Yes, I am alive! And I'm terribly sorry for the long break, but school's been keeping me on my toes, and creativity strayed a little from this FF. But I have written more than just this chapter, I have 20 more pages already typed and only have to connect the story to these parts. So updates should come faster now, even though I'm taking my A-levels soon. It's only thanks to your reviews that I can keep going!
As for the chapter: Tatsuki's story is explained and Haku starts his journey through hell. Meanwhile the Arrancar start attacking and the group heads out to Hueco Mundo… So things are slowly getting serious^^
Enjoy the chapter,
Faroush
Summary:
Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Bleach.
"Speech"
'Thought'
"Flashback"
"Zanpakuto Speech"
'Zanpakuto Thought'
Chapter 8: Inherent Will
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.
'Perhaps,' 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.
With Tatsuki
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.
In Hell
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 your self 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 loosing substance. Finally it disappeared, and a ghostly voice could be heard all through the clearing.
"You who has 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.
AN: Phew, finally a new chapter. I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long, but I didn't just ignore this FF. In fact, I've written about thirty more pages already, only they were parts I couldn't use immediately. I wrote Haku's ordeal in Hell completely as well as a large part of Kimimaro's role in Hueco Mundo. So expect another update soon^^
Tell me what you thought about Haku's adventure in Hell so far, I spent one month coming up with the idea and writing it all down, so I hope it turned out all right^^
As for the future of this fic: Once the the whole setup is complete, Haku will help in the battle against Aizen. It won't be the end of the FF, but afterwards things will change. I'm planning on sending Haku to the Human World where he supports Ichigo in the "Zanpakuto Unknown Tales" and the "Sword Beasts" Arcs.
The poll is complete, and the winner is… "Zanpakuto Unknown Tales"! Furthermore, I'll also include the new "Sword Beasts" Arc as well since they are directly connected.^^
But that's not all! Since Tatsuki is going to Hueco Mundo as well, I need an opponent for her. But since I don't like making up characters, I came up with the…
Privaron Espada OC Contest!
Just send me a PM or Review with your self designed Privaron Espada. Don't make them overpowered, the winner will only stay for a few chapters. Besides that, have fun^^
Until we meet again,
Faroush
To apologize for the long wait, here's a sneak preview of the coming chapters^^ Enjoy!
The trials of Hell will come to an end…
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. 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."
And Haku will face his strongest opponent yet.
The young shinigami stared at his burned left arm in shock as it was slowly getting covered by ice.
"I am no longer Fuyushougun, I am Ja'akufuyu, the Wicked Frost, the Ruler of Burning Cold!!!"
Who will prevail?
'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...
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!!!"
New allies will appear…
"I am Kimimaro Kaguya, a trueborn Arrancar."
… and wage battles.
"Serve..." Kimimaro's voice was neither loud nor forceful. But it rang across the desert like it was the only sound in the world.
"Lealtad"
For Haku's journey is far from over.
"The Shinigami's control over the Zanpakutō is over. And now... Zanpakutō shall now rule the Shinigami."