This War's Not Over: Chapter 5

When You're Being Hunted

Am finally back from my school trip!

To compensate for my absence, this chapter is longer.

In this chapter, everything is spinning out of control! ^^

At first glance, when the orange haired teen woke up, someone who didn't know him wouldn't have noticed anything different. But when you had a closer look at him, you could immediately tell something was wrong.

The teen sat up, his yellow eyes flicking angrily from side to side. That's right. His eyes were yellow. And his scleras were black. The teen immediately ripped off the chain around his neck with alarming ease, before kicking it with a look of disdain plastered across his face. Then the odd looking boy winced, as he looked accusingly down at his seemingly injured shoulder. Vines seemed to have already made its way past his lip, and he moved with a certain difficulty due to the pain.

Ichigo's inner hollow's head snapped up as an arrancar crashed into the room, flying towards him. His yellow eyes narrowed and glittered with bloodlust, and he easily dodged the arrancar's lunge towards him. The sudden movement made pain lance up the hollow's shoulder, which let out a low hiss of frustration. This injury was depriving him of having a little fun. He couldn't fight like this.

The hollow bent down and grabbed the wrapped Zangetsu before he flash-stepped outside the hole the arrancar had created, leaving the confused opponent behind. He leaped over two roofs before he was really starting to feel sick. Maybe I should just let King take control again. This sucks. No. King would just mess crap up and get caught. There was no way that was happening.

He could tell by the noise behind him that the arrancar was giving chase, and he could make out a second pair of feet clattering on the roof behind him. Two? Shit.

Despite the risk of losing control over the body, the hollow quickened his superior flash step, ducking and swerving in an attempt to lose them. The inner hollow swore. Ichigo's two days rest had permitted the hollow to tap into some gathered up strength, but the immunity to the vines' pain wouldn't take long before it was agonizing enough for the hollow to black out.

He gradually managed to outrun the other two arrancar, but the exertion had taken its toll on him. The vines were beginning to snake its way to the top of his cheekbone now, and every step he took seem to scream at him 'pain'. He cleared another two roofs before he missed his landing, crashing onto the ground, and furiously relinquishing the control as the vines forced him unconscious.

Rukia didn't know what to think. Had the arrancars been sent captured Ichigo? Why?

Urahara was bent over something, and when Rukia leaned over to see, she gasped. The chain had been left on the floor. They both exchanged a glance. Hope fluttered in Rukia's chest. Had Ichigo somehow managed to escape? But her mood immediately darkened. The chain had been removed. And it meant that it wasn't Ichigo that had escaped, but rather, his hollow.

"Even he wouldn't have been able to get that far with his injury…do you think they got him?" Rukia asked Urahara in despair.

What was more, Ichigo might not be in control anymore.

"We should go and look for him," Urahara said seeming to be fixated by a sudden thought unbeknownst by Rukia.

Why do they want Ichigo so badly?

Rukia was about to leave to search for the teen, a concerned look on her face, when a knocking interrupted Urahara's pondering. Rukia slid open the door, her eyes widening as she recognized a bandaged figure.

"Renji?"

The injured man was out of breath. "Rukia…Rukia! Soul Society wants to…they want to hunt Ichigo down!"

Ichigo felt a wave of nausea run through his weak body. He couldn't move, and his breathing was dangerously shallow. He felt like his windpipe had shrunk into nothing more than a tiny hole he could barely draw air through. His body gave another massive shudder as he lay in the dark alleyway.

By the time he heard the hammering of footsteps against the roof tiles, Ichigo was already on the verge of falling into unconsciousness again. As the two creatures neared him, Ichigo immediately recognized two arrancars. One of them nudged Ichigo with his foot, as if testing to see if Ichigo would put up a fight. He didn't.

Then the other bent down and lugged Ichigo over his shoulder, before giving orders to his companion. "Open the Graganta."

Through Ichigo's closing eyes, Ichigo stared into the black nothingness that ripped open before him, before delving into it himself as he lost consciousness.

Rukia stared in horror as she watched the arrancars carry Ichigo inside the Garganta.

She looked at her friend, Renji, who had come from Soul Society to exchange news with her. Soul Society had recovered, but not to its former strength. Yet, Captain Yamamoto had ordered an immediate attack on Hueco Mundo. It seemed that Aizen had injured the Seireitei a great deal, but not their spirits. Every soul reaper was eager to get revenge and hit Aizen back full force. But when he had revealed to her that Soul Society was after Ichigo as well, she didn't understand. She had informed Renji of the situation, but to her surprise, he already seemed to know. When she asked the reason why they wanted Ichigo, Renji said he would explain after they had retrieved him.

Rukia stared at Renji, her mind in turmoil.

"Renji," she said anxiously.

Renji gave her a nod. "Don't worry, we're not letting them get away."

He leaped into the closing Garganta with Rukia at his heels, just barely making it through the shutting portal. As they ran through the darkness that was lit by their reishi, Rukia feared the worst. Her teeth gritted together.

I don't know why Soul Society is after you, but this time, it's our turn to save you, Ichigo.

Ichigo's eyelids opened slowly as he blinked his way back into wakefulness. He lifted his hand to rub his eyes and immediately groaned as he felt them encrusted with sand. He began brushing it away, clearing his vision.

Ichigo stared.

The sky above him was black. He frowned. Wasn't it day when I was last awake? Then again, he had no idea how long he had been out for, so it could be night. But the crescent moon above him was eerily familiar. He flicked through his memories, trying to remember where he had seen that moon. He blinked. Sand?

Then it dawned on him. With a gush of horror, Ichigo sat bolt upright as he let out a surprised yell. Hueco Mundo. He was in Hueco Mundo. He also noticed that the pain from the vines had vanished. Ichigo scrambled frantically in the sand, trying to get to his feet but finding them numb and useless. He looked around for help, or rather, threats as he immediately remembered the arrancars that had brought him here.

There was no one. Ichigo stopped abruptly. Something's odd. He lifted his hands, staring at his palms uncomprehendingly. The air felt…different then when he had first come here.

Then he heard footsteps approaching him, and he recognized the two arrancars. His legs being useless, Ichigo was helpless against the both of them. They rammed him down into the ground, Ichigo writhing and squirming as one of them pulled a syringe out and plunged it into Ichigo's skin.

Then a sudden feeling of burning in his head made Ichigo collapse onto his back, Ichigo letting out yet another scream. He convulsed for a while in the sand, agony coursing through his limbs. Holding his head in agony, black ink began to sprad over his eyes once more.

Hidden amidst the sand dunes, a pair of turquoise blue eyes seemed to be watching him.

Slam.

Ichigo's eyes flew open. He could barely breathe. A shudder wracked through his body again as he lay planted like a stone, unable to move, in the place he recognized as his inner world. The object that had interrupted his state of unconsciousness connected with his face again.

Ichigo seethed in pain, sitting bolt upright as it slammed into his eye.

"Hey!" he screamed with rage at the object, clutching his eye.

Realizing the object that had been harassing him was someone's foot, Ichigo flipped over onto his stomach to see whoever was behind him. He was immediately shocked by who he found. There in the only spot of darkness that clung to him, his inner hollow stared back at him with glowing yellow eyes and his usual smirking mouth.

His foot was still raised up menacingly. "Do you need another kick?"

Ichigo immediately leaped to his feet at the sight of him, snarling. He hadn't forgotten that the hollow had tricked him and taken over his body. Even for a short period of time.

"What do you—" Ichigo began, but he stopped abruptly in what he was saying as he saw his dark copy jangled chains that bound his legs and arms right in front of Ichigo's nose.

"There's no point."

Ichigo stared at the chains that bound his hollow to the building behind it.

"You…"

"After you defeated me that one time, these chains are the things that are supposed to keep me suppressed. The times when you saw me free was because Zangetsu allowed it," his other half smirked sheepishly.

Ichigo said nothing, gawking. He gave a nervous look around, his eyes searching for Zangetsu, but the zanpakuto was nowhere to be seen. His attention switched back to the hollow. He had never seen him like this. The hollow must hate it.

"Yeah," the hollow spat, as if reading his thoughts.

Ichigo frowned. In fact, the response seemed almost too coherent with Ichigo's thoughts that led Ichigo to wonder: could the hollow read his mind?

"Of course I can read it," his copy snorted, "As much as I hate to say it, I am you, after all."

Ichigo gapped at him. Since when could he hear his thoughts?

"Ever since you went to save Rukia Kuchiki, when you fought me, I was able to read your thoughts. Although I didn't really need it to defeat you, since your moves were so slow and predictable," the hollow shook his head in disgust.

It would only be rational that it worked the opposite way. And yet, Ichigo couldn't read his inner hollow's thoughts. Even with his ability to understand someone's heart with his sword, Ichigo couldn't understand his counterpart's. Ichigo shook his head. Where would the world be if he could read whatever his hollow was thinking about? Ichigo would go insane himself.

"Is it just me, or have you not even said a complete sentence until now?" his darker half's face split into his trademark wicked grin.

Ichigo ignored his taunt, instead looking around, desperate to find Zangetsu. He needed to ask his sword so many things.

"You really are stupider than I thought. What are you trying to do, win the world record's greatest stupidity? What are you doing?" his inner hollow hissed, his eyes mocking him.

Only then did Ichigo's memory flood back into him, how the arrancars had taken him away, and the weird syringe was now infecting his body.

Ichigo jolted like he had just woken up from sleep, fear unleashing its cold grip on him. What was he doing?

Ichigo shook himself. Turning his attention back towards his hollow self, Ichigo couldn't help feeling this fear that he knew the hollow could sense from him.

"You've gotten us into some pretty deep shit, you know that?" his hollow shook his head slowly, the grin still forever on his face.

"Shut up." Ichigo looked away, and for once he didn't attempt to hide anything from his other half, bowing his head in shame. The hollow had taken over his body only in an attempt to escape the two arrancars. It was Ichigo's fault that Aizen had touched him with the Hogyoku in the first place.

His dark copy was watching him closely, and for a moment Ichigo caught a small glint of surprise registering in the hollow's eyes at Ichigo's despaired reaction.

Ichigo, with nothing to say, sat down cross-legged, facing away from his inner hollow. He didn't want to look at his counterpart in the eye anymore. He wanted to talk to someone, but whatever friends he wanted to speak to weren't here. He felt like talking to someone, anyone, even if it meant talking to the thing he hated the most. But for now, Ichigo stayed silent. His counterpart watched.

"Does it hurt?"

Ichigo stiffened. Ichigo's mind flashed back to the substitute badge that Soul Society had used to monitor him. He had forgiven them. Then to what Aizen had said. Where you telling the truth?

"Your so-called friends betrayed you—again."

His hollow was surely referring to why Soul Society hadn't come to aid him. Ichigo knew, they both knew, that deep in the corners of Ichigo's mind, that Soul Society hadn't come to help him not because they couldn't, but rather, they wouldn't.

"Renji would never do that. Neither would Rukia. She fought right beside me. I know they're looking for me. I have not been betrayed."

The hollow blinked, doubt obvious in his eyes at the teen's words. Ichigo felt this interaction odd. In their previous conversation, when the vines had almost consumed Ichigo, even then his hollow had acted strange. It almost seemed like after Ichigo had defeated his dark half, he had somehow…developed respect. He was less hostile. But maybe that was because of the fact that chains restrained him. Ichigo still couldn't get over the fact that them having a conversation, without them trying to kill each other, seemed almost like a fairytale.

"If that's the case, then why're you so ashamed?"

The words shocked Ichigo like ice cold water.

He felt the hollow's stare bore at the back of his neck, watching his every move. He almost seemed fascinated by these so-called emotions that he barely seemed to possess. Ichigo's eyes narrowed in pain as he looked at the windowed ground.

"…Ever since I got my soul reaper powers back, I was happy that I had them again. It meant—that I could protect people again—with my own hands. "

His dark counterpart stayed quiet, not interrupting what the substitute was saying, his eyes narrowed.

No doubt about it, something had definitely changed here. The hollow attitude had clearly changed. What was his darker half planning?

"But when we were attacked, all of a sudden that power proved not strong enough. I was useless."

Ichigo sat there, frozen, immediately shocked by how he had told his sworn enemy how he felt.

His inner hollow laughed.

Ichigo's eyes widened. Although this time, it wasn't a loud laugh. It wasn't cruel. It was just a laugh.

"You're an idiot."

Ichigo stared at him, his fury returning. "What?"

"You're. An. Idiot."

Ichigo finally turned around to face him, catching a satisfied glint in his counterpart's eyes that Ichigo was finally paying attention to him.

His hollow's eyes narrowed in disgust. "How long has it been that you haven't had your powers anyway? You've gotten so soft. I don't know about your stupid feelings that will get us both killed. But I don't need a king who let's such useless things trip him up into despair. It just proves you're weak."

Ichigo's eyes widened again at this. As much as he hated to admit it, his inner hollow was right for once: what was he doing here feeling sorry for himself? Aizen still needed to be stopped.

Ichigo stood up, eager for another battle to prove himself.

"I can't believe I'm taking this from my inner hollow, of all things," Ichigo managed to smirk.

His alter ego's crazy grin grew even wider at this. "So what do you plan to do?"

Ichigo slashed at the chains with his sword, cutting them all off, earning a shocked stare from his inner hollow.

"What are you d—?"

"Can you help?" Ichigo interrupted his counterpart's shocked words.

He had no idea why he was doing this. But somehow, he found no other way to free himself from this strange poison's grasp. The hollow, which still seemed in a state of shock, didn't answer.

"Can you help or not?" Ichigo snapped, on edge.

If his hollow decided to attack, Ichigo wasn't sure he could hold off his inner hollow and the poison at the same time.

"It depends what you're asking," his alter ego replied slyly, a smirk splitting his face again.

"The only way to stop whatever this poison is doing is that you actually…lend me your power," Ichigo spat the last words out with disgust.

His hollow was standing up, shaking off the chain remains off his arms. He looked up with a grin of pleasure, but Ichigo could still see the faint traces of surprise in his hollow's eyes. This was new. Since when had they ever shown such remarkable tolerance for one another? It seemed that since the very beginning, it had been hard drilled into the very core of their being to hate each other.

"I hate owing people," his counterpart spat in annoyance.

Now it was Ichigo's turn to be surprised. He had been just waiting for the hollow to laugh and attack him.

"The poison is meant to turn you into a hollow," said his darker half knowingly, his permanent smirk still ever present on his face.

Shock began to spread across Ichigo's features.

"Although, as much as you'd like to think, it isn't my doing," his hollow said shrewdly.

Ichigo gave him a doubtful look that made the other one shrug.

"At this rate, both are minds will be completely warped."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed in distrust. "Are you saying that the poison isn't just handing the control over to you?"

"I'm saying that Aizen is trying to turn us both into a mindless killing machine," his dark counterpart grinned.

Aizen? Ichigo took a pace forwards towards his dark copy. "Wouldn't that be in your interests?"

As he said this, the darkness behind his copy began to grow. Ichigo's muscles tensed. Was the hollow transformation augmenting the darkness in Ichigo's soul?

His copy was now crouching in a parody of 'The Thinker' by Rodin, a hand underneath its chin. His face was concentrated in fake thoughtfulness, mocking Ichigo. Ichigo felt the felt the sudden tug to beat the shit out of the arrogant bastard.

"Maybe. But as much as the idea of killing is appealing, I'd prefer to have control of my own mind while I'm in control of our body," the hollow laughed flatly, before resuming a standing position.

He began to walk towards Ichigo, his piercing yellow eyes unflinching as he stared at his opposite. The hollow stopped once it was next to Ichigo, although they were both facing opposite ways. Its face split into a wide grin once more, showing its fangs.

"Okay. Fine. I'll lend you my power, but you need to promise me one thing," it smirked.

Ichigo tensed. He knew it wasn't for free. "Spit it out then."

"Using my power won't be easy. If you lose it, it's all over for the both of us."

Ichigo opened his mouth to word his confusion but his other half laughed.

"Good. Let's blow crap up."

The last thing Ichigo saw was his hollow's evil smile before he was enveloped in darkness once more.

Wrong move?

Whew! This one was especially long.

Hope you enjoy and as always, please review!