EAT YOUR OWN WORLD
The second time Zangetsu awoke, there was pain.
No, not pain... That wasn't a strong enough word.
Agony.
His wielder's agony.
Beyond hurt. Beyond tortured. Beyond dead.
And yet, Zangetsu was awake again. He could feel his wielder- muffled and far away- pleading for help.
Zangetsu tried to call for him- comfort him- say something- but found that he could not.
A tremor ran through him.
He's dying. No... It's worse than that, isn't it?
A rift appeared; a tear right through the center of Zangetsu, splitting the raging energy. Several pieces splintered off, sputtering off into the darkness before being consumed. His attention turned to the cause:
The Hole.
It opened up somewhere in the depths of his core, somewhere where Zangetsu and his wielder connected. It was hungry- ravenous- and it began to eat.
Agony wracked through Zangetsu as he was torn apart. Knowing his wielder was experiencing the same only made the pain worse. The rotting cavity would swallow up both him and his wielder if Zangetsu didn't act.
'There's nothing you can do.' A voice, hauntingly familiar, said from somewhere nearby: The Other. The different energy had pulled away, using the forming rifts to separate itself from Zangetsu's main core.
'What are you saying?'
Their soul shuddered again. something tugged at Zangetsu's consciousness. He reached out into the darkness, trying to grasp for his wielder. He could feel him begging to be saved, but without knowing how to reach back to accept the offered help, it was useless. Zangetsu could not reach him. Not yet.
He needed more time.
'Help me stabilize him!' Zangetsu shouted at The Other.
The Other thought for a second, then replied: 'No.'
'What do you mean!? You have to help!'
Laughter. The Other was laughing. 'I will do no such thing.'
Fear. Dread. Agony.
The Other's responde hurt almost as much as the cold blaze slowly spreading from The Hole. Zangetsu couldn't understand. The Other was part of him, right? They were there for their wielder. That was the sole purpose of their existence.
'I am sorry.' The Other said, though its tone implied anything but remorse. It pulled farther away as it spoke, untangling itself from Zangetsu's wild thrall. 'However, you know what I am. You should know why I can't allow him to access his shinigami powers.'
Zangetsu saw red. His energy quaked from the strain and from his own emotions. He did know. He always had known. He just didn't want to believe it.
The Hole pulled on him further, preventing him from stopping The Other as it turned, drifting away and compressing into a more solid form.
'What are you doing!? Where are you going!?' Zangetsu could feel himself starting to slip. Confusion and anger spilling over.
'There are two possible outcomes to this situation without my interference. Either Our Master becomes a shinigami, or he becomes a hollow. I will guide him to the third option, and then I will purify what remains and rid myself of you.'
Frantic, Zangetsu tried to push the Hole away. Invisible hands grabbed out from it, dragging him back. He could see it, nestled in the shining center of his core- now dulled by a thick white smoke that had begun to pour out and twist like snakes.
Hungry. Ravenous. Demanding.
Zangetsu was trapped, waiting for the end. Flashes of color assaulted his vision as he-
A tall man clothed in black stood in a sideways city, ready for the task ahead. The world was lonely and blue. His wielder was nearby, strong and determined in spite of the damage being done to him.
"Who are you?" His wielder's voice.
"You do not recognize me?" The tall man- The Other- spoke.
Wait...
"Such a shame. You of all people should know who I am."
No.
"I am..."
STOP!
"Ẓ̴͇̻̥̹̎̋͒̈́ͅA̵͇͎̺̱̱̻̖̱͔͛́N̸̢͖͖̫̬͔̭̤̗͉̮̎̂̈́͊̾̐͆̄͑̍G̷̫̈́̂ͅE̶̢͖͕͉͓̗̗̤̟̋̈̕̕Ț̴̬͓̖̦̦̫̞̦̔̊̑͛͌̌͌̇̔̏̚̚͘Ş̶̤͎͕͈̹̭̥̬̈́̌̀̾͆͐̄͆̉͘͝͝ͅU̶̫̣͓̖̘̒̽̒̃̈́̎͠"
WrongBadStopNo!
The name broke on the Other's tongue. It sounded like poison and felt like glass in Zangetsu's ears.
Unforgivable.
The Man continued, "One of these boxes contains your latent shinigami powers. Before you become a hollow, you must find it."
Their wielder couldn't hear The Other's unsaid addition: 'You must find it, so I can destroy it for good.'
Zangetsu's energy was failing as his wielder's very humanity crumbled out from beneath him, coinciding with the skyscrapers' collapse. He grabbed at the smoke, trying to push it out of the way, but it only stuck to his energy more. It wasn't just smoke anymore. A white fire had begun to blaze, using Zangetsu as kindling. He tried his best to keep the damage contained.
It wasn't enough! He needed more time! He-
There was a sudden tug on his mind.
Far away, he could feel his wielder... reaching for him? He had been found.
Zangetsu reached back, daring to hope. Maybe if he could make contact before The Other acted...
"What are you waiting for? Pull it out!" The Other shouted.
"I can't, it's stuck!" His wielder replied, frantic.
Alarm prickled through Zangetsu. He could see through the eyes of The Other, standing behind the orange-haired teen, a hand raising slowly. A dark bow materializing.
Zangetsu struggled, but the smoke and flame and decay had tangled him so tightly, he couldn't move.
Rough fingers notched an arrow
Time slowed to a crawl. Zangetsu could feel himself on the verge of annihilation. He wasn't done yet, though. He had enough energy- just enough- to make one final move. One final effort. He exploded his energy outward, aiming it all at the Other. He was stretching his limits, he knew that much, but maybe just maybe, he could reach them in time.
A steady hand began the draw.
His wielder wouldn't know his name.
The arrow blazed with blue energy.
Maybe Zangetsu wouldn't be able to ever reform himself.
The Other took aim right at his wielder's back. Lining up the shot.
But maybe that would be okay.
For his wielder...
For Ichigo...
He would do anything.
It only took a moment to unsettle The Other, a small spike of pure energy embedded into him. The arrow sparked out of existence and it was all the time that was needed as their wielder vanished from the world.
The box was empty.
Zangetsu collapsed, struggling.
"That was foolish." The Other shifted as Zangetsu bled out his energy. It ignited a burning feeling inside him. "You could have fought off the hollowification with that attack instead of coming for me."
'I know, but if I did that, he would never become strong enough to stand on his own.' Zangetsu's resolve was firm. 'I told you: I'll do whatever it takes.'
The Other raised a brow, "Even though he regained his shinigami powers for now, you will not be able to stop me again."
'I know.' He would have been smirking if he could, 'but I won't need to stop you.'
"What are you-?"
The Other was suddenly overcome with... something... a desire. A feeling implanted by Zangetsu. The briefest flashes of what their wielder could become if given the chance. It was glorious. Its own prior convictions wavered as Zangetsu poured in more and more of himself before it was too late.
"So... this is the sacrifice you're willing to make?" The Other mused, suddenly unsure, "Does he really mean that much to you?"
'Yes.' He couldn't keep the pain out of his fading voice.
The Other hummed thoughtfully, "He will never know you. The consumption has progressed too far for you to be saved. You should already be aware of that."
Zangetsu knew. He pushed away the despair even as more of himself was part of The Hole. 'He won't know me, no. But he'll know you. And maybe... maybe that will be enough for me.'
The Hole was dominating him now. He loosened his grip on The Other. It would do no good to drag it down with him. Zangetsu felt the last bit of his strength give out and allowed himself to fall.
'Protect him. It's up to you now.'
He submitted to the ever-expanding void.