For those of you wondering why I killed off Aizen when he was Ichigo's main reason for getting stronger, don't worry. I have a plan. I think.

And you know what a good song for Ichigo/Zangetsu is? "Faceless" by Red. I was just listening to the lyrics and I realized that they fit pretty nicely.

Anyway, on with the chapter.

Part 10

"So, Kisuke. What's the situation?"

The enigmatic shopkeeper pulled his hat over his eyes in an instinctive movement. "They're aware. And they're very interested in Ichigo."

"That ain't surprisin, though it ain't 'cause King's an interestin guy. How long 'till they start actin?"

"Two days at most, though they will most likely come sooner rather than later. I would advise you to be careful; there is no telling how they will react to you."

Zangetsu simply grinned in a way that Kisuke found to be extraordinarily concerning. It unsettled the shopkeeper that there was another being in existence that was harder to read than he, to the point where Kisuke himself couldn't read him.

But Kisuke had learned to trust Zangetsu, so the shopkeeper kept his concerns hidden as Zangetsu walked past him, towards the room where Ichigo lay unconscious. Kisuke followed, wondering exactly what Zangetsu had planned.

Judging from what the Zanpakutō had told Kisuke over the years, he was generally following the original timeline with a few minor changes. It bothered Kisuke that he didn't know exactly what those "minor changes" were, or how they would really affect the future. The lack of knowledge was frustrating, and Zangetsu didn't seem eager to tell Kisuke exactly what his plans were.

Kisuke sighed almost inaudibly, releasing his frustration for the time being. He could devote more of his time to thinking later; for now, he had to focus on assisting Zangetsu so that he and Ichigo would be ready when the Visored showed up.

Zangetsu stopped in the room where Ichigo was resting and sat across from where Ichigo was lying on a mat on the floor. He glanced up at Kisuke.

"Don't try anythin stupid," the Zanpakutō warned. Kisuke waved a hand.

"I have no idea what you're referring to," Kisuke replied lightly. All he received was a raised eyebrow before Zangetsu disappeared, returning to Ichigo's inner world. The Zanpakutō's gigai sat against one wall, limp and lifeless. Kisuke found the idea of a Zanpakutō having a gigai strange – as he had since the beginning – but at least Zangetsu was paying for the gigai now, instead of just stealing it.

Zangetsu stood on one of the skyscrapers in Ichigo's inner world. He let out a deep breath while stretching and cracking several joints as he let most of the tension he had been feeling during the past few hours bleed out of his muscles. There was something about Ichigo's inner world that calmed Zangetsu; maybe it was the familiar surroundings, or perhaps it was Ichigo's Reiatsu that saturated every surface.

The hollow turned and saw the manifestation of Ichigo's Quincy powers standing behind him.

"What is it?"

The Old Man merely inclined his head up to the sky and said, "look."

Clouds covered the sun, dark and threatening rain. It wasn't raining yet, however, and Zangetsu winced.

"My bad. I'll fix it."

"See that you do. Ichigo is that way." Old Man Zangetsu pointed and then went back to his usual meditation, leaving Zangetsu in peace.

The hollow knew that the Old Man was concentrating on increasing Ichigo's inherent Quincy abilities, so that when the time came for them to be used, they would be as strong as possible. It was something that the Quincy spirit had not had time to do in the previous timeline. Zangetsu wasn't sure how that would affect the future, but he couldn't bring himself to care about it that much.

Then the hollow thought about how he had affected the future and couldn't stop the somewhat-hysterical laughter that bubbled out of his throat.

Aizen was dead. By his own hands. He wouldn't come back, he wouldn't endanger anyone anymore. Sure, Ichigo wouldn't get as strong as quickly, but Zangetsu would find a different way.

Because keeping Aizen alive wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth the thousands of deaths that came from the war, the sacrifices of Ichigo's friends and family, the sacrifice of Ichigo himself—it simply wasn't worth the risks. Most of the Espada were dead, but Zangetsu had left clear instructions for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

When the time came for the Quincy to return, Ichigo would be ready.

With a sigh, Zangetsu began leaping from building to building in the direction that his other half had pointed. He pushed his previous thoughts aside in favor of focusing on the present so that Ichigo wouldn't notice that anything was amiss. It took less than a minute for the Zanpakutō spirit to find Ichigo, and when he did it was a simple matter to approach the unconscious substitute Shinigami.

Zangetsu couldn't help feeling amused that Ichigo was unconscious in the real world and in his inner world, though he knew that the latter fact was only true because he hadn't woken Ichigo up yet. Moving almost silently, Zangetsu walked up to Ichigo and kneeled down next to him. He stretched out a hand, about to shake Ichigo awake, but he hesitated. The hesitation lasted for only a moment, and soon Zangetsu was forced to jump back from a retaliatory punch as Ichigo returned to consciousness.

"Oi! Watch it, King!"

Ichigo sat up, blinking as he looked around and cleared the sleep from his mind, almost as though he hadn't just instinctively attacked the person that had woken him up.

"Zangetsu?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes. He suddenly froze, his eyes shooting wide open, before he put his hands to his stomach and checked for wounds. Realizing there were none, Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. The substitute Shinigami then looked back at Zangetsu, now wide-awake. "Didn't you stab me in the stomach?"

Zangetsu shrugged. "Maybe."

Ichigo scowled. "'Maybe'?" He repeated. "What kind of answer is that? Either you stabbed me in the stomach or you didn't!"

"Let's go with the second option, then," Zangetsu drawled. He abruptly became serious. "But I wasn't kiddin about what I said, King. Learn ta use yer instincts or ya won't be the one controllin yer body."

Ichigo's scowl deepened. "Yeah, I remember." The substitute Shinigami climbed to his feet, automatically checking to make sure that he had his blades. Zangetsu subconsciously nodded in approval before checking himself and stopping.

"Anyway, there's somethin else we need ta talk about that has somethin ta do with that."

"And that would be what, exactly?" Ichigo asked.

"The Visored are com in, accordin ta Hat-n-Clogs. And before ya ask, the Visored are Shinigami with hollow powers too. They're pretty secretive and distrustin of strangers. If yer lucky, they probably won't gut ya at first sight."

"That's real comforting."

"Here for ya, King. Now, we need things ta go the way they're probably expectin, at least in part."

"All right. How are these guys expecting it to go? We all go insane together?"

Zangetsu eyed Ichigo for a moment. "Yer takin this real calmly."

Ichigo shrugged. "How else would I take it? Freaking out isn't going to do anything, though I have to admit that it's hard to believe. Why would Shinigami with hollow powers give a damn about me?"

"Well, yer another Shinigami with hollow powers. Hat-n-Clogs said their numbers ain't that big, so they're lookin for new recruits."

"Makes sense. Okay, I'm listening."

"Kisuke was sayin that it's best if we do what they expect so that they don't get too suspicious. So we're gonna be puttin on a show, and usin yer spiritual body ta do it. Ya see, if you aren't in control of yer body and neither am I, yer base instincts—yeah, the same ones I want ya ta tap into—will take control and slowly turn ya into a hollow over the course of just over one hour. That's what the Visored want; ta them, that's the time when ya would have ta fight me and suppress me so that ya wouldn't have ta deal with me takin over yer body. They're gonna be tryin ta help ya, so ya shouldn't have any reason ta think otherwise."

"All right. So you're saying that I'm going to be faking having a hollow problem?"

Zangetsu grinned. "Oh, if ya don't get yer act together in the next few days, ya won't be fakin."

Ichigo sighed. "So that's how it is. Fine. Anything else I should know?"

"Nothin I feel like tellin ya."

The Zanpakutō and teenager descended into silence and sat back down, both sensing that remaining standing would be pointless. Ichigo knew he didn't want to wake up just yet; he had finished his schoolwork and the longer he went without seeing his dad's face, the better.

Ichigo stared at the infinite number of skyscrapers that occupied his inner world, his expression becoming neutral but thoughtful. He opened his mouth and then closed it, appearing as though he wanted to speak but didn't quite know how to say the words.

Zangetsu watched him, unsure as to what his king was going to ask. If it was about using Zangetsu's full power, the hollow didn't know what he would say. Ichigo would most likely be able to survive the power boost of his most basic hollow mask now, but it would still be incredibly difficult for him to handle, much less use in a fight. The mask itself was a massive boost that Ichigo needed practice to use to its fullest potential, and the mask was only a tiny fraction of Ichigo's hollow capabilities. Zangetsu could limit it, and he would, but it wouldn't be easy.

There was always the chance that Ichigo would ask something else, as well. Zangetsu wasn't sure, and it was driving him up the wall. The hollow belatedly realized that he was fidgeting and quickly stopped himself, but not before noticing that Ichigo was now looking at him.

"What?" The hollow asked, his tone a bit harsher than he had intended it to be.

"I've been thinking about this for a while," Ichigo replied, drawing up his knees and resting his arms on them. "And I don't think I can wait any longer to ask you about it."

A pit of dread quickly formed in Zangetsu's stomach and spread even more rapidly than it had started.

"Then go ahead and ask it," Zangetsu said, his voice far more dismissive than the hollow really felt.

Ichigo sighed. "It's stupid."

"Then don't ask it. I don't care."

Zangetsu quickly registered Ichigo's scowl but elected to ignore it.

"Are you from the future?"

Zangetsu choked on air and then began to cough. Ichigo simply watched him, his expression unreadable. It took Zangetsu almost a minute to get his breath back, and during that time his dread had expanded to fill his entire body. Even worse, anxiety had arrived and was making it far more difficult for Zangetsu to speak.

"What kinda question is that?" Zangetsu asked, massaging his throat while he looked sidelong at Ichigo.

"Don't lie to me," Ichigo said. "Your reaction just made it pretty obvious, so tell me the truth."

"Tch. I didn't lie. I just didn't answer yer question."

"Well, I'm asking you to answer it now."

Zangetsu opened his mouth and then closed it, pain flickering behind his eyes before he closed them and took a deep breath. The loyalty he had to Ichigo made it impossible for Zangetsu to lie in the face of such a direct question.

"Yeah," he said, his voice subdued. "I am."

"I knew it," Ichigo said immediately, looking pleased with himself for a moment before his expression became more serious. "How far, anyway?"

"Fifteen years," Zangetsu muttered, finding something incredibly interesting in the skyscrapers far away. "Fifteen years, two months, four days."

Ichigo's expression went blank as the shock of that information registered with his mind.

"Y-you knew me when I was thirty?"

Zangetsu shook his head, his mood noticeably deteriorating with every second that passed. "No. Ya didn't look like ya were thirty." He muttered something else on top of that, the words impossible to hear.

"What was that?"

"I said ya didn't make it ta thirty anyway."

The words hit Ichigo like a punch to the gut and the blood drained from his face.

"I died?" He said, struggling with the words as much as the idea. Zangetsu nodded wordlessly, his expression tight with pain. "But . . . I thought Zanpakutō die with their partners, don't they?"

"I ain't a normal Zanpakutō, King." Zangetsu took a deep breath. "In the moments before ya died . . . ya severed our connection and made me a separate being."

"I . . . I what?"

"Ya kicked me out," Zangetsu said, his voice coming out as a hiss between his teeth. It was impossible to tell what the Zanpakutō was feeling. "So that I would survive and save yer friends when you couldn't."

Ichigo swallowed, looking down at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them. "I can't believe . . . why would I do something like that?"

"Because I told ya to," Zangetsu hissed, closing his eyes in pain at the memories no doubt flooding through his mind. "Ya weren't gonna make it—ya'd just fought and beat Aizen but the cost was almost all of yer power. Ya couldn't even heal yerself, and there was no one left that could even physically touch ya. Orihime and Rukia were still locked in the depths of Las Noches under the care of Aizen's torturers, like ya had been for two years, and ya were desperate ta get 'em out.

"By the time I got back, ya were on the brink of death. Orihime did all she could, but she was almost dead herself and couldn't do more than get ya in a coma."

Zangetsu shuddered, his expression squeezing with pain as his voice became strangled.

"Ya died three months later." Zangetsu shuddered again and drew into himself. "On the anniversary of our mom's death, and only a few months before I was sent back."

"Zangetsu, I—"

"SHUT UP!"

Zangetsu winced, his sudden outburst dying away but his frustration remaining. He continued, his voice quieter. "Just . . . shut up. I ain't ready ta really talk about it with ya. Maybe when yer older."

"But—"

"Let it go, King," Zangetsu growled, getting to his feet. "Or I'll make ya."

Ichigo let out a deep breath before he stood up and offered Zangetsu a hand. The hollow scowled at it before hitting it away and getting to his feet on his own.

"Fine, then." Ichigo stepped back, his eyes flashing. Zangetsu ignored him and looked in the opposite direction, trying to steady his breathing and calm his thoughts. "If that's how it is."

His words hung in empty air, but his actions drowned them out.

Moving almost silently, Ichigo reached up and unsheathed his Zanpakutō, the metal silent against the cloth material that made up the sheath and wrapped around the hilt.

Zangetsu stilled entirely. He could hear exactly what Ichigo was doing, and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. His anger had overwhelmed him for a moment earlier, prompting him to shout at Ichigo because Zangetsu needed him to be. Quiet. If what Ichigo was planning went sour, there was a very real chance that their "fake" battle for control of Ichigo's body would become all too real.

The Zanpakutō's breathing hitched when he was hit by a sudden memory that overwhelmed him before he could push it down.

Ichigo stood in his inner world, watching as the sun set in a brilliant explosion of color that turned the distant horizon into an incredible mixture of light.

Zangetsu stood beside him, tense and wary.

For the fifth time in a minute, Ichigo glanced over at Zangetsu, smirked, and turned away.

Finally having enough, Zangetsu turned to his partner and said, with an audible growl, "The hell? Why do ya keep lookin at me like that?"

Ichigo's lips twisted again, though now Zangetsu realized that his smile contained far more pain than the hollow had at first thought.

"It's nothing," Ichigo said, shaking his head once more. The motion caused his long orange hair to fall across his face, but the twenty-two year old paid it no mind. "Just . . . you've gotten so much more serious since I first met you."

"Che. Don't tell me yer gettin all sentimental on me now. Makes ya sound weak."

"Ah, put a sock in it," Ichigo said amicably, no bite in his voice.

The two watched the sunset for a few minutes longer, finding comfort in each others' presences. The camaraderie between them was obvious to any observer, including a black-cloaked man meditating some distance away.

"Anyway," Ichigo said, glancing over at Zangetsu once again. "You need to loosen up. Breathe a little. Let loose."

Zangetsu nearly laughed out loud. "'Let loose'? What the hell does that mean?"

Ichigo shrugged, his eyes shining with dry humor.

"I dunno. You used to do it all the time."

"Not all the time."

"Oh, right. There were the times where I kicked your ass and you had to recover."

"That never happened."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. But seriously, relax. Being calm is one thing, but suppressing your instincts in favor of rationality isn't what you need to do right now." Ichigo paused to smirk a little. "Please tell me you're getting the irony here too."

"It's hard to miss."

The two shared a few more moments together, with Zangetsu stewing on the words Ichigo had said and Ichigo thinking about the battles ahead.

"Ichigo."

The orange-haired man glanced to his right, where the seated figure that was the embodiment of his Quincy powers sat. The one-word warning was enough. Ichigo sighed, immeasurable weariness settling on his expression before he forcibly pushed it aside.

"We'll have another talk tonight," Ichigo said, giving Zangetsu a quick grin before he vanished from the inner world.

Zangetsu stared at where he had been. "Let loose, huh?" He glanced around before drawing his blade and unsealing it without a word. "I can do that."

Zangetsu blinked and realized that he was back in the present—or past, depending. He could sense Ichigo approaching, his blade seconds away from cutting into Zangetsu's skin.

The hollow had several actions available to him, but there was only one that he could possibly consider in that moment.

With a grin pulling at his lips, Zangetsu unsheathed his own blade, turned, and met Ichigo's with the sweet sound of metal grinding against metal.

A/N Yay, a brief glimpse of Ichigo from the future! And a brief backstory of how Zangetsu isn't a nonexistent entity! Plot! Visored! Things!

Reviews:

QueenKarin13: I think I kind of touched on why Zangetsu killed Aizen in this chapter, but I'll reiterate just in case someone else missed it. Mainly, Zangetsu didn't want to risk Aizen getting strong again and endangering Ichigo. He figured that there were better ways for Ichigo and co. to get stronger, which you'll see in later chapters. Hopefully.

adrian11: See previous response.

chibissima: Your English is fine. The Zanpakuto rebellion arc is going to have some fun twists, but I won't be getting to that for a while. As for the whole Nel/Grimmjow/Unlquiorra thing, well . . . you'll see. I have a plan. Or Zangetsu does. Whichever.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, as well as everyone who has followed/favorited! I honestly never expected this story to get so much support, so thank you so much!

Until next time,

-RoR

P.S. If you're a reader of Rift and/or Rewind, check out the poll in my profile.

Please review.