Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been a bit busy.
As usual, "Bleach" isn't really mine. A shame.
Ichigo sighed loudly and irritably, before biting off a caustic curse at life and death, and at the universe in general. "Where am I now?" He growled out at he stared at the thick swirling mists that obscured his vision in all directions. "So, no lights conveniently appearing this time to point out the way?" Though, as he muttered the rhetoric question, a small ball of light actually drifted out right in front of him. "Dang! I'm good."
"Hey there, Ichigo…" A familiarly irritating voice drawled out. The white mists swirled in agitation, and for a brief moment, seemed to come together as the white masked visage of his hollow counterpart.
In a flash, Ichigo drew Zangetsu and fired a getsuga tenshou into the blankness, dispersing the wavering image. "Oi, hollow? You're still alive?" His brow furrowed in some irritation and thought.
To his complete frustration, a hollow laugh rang out through the area. "You're still pretty funny, king. You still don't see, do you? If you live, I live. It is that simple." A blank white mask formed again, before wavering like a pool of water, to reflect the leering visage of the hollow.
"So I lost then?" Ichigo's asked in shock, his mouth hanging loosely.
"That is incorrect, Ichigo." Zangetsu's voice cut through the mists, like a well-honed knife, but he did not appear. "You managed to defeat your opposite side. However, before you can continue on, you must come to terms with yourself. You must understand and accept the truth about both your dark and light aspects, your motivation driving your existence." And his voice faded back into silence.
Irritably huffing, Ichigo waved his hands, trying to dispel some of the mist. "Fine, if I have to, I suppose. Come on out then, hollow." He cocked his head and crossed his arms waiting for something to happen. "Hurry up, I don't have all day." Instead though, the mists began to swirl, and parted. Ichigo's heart nearly stopped in shock and fright.
"Mother, look!" A young Ichigo gestured off at a lonely and silent boy with a fragmented chain protruding from his chest standing beside the rushing river banks. The mother, Masaki, gently patted Ichigo on the head.
"Sorry, dear. I don't see anything." She pulled him closer under the bright yellow umbrella shielding them both from the light rain showering the scene. "Come on now, let's go home. Your father and sisters are waiting." Hugging him, she smiled warmly. And Ichigo felt his heart aching in remembrance. But what in the world was going on?
"No! Mother! He's going to drown!" The young Ichigo exclaimed and dashed towards the boy, who had just started to walk into the river. And then, everything rushed by in a blur. Ichigo falling towards the water; his mother rushing after him; the blurred impression of a gigantic shadow looming nearby; the horrible sounds of a pleased monster feeding.
And, as Ichigo collapsed to his knees, the young Ichigo clambered besides his mother. "Mother! Mom! Are you alright?" Tears began to fall from both of their eyes, though no rain was there to hide Ichigio's falling drops of sorrow.
Masaki slowly and painfully turned her head, her visage paling with approaching death. Slowly and clearly, she spoke. "It's … your fault Ichigo." And she died.
"NO!" Ichigo bellowed, shaking himself upright. "Hollow! Show yourself already!" Nonetheless, his voice trembled with suppressed and painful emotions. Breathing heavily, he muttered vainly to himself. "This is all fake. I know that that did not happen. The hollow is just playing tricks with me."
Again, the mists swirled, and with a sense of foreboding, Ichigo braced himself for another vision or memory. And his expectations were not disappointed. The mists parted to reveal the Sokyoku execution stands in Seireitei. Around the grounds, the gathered captains and vice-captions watched impassively and silently as the white blocks hoisted Rukia high up between the stands, and the Kikou's fiery spirit was released from its sealed form.
Ichigo dashed towards the stand, desperately willing himself to fly faster. But, he was just a little too late. Trailing behind the flaming phoenix by mere seconds, he watched as it struck Rukia and pierced through her with agonizing slowness. Her face contorted in a silent and awful scream, as her spirit began to burn and turn into ash and disappear. And, she then gazed straight at him. With an angry and despairing visage, she gasped out with her final breaths. "Why? I waited and trusted in you. Why didn't you come and save me?" And even as Ichigo tried to stop the execution, to heal her, to do something or anything, Rukia vanished completely.
Panting heavily, as if he had just gone through a handful of fights, Ichigo leaned wearily upon the sword. "Come on out, hollow. Now!" He shouted, as his reiatsu flared up again in a wave, vainly trying to the push back the encroaching mists. And it was indeed a futile attempt. Suddenly, the white execution tower loomed around him, and Zaraki Kenpachi stepped out directly in front of another Ichigo.
"Heh, Ichigo. I've been waiting for this fight." A maniacal grin blossomed on the scarred visage, as Kenpachi's reiatsu burst out. "Let's fight." And, Ichigo watched as his only reaction was to pull out Zangetsu and struck out. Blades clashing and locking and sparking, the two battered at each other, leaving both bleeding and gashed. After a short exchange of blows, Kenpachi frowned in displeasure. "That's all you got? I'm disappointed. Che. A waste of my time."
"What are you talking about, Kenpachi?" The Ichigo in the vision bellowed angrily, and was completely ignored. Kenpachi simply sheathed his sword, turned about, and walked away.
Ichigo shook off his trance, breathing hard. "That was pointless. I know I'm stronger than Kenpachi. And I know all of those visions were false." He looked around warily. "Just come on out already, hollow." He demanded.
"You sure aren't patient, king." Laconically, the hollow sauntered out of the mists. "And you aren't particularly smart either, are you? Hehe." It chuckled a little. "Welcome to my world. Forgive me if I don't offer you a chair or refreshments or anything." It drawled out sardonically, even as the some of the mist turned into a chair, which it adroitly hooked with its foot and sat into.
"Your world?" Ichigo questioned absently, even as he glanced around the area, which might any moment turn into an arena of battle. "What do you mean?"
The hollow's visage suddenly twisted in anger. "You idiot! What do you think I mean?!" It shouted, before, plunking itself back into its chair, and adopting a condescending voice and appearance. "Let me phrase it this way, so even you might be able to understand. What is a hollow?"
Forcing himself to recall Rukia's bunny illustrations, Ichigo humored the hollow. "A spirit attached to the world, and driven by a longing, or regret, or some other binding and lasting emotion that prevents a peaceful moving on."
"Good." The hollow mocked. Ichigo bristled. "Now then, when you personally experience sadness or longing or anger, or any of these more negative emotions, what happens in your inner world?"
"It rains." The memory of Zangetsu and his comment popped into Ichigo's mind.
"Again, right. Now, Sherlock, to put it together. What form is rain in before it actually turns into rain and pours out?"
Pondering the question slowly, Ichigo came to a rather disturbing conclusion. "It's a cloud of mist. Like what we are in right now…" His eyebrows quirked up as his scowl at the hollow deepened.
"Yes." The hollow drawled back in response. "Now, now, your majesty, please, don't get angry. Your humble servant does have an explanation and a point behind this whole thing." It remarked off-handedly, causing Ichigo to bite back his retort. "Much obliged. Now, as promised, I will tell you the truth, about what I am and why I exist."
Ichigo opened his mouth to protest. "I already know that. It's because of Urahara's efforts in restoring my shinigami powers, when he severed my Chains of Fate."
"Ah, not bad, you do pay some attention. That is somewhat correct, indeed, it is mostly correct. I first awakened and gained consciousness and form in that moment of struggle, when you forced your spirit powers to surface. In that instant, Ichigo, you died. And, you died, I must remark, with a large amount of guilt and an uncompleted, important task. The first seeds of it all, however, started with your mother's death and your grief over that. I showed you those three scenes, not to torture you, as you incorrectly and meanly supposed, but to give you the reason behind my existence. Your darker side, all of your fears and innermost desires, grant me strength and grant me my existence. Those three visions or illusions are your three hidden fears and despairs."
"But you're dead now!" Ichigo argued stubbornly, not really wanting to confront the possible truth in the hollow's words. "I'm dead now too, for that matter. So it shouldn't matter anymore."
"Yes, indeed. Well, if you tried to pass on now, you would simply fade from existence. Without me, you are an incomplete being. On the other hand, without you, I would become a hollow, a Vasto Lorde to be specific." It paused and smiled widely at Ichigo's astonished and apprehensive look. "Let me tell you the fearsome and depraved nature of Hueco Mundo and of the existence of hollows…"
Unlike Shinigami, hollows appear to have the capacity to become ever stronger, without a limit. After all, the only requirement is to devour more souls. Hollows seem to have this ability to continue to grow in their continued evolution. But that is a false premise. We prey upon and consume to try to fill that emptiness in our souls. Our very world is the opposite of Soul Society. Where in Soul Society, there is naturally an overflowing abundance of spirit particles, Hueco Mundo always leaches energy out of us hollows. Thus, we eat not only to vainly fulfill those cravings within us and also to prevent ourselves from wasting away.
Our very nature, our very "home" is repulsive and horrible to us. But we have no choice. The result of our perverted and fallen being is to continue on in this miserable existence, though we pretend ecstasy even as our real selves deep within cry out in anguish. Yet, a hollow can only truly grow as strong as to an Adjucha. Some manage to attain the level that Soul Society now recognizes as a Vasto Lorde, perhaps the equivalent of a Captain. But that is the limit; our world oppresses us, so that we can naturally advance no further.
But rarely, so extraordinarily rarely, a hollow first awakens while its human counterpart still lives and exists. Without the draw of Hueco Mundo, without the drains and emptiness, such a hollow can thrive and grow. If the host is strong-willed and powerful, as long as he has any negative emotions, the hollow likewise can attain such power. And upon death, the hollow is released. These are the true Vasto Lorde class hollows, which consume the human side without regret and descend fully into madness and darkness, striving to its uttermost to gain power and wreak havoc. This is why my kind are so feared, are so powerful and destructive. It is why Soul Society fears the legendary prowess and powers of the Vasto Lorde, and has strived with all of its might each time to wipe out any Vasto Lorde to arise. In all of our existence, there have been but perhaps a handful of them. But with our rare and infrequent births, Soul Society has forgotten about us and relegated our title to those advanced Adjuchas. They will be in for a shock should that ever encounter a true Vasto Lorde, the ultimate form of the hollows.
However, arrancar are even more of an abomination, in bringing out the light of an individual and forcing it to serve the darkness. The entirety of the power of a soul is released for the arrancar's use. This makes them even more powerful, yes, but at the possible cost of any chance of redemption. Only those still conscious and willing to seek redemption retain that character and personality reminiscent of their original selves. And if their mask is damaged or destroyed, there is an even better chance of restoring their humanity, Nell being a prime example.
"That's pretty horrible." Ichigo shuddered after listening to the hollow's brief explanation. "So why not just let yourselves be purified then?"
"We can't; we won't. That is our stubborn and perverse nature, as twisted beings. Even if we lead only a hollow existence, that existence is all that we know." The hollow suddenly gave a rather odd and slightly terrifying grin. "And now that I have finished telling my tale, it is time for you to move on and finish this task. You must accept everything you have been repressing. You must understand and acknowledge your hidden desires and fears, your innermost passions and emotions." It stood up and spread its arms open, as if to embrace Ichigo. And, suddenly, the hollow simply began to flake apart and dissolve into nothingness. "It's time to face the facts, Ichigo. I will always be here either as an acknowledged half or you or as the hollow you make me into; you're always the one who chooses to give me a conscious form and presence…"
As Ichigo stood glaring in irritation and scoffed in shock and revulsion, the particles began to gather around him, clinging and covering him. "What kind of dirty trick…" He sputtered and struggled frantically, even as the particles engulfed him completely in their darkness, and he disappeared.
The hollow's insane laugh trailed lightly along in the foggy and empty recesses of Ichigo's inner world. "I'll be waiting, king. You're strong, I already know. So, I'll be waiting for you when you come out to show you how to use my powers. The horse will stick along for this ride…. Together… we will… be… invincible…"