The fist came swinging down in full strength, and Ichigo barely managed to roll over to dodge it.
"WHOA! Dad, what are you -" Ichigo's voice was cut short by Isshin's foot smashing into his abdomen, causing him to exclaim in pain.
"How the hell am I supposed to treat you like an adult," Isshin growled, "if every time you're up against someone stronger than you, you start moping like a little kid?"
Ichigo stopped squirming, and averted his eyes to the side. "How am I supposed to beat someone like that?"
Isshin's expression grew a bit softer, recognizing some of his old self in Ichigo.
"Listen, Ichigo. He's only able to beat you because you're giving him more credit than he deserves. That thing over there," Isshin pointed off into the space where he had knocked the hollow away to, "is your power. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course you're going to end up in a sorry state if you struggle against your own power…"
"…Instead of accepting it," Ichigo finished in a whisper. It made sense to him now…How had he not seen it?
Suddenly, Ichigo recalled a battle similar to the one he was in now, one he had had not so long ago. His eyes brightened, regaining the confidence he usually had. But then, his face darkened.
"Hey, dad."
"Yeah?" Isshin's eyebrows rose with his question.
"How long," Ichigo said, smashing his foot into Isshin's groin, "are you going to keep your foot on me?"
Ichigo stood up while his father crumbled, moaning. "Oh, the family jewels…"
An explosion from the distance muffled Isshin's voice. The hollow rose from the dust, but with a different speed. The mask was now horned, and the hollowfication covered its entire body. The second hollow form had been released.
"Dad," Ichigo said, facing the incoming hollow with his back turned towards Isshin. "Thanks."
Isshin looked up at his son, and smiled.
"Go get 'em." Isshin faded away, his consciousness returning to the outside world.
The hollow raised its blade in the middle of the charge, and smashed downwards. Ichigo raised his own blade with two hands, blocking the strike. The building underneath him cracked under the pressure.
Backing off, the hollow lowered its blade for a second charge.
"YOU CAN'T STOP ME, ICHIGO," it roared. Blasting forward at an invisible speed, the hollow stabbed its blade straight into Ichigo's chest, so that it punctured through his back.
"I know," Ichigo said softly. He dropped his sword and wrapped his hand around the one that should've killed him. He felt no pain at all.
"That took you long enough," a somewhat-familiar voice said behind him. Ichigo turned around, as the blade inside of him dissolved. "But then again, you've always been a bit slow in certain areas."
Tensa Zangetsu stood midair, his youthful appearance having yet to change. The hollow vanished and reappeared at his side, and the two fused.
He emerged in the form with which Ichigo had battled with for such a long time: white-haired, and partially hollowfied.
"Naw, it just took me a while to digest what you told me the last time I saw you," Ichigo confessed. "When you told me that what you want to protect isn't what I want to protect. That what you want to protect is me."
The hybrid of Ichigo's powers sighed. "Yeah," Zangetsu replied. "You're always too selfless. Rushing in headfirst into danger if it means protecting your friends. No regard for your own life…"
Ichigo bowed his head. He couldn't deny any of Zangetsu's words.
"So what is it that you want me to do?" Ichigo asked, raising his eyes to meet Zangetsu's. "Protecting my family and friends is who I am. I don't think I can change that."
"And I'm not telling you to. If I didn't like that way you are, would I have lent you my power all those times when you needed it? Against Byakuya, against Ulquiorra, against Aizen? No," Zangetsu stepped forward, his hand reaching out towards Ichigo. "Don't change, Ichigo. As for your question, I think you already know the answer, no?"
Zangetsu gave a gentle smile, as light started emitting from his chest, repelling the water that surrounded them. Soon, the world was filled with a white light, silent but meaningful.
Ichigo closed his eyes, drifting in that light, feeling it fill him. Feeling at peace like he had never felt before.
Let's go, Ichigo.
-Soul Society-
Kenpachi lay in the rubble below, his body unable to move and burnt from having eaten the hollow's ceros, but still conscious thanks to the adrenaline rushing through his body. Shunsui had been able to escape the hollow's attacks, but had also been unable to land a blow. Isshin was on less than even footing with the hollows as well.
But the larger problem was Aizen. Byakuya and Toshiro had all but fallen, barely holding onto their blades. Despite having been afflicted with wounds which should have rendered them defeated, they managed to retain consciousness. Kurotsuchi had yet to join the battle, and despite Yoruichi and Urahara having arrived as reinforcements, Aizen was allowing them no openings.
Unlike his battle with them last time, he wasn't allowing them to try out their tactics on him. Aizen was taking the battle somewhat seriously.
Genryūsai closed his eyes. It appeared to him that yet again, he would have to enter this battle himself. And this time, he could not afford to strike Aizen with anything below his full power.
This was the situation to which Ichigo opened his eyes, the white light fading into the scene described. His father faced him, and Shunsui was a bit further off in the distance, looking for an opening.
"Ah."
Ichigo gave an utterance as the reiatsu forming him changed. The dark nature of the hollow's reiatsu shifted into a purer one, wrapping around Ichigo as bright light. When the light cleared, the reiatsu had left Ichigo heavy with power.
He was clad in the same clothing Tensa Zangetsu had when hollowfied. A white coat with a black hood, and a single black horn protruding from a fragment of a mask on his head.
Isshin stepped forward cautiously. "Ichigo…?"
Ichigo's eyes opened, his left eye glowing with hollowfication, but imbedded in the right was that familiar brown iris.
"Dad…"
A sword came out from below Ichigo, stabbing upwards and nearly slicing Ichigo.
"UOHH?!" Ichigo yelled as he dodged out of the way. Shunsui skipped out of where Ichigo's shadow had been.
"That voice…Ichigo-san? Are you back?"
"YES, I'M BACK! You could've checked before trying to kill me," Ichigo retorted with exasperation.
"Ah, my bad. But to be fair, you have caused a great deal of trouble for us, you know." Shunsui indicated with a nod towards Soul Society below.
Ichigo looked down. He could detect the vast majority of the captains' reiatsus on the ground, a few of them quite faint. The 4th division was in chaos, climbing over rubble to tend to the injured fighters.
"…Was this me? Did I do this?" Ichigo closed his eyes, knowing the answer.
"No, it wasn't your -"
"Yes, it was you." Isshin started walking towards Ichigo, his zanpakuto lowered. "Shinigami are held responsible for their own power, and if they can't control it, they shouldn't be waltzing onto battlefields as they please."
Ichigo lowered his head, feeling the full impact of his father's words. But Isshin wasn't finished speaking. He put out his fist, thumping it against Ichigo's chest.
"But everyone has their own learning pace. And all we can do when we screw up is to clean up and keep walking."
Ichigo looked into his father's eyes, staring straight back into his with meaning.
"So go clean up, Ichigo. You have more to live for than this."
There was a silence, permeated with the heat of the day and the waves of reiatsu and tension in the air. Then Ichigo vanished, reappearing behind his dad.
"Yeah." Lowering his sword into a resting stance, Ichigo turned his head towards the one remaining battle in Soul Society. "I'm off."
-Aizen's Battle-
A demonic smile spread across Aizen's face. He felt the reiatsu coming towards him, and he felt something he had felt only a few times in his life before. His blood boiling with the excitement of facing a worthy opponent.
"Sorry, but it looks like play time's over."
Aizen dashed through the captains, slashing at them faster than they could see. But another could.
Ichigo stood behind Aizen, their backs to each other after the exchange which only they could have seen. Ichigo had countered every single one of Aizen's lethal strikes against the three captains.
After a beat of silence, Aizen let out a loud laugh. Those in the vicinity stared in shock, seeing the composed, cold-hearted shinigami breaking down.
"Yes, Kurosaki Ichigo. That's what I've been searching for, my entire life," Aizen said as he regained his composure. "Someone to stand in front of me as an equal in battle. Despite all of my ambitions, it seems that even I am affected by this…this primitive desire for a true battle, such as the one which Kenpachi Zaraki embodies. Do you not also feel -"
"Sorry Aizen, I'm not here to chat."
Ichigo practically teleported in front of Aizen, even the most experienced captains being unable to follow his movements. Zangetsu smashed against Kyōka Suigetsu, the wind from the clash blowing against the cloaks of even the 4th division members on the ground below.
"Kurosaki Ichigo. You…"
"Getsuga…"
Aizen's eyes widened, his sword feeling an unexpectedly enormous weight coming against it.
As if an entire ocean was pressing down on the edge of it.
"Tensho."
And the daytime sky itself split open, a sliver of night cutting it in half.
