Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

AN: And next chapter ahoy. We continue to diverge from the original story in here, though I'll admit next chapter is fairly similar to its original counterpart.


Seireitei

Squad 13


"Where have you been Ichigo!" Rukia shouted, when she saw her husband- the two having gotten married some years back -appear in her room.

Ichigo just smiled at her, and moved to sit in a chair by her bed. Rukia looked at the orange-head suspiciously. She was fairly certain she hadn't seen him this happy since their wedding day. Actually, scratch that thought, he hadn't even been this happy then. Probably because of Byakuya glaring at him the whole time, but that was beside the point. Why was the strawberry grinning like a fool?

Even after twenty years, Rukia was still more used to his scowl, and honestly it was freaking her out a bit to see him so...smiley. It just wasn't natural for Ichigo freakin Kurosaki to be grinning like a child. So she snapped her fingers in front of his face, trying to get her husband's attention focused back on her instead of whatever it was he was thinking about.

"Earth to Ichigo," the petite shinigami said irritably, "what the hell is up with you strawberry?"

Ichigo blinked, "What? Did you say something?"

Rukia sighed, and kicked Ichigo's shin. That got him paying attention to her.

"Ow! What was that for?!" he shouted, rubbing the sore limb.

"For ignoring me," the woman replied sweetly, "Now, again, what happened? I haven't seen you in days, and you come back grinning like Ichimaru."

Aha, there was the famous scowl.

"Did I really look like fox-face?"

"Yes."

Ichigo made an exaggerated gagging motion. Rukia chuckled at that, before turning serious violet eyes back on her husband. If he thought that humor would distract her, then he didn't really know her. She wouldn't be distracted quite that easily, thank you very much.

At least the fool seemed to realize that, as Ichigo looked right into her eyes. She wasn't sure what she saw in his amber orbs...happiness was definitely there. Worry too, probably about his father who was currently missing. But mostly happiness, which just seemed odd.

"I met my mother," Ichigo finally said, sounding like he was commenting on the weather.

Rukia felt her jaw drop, "You...wh..."

"I met my mother," the taller shinigami repeated, the stupid grin back on his face.

"Oh my God," Rukia said, about all that her thought process could handle, "I'm so happy for you Ichigo!"

Rukia Kuchiki, perhaps better than anyone else, understood just what those words that her husband had said meant to him. She knew, just how much Ichigo's mother had meant to him. She knew, just how much it had hurt to not have her in his life for so long. It made perfect since that he was grinning like an idiot, however uncharacteristic it may have seemed. After all, he had just gotten back the one thing that he had probably never expected to see again.

Even if he had killed Grand Fisher, his mother's soul would never have remembered him. So for Ichigo to have her back, even if it wasn't the woman who had raised him, it must have meant so much to him. She couldn't help but be happy for him, since even her love was never enough to fill that hole in his soul.

But...she would be lying if she didn't say she was curious too. How had he met his mother?

"How did you meet her though?"

And she asked as much, getting a guilty look to come over Ichigo's face.

"Well, that's a long story," he said, scratching the back of his head in the nervous tic she was familiar with.

"We've got all day strawberry," Rukia replied, trying to lighten the mood that had suddenly turned somber.

Ichigo smiled slightly, "Good point. Well..."

And so, he told her of how he had met Masaki. Of the Hollow that had nearly killed his father and his mother. Of how said Hollow bore the same mask he did, something that Ichigo still didn't understand. Kisuke's theories of this Hollow, the one that had nearly killed his mother via-Hollowfication, to actually be his Hollow...inherited when he was born. Ichigo told Rukia of how his mother was a Quincy, something that had her gaping like a fish.

But, finally and perhaps most importantly for Ichigo, he told her of how his mother loved him. Despite being older than her, and despite the fact that she didn't even really know him. Masaki still loved Ichigo like her future self had. It wasn't exactly the same, but still...he had his mother back.

At the end of it all, Rukia was still happy for Ichigo. But...she felt like she had more questions than answers. The fact that his mother was a Quincy and his father a Shinigami certainly explained his abnormal reiatsu, even before she had given him any. But...what the hell did having three different things in his soul do to it? Quincy, Hollow, and Shinigami, all in one person...how did that even work? Did he have Quincy abilities like Uryu?

And his Hollow...

"Ichigo, what about your Hollow?" Rukia asked, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach.

"What about it? I haven't had any issues since we got back," Ichigo replied, a confused tone to his voice.

"But isn't that odd? You've told me you can't reach Zangetsu..."

Ichigo blinked, and cursed, "You're right."

"Of course I am," his wife replied, "but that's not all I'm worried about. None of the Vizard inherited their Hollows...yours is nothing like theirs is it?"

"Shinji did say it was different..." Ichigo mused, "I didn't think about it at the time though. Kinda busy y'know."

"Well then, maybe we should go see the Vizard again? Bring Urahara along to see if we can figure things out."

Ichigo frowned at that. He knew that Rukia was just worried for him, but he hadn't had any real issues with his Hollow. Not for a long time anyway. So the 8th Seat didn't see much real reason to go to the Vizard. But, if Rukia wanted him to he would...she generally had a good idea on when he needed to do something after all.

"I guess we can go," he finally said, "I can introduce you to my Mom while we're there."

"I would like that," Rukia replied, a smile on her face.

"I'm sure she would too. Mom has been dying to meet you."

Rukia's smile grew at that. Ichigo couldn't help but smile right back. After all, regardless of the true reason they were heading back to the World of the Living, the two most important women in his life would be meeting each other now. And that alone was enough to make him smile.


Deep inside Ichigo's soul, another discussion was taking place. One with, perhaps, even more importance than any other. For, even as sunlight shone down on the sideways city, it was not a cheery place to be. Hidden from sight, inside one of the buildings where Ichigo could not reach, stood the two facets of his power. Old man Zangetsu was looking up through the window at the cheerful sunlight, while the unnamed Hollow stood to his side, sneering at the zanpakutō spirit.

The two had been hidden from Ichigo's sight for so long now, and for a very good reason. A reason that had left Zangetsu with still-healing cuts on his body, while his Hollow counterpart bore the only sword in the Inner World.

"You can't keep me from him forever old man," the Hollow sneered.

"Of this, I am very well aware," Zangetsu replied, running a hand over one his wounds, "Nor should I even do so any longer. Ichigo is a full shinigami, and happy to be one. I cannot, and will not, take away his happiness."

The Hollow snorted, "Che, about time you acknowledge that you bastard. He never wanted anything but to be a shinigami."

Zangetsu sighed, and his normally stoic face gained a small frown, "I am aware. I had thought he would be happier, without his abilities. Safe, and away from the dangers of being a shinigami."

"Then you never really understood the King. What you're suggesting, Old Man, is something that would kill him better than I ever could. 'Sides, unless you wanted him eaten by a Hollow, he would have needed some power."

"And I would have happily provided that power, but only enough to keep him alive."

The Hollow snorted again, and turned around. He walked up to the window, black-on-yellow eyes looking out at the sun. The eyes faded slightly, a blue tone taking the place of the yellow, as he turned back to Zangetsu. The Hollow's influence waned, and the true possessor of that body shone through, if only temporarily.

"You see," the Hollow said, his voice still layered even as it lost its insane tone, "That's where you and I differ old man. Regardless of what our personal feelings are, I would never hold Ichigo back. Giving him just enough power to scrape by isn't keeping him alive. That's soothing your conscious, while I have to fight against your bonds to pull his ass out of the fire."

As the Hollow said that, Zangetsu sighed and leaned against the window. He made no effort to heal his remaining wounds...blows that he truly deserved. Flashes of Ichigo's many battles rang through his head...from his very earliest days using what he thought was his Shikai. Zangetsu and the Hollow had held no influence on his abilities when he used Rukia's zanpakutō, but after that...Ichigo had no idea how crippled he had been.

The shinigami had no idea that Zangetsu had only helped him once, using his true power to keep his body going during his battle with Kenpachi Zaraki. Otherwise, and even in that battle, it had always been the Hollow who aided him. It had always been the Hollow who had saved his charge, not Zangetsu. Such was the truth, however hard it would be to inform Ichigo of.

Regardless of his personal feelings, as the Hollow had so eloquently put, Zangetsu knew that he could no longer lie to Ichigo. He was proud of the boy...no...the man that his charge had become. No matter how resistant he had been to Ichigo becoming a shinigami, now that he was one...Zangetsu truly realized how much it meant to Ichigo. And, he couldn't take that away from him. Not anymore.

When they reached the Vizard, it would be time to finally let Ichigo know the truth.

"Heh, seems like you finally understand. About damn time."

And as the Hollow faded away after those words, Zangetsu allowed himself a moment of silence. A single tear trailed down his face, holding more emotion than the old man would ever normally show.


Karakura Town

Vizard Warehouse


"I should be curious how you know about this," Kisuke said, as Ichigo and Rukia lead him to the warehouse, "but then again, you are from the future. Any other little tidbits you want me to know?"

"Not really," Ichigo replied, a smirk on his face at the role reversal. Normally it was Kisuke who was the one with secrets. It was amusing as all hell reversing that.

Especially when the man pouted- pouted -because Ichigo wouldn't tell him about his future. Well, he told him about Aizen and such, but not much beyond that. Amusing situation aside though, the man was here for a reason. Kisuke was the one who could most likely figure out what was going on with his powers. Between being unable to contact Zangetsu and his Hollow being an inherited trait...Ichigo was starting to see why Rukia had been worried enough to bring it up.

"Oi, Shinji! Open up!" the orange-haired shinigami hollered, as the orange barrier around the warehouse opened up slightly.

The former Captain of Squad 5, Shinji Hirako, stalked out. His eyes warily went over Rukia and Kisuke, but he smiled slightly at Ichigo. The shinigami had visited a few times when he was able to sneak away from his duties, and the two had struck up an odd friendship. Odd, if only because Shinji trusted very few people these days.

Ichigo was one of those few, due in large part to his kicking the Vizard in the behind and getting them started on trying to improve their abilities further. Something they had slacked on, after they had hit their theoretical limit of three minutes with the masks. Grimmjow proved to be a valuable test dummy in that regard, since his own power level was so high. It also helped that the Espada enjoyed fights as much as Zaraki did.

"Yo Ichigo," Shinji finally said, raising a hand, "what brings ya to our fine home?"

"My Hollow," the orange-head answered simply.

Shinji's eyes narrowed, "Ya don't say. Well, get in here before someone notices that we have guests."

Ichigo nodded, and waved Kisuke and Rukia forward. The other two shinigami nodded, and moved under the golden barrier. Once the little group was inside the warehouse, they all breathed a little bit easier. Aizen couldn't observe them in here, so they had nothing to worry about really, as far as the traitor went. Well, aside from something he had created anyway...

"Kurosaki!" Grimmjow's voice carried over the training area.

The blue-haired figure was currently sparring with Kensei, the two having made a habit of testing each other. Kensei because fighting an Espada kept his skills sharp, and allowed him to keep a close eye on Grimmjow. The Espada because he just lived for fighting, and considered fighting Vizards the best of them all. Especially since it meant he could improve against Ichigo.

"No time to fight now!" the shinigami in question called back.

"Pussy!"

"Shut it!"

Electing to ignore the Espada, Ichigo turned back to Shinji and Kisuke.

"Anyway, Shinji, can you explain what your Hollow is like?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow, "Why ya askin?"

"Curious," Ichigo replied dryly.

Shinji barked out a laugh, but nodded nonetheless.

"Well, when I was Hollowfied, it started with Sakanade, my zanpakutō. Y'see, the Hollowfication doesn't just effect us, it also impacts our blades," the Vizard leader explained, "she's still got some problems even now. The Hollow itself was buried years ago...never had any real issues with him."

Ichigo frowned, "...are you sure your zanpakutō was affected?"

Shinji nodded again, "Sakanade won't let me forget, so yeah, I'm pretty damn sure. Why?"

"Zangetsu..." the younger shinigami said slowly, "He and my Hollow are, from both their mouths, 'one and the same'. Hell, the bastard has called himself Zangetsu."

Shinji and Kisuke shared a look at that. Both of them had suspicions that Ichigo's Hollow might not be normal, considering the latter's convincing himself that Ichigo inherited it from Masaki. The way the Vizard gained their Hollows was completely different from either theory on Ichigo's...inheritance or near-Hollowfication in the Shattered Shaft. Ichigo had not even needed the vaccine or Hōgyoku, two things the Vizard had needed to retain their sanity.

In fact, nothing had been done about his Hollow, other than the training he had with the other Vizard. While the training was something every Vizard had to go through to control their Hollow, that should have been only after the vaccine was taken.

Not to mention the fact that Ichigo's Hollow referred to itself as 'Zangetsu' and the fact that both Zangetsu and the Hollow acknowledged being the same being. Something was seriously wrong there, it didn't take a genius to know that much.

"Okay Ichigo, why don't ya take a little nap," Shinji suggested, sending a look at Kisuke.

"Yes, that might be a good idea," the scientist replied, sticking his cane on Ichigo's head before the shinigami could react.


Damn it, I hate when he does that...

Ichigo rubbed his head as he rolled onto his side. Unsurprisingly, he was in his Inner World. Somewhat more surprisingly, he saw Zangetsu and his Hollow...standing calmly next to each other, no sign of a conflict in sight. At least, on first glance anyway. When Ichigo paid closer attention, he noted that Zangetsu bore several barely healed wounds, and his Hollow was the one with his reverse-colored blade.

Not to mention, the bastard shouldn't even have been released in the first place.

"Old Man?" Ichigo asked, turning to his zanpakutō, "where the hell have you been? And why is Whitey over there?"

"Whitey?!" his Hollow fairly bristled at that nickname, but didn't move to grab his blade.

"Calm yourself," Zangetsu said, sending a look at the angry spirit.

The Hollow just sneered and looked away from both his companions. Zangetsu shook his head slightly, and turned to look at his wielder.

"I am sorry I have not been here for you Ichigo," the spirit said, "however, there is something you must know."

"What?" Ichigo asked, tensing slightly as he heard the change in Zangetsu's voice.

The spirit looked at the window below him, an uncharacteristically somber look on his face. When the face came back up, though, it was back to the look Ichigo would have expected to see on it.

"I have lied to you," the old man began, "my name...is not Zangetsu."

Ichigo's whole world, literally, spun at that statement. Buildings cracked, and the crack of thunder joined the noise. A downpour of rain began to drench all the spirits, getting a glare from the Hollow. There was no reaction from Zan...no, from the Old Man. He had finally spoken his darkest secret, and it was up to Ichigo to decide where to proceed from here.

The shinigami was shocked into a stupor, however. His brain had come to a halt, as he felt his power fluctuating wildly. The blade on his back disintegrated...what he believed as the source of his power withdrawing from it. The same was true of the sealed Zangetsu on his body outside, making Rukia run forward to grab onto his body.

"Wha...what are you talking about Old Man?" Ichigo finally got out, "Why would you say that Old Man? We've been fighting together for years...you are Zangetsu!"

The spirit shook his head, a sad smile on it, "I am afraid it is the truth Ichigo. I am not Zangetsu...I believe you have met your mother?"

"Ye...no...you're joking!"

"I am not Ichigo. I see you have realized what I am saying...I am not the source of your shinigami powers," the old man continued, "I am the source of your Quincy powers."

Ichigo stepped back, shaking his head, "But...if you aren't Zangetsu...then..."

"Who is?" the old man, the Quincy, asked, "I am afraid, he is."

As the old man said that, he nodded at the Hollow. The normally crazed spirit was unusually somber, as he looked at Ichigo. His eyes faded to blue again, as the spirit unsheathed the Shikai blade on his back. It had morphed in shape, looking less like a cleaver now, though it retained the changed color scheme. He stabbed the blade into the window, heedless of the cracking glass.

"Yo King," the Hollow said, "I did tell ya I was Zangetsu. You just wouldn't listen...bastard."

Ichigo's mind was quickly being overloaded by contradictory information. Zangetsu wasn't really Zangetsu? He was his Quincy powers, that he had inherited from his Mother? His Hollow, was actually Zangetsu? His shinigami powers? But...then...why had he been trying to take over? And why had Old Man Zangetsu hidden that from him?

Nothing made sense!

"No," Ichigo whispered, before he said louder, "No! Why did you lie to me Zangetsu? And you, why were you trying to kill me?!"

Both spirits shared a look at that, before the Hol...Zangetsu...stepped back, allowing the old man to step forward. Regardless of the revelation, Ichigo still trusted him far more than the albino copy of himself.

"I never wanted you to become a full shinigami," the spirit began, "I did everything in my power to hinder that, even going so far as becoming the main source of your power. It was for that reason, and that reason alone, that I claimed to be Zangetsu."

"Why?!"

"Do I really need to explain Ichigo?" the old man asked rhetorically, "I wanted to keep you out of harms way. Becoming a shinigami would mean you risked your life and limb...exposed yourself to numerous battles. You would experience pain, you would suffer, and you would eventually die. I never wanted you to go through that."

"He cared too much," the Hollow chimed in, "He always did. Odd way of showing it, but there ya go, Kingy."

Ichigo glared at his copy, before turning back to the man he had known as Zangetsu.

"I still don't understand, Zangetsu," the shinigami said, stubbornly sticking to what he knew, "Why would you do that? Are you my friend? Or has everything been a lie?"

"I have never lead you astray Ichigo," the old man answered, "aside from claiming his name. I, however, did not do anything to save you. Every time you nearly fell in battle...it was your Hollow, the true Zangetsu, who saved you. I am ashamed of that, but I would not change what I have done."

Ichigo looked down, feeling the harsh sting of tears in his eyes. The rain picked up even further, making it hard to stay standing on the slick glass of the building. None of that mattered though. Ichigo had just found out everything he knew about his soul was a lie...how was he supposed to feel? His partner, the old man he had thought he could always count on, had been lying to him from the start.

His Hollow...had been the one who truly saved him. Despite all his claims of 'taking over the King's body', it had always been him who saved his life. Not Zangetsu...not the one he had thought he could trust to always have his back. It left a bitter taste in Ichigo's mouth.

"And yet, when you eventually became a shinigami as I had feared...you jumped at the opportunity. You relished the power and abilities it provided you, and trained harder than I would have ever expected you to. You continued to march down a path I thought would be fated to kill you...and continued to persevere, despite everything thrown at you," the old man said, a fond tone to his voice, "Before I knew it, I started to support you, instead of hindering you. I began to enjoy my role as your zanpakutō...as your partner."

Ichigo's eyes went wide, when the old man began to fade away before his eyes, "But now, it is the end of my time. Now, it is time for you to fight at your true potential...with your true Zangetsu. I do not expect you to trust him, not so soon. But know, Ichigo, that Zangetsu will never lead you astray, or try and hurt you. You can trust him as you once trusted me."

"Wait! Old Man!" the shinigami shouted, eyes widening even further as his trusted spirit faded away...and not into the white shihakushō of the Hollow.

The Quincy spirit smiled sadly, "My time is over Ichigo. I relinquish my hold on you...know that you have made me proud. You always have."

Ichigo blinked rapidly, before a hard look took over his face.

"No!" he barked, getting a shocked look from his Hollow and a sad one from the Quincy, "No, I don't care what you did. I don't care who you are. You are Zangetsu, you are my partner! I won't let you go that easily!"

Before anyone could react, Ichigo had flashed forward and grabbed onto the single remaining hand of the Quincy spirit. The contact between the two forced his dematerialization to a halt, as the old man reformed. His eyes bore a rare shocked look, as his mouth frowned slightly. On his stoic face, that spoke of extreme shock. He obviously hadn't expected his wielder to be so determined to hang onto him...even after he revealed his greatest shame.

"I don't care what you say, you aren't leaving," the shinigami continued, "I need you too much Old Man. Who else will keep me from getting myself killed if Rukia isn't around? Him?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Kingy," the Hollow said snidely.

"Ichigo," the Quincy spirit said, his voice soft, "are you certain? Know that your powers will never be the same if you insist on holding onto me. I will not hinder your abilities, but I cannot guarantee they will be the same."

Ichigo snorted, "Like I care. As long as I'm still at full power, and don't kill Hollows, what does it matter?"

The old man smiled slightly, realizing now that he should have expected this.

"Very well, if you will not let me fade away, I shall remain," he said, "my influence will be limited to what may have been your Quincy abilities however...you will gain Blut Vene, an ability that will protect your body from most attacks. I cannot do any more, unless you dedicate time to learning the Quincy arts...and receive or craft a spirit weapon. And even then, I do not know if it would work."

The old man's smile turned somewhat up in amusement, "And I believe you will need a new name for me. If you continue calling me Zangetsu, your true blade will be dulled."

"He speaks the truth," the Hollow confirmed, "unless ya acknowledge me as Zangetsu, your powers won't function properly. Don't worry King, I ain't gonna fight ya anymore."

Ichigo nodded slightly, "Then what should I call you Old Man?"

The spirit looked down slightly, and put some thought into that. It would have to be German, if he was going for a Quincy name. He would not, could not, have Ichigo refer to him as Juhabach, regardless of where he had originated. The shinigami was not ready to know of the Shadow Emperor yet. Perhaps, then, a compromise? As the old man looked at Zangetsu, he came to a decision.

His name would reflect Ichigo's soul, and his abilities. It was the least he could do, to honor the wielder who refused to let him go...despite all he had done to hinder him.

"Halbmond," the old man finally spoke up, "Crescent Moon. A fitting name."

Ichigo nodded, a grin forming on his face. It made sense to continue his theme of the moon.

"Okay then," the Ho...Zangetsu...clapped his hands, "Now that the mushy crap is done, where does that leave us Kingy?"

"Well, to start you can stop calling me that," Ichigo deadpanned, "You aren't trying to pretend to be my Hollow anymore, so why bother?"

"Point," the zanpakutō acknowledged, "okay then, Ichigo, where do we stand?"

The shinigami shrugged, "There isn't anything to say there. You're my zanpakutō, and I'll start treating you like it. It'll take some getting used to though."

Zangetsu grinned, "Oh boy, you don't know the half of it Ichigo. Now that I'm at full power, I don't think we need to worry about anyone weaker than Grimmjow anymore. I'll be able to teach you all sorts of new tricks now!"

"What about my mask?"

"It should last longer now, if that's what you're asking," Zangetsu answered, "Maybe five minutes, and that's low-balling it. You've essentially accepted your Hollow, so you ain't fighting for the right to use the power any more. Probably could use Cero too, if you put your mind to it."

That could be useful, for damn sure. Being able to have better use of his mask, and more powers, could only be a good thing. It would give him a lot more variety in his attacks. It would take some getting used to having his Hollow as his zanpakutō, but Ichigo was nothing if not adaptable. So that shouldn't be an issue, other than the occasional slip up. He did wonder what it meant for his blades though. That could wait though...for now, he needed to get back to the outside, and make sure the Vizard hadn't buried him in kidō or something.

"Well, I should probably get back out there. Before I go, Zan...Halbmond, where would I get a spirit weapon?" Ichigo asked his older spirit.

"I do not know," the old man answered honestly, "you would do well to ask your mother that question. I can help you train and form your weapon, if that is possible, but I cannot make one."

Ichigo nodded, "Okay, good to know. See you two later!"

And with that, Ichigo shut his eyes and willed himself to leave his Inner World behind...the sun returning as it was truly balanced for the first time.


"...why did you do that Urahara?!"

"Now now, Miss Kuchiki, I had to do that."

"It's Kurosaki to you, you perverted old man! And why did you have to knock Ichigo out?!"

"It was necessary if he was going to talk with his zanpakutō and Hollow."

Ichigo blinked his eyes open at that, and held a hand over his face to block the light from his eyes, "Will you two please cut out with the yelling?"

The next thing he knew, his head was hitting the ground, as Rukia latched onto his chest. For a midget, her arms were surprisingly strong, as she hugged the life out of him. Prying her off of his chest, the shinigami saw his wife's eyes were somewhat red. Ichigo's eyebrow went up at that, getting him a smack in the chest. Rolling with the blow, the shinigami let a small smile cross his face. Rukia smiled back, before letting go of him so that Ichigo could get to his feet.

When he did so, the young man saw everyone giving him curious looks. Hell, even Grimmjow was giving him an odd look.

"What happened?" he asked.

"This fool," Rukia replied, kicking Kisuke, "knocked you out. Your reiatsu started shooting all over the place and Zangetsu vanished!"

"I am curious, Kurosaki-san," the scientist asked, "where is your zanpakutō?"

Ichigo blinked, and looked around his feet. Zangetsu was, in fact, nowhere in sight. He reached over his shoulder, and found nothing but empty air. That confused him at first...before he realized something. Something simple really...he had never released, or even used, the true Zangetsu. He had only ever held the blade once, the one time he had fought his blade. And that time, he had disintegrated the blade.

So, he would have to fix that, now wouldn't he?

"Zangetsu," the shinigami said, blinking as his sealed blade appeared in his hands.

It was...different. While the shape remained the same, the tassels were no longer blue. They were every bit as red as the hilt used to be...because now the hilt was a crisscrossing pattern of red and blue, likely to represent Zangetsu and Halbmond. It would make sense.

"Huh, that's new," Ichigo commented, before jumping as he saw Kisuke looking at the blade greedily.

"Well, that is interesting," the scientist said, "your zanpakutō has changed. I sense more power, and...is that Hollow reiatsu?"

Ichigo scratched the back of his head, "About that..."

"Just let me out Ichigo," Zangetsu deadpanned, "get it over with already!"

With a sigh, Ichigo did exactly that. He held his sealed blade in front of him, much as he had done with the false-Zangetsu when he first traveled back in time. A flash of white reiatsu with a red rim engulfed the blade, before depositing his albino counterpart.

"Yo," Zangetsu said, waving a hand...before he stopped moving when every blade, even Grimmjow's, in the building was pointed at him, "Geez, harsh much?"

Rukia was the most shocked, "Ichigo, that isn't Zangetsu."

The shinigami in question sighed, "Actually, he is."

"What?!"

"Zangetsu...what I thought was Zangetsu," Ichigo explained, "was my Quincy powers pretending to be my zanpakutō. Hollow-boy over there, is the real Zangetsu. That's why Shinji saying Sakande being Hollowfied confused me."

Shinji nodded, "Because your 'zanpakutō' was never Hollowfied. Neat trick."

"Yes, it was. Now would you all please...GET YOUR SWORDS OFF ME?!"

While none of the Vizard looked particularly happy about removing their blades from what, for all intents and purposes, was an Inner Hollow let loose, they did so. Zangetsu sighed, and vanished in a puff of smoke. Evidently they had bugged him too much.

"You have a lot of explaining to do Ichigo," Rukia said, her voice dryer than the ground at their feet.

"This I know midget," the shinigami replied, sitting down with his new blade to explain what had happened to him.


AN: I'll just say now...while I do like the whole 'Shiro is Zangetsu' thing, I'm not a fan of Shikai Mk.3. Dual blades are nice and all, but the look just doesn't do much for me. That and anyone who remembers this story, and/or suffers through reading the original, will know we already have a major character with a dual shikai anyway.

So, his 'true' zanpakutō is Shikai Mk.2 and Tensa Zangetsu Mk.3. With my own custom modifications for this story of course.

Q-Zangetsu, or Halbmond according to Bing translate, isn't getting a blade of his own. There will be noticeable Quincy abilities though...Ichigo won't use them, unless he loses his blade. I'm trying to avoid making him OP here, but at the same time, develop his abilities along a somewhat realistic track. It's a tightrope I do admit.