Chapter 7: You Are Not Alone
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Three days later, Vaizard Hideout
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Ichigo was restless. Even after training on that stupid device the Vaizard's had provided him with they still refused to let him encounter his inner Hollow. And the voice of his inner demon was getting louder and louder with each passing day, hampering his progress. And Ichigo needed to get stronger, especially after he almost lost against one of Aizen's lackeys, Grimmjow. Even while practicing with his sword his mind never left this topic.
'Why? Why won't they let me face my Hollow? I have enough spiritual pressure, and if I don't act soon it will try to force its way out again! And when that happens, I won't be able to protect anyone!'
Unbeknownst to Ichigo, his fellow Vaizards were keeping a close eye on him and his progress. Especially Shinji, the unofficial leader of the group had his thoughts about the young boy.
"Yo, Shinji, how much longer do you plan to drag this out? His Hollow is only getting stronger, we need to act now or he'll lose himself." A man with grey hair, a black muscle shirt and grey pants said.
The expression of the former Shinigami Captain remained impassive. "I know Kensei, but believe me, I have my reasons. As long as he feels guilty about his friend's death his negative emotions will keep strengthening his Hollow. We have to make him come to terms with it first. And to accomplish that, I unfortunately have to rely on Urahara."
The man named Kensei raised an eyebrow. "Urahara? Wherever this guy is involved trouble is ensured. But how could he help Ichigo with this? The last time I checked even Urahara couldn't revive the dead."
A small smirk graced Shinji's face. "Let's just say… If everything goes as planned, Ichigo will have a little déjà-vu… and hopefully this will help him to finally accept that in a war, victims are unavoidable."
A new voice interrupted the little chat between old comrades.
"Of course it's not wrong to try to save as many people as possible. Right, Shinji-san?"
The two Vaizard turned around and saw a man clad in green and a bucket hat with green and white stripes. His wooden geta sandals made a clacking noise when he walked over to them.
"So you're finally back, Urahara… Did everything go as you planned?" Shinji asked the newly arrived ex-captain.
The shopkeeper nodded, a sly grin appearing on his face. "Indeed Shinji-san, it couldn't have gone any better. Please go fetch Hacci, we need him to put up a barrier so Ichigo and his friend won't be interrupted."
While Kensei went to get Hacchi Urahara turned around and looked at another person that had actually entered the room along with him. The person was clad in a blue kimono and had dark hair which was shaped into a bun held together by a piece of white cloth. The face was covered by an almost completely white mask with a curved red line over the lower half. But what would have surprised quite a few people was the sword the newcomer was holding. It was a simple ninjato without any ornaments, a sword meant for battle.
It was Zansetsu.
"You remember what the purpose of this is, right?" Urahara asked.
The blue clad person remained silent and only nodded, showing that Urahara's words had indeed been heard.
"Very well. It looks like Hacchi has prepared everything. Wait here until I give the signal. And always remember: don't overdo it."
The former shinigami captain didn't even wait for another nod but simply used shunpo to confront Ichigo. The mysterious person didn't move and patiently waited for the shopkeeper on initiate the plan.
Urahara carefully approached Ichigo, who was still swinging his sword ferociously, so he wouldn't accidentally get beheaded. When he deemed the situation save enough, he called out to his favorite customer.
"Oi, Kurosaki-san, could you come over here for a minute?"
Ichigo promptly interrupted his sword exercises to see what the former shinigami captain could want from him while hoping it wouldn't use up too much of his training time.
"What is it Urahara-san? I'm busy as you can see…"
"That I know, my dear friend. But we also both know that the progress is lacking a bit, don't we?" With a grin Kisuke noted that Ichigo's grip on his sword had tightened. 'Bingo', he thought.
"Being the amazing shopkeeper I am, I came up with a way for you to overcome your little problem."
"I don't have a problem! Shinji and the others just don't want to let me attempt the last step of the Vaizard training! If I had the chance to fight my inner Hollow I would – " Ichigo's angry exclamations were completely interrupted by Urahara.
" – be totally annihilated. Ichigo, the reason why Shinji won't let you take the last step is because the 'you' at this moment is unable to defeat its inner Hollow."
"The 'me' at this moment?" Ichigo asked in confusion.
"Exactly. Your mind has still not come to terms with the guilt you put on yourself for failing to save Haku. And this guilt feeds the strength of your Hollow, giving him the ability to grow even faster than it would normally do. Add the fact that as long as you are unsure about yourself you can't properly concentrate, and your Hollow gains many advantages. You should remember from your fight with Kenpachi. Yoruichi told me that you were unable to fight him on equal terms until you managed to calm down and fight him alongside your zanpakuto."
Urahara turned around, slowly walking away from a dumbstruck Ichigo. "I've prepared a little device for you. You'll fight against your materialized troubles. Once you've overcome them, you'll be able to move on to the next step."
With a quick flash step the exiled shinigami disappeared. And no one but the mask wearing person had noticed the small wave of Urahara's hand before he did so. Thus Ichigo barely blocked the strike that had aimed for his head. The orange haired shinigami jumped back a bit, his finely honed battle senses moving him into a position where he'd be able to find his opponent. He absentmindedly noticed that Hacchi was putting up a barrier, but before he could give it more thought, the attacker tried to strike him again.
'On my left!' Ichigo thought, swinging his giant butcher knife to meet the blow. Sparks flew when the swords met, and for the first time Ichigo was able to get a look at his attacker. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of his opponent. Dark hair, done to a bun. A white porcelain mask with red markings and a blue battle kimono just like his shinigami robes. It took Ichigo all of his strength to look at the sword in his opponent's hands. He wished he hadn't looked. He knew the sword. He had placed it at Haku's grave himself. There was no mistaking it.
It was indeed Zansetsu, the sword of Haku.
With a final push of their blades the warriors separated. After skidding through the dirt a bit, Ichigo came to a halt. His head was cast downward and his body was shaking. But not with fear. He was shaking with rage.
"Urahara! How dare you to steal a dead man's sword! This sword was Haku's resting place! Have you no respect for the dead?!" The fury radiating from Ichigo was almost tangible.
From outside of the barrier, Urahara was staring at his part time student with an expressionless face, his eyes shadowed by his bucket hat. "If I respect the dead you ask? Of course I do, Kurosaki-kun. But you misunderstand the situation. I didn't violate his rest. This is your friend's way of helping you to get over your sulking."
The shopkeeper went on, even when the Haku look-alike started attacking Ichigo again. "Do you think your pain only concerns yourself? Whenever you suffer your friends suffer too. When you choose not to share your problems with them, they suffer even more. There are things you can't do alone."
When Urahara had finished his little speech, the Haku clone started to pick up the pace of the battle. With a muffled voice the words: "Illuminate the Frozen Sea – Zansetsu!" could be heard. Just like when Haku dad been wielding Zansetsu, the sword transformed into two icy blue chakrams.
The image was almost too much for Ichigo. It looked like it was truly Haku who had returned to life and was trying to beat the dark thoughts out of him. Thus he only barely managed to defend himself from the endless series of blows raining down upon him. And slowly the Haku-clone managed to push him into a corner.
'But I failed him… I couldn't save him from that death trap! How could I forgive myself?'
Ichigo battled with himself while exchanging blows with the Haku clone. The thoughts of guilt were heavy on his soul.
'Have I truly heard my friends with my actions? They always said I could talk with them when I had troubles… Could I have been hurting them when I pushed them away like Urahara said?'
Only barely Ichigo managed to avoid the double uppercut from Zansetsu. The Substitute Shinigami muttered a silent curse. Damn, he needed to focus on the fight, but the thoughts just wouldn't leave his head, just like Urahara had said. Without a resolve to fight back, the clone had no trouble pushing him further and further back.
"Ichigo." The muffled voice of his opponent caught the reaper's attention. Know that he thought about it, besides his shikai release phrase the clone hadn't really said anything, so Ichigo had simply assumed he couldn't say much else.
"Do you remember, Ichigo…? What was the last expression you saw on Haku's face?"
After a moment of confusion Ichigo's brain replied the scene that had forever burned itself in his mind. Arturo Plateado trying to escape through the opening of the subspace. The Captain-Commander raising his sword to send the Arrancar into eternal oblivion. And Haku…
Haku smiling at him with an apologetic look on his face.
"Ichigo. Your friend never blamed you for his death. No, he did everything to ensure your safety by sacrificing his own life to stop the Arrancar from escaping. Without him you wouldn't have left the subspace alive."
Ichigo looked over his shoulder and saw the ghost like form of Zangetsu standing beside him.
"Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked in slight wonder.
The dark haired zanpakuto spirit looked at his master with his normal stoic expression, but Ichigo could feel that Zangetsu was trying to cheer him up.
"Ever since Haku's death it has been raining in your inner world. Do you remember what you promised me? You promised to make the rain stop. Ichigo, it's not Urahara who disturbed the rest of the dead. It was you who wouldn't let Haku's spirit rest in peace!"
"So stop trying to change what you can no longer change, but once again step bravely forward and embrace the future!"
Zangetsu's mighty voice echoed through Ichigo's head. And for the first time since Ichigo had returned from Soul Society, he felt at ease. He opened his eyes with new resolve and smiled at his opponent.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I can fight seriously now."
The Haku-clone only nodded, but for a brief moment it almost looked like he too was happy to see that Ichigo had finally regained his inner fire.
With a battle cry Ichigo charged forwards, resuming the interrupted fight. When Ichigo swung his enormous sword, the wielder of Zansetsu chose to dodge since there was no way to win a battle of strength against the orange haired shinigami with a chakram as weapon. As the fight continued, it became soon pretty obvious that Urahara's little friend was no match for a newly revived Ichigo. Where earlier Ichigo had been pushed around like a ragdoll it was now the ice-user who was in this position.
Their weapons clashed one last time, and with one final push Ichigo managed to disarm his opponent. The Haku lookalike fell to the ground, breathing heavily. Ichigo was only panting slightly heavier than usual, his body already used to the constant fighting. And this made Ichigo wonder. Why would a copy breath hard? There was no need to imitate something like that…
"Finally… That's the Ichigo we all know." The defeated warrior said with the usual muffled voice. Ichigo frowned. Was this another mod-soul? But it almost sounded like it knew him… Ichigo's thoughts were interrupted for the moment when the barrier went down and a broadly smiling Urahara approached the two opponents.
"My my Kurosaki-kun, it looks like you finally found your old drive again. Now you'll be able to master your Hollow for sure! And you," he turned towards the Haku clone. "You too performed extraordinarily today, especially considering you only trained with Zansetsu for three days."
The figure rose from the ground and chuckled slightly. "Well, what can I say, you might be a slave driver, but you're definitely a good teacher, Urahara-sensei."
Noticing the confused look on Ichigo's face, the mask wearing warrior laughed a little. Ichigo was getting the feeling that he knew the voice from somewhere. "You still haven't figured it out? Geez, Ichigo, you sure are slow sometimes."
The person reached up to the bun and untied it, freeing the imprisoned hair. After the mysterious student of Urahara had ruffled said hair a bit it fell in kinda unkempt, wild hairstyle. A hairstyle that looked incredibly familiar to Ichigo. Finally the unknown person reached up to the mask, slowly removing it. And as Urahara's grin grew wider and wider with each passing second, Ichigo's jaw threatened to fall on the floor.
"T-Tatsuki?!"
With a mixture of shock and disbelief the Substitute Shinigami stared at his childhood friend Tatsuki Arisawa, who was sporting a mocking grin.
"Yo, Ichigo, is it really that hard to believe? Tatsuki Arisawa, shinigami in training and ready for action!"
And while in the Human World a new ally appeared, an old one was just about to face his greatest challenge yet…
It was dark. Incredibly dark. It was like he was floating in a black sky, with no beginning and no end.
Haku looked around in confusion. His whole body was still hurting, but his mind was more awake than ever before. Just what was this place? He remembered a voice… It had called out to him. Haku hesitatingly took a step forward and immediately winced as an unimaginable pain flooded his body. The young shinigami only remembered partially what had happened in the battle against Arturo Plateado, but he knew that he should have died by all means, and apparently his body agreed. His blue battle kimono was in shreds, and although the wounds on Haku's body had mostly healed, they would open up again if he strained himself too much.
But this was not the worst for Haku. He could no longer feel Zabuza's presence in his mind, and he had no idea where Zansetsu was.
'I must have lost it in the explosion…' Haku ruefully thought. 'And now I'm all alone in this dark place, without any idea or plan what to do next.'
But Haku was a trained shinobi, and Zabuza had always taught him to remain calm no matter the situation. And so he patiently waited, resting his body for the troubles that would come without a doubt. Haku didn't know how long he waited in this place, but at some point he heard a voice. It was the same voice that had awoken him from his slumber.
"Rise and shine, Haku! It's time for you to claim what is rightfully yours, heho!"
The darkness receded and left a startled Haku in what looked like a large, circular stone cave. In front of the confused soul reaper stood the little snow sprite, clad in his usual blue attire.
"I've waited a long time for you, heho! But now I can finally say: Welcome to Hell, heho!"
Haku incredulously stared at the little sprite. "Hell?"
The little snowman nodded happily, a mischievous glint appearing in its eyes.
"That's right, heho, this is Hell! The place where the souls of the condemned go to, the netherworld, the purgatory! And you, heho, are right in the middle of this!"
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With Ichigo
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Ichigo was still baffled at the sight before his eyes. Tatsuki, one of his oldest and best friends had become a shinigami. Not only that, she was also wielding Zansetsu, the sword of Haku. It was all a little much for the stressed Substitute Shinigami. Thus he did what he always did when he was confronted with a complicated and delicate situation.
He started yelling.
"Tatsuki! Do you have any idea what you got yourself involved in?! This is not a game or a tournament you can participate in! We are preparing for a goddamn war here!"
Tatsuki was surprised about Ichigo's sudden outburst, but since she had known him for years she quickly got over it and got angry as well.
"Who you think you are to tell me what I have to do and what not to?! Do you think I'm stupid? I've noticed you running around with that huge meat cleaver for weeks, and finally it all makes sense to me! And considering that you, Orihime, Chad and even Ishida were all gone at summer break it was easy to guess that they knew about your shinigami status all along!"
She defiantly glared at Ichigo. "I am your friend as well. Why didn't you tell me about this? Rukia was my friend to, even though we weren't close. If it wasn't for Urahara-sensei I'd never had regained my memories."
Ichigo was at a loss of words. He knew that Tatsuki was right, every word of her. Why hadn't he told her? Because he had wanted to protect her, to keep her out of the whole mess. It had been bad enough that his family and friends had gotten involved. Tatsuki had been there for him when he had been depressed about his mother's death. And even though they weren't as close as they used to be, he still considered her as one of his closest friends. Was it so wrong that he had wanted to protect her?
"Tatsuki, look… I know I should have told you, but you gotta understand! Because of me, everyone around me was in danger. My family, Chad, Orihime… If I hadn't been so close to them they would have remained blissfully unaware of this whole mess. I appreciate that they all help me, but in the end they were hurt and suffered because they were my friends. I just wanted to protect you from all this!"
Tatsuki stared at him with slightly widened eyes. A slight smile crossed her face. And then she happily punched Ichigo in his guts, before she followed with a vicious knee to the head. The present Vaizards and Kisuke winced sympathetically. 'Hell has no fury like a woman scorned' indeed. And while Tatsuki was busy beating up Ichigo, she lectured him on top of that.
"Ichigo you dumbass! Do you really think I need protection?! I've been beating you up ever since you were a child! And why would I want protection when all my friends are out there fighting?"
The shinigami in training stopped her Ichigo-trashing and glared at him. She was visibly upset, and as Ichigo slowly raised his badly battered form from the ground, he couldn't help but to feel guilty. He had tried to take the burden of all problems on his own shoulders, ignoring his friends who had only wanted to help him.
'Maybe,' Ichigo thought. 'I should start trusting my friends more.'
"Tatsuki." The orange haired reaper said. He looked at his old friend with a serious expression. "I take it Urahara has told you about the sword you are wielding?"
"… Only a little, I'm afraid. I talked to Zansetsu once, but both he and Urahara refused to tell me the whole story. But I know that normally each shinigami manifests his own Zanpakuto." Tatsuki raised an eyebrow at Ichigo's sudden serious behaviour. The orange haired shinigami continued with the same serious expression on his face.
"This sword… it belonged to a very good friend of mine. His name was Haku. I didn't know him for long, but it was only thanks to him that we managed to free Rukia in Soul Society back then. But shortly afterwards, another battle began. And in the end, Haku sacrificed his own life to save me."
Ichigo could see how Tatsuki gasped a little in surprise. The young martial artist looked at the sword like it had suddenly become a holy artefact.
"I used this sword to mark Haku's grave. It was his pride. Don't waste his legacy. Carry Zanestu with pride and I will accept you as a fellow warrior."
Normally Tatsuki would have laughed at Ichigo for holding such a speech. But the look in his eyes, the seriousness in his words… He meant every word of it. With a confident smile, Tatsuki answered.
"Don't worry Ichigo. I will train as hard as I can and make sure that I become worthy of Haku's sword. I will not disappoint you guys. I will fight for all of you. Orihime, Chad, Ishida, Rukia, you… We are a team now, got it?"
Ichigo nodded, and his ever present scowl faded for a moment. And then a true smile spread across his face.
"Thanks Tatsuki."
Tatsuki smiled in return. "You're welcome."
"Are you two finally finished then?" An angry voice interrupted them. It was Hiyori, Urahara's former lieutenant.
"I've waited long enough for that dumbass to get ready for the next step in training, and I don't want to waste any more time. So get a move on you two, got it?!"
Urahara, who was still standing nearby, sighed heavily. "Now now Hiyori, no need to get so aggressive…" He narrowly dodged a sandal that had been aimed at his head. The girl with the twin pig tails glared at her former captain.
"I don't want to hear anything from you, Baka-hara! Just take your precious student and get out of here, we're no charity, got that?"
"Maa, calm down Hiyori, I'm sure Urahara-san was about to leave anyways. They finished what he had planned after all." Shinji said as he walked over to them. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that Ichigo learns to control that Inner Hollow of his. I think he's motivated enough, he wouldn't want to be left behind by Tatsuki-chan over there after all, right?"
While Ichigo scowled slightly more intense than usual at this, Tatsuki looked at Shinji like she was trying to remember something. And then it hit her like a ton of bricks.
"Ah! You're that pervert who tried to get friendly with Orihime! I've got you now you bastard!"
But luckily for Shinji, Urahara decided that it was time to go. "Well, that's been fun, I'll see you guys soon, keep training Ichigo, don't worry about Tatsuki, I'll train her as good as I can!" Urahara shouted with a single breath while the others could only watch his retreating back, a still cursing Tatsuki firmly clutched under his right arm.
"Well, now that the guests are gone…" Shinji said, an evil smile growing over his face. "How about we finally get started Ichigo?"
And suddenly, Ichigo felt so very alone.
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With Tatsuki
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When Urahara had successfully dragged Tatsuki back to his humble shop, the second strongest girl in Japan was still slightly pissed. Not only that this foulmouthed little runt had insulted her, no, she had also almost missed that the apparent leader of the little gang was none other than the strange boy who had been hitting on Orihime! But alas, by saving her Urahara had probably done her a huge favour. They were all former captains and lieutenants, and this meant they were all somewhere on Urahara's level.
The shorthaired girl shivered slightly as she climbed down the ladder to the underground cavern. She remembered all too clearly just how powerful the normally fun loving man was. But he had kept his promise. She had been doubtful in the beginning when the shopkeeper had approached her with unknown intentions. But he had known things. Things about Ichigo, those strange beasts with holes in their chests, and about Orihime. So she had accepted his offer for training. The Shattered Shaft had been a horrifying experience, but no one could argue about the results. It had only taken her roughly one day since she had gotten help from Zansetsu.
Carefully Tatsuki raised Zansetsu's sealed form above her head and looked at it. It was a simple sword without any fancy decorations. A sword made for a single purpose: to be used in battle. Urahara had said that a Zanpakuto represented its owner's mind and heart. So what did this sword mean? Just who was Haku exactly?
"Would you like me to tell you a little about him?"
Tatsuki was only a little surprised before she looked to her right. Besides her stood the bandage covered form of Zansetsu, his enormous decapitating knife firmly secured on his back.
The Shinigami in training smiled.
"Yes. I'd like that, Zansetsu-san."
Under his bandages, Zabuza smirked. He had to admit, the shopkeeper could keep his promises. To think the bucket head would find a girl with such a determination so quickly… The girl had spunk and the mentality of a fighter. Of course she had not yet seen a real battlefield, but the training with Urahara would probably remedy that.
But for now, he would tell her of his son in all but blood. Zabuza was sure, wherever Haku was now, he'd support his decision. As long as Zabuza could fight, he'd fight to protect the things Haku gave his life for.
And that was a promise of a lifetime.
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In Hell
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How much time had passed? Haku did not know. It was as if his sense of time had been completely crushed in this strange place. But where was this place anyways? Only subconsciously Haku noticed the strange snowman-like being next to him. This was just so much to take in...
A place that reeked of death and despair... That was where Haku was. The spacious cave he was in was bare of any form of life, and yet it was as if thousands of souls were there, trying to flood his mind with their grief, their dread and their hopelessness.
"Why am I here?" The young shinigami wondered, not noticing he was taking aloud.
The little snowman-like creature looked at Haku with its ever-present happy face.
"Why you're here, heho? It should be kinda obvious: you're dead! Or at least, as close to death as one still alive can be, heho."
Haku frowned at that. "What do you mean? Either I'm alive or dead. There is no other fate for a shinigami who died in battle."
The little sprite lazily walked through the cave, waiting a little before it reacted to Haku's question.
"Whether you can continue to live or not... depends on you, my dearest Haku, heho. If you want to return to the world you came from you'll have to venture through the Nine Levels of Hell and negotiate with the King of Hell himself. That is, if you can even make it that far, heho."
Haku pondered the sprite's words. He had the feeling that he was missing something very important. Then it struck him. He had immediately felt familiar around this strange creature. Yet he didn't even know what it exactly was. But he remembered something...
"It was you, right? The voice that spoke to me when I wanted the power to save Ichigo. What are you really? Are you a Hollow?"
It would make sense. He had heard the snow ghost's voice in Arturo's subspace, a place where lower level Hollows were sealed away to be dealt with later. Was it one of these Hollows? But the little white creature just continued to smile, its black eyes shining with amusement and a hint of mischief.
"A Hollow, heho? Little Old Me? Zangetsu asked the same thing, heho, but you can know the truth. No, I'm no Hollow, far from it, heho. But can you even hear it? My true name?"
That line struck like lightning in Haku. Its true name? There was no way...!
"No... Zabuza-san is my Zanpakuto spirit, I even used Bankai once. How could you be the soul of my sword?"
Suddenly the sprite's gaze hardened. It was still smiling, but any form of amusement had vanished from his eyes. "Did you ever wonder just why 'Zabuza' was your sword spirit, heho? Or why you became a Shinigami in the first place? It's rather simple, heho."
With a sudden jump the creature landed on Haku's shoulder, whispering in the former shinobi's ear. "You were never meant to become a Shinigami, heho. All the reiatsu the Soul Reapers detected was Zabuza's which had just entered your body. And you took the parasite and slowly drained his reiatsu, awakening your own shinigami powers - me."
Haku spun around, lashing out at the little snow sprite who dodged the strike gracefully, like a snowflake dancing in the wind.
"You should face the truth, heho. Zabuza was meant to become a Shinigami, not you. But his powers gave birth to me, so I kinda owe him too, wouldn't you agree?"
He tried to ignore the words, he really tried. But they wormed their way inside his head, flashing through his mind. Even in death he was nothing without his master. He had never been a real shinigami. All he had done was living on someone else's strength. But he had to know for sure that the little sprite with the blue cap was speaking the truth.
"What is your name?" Haku's voice was barely a whisper. But the answer couldn't be misunderstood. Chuckling, the snow ghost spoke.
"You knew my name all along, heho. Search your mind, and unleash my true form!"
"Your name... it is..." It was true. He had known it all along. With an almost painful voice Haku shouted the name with all his might.
"Fuyushougun!" ('Jack Frost')
The effect was instantaneous. The already large grin on Fuyushougun's face seemed to widen even more as it dissolved into a black mist that shot towards Haku. When it reached its master, it began to attach itself to his arms, forming two black leather gloves that reached up to Haku's elbow. The gloves were fingerless and wrapped in thick straps of white leather around the black leather. And when Haku was still busy staring at his new weapon, three claws suddenly shot from the space between the four fingers besides his thumb. The claws where shining slightly, even in the little light the cave provided. But the strangest part was that they seemed to consist of ice.
If Haku hadn't been unconscious when Aizen put him under his Zanpakuto's hypnotism he might have recognized his new weapon as the claws he had used to attack his comrades back then.
"So you managed to release me, heho, splendid! You didn't need the release phrase this time, but that will come when you call me next time, heho. You can summon the claws at will and retract them when not needed and I also have some abilities besides that, but we'll get to that later."
Haku's mind was still in disarray, so he only half-heartedly listened to his new Zanpakuto spirit and didn't even notice how the claws vanished into thin air. Even thinking of someone else taking the place his former mentor had held felt wrong for the young soul reaper. But what Fuyushougun had said was true, that Haku knew for certain. And the place where Zabuza had once resided was simply gone from his mind, like it had never existed in the first place.
The brown haired shinigami didn't even know what had happened to Zabuza. He knew that the sword, Zansetsu, had been badly damaged in the battle against Arturo Plateado, but he couldn't remember what had happened after that last attack which had hopefully saved Ichigo's life and killed Arturo.
'I hope everyone is alright. Did Ichigo survive the blast? Did I manage to take Arturo with me? Or is he still alive and plots to attack Soul Society again?'
All these questions made one thing clear for Haku. It didn't matter what had happened to Zabuza at the moment. For now he had to focus on getting out of this place and help his friends. Haku didn't even know how much time had passed since his arrival in Hell.
"Fuyushougun. You said it was up to me whether I can return to life or not. I want to leave this place, so please, show me the way."
The sprite known as Jack Frost materialized in front of Haku and floated in front of the shinobi's face.
"Sure heho, I don't want to stay here longer than necessary. But be warned, heho, to escape the Nine Levels of Hell you must face yourself. Can you truly say you can overcome all your inner demons, heho? That you can stay true to yourself?"
With a determined expression on his face Haku nodded. He had people to return to his comrades, so he would endure the hardships that this trip had in store for him. When Fuyushougun saw the expression of its wielder, the mischievous glint returned to its eyes. The blue hooded sprite floated to the center of the cave and raised its hands. Immediately a large rectangular object shot from the ground. It was roughly 7 feet high and 3 feet wide. The frame was decorated with dark ebony wood and had skull ornaments at the four corners. To Haku's surprise though, he wasn't standing in front of a door, but a mirror instead.
"Come closer Haku, you won't get out of here when you keep standing over there, heho."
Carefully Haku approached the mirror. It was strange though. There was no reflection of Haku to be seen in the mirror. But the closer he got, the sharper got the image of something reflected in the mirror. Haku stopped barely half a foot away from the mirror. And as he stared at the reflection, the reflection stared right back.
It was a boy, probably not older than 10 years. His white hair reached to his shoulders, framing his pale face. On his forehead were two symmetrical red dots. The same red could be found in the dark circles around his green eyes. Green eyes which were full of tainted innocence. But in these eyes was something more, something Haku knew too well. A sense of longing.
"This boy... he has the same eyes I had until I met Zabuza-san..."
Fuyushougun, who was still floating near the mirror only nodded. "That's right, heho. This boy represents the 'you' as it was before you were shaped by your life and experiences."
Haku frowned. "Still, he looks somewhat familiar..."
Fuyushougun simply shrugged with the shoulders. "The mirror reflects your very soul Haku. You might have seen this boy somewhere when you were still alive, heho."
"So what do I have to do?"
The sprite grinned. "Just step through the mirror. We're currently at the Ninth Level of Hell, the so called 'Hall of Origin', heho. It will initiate the process of your revival, but to succeed you must clear all the remaining eight levels. Some of them might test your heart, other's your resolve to fight... It's different from person to person, heho."
"How do you know all this? I mean, you're a part of my soul, you shouldn't know that much more than I do." Haku questioned.
"... I'm not sure myself, heho. But I guess there simply are some things us Zanpakuto spirits know instinctively. After all, we do know about Shikai and Bankai without someone explaining it to us, don't we, heho?"
Accepting this answer for the moment, Haku stepped through the mirror. But he wasn't prepared for what happened next. The moment he had crossed the mirror's glass his body and soul felt like they were ripped apart. Unfortunately, that description was quite true. On the other side of the gateway, Haku collapsed, breathing heavily. Why did he feel so... empty?
"Fuyushougun... What was that?! I feel so weak..."
The sprite appeared at Haku's sight, amusement written all over the face.
"I told you the path would test your heart, heho. The moment you stepped through the 'Mirror of Origin' your heart was tested and separated. Only if you can regain the parts of yourself that made you 'you', you'll be able to leave Hell, heho. There are eight pieces of your heart, and on each of the remaining levels you'll be able to regain one, heho. So hurry up, we have no time to loose, heho!"
Fighting both the urge to groan in pain and to maim his now vanished Zanpakuto spirit Haku got on his feet again. The room he was in now didn't look like a room at all. In fact, it looked like a place Haku had the most painful memories of. There was snow on the hills, and on one hill stood a small and simple cottage. Smoke was coming out of it, and the light of candles shone through the small windows. A lump formed in Haku's throat. He had never expected to see this place again. The place where everything had started.
His home. The place where he had murdered his father.
"Is this... to test my heart?" Haku muttered weakly. He was so absorbed in his memories he almost didn't notice the incoming punch that aimed for his head. His trained shinobi reflexes took control and Haku quickly dodged the attack. But Haku's inner turmoil only grew when he saw the face of the attacker. "Father...?"
But the man in front of him didn't answer. He merely stared at Haku with no emotion in his features and proceeded to attack his son again. Haku's mind had went blank. His trained reflexes took over and evaded the punches, but Haku's mind was in great pain. Even though his father had killed Haku's mother and had also tried to kill him, Haku had always loved his father and had always regretted that he had killed him. Was this what Fuyushougun had meant that the path he had chosen would test his heart's resolve?
'What should I do? Is this a test to see if I can kill my father again? I don't want to hurt him, what happened wasn't his fault!'
Haku swallowed hard and stopped evading the punches his father threw at him. The blows hurt, but Haku didn't even flinch and stepped towards his father. When he stood directly in front of him, he didn't start fighting back. No, Haku simply stood before his deceased father and smiled at him.
"Father... I forgive you. I know that you were afraid of me and mother, but you still loved us. I know what blind fear can do to the heart of men..."
When the last word had left Haku's lips, the form of his father started flickering like it was losing substance. Finally it disappeared, and a ghostly voice could be heard all through the clearing.
"You who have forgiven even the greatest sinner... What do you wish for?"
For a moment Haku didn't know what to answer. What did he wish for? Did his father represent some kind of wish? What did he wish from his father?
"... I wish... I wish to be accepted for who I am."
The ghostly voice resounded once more through the clearing.
"Very well. You who has faced one of his inner demons shall be granted the first part of your heart. Reclaim your first desire, the Wish to be accepted."
A bluish flame appeared in front of Haku and flew straight into his heart, filling Haku with a bit of the strength he had lost when he had first stepped through the mirror. Once Haku had regained his breath, the mirror appeared again. For a short moment the image of Haku's father was reflected. But Haku didn't see the man who had tried to kill him. No, this was the father he had loved. A sad smile graced Haku's face. The wish to be accepted... that was truly all he had ever wanted from his father.
Without any further ado Haku stepped through the mirror again, ready to face the next test.
Just like the first trial the next three tested Haku's resolve to fight to regain the lost parts of his heart. He battled Zabuza in front of the gate of Kirigakure, where the swordsman had first picked him up. After defeating him Haku reclaimed 'The Wish to be Needed', the very reason why he had been so loyal to Zabuza.
The Sixth Level of Hell presented itself as the forest in Wave Country where he had found the sleeping form of Naruto. The boy who had cried for him when had died represented 'The Wish to be Trusted'. Because even when he had served Zabuza, he had only been trusted as a tool, and not as a person. Naruto had been different. He had accepted Haku and shared his dream with him, although he was a complete stranger.
On the fifth level Haku had faced Ichigo in the secret cave they had trained in. To Haku Ichigo was a reminder of 'The Wish to Help'. Haku had never truly realized that he had always given his all to support others, simply because he had the deep-rooted wish to help others in their time of need.
But the tests of Haku's heart changed on Level Four. Up until now he had to fight and subdue his rampant feelings, all of them wishes that connected him to other people. But the next three levels were different. It started with the Fourth Level, a recreation of the river in Mizu no Kuni where he had first discovered his bloodline powers...
Haku wordlessly stared at the constant stream of icy cold water that ran through the small valley where he had lived with his family for the first six years of his life. The place where everything had started. The awakening of his powers, his father's betrayal and ultimately the hunt of the villagers he had barely escaped. Somehow the brown-haired shinobi knew who he'd meet here.
The shinobi looked across the small stream and nodded with sad acceptance. It was a silhouette of his mother. But unlike the other silhouettes, this one did not attack him. It just continued to stare at Haku, not a single word ever leaving its lips.
'I guess this time I have to fight without fighting...'
Slowly Haku started walking towards his mother's ghost, not caring as the icy water started to freeze his feet. The young shinigami took a look at his mother for the first time in many years. It was strange, up until now he had even been unable to remember her face clearly. Had it been his young age back then? Or the trauma the death of his parents had invoked? Haku would never know. But as he looked into the hazel eyes of his mother, he couldn't help but to feel sad. She looked just like him, the same soft features that ever so often had Haku get falsely recognized as a girl. Why? Why did she have to die? A single tear escaped Haku when the few memories of his mother resurfaced. Why did it hurt so much now? Many years had passed since her death, why did it affect him so much? It might be because this test could be forcing Haku to face his feelings in the most brutal manner. But perhaps, this was just how Haku really felt deep down, what he truly desired under all the walls he had built around heart.
With an expression that held so much more grief than a boy at Haku's age should have experienced, the ice-user looked at his mother.
"I guess... I stopped thinking about you. It was so painful in the beginning... Being all alone with no one who cared about me. The memory of you, how you cared for me and loved me with all your heart... I wanted to forget it, so I wouldn't feel the pain any longer."
Haku slowly walked over to his mother until he was only two feet away from her. Then he abruptly fell to his knees, his hands firmly on the ground. He was begging his mother for forgiveness.
"Please, please forgive me mother!" Haku cried, tears now freely falling to the ground beneath him. "I won't push your memory away again, I won't betray your memory again! So please, don't hate me! Please... I, I still need your love. I just... want to be loved for who I am..."
Without Haku noticing it, his mother had approached the crying boy. She went on her knees, and her hand carefully reached out to her son. Haku stiffened visibly when he felt his mother's hand touching his head. But the clam, reassuring sensation when she slowly moved her hand over his head...
It was like Haku was a child again. When he looked up, his tears drying on his cheeks, he saw his mother smiling warmly at him. A strong wind suddenly picked up, and the image of his mother was blown away like she had been nothing but mist. But when Haku saw that a blue flame remained, he knew that he had found what he had been looking for here.
"You who have reclaimed the feelings sealed away by fear shall be granted the fifth piece of your heart, the Wish to be Loved."
Haku stood up again and absently minded put his right hand on his chest, just where his heart was. The trials were reaching parts of him he hadn't thought that they still existed. Zabuza had been a good teacher, at least when it came to teaching the shinobi arts. He had made sure that Haku sealed away his emotions as much as possible, leaving only a small part so that Haku could act like a normal civilian and infiltrate villages if desired.
But when Haku had seen his mother... It had been like all the training had never happened. The young shinigami swiped the tear stains from his face and took a deep breath. These trials were bypassing all his mental barriers, forcing him to confront his true feelings to an extent he hadn't imagined possible. But if that was what he had to do to help his friends... then Haku would endure the Nine Levels over and over again, until he broke free from them.
And Haku's journey continued.
It always took Haku a few seconds to regain his posture after walking through these mirrors. Fortunately none of his trials had tried to exploit this fact until now, and Haku hoped that it would stay this way.
Looking around the brown haired youth realized that he was in a place he had hoped to never see again. It was a few hundred yards away from the Great Naruto Bridge. A wooden cross and Kubikiri Houcho, one of the Seven Swords of the Mist marked the place where the mortal remains of both Zabuza and Haku had been laid to their last rest. And the person that kept staring at Haku from the grave was also well-known to the young shinigami.
After all, he saw this face whenever he looked into a mirror.
With cautious steps Haku approached the silhouette of himself. It was strange how the Haku in front of him looked at him with his emotionless eyes. His face was unmoving, and nothing betrayed even the tiniest amount of any emotion. It looked almost bizarre to Haku, who had gotten used to express his feelings around other people ever since he had joined the Shinigami Academy.
"Hello... me." He carefully began. What should he say?
"I'm not sure what you represent... And it doesn't look like you're gonna help me either. But that look in your eyes... So devoid of all emotions - this is what I would have become, am I right? If I had ever managed to kill my heart completely I would have become the ultimate shinobi, like Zabuza-san had always said. But by forsaking humanity I would have lost so much more. I clung to my humanity, even though I knew that one day I would abandon it for Zabuza-san. I would have done all for him, so that he would accept me, it didn't matter if he would only accept me as a tool, I only wanted to be needed..."
Haku's monologue had no visible effect on his silent mirror image, but he continued nonetheless. Haku felt like he was close to discover just what this silhouette was representing.
"I felt abandoned. I felt unwanted. But if I could get one person to accept me, my life would have a meaning again. That's what I thought back then. If I could be a human worthy of acceptance, I would be more than a lonely child who had been hated for his powers, more than a child that had murdered its own parents.
A sad smile appeared on Haku's lips. His eyes had a faraway look as he understood another aspect of himself.
"Perhaps... that is why I sought for acceptance. So that one day, I would be able to repent for my sins. So that one day, I would be able to love myself again."
When Haku looked up, he saw that a true smile had appeared on the phantom's face. It vanished as all the others before him and left a blue flame behind. The dark, deep voice from before echoed across the field where Haku's grave stood.
"You who have accepted your own darkness shall be granted the sixth piece of your heart, the Wish to Love Yourself."
The blue flame sunk into Haku's chest and filled the brown haired youth with another burst of energy. Now that he had recovered six out of eight 'Wishes', Haku was at 75% of his full spiritual power. Unfortunately, his injuries were still not fully healed, and even though the blue flames had healed him slightly, Haku was far from top condition. Ignoring the still aching wounds, Haku continued his journey and stepped through the next mirror that had appeared only seconds prior. It was time for the penultimate test.
Darkness welcomed Haku when he stepped from the portal. But it wasn't absolute darkness like he had experienced it sometimes. No, this was the darkness of the nighttime, and in the sky above Haku could see the moon and the stars, shining happily from above. The old-style Japanese buildings and the large Kanji for '4' were more than enough hints to tell Haku where he had landed this time. He was in the barracks of the 4th Division back in Seireitei, the stronghold of Soul Society.
Haku frowned slightly. But why was he here? He had been a mere academy student, a talented one maybe, but not a member of the troops yet. And somehow Haku doubted that he had been scouted by the 4th Division, his healing kido had been good, but not outstanding. So why was he here? Looking around, Haku saw the outlines of a person who was sitting on the rooftops and staring the full moon.
Yes, this scene was... familiar. Haku remembered this meeting well. It was the first time he had completely opened up to a person from the afterlife. He had shared his past, his sins, and his dreams with this person. Who would have thought that this one meeting would grant her such a place in Haku's heart?
Carefully, Haku climbed to the roof as well. When he approached the dark-haired lieutenant, he noticed that the silhouette of Momo had the same expression as she had had before their talk. The same lost, lonely expression. Without saying a word, Haku sat down besides her. The silhouette did not acknowledge his presence in any way, but Haku knew by now that he had to expect this from some of his memories.
"You know... I didn't expect to run into you here. I'm surprised a little that the small bond we formed managed to reach that deep into my heart." Haku chuckled a little.
"But now that I think about it... This was the second time where I opened my heart to someone. The only person besides you who knows that much about me is Naruto, the boy I told you about. And while he represented my 'Wish to be trusted, you were different. It is a different trust between us."
Momo just continued to look wordlessly at the moon, but somehow Haku could tell that she was indeed listening.
"These tests... They let me face my inner most desires. But these desires aren't really that different from anyone else's. In fact, I think that everyone shares these desires. To think that it took me so long to figure this out, it's almost funny."
The dark haired ice-user looked at the silent form of the young lieutenant. And for the first time since Haku had started talking, she returned his gaze.
"I think I understand what you represent. We know each other's pain, and even though we've only just met, we wanted to trust each other. We wanted a friend who could understand the pain of being abandoned. And who might know what might happen to our friendship one day...?"
Now it was Haku's turn to look at the stars. They sparkled in a captivating way, and for a short time, he felt like he was really sitting on the 4th Division rooftop together with Momo.
"I know that I don't love you. How could I? We've only just met. But I think... if I ever wanted to find happiness, I might just find it with you."
A sad, yet very sincere smile spread across Haku's face.
"If I ever come back from Hell... I'd like to talk to you again. Okay, Momo-chan?"
The Momo silhouette smiled, and shortly afterwards started to disappear. And like all the times before, a dark blue flame appeared.
"You who have walked the road of loneliness shall be granted the seventh piece of your heart, the Wish to Love."
Warmth filled Haku's chest. He didn't even notice how the mirror appeared besides him. For a few minutes, Haku simply continued to sit on the roof and thought about the girl whose silhouette he had just met. Perhaps... once this was all over, he would meet her again. There was no guarantee they would fall in love for each other, but this Haku wouldn't keep Haku from at least gaining her friendship. After being alone for so long, people learn to cherish the little joys of life.
With a sigh, Haku stood up.
He was almost there. Soon he would be able to leave this place and see his friends again. Haku didn't know how the war against Aizen was going, but he seriously doubted that the traitorous captain would be easy to defeat considering his incredible scheming and combat abilities. With grim determination Haku passed through the last mirror. This one would lead him to Level Nine, and hopefully, the last missing part of his shattered heart.
How little Haku did know. For this would be his toughest test yet.
Finally. The last level of hell. Haku was anxious. After regaining seven of the eight parts that created Haku's heart he was curious just what the last piece was. He had rediscovered just why he had helped his friends, why he had started to form bonds.
To be accepted... to be needed... to be trusted... to help... to be loved... to love oneself... and to love...
His heart craved for these things. These wishes were a crucial part of him, and just like Fuyushougun had explained, these parts made Haku... 'Haku'.
But what would he find here? He didn't know this place... Looking around Haku found himself on a snowy mountain peak. In the distance were other mountains, just like the one he was standing on.
"So you finally reached this place, heho." A now familiar voice stated.
Haku turned around and saw Fuyushougun, who was standing a few feet away from him with his back turned to its master. This confused Haku. Why was the zanpakuto spirit here, since it wasn't just for talking. In his confusion Haku didn't even notice that the gloves of his shikai had vanished the moment he had stepped through the final mirror.
"It's nice to see you've managed to come this far, but I'm afraid this is where your journey comes to an end, Haku."
Haku immediately was put on guard. Something was seriously wrong here. "What are you talking about Fuyushougun? Why would my journey end here?" Haku asked with a hidden edge.
Fuyushougun still didn't turn around.
"You know, among the eight parts your heart was split into, there was one that held a special meaning to me, your Zanpakuto spirit. Because it was this part of your soul that gave birth to me. But this part is also the weakest 'Will' of your soul. A 'Will' you threw away and abandoned without thinking of it..."
Suddenly Fuyushougun's voice grew icy cold.
"I hate that. I was born out of an abandoned part of your heart, and when I grew my place was taken away by that usurper. But now, things are different." As Fuyushougun continued to speak, Haku noticed that the little snow sprite was slowly growing, and the once white skin was rapidly darkening. "Before you are completely resurrected, I'll take control of your spirit body and return to Soul Society myself! It's time you Shinigami learn that without us Zanpakuto you are nothing!"
A wave of energy that almost knocked Haku off his feet suddenly emitted from Fuyushougun. The snow sprite had grown to at least four times its original size and stood now twice as tall as Haku. Its snow white skin had turned pitch black, and when it turned around Haku could see that the coal-like black eyes had turned blood red. This Fuyushougun no longer looked like the sprite Haku had slowly started to accept as his zanpakuto spirit. No, this spirit was something completely different.
A demon.
When Fuyushougun spoke again, its voice was much deeper and rougher. "Things are different now, heho. So please, Haku... Die for me!"
Scorching flames shot from Fuyushougun's palms, reducing the snow of the mountain peak to nothing but steam as they flew towards Haku. The young reaper barely escaped the blast and quickly put some distance between himself and his zanpakuto spririt. In an attempt to fight back, Haku cried out the name of his soul slayer to activate his shikai.
"Fuyushougun!"
But nothing happened. Looking down at his hands Haku realized that he was no longer wearing the gloves he had used to fight before.
'Damn, not only I'm without shikai, the spiritual pressure is nothing like before, and the attacks are even faster than when I use them! But with the increased size I might have the advantage in speed...'
"Looking for someone, heho?" Haku's mind widened when he heard a voice from directly behind him.
'Impossible...!' Only thanks to his trained reflexes Haku was able to dodge the next attack. Unfortunately he hadn't been able to avoid it completely. Haku screamed in pain as his left arm was bathed in the hot flames of Fuyushougun's fire. Quickly the ex-shinobi plunged his burning left arm in the snow that covered the mountain they were fighting on. But he had only time to put out the fire this way, since his zanpakuto spirit didn't stop his attacks in the slightest, slowly pushing Haku to his limits.
'Without a weapon I'm screwed. What should I do?'
"I won't disappear! I won't let my existence end! Your rule ends now Haku, and this time no one will help you, heho!" The black Fuyushougun exclaimed as it continued to assault Haku with a seemingly never ending series of explosions and flames. At one point Haku tried to get closer to his rogue zanpakuto spirit so he would be unable to use his explosions. But Haku hadn't expected to literally freeze when he got closer. The young shinigami stared at his burned left arm in shock as it was slowly getting covered by ice.
'Just what is going on? It's much colder where he is, so how's he producing flames?'
"You're probably wondering how I produce these flames when it's so cold, right heho?" Haku's head snapped up. Was he reading his mind now?
"It's simple, really. Or rather, it's completely inverted. My powers are a perversion of the laws of nature, heho. You know that when something cold touches something warm the warmth slowly spreads between the two object, the energy it conatins spreads. My shikai reverses this effect, heho - I do not drain warmth, I drain the cold that surrounds us! I am no longer Fuyushougun, I am Ja'akufuyu, the Wicked Frost, the Ruler of Burning Cold!"
Haku tried to dodge another blast of searing flames and cried out in pain when they hit his left arm once again. His rogue zanpakuto spirit was constantly targeting his left arm so that the pain would make Haku unable to fight. The smell of burning flesh filled Haku's nostrils, and had he not been used to this through his ninja training he might have vomited at the spot. This didn't mean the urge wasn't there though. A burned human arm was never a pleasant sight, especially when the arm was your own. Haku was by now drained of almost all his energy and fell to his knees, breathing heavily.
"This will be over very shortly, heho... It's a shame, if you hadn't accepted Zansetsu as your zanpakuto, I would never have resorted to this. Oh well, what's done is done."
The Wicked Frost slowly walked towards Haku, and the young shinigami could feel how it got colder and colder the closer the black sprite came. He wanted to torment him; he wanted him to slowly freeze to death.
'What should I do now? Was everything if done for nothing? Just what part of my soul created Fuyushougun...?'
Haku felt how his body went numb, a sensation he at least welcomed for his crippled left arm. Haku's thoughts slowed down, and the ex-shinobi felt himself drift into the realm of unconsciousness.
'Perhaps... this is how it was meant to be...'
The brown haired boy closed his eyes and slowly started to embrace the cold. Everything would end. He didn't have to fight anymore...
"NO!"
Haku's eyes snapped open. Someone had shouted. But who? Everything was dark around Haku, and the shinigami in training realized that he had not yet regained consciousness.
"Don't stop fighting Haku! Why did you suffer through all the trials when you're going to give up so easily?"
What was this voice? Where did it come from?
"You always fought for others Haku. You even gave your life for your master. But giving your life is not always the right thing to do."
"When you keep throwing your life away like that, you won't be able to protect anyone. You have to keep fighting Haku!"
"Who are you?" Haku called out. "And what are you talking about? If my life can save the life of one of my friends I am more than willing to do so!"
"But would that make them happy?" The voice asked. "Your friends are strong Haku, but if you sacrifice your life for them they'll start fighting for the wrong reasons. Vengeance will always create a blade of hatred, and the circle of revenge will never end. You have regained all of your heart's desires but one. You have to find it Haku, or Ja'akufuyu will destroy all you ever fought for."
"My last wish... but what is it? What does Ja'akufuyu stand for?" Haku asked worriedly.
"Ja'akufuyu is but your desire without restraint. You buried this wish when you willingly sacrificed you for Zabuza and Ichigo. This repressed desire is now rampant and is trying to overwhelm you."
Haku reflected on what the mysterious voice had told him. He had put the others before himself, what wish had he suppressed?
"Remember Haku, when you fought Naruto and his friend, what did they do?"
"They continued to fight, although they were completely outmatched... They refused to give up."
Suddenly Haku understood what the voice meant. While Haku had also never given up in battle, he had given up another important thing in exchange for saving Zabuza and Ichigo.
"... I understand now. Thank you for your help... Fuyushougun."
The little sprite appeared before Haku in the form of its normal self, not the corrupted form of Ja'akufuyu. A true smile appeared on the snow spirit's face.
"Thank you Haku, heho. Please don't think ill of me, I just wanted to be a part of you. But now you must go, you must stop my dark side!"
A confident grin spread across Haku's face, a smile that looked remarkably like the smile of a certain blond shinobi and an orange haired shinigami.
"That I will. And that's a promise."
On the last level of Hell, Ja'akufuyu was just about to launch a stream of burning fire at Haku's unconscious form.
"Farewell Haku, I'd say see you in Hell heho, but we're already there!"
But just when Haku's fate was all but sealed, the eyes of the young warrior snapped open and he saved himself with a sideward leap, avoiding the deadly flames. Ja'akufuyu looked amused.
"So you're still trying to fight, heho? That's useless; you should just give up and die, like you always do."
Haku glared harshly at his rampant zanpakuto spirit. It had been a long time since Haku had used this glare. The last time he had looked like this...
... Had been the day of his death, in the battle against Naruto and Sasuke.
"Fuyushougun... No, Ja'akufuyu. In this battle, I've realized something about me. For that I thank you. I'll stop holding back now, such things have no place on the battlefield. If I have to become ruthless for my friends, I'll kill my heart once again and cling to life with all my might so that I may fight yet another day. I will not fall today, evil spirit."
During the whole speech, Ja'akufuyu had been quiet. But now it started trembling. Was it afraid? No... it was holding back its laughter. And that didn't even work, Haku noted, as the black snowman-like creature suddenly started laughing like it had heard the best joke since the world's creation. While it was still laughing like a madman, the red-eyed sword spirit spoke.
"So now you decide to find your fighting spirit, heho? What a joke, you're still nothing without the power of me or Zansetsu, heho! I'll burn you with my hottest flames, and your soul shall be frozen by my coldest ice!"
The right hand of Ja'akufuyu started to burn with searing hot flames while its left hand was encased in freezing winds. At the moment it started to fire its attacks at Haku, the shinigami in training dashed towards his opponent. His right hand snapped forwards and stopped the intermingled force of ice and fire through sheer will power.
"I will..."
Ja'akufuyu felt that something was off, but it couldn't see anything. Why was the attack not moving?
"I will..."
Haku gritted his teeth as he started to push the attack back, his right arm screaming in protest as it slowly sank into the burning cold.
"I will..."
Then suddenly Haku's arm started to cut the energies into two, dividing the beam into its original contents. Ja'akufuyu realized with growing terror that it was losing the battle of strength. Images of his friends, past and present, flashed through Haku's mind. For them, he would survive, for them, he would fight.
"I will not die!"
With an incredible increase in speed Haku completely cut the beam in two and landed behind Ja'akufuyu, who for a moment simply stood there, disbelief etched on its face.
"But... how? You are all alone... You have no one to protect here... Where did this strength come from...?"
Haku was breathing heavily, his reserves finally reaching their limit.
"You're right... In the depths of Hell, there's no one I'm protecting... none except one. This battle... was for myself. To be able to help my friends in the future... this thought gave me the strength to fight, to preserve my own life"
Slowly and very carefully, as if it was afraid of what was expecting it, Ja'akufuyu turned around. Haku stood with his back to him as he took a look at him. The blue battle kimono was torn to shreds, and Haku's left arm hang lifelessly at his side. But the right arm...
In his right hand Haku held a sword. The one-sided blade was three feet long and made of ice-blue metal. The handle was protectively wrapped around its wielder's hand and looked like it consisted of countless snowflakes.
"So this is the strength of your resolve, heho? Impressive... Truly impressive." Ja'akufuyu's words got weaker and weaker as it continued to speak. A huge, red-glowing gash suddenly appeared across its chest, covering all the way from its left shoulder to the right leg. The black snow was falling to the ground, and the wind on the mountain top was blowing it away, making it look like ash.
"To summon the remains of Zansetu to your side in the depths of Hell... Can one bond really be that strong, can it really surpass even Death, heho? Perhaps... I was wrong after all..."
The last remains of Ja'akufuyu were scattered by the wind, leaving Haku all alone on top of the mountain. The light in the shinobi's eyes was already dimming when he took a look at the sword in his right hand. Haku smiled faintly at the sight.
"So you were always at my side after all, weren't you, Zabuza-san? I don't know how this miracle was made possible, but... I'm glad that I could fight with you... once... more..."
With a soft 'thud', Haku landed on the snow that covered the mountain peak. Haku never noticed how Zansetsu slowly faded away or how his body was slowly covered by snow.
And he most certainly didn't notice four unknown persons approaching his unconscious form...
Haku didn't know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes again. It took him a while to realize that he was no longer on the snowy mountain peak where he had fought against Ja'akufuyu, but rather in a large and very comfortable bed. However, the pain that racked through his body when he tried to move was proof enough that it had truly happened. Tiredly the former shinobi stared at his left arm. It was covered in bandages and hurt like hell. To make things worse it looked like Haku was unable to do more than lift his arm. Sure, he could move it (a painful thing at the moment) but he felt no energy in the limb. It was literally dead weight.
A deep melancholic look started to spread over Haku's face. He had survived, he had won, but at what cost? His left arm was useless, and since he was never a power-user he had always relied on both arms for his fighting skills.
'As a ninja I'd be able to perform one-handed seals, but alas, I can no longer use chakra... Am I useless now? No... I'll find a way to fight with one arm if I have to. Never again... I will never again give up that easily.'
Deciding to think about these things later, Haku concentrated on another important matter: his current location. He had no idea where he was, and Fuyushougun - or Ja'akufuyu? Where was the true difference between those two? - had never told him what would happen once Haku had mastered the Ninth Level of Hell. He apparently had passed, why would he be in an unknown place if not?
"Ah, you're awake. How are you feeling boy?"
Haku's body reacted on its own when he detected a male voice very close to him. Unfortunately his body wasn't really able to react as it wanted, causing another wave of pain to flood through the battered ex-shinobi.
The voice chuckled. "Take it easy boy, I mean you no harm." It was a warm and gentle voice. But Haku could also hear a core of steel in it. "You are Haku, right? Don't be alarmed, you're safe now. To be honest, Master and the others were quite surprised to see that someone managed to master the Path of Hell."
For the first time since his awakening Haku got a good look at the unknown man. He was old, really old for the standard in Haku's world. He appeared to be around seventy years old, his grey hair and the age spots on his slightly sagging skin only contributed to that. The hair was spiked backwards and a goatee adorned his face, giving him a grandfatherly appearance. But when Haku looked into the eyes of the old man, he saw more fire and life in them then he had seen in his own for a long time.
"My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen. Come on young Haku, the Master awaits you."
The two of them had left once Haku had managed to stand up and walk, a feat he was only capable of with the help of crutches at the moment. The continued battles had taken their toll on his body, but he should recover soon enough. That was at least what the old man called Sarutobi had said.
It was strange though. The old man was strong, Haku could tell at first sight. It was foolish to underestimate him just because he was old; Captain-Commander Yamamoto was the best proof for that. But who was he, and where were they? The only answer Haku had gotten out of him was that his Master would explain everything.
The duo stopped in front of a very large, deep black gate. At the first lance the gate would appear completely black, but the closer Haku looked, the more details he saw. Countless lines were etched into the pitch-black material, forming complex designs and some intriguing patterns. To Haku, who had been educated in the ninja arts, it almost looked like the symbols used in Fuuin Jutsu...
The sound of the man called Hiruzen clearing his throat snapped Haku out of these thoughts. The ice user got slightly red in embarrassment, much to the old man's amusement.
"Behind this gate," Hiruzen said, "Awaits you none other than my Master, the King of Hell himself. Very few have ever had the privilege to stand before him, and among these few, you are a truly special case Haku. Nonetheless you must remain respectful and humble. Remember, my Master rules Hell, and it is him who keeps all the corrupted souls here at bay. He wouldn't need more than a thought to crush you."
Noticing the slightly panicked look on his young companions face, Hiruzen chuckled once again. The warmth in his voice immediately calmed Haku down a bit.
"Do not worry, the Master might rule Hell, but he is by no means a cruel ruler. But seeing for yourself should be the best, don't you agree?"
Not a second after Sarutobi had finished his sentence, the gates started to open with a deep rumbling sound. Absolute blackness awaited Haku at the other side of the gate, strengthening the ever growing feeling of uneasiness in his stomach.
"Uh, I think I - " Haku began, but he was interrupted when he felt how Sarutobi placed his left hand on Haku's right shoulder.
"Let's go, shall we?"
And with a quick shunpo, Haku was flung into the pitch-black darkness.
At the beginning Haku felt like he was floating. There was a feeling of weightlessness that surrounded him and filled his very being. But this feeling soon vanished and Haku felt how his feet touched solid ground.
"Welcome to my domain, mortal one."
A deep and powerful voice rang through the dark abyss. The voice alone possessed enough power to make Haku pale. This was truly the domain of a god.
"Come to my throne..."
Suddenly a flame popped into existence next to Haku. It was a black flame, and even though its light was as dark as the night, it somehow illuminated the dark abyss.
Another flame appeared on Haku's other side, and soon a whole line of the black flames appeared, forming a path through the darkness.
First Haku could see nothing as he began walking through the darkness, yet the oppressing feeling he had felt since he had entered this place grew with each of his steps. But the closer he came to the end of the path, the more he began to see. Once he had reached the end, Haku found himself in what looked like a throne room. By now Haku had trouble keeping himself under control enough so he didn't start trembling like mad. This sheer spiritual pressure... Compared to this Arturo Plateado was a sad joke, a mere pebble compared to a stone as large as the moon. Swallowing hard, Haku stepped forward. Torches floated through the darkness, shining with their black light. Large stairs rose from the ground, and on top of the stairs the young shinigami could see a throne. And on top of the throne...
Sat a huge figure clad in white robes. The person sitting on the throne was at least twelve feet tall, dwarfing even Kenpachi and Komamura easily. Despite the darkness, Haku could see that the King of Hell had purple skin. His face was the vision of a nightmare. No eyebrows, black eyes and yellow iris, just like a Hollow. Sharp, pointed teeth that looked like he could rip anything apart with them. The long, white and spiky hair couldn't conceal the two large, red horns that sprouted from the head.
The imposing figure of the Master of Hell, combined with his incredible spiritual pressure made Haku quickly realize that he was indeed in the presence of a God.
So close to a deity, Haku couldn't help but wonder - just how powerful had Aizen to be, that he could even begin to attempt to overthrow a God? Was it ignorance? Or did he truly believe his strength was enough to defeat the one being ruling the very heavens? Haku's thoughts were interrupted when once again the mighty voice of the King of Hell resounded through the black abyss.
"I welcome you, mortal one. You have successfully mastered the Nine Levels of Hell and reclaimed your shattered heart. Thus you have proven to be worthy enough to stand before me. But do not be fooled: I won't simply return you to life just for doing that. Tell me, Haku. What do you fight for? What is your greatest wish? Why would you even want to return to life?"
Slowly adjusting himself to the enormous spiritual pressure of the King, Haku started to ponder about the King's question. His reasons? His greatest wish? On the Path of Hell Haku had faced his innermost wishes, but what was the most important one to him?
Was it to be accepted? To be needed? To be trusted? To help? To be loved? To love himself? To love another?
No... while all these wishes were a part of him and were part of his 'reason', his conviction, they were not reason themselves.
"I wish for a world without conflict. A world where everyone can live their lives peacefully. Where no one is judged for what he is. A world where no one has to live in fear. A world of peace."
The King's eyes narrowed as he regarded Haku with a stern gaze. The pressure in the room multiplied in an instant. Haku was no longer able to remain standing, so intense was the pressure. The young shinigami buckled and only managed to remain upright with one knee on the floor to support his weight.
"And to create a peaceful world you'd take up your sword? You'd shed blood and become the judge of this world? Is this hypocrisy really your answer?"
But even though Haku was unable to remain standing, he didn't waver. He answered the King's gaze with all the strength he could muster.
"Yes, I would. Because to understand peace you have to experience war. If you want to judge, you will have to be judged first. And to quench fear, you have to experience it. So if I must stain my hands with blood to bring about a peaceful world I'll gladly make this sacrifice. I am a shinobi, a warrior of the shadows. For the greater good my people have sacrificed hundreds of their lives. For their ideals, they have fought battles they could not hope to win. I will return to life, and I will help to end this war before any more lives are ended."
The King continued to stare at Haku, and the young shinobi returned it with almost the same intensity. But the battle of wills was suddenly broken when laughter resounded through the throne room. And it was not the King of Hell who was laughing.
"Good answer boy, I like it. I'd vote for your revival."
Haku turned around to see who else had entered the audience chamber of the King of Hell. When he saw who it was his eyes went wide.
"Naruto?" Haku asked, his voice a mix of confusion and disbelief. No, this man was too old to be Naruto. But the blond hair and the blue eyes the stranger possessed… he looked like an older copy of the knuckleheaded ninja he had met in wave.
"Naruto? Sorry, but I'm afraid you confuse me with my son. My name is Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. Nice to meet you, Haku."
Never had Haku imagined to come face to face with a true legend. And it was only later that Haku would realize just what exactly he had gotten into by mastering the path of hell.
