Guardian of the Dead
- Chapter 4 -
'The art of killing..?!' Those four words seemed almost too hard to comprehend at first. Ichigo had certainly heard the old man right, even as he shifted his gaze between the two of them, their expression remained grim, eyes unwavering.
'They're being serious?' He realized with a heavy heart, 'but why?'
There was a soft fluttering of his cloak, and quiet footsteps as the old man approached the teen. "I see that you are confused; however, my wisdom and fortitude have never led you astray, nor will it now. If you truly wish to protect, then you must learn to kill."
"I- I don't understand, Ossan... shouldn't it be the opposite?" He asked, voice shaky from his conflicted emotions.
A deep, dual-toned sigh filled the space the three were occupying bringing the teen's attention to the hard gaze of Zangetsu. "Ichigo, why do you think I always dominated the opponents you couldn't defeat whenever I was forced to take over your body?"
In response to the question, Ichigo quickly adopted a look of consideration, but no matter how much he considered it, he kept coming back to the same answer. "Because you were stronger than me?" He answered finally, drawing a frown from his inverted form.
"And here I thought ya finally got it," Zangetsu sighed out, rolling his eyes at his wielders stupidity. "You finally realized that the old man and I are Zangetsu, but that isn't all there is to it. What is Zangetsu, Ichigo?"
'What is Zangetsu?' He repeated internally, 'what kind of question is that? Zangetsu is the name of my Zanpakutō, but that can't be what he was asking, it's too simple.' Glancing back up to Zangetsu, the expecting look in his eye told Ichigo that yes, it wasn't that simple. 'Okay, let's start from the top. With the exception of those seven blades that Amaterasu and Ichibē showed me; a Zanpakutō is born from a Shinigami's soul as the manifestation to their own unique reiatsu signature. So essentially, that would mean the Zanpakutō is the Shinigami...' Ichigo huffed out a small laugh at the conclusion. It was pretty obvious now that he thought about it.
"Zangetsu is me," he answered with a grin, one that his Zanpakutō copied.
"Exactly. And, since both the old man and I are you, that means we were only ever as strong as you were. As you grew, so did we. So once again that begs the question, why did I so easily defeat enemies that you couldn't handle?"
"I don't know..." he answered slowly. Truthfully he felt like he did know, his mind was just blocking it because he probably wouldn't like the answer.
Zangetsu and the old man understood this too, of course, but that didn't change the fact that it needed to be said. "It's because you never fought with the intent to kill. Byakuya, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Aizen, hell, even me. You were so afraid of actually killing someone that you unconsciously hindered yourself, dulled your blade. You put restraints on your own power so you wouldn't accidentally overdo it and take someone's life.
But I never had that problem. Whenever I took over your body, I did so with the intent of killing whoever it was that put you in that sorry state in the first place."
Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed, that's what he was afraid of. There were many things buzzing through his head, many questions he wanted to ask, some positive, some not. All of that could wait for now though because over it all there was one question he needed the answer to. It had been poking at the back of his mind ever Aizen's name was spoken.
"If I had fought with the intent to kill my enemies from the very beginning and didn't hinder myself- if I had done that, would I have been able to defeat Aizen without the use of the final Getsuga Tenshō?" The words 'would I still have had to lose you' left unsaid but still heard just as clearly.
He got his answer when both spirits stayed quiet, neither willing to meet his gaze.
The old man was the first to actually reply. "If you had fought with the intent to kill from the start, and Zangetsu and I had never kept anything from you, then yes, I think you would have had a high chance of defeating him without that technique." Even now both spirits refused to utter the techniques name, they hated it and everything it stood for.
Ichigo nodded solemnly. It hurt to know that he'd lost Zangetsu and the old man because of his own naivete. "Is the reason Aizen was sealed and not killed also because I hindered myself?"
Thankfully this time the old man shook his head in the negative. "It is doubtful, we believe that the Hōgyoku made him immortal- or something close to it. As powerful as that technique was, I think the Hōgyoku was still well beyond it."
It was comforting to hear, but the reality of the situation still outweighed that one positive. 'No more. I won't mess up like that again. I never want to feel the loneliness I felt during those months without Zangetsu again.'
"Ossan, Zangetsu..." he began softly, directing the words he was about to speak to both of them. "Even though Byakuya openly stated that he would hunt down Rukia and kill her, I still couldn't raise my blade with the intent to kill him. When Kokutō tried to kidnap Yuzu and Karin, succeeding in getting Yuzu and nearly binding her eternally to that infernal place in the process, I still couldn't raise my blade against him with the intent to kill.
When Grimmjow so effortlessly put his hand through Rukia's stomach, when I'd almost lost her again, I still couldn't raise my blade against him with the intent to kill." He paused for a moment, unable to stop the grimace from spreading as he heard himself talk. He really had been foolish.
"When Ulquiorra took Inoue, furthermore implying that they had done something to her, once again I couldn't raise my blade with the intent to kill him. Aizen wanted to sacrifice all of Karakura, my home and the thousands of people who inhabit it to create the Ōken, all so he could try and fulfill his dreams of Godhood. After all of that, I still couldn't raise my blade against him with the intent to kill.
It's because of all this that I barely managed to win, getting beaten and bloody in the process. Or I would just flat out lose, and in the case of Ulquiorra die, resulting in me needing to be saved by you two. This whole time I've shouted proudly that I'm a protector, but Ikomikidomoe was right, I'm just a kid who doesn't know anything," he continued dejectedly.
"I was too naive; I believed that I could stop everyone without killing them, I hoped that if I spared their lives than they would change and everyone could live peacefully. Honestly, I was just being really arrogant." Letting out a humourless chuckle the teen shifted his gaze upwards so he could look at the sky. "As grim as it may sound, I now understand that true peace is impossible. As long as people exist, as long as they have emotions there will be conflicting beliefs, those conflicting beliefs will lead to fights, and those fights will lead to death.
I know that I can't protect everyone and that I won't live forever... but while I am alive, I want to fight, so others don't have to. I want to carry those heavy burdens, to carry the pain and suffering of this world so that others don't have to.
Please Zangetsu, Ossan, teach me how to fight, to kill, so that I may truly become a protector."
There was a brief moment of silence when both spirits looked hesitant to agree, even though that was the reason they'd been given another chance to manifest, it was still hard to go through with it. All they had ever wanted was to protect Ichigo, to teach him this now was doing the exact opposite.
Eventually, the old man nodded in acceptance, it was not something they could put off any longer. Ichigo had made his choice, and they would support it. "Ichigo, even though I said this would be our final lesson, you already know how to fight, and deep down you have the honed instincts to kill. The art of killing is not something that can be taught with a blade, but instead, it is taught with the mind.
You already possess the knowledge on how to kill, as well as the knowledge to use all of our techniques that we never taught you. The only question remaining is will you be able to find it?"
'I already have the knowledge?' he repeated, although he was curious about these techniques the old man had mentioned, his mind was solely focused on the first thing he had said. It only registered in Ichigo's mind now, but he had mentioned it once earlier too. "What do you mean our final lesson, Ossan? Aren't you guys back for good now?"
The sorrow in his eyes told the teen everything he needed to know. "Why do you think you survived for so long despite having such grievous wounds?"
Ichigo didn't have the answer. He'd never really thought about it, but being stabbed through the chest and loosing as much blood as he had would normally mean death, and yet the sweet pull of nothingness never claimed him.
"You shouldn't be here right now, Ichigo. You were a breath away from giving out, but someone interfered. They froze you in time and space, set your soul into a state of stagnation so that you could survive."
Ichigo's brows scrunched together with confusion, "but that doesn't make sense, you shouldn't be able to die in your own soul; we fought for nearly three months during my time in the Dangai, and my energy never ran out, my life force never depleted despite my injuries."
The old man nodded, his mouth turning downwards into something grim. "You are correct, but this isn't your inner world. Not completely at least. It is a fake born from the memories within your reiatsu, as are we." He continued, gesturing towards himself and Zangetsu with a wave of his arm.
He could see the small light of hope that had once more filled the teen's eyes shatter at the news, his face twisting into despair. "We, as Zangetsu were destroyed when you used the final Getsuga Tenshō. We should have never appeared before you again. But, the same being that postponed your death also gathered the memories in your reiatsu and allowed us this final meeting."
'No more. No more will I despair, nor will I mess up like that again. I never want to feel the loneliness I felt during those months without Zangetsu again.' Those were the words he had just earlier said to himself, but within seconds all of that resolve crumbled.
He had assumed that the old man and Zangetsu were back for good, but instead, he'd just have to say goodbye to them again? It was a tough pill to swallow.
"What's the point of all this then?" The teen finally asked, "if you guys aren't really here to stay that what am I supposed to do? I can't protect people as I used to with just reiryoku."
And it was a fair point. Its one thing to have reiryoku, but to actually use it you need to turn that power into something. Zangetsu was Ichigo's outlet for his power, but with Zangetsu no longer there...
"There are options set out before you, Ichigo. Whether or not you chose to use them will be decided in the coming days."
"Yeah, that crazy bitch might still want to be friends with ya if you sweet talk her a bit," Zangetsu continued, grinning sharply. The spirit wouldn't admit it out loud, but Ikomikidomoe gave even him the chills. He couldn't blame Ichigo for the death glare he was sending at the suggestion, Zangetsu wouldn't want to partner with her either.
"Anyways, you can mope about that shit later, me and the old man ain't got all day here." That probably wasn't the best way of phrasing it the Zanpakutō spirit realized as he watched a flash of pain tear through Ichigo's eyes. Again, he wouldn't say it out loud, but the whole situation hurt him too.
Half of him may have been foreign, coming from a Hollow that had infected his mother. However, his other half, the Shinigami powers inherited from his father were a natural part of him. He was Ichigo just as Ichigo was He.
"Or did you lose your resolve already?" Zangetsu taunted further.
Ichigo smirked. There was still a touch of sadness in it, some frustration at the reminder of Ikomikidomoe, but he had to put it away for now. He had promised himself that he would change, was his resolve so weak? Of course not.
'Abandon your fear; look forward; move forward and never stop; if you retreat you'll age! If you hesitate, you'll die!' He would never forget those words, he would live by them for the rest of his life.
Jumping to his feet the teen stretched his body out, wincing slightly as it protested the movements. Zangetsu may have healed him, but that didn't take the stiffness away. Working one final crick out of his neck he directed a cocky grin towards his inner Hollow, "lose my resolve? You wish. I'd say it's about time I kicked your ass once and for all."
"So how are we going to do this?" He continued, shifting his eyes between the two spirits. The teen could only groan when both smirked at his question, pillars of reiatsu erupting at their feet, the old man's blue and Zangetsu's white tinted red.
"Tensa Zangetsu," they both called out simultaneously, their over the top displays of power receding slowly around them. Zangetsu was wearing his usual white coat with tufts of fur around the collar and wrists, in his hand the white Tensa Zangetsu. The old man had reverted back into his younger form, still in his black cloak, though now he held the black version of the sword which he was so familiar with.
He could tell by the shifting of feet that they were preparing to attack, though unfortunately before he could ask about his own distinct lack of a sword to defend himself, Zangetsu flickered from view, only reappearing again when a few strands of his orange hair fluttered down before his eyes.
"There is no more time for talk, all of the answers you seek can be found within our blades."
Before he could protest the cruel treatment, Tensa's black boot dug itself into his side, sending him shooting through one of the many tall buildings that made up his inner world. Although the impact had jarred him, he quickly regained his footing and leapt from the edge just as a white Getsuga Tenshō ripped through the sunken city.
With a grunt, he launched himself backwards, the black blade narrowly missing him again. 'Okay, first thing first, I need a sword.'
He could tell that the two of them were giving him a short time to figure things out, though with every passing minute the pace was picking up and with each slash or stab he dodged the gap in between was only getting more narrow. 'Alright think, technically they died after the final Getsuga Tenshō and thus shouldn't be here, whoever saved me used the memories within my reiatsu to give them temporary life again, so that-'
Hissing out in pain the teen had to pause his train of thought, the frustrated aura surrounding him was palpable. He wasn't sure which of his two spirits had gotten him, but the distinct pinch of steel on his side told him all he needed to know.
"Dammit," he spat out. He needed to keep his concentration on the issue of not having a sword to defend himself with but at the same time, if he took his mind of the two spirits currently pursuing him for too long, then he'd pay for it with another wound.
'If this mystery saviour can use the memories in my reiatsu to create life, then surely I can use them to recreate Zangetsu. I may not have it anymore, but my soul still remembers it." His left arm rose slightly, his hand tilted downwards and set in the rough shape it would be if he was holding a blade.
'Remember. Remember the feeling, the weight, the sense of ease I felt whenever Zangetsu was in my hand.' The teen couldn't help but crack a smirk as he felt an all too familiar and welcoming weight in his grasp again.
"Well done, Ichigo." The younger form of his Quincy powers called out, a pleased smile on his face that Zangetsu tried to match, though his smile was much more feral and menacing.
He knew what this meant, now that he could properly defend himself the manifestations of his soul would no longer hold back.
Gripping the black hilt strongly in his hand he shifted into a ready position, though before their battle could continue, he fell into a state of confusion. The self-satisfaction he'd felt at summoning the blade was swept away when he heard that same blade clatter to the floor at his feet.
Well, that was odd, he couldn't remember dropping it, but a quick glance toward the ground confirmed that yes, it was definitely laying there, his hand was still wrapped securely around its hilt and his arm followed... 'Huh..?' Lifting his left hand, he felt the bloody stump on his right side where his arm should have been, it took only a moment for a panicked scream to rip from his lips.
Shifting a blurry gaze towards the black blade held in his Quincy spirits hand, he could see the blood lifting off its surface into the water around them. With a blink, his spirit was gone, appearing a breath later in front of his face, seemingly frozen in time with his left arm cocked back.
"You chose the path of a protector Ichigo, the path of pain and suffering for the sake of others, that's fine, but Zangetsu and I are going to make sure you are ready for it, even if we have to beat it into you until you are nothing but a mangled corpse." And his arm came forward, cracking painfully with the teen's face, lifting him from the ground and sending him crashing into another skyscraper.
He had blacked out for a second from the impact, coming back to just in enough time to throw his head to the side, the blade he had summoned stuck into the wall where his skull had just been, having been thrown by Tensa. He had to ignore the image of his dismembered arm floating causally down through the water as he made a grasp for his sword, bringing it in front of his body in just enough time to block the downward swing of Zangetsu's white blade.
The spirits grin widened ever so slightly before the world went white with a shout of, "GETSUGA TENSHŌ!"
Regaining his footing after being blasted through yet another building the teen quickly parried another quick slash from Tensa, letting off a silent Getsuga he spun quickly and met the downward, two-handed swing of Zangetsu with a loud clang.
He was partially successful, having access to only one arm meant that he couldn't compete with the raw physical strength of his Zanpakutō spirits. He could feel the force of every impact in the depths of his bones, the strain it put on his body wasn't helping the large wound he now sported from left shoulder to right hip either.
He had managed to negate some of the damage by releasing his own Getsuga Tenshō right before Zangetsu's had hit him, but it wasn't enough.
The teen's eyes widened slightly when one of Zangetsu's white hands parted from his sword's hilt, moving slowly towards the tip, smirk ever widening as he did so. 'Shit, I can't get hit by another one of those so close again, it could kill me,' he thought to himself, panic starting to set in as he felt the familiar buildup of energy along its edge.
And then he changed. With one steady breath in, then back out his mind calmed down. 'I just need to trust my instincts,' he mused, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
And trust them he did. Without warning, Ichigo's body lurched forward, and his head connected brutally with that of his white counterpart, temporarily dazing him, though Ichigo wasn't sure if it was so much the headbutt itself, or just the shock of him doing it in the first place. With a small twist and flick of his wrist, he removed the white Tensa Zangetsu from his path, dragging his blade deeply across his Hollow's chest and stomach, just barely ducking quick enough to avoid having his head removed from his shoulders by the cloaked Quincy.
He spun quickly on his heels, again forced to meet the two-handed smash from his opponent's black blade. Ichigo grimaced, this wasn't a fight, it was a slaughter, it was taking everything he had just to avoid being annihilated, and the window of safety was getting constantly smaller.
Seeing a flash in Tensa's eye, he had no time to react when Zangetsu repaid the wound in kind, giving the teen a matching gash across his back. His misfortune wasn't stopping there though, before he could blink, two more silent Getsuga's were slamming into him from the front and back, followed by another bone cracking kick to his ribs that sent him careening through the water into another building.
Jabbing his blade into the side of the demolished building for support, he glanced up at the spirits stood casually in the air above him, their expressions blank.
Ichigo's eyes narrowed when Zangetsu shot him another arrogant smirk, though he didn't need to question why; not even a moment later a white substance started bubbling from the wound on his chest, quickly vanishing again after learning his Hollow perfectly healed with not even a scar.
'High-speed regeneration?' The teen's tongue clicked in annoyance at the sight. He cast a sideways glance at his still missing arm and thought back to the words the old man had said when Zangetsu had healed him. 'I already know how to use their powers, so I should be able to heal myself. And, since that pasty bastard was even able to regenerate my destroyed organs courtesy of Ulquiorra, then this arm should be a piece of cake.'
With a small nod, the teen pressed of the destroyed building, quickly closing the distance between himself and his two spirits and letting the dance of blades continue. What felt like hours- but was really only minutes flew by as the three continued to clash, even though Ichigo had started on the aggressive, the tone of battle quickly flipped and he was once more being pressed.
He could feel it right away, both spirits were easily as strong as their combined form was during the Dangai training, probably more. They were moving at speeds and hitting with a strength that he just couldn't match.
Ever since this renewed clash had begun, the teen had yet to land any more hits on either of his two opponents, though their tallies had kept adding up on his body and it was slowly starting to take its toll. He'd always been ambidextrous, though he preferred his right, and with this onslaught of two-handed swings his left arm was exhausted, it was all he could do now just to simply deflect them away.
But, it hadn't been a complete waste of time with him only catching wounds either. He was slowly but surely starting to understand how his powers worked, and more so, he finally had a theory about high-speed regeneration.
He'd noticed it pretty quickly after their clash began, every time their swords connected he could feel something shift in the back of his mind. It felt as though he was becoming calmer and more level-headed with each blow, trusting his instinct and just letting his body flow during the heat of battle instead of overthinking things as he'd always used to do.
Everything just felt so clear now; like he'd had a blanket over his senses his whole life that was finally being removed.
"Don't lose focus, Ichigo!" The younger version of his Quincy powers yelled out, their blades connecting again. "You've yet to learn any of our techniques and your body is deteriorating quickly, you have no time to space out!"
The teen merely grunted in response as he watched another small piece of the black metal chip from his blade, pretty soon it would start to resemble Kenpachi's jagged Zanpakutō. He would admit that even with his calmer head, he had internally freaked out when he noticed his Tensa Zangetsu was breaking apart, but after thinking it over, it made sense. The blade was made from the memories within his reiatsu and technically didn't exist anymore; thus it was nowhere near as powerful or durable as it once was.
Ichigo broke the blade lock and jumped back, creating distance between himself and the two spirits. It looked as if they would immediately continue their assault again, but paused when they noticed something off about Ichigo, as such they decided to wait and see what he would do.
Ichigo meanwhile was ignoring everything, grateful that his spirits were giving him a moment of rest. For quite some time now he had been doing something he'd never had before, learning to actually control and use his reiatsu more efficiently than just pushing some into Zangetsu and firing off a Getsuga Tenshō. Of course, he was nowhere near able to fully control and suppress it, that would take a lot of training, but after much effort, he was now at least able to visualize it and somewhat move it around.
He had momentarily stumbled mid-battle when he'd first managed to visualize it, bearing witness to the near infinite mass of raging energy. It was astounding, and he'd finally understood why people used to always call him scary. It wasn't as if he'd ever seen another person's reiryoku reserves, but he just knew that his was abnormal. His stumble had earned him a fairly nasty gash on his leg, but it would be worth it if his theory was correct, if it was then he wouldn't be feeling it for much longer.
Reaching deep within his soul he felt for his powers and each of the aspects that made them up. The light blue representing his Quincy powers, the red representing his Hollow powers, and the – oddly enough – black that represented his own Shinigami powers. With his lack of control, he wasn't able to solely grab onto his Hollow powers, but he doubted it would do any harm if he grabbed a little extra, they were all his powers after all.
Deciding to test his theory out – hopefully without alerting his two opponents – he pushed the Hollow reiatsu into one of the nastier gashes that marred his back. He couldn't hold back the grin that spread across his lips at the slight tingle he felt around the wound before it was completely gone. "Heh, about damn time something went my way," he murmured to himself, oblivious to the curious looks being sent his way.
"Ya think he's lost his mind?" Zangetsu asked with a straight face, watching his wielder grin and mutter further to himself.
A half-hearted glare was his only response, though the younger Quincy spirit couldn't deny that Ichigo's behaviour was... odd, to say the least.
In hopes of giving the two a big surprise, Ichigo crudely shoved more of his Hollow reiatsu into the stub he used to call an arm, though when nothing happened, he could only frown. If his organs could be regenerated, then an arm should be possible too. Perhaps he needed better control over his reiatsu to do something so big? 'No, that doesn't make sense, my control is terrible and yet the other wound healed; maybe I need to...' and after only a few more seconds passed the same white substance that formed his mask exploded out from his stub of an arm.
It lasted a little longer than the cut on his back for obvious reasons, but when it did finally vanish, he couldn't hold back the sigh of relief at finally having his right arm back. He just continued to flex and stretch out his newly restored muscles, completely ignoring the looks of astonishment from his Zanpakutō. It was only the low whistle coming from Zangetsu that actually got him to shift his gaze up.
"Well colour me impressed, I didn't think you'd learn how to regenerate your arm so fast."
"Good, you could do with a bit more colour," Ichigo joked with a smirk, earning a small frown from his Hollow though it didn't actually hold any malice, it was just good-natured banter.
"I am curious as to how long you've been able to use high-speed regeneration, Ichigo. I would assume its been a while since you've already restored your arm, but at the same time it makes me wonder why you would let your injuries keep building if you could heal yourself."
Ichigo nodded at his words. "Well, I've had a theory on how it worked for a while now, I would've attempted it sooner, but I had trouble finding and separating my reiatsu, even now I couldn't do it completely," he explained, earning a pleased nod from his Quincy powers. "I actually just tried it for the first time on one of the wounds on my back, it worked pretty easily, so I figured next I'd go for my arm, but nothing happened when I tried pushing reiatsu to my arm as I did with the cut." The teen paused briefly, bringing his thoughts together.
"After thinking about it for a moment, I came to the realization that healing a limb is different than a slash or stab wound. With a cut, you're just stopping the blood and stitching the wounded flesh and muscle back together, but with a missing limb, there isn't anything to 'stitch together' so to speak. I realized that I needed to visualize my arm, remember how it felt to use the muscles as I pushed my Hollow reiatsu into the area," he finished.
"As expected, your growth rate and ability to adapt were always astronomical, and now that you have access to all of our knowledge as well, I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to learn everything before our time was up." The younger version of his Quincy powers noted, shaking his head lightly in amazement.
"Well, I'm glad I know how to do it, but I feel exhausted," the teen huffed out, slightly hunched over. He'd just finished healing the rest of the wounds on his body while his two spirits mulled over his words, it had seriously taken a toll on him.
"Of course you're tired, you didn't think high-speed regeneration would come without a cost, did ya? As you learn better control and precision healing regular wounds won't be so bad, limbs are worse as you just felt, but organs are especially tiring. It takes a lot of reiatsu to cheat death."
"Indeed, however, since we are in a realm much similar to your inner world it is impossible for you to exhaust your reserves, you can take injuries and feel fatigue, but your reiryoku will not run out. So stand tall Ichigo!" He spoke further, his voice raised slightly as his sword rose before him, "we are far from finished here."
~ Ichigo's fake inner world, two weeks later
It would be quite the stretch to call it his inner world as none of the original towers remained. It was just a submerged wasteland of debris and destroyed buildings. The harsh sounds of steel clashing, explosions and other various impacts that had plagued the world for the last couple weeks had temporarily stopped, the three combatants knew that the end was near.
Ichigo was slightly hunched over and panting; his hair had grown out a surprising amount in the two weeks spent fighting, it wasn't as long as his Dangai self, but it was significantly longer. Most of his clothing had been destroyed, leaving only scraps big enough to cover his modesty. He had no major wounds on his body as they could be healed immediately, only small cuts littered his form, little more than a nuisance and thus he left them alone to preserve energy.
His blade was missing its tip, and both the flat side and cutting edge were horribly jagged from all the strikes he'd intercepted over their long battle.
Oddly enough both of his spirits still had their full outfits, though they sported a few cuts and rips that exposed the many wounds they had acquired. Both of them were hunched over as well, each mimicking Ichigo's position while trying to regain some composure.
"Shit... I really wish I had... high-speed regeneration right now," Zangetsu spoke out between breaths.
Ichigo quirked an eyebrow at his words; he'd been curious as to why Zangetsu hadn't healed anymore of his wounds after first using the technique himself. Actually, now that he thought about it, with every new technique he grasped from their blades, the two spirits hadn't used them again. "I've been meaning to ask this, but why haven't you guys been using your techniques anymore?"
"Hm? I thought you had figured that out already," the manifestation of his Quincy powers questioned with a curious tone. "As you know there were two purposes for this meeting; the first was to teach you the art of killing, something that we have yet to determine the success of; the second and less important reason was so that we could finally impart all of our knowledge into you. But, we are you, so really you're just taking back what was rightfully yours in the first place. As you regain the knowledge for all of the techniques you possess we are from that point on unable to use them anymore."
He nodded at the words; it made sense. Since a Zanpakutō is born from a Shinigami's soul then logically all of that Zanpakutō's techniques would rightfully belong to the Shinigami. However, Shinigami aren't ready to handle that much power right away, which is why they train and gradually over time are taught their own abilities again.
Ichigo had long since become strong enough to handle everything his powers had to teach him, which was why over the past two weeks he had learned everything without pause. While this was good because the abilities learned would certainly help him in his future battles, it was also sad because it meant with nothing left to teach, their final meeting was almost over.
It was time for Ichigo to show them that he'd understood the main purpose of their battle.
He gave one final sad nod before lifting his broken blade in front of himself, signalling that it was time to end it. Once each half of Zangetsu had risen their own blades in response Ichigo flickered from existence, the only proof he'd ever been there in the first place was the sound of his modified flash step echoing throughout the destroyed world.
Shunpo, which allows the user to move great speeds by covering vast distances in a single 'step,' and Sonído, a technique akin to the Shinigami's Shunpo which allows its user to temporarily vanish from a person's senses thus making it seem like teleportation. In just two weeks Ichigo had mastered both forms of movement, combined them together and then mastered that new form. It was nothing short of incredible.
So when both spirits blades shattered and blood arced out from their chests before they could even blink, they understood that it was done.
With one more burst of high pitched static filling the air Ichigo was stood before them again, his bloodied blade falling from his grasp. It felt as if time was moving in slow motion as it fell to the ground, both spirits falling to a knee as the blade pierced the stone. Immediately he was between the two of them, one of Zangetsu's hands in his left, one of the old man's in his right. He didn't care how sappy the gesture was. The two of them had been with him through everything; they were the reason he had succeeded so far; he wouldn't just leave them to fade away alone.
There was a brief flash of blue as the younger Quincy reverted back to his older form, the 'Bankai' having receded.
A tense few moments of silence passed, none of the three really knowing what to say. Zangetsu, while bothered by the current situation wasn't much for sappy statements and thus remained quiet, content to fade away in silence. The old man, however, looked troubled, and the teen was about to find out why.
"Ichigo..." he began slowly, trying to find the right words for what he was about to say. "I never wanted you to become an actual Shinigami, and it was for that reason that I did everything in my power to suppress your latent potential, going so far as to become your primary source of power in place of Zangetsu."
Although nothing was said, the old man heard Ichigo's unspoken question of 'why?'
"I wanted to keep you safe," he answered solemnly, "becoming a Shinigami would mean risking life and limb, always exposing yourself to numerous perils, you would writhe in pain, experience suffering, I couldn't allow you to become a Shinigami, doing so would mean I was throwing your life away."
Even as tears formed in the corners of his eyes, he couldn't help but crack a joke. "I bet you didn't think I'd be so stubborn about it, never caring about myself," he said with a smirk.
A smirk that the old man matched, a small chuckle reverberating within his chest. "Indeed, as time passed you did become a Shinigami, you jumped at the chance, trained diligently, and in spite of experiencing your fair share of pain and suffering you continued down that path. All those times I saw you struggle and persevere I must admit it made my heart waiver, and before I knew it, instead of trying to impede your progress all I wanted to do was help you and watch you succeed." He continued, his voice starting to lose some of its sturdiness.
"Ichigo, you have become strong, this entire time standing next to you I've watched proudly as you became a man, the pride I feel is indescribable, I can leave in peace knowing that you will stay safe and live on. I'm sorry that I've lied to you all this time."
The teen couldn't believe the ridiculousness of what he'd just heard, "Ossan, you don't have anything to apologize for," Ichigo started, finding it hard to keep speaking, he was doing he best not to break down, "You just said it yourself, you wanted to protect me, I could never hold that against you, either of you," he continued, throwing a look towards his hollow who met his gaze evenly.
Ichigo couldn't help the tears that started falling down his cheeks now, this was so much harder than after the final Getsuga Tenshō, at least back then there was hope that he would see them again, but now, to be here with them as they disappeared, forced to say goodbye, he couldn't hold it in.
His eyes widened as he noticed their forms starting to become transparent, their bodies becoming spirit particles. "It was just as you both said during the Dangai training, all you ever wanted to protect was me, and even though you won't be here with me physically, you will always be with me, because you are me, and I am Shinigami," he said first, looking between the two of them, "I am Hollow," he said this time meeting gazes with his white counterpart, "and, I am Quincy,' he said finally locking gazes with the old man, they both had surprised looks on their faces, his hollow more so then the old man.
Ichigo always expressed massive hate for his Hollow powers, so to hear him accept that he was part Hollow finally, it left Zangetsu with no regrets. The old man wasn't any less happy, although Ichigo hadn't even known he was part Quincy until recently, his Quincy powers had deceived him since their first meeting, so to know that after everything Ichigo would still accept him so easily, it would make his passing all the more peaceful.
The young man gave each of their hands a final squeeze as both of them fully vanished from view.
His knuckles went white as he held his fists together, their newfound emptiness almost too much to bear. His eyes were screwed tightly shut even as tears continued to run down his cheeks. The pain in his soul was almost unbearable, but he also felt a strong fire of determination as well, he had meant what he said earlier, no more would he waiver, no more would he hesitate, and no more would he despair.
He would allow himself this final moment though, so he stayed knelt there for who knows how long, silently letting out the cries of his soul until there were no more tears to shed and he had made as much peace with the reality of the situation as he could. He would miss them, terribly so, but they would always be with him until the day he died because they were his powers, they were him.
Clearing his head of the depressing thoughts he stood back up from his knees, stretching his body once before allowing his eyes to open themselves. The destroyed version of his inner world was gone, now he was back in that cold, black space, except this time there were small blue particles floating around his form and slowly drawing near him before disappearing on contact.
He could feel his reiatsu steadily rising with each particle that connected, immediately he understood, this was Zangetsu returning to him, becoming one with him again, one with his power. He could have sworn he heard faint whispers of 'release the seals' and 'true power' in the back of his mind as it rose higher, the ghostly sounds of shackles clinking together accompanying it.
He had long since learned not to brush such things off and thus immediately set out to explore the meaning of those words.
Although this realm he found himself in consisted of nothing but darkness, he still shut his eyes once more and concentrated on the nearly infinite pool of reiryoku swarming in his soul. Ichigo ignored what was on the surface; instead, he reached deeper. It was obvious that if he wanted to reach an answer to the odd whispers, then he would need to find the 'core' of his soul.
When he did find what he was looking for, it hadn't been what he was expecting, to say the least. A large broadsword made of reishi, nearly as long as he was tall floated in the air before him; two protrusions jutted out diagonally on either side form the sword's cross-guard which, alongside the handle, formed a shape that Ichigo would admit was reminiscent of the Quincy cross.
Unlike the normally blue reishi that the Quincy would draw on, however, this sword was golden, a far cry from the multitude of colours that used to represent him. Nevertheless, this blade obviously represented his true powers, when his Shinigami, Quincy and Hollow aspects were all working in harmony with one another.
Surrounding the golden sword were multiple glowing white links of chain, each one creaking in displeasure at the massive pressure they were barely succeeding in containing. And what a pressure it was, even from a distance he could feel an overwhelming force from the golden blade, the reiatsu billowing off of it looked like flames licking at the blackness surrounding him, he could see the atmosphere distorting around its form.
'Amazing... this is what Ossan was talking about when he said most of my powers were sealed away?'
He took a tentative step forward, and the sword pulsed excitedly in reaction. He took another step, and once again it pulsed in anticipation, continuing to do so with every step until he was stood right before it. However, not even once he was stood next to it did it return to its former state, it just continued to pulse violently, desperately wishing to lose the chains that bound it.
Slowly his hand rose to grasp the hilt, and the response was immediate, a power which he hadn't felt in a long time flooded his body and threatened to consume his soul, he couldn't help but recoil in surprise. It was a mix of that dark, heavy and instinctual power he'd held on the roof of Los Noches when his hollowfied body utterly dominated Ulquiorra. And, it was partly the transcendent reiatsu he'd held after the Dangai training which allowed him to shatter mountains with a simple flick of his wrist.
He paused just as his hand was about to close around the hilt once more. It was a dangerous power, one that would hurt and kill a lot of innocent people should he be unable to properly control it. But, it was also a power he would need if he really wanted to go through with this. Aizen was nothing more than a nuisance to some of the beings which existed out there, and if Ichigo hoped to stand a chance against any of them then this was a power he would need, and more.
He sighed out as his eyes flicked back to the hilt which lay right below his hand, 'Well, I did say that I wouldn't hesitate anymore,' he thought wryly to himself before grasping the hilt once more and pulling.
The effect was immediate. He was once again thrust into the blackened world, though instead of the calm, endless darkness, now the world shook violently from the amount of reiatsu being forced from his body. Ichigo could actually see the blackness distorting around him from the sheer density of it. It was much like the first time he'd met Zangetsu, and he had to earn the right to wield his blade again.
Ichigo shook his head lightly and cleared his thoughts; this was no time to reminisce. He tried to rein in some of the surging energy, focusing every bit of his meagre reiatsu control for the task but it was no use.
Even as the teen tried to reach out and pull some of the energy back into the confines of his soul, it wouldn't slow. The reiatsu just continued to storm around him. The seconds ticked by, turning slowly to minutes, sweat poured from his brow and his face almost hurt from how tightly it was scrunched from concentration, but no matter how hard he tried nothing was changing.
'Dammit! Why won't this stop?!' He screamed internally, frustration and panic starting to rise within.
He wasn't sure if releasing such a level or reiatsu constantly was bad for him, but at the same time, it wasn't really his concern. No, he was more wary of the small distortions in the air around him which had been steadily growing as his dense reiatsu further burned the atmosphere. Now he was no expert on the subject, but he knew enough to say that if this continued, then a rip could potentially form in whatever dimension he was currently in, or worse, there could be permanent damage.
'Alright calm down, getting pissed off isn't going to solve anything,' he reasoned with himself, taking in a soothing breath as he sat cross-legged on the 'floor,' whatever this floor was.
'Okay, the first step in solving a problem is admitting you have one, and I can say with utmost certainty that I have no clue what's going on. I can't go to the Soul Society for help since they still think I'm powerless, and I can't be bothered to deal with the headache that'll come from blowing that secret right now.
I could go to Takamagahara, but I'd just damage that beautiful world in my current state. And not to mention, Amaterasu probably thinks I'm dead right now, so even if I survive this, she'll probably kill me just for making her worry so much. A mother's love can be a dangerous thing after all,' he couldn't help but shudder at the thought.
He could maybe go to Geta Boshi's place, but that might put the humans in danger. The underground training room could hold in a massive amount of reiatsu, but the teen just didn't think it would work for him, and he definitely wasn't going to leave it to chance. He sighed out again in frustration, dragging a hand through his long and very dirty hair. The past couple weeks of constant fighting had left him in quite the messy state; a shower would certainly be necessary when he finally got back.
A couple more moments passed in silent contemplation, just mindlessly playing with a few strands of his hair, the world continuing to destabilize around him. He may not have appeared so on the outside, but inwardly he was still panicking. He just had no clue who to go to for help right now, and then it hit him.
He hadn't expected to visit him again so soon of course, but of all the places he could think of going, this one seemed like the best choice. He didn't doubt the Zanpakutō's knowledge for a second, Ichigo was certain that he would be able to help. Thankfully, the teen had been granted access to his world once before and as such would be able to enter it again with his newfound ability to manipulate the Schatten Bereich, one of the more useful abilities he had gotten from his Quincy powers if he was honest.
The old man had told him that most Quincy were unable to manipulate it as he could, and he should feel proud as it is far superior to the Shinigami's Senkaimon and the Hollow's Garganta. As long as he had been somewhere once, he could go there again; the only limitation would be whether or not there was a shadow in the nearby vicinity that he could emerge from.
Shifting into a kneeling position, Ichigo nearly flattened his left hand and placed it just above his foot, and with the other, he formed an unstable golden Cero. Since this world was so dark, normally shadows would be impossible, but through the light of the Cero on his tanned foot... "Ah hah!" he exclaimed proudly, grasping the small shadow which had just formed in his hand and pulling upwards, it was time to see if Tōshirō's Zanpakutō liked surprises.
"I understand your impatience, but this is not something that you can rush Tōshirō," the large dragon rumbled out, swirling endlessly around his wielder.
The tenth division Captain nodded solemnly, shifting his gaze to the snow covering his feet, a downcast look in his eyes at the words of his Zanpakutō.
He had always been alone; the other kids avoided him for reasons they couldn't quite explain. It was always the same reasons they would spout, 'you give off a weird feeling' or 'we get the chills when you're around,' which would always lead to 'you're creepy, go away.'
The only two people who treated him differently were Momo and his Obaa-san. He and Hinamori weren't always together, so she never felt any adverse effects from his presence, but his Obaa-san who took him in as a lost soul and cared for him wasn't so lucky. He had been hurting her for years due to his overflowing reiatsu, and he wasn't even aware of it.
He found out soon after that it was because he was born with no Zanpakutō. He was a cursed existence, destined to have his Saketsu and Hakusui destroyed due to the danger he posed to others.
But just when everything seemed it's bleakest, Hyōrinmaru came to him one night in his dreams, and he saved him.
The gratitude that Tōshirō felt for Hyōrinmaru was endless, and the Dragon of ice was the reason he trained as hard as he did, so he could fully wield his powers instead of the partial state he currently wielded them in. Most people assumed that his Bankai was just an extension of his Shikai, that it allowed him to summon and control more ice, but that wasn't true, he just couldn't handle Hyōrinmaru's true Bankai and thus his current, pseudo-Bankai was created.
He wanted to repay Hyōrinmaru for saving him all those years ago by finally wielding his true power, but his body was not mature enough yet to handle it, it was as the Dragon said, it was not something they could rush.
So instead he trained himself hellishly. If he could speed up his development even a little bit, then the pain of it all would be worth it. Yes, that had been the sole reason he trained, until a hot-headed young man had burst into their lives at least.
Tōshirō huffed out some laughter at the thought, 'young man huh..?' For all of Ichigo Kurosaki's maturity and power, even Tōshirō, the youngest Captain in all of Soul Society's history had him beat by a hundred years at least.
When you took a moment to reflect on everything that had happened in those near five months since he first burst into the Seireitei, you couldn't help but feel speechless. All of the trouble they'd dealt with while in the middle of a war with Aizen, and through it all Ichigo had been right there at the centre of it, fighting with them.
And then he sacrificed it all, his powers, a part of his soul, all to save them from an enemy they let deceive them for years. And then, to add salt to the wound, Tōshirō couldn't even thank him. He was rendered unconscious after the final clash and brought home, followed by an order that no one was allowed to contact him until he died and naturally came back to them.
"And now he's missing,' the Captain breathed out mirthlessly. Glancing up, Tōshirō was curious to see an almost troubled look in his Zanpakutō's eyes, but before he could question it, he was given instructions.
"You must leave, for now." He said simply, his wielders form already starting to melt away as he ejected him from his world. Due to his unique existence, he and the other artificial Zanpakutō were given permission to speak a little of their origins, and where their true forms lay in the Royal Realm to their wielders, so he knew Tōshirō wouldn't object, he would just seek answers later if they could be given.
Mere seconds after he felt Tōshirō's presence completely fade, an immense reiatsu filled the air of his snowy world. It was a sight Hyōrinmaru had never seen, the seemingly endless blizzard that always spun in his world had come to a complete standstill, frozen in time with the supernatural pressure that weighed down on everything.
He watched patiently as a black shadow rose from the spot his wielder had just stood, ready and willing to strike down the intruder in his soul, though when the newcomer's appearance was made clear he lowered his guard again, simple curiosity taking over.
"I hadn't expected to see you again so soon, Ichigo Kurosaki..."
~ Schatten Bereich
Upon stepping into the shadow realm, the teen couldn't help but scoff at the scenery. All he'd done was exchange one world of endless black for another. Ossan's knowledge of the technique didn't really tell him much about the shadows themselves, just that you were too keep walking until you reached your destination, something you would 'know' when you came upon it. It would open up automatically for you, utilizing the nearest shadow to your desired location.
It was essentially the Garganta but not as accurate. And even better was that in the shadow realm there was no reishi path you could fall off, that alone automatically made it his favourite method of dimensional travel.
After a couple more minutes of silent travel, the teen felt a very sharp drop in temperature signalling that he'd had reached his destination. When the shadow opened, and he was stood once again in the frozen oasis, he couldn't help but feel relief at the lack of a raging blizzard battering his form. Although Hyōrinmaru had done well to shield him the first time he hadn't negated it completely. And that wasn't to say that the storm had vanished now, no the teen could see it swirling wildly around them in the distance. It was just that the violent reiatsu overflowing from his body was forcefully keeping it at bay.
"I hadn't expected to see you again so soon, Ichigo Kurosaki..." a deep voice called out, pulling the teen from his thoughts.
Said teen cracked a smirk at the Dragon's words, "yeah well... I ran into a bit of a complication," he admitted sourly, meeting Hyōrinmaru's curious gaze head-on.
The spirits large icy head tipped forwards in understanding, "yes, I see you have been rejected by that monster, and now your reiatsu runs rampant."
"Wait, you know why I'm like this?!" Ichigo asked with wide eyes. He'd hoped that Hyōrinmaru would be able to help, but he didn't allow that hope to grow too strong for fear of disappointment, but now...
"Of course. Your current state is the same as all of our wielders who are born without Zanpakutō before we bond with them." The Dragon paused shortly when Ichigo's eyes widened briefly, a sadness filling them at his words. As someone who lost their Zanpakutō, a part of their soul, he could somewhat understand what it would feel like for Tōshirō who was born without that part of his soul.
But that curse which brought many of souls great despair was also a blessing for those who could move past it. Shigekuni Yamamoto, the possessor of Ryūjin Jakka, and the strongest Shinigami born in the last thousand years was a perfect example of this. Though Hyōrinmaru being as old as he was, knew that a thousand years was a vast underestimation. He could quite honestly be the most powerful pure Shinigami ever born, only exceeded by Ichibē Hyōsube due to his unique abilities.
Shiden was the Zanpakutō of one of the original members of the Gotei 13 when they were simply known as 'Divisions.' Its power so fearsome that it could dwarf most of the current Captains with ease. Nejibana and Mirokumaru as well were remarkable blades with limitless potential; though unfortunately, both of their wielders met tragic ends before that potential could be realized. Tōshirō was well on his way to becoming one of the strongest Captains even despite his age. Once he is able to release Hyōrinmaru's true Bankai only the elder four would be able to top him, and that gap may not even last long once he is as able to master it.
Tsuchinamazu was a... unique case in that it wasted its own potential by choosing weak hosts, though Hyōrinmaru deemed that it was due to the spirits laziness. The weaker its master was, the less it would have to do while still being able to see the world and not just being cooped up in the Zanpakutō shrine.
The Dragon of ice didn't quite understand the mentality but to each their own.
"And you came here in hopes of solving your current issue, is that correct?" Hyōrinmaru continued, pulling himself from his thoughts. The teen simply nodded.
"When describing the workings of a soul, all one needs to remember is that it is a never ending cycle of absorption and expulsion. When in combat your rate of expulsion increases and thus the rate of absorption increases in response. The opposite is true when it comes to reiatsu suppression, as your rate of expulsion decreases the rate of absorption decreases to match it.
As you saw when Kisuke Urahara fought Sōsuke Aizen, when one's ability to expel reiatsu is completely sealed off pressure will build until your soul can no longer handle it and you will be incinerated by your own power from within.
It is for this reason that even those with masterful reiatsu control never completely seal off their soul even when trying to hide their presence, instead using the ever-present reiatsu in the atmosphere to cover them like a blanket and hide the minuscule amounts of reiatsu that they cannot safely suppress." The Dragon paused its sudden lecture to catch a breath, though seeing that Ichigo was eagerly following along he didn't wait too long before continuing.
"A Shinigami's main form of combat is with their Zanpakutō, it is also their Zanpakutō that is used to channel the vast majority of their power. What I will now tell to you is the method the Shin'ō Academy uses to teach aspiring Shinigami the Zanpakutō's function within a soul. Imagine that your soul is a dam, with the water inside representing your reiryoku. Now, imagine that one of your dam's walls has a flood gate on it, this gate will represent your Zanpakutō.
When the gate is closed your Zanpakutō is in its sealed state; when you release Shikai your gate partially opens; and when you release Bankai your gate fully opens. Now tell me, what would happen should someone lose that gate altogether?"
He didn't even need to answer, he understood what Hyōrinmaru was getting at. It was a little off topic, and probably not appropriate given the situation, but Ichigo would admit that the Zanpakutō spirit was an excellent teacher.
He sighed out heavily, falling ungracefully onto a small rock behind him, further resting his elbows on his knees so that his head could sit in his hands. 'What a pain...'
A few moments passed in contemplative silence. Ichigo was too focused on the subject at hand for much else, thankfully the Dragon seemed to be in no rush to kick him out which gave him more time to mull over what he already knew but didn't want to admit. "So, unless I get a new Zanpakutō to plug the dam so to speak Ill be stuck in a permanent Bankai like state and pose danger to those I want to protect just by being near them?" He affirmed, again he was just drawing out the inevitable.
Hyōrinmaru knew this of course, though he couldn't blame the child. The evil that called out to him was not like much other. "Indeed, you have two options left before you, and it is a decision you cannot dwell on forever."
"I know..." he sighed out again. Either he tried to bond with her again, or he would just have his power sealed once more and be forced to return to his powerless life in the human world. He really didn't want the latter, not after everything he'd been through, not after his final meeting with Zangetsu and the promise he'd made to them.
'What happened to my resolve?!' He couldn't help but shout in his soul. 'What happened to looking forward?! To moving forward and never stopping?! If I pull back, I'll age! If I hesitate, I'll die, I know this! I know this but...'
'...but she's terrifying.' Letting his head fall into his hands the teen rubbed his temples. He had felt it in her presence, he could feel it in her touch, her breath on his skin... After another moment had passed a smirk spread across his lips, a far cry from the emotions that had just filled him. He could help but let out a small chuckle at the memory that filled him.
'What are you afraid of?!'
'So chad got hurt! So Inoue got hurt! So what?!'
'Is that what you are?! A coward?! A quitter?!'
'Are you afraid of defeat?! Is the inability to protect your friends that terrifying to you?! Or... is it that Hollow inside you?!'
'If you're so afraid to lose, then get stronger. If you want to protect those you love, then do what you have to do to protect them. If the Hollow inside is so terrible... then get strong enough to crush it.'
'Even if no one in the world believes in you, stick out your chest and scream in defiance!'
'The Ichigo I know is that kind of man!'
"Che, worlds apart and that midget still knows how to kick my ass into gear," he mused in a whisper, standing from his seated position.
"Thanks for your help, Hyōrinmaru," he said, directing a glance toward the Dragon.
Hyōrinmaru merely nodded his head at the words, watching silently as the shadow once more consumed the teen's form. The hesitancy and despair that had filled his eyes had been replaced by a confident determination, the Dragon knew everything would work out.
~ Unknown Location
He didn't actually know where Ikomikidomoe would be, but he could feel her, and so he let the shadows guide him. When the shadows had receded once more, and the new world was made clear to his eyes, he couldn't help but hold his breath in wonder. It was an incredible sight he would admit, no small amount of awe entering his golden-brown eyes at the scenery.
He was stood in a field of lush, green grass, the leaves softly swaying in the cool breeze that brushed his skin. A lake of the purest water he'd ever seen was set into the earth, and all around him, large trees stood proudly. The horizon was dominated by large, snow-capped mountains whose magnificence was clear to see even from such a distance.
It was evening time in this strange land he now found himself in; the sun had long since set. Now the only source of light around him came from the moon which hung ominously overhead. Sat at the edge of the grass line before the lake was the very woman he'd come here to see, with her arms wrapped around her legs and her knees against her chest she looked quite vulnerable at that moment, though he knew not to doubt the woman.
"Ikomikidomoe..?" He called out, his voice a little less confident then he'd hoped. The woman in question remained where she was, not even twitching at his arrival.
He hesitated slightly before making his next move, 'should I call out to her again? I don't know ifapproaching her would be the best option but...' With a bit of a shaky first step he closed their distance slightly, now only stood a couple feet back to her left allowing him a better look at her face.
She looked emotionless gazing out over the water, though Ichigo had to wonder what she could actually see with those bands going over her eyes. 'Although she could be using her spiritual senses...' The teen shook his head, that wasn't important right now. Glancing back toward the woman he was about to call out to her again when his patience was rewarded.
"Ikomikidomoe hm? Yes, I suppose that is my name now, though I haven't heard it called since I was sealed." Her words were bitter even as her face remained impassive.
While he wasn't sure how their second meeting would go, he certainly didn't think it would be so awkward and depressing. "What was your name?"
"I do not remember," she said honestly, a touch of sadness underlying her tone, "no, perhaps it's correct to say that my name no longer exists."
Ichigo's brow lifted curiously at her words, "what do you mean?"
"Amaterasu's Monk, the one who calls thy real name, his power isn't just name bestowal; he can take them away too, that is how I was defeated. My name was removed, stricken from history along with my power. I was first given the name Asauchi, and while locked in a state between life and death they threw my body into the fire and forged me into the blade you saw in the Royal Realm, I was given the final name of Ikomikidomoe." She paused, huffing out a bit of mirthless laughter before speaking again.
"Be honoured that you were given such an elaborate name. Until the one who comes along and tames you; remain here until the end of time... Those were the last words he spoke to me before I was shut in that shrine and sealed away."
Ichigo couldn't help but clench his fists tightly, teeth locking together in frustration. Despite what he may have thought of the woman, despite the anger he still felt for the crude dream she showed him just to draw him near, he couldn't help but pity her existence so far... no, he doubted that she wanted pity.
"I'm sorry..." he said simply.
For the first time since his arrival, the woman craned her head to look at him, a bemused smirk tugging at her lips. "How curious, apologizing when you've done nothing wrong."
Ichigo couldn't really explain it either; he just felt like it was something that needed to be said. "Is this your inner world then?" He asked, once more looking out over the horizon.
"Yes, though it has been quite some time since I've seen it. I wanted nothing to do with the Shinigami or my new existence, so I abandoned it long ago, choosing instead to live in darkness. Your appearance caused me to return here subconsciously," she huffed again, "so troublesome you are."
Ichigo once again couldn't really say anything; instead, he just scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner.
"I do wonder how you were able to reach this place; you've never been here so such a thing shouldn't be possible, even with those shadows of yours."
"I don't know either," he admitted. "I just sort of felt you and let the shadows guide me."
She smirked again, "I told you didn't I? We resonated."
He couldn't refute it.
Standing up from her seated position on the grass the woman turned to look at him. "So, why did you come here? And significantly more powerful none the less, do you wish to fight?"
"No," he immediately replied with a shake of his head but refused to expand further.
A soft hum escaped her throat at his reply, she already knew why he was there, so it didn't matter. Moving to stand before him she was impressed that he didn't immediately back away. "I can see that my aid to Zangetsu was not in vain, eyes that were once filled with uncertainty and fear are now brimming with weight, authority, purpose. You have the gaze of a man now." The teen still said nothing as her hands came up to gently cup his cheeks, he just stared up at where her eyes would be if they were uncovered.
With a few final words, her face slowly descended onto his, "the choice is yours Ichigo, deny me now or be forever bonded to me."
Even as his heart thumped painfully in his chest, he didn't deny her. He just closed his eyes and let her lips connect with his. It wasn't rough or frantic; there was no tongue involved, it was just a simple connection, proof of the choice he'd made.
Opening his eyes after their lips parted he was met with a surprising sight. No longer did two purple sashes cross her cheeks in an x shaped manner covering her eyes, now they were clear to see, and her molten gold, snake-like eyes and slitted pupils bore into him with ravenous hunger.
He had no warning for the black reiatsu that exploded from her form, just a slight shift in the air that told him something was off. Glancing above her, he was reminded of his fight against Kenpachi when the skull like apparition had formed in the excess of his overwhelming reiatsu. Dancing and flickering above Ikomikidomoe was the same black figure that had haunted him the first week in Takamagahara.
Ichigo couldn't help the sense of dread that filled his stomach as the seconds passed, had he really made the right choice? As that thought passed through his mind the woman's smile shifted slightly, something akin to insanity fluttering at the edges.
With a slight stiffness, she pulled him in closer for a hug, her warm breath tickling his ear with every rise and fall of her chest. "Don't be having thoughts like that now my master; it's far too late to turn back now."
A/N:
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Highschool DxD. All content belongs to their respective creators.
So obviously I made some quality of writing improvements, including fleshing out the fight between Ichigo, Zangetsu and the old man, as well as changing the way his powers were sealed, going from the ball of power in the original version to the actual reishi sword from the manga.
I'd like to make a quick note on Ichigo's combined form of Shunpo and Sonído as well. I can't remember if I've personally ever had a negative comment about it, but I have seen it in other stories where readers say it's stupid, that you can't combine the two of them and it's unrealistic, but I say screw that.
I think it's unrealistic to assume that Shunpo, Sonído, Hirenkyaku and Bringer Light all work the same way and that you can't combine them. It's like saying Ichigo can't combine Gran Rey Cero and Getsuga Tenshō because they're two different techniques, but he did, so why can't he combine the movement techniques either?
So anyways, there's my little rant about that.
On the subject of Ichigo's meeting with Ikomikidomoe: Some reviewers commented that there was no way Ichigo would want to partner with her, considering her personality, and there is definitely some basis to that. However, Ichigo knows that if he wants to protect people again, it needs to be done.
It's kind of like his old situation with Zangetsu, and Rukia's quote eluded to it as well. If he's scared of Zangetsu (Ikomikidomoe) then just grow strong enough that he (she) won't be able to control him. Ichigo knows that despite how unhinged Ikomikidomoe seems, despite how twisted her personality may be, as long as his resolve holds strong and he keeps moving forwards there is nothing to fear.
I'd also like to touch quickly upon the kiss. As expected, after the last chapter some reviewers were worried about his potential relationship with her, and just as I told them I'll tell you all now, they aren't going to be screwing like rabbits nor are they going to be kissing, it was a one-time thing to seal the deal, that's it.
A quick note. If any new readers are wondering why the hell some people are talking about Dragon bodies and Ichigo potentially getting one in the review section, don't worry about it. I previously had a question regarding that subject in this chapter when it first came out but I got the answers I needed and so I removed it.
If you have any thoughts on this chapter than feel free to leave a review, I'm always looking to improve my writing and so constructive criticism is always welcome. Or, if you have any specific questions or would just like to chat with me then feel free to send me a message, I always reply when I can.
- Vertius