SAVIOR IN THE DARK
BLEACH x GARO crossover
Drapped in the ragged black clothes of a Shinigami encased in bone white armor, Hollow Ichigo's mouth stretches into a predatory grin at the prospect of a challenge.
YOU CALL ME MONSTER
The scene that greets them is horrific, flames encircling three figures. Through the fiery barricade, Acidwire's body can be seen slumped to the ground while a stranger is impaled by a familiar blade.
With a snap of the impaled man's fingers, those vivid green flames flicker to black then a silver blue hue before extinguishing itself.
Rukia doesn't have time to pay mind to the unfamiliar man when the dark suffocating pressure radiating from her student turned her insides cold, her impaired senses finally pinpointing the oddity with growing horror.
"Inoue, stand back!" Rukia commands sharply, an arm out to block the teenage girl from taking a step further.
Her other hand reaches out to grasp Sode no Shirayuki's hilt but only meet empty air, the comfortable weight of her Zanpakuto strapped to her waist absent. An instinctive movement that cruelly reminds her of what she lost.
She refuses to regret it.
Chanting a quick Bakudo spell to ensnare the threat, a crackling yellow energy twisted around Ichigo's body. She'd learned to never underestimate him, especially now.
Rukia watches as the boy turns to face his assailant.
As she feared, the signs of Hollow possession is visible in Ichigo.
The gold iris a pop of color from the black schlera of his eyes. A strip of red running through each of his eyes and further down his neck. The blood red stripes a sharp contrast with the corpse white paleness of his skin, as if the Mask itself is fused into his very being.
The sacrilegious figure garbed in the clothes of a Shinigami and the mark of a Hollow.
"Do you regret saving me now, Rukia?"
The Hollow drawls out, high pitched and cruel in it's delivery. The characteristic inhuman growl present in Ichigo's voice.
Helpless, Rukia fisted her hands to her side. The bitter taste of failure overwhelming her senses as her student's figure merges with the one from her nightmares.
Kurosaki Ichigo, the punk with the short temper and kind heart, is no more.
('Kuchiki, run--!')
A hand grasps her arm in a firm grip, making Rukia look up.
There's a stubborn jut to Orihime's chin that reminds her of Ichigo, the comical frown at odds with her sweet face.
"Kuchiki-san, you can't give up. There's still hope. His scent is still the same!"
Rukia can feel the tremor of fear beneath the teenager's bravado yet despite knowing how foolish of an endeavor it is to believe in a human girl's claim, it solided her resolve to see things through the end.
She can't abandon Ichigo to his fate, that child was her responsibility.
The Hollow experimentally tests the bindings, cocking its head to the side while surveying the proceedings like a bored but curious bystander. Arrogance drips from its stance, not even bothering to classify them as threats.
'I can make use of that'
Rukia's mind worked furiously to form plans and contingencies, with special focus on making sure the only noncombatant she cared to steer away from danger would be safe to escape.
Finally deigning to address the random stranger in this mess, she calls out to him.
"Hey you!"
Deep within his subconscious mind, Ichigo sprang awake while fighting off vertigo at how abrupt his entrance had been in this bizarre world. His body free falling endlessly while the skyscraper's glass panels reflect the unforgiving glare of the sun. Ingrained instincts shifted his footing to sliding on the glass panels instead, somehow sticking the landing and adjusting his perspective.
It calls out a memory of Kouga once clashing swords with a fellow Knight while the sound of shattered glass and the bustling night traffic accompany their hostile spat. From enemies to comrade in arms, the twists and turns of a conspiracy cemented one of the most long lasting friendships Kouga forged while waging a war that will never truly end.
"You sure took your time getting here, King."A voice interrupts his musings from days gone by, the discordant sound making his ears ring.
Ichigo tries to wave off the sudden piercing headache from the vertigo inducing view, turning around to pinpoint where it came from.
"And who're you supposed to be?" Ichigo asks, eying the newcomer with due vigilance.
The mirror image scoffs, a finger in his ear as he undoubtedly thought the question irrelevant."You don't have the right to call my name."
"What's your purpose?"
A careless shrug."I don't have any intention of explaining myself to you."
Ichigo rolls his eyes at the petulant statement.
"But you, however, owe me a great deal. Tell me, who do you think you are?"
The air feels heavy with tension, the accusatory tone cutting through air as the freakshow bares his teeth.
"Not that it matters."The sudden dismissal feels more of a humiliation, the contempt in those eyes slicing through Ichigo's soul only to find him lacking.
"What the heck is your problem?" Ichigo probes, biting back with his own snarl.
The little shit answers with an open palm strike to the chest, sending him careening through a building.
Shielding himself from debris and broken glass with his arms, Ichigo didn't get the chance to retaliate since the quick footed figure already has him pinned on the ground.
"Saejima Kouga...oh right, it's Kurosaki Ichigo now huh? Well you sure don't act like you know!"The face stealing monster jeers, a dark ball of negative energy at his fingertips painting the surroundings red.
Ichigo catches sight of a familiar ring on the imposter's finger seconds before the Cero detonated.
"Give him back!" Ichigo grits through the pain of having his hand take the burnt of the damage, gripping the pale imitation's wrist with the fervor of a dying man.
Easily disentangling himself from the desperate boy's clutches, the Hollow taunts Ichigo further by having the treasured ring in full view as his fingers curled in direct challenge.
'Then come and get it'
Growling, a disoriented Ichigo launches forward with his fists at the ready. Too lost in his single minded determination to retrieve a precious item to realize the changes that's currently happening in his body.
An ink like substance slowly creeping in, tainting the whites of his eyes to black while his brown irises morphed to molten gold.
The telltale signs of possession.
A triumphant smirk emerges from the Hollow at the sight, his senses already split from here to the battle in the outside world where a certain lizard needed some much needed beating.
'Gotcha' Catching the punch with ease, the Hollow intercepts whatever predictable counter the King had thought of in his little noggin by fisting on the boy's clothes and slamming him down.
Ichigo yelps in pain, still ignorant of what he had lost in that one moment of weakness.
The Hollow can't help tutting in disappointment at the pathetic sight.
"It's because you've become complacent that's why's you're so weak! Everything is the same? Get over yourself! You damn well know the difference."
Crushed underfoot, Ichigo gazes up to his furious shadow. Brows furrowed in that weird mix of puzzled and pissed off at the sudden tirade.
Undettered by his human counterpart's indigant stare, the Hollow continues with his diatribe.
"You will always be that wimpy crybaby who lost his mommy, finding comfort in those make believe fantasies. Deluding yourself into thinking the strength that Knight exhibited to slay down his enemies belongs to you. When the truth is you're just a stupid kid playing dress-up with powers that aren't even yours."
Despite the flash of hurt that seared through at having his own insecurities thrown at his face, Ichigo remained defiant as he glared. Possibly the only trait worth admiring, in his Hollow's own opinion.
"So let me rephrase your question with mine, what do you think I am?"
Realization dawns as it clicks.
"You're...a Hollow?"
Rolling his eyes at the predictable answer, the Hollow grabs him by the hair to keep their eyes leveled.
"Correct. So why would a Hollow wearing your ugly mug be here? And where is here exactly? These are the answers you should be seeking."
Ichigo doesn't dignify that with a verbal answer and gets his head to do the talking, black ichor gushing out of the Hollow's injured nose.
The Hollow knee guts him in response.
Multiple high energy javelins stab through the ground as the incantation took effect, forming a circular formation to bind the targeted object.
"Magic Number Sixty Eight: Supernal Jail. Just a little neat magic trick to punish a disobedient boy."
Tsukishima Shukuro looks at the trashing visage of a possessed Ichigo, snarling in defiance at being imprisoned.
"Don't worry. I'll be gentle." Tsukishima reassures the Hollow, activating his special ability as the dagger stabs through Ichigo's heart.
Book of the End.
"A dragon using a witch's sealing spell. Wonders truly never cease." Urahara Kisuke whistles, snapping his fan shut.
"Isn't that right, Yoruichi-san?" He nuzzles the black cat riding on his shoulder.
.
.
.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
He can feel the traitorous heart on his chest skip a beat. Can even feel his weak human self stirring deep within the confines of their world, finally aware and rallying to be out.
"Inoue!''
It sent shivers down his spine, an encompassing burst of protectiveness warped in a ball of righteous fury. Every single fiber of his soul straining to answer her plaintive call.
Hollow Ichigo didn't think he has to immediately deal with the reverse, the triumphant Usurper being challenged by the abdicated King for the right to reclaim his throne.
It dawns on him this personal lucky charm might be a blessing but can also be a curse, the effective trigger for his freedom can also be the reason for his undoing.
Hollow Ichigo feels a bit put out by the thought, hates how this feeble girl has sway over that unreliable partner of his. His self preservation instincts urging him to destroy the threat before all of him is sacrificed for her continued safety.
Old Man would chide him for even entertaining such a thought, not to mention the interloper that wouldn't hesitate to incinerate him if he dare hurt a hair on the pretty girl's head.
As if having an inkling on what his Hollow self plans to do, Ichigo's efforts to take back control of his body doubles in its intensity.
'The King is full of exposed weaknesses and no strength to back it up. All bark and no bite. Partner really needs to step up on his game. This is just sad!'
The thought of having to get back to that dreary world with only a floating head and a grim old man to accompany him in his boredom makes him want to stab his weak human self and trap him there for eternity. See if he likes getting drenched from the constant downpour!
In some ingrained reflex, Hollow Ichigo immediately checks Orihime over for injuries. Which is dumb but his King has never been one for rationality when it comes to his loved ones.
It also signals how he is losing grip on this body, seeing as Ichigo's protective worry overwrote his own actions.
Whatever. He pretty much proved his point anyway.
He sends a victorious smirk at the useless hilt lying on the ground, the broken blade having served its purpose.
Ichigo is nothing without him.
"She's my reason for fighting. I want to protect that girl with my own hands.
That's why even if it goes against the Makai Knight's code,
I'll be satisfied with making her life shine just a little bit brighter."
- GARO: Chapter of the Black Wolf, Red Sake
A/N: Frankensteining two chapters I slaved over for 2 years and hoping for the best. I'll probably overhaul it once I can find a way to make it more coherent and cohesive.
Originally Uploaded on AO3 right after the first episode of TYBW dropped and that special theme song decided to invade my brain once again.
I'm feral for RAPPORT, the sheer level of vindication to be proven right. I know the artist has said it's fine to interpret the song as they want but imagine thinking a song used for BLEACH EXHIBIT is for a specific villain and not the protagonist of the story? Wouldn't be me.
Have more respect for Kaein's legacy damnit. Rukia didn't entrust those teachings to the hero and the heroine of the story just for a dying villain's realization to take all the credit for BLEACH's overaching theme about bonds.
He doesn't have time for your identity crisis, Ichigo. Also yeah, it took him an embarrassing long time to realize that's a Hollow wearing his face.
Just really wanted to convey with my limited nonexistent writing abilities that they are one and the same person, hence why their reactions keep mirroring each other. So anyway have a weird montage of Ichigo fighting himself.
Basically...
Ichigo: [wakes up in his mindscape] Where the hell is this? Who the hell are you?
Hollow Ichigo: I don't wanna answer any of those boring questions.
Ichigo: Let's fight then!
Hollow Ichigo: Sure thing! [hijacks his body midbattle]
Unfortunately, Ichigo used The Power of Love to wrestle his body back.
