Chapter 25 – ROUGH smooth Relationships
Thursday was, thankfully, nowhere near as stressful as the previous day. True, Ichigo still had yet to smooth things over with Hokkaido and Kaede, but there were no traitorous captains lurking about that Ichigo had to avoid. His good mood did not go unnoticed by his classmates, and when they questioned him about, they deduced from Ichigo's answer ("Aizen's gone!") that he was completely and utterly insane. His friends wondered why they had become so attached to such a backwards person in the first place.
"But yet you're still crazy enough to love me anyway," Ichigo grinned, earning himself a punch in the arm, courtesy of Rukia.
The shock of Shiro's revelation had also worn off, which left all three parts of Ichigo's soul eagerly anticipating that Sunday's training session. Zangetsu was quite curious to see what Shiro could do, given some time and experimentation.
Classes that day went by quickly, and Ichigo's teachers quickly discovered that an Ichigo in a good mood equaled a better-than-normal performance. Half the time of zanpakuto meditation was spent speculating about what Shiro should try to do first during Sunday training, while the other half was spent in a lively debate about whether or not Ichigo should "accidentally" materialize Zangetsu's human form in the middle of the class just to watch everyone's reactions. The mannequin Ichigo practiced healing techniques on didn't explode, and better yet, the "wound" Ichigo was assigned to heal was almost gone by the end of the period. Ichigo mastered multiple techniques that made use of both zanjutsu and hakuda, surprising Matsumura greatly. Not a single dummy was demolished in kido, giving Kiyosugi hope that her worst student was actually showing signs of improvement. Even Hokkaido was brought out of his deep brooding when he saw Ichigo literally bouncing off the walls in his hoho class.
However, Ichigo's good mood faded when Hokkaido called him over for a talk after class, a steely glint in his eyes. Well, Ichigo reflected, it was about damn time for this discussion anyway.
Hokkaido's final hoho class came tediously slow for the impatient teacher, though Kurosaki's antics did bring a smile to the solemn sensei's face. But he did have to wonder why Kurosaki was in such good spirits in the first place…
To Hokkaido's mild surprise, Kurosaki didn't look at all disturbed or apprehensive when Hokkaido called him to talk after class. In any case, Hokkaido had finally mulled over Kurosaki's situation long enough to decide what to do with the knowledge that Kurosaki was part hollow.
"You don't seem too surprised," Hokkaido observed after the rest of the freshmen had vacated the hoho building.
Ichigo shrugged. "I actually expected you to pull me aside sooner. That, or hordes of Shinigami would invade this place to exterminate me…"
Hokkaido winced at Ichigo's choice of words, but continued, "Anyway, I've thought about your… unique… situation for a while and I've come to several conclusions." Ichigo tensed in anticipation. "I've decided that if you or the hollow had wanted to hurt us, you probably would have done so already. I won't report you to the Seireitei right now, but I will if I sense you losing control again. I won't tell the other teachers either; I'll just tell them that you have a multiple personality disorder. I will, however, be watching you closely. Don't slip again." Seeing Ichigo's dumbfounded expression, Hokkaido chuckled. "You weren't expecting that, were you?"
Ichigo shook his head. "Most Shinigami in your position would kill me first, ask questions later. After all, hollows are inherently evil and must be eradicated, right?" he finished bitterly.
"That is true… however, it's not your fault that you have those powers. You said earlier that it was Urahara's fault, right?" Ichigo nodded mutely, and Hokkaido's face darkened. "About seventy years ago, Urahara was exiled for performing Hollowfication experiments on four captains and four lieutenants. One of the captains was a good friend of mine… I don't want anyone else to be punished by the Soul Society for suffering at Urahara's hand."
Ichigo's eyes widened and his mind spun. Four captains and four lieutenants?! The eight Vizards couldn't have started out as high-level Shinigami… "What were their names?"
"Squad five captain Shinji Hirako, Squad nine captain Kensei Muguruma, Squad three captain Rosé Otoribashi, Squad seven captain Love Aikawa, Squad twelve lieutenant Hiyori Sarugaki, Squad eight lieutenant Lisa Yadomaru, Squad nine lieutenant Mashiro Kuna, and Kido Corps lieutenant Hachi Ushoda."
Ichigo's jaw dropped open. "They used to be a part of the Gotei 13?!"
"You know them?" Hokkaido gasped.
"Yeah, they're the ones who taught me to control my inner hollow…"
"I can't believe that they're still alive," Hokkaido murmured. "Were they well? How did the experimentation affect them? Did they act subdued or depressed?"
"Last time I checked, they were just fine. They're like me, and have hollow powers, but I don't think that their inner hollows are as sane as mine…" Considering that Shiro's an Arrancar. "Um… Lisa, Rosé, and Love usually read or played various musical instruments. Mashiro acted ditzy and hyper, which annoyed Kensei a lot. Hachi was usually reclusive, since he needed peace and quiet to maintain the barrier around his home. Hiyori and Shinji were the loudest since they constantly argued. No one tried to stop them, even when Hiyori started sandal-slapping Shinji."
Hokkaido smiled sadly. "They haven't changed a bit… Thank you for informing me that Kensei-kun is alive and well…"
"Sure," Ichigo shrugged.
"Before I let you go, I have one more question. Why, with your powers and position, did you decide to come here?"
Ichigo thought silently for a few moments – he couldn't very well tell Hokkaido his real reasons for entering the Academy (training for a future war) – and after some ideas from Zangetsu, finally answered, "The Vizards were willing to train me in the Shinigami arts, but they wouldn't have put me in a position where I could protect those around me. My mother… was killed by a hollow, and I don't want anyone else to feel that pain!" Ichigo clenched his fists angrily at remembered pain.
Hokkaido kept silent until the freshman had regained his emotional equilibrium, then said quietly, "That's a noble cause. There are few here who share your same views, and of those, not one would be here if they shared your particular abnormality. You've got guts."
Ichigo smiled grimly. "Well, that's one way to put it…"
Hokkaido blinked at the freshman's slightly bitter tone, but shrugged it off and continued, "Thanks for answering my question. Anyway, I have a request." Ichigo visibly tensed. "Can I come watch this Sunday's training session? I love learning as much as teaching, and I have no idea of what abilities you hybrids can use," he concluded, eyes gleaming.
Ichigo stilled. His first instinct would be to angrily refuse, Zangetsu interrupted, /Why not? He might have some ideas to help us tap into Shiro's potential. Just say yes./
Ignoring Shiro's grumbling, Ichigo replied, "Alright… But I'll be carrying you again; I don't want anyone else to know where the clearing is."
"Fair enough," Hokkaido agreed.
"Meet me at the gates at five in the morning. This training session will take all day; you'd better leave a note or something so that your friends don't worry. I'll bring food." At the sudden mention of food, Ichigo's stomach gave a loud growl that echoed through the enormous room.
"Alright, I won't keep you any longer. Go ahead and get dinner," Hokkaido laughed.
Ichigo smiled embarrassedly and sheepishly scratched the back of his head before turning and dashing from the room. His good mood returned full force - Hokkaido hadn't deemed it necessary to chase him out, and he had gained some background information about the Vizards. Ichigo resolved to ask the Vizards about their transformation the next time he saw them. It was sure to be an interesting story.
Of course, an ambush by two certain students put a rather serious damper on Ichigo's cheerful demeanor: Kaede and Momo.
"Kurosaki! What have you done with Hokkaido-sensei?" Kaede demanded, her grip tightening on the asauchi at her hip.
"I haven't done anything!" Ichigo protested. Kaede had to confront him now? "This is about the incident a couple of weeks ago, isn't it?"
Kaede glared at him. "Since we're all on the same page, care to explain why your reiatsu turned hollow-like then?"
What the...how the hell did they figure it out?! Ichigo thought, alarmed.
/They've been cooped up in the library all this time, haven't they?/ Zangetsu realized. /They haven't yet learned what real hollow reiatsu feels like, so play dumb!/
I know that! Ichigo snapped. Outwardly, he schooled his facial expression into one of pure confusion, though he wasn't sure how convincing it was, considering his initial panic. "Hollow reiatsu? We haven't learned what the different reiatsu types feel like yet..."
"We've been researching in the library," Momo declared, glaring at Ichigo. "And while we can't understand why you look and act mostly like a normal person, whatever plans you have to massacre the Academy won't succeed! We'll stop you!"
"So you decide to attack someone whom you believe to be a hollow and a murderer without telling someone stronger of your suspicions?" Ichigo said, raising an eyebrow. He slapped himself mentally when both girls recoiled in horror. Now was not the time to be intimidating the two girls, but he really couldn't help himself. Ichigo sighed, "Look, I've got an embarrassing condition that I'd rather not spread all over the Soul Society, okay? I'm not a hollow! Do I look like I have a hollow's mask and hole?"
Momo faltered. "No..."
"So you say," Kaede challenged, eyes flashing. "A uniform could easily hide a hole, and hollows have a lot of unique powers. Your power could be to create illusions or something."
Ichigo inwardly groaned. Kaede was way too stubborn for her own good. What medical condition had Hokkaido given him? "I have a multiple personality disorder, alright?" Ichigo winced in embarrassment - even though it was a lie, it was still humiliating to give himself a false medical condition.
"And he's taking medicine to repress his second personality, aren't you, Kurosaki-san?" Hokkaido inserted smoothly, startling all three freshmen with his sudden appearance.
"Hokkaido-sensei!" Momo gasped in surprise.
Kaede looked stunned. Hokkaido-sensei hadn't been hurt. In fact, he was defending the freshman who had assaulted her! It was one thing if Ichigo told her something - his credibility had been completely destroyed - but it was another matter entirely if Hokkaido-sensei backed up Ichigo's claims. "So... he's not dangerous?" she ventured hesitantly.
"When he's been taking his medicine, he's no threat at all," Hokkaido confirmed. "You just forgot on that day, didn't you?" Ichigo nodded mutely. "Do your fellow classmate a favor and keep this quiet, okay? And bring all questions and uncertainties about him to me. Now run along to dinner."
Kaede and Momo, still looking dumbfounded, chorused, "Hai!" and dashed off to the cafeteria.
Once the two were out of earshot, Ichigo said sincerely, "Thanks, Hokkaido. That was some pretty quick thinking on your part."
Hokkaido shrugged. "Sure thing. Let's go to dinner, shall we?"
Ichigo's good mood returned the following two days and proved to be infectious; his friends found their spirits lifting, as well. Kaede stopped avoiding Ichigo, so naturally Momo was drawn in, as well. Rukia greatly enjoyed the company of the other girls, as did Izuru. Unfortunately, Ichigo's friends seemed to be mad at him when he announced that he'd be doing solitary training that Sunday, but it couldn't really be helped, not if Ichigo wanted to keep his skills sharp for the war.
Shiro awoke Ichigo early Sunday morning to prepare for that day's training session. After filching food from the kitchens, Ichigo shunpoed through the empty grounds and to the Academy gates, where Hokkaido was waiting for him. After terse greetings, Ichigo slung Hokkaido over his shoulder and disappeared in a flash of shunpo.
Ichigo finally made it to the clearing. He set Hokkaido down, then abruptly materialized Shiro. Ichigo was also tempted to materialize Zangetsu, but the zanpakuto point-blank refused to allow himself to be brought into the real world. Zangetsu apparently didn't want Hokkaido to know that Ichigo, a freshman, had mastered shikai and the materialization of his zanpakuto's spirit (a skill that few Shinigami obtained in their lifetime), never mind bankai.
"What do you usually do during these training sessions?" Hokkaido asked, eyeing Shiro warily.
"Well, up until now, I've just sparred and worked on improving my Shinigami powers," Ichigo admitted. "Other than the power boost that I get from the mask, I don't know what my other hollow-like abilities are. I'm guessing I can use generic hollow powers, like Cero, but I don't know the extent of my abilities."
"Hmm…" Hokkaido mused. "That's an odd predicament, since hollows usually gain their abilities through instinct. Maybe you could fight each other and see what abilities you can instinctually use? Or you could start with trying to fire a Cero… Cero should be a lot like kido."
"Then again, King sucks at kido, so that's probably not a good idea," Shiro said, ignoring the glare Ichigo shot at him.
"So sparring it is," Hokkaido concluded. "How destructive are you two while sparring?"
"Very," Ichigo assured. "You'd better step back a ways…"
Hokkaido backpedaled to a distance that he thought was safe, but Ichigo waved him further away. Hokkaido thought that being on the fringes of the Sekki-Sekki boundary was a bit much, but he'd humor the freshman.
"Ready, Shiro?" Ichigo grinned.
The answering smirk was feral. "I can't wait to learn new ways to kick your ass!"
Shinigami and Arrancar both fazed out of view with their respective speed techniques and reappeared several feet above the ground, materialized, oppositely-colored zanpakuto clashing together. Their reiatsu kicked up dust and debris, creating a gritty whirlwind that tore throughout the clearing and flabbergasted the single spectator who was, incidentally, trying to keep himself from toppling over at the edge of the clearing.
Hokkaido gaped at the freshman and his inner hollow as the two nonchalantly displayed skills and power levels no normal Shinigami would (or should) have. For one, they were carelessly emitting reiatsu that would rival a captain's. For another, their skills in zanjutsu could have been paralleled only by the highest ranking officers. Lastly, the zanpakuto they were battling with (which Hokkaido fuzzily recognized from his attack a few Sundays previous) had the one of the oddest shapes Hokkaido had ever seen – there were neither hilts nor guards, and ribbons that were tied around the grip fluttered elegantly through the air. Only zanpakuto in shikai were oddly shaped. But freshman didn't obtain shikai!
Freshman don't have inner hollows, either, Hokkaido reminded himself.
Hokkaido winced as the reiatsu from Kurosaki suddenly spiked. "Getsuga Tensho!" he freshman roared, slashing downward with the zanpakuto. Hokkaido's eyes bulged as a huge blast of bluish white energy sped toward the Shinigami's snowy doppelganger. The hollow made no move to dodge; instead, it countered with a screamed, "Getsuga Tensho!" that sent a red-rimmed black crescent racing toward Kurosaki's original attack. The two exploded upon collision, creating a dust cloud that obscured Hokkaido's vision.
There was no doubt in Hokkaido's mind. Regular, sealed zanpakuto were unable to produce kido or energy attacks of any kind. When the hell had Kurosaki (and, apparently, his inner hollow) obtained shikai?!
"Stop!"
Ichigo halted in annoyance at Hokkaido's shouted command. Shiro, however, kept speeding forward, the white Zangetsu poised to stab Ichigo through. Caught unawares by the dust cloud and Ichigo's sudden cease in movement, the Arrancar was unable to stop his reiryoku-enforced charge and ended up stabbing Ichigo through the gut. This normally wouldn't have been a problem if the two had been sparring in bankai, but since they were sparring in the larger shikai state, the white Zangetsu ended up puncturing multiple organs and causing a whole lot more pain. The destruction of a good number of Ichigo's inner organs also effectively immobilized the Vizard, since the damage done was only slightly less severe than the havoc wrecked upon Ichigo's body when Aizen nearly cut him in half.
Ichigo hit the ground with a thud, Shiro following closely behind, looking slightly guilty. The white Zangetsu was still embedded within Ichigo's torso, since, due to the size of the injury, removing the blade would result in a monumental amount of blood lost, and coupled with a lack of successful movement, would effectively put an end to that Sunday's training session. That would greatly upset Ichigo, since he tended to not care about his physical condition while training.
Hokkaido hurried over worriedly. He didn't know how Kurosaki was still conscious after receiving a wound like that. Hokkaido shot a glare at the subdued hollow before saying to Ichigo gently, "The zanpakuto needs to come out. I'm going to pull it out, then staunch your bleeding with what healing I can do, alright?" Ichigo didn't respond. Hokkaido surmised that the freshman was in shock, then tightly gripped the zanpakuto's hilt wrapping in preparation to remove the zanpakuto. Hokkaido tugged, and the reverse-colored zanpakuto slowly slid from the freshman's torso.
Even a single breath hurt abominably, with the white Zangetsu stuck in Ichigo's diaphragm. The pain triggered a memory of a white version of his bankai stuck in the exact same spot. Ichigo blinked as a figure faded in and out of focus. What was Hokkaido doing, pulling out Ichigo's weapon from his stomach?
Due to a shift in his King's reiatsu, Shiro felt the impending assault before it occurred – after all, Ichigo had used the exact same technique against him during their battle for domination. Shiro tackled the hoho teacher, making him release his grip on Shiro's Zangetsu, just as a black wave of Ichigo's blood mixed with reiatsu flowed up the blade, engulfing it.
Great. King was running on autopilot, as seen when he pulled the white Zangetsu from his torso in preparation to attack. Stupid wartime instincts.
Blood poured from Ichigo's torso. It hurt…
There was an Arrancar in front of Ichigo. Had it done this?
Ichigo's legs shook. The blood loss was rapidly sapping his strength. It needed to be stopped.
Gathering hollow reiatsu in his hand, Ichigo lifted the hand that held the black Zangetsu and raked a hand over his face.
Hokkaido's jaw dropped as Kurosaki summoned his hollow mask and a white liquid exploded from his wound, quickly forming a shell of sorts that stopped the bleeding.
"What?..." he breathed. Perhaps Hokkaido's initial decision to keep Kurosaki's powers a secret had been unwise…
Something squeezed Hokkaido's midsection hard, and he realized with a jolt that Kurosaki's white doppelganger had saved him from whatever attack Kurosaki had preformed. Hokkaido was still tucked under its arm.
The hollow jerked with surprise as a reiatsu foreign to Hokkaido filled the clearing.
Another fuzzy figure appeared in Ichigo's vision. Before Ichigo could attack, the swords disappeared from Ichigo's hands. The figure grabbed onto Ichigo's shoulders, and he fell into unconsciousness.
Shiro breathed a sigh of relief as King slumped into Zangetsu's arms. He had no idea why King had been so far out of control of his instincts, but he was just glad that Zangetsu had stopped his King. Otherwise, it would have been immensely difficult to counter King weaponless as well was prevent Hokkaido from being harmed.
Shiro scowled. He was picking up King's annoying habit of protecting bystanders. Damnation.
"Um, can you put me down?" a voice asked from below Shiro. That's right; he was still holding the hoho teacher.
Shiro dropped Hokkaido onto the ground and strode toward Zangetsu, leaving one bewildered sensei behind him.
"What happened to King?" Shiro asked as he approached Zangetsu.
"I can only guess," Zangetsu sighed wearily. "The combination of your stab triggering memories, Ichigo's complete acceptance of his hollow powers, and his wartime mentality probably triggered hollow-like instincts."
"Well, great. Now what? We can't possibly continue training."
"At the very least, we know one of your hollow abilities," Zangetsu rumbled. "Take a look."
Shiro examined the white covering on Ichigo's torso. "High-speed regeneration?!" Zangetsu nodded. "If the wound's healed, then we can still keep training!"
Zangetsu sighed. "No, we can't. I'm not talking about Ichigo, Shiro. Hokkaido looks pretty shaken; continuing to train would be a bad idea."
Shiro scowled in the hoho teacher's direction. The damned man was going to be his King's undoing; Shiro was sure of it. Who in their right minds would have tried to stop a fight as fierce as Ichigo's and Shiro's spars, anyway?
Hokkaido traveled to the hollow and the mysteriously appearing man in black on shaky legs. Watching the freshman's training session and sudden loss of control had provided more questions than answers for the hoho teacher.
"I apologize that you had to see that. Ichigo's training with the Vizards gave him the instincts of a soldier in the middle of a war, which was why he acted so strangely," the man rumbled as Hokkaido approached.
"Who are you?" Hokkaido blurted.
The mysterious man just stared at Hokkaido intensely, making him fidgety and uncomfortable. However, before the man could answer, Kurosaki started to stir.
Zangetsu knelt down as his prone wielder began to awaken. Hokkaido watched Ichigo nervously, while Shiro tried to look unconcerned, but failed miserably.
"Wh… What happened?" Ichigo breathed weakly.
"Shiro injured you badly, and it awakened hollow-like instincts."
"Oh…" Ichigo's voice gained strength. "I actually don't feel too bad…"
Zangetsu chuckled. "Take a look down."
Ichigo did so, and the forest immediately rang with, "WHAT THE HELL?!"
After Ichigo recovered from his mini panic attack, he wondered aloud, "Does this stuff have a time limit for healing?"
Both Shiro and Zangetsu were silent, so Hokkaido haltingly said, "The white substance of high-speed regeneration usually disappears once the wound's healed. Maybe you haven't healed yet? But taking this long to recover is unheard of… Try breaking off the shell."
Shiro shot Hokkaido a surprised look, but Ichigo took Hokkaido's suggestion and rammed a fist into the white material, cracking it. Chunks of the material slid off of Ichigo's stomach, revealing scarred skin beneath.
"Perhaps it was healing your organs as well as closing the wound," Zangetsu speculated.
Ichigo stood, albeit a bit shakily. "Where'd my zanpakuto go?"
Zangetsu extended a hand, and his sheathed shikai form appeared within his grasp. However, along with the normal blade, the white Zangetsu appeared as well. Zangetsu deftly snatched it out of the air before it could hit the ground, looking surprised.
"Wha?..." Shiro gaped. Why was his sword responding to the summons for Ichigo's zanpakuto?!
Zangetsu handed Ichigo his normal shikai form, then examined his white counterpart's form, looking utterly bewildered.
"Did I do any weird attacks while I was… out of it?" Ichigo asked in a strange tone of voice.
Shiro shot him an odd look. "Yeah, you used the blood technique that made my zanpakuto yours in our inner battle. Why?"
"Just a feeling I have," Ichigo said, staring at the white Zangetsu. Abruptly, he grabbed it from his zanpakuto spirit's grasp. "Let me try something." The black ribbon unwound, and Ichigo slashed the blade downward, saying softly, "Getsuga Tensho." Instead of the usual bluish white or reddish black, a purple-rimmed, royal blue crescent sprung from the tip, creating a large canyon in the middle of the clearing. The other observers were speechless.
Zangetsu was the first to rediscover his voice. "I guess that means that you claimed Shiro's zanpakuto as your own?..."
"What in the world does that mean?" Hokkaido questioned, though neither Zangetsu nor Shiro gave him an answer.
Shiro just gaped at his King. His zanpakuto was responding to Ichigo's commands?! Did that mean that his King would have a Resurreción, on top of a bankai?!
Hokkaido's gaze shifted between Kurosaki, the hollow, and the man in black, getting increasingly annoyed with the lack of response he was receiving. Well, if no one would answer his original query, perhaps they'd respond to a simpler question. Kurosaki and the hollow obviously knew who the man in black was. "Who are you?" he asked the man.
The man's gaze shifted to him, obviously deciding whether or not to answer Hokkaido. He finally said, "I am Zangetsu."
Well, at least the name was a start. It was a pretty impressive name, too. Cutting Moon? It sounded like a zanpakuto's name, rather than the name of a normal person. It was familiar, too. Where had Hokkaido heard it before?... "What are you?"
Again, Zangetsu mulled over the question before answering, "I am Ichigo's zanpakuto."
Hokkaido's jaw fell open for what seemed to be the millionth time during the training session. Not only did the freshman have shikai, but he could also materialize his zanpakuto's spirit?! A simple freshman had gained a skill a 900+ year old teacher hadn't achieved?!
Before Hokkaido could question further, Zangetsu continued, "Ichigo needed to be able to materialize me to be able to combat his inner hollow." Hokkaido nodded dumbly.
Ichigo inwardly sighed with relief. It was a good thing that Hokkaido had bought the lie completely. "Can we get back to the Academy? I need some time to rest, as well as think about what happened today," Ichigo heard himself say.
"Sure," Hokkaido hastily agreed, looking worse of the wear himself.
After a pointed look from Zangetsu, Shiro dematerialized, Zangetsu following shortly afterward. As Ichigo sped through the woods back to the Academy, he contacted his inner spirits.
Why did you tell him your identity, Zangetsu?
/I felt that it was the prudent thing to do, since Hokkaido would have never left us alone if I hadn't./
Shiro let out a bark of laughter. "You got that right."
In no time at all, Ichigo was back at the Academy. He bade farewell to Hokkaido, then returned to his dorms for a well-deserved rest.
I apologize or the lateness of this update; I got mostly through this chapter and then realized that I was sick and tired of writing about Hokkaido, and just wanted this plot point to be over and done yet. As a result, this chapter is really long, albeit (in my opinion) pretty boring (since it was SO hard to write). I apologize. Next chapter, I'll FINALLY be able to focus on Ichigo's interactions with the canon characters.
Again, people, I'd like to remind you that there's a poll on my profile. Please vote on it.
-HM