Edit: Thanks for the comments and suggestions to improve. Yea, I think everyone has a "Hollow" in each of us and we must make peace within ourselves.
Anyways, this chapter may seem like a little gay toward the end, but if any of you has a close friend, you'll know what it's like to talk for hours. Ichigo and His Hollow are... err... Brothers? I dunno how to put it, but if you had a companion who WAS you and you could have a conversation with yourself... I think this is what would happen
So, if you guys want more, just let me know and I'll write more. I stopped watching Bleach after Grimmjow bashed up Ichigo in the Arrancar Arc so... plays with his thumbs
But I'll think of something P
Btw, this story takes place... At anytime you want it to take place. I just put the Orihime and Ishida conversation to let you have abit of material to build on. At the end of the day, I want you guys to use your imagination with my descriptions to come up with your own version of the story you enjoy ;)
Have fun reading!
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"Getsuga Tenshou!" The smirk on Ichigo's face disappeared, throwing Zangetsu over his shoulder and slamming it into the ground before him, a blast of energy erupting from the edge and bearing down on his Hollow self. The cleaver twisted in the building, flying up and around as Ichigo leapt into the air corkscrewing and bringing his weapon about him.
The demon growled and knocked the blast away aside with his hand like a pest and followed Ichigo up, his own cleaver flashing into his hand.
"You think you've won?" he cried out, enraged, "The Battle has only just begun! Only one of us can be King, Ichigo! And I won't lose to you, not again!"
A white cleaver formed in his hands and he lashed out at Ichigo, who spun and blocked the blow. The force of the strike was so great several buildings to the side collapsed from the spiritual pressure, the dust and debris flying up and hurling towards them. White blade met black as the two souls struggled to break the lock, their blades separating and uniting as one and the other struggled to land a blow. At times they simply broke the lock, banging on each other's weapon, trying to break the defence of the other half of their soul. Finally, a weary Ichigo lashed out with his right leg and caught his Hollow's cleaver on the flat side, leaping off and landing on a flying piece of debris, slashing out again, pouring his reiatsu into the blast.
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
"Guroi Getsuga Tenshou!"
The Hollow spun and slashed, his own black meeting Ichigo's white, disintegrating the building below them and all the flying debris…
Including the one Ichigo was standing on. Panicked, with no control over his flight, Ichigo did the only thing he could think of, a move so alien and foreign to him that he had to pause for a moment to go about executing it. He released Zangetsu and allowed the blade to trail out after him as he fell, grabbing on to the cloth that trailed out from the hilt. Pulling the cleaver to him, he spun Zangetsu above his head, the cloth the only link between him and his blade.
The Hollow smiled as Ichigo pulled off the manoeuvre that was his, and did the same with his own blade, sending it flying after Ichigo and attempting to puncture him. Ichigo brought his spinning blade before him and allowed the blade to knock the white cleaver aside, throwing his own cleaver afterwards, away from the demon.
What?!
The black cleaver caught the side of a nearby building and anchored there, allowing Ichigo to swing over and land safely on the building, pulling Zangetsu out of the building and spun, slashing sideways for the optimum attack. Pouring the last of his power into this final blast, Ichigo cried out and felt the approval of Zangetsu behind him.
"This is my purpose! This is my resolve! Getsuga Tenshou!"
The yellow eyes of the demon widened as he realized he had been tricked. His blade still trailed out before him, yet to be recalled, and he was left defenceless falling through the air. The blast came full force and slammed into the Hollow, breaking his ribs and shattering his confidence, following him into another building behind him, where it disintegrated, leaving a mangled albino in torn robes in the debris.
"Damn… You…" sputtered Ichigo's negative self, coughing up blood, "You got me…"
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"Is it over?"
Hardly, Replied Zangetsu calmly, All you've done is win the first bout. Congratulations, Ichigo, but you have yet to attain full power.
"So what do I do to get more power?" asked Ichigo, weary from his last battle and sitting on the side of the building, the clouds of his inner world still flowing vertically, upwards this time, into the unknown.
You must team up with your Hollow… Ichigo reeled at spun, facing the old man Zangetsu, You must team up with him... To defeat me.
Reality hit hard as Ichigo realised what Zangetsu was implying.
"We need to reach an understanding?" he cried out, outraged by the thought, "But he's a demon! He's a monster! He's just a copy of my self gone through a negative filter!"
After all that has transpired, replied Zangetsu, weariness creeping into his voice, Do you honestly believe he is simply a demon?
Ichigo stood there speechless, recalling all past memories of the Hollow, his negative self, his mirror image, the demon…
He is simply yourself given a different perspective. He is your negative, your evil, and while certain qualities are enhanced or better shown in you, they are repressed in him. Likewise, the qualities he displays are the qualities that you repress. Arrogance, anger, and a lust for battle.
"So," Ichigo muttered, numb, "It simply means that every time I denied it… I was denying myself, I wasn't accepting who I was…"
And that was what prevented you from attaining true power, finished Zangetsu, a smiled appearing on his face. Now you understand… For your power to be complete, you must accept yourself. Not just the good, like you have been doing, but the bad as well. You must learn to accept him, as he has learnt to accept you.
"What?" Ichigo raised his head in shock, "What do you mean?"
Do you not find it odd, that while he could easily kill you, he has never forcibly tried to take you over? He has always given you a fair chance in battle, until recently where his patience ran out. He has not only anger and arrogance, but also a deep longing for acceptance. Whether or not this is surpressed… Zangetsu allowed his words to sink in while a gob-smacked Ichigo stared at his feet. You have been denying him a place in this world, denying him a place in you, where he rightfully belongs. Simply because the Hollow transformation gave him shape and form doesn't mean he wasn't there before. He was thrown out of you and has been trying to re-enter your world.
"Why?" Ichigo spat, "Why try? He seems to be doing just fine! What good reason could he possibly have for wanting to re-enter my soul? He has tried to kill me so many times, and is evil incarnate. He is a demon and a Hollow; he is everything I am not! What good reason could he possibly have?!" At the end of it all, he was yelling at the top of his voice.
For the same reasons as you, replied Zangetsu simply, To protect the ones he loves. To protect those important to him. You and I. And that is why he fights so hard, because he sees you as an imperfect fighter, unable to even protect yourself, let alone your friends or us. He feels he could do a better job than you.
Ichigo stumbled off, leaving his cleaver on the ground, and stared off the building and at the place where his Hollow was buried.
So you see, Ichigo, continued Zangetsu, his voice never seeming to disappear, You two are more alike. You two are one and the same, just as I am a part of the two of you. The two of us are a part of your soul, and if you embrace one, you must embrace the other, or you will be incomplete.
Ichigo leapt off the building and flew toward the demon, landing before him and gazing upon his damaged form with newfound respect, and approached silently.
So now, Kurosaki Ichigo… What will you do?
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"Yo," said Ichigo as his Hollow's eyes opened up and glared at him, "Need help?"
"No…" the demon spat blood at Ichigo's foot and struggled up, only to stumble again, "I don't need your help, and never will!" His left hand shot up and attempted to slam into Ichigo's face, but he simply grabbed the arm and held it in position, the strength in the Hollow evidently gone.
"What…" muttered the Hollow, "What is it that you want?"
"To let you know," replied Ichigo simply, "That I know who you are, and why you do what you do, and that I respect you and now see that you're not my enemy,"
The Hollow glanced up and eyed Ichigo with caution. "Say what you want to, King, and don't beat about the bush!"
Ichigo held his negative self at an arms' length and allowed his eyes to bore into his, the fragments of his soul staring each other down…
"I want to know who you really are," Ichigo stated, "So that I may better know myself, and make peace with you, brother,"
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Zangetsu observed the two teenagers sit down and begin to talk, and share. He watched as they opened their lives up plainly to see, and shared their views of the world, their perspectives completely opposite of each other. They debated and argued, but maintained a friendly air. At times, it would seem as though violence was but a word away, but the two would quickly settle their differences.
As they talked, they became more attuned to each other, and began to realise that they were more than two fragments of a soul that was Ichigo, but an Ichigo that could not be complete without the two of them uniting.
Just as hot air needs cold to form a tornado of power, thus they needed each other to attain the power that they so desired. The power to destroy, the power to protect, and the power to protect others from being destroyed.
Zangetsu smiled and waited. They had all the time in the world…
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Meanwhile, while Ichigo was caught up in his own world…
A phone rang somewhere in a house in Japan. A slender teenage boy reached over and grabbed the receiver, jerking it up to his ear, annoyed.
"Hello?"
"Ishida-kun! This is Orihime! I'm so sorry for calling you this late, but I think Ichigo may be in trouble!"
"Orihime," replied a weary Ishida, "It's 3 in the morning, and Ichigo's at home, in bed, asleep. Can't you feel his reiatsu?"
"Well… Yes… But I just feel…"
"Orihime! Knowing Ichigo, he's doing fine. It's the middle of the school term and we have not heard from Soul Society, nor have there been any recent disturbances that we know about, so don't worry! Ichigo is always training to be stronger, and perhaps he trains so hard that he even trains in his sleep! But we must have faith in him, as we have always had faith in him!"
"You…" muttered Orihime, "You're right… I really should have more faith in Kurosaki-kun…"
"Good! Then if you don't mind, I'm going to do some training of my own. Goodnight, Orihime-chan," Ishida replaced the receiver and turned over on his bed, sleeping with a doll that he just made. "Dumb, Ichigo. He scares and worries people even while he sleeps!"
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Phew... quite a mouthful... Hope y'all enjoyed the (lengthy) story full of (conversation) action and adventure!
I promise that if you guys want the next chapter, I'll make their battle with Zangetsu mind-blowing. Please review and tell me my flaws, where I can improve, and what I should keep. I only wanna be a better writer... for O levels P
God bless y'all