his mind was not able to fully wrap around what he was seeing. However, after the few seconds it took for his memory to kick in, he was able to recognize where he was. The stagnant air that never held even the slightest of breezes and the familiar feel of the white grains on his hands and face registered in his senses. The encompassing darkness enveloped nearly half his sight with the only source of light – the ever present crescent moon hanging in the night sky – staunching the nearly suffocating black, all brought forth his past memories. He knew where he was.
This was Hueco Mundo, the land of hollows.
"Wh… what?" rasped Ichigo, voice hoarse from disuse. He slowly pushed himself up so he was sitting on his legs to make sure he was seeing everything correctly. "How did I get here?"
The last thing he could remember was the concrete walls of twelfth division prison and being dragged away. Then… then things started to become blurred. He could not recall what happened after he was brought from his cell, but he felt like he should have; that there was something important he should remember. Why had he been in the twelfth division anyways? It had something to do with his hollow, right?
In a burst, he remembered the events after. Entering Mayuri's lab, seeing all the beakers and bottles and being cuffed to the metal table. His hollow had taken over when Kurotsuchi was about to inject him with some type of glowing fluid. But that was it. Everything after that was blank; empty space where memories should have been. This type of blank was typical for whenever he lost control. It made sense. When his hollow was in control, he would be the one experiencing everything while he was left in the darkness of his own consciousness. In truth, he did not want to know what he missed in the time his counterpart was on the outside running rampant. He already had nightmares about the small fragments he did get. The full thing would only serve to send him over the deep end.
Now, why was he here anyways? It was blatantly obvious that his hollow was the one that brought him here since he had no reason or ability to. The question was why? Surely the demon had some ulterior motive behind his actions or else there would be no purpose in coming here. What that could possibly be, he had no clue. Or, was it on instinct? Hollows were creatures purely driven by their primal instincts, so maybe he came here on just that, feeling the need to be with his own kind. It made some sort of sense if he thought about it.
Ichigo shook his head, moving so he was sitting cross-legged. No, it could not be as simple as that. He hated to admit it, but that thing was smart. Smart enough to not be solely influenced by simple instincts to 'go home.' The idea of it all was ludicrous.
The teen put a hand to his head to massage his temples, but was surprised and confused to find that parts of his hair were stiff and sticky to the touch. He pulled his hand back and was shocked to see red covering his tanned, callused skin. It was by no means a small amount either. Practically his entire torso was covered in gore, soaking the fabric. It was a wonder how he was unaware of it all before now.
With a startled shriek, he tore off the top part of his hakama and frantically threw it. It left him shirtless, but that was the least of his worries. All he wanted was to get the defiled garment away from him as fast as possible.
Even without his soiled top, he still felt tainted. Blood was covering his hands and even his hair, but he could do next to nothing about either. He would have to regretfully deal with it. Ichigo wrapped his arms around his bare torso, shaking. It was not from the piercing cold of the endless night, but from fear; pure terror of the unknown. The amount of blood sticking to him belonged to more than one person. How many people had to die in order for him to be soaked in gore?
This was all his hollow's fault. That vile beast must have had its fun running amok in the Seireitei for who knows how long. Most of the Shinigami there save for a select few had no idea how dangerous and brutal the hollow even was. None would stand a chance. They would have been lambs willingly running to the slaughter without a clue as to the power they were facing. The dreadful question that continued to plague his mind was just how many were killed in order for his inner monster to have his fill? How many innocent people faced their deaths at his blood-stained hands? He was not sure if he wanted to know the answer to that daunting question.
No, he reasoned, the amount of lives lost because of him was not a number he wished to know. He was fairly certain that he might not be able to handle the answer.
An image flashed before his eyes in a blinding burst, slow enough for him to clearly decipher. It was a clip from a brutal battle. Mangled corpses littered the ground and building structures were destroyed. From his perspective, the body closest to him was the main focus of the scene. The man's body - disemboweled and pale – seemed to be looking straight at him. His cerulean-green eyes were dull, reflecting one final image before losing all their shine. A man in a white mask with eyes of gold surrounded in black was mirrored. The bright orange on his head contrasted with the otherwise dark demeanor and diabolical grin. And then the image disappeared just as it had come.
Ichigo's breath quickened. He held his head tightly in his trembling hands, trying to grasp what he saw. His brown eyes were wide and unseeing, staring at the sand in front of him unfocusedly as he remembered each and every detail of the violent scene burned into his mind.
This could not be happening.
The frantic Shinigami took in quick gasps as he started to rock back and forth. It was all getting to him, that much was plain to see. He needed to calm down since he was practically hyperventilating.
He forced his body to slowly inhale through his nose and out his mouth. In and out. In and out. Slow his breathing and calm his racing heart. There was no point in making his situation even worse by having a mental breakdown or fainting.
After an agonizingly long minute, Ichigo managed to calm his speeding heart and lungs. He needed to address his situation with a more leveled, logical approach and not freak at every little thing as he was currently.
Now that he thought about it, maybe being in Hueco Mundo was for the best. Yes, he was literally a dimension away from anyone that could potentially help him, but here he had next to no chance of hurting anyone since they were all in the Soul Society or the world of the living. The only signs of life were other hollows usually miles apart from each other and it was not of any consequence if the few of them that managed to cross his path were killed. Neither did it matter if he lost control again since his hollow could eagerly take his need for battle out on any of the creatures present in this barren land. In all honesty, ending up in Hueco Mundo was perfect for both the safety of everyone and to satisfy his hollow's lust for blood.
Looking back, he wondered why he did not think of coming to Hueco Mundo sooner, especially with the smaller incidents happening more frequently when he was still in Karakura. Back then, he would have random incidents where he would black out without warning even when in his human body. He would usually come to a couple of minutes, even hours, later, laying on the ground in a different place, sometimes in his Shinigami form. He could never recall what had happened either, which disturbed him greatly. Just what was his hollow doing while in control? What were his goals? He could never figure it out no matter how hard he pondered the matter.
So many lives could have been saved if he had gone to the hollow realm sooner. At least he could consider himself fortunate that his family was never hurt when he was first starting to lose control. One of the more recent incidents had caused him to fear for their safety.
One night, he had woken blearily from a strange dream only to find that he was standing in his sisters' room. His hand was extended towards Yuzu's thin, frail neck, about to close around it. As soon as he had regained his senses, he had dashed out of the room in a blind panic, running to his own down the hall. He had immediately locked the door and curled into a corner farthest from it. The rest of the night, he had not been able to get a wink of sleep, scared that he would wake up to find his sisters' dead bodies laying at his feet.
If he had not been summoned to the Soul Society when he was, then things could have turned out very differently. His family could have died by his hands. That was not something he wanted to dwell on.
A sudden, shrill squeak caused Ichigo to nearly jump a foot in the air from surprise. Instinctively, he reached behind his back to grasp the nearly always present hilt of his zanpakuto only to find nothing. After a quick glance to his side, he found his trusted weapon partially buried in the sand a few feet away from him and hastily grabbed it, ready to attack. He snapped his head over to the source of the sound and was a little more than surprised at what he saw.
A hollow – lizard-like in appearance – stood atop of a small rock. The creature could have been no more than a foot in length if that. Its mask had a single thin, light gray stripe going down the center with the rest of its body's rough scales being a slightly darker shade. Currently, the petite hollow was hissing at the threatening figure before it, being within its territory uninvited.
Ichigo blinked questioningly at the lizard, his body still tense to attack. He finally relaxed once he realized that the creature posed absolutely no threat and sat back down. A light blush tinted his cheeks as he thought about how he had overreacted. He was basically ready to fire a Getsuga Tenshou at the tiny hollow and all it had done was squeak. It was embarrassing. He was glad that no one else was around to see that. He knew that if Renji were here, he would be having a heyday and would never let him live it down.
The teen gave a deep, tired sigh. He was completely exhausted, feeling weary all the way to his bones. At his shaky exhale, the small lizard tensed before tilting its head to the side in curiosity. Its thick tail thumped twice against the rock it perched on, growling throatily. With one final thwack, the hollow stopped and made a soft clicking noise. It turned away from Ichigo and sat comfortably on its rock, deeming the uninvited guest as safe to be in its presence.
A slight smile appeared on the chocolate-eyed teen's lips at the creature's actions. The way it was behaving was kind of cute. However, he was derailed from that train of thought when he was hit full on by an unexpected feeling. It originated in his gut and gnawed at his insides.
Hunger.
This was unlike anything he had ever felt before. His insides burned and writhed, twisted into knots and tore apart. He gasped involuntary as the pain caused him to double over. The lizard-like hollow squealed as it was startled by his abrupt movement. One arm wrapped around his midsection and the other clasped over his mouth. He felt as though he could throw up at any point. But, contrastingly, he was willing to eat anything – anything – to quell this insatiable hunger that was attacking him so ruthlessly.
'Anything, huh? Are ya sure about that?'
His labored breathe hitched in his throat at the doubled voice echoing in his head. This was the last thing he needed to deal with right now.
"Go…. away," Ichigo forced out, "I don't need you here… You've caused me… enough trouble already… so beat it!" Talking was becoming difficult to do through his pain.
'Ah King. I'm hurt,' the hollow said mockingly. Ichigo could practically see the fake pout in his voice. 'An' I was gonna be generous an' tell ya what the hell was happenin' ta ya.'
That made the orangette pause before he whipped out a retorted. His hollow gave a brief chuckle to this.
'That's what I thought,' he chided, 'Hollows are creatures driven mainly by only one desire. It's a common instinct that we all share. Care ta guess what it is?' the demon paused for only a second before he continued, 'Souls. All hollows have a deep, burning hunger for them. It's what that pang in yer stomach is.'
Ichigo's eyes widened in realization. That was what this horrible feeling was? He was craving souls? That could not be possible. He was a Shinigami, not a hollow. Therefore he should not be having the same voiding hunger as one of those twisted monsters. It simply was not possible!
'Stop tryin' ta convince yerself that it ain't true, 'cause ya know it is. Besides, yer logic is pretty weak. Yer basically a hollow now, King, an' I'll prove it ta ya even if I have ta give ya a little push,' the hollow said ruefully.
Ichigo was confused at first to the intentions behind the hollow's words. But it was soon made clear when a large wave of the hollow's reiatsu rapidly coursed through his body. The opposing power supercharged his nerves, making them flare. The stabbing hunger in his stomach intensified to the point where he felt as if his intestines were being ripped out by serrated claws. He unwillingly let out a yelp, falling to his side and curling into the fetal position.
It was becoming too much. He could not handle the pain for much longer. It ate away at his will power like acid. The hollow's reiatsu raged inside of him and he nearly screamed out from the pure torture of it all.
Then, it was gone. The burning washed away from his muscles and stomach, leaving only a numbing ache in its wake. A fog settled over his mind, clouding his thoughts and blurring his vision slightly at the edges. One single, simple thought still remained crystal clear despite this; one that he could in no way ignore.
Satisfy his hunger. Fill the void. Now.
The black clad youth rose from the ground to his hands and knees in one fluid motion. His unruly orange locks shrouded his eyes in dark shadows, but the haze that filmed them was plainly seen. The lizard - still faithfully guarding its perch – hissed angrily at the figure's change in demeanor, tail thumping wildly against the rock.
Ichigo's clouded eyes rolled over to the irritated hollow, his breathes steady and level. In a flash, he grabbed the small creature with a swipe of his hand, eliciting a startled squeal from the masked lizard. It squirmed fitfully in his firm grasp as it tried to get free, but it was all futile. The man's grip help steady, not allowing the creature to wriggle even an inch of its body out. In a desperate attempt to escape, it bite down on its captor's tanned, red-stained hand with its sharp, tiny teeth. They carved into his flesh and a small stream of blood fell from the wound. The entranced teen did not so much as flinch at the action.
The lizard growled menacingly, shrieking around the thick skin entrapped in its mouth. Although it was acting bravely, the creature's large, round eyes were swimming in barely restrained terror. It knew the position it was in. It held no power when faced with such an imposing threat.
Ichigo faltered slightly when he saw those fear-filled orbs behind the stripped mask, loosening his grip enough for the hollow to make a renewed effort to escape. He snapped back to his unfocused haze in the next second, eyes hardening and losing any light they might have regained.
Opening his maw wide, Ichigo shoved the head of the hollow in and snapped his jaw shut. The lizard's body below the neck seized and twitched for a few brief seconds before falling limp in the substitute's hand, tail swishing slightly.
The small, gray body slowly disintegrated into black particles. The specks floated into the air and dispersed, disappearing from sight. In less than half a minute, the entire body was gone, leaving Ichigo to grasp at nothing but a memory.
He was frozen in place. Not a muscle was moved even by a fraction from where he was, still as a statue. His eyes were half-lidded and glazed, unblinking as he stared off into the distance. He stayed exactly like this for a while, exactly how long was impossible to say.
Finally, light seeped back into his coffee colored eyes, bringing life to his deep, brown pools. He gasped, hands flying to his mouth in absolute horror. He felt his stomach - previously aching for something to fill it now sated - flip violently.
"Wh-what… did I just do?" he whispered aghast, "I… I… ate that hollow?!" Saying the gruesome truth out loud seemed to be the trigger. His stomach gave another lurch and all its contents surged up his throat, spilling onto the crystalline sand.
Instead of having the repulsive taste of vomit coat his tongue, Ichigo had the coppery taste of blood fill his mouth. Confused and concern for his own health, he looked down at the mess and gasped in shock. It was all blood. Blood. Small chunks of flesh floated in the life-sustaining liquid, torn and shredded. The mere sight of it all coupled with the stench hitting him full force made him throw up again, adding more gore to the mix already in front of him.
Coughing harshly after his bout finished, he instantly crawled as fast as he could in his current state away from the puddle. Never before had he been so completely stricken with dread. He had no idea that his hollow had been eating people – other humans – when he rampaged. Has he ever done this before? If so, how many times has he done it without Ichigo knowing?
The substitute gave a low whimper at his thoughts, feeling his insides writhe painfully.
Ichigo tried to force his shaking form to stop without success. His whole body was trembling. How could he have done such a thing? He had eaten other living creatures alive. It mattered not that he had vomited everything he had managed to ingest. What he had done could not be reversed. It pained him even more to know that the searing hunger he had previously felt was essentially gone, now only a dull discomfort that could easily be shoved to the side of his mind and forgotten. The fact that what he had just done satisfied his hunger was completely devastating.
"You're a monster. How could you make me do that?!" Ichigo screeched, addressing the demon cackling in his head, "It's sick and twisted, even for you!" His stomach gave another powerful lurch, but he was able to settle it this time.
A round of snickers was the only response he got before the hollow was able to stifle his chuckles and talk. 'Ya think eatin' a puny lizard is bad? That's pathetic King.'
"Not just the hollow! What about all that… b-blood that was in my stomach!?" he screamed.
'I was hungry so I took a couple of bites ta eat on the go. Nothin' wrong with that.'
Ichigo gave a throaty growl and was about to retort, but the hollow continued to speak, 'An' just ta clear somethin' up, I didn't make ya eat that pathetic excuse fer a hollow. That was all you. All I did was give ya a little… push ta get ya movin' in that direction. Yer instincts did the rest.'
"My instincts?" the Shinigami asked incredulously, "What are you talking about? I don't have any hollow instincts." At least as far as he knew.
'See Ichigo,' he spat his name with hate, 'That's where yer wrong. Ya do. Well, they are my instincts really, if ya wanna get technical.'
"You aren't making any sense."
'Do I really have ta spell it out fer ya?' he sighed dramatically, a sound truly strange when coupled with the echoing undertones, 'You've noticed how yer control has been gettin' weaker each day, courtesy of moi, right? That's because yer hold on yer body's crumbling. My more powerful, stronger reiatsu is slowly becoming dominant an' seeping into yer system bit by bit. Right now, my reiatsu is startin' ta overtake yers and with it comes some of my more basic hollow traits. Which includes instincts an' the need ta feed on other hollows and souls.'
"What… how is that possible?" Ichigo muttered more to himself, shocked at the news. He was basically becoming a hollow and he could do nothing to stop it. Urahara might have known what to do, but he obviously was not here to help. The shopkeeper probably had no idea that Ichigo was even in this predicament, although he would admit that he would not be surprised if he in fact did. That man knew absolutely everything.
'Ya haven't even heard the best part yet! I don't have ta do anythin' now an' yer still gonna become a hollow. It's only a matter of time now King before that body of yers is mine and you become the Horse,' the hollow said with ravenous glee.
Fumbling to get up from the loose ground, the distraught teen took up pacing back and forth on the pristine sand. He needed to move, to do something to distract him even in the slightest and this seemed to be his best and only option right now.
He was clutching his head – aching from the stress of the previous events – as he paced the length from one small rock to another. Back and forth. Turn, walk, turn, walk. Twelve steps each way. He counted the numbers each time, trying to direct his focus on the rhythmically repeated numbers instead of his chaotic thoughts.
It barely helped. His mind was still aimed to think only about his predicament.
"What do I do? What do I do?" he rasped in thought over and over like a mantra. He could feel his breathing start to speed up again against his will. "I could go back to Karakura so Urahara could help me."
'How are ya gonna do that? Ya can't open a Garganta so that's not happenin' any time soon,' was his hollow's snide comment. He was rather enjoying messing with the youth in this state.
"Maybe I could go back to the Soul Society. They might come to retrieve me since there was probably a lot of damage and they wouldn't want me running loose. They should be able to contain me if I lose control again," he continued to reason.
'Not gonna work!~' the creature sung, 'If they couldn't handle me back then, how are they gonna now?'
"Then I'll fight you! I beat you once before, I can do it a second time!" he resolved in dismay. He honestly did not know any more if he was trying to be brave to fool his hollow or himself.
'Please. Yer even more stupid than I thought if ya think you'll be able ta defeat me again. I'm more powerful than the last time we fought. You don't even stand a chance.'
"I… I…" Ichigo stopped pacing and stared at the ground, defeated, "I don't know what to do…"
'Well, it's been fun tormentin' ya fer now, but it's time fer the real show ta begin,' said the devilish being with a smirk in his voice.
"Show?" Ichigo questioned having not the faintest idea what his hollow was talking about now in the slightest. He did not have much time to contemplate the matter before the burning hunger hit him full force, coming back with a vengeance.
He instantly crumpled to the ground with a yell, knees giving out and his body caving in on itself. The last thing he heard from the hollow in his head was a deep laughter that slowly receded as the demon retreated to the recesses of his mind to watch his work play out.
Ichigo could feel his thoughts quickly being blurred and his vision beginning to fade. It was happening again. He would lose all control over his actions and basically act as a hollow until he became one physically as well. He could not let that happen.
With every ounce of his being, he fought against the fog that threatened to consume his body and mind. He pushed back, fighting with all his strength, ignoring the stabbing pains coming from his stomach and brain. He was determined; he would not lose this time.
He was gaining ground, clearing his mind from the all-consuming haze slowly but steadily. The agonizing pain in his abdomen lessened, allowing him to focus more on controlling his thoughts. He might actually be able to win and not fall victim to the hollow instincts fighting for dominance.
A surge of dark energy rushed through his body without warning, causing him to lose his advantage he had worked so hard for. With his mind thrown off by the sudden assault, the fog was able to rush forward, entrapping his consciousness in a dense haze too thick for any logical thought to penetrate. Once more, the primal thought raced to the forefront of his mind.
Eat.
The orange-haired vizard slid his eyes open, previously closed from the intense pain. They were completely blank; void of all light. The color had changed from the normal soft chocolate to a murky gold tinted with specks of bronze. There was no sign of emotion hidden within the deep orbs.
In slow, jerky movements, the teen lifted his body from the white, sandy ground. He stood awkwardly, back slightly arched, shoulders slouched and arms dangling limply. He tilted his head to the side and reached his senses out in search for his next meal. He stayed in this position, unmoving, for over a minute.
His body tensed as he located his target far off in the distance. Bending down, he quickly swiped his forgotten zanpakuto from the ground. It was held loosely in his grip, the tip nearly scraping the sand.
Ichigo started walking in an unknown direction. He took five steps at the most before he disappeared in a burst of sonido, the crackly noise of static accompanying the abrupt departure. The loose granules of sand flew into the air at the movement, slowly swirling before floating back down. A cold, dark laughter faded into the distance.
And just like that, the boy was gone, leaving the home of the solitary lizard-like hollow deserted, never to be returned to or inhabited ever again.
The land of the hollows was in for a big surprise.
X-X-X-X-X
I'm a little nervous about how you guys will respond to this one. I'm uncertain about the part with Ichigo eating that hollow. I don't know. It sounds demented and odd flowing to me. Then again, I could just be paranoid.
Anyways, sorry for yet another late update. I promise I'll try harder next time! I got hooked on Homestuck recently (and have still yet to finish it. I think I'm only about halfway done with it so no spoilers!) so that has occupied a majority of my time. Also, sorry if parts of this aren't up to the normal standard of my writing. I was editing this in between helping my dog give birth, so you can see how I might have been a bit distracted. But we now have five new additions to the family! :D
Okay, this next bit is important. Next week I will be starting college classes and I have absolutely no idea how that is going to impact my time to write. Hopefully, it won't by that much and I'll still be able to write between classes. You guys will know in the future how that pans out.
Please give me your feedback so I know what you enjoyed and what you think should be improved!
