Bleach (c) Tite Kubo
Black and Blue
Are we (not) me?
When Kaien guides him through a row of derelict warehouses in a distant forgotten edge of Karakura town early that evening, Ichigo swears its another one of his pranks. Possibly a petty revenge for ousting his private life to Isshin (in Ichigo's defence, Kaien started it).
This district is so far removed from the town center the warehouses' rear-facing walls hug up against the verdant forests that serve as the impromptu town border. Hell, even the roads and concrete paths haven't seen council maintenance in months with invasive threads of green wriggling their way through the grey.
That is until Kaien reaches one nondescript two story warehouse smack in the middle of a junction, then abruptly vanishes two metres from the entrance leaving behind a golden watery ripple. Like walking through a life-like hologram.
Not a prank after all then. Fair enough.
Tentatively Ichigo lifts a hand up to touch the air where his cousin disappeared. The same gold ripple trails after his finger tips. A concealing barrier he realizes abruptly. He supposed that made sense. The Visored are technically criminals in exile. Staying somewhere off the beaten track with no humans around is the practical option. He spares a moment to be awed by the kido had to admit that, yes, this is pretty damn cool. There's light resistance with the slightest push his fingers slip inside. Then boldly, Ichigo takes a step forward.
"What the hell is that?" Ichigo asks half in awe, looking back around.
On the inside, he can clearly observe the barrier's glowing yellow-gold outlines. Instinctually he understands he'll never have a prayer at casting anything this complex in his lifetime.
"Nifty barrier, huh? Comes in handy keeping away prying eyes," Kaien didn't seem to notice Ichigo's tardiness. He's squatting by the rust red shutter, working the equally rusted latch, "If you ask him nicely Hachigen might explain the specifics to you, but in essence it renders this entire warehouse a cognitive blank to the outside observer. Only the people the caster permits can come and go freely. To everyone else, the warehouse may as well not exist. I suppose you could say the barrier makes passersby reject the idea this space exists."
"Reject huh?" Ichigo muses out loud. He can't say he'd fully understand exactly how that's possible but he gets the general gist. Which brings to mind someone else. "Sounds similar to Orihime's techniques."
"Does it?" Kaien glances over his shoulder interested, pausing to hum thoughtfully, "So her technique functions on a fundamentally different principle from kaido. That's neat. You should introduce her to Hachi if you get the chance. Sounds like they'd have a lot in common, maybe they could trade pointers."
"I'll have to mention it. Can you cast anything like this?"
His cousin makes a noncommittal sound in his throat, "In a pinch. But thanks to how his powers work I'd have to improvise about a half-dozen other spells to compensate for elements Hachi incorporates natively. It wouldn't be anywhere near as cost efficient. Which is precisely why I prefer to leave the custom barriers to the specialists. Elemental kido's more my bailiwick. Gotta stick to your roots, you know?"
"By stick to your roots, do you mean blowing shit up? With the occasional bombastic fireworks display thrown in for a bit of theatrical flare?" Ichigo jokes mildly, earning him a beaming grin.
"I'm so glad you understand me. And here we are. Home away from home," with a satisfying click, Kaien throws the rust-red shutters up with a clatter.
Thus bringing Ichigo to the first of many examples of why he believes this mismatched conglomeration of exiled shinigami-hollow hybrids are complete nutcases.
No sooner had Kaien beckoned him into the cool air, Hiyori's sandal smashes dead centre into Kaien's face like a tomahawk, knocking him flat on his back (Ichigo probably shouldn't have sniggered as hard or lord at that).
Prodigal genius, my ass. He privately mocks.
Unfortunately, a second sandal came for him next. Ichigo wisely ducks.
"About freaking time you pulled your head out of your ass to do you job, Shit-ba!" Hiyori hollers at the top of her lungs, stomping towards them in a dangerously Kukaku-esque temper that Ichigo decides to stay well clear from. Especially when Hiyori tries to yank back her sandal and turn that lethal weapon on him again.
This, Ichigo realizes, perfectly set the tone for the rest of his stay and crystalizes the idea in his mind: this place is no hideout. Its a damn nuthouse!
He doubts anything that'll happen over the next two weeks will prove that otherwise.
Having had their fun at the cousins' expense, that grinning bastard Shinji and another Visored wearing a teal jumpsuit, square sunglasses and an afro manage to wrangle Hiyori away from her sandal slinging assault. Introductions and a brief tour follow shortly thereafter.
Kaien tells him afro guy is Love Aikawa. Shinji and Hiyori, Ichigo already somewhat knew. One because he's been hounding Ichigo at school, the other because she tried to abscond with his body a few weeks ago and use it as a bargaining chip to coerce his cooperation. They found a man with long wavy blonde locks deeper inside the warehouse on the first level, wearing a frill-lined suit that would be right at home at a European renaissance fair, miming conducting an orchestra while classical muscle blasts so loud in his headphones they could hear it even from their distance. This one Kaien introduces as Rojuro Otoribashi, Rose for short, but he doesn't bother trying to get the man's attention.
And then there's Lisa Yadomaru sequestered in another room on the second floor, her nose is buried in a raunchy adult manga with scantily clad women plastered over the front. Ichigo sends her the stink eye as they pass. She doesn't spare bother looking up at them when they do, but she does sense their presence.
"Suppose that means the jig is up, huh?" Lisa drawls lethargically over her reading, "That's disappointing. I hoped for a little explosive outrage to spice up my evening. What a letdown."
"For that stupid stunt you pulled, I outta belt you one." Ichigo half-threatened, pushing away memory of that embarrassment.
"That's entirely on you. You and your little girlfriend are the ones who interrupted our lunch-"
"She's not my girlfriend!" Ichigo shrieks, forcing away the creeping red flush on his cheeks.
"-You could've just moved along and let it go but you didn't. Reap what you sow, brat." Lisa retorts apathetically, her full focus back on the manga.
Kaien yanks Ichigo away by the scruff of his shirt before Ichigo could splutter out another embarrassed retort. He complains about the indignity but is ignored. While Kaien shows him where the main facilities are and the relatively spartan room they've set aside for him, Ichigo is told about three others. Kensei Mugumura, Mashiro Kano and Hachigen Ushoda. He glimpsed them in the kitchen prepping dinner (Hachigen and Kensei are busy preparing dinner while Mashiro buzzed around like an annoying bee, seemingly enjoying Kensei's ire).
It seems every person here came with their own unique brand of insanity, and it'll be a miracle if Ichigo didn't suffer a spontaneous aneurysm from the combined effect they'll have on his blood pressure.
Like every damn thing, the whole Jinzen process is a lot harder than it sounds. A part of that might be Ichigo's own restlessness or his spirits' general unwillingness to respond to his entreaties. He's a person of action, and in any other situation he prefers to take action. To charge in with sword swinging and Getsuga Tenshou blazing. Sitting still is anathema to him. He's restless, irritable and frankly feeling a little stupid.
Despite his persistence, he's growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress.
Its been roughly an hour since breakfast. After being pressganged into washing up by Kensei and Hiyori, Ichigo found himself dragged by the scruff of his shihakushou down a long flight of stairs carved into the bedrock. It opened into a massive underground training facility almost identical to the one under Urahara's shop. There, they sat him down with the Asauchi Urahara provided under Rose's supervision and told him to meditate on the sword. Feels like he's been conned into a staring contest with the damn thing.
Lisa, Kaien, Kensei and Hiyori were a distance away training. Shinji's disappeared on an errand, probably to Kisuke's place for whatever reason (or just for time away from this madhouse). Love's too busy reading a manga to care about anything going on around him. The gentle giant Hachigen remained on the staircase quietly observing his fellow Visoreds while Mashiro wandered between them with an airheaded ditziness that the others tolerated with varying degrees of amused indulgence and restrained irritation.
One more failed attempt later and Ichigo lets out a frustrated huff, allowing himself to indulge in idle curiosity. From his vantage point, he could see the others duking it out. Kensei had his Hollow mask and duking it out hand-to-hand with his cousin.
Ichigo's never seen Kaien's mask before. The horns suit him. Especially with that annoying bastard's devilish sense of humour (The fact Ichigo's never forced Kaien to use it once during any of their sparring matches chaffs at him). Putting that aside, Ichigo does make a puzzling observation. He can seen Kensei's reiatsu rolling off in waves with every strike. Powerful, unyielding but controlled. His cousin on the other hand, despite wearing that mask, emanates nothing. Ichigo's no pro when it comes to sensing spirit energy but he would've expected to feel something outside the air pressure of connecting blows.
Ichigo knows he's got his own work to do but he watches them, transfixed. They're moving damned fast. Insanely fast. Practically a blur even without movement techniques, Ichigo can barely keep track. At least a dozen times in half as many minutes, one staggered the other, getting them in a grapple or hold before the other would break free and renew the assault. In the midst of the melee a wicked right hook cracked Kensei's mask, shattering it for a third time and taking his stamina with it. Dazed for a split second, its long enough for Kaien to gain the upper hand and knock him down.
Kensei didn't skip a beat sweeping his leg under Kaien's knee before springing back to his feet, swiping his hollow mask back across his face. Kaien lands on his back with a hard slam and a distorted grunt. He's quick to bounce back and the match resumes in earnest.
Hiyori and Lisa, joined shortly by Mashiro, are spectating. Taking bets on who'd win subsequent bouts while arguing among themselves over who would spar next in a impromptu round robin.
"Has something more interesting captivated your attention?" Rose cuts across his thoughts, snapping Ichigo out of his daze.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I'm, uh..." Ichigo trails off, "They're really going at it over there, aren't they?"
Rose hums mildly, "Oh, I suppose. But that's to be expected. When one learns a new melody, it takes time and practice to master the intricacies."
Ichigo frowns, giving the blonde Visored a half-hooded look. Fantastic, another one eccentric personality quirk he has to deal with. He resigns himself to it.
"But you guys have had your Hollow powers for over a century, right? Why is Kensei having so much trouble maintaining his mask while Kaien's been keeping his on without breaking a sweat?" Ichigo questions, "Shouldn't you guys already have a decent handle on this stuff?"
Rose ponders for a moment, collecting his thoughts for an answer. "From a certain point of view, yes. However reports of your success in recent weeks have caused us to reevaluate our interpretation of these Hollow powers. A paradigm shift, if you will. While that's allowed us to achieve greater use and freedom of these capabilities, we're required to retain ourselves to handle the additional strain more effectively." Then smoothly, he adds, "We may not seem it at first glance, but we're incredibly grateful for your accomplishments."
Ichigo shifts on the spot, suddenly uncomfortable at being openly praised. But he does understand. When he'd willing accepted Shiro's help for the first time, the backlash knocked him out for three days. The next time after that, he was unconscious for fifteen minutes. "You mean that thing Kaien and Shinji were going on about; harmonizing with your Hollows instead of suppressing them?"
"Correct. Full marks." Rose leans forward, tracing the line of his jaw with a finger while he stared off into space, "Allow me to use a simple metaphor. When water flows from the source to reach your kitchen sink, its passed through countless filtration systems. It must to be made safe for human use, however the amount of useable water that reaches the tap is minuscule compared to the vast oceans its drawn from. The hollow powers we possess flow through a similar filter that we and we alone control. We draw from the tap. Kaien, on the other hand, has always drawn from the source since the very beginning. Are you following my logic so far?"
"So far. But I'm sure you're building up to some kind of point?" Ichigo says.
"Quite the impatient one, aren't you? Hot blood clearly runs in the family."
Ichigo's eye twitches irritably. "Oi..."
"But if I may continue without further interjects; until recently our dear Kaien has been the exception to that rule. This is where his training with you comes into play. Unlike the majority of us, who have a century's worth of bad blood between ourselves and our Hollows, your powers are young. Very young. Perhaps you got off to an inconvenient start but you are a closest thing to a baseline we'll ever locate. A perfect candidate to test out the theory that if you managed to bargain as equals, you would be able to achieve control without forcing your Hollow into submission. It was a risky gamble but it proved similar path wasn't impossible. Indisputably a harder path but the end result will be... kinder." Rose explains patiently.
Ichigo takes this in, "Shinji mentioned something about that too. I'm guessing there was more riding on my success than I realized. Although I'm wondering why it took you guys so long to come up with a different solution? Its been a century and you're only considering other options now?"
This dulls Rose's otherwise lighthearted mood. He exhales a slow sigh, "I could tell you that we were unable to devise a means to replicate the same arrangement, or that we attempted it and failed in the past. Both are truth from a certain point of view, however the reality is none of us had the courage to try." He answers drolly.
Ichigo tilts his head, confounded. "You never thought to simply talk it out and make a bargain not to fight?"
Rose waves a flippant hand, "You must understand while this power has its uses, it's a reminder of betrayal. That we are forever marked by it. Changed by it. We are no longer the people we once were. We can no longer go back to being those people either."
Rose pauses and muses to himself absently, "Though life, like music, is the very definition of change."
He exhales a quiet breath and continues, "One doesn't live to be as old as we are without accepting themselves in our totality. In spite of that, there are parts that we sometimes wish we could scrub away. Stray threads in the tapestry. Regretful dower notes we desperately desire to remove from the melody. Its human nature to pretend the worst aspects of ourselves do not exist and push away all evidence to the contrary. We prefer to look at what is best in ourselves, not what's most base. To see these Hollows as anything other than an unwanted intruder in our spirits would have... offended our already wounded pride, I suppose. Its one thing to accept you are capable of darkness, to be confronted by its physical manifestation is another thing entirely."
"And because Aizen forced this on you all, you felt like accepting it would somehow concede a kind of ideological victory to him?" Ichigo questions.
"That's a way to look at it. Aizen is merely a part of the whole. It's the sting of betrayal that wounded us most," Rose explains patiently as a grim shadow plays cross his face, "That our former colleagues, former friends, would so readily turn their backs on us in our time of need. Then had the audacity to blame us for the travesty. Swift to point fingers, swift to cast blame and completely unwilling to undertake the responsibility of seeking any true justice. Aizen's efforts did much to cement the idea, but that reality will be an aching scar for decades to come. You've been to Soul Society yourself, no? A dear comrade almost met her end at their mercies."
"They're moronically law-abiding, I'll give you that. Like they didn't have an ounce of critical thinking whatsoever." Ichigo concedes which earns an entertained chuckle from Rose. "Do you still hold a grudge over it?"
"They were pawns, they know that now. They might express genuine remorse about their actions, they might even be contrite about their complicity. The truth is it doesn't matter. The brunt of our fury is reserved for Aizen alone." Rose leans back on the boulder, hands folded elegantly over his lap, and returning to his original point, "We are what we are. Some of us have taken longer to grow comfortable with that fact than others. The wounds have scabbed over. However, to turn around and embrace an interloper as a friend, it would've felt like picking at it. Reliving that betrayal in a sense. It wasn't something we were capable of for a long time. For that, you may call us foolish if you wish."
"What about Kaien then. Why's he so different? The guy was possessed by Aizen's experiment for... I don't even know how long. Wouldn't he have had the same misgivings as the rest of you about it?"
Rose hums thoughtfully, "Perhaps, but I won't be able to shed further light on the matter. He's not told me personally about the specifics. He's confided to Lisa and Shinji, they were always closer to him. But from what I understand, his Hollow simply yielded to him without compromise."
"What?" Ichigo's taken back.
"Puzzling, isn't it?" Rose asks rhetorically then straightens up archly, "But if you want to the details, you'll have to take it up with him. Now, no more questions. You have work to do and a Zanpakutou to tame. About it."
"You're supposed to be training, not playing Twenty Questions! Get with the program and harness your Zanpakutou already!" Hiyori's lethal sandal followed shortly thereafter, nailing Ichigo in the temple.
"Ugh! That hurt! Hey - watch it, snaggletooth! " Ichigo shouts back, "I'm trying, damn it!"
Hiyori stalks over, attempting loom despite being half Ichigo's size and only slightly taller than he's while sitting down, "Not trying hard enough if you have time to paint each other's nails. You're too damn slow! Now cut the crap. Kick your Zanpakutou's lazy ass in gear before I beat you both to a pulp myself, you got that carrot top?!"
It takes forever to finally get it right. Hiyori hollering in his ear, Rose trying to placate her, followed by the escalating shout matches did absolutely nothing to help, but Ichigo somehow managed to zone it out. Managed to clear his mind of the fog. The arguing fades and its like the atmosphere itself has changed. When he pries open his eyes, Ichigo finds himself in his inner world, standing atop one of the hundreds of sideways sky scrapers. He allows a few seconds to be elated by his success but the weight of his task presses down on him.
"Feelin' awful proud of ourselves, ey, Kingsy?" Shiro's derisive tone cuts through the fleeting pride, wielding his words like scorching brands.
Ichigo spins, finding his Hollow squatting on a ledge wearing a strange expression. Unlike Ichigo, he has a sword strapped to his back. "Long time no see, King."
"Shiro." Ichigo greets as neutrally as possible. He notices a curious twitching of under Shiro's eye at the name. He scans the skyscrapers searching for the old man. There's no trace of him. Ichigo can only sense him distantly. Unlike last time, where it seemed like the old man gave them space to sort out their quarrel, this feels like something's actively blocking him out and there's a note of desperation to what Ichigo could sense. Not that he could ever imagine the old man as anything other than stoic but whatever's going on, its keeping him out and old man Zangetsu doesn't like it one wink.
It feels there's something else too. Something vital is slipping from his grasp. If Ichigo wasn't edgy before, he definitely is now. Was Shiro pulling a trick to keep the old man away?
He keeps the accusations to himself for now. Last thing he needs is to get into a fight with his supremely pissed off inner Hollow when he doesn't even have a weapon to defend himself. His only option right now is to keep the peace until he figures out exactly what's going on. "Where's Zangetsu?" He manages as lightly as possible.
Shiro doesn't answer him, merely continues to stare. That expression twists with emotions Ichigo doesn't catch for a split second before transforming into an unnerving scowl. Ichigo pushes away the impression of staring into bleach white mirror.
Ichigo musters his courage. "Look... you and the old man, you both deserve an apology. I'm sorry, okay?"
"About what?" Shiro prods sarcastically, "Yer gonna have to be specific King. Got a lotta things to apologise for."
Ichigo grimaces. He deserves that. At least Shiro isn't wringing his neck. Yet. He wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility nor does he want to find out what might push Shiro to reconsider their standing arrangement.
"You screwed up." Shiro chastises, bringing himself to his feet, a predatorial movement that puts Ichigo further on edge. He lets none of apprehension show, standing his ground.
"You're right." Ichigo announces, then stronger he repeats himself with steel in his voice, "You're right. Is that what you want to hear? You're right. Kaien, or his fucking Hollow, were right too. All of you were completely right."
The ferocious scowl remains but Shiro arches an eyebrow with vague interest.
"I made a deal with you and I spat on it. I couldn't keep my word. I could make up some stupid excuse about trying to be tactical but I wasn't. I was scared. Scared to let you out. Scared of what would've happened if I went too far. If I slipped off that ledge and lost control of myself-" He stops himself, the words are lead in his throat, "Scared it wouldn't have been enough."
Shiro snorts derisively, personally insulted.
"I hesitated. Because of that - because I waited until the last minute - I got caught off guard and lost my hand because of it." Ichigo flexes his fingers, wincing at the memory. It was pure dysfunctioning shock to see his sword in his hand one second then having no hand at all the next. Left him wide open for a hole through his stomach.
"Nice ta hear yer decided to do a bit of soul searchin'. Bravo to you. Should I applaud this sudden introspective spirit?" Shiro drawls sarcastically.
"I get it. You're pissed. But there's no way I can go back and change things, is there? What should matter is I'm trying to fix it now. You understand that much, right? I've got an Asauchi right here with me. I just need Zangetsu to cooperate with me."
Another imperceptible shift of the Hollow's expression. Ichigo feels like he's been regarded as a particularly slow student and Shiro is a teacher rapidly losing his patience, "Next time I tell ya ta let me out, ya let me out. No ifs, no buts, nothin' in between. Am I making myself clear? The next time I catch you hesitating over something mind-numbingly idiotic or second-guessin' yerself over a matter we already settled, I'm not gonna be so friendly."
Shiro approaches Ichigo, the black and white replica sword in his hand, and only stopping when they're practically nose to nose. Ichigo swallows a lump in his throat.
"Three strikes yer out, Ichigo."
"I understand." Ichigo says. "Now where's Zangetsu?"
Shiro sneers at him, "You mean the sword you broke? The one that you let that oversized cat with a bad dye job vaporize 'cause you were distracted?"
Ichigo closes his eyes, wincing as if the words were physical blows.
"I already told you I'm trying to fix it now. If you want to beat the crap out of me, fine. We can duke it out to your heart's content later, but right now I have to talk to Zangetsu. I don't know how many times I have to say it. We need to get this settled. I can learn to fight without a sword like Yoruichi, or even some basic kido spells with Rukia, but we both know my chances of survival are a lot higher with one. That's what you want, isn't it? To survive and grow stronger? I can't do that if you keep standing in the way, so work with me, why don't you?" Ichigo insists.
"... unbelievable." Shiro shakes his head, rolls his eyes walking past Ichigo, bashing against his shoulder as he did. "Un-fucking-believable."
"I get it. I have to earn my way back into both your good graces but I can't do that if you refuse to co-operate with me." Ichigo presses, struggling to keep his anger and mounting frustration in check, "This only works if both of us are willing to come to an accord, so-"
"How can a person have both eyes wide open and be so completely blind?" Shiro interrupts, chuckling to himself. Its a bizarre bittersweet sound.
Ichigo chaffs, a scowl flashing across his face, "And what in the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Think about it, Ichigo." Shiro tells him sharply, "You were told by that old hat'n'clogs and the snow lady, weren't ya? That asauchi's meant ta draw out yer Shinigami powers. It ain't a liar. And when it called, yer Shinigami powers came runnin'."
Shiro takes a step towards him again. Ichigo doesn't like where this is headed one bit. "I came runnin'. Which means there's only one conclusion yer can really draw, ain't there?"
A very sharp chill of panic runs down Ichigo's spine. Despite best efforts, there's a fractional waiver in his tone, "What are you trying to say?"
"Really? You're seriously gonna make me do the hard work? You haven't managed to get it through your thick skull yet?" Shiro fixes him in place with a penetrating stare, "I am Zangetsu."
The admission chill his marrow.
No.
This is impossible.
His incredulity turns to rage. Ichigo starts forward, fury and confusion warring in his heart.
Around them murky black storm clouds start to gathering. Distantly, he could feel old man Zangetsu's efforts to break through whatever's trapping him abruptly halt. Then nothing. "Do I look like I'm in the mood for a stupid prank?"
Shiro continues to stare before slowly shaking his head side to side, admonishingly. "Still denser than a neutron star I see. Ta think I had to spell it out for ya." Shiro snarls, pointedly tapping his own temple, "Use your damn brain, Ichigo. I mean really think. Every time you've trained with your Zanpakuto - did the old man ever actually teach you anything? And when he deigned to reveal your Zanpakutou's name, did ya never wonder why it was only after you found your Shinigami powers when this world was collapsing, not before? If the old man were your Zanpakutou, don't ya think he'd have told you his name first chance he got ta stop ya from turnin' into a Hollow?"
Unless he didn't know the name either. The unwelcome thought finishes in Ichigo's head.
Ichigo shakes his head. He wants to deny it, but there's a... logic to the words that he can't ignore no matter how much he wants to.
Shiro goes on, regardless of his clear stupefaction. "Or how about we examine yer battle against Byakuya Kuchiki? Every bone in yer body was creakin' and breakin' under the strain, but didn't it strike you as strange that all magically disappeared after I took control and showed ya how to fight properly? Or even how ta use the Getsuga Tenshou with bankai?"
Ichigo's jaw clenches, refusing to believe a word of it even as his gut's telling him its the truth. He refuses to accept that. It has to be a trick. It has to!
Low rumbling echoes throughout the inner world, the first tropical raindrops splatter down. Shiro scowls upwards at the darkening heavens, sneering in his distaste. Ichigo's mind whirls.
Then the old man is there. Standing behind them. Its subtle, but there's an undeniable shift in the old man's expression. A faint shift in the brow line that transforms his expression from collected indifference to cold malice.
"Zangetsu! Answer me. What the hell is this?!"
"Jig's up, old man." Shiro drawls, readjusting his grip on his sword, with an edge of feral vindication. "Told ya you couldn't keep this up forever."
Ichigo bites back the urge to curse the Hollow out, keeping his eyes locked on the old man. On his Zanpakutou. Its supposed to be his Zanpakutou, right?! But doubts have wriggled their way into his heart and he's having a hard time convincing himself of that fact.
Tense seconds stretch for eternities as those narrowed calculating eyes shift between Ichigo and Shiro.
"You were not meant to discover this truth." The old man is cold. Aloof.
"Truth..." Ichigo echoes numbly, eyes wide in horror.
Around them, all hell broke loose. Concrete explodes. Glass shatters. The skyscrapers around them crumble to broken jagged chunks, swallowed by a deluge of biblical proportions. Massive debris fragments fall into the ocean around them. The old man remains as impassable as granite. Shiro's displeasure at the change of scenery becomes even more evident with the deepening lines of his scowl.
"It is as the Hollow says." The old man intones. "I am not Zangetsu."
Ichigo recoils. No. No, no, no. This is a joke. This has to be a damn joke!
A maelstrom of emotions churns inside him. Betrayal, confusion, rage and denial swirl inside him. Anger is the strongest, he clings to that with his finger tips. "Then who - what the hell are you?!"
Nothing could've prepared Ichigo for the answer.
"I am the source of the Quincy power within you."
A hundred thousand questions explode in Ichigo's mind, his jaw goes slack. He can't speak. He feels bile rise in his throat. Quincy powers?! Within him?
"I-I don't get it!" Ichigo howls in a rage. "If what you're saying is true, why did you lie?! Why did you pretend you were my Zanpakutou?!"
"Because it was the only path you had to survive." The old man is entirely dispassionate, as though the destruction of the world surrounding them meant nothing.
"To survive?! Survive what?!"
"I couldn't allow you to become a Shinigami." The old man continues coldly. "I wished to keep you from danger. From conflict. To that end, I suppressed your immature Zanpakutou and arranged for myself to become the core of your power."
"And it was a real bitch of a time tryin' ta wriggle my way out from under your thumb, old man. Thanks for that." Shiro interjects with sarcastic gratitude. "But you weren't countin' on Ichigo gettin' his hands on of those blank swords and blowin' your cover so soon, were ya?"
"Couldn't allow-?" A fury, white hot and burning came over Ichigo, "And who in the hell gave you the right to decide what I could be?!"
"There ya go." His Hollow goads, almost sounding proud.
"I have every right." The old man replies with an absolute authority that makes Ichigo's skin crawl, "Following the path of the Soul Reaper would've lead you to peril. You would've been dragged onto the battlefield whether you desired conflict or not. If you became a Shinigami, I would have to kill you."
The old man flings an arm out. Blue reishi fire blazes from his palm, solidifying into the shape of a blade. He grasps it firmly, prepared to battle. "It appears I have no recourse now."
Even in his daze, Ichigo isn't ignorant to the threat. His fingers curl into trembling fists, nails digging so deep into his skin his palms bleed. His voice is surprisingly low and calm in the face of everything else, "You're kidding me. All the times we've fought together, and this - you're casting it aside so easily. What the hell kind of game were you playing at? Was everything a lie?"
"Don't go wastin' yer breath on this one, Ichigo. Couldn't ya tell? The old parasite already made his choice the second he showed up." Behind him, Ichigo sensed Shiro's intent and reiatsu turn razor sharp and lethal.
"It was not a lie." The old man's tone replies clinically, reishi sword raised for a killing stroke. "That is precisely why this will pain me so."
Author's note:
Huh. Guess Kaien was #foreshadowing. What a way to find our you're actually a member of another race; having the king's soul fragment you inherited raring to kill you. Fun.
First off, I thank you all for your patience. This muse has been fickle. As one might understand, this last sequence has been difficult. I promise the next chapter wouldn't be a two month wait. Ichigo will get his new sword next chapter and deal with this bombshell.
Regards,
Aurora313