Dozens, if not hundreds, of arrows, sang their song of promised pain as they were released into the world, born with the sole purpose of stopping the advancing Hollow before it could come close enough to taint the air Tensa breathed.

Zangetsu side-stepped between the hail of deadly reishi with quick steps of shunpo, ignoring the few that pierced his sleeves and grazed his hierro. Knowing he couldn't win with just his claws, Zangetsu outstretched his right hand and called upon his blade. His reiatsu spiked, red flaring up in the pitch maelstrom his power had become. It gathered in his palm and Zangetsu swung it before even resembled anything like a sword. The power snapped into shape, blade sharp and defined by the time he had finished his swing, having released a silent Getsuga Tenshō.

The red arc hit the ground, a hair shy of Tensa's feet (why hadn't he moved?). A cloud of dust, dirt, and pulverised stone sprung up into the air and swallowed the spirit whole.

With his target blinded visually, Zangetsu pulled his reiatsu in as close to his core as he could and jumped up high. Locking on to the sole silhouette in the dust cloud, he grabbed the hilt of his blade with both hands. With two somersaults to build up momentum, he brought his blade down as he entered the cloud. Soul-tempered steel sunk deep into stone and Zangetsu hissed out a curse. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. (He would have been severely disappointed in his other half if it had been.)

Landing behind his blade, Zangetsu pulled the blade free and twisted. A small barrage of arrows hit the steel instead of his back.

'Such cheap trick won't work on me', Tensa told, voice cold as he pulled the string of his bow taut once more.

'Ya sure 'bout that, Brat?!'

A single finger was pointed over the blade in his direction, a small red orb of light glowing at the tip it the nail. Tensa abandoned the string, jumping up and fleeing into the sky to avoid getting hit by a fully charged cero. The smell of burned fabric told him he hadn't succeeded. He wasn't allowed to mourn the singed end of his coat when Zangetsu appeared in his face a heartbeat later.

'What's your problem?!' Tensa demanded as they clashed, steel meeting reishi over and over.

'You are! With yer lying and denying-Do you have no pride at all?!'

The bow vanished and steel cut air. Zangetsu braced his side with his arm. A heeled boot connected with his elbow.

'Of course, I have my pride!' Tensa brandished his bow once more and fired. 'That of the Quincy!'

Meanwhile, Ichigo had only just recovered from having his hearing and balance torn asunder. With a shake of his head to shed himself from his lingering disorientation (and reminding himself that he did, indeed, still have a headache), he moved to get his sword. If he wanted a chance at overpowering and subduing his spirits, he had to take it up a notch, Kisuke's basement be damned.

He never reached his sword. His arms locked behind his back and glowing rods of light impaled him from all sides to keep him from moving. He was trapped.

Both Tensa and Zangetsu had their free hand outstretched to him, faces contorted with rage as they shouted in perfect harmony: 'STAY OUT OF IT!'

Their moment of unison had them turn their attention back to one another.

'A "Quincy", my ass. Ya just used a kidō!'

'So what if I did? That doesn't prove anything!'

'It proves yer not a Quincy; Quincy can't use kidō!'

'And neither can Hollows yet you just did!'

'I never claimed ta be just a Hollow now, did I?!' Zangetsu countered. 'Unlike you, I know who and what I am and I'm damn proud of—!'

'SH-SHUT UP!'

The reiatsu that Tensa had kept under control exploded from his core and out into the open, pushing Zangetsu away and keeping him there lets he wanted to risk burning off his hierro.

Both Ichigo and Zangetsu found themselves staring at the other spirit for a second time that day as he displayed another technique of the Quincy—this one, neither of them had seen before. Silver-blue ribbons of reishi streamed towards Tensa, fuelling his power and weaving the most beautiful angelic-like wings they had ever seen.

(Fuck, did Zangetsu want to fight the other like this. He wanted to find out if those wings were attached to him or not, if he could rip them from his back or if he couldn't even touch them. Could he change the way they looked? Were they purely defensive or could they be used for offensive as well?)

Captivated as he was, Zangetsu didn't see the fist coming. It connected with his jaw, knocking out a few teeth. A kick followed suit, the heel digging deep enough to break ribs. This time, Zangetsu didn't even hit the ground. His flight came to an end when he ran out of space to fly through.

(Maybe he should fantasize about fighting his other half later—read: after Tensa had come to his senses.)

The stone wall succumbed to the force like glass did at the swing of a baseball bat. Zangetsu spit out a stray tooth and a mouthful of blood as he leaned out of the crater his body had made in the wall, wiping his chin with the back of his hand. He didn't know what trick the other was using but oh-boy did it pack a punch. (Why had he never told him about this? The brat has been holding out on him-no, focus!) His hierro had stood no chance and Zangetsu had to wait for his high-speed regeneration to fix the worst of his injuries.

He needed to step it up. If bankai alone wasn't enough then his resurrección should do the trick, if only to even the playing field. Zangetsu brought up his hand, calling upon the darker parts of his core so he could sacrifice his heart (and humanity) once more.

'You don't know anything about me!' Tensa shouted with wings tense and bow drawn. 'Don't you dare presume otherwise!'

The reiatsu dissipated from Zangetsu's fingertips.

'I ain't the one pretending ta be something I ain't!' Zangetsu shot back, pushing himself out of the crater. 'And what for? I know ya don't mean half the shit of what yer saying anyway!'

Zangetsu had felt it when they were clashing, it was so clear in his reiatsu. For how fierce his attacks were and how intent the other was on denying it, Zangetsu knew his other half was conflicted. (And that conflict didn't feel like his other half.)

'Don't ya want ta be King's Zanpakutō?!'

Tensa's eyes flashed and the string was released. Where there had been hundreds before, there were now thousands. Zangetsu cursed and started dodging, biting his tongue as a few pierced his hierro and grazed his skin (fuck, did those things burn! And not in a good way). Black smoke rose from his wounds, healing them as fast as the arrows that made them.

Switching his grip from the hilt to the chain, Zangetsu began to spin the blade while continuing to dodge. When Tensa drew the string back in preparation for releasing another barrage, Zangetsu let his sword fly. It was deflected, not by an arm but by a wing. It curved around Tensa, taking the hit and flicking the weapon away as it flicked open; arrows following the chain back to his attacker.

Zangetsu was prepared. Having charged another cero, he let it loose while recalling his blade with a pull on the chain. The arrows that got consumed by the cero were disintegrated but that still left quite a few Zangetsu had to evade. He danced around the remaining projectiles but failed to notice where they landed. The chain pulled taut and slipped from his hands, leaving him sans weapon.

'Give it up', Tensa told. 'You're no match for me like you are now'.

'Fuck you!' Zangetsu snarled, throwing out his left to recall his blade that way. The chain snapped, freeing the pinned blade to return to the spirit's hand. 'I won't stop until you admit—'

It happened when he blinked, Zangetsu was sure. A single arrow lodged itself into his shoulder, shattering bone and blocking movement. The shaft burned all it touched, black smoke rising while blue stained fabric. Two more joined the party. One finds a home in his wrist and the other nestles in his elbow, rendering his left arm completely useless.

He couldn't win without using resurrección; he had to use it, his voice be damned. He could shout and curse all he wanted after he had set the other's head straight.

Bringing his free hand to his face, pain flared up in his wrist and shoulder. An arrow had pierced both, pinning them together. He hadn't even seen Tensa fire.

Well…shit.

His knees were targeted next. Zangetsu sunk to the ground with a hiss. For the first time, he cursed his instinctive use of high-speed regeneration. It kept on trying to heal his wounds but as long as the arrows were still lodged inside his body, the holes couldn't be closed. Instead, it kept on healing tissue (and nerves) that continued to be burned.

…d-double shit.

Blindingly bright blue flooded his vision, the large wings spread out in an impressive display of intimidation for someone who was a head shorter than him. Now, however, with Zangetsu down on his knees, the other towered over him. Still, Zangetsu snarled up at him in defiance. He would not stand down. He would not give up. He would continue till the other came to his senses and—

—his hair was grabbed.

"Ah, ah, ah~ That wasn't very nice of you."

Zangetsu's eyes widened at the voice echoing through his head, one that struck the fear of God in him even though he couldn't remember why.

"I wouldn't have to hurt you if you just obeyed."

Images accompanied the voice this time. Flashes so sharp and vivid as if they were happening right this moment, yet forgotten as fast as they had appeared, leaving only the fear of the moment behind.

Tensa fisted a handful of the shorter white in his left hand and pulled, forcing Zangetsu's head back and up till their faces were inches apart. He didn't hold back with his power, letting it all free and pressing down on the Hollow in his grasp.

'I. AM. A. Quincy', he hissed, voice low and eyes glowing with anger. 'Just as Ichigo was supposed to be. It is your fault that he is, and forever will be, an anomaly in every society in the three worlds! All because you couldn't just die like you were supposed to. Because you tried to kill his mother, he was made part of a world he has no business being it!'

"It looks like another failure, I'm afraid."

A dark laboratory. Cold water. Body hurts.

"Behave. You don't have the luxury of being disobedient."

Tiled floor. Hair pulled. Body hurts.

"It would take less effort to dispose of it and try again."

Shackled arms. Broken bones. Body hurts.

Tensa raised the Hollow higher, lifting his knees from the ground till he was on eye height. 'Without your interfering, he would never have been made to tear himself asunder! Would never have an abomination such like yourself trying to play the part of a Zanpakutō!'

"May I examine it?"

Pink hair. Collared neck. Body hurts.

"Let's see what. makes. you. tick."

Hard table. Opened up torso. Body hurts.

"Ugh, so loud. I hate it when they're still alive."

Veins on fire. Hand inside chest. Body hurts.

'You're a freak of nature, you shouldn't even exist! Meister would be better off without you!'

"White."

*Clatter*

#

TO BE CONTINUED

BLEACH – Tite Kubo