ATTENTION ALL ORIGINAL READERS! I have completely rewritten this story! For those of you were expecting more of the adventures of Heart, I deeply apologize, but the basic concept of the story is still the same! Go over to chapter one and see if you're still interested! For everyone who didn't read the original version of the story, you should've skipped this whole bit. Onto the story!
It had so far been a month since Ichigo died. In that time, the Quincy and the Hollow began to get a grasp of what it meant to be 'alive'. Wake up, eat, follow Lucy to the Fairy Tail guild, and watch the daily life of the wizards around them before mimicking the behaviors that seemed 'normal'. Wave a hand for food, drink copious amounts of booze, and ignore the public nudity from the black-haired ice-mage who only looked at the Hollow with hate. Neither half of the zanpakuto learned much, the Hollow not wanting to wander the town and the Quincy not having many memories pertaining to daily life from Yhwach. Some of what they learned surprised them, however. For example, Zangetsu couldn't read, despite possessing knowledge of many languages from Yhwach. No matter how long they looked over Levy's shoulder as she read, or how many quest papers they stared at, they simply could not understand the characters. The Quincy theorized that it was due to them being in another world. Neither could bring themselves to search through Ichigo's lingering memories to confirm it.
While not a member of the guild, Zangetsu was treated like one. Once she finally got over the shock of it all, Cana had challenged the Hollow to a drinking contest, which she proceeded to lose. The wizards around them had cheered and hollered about someone finally besting her, while the Hollow drank in the excitement. He saw no reason to explain that his high-speed regeneration allowed him to nullify the effects of the alcohol. Most of the Hollow's time was spent in Levy's reading corner, either dozing the day away with his head in her lap or attempting to understand the written language of the world with her beet red between his legs. Most of the guild had no issue with that, somehow ensuring their brawls never interrupted the duo. The only exceptions were Levy's apparent teammates and Gray. The bluenette's teammates were possessive, despite her clearly seeing them as only friends. The one that could run noticeably faster than any other mage would regularly attempt to glare Zangetsu into submission. In response, Zangetsu would return the glare hundredfold. The Hollow had so far gotten the man to piss his pants four times. The one that could make plants grow would attempt to prevent the zanpakuto from getting close to Levy through use of his magic. Halfhearted swings easily tore apart any walls of vine, and the singular attempt to entangle the spirit in the plants ended in the blade walking through without acknowledging the greenery.
Gray was a topic that the Quincy frequently pondered over in their immense free time. His current theory was that their form reminded the ice mage of someone that harmed him. The accidental nudist would attempt to fight Zangetsu daily, to the point that some guild members would sit down to watch. The Hollow would slowly increase the strength used to down the man every time they 'fought' in his personal way of testing the limits of the people of this world. While he would be knocked out with a single strike every time, Gray had yet to receive anything worse than heavy bruising from a despairingly weak bala. The pink-haired fire-breather began challenging the demon once he saw the ice mage flung across the building by a backhand. The Hollow loved the mage's love of fighting and determination to keep going. Once the spirit learned that Natsu was Gray's rival, and he only started attacking him to prove he was better than the ice mage, he loved the dragon slayer even more.
As for the blonde who took the zanpakuto in, she frequently went on quests in order to afford her rent, spending around half her time away from the guild. She had gotten a key for the spirit to use on the nights where she'd be stuck on a quest, but the Hollow never used it in favor of following Levy to her home. The bluenette never complained, explaining that the demon was good company and a better pillow. Every time Lucy came back from a quest, she would inform the spirit of what happened, which Zangetsu would happily listen to. The Hollow denied seeing the blonde as an older Yuzu, the Quincy always wished to know more about the world, and it always helped that Lucy would stroke the zanpakuto's hair as they laid across her lap.
Lucy's first quest had been in some snowy mountains, to defeat perverted monkeys and rescue a guildmate. The Hollow didn't actually care who the member was, but the Quincy kept a record of every person in the Fairy Tail guild. The member in Lucy's story was apparently one who used fire, and had a boy who was also part of the guild. Her second quest had been to gather a book from some weird rich guy with a backwards sense of beauty. There was much more to the story, but the Hollow didn't pay attention to the small stuff while the Quincy didn't deem the rich man to be a threat and ignored the man's existence. Lucy did manage to get a new golden key from the man, to Zangetsu's great interest. Virgo, who Lucy had been all-too-happy to show off to the zanpakuto. They had spent a few minutes discussing the dynamics of how Virgo changed her appearance to better suit Lucy's preferences, but they found that intrigue couldn't be maintained much longer than that.
…Which was a running theme, Zangetsu found. Their lack of innate ability to read the language of Fiore was unsurprising in hindsight, and nothing more. Their mimicry of the behaviors of the guild members was just that. Whenever the Hollow was not swatting away the mild annoyances that interrupted him only for moments at a time, or listening to Lucy recounting her quests, he was uninterested in anything other than sleeping. The Quincy seemed to find excuse after excuse for why he was not taking greater initiative in discovering a method to return home. They merely followed home whoever was willing to have them under their roof. Meal after meal was made for them by Mirajane, and the Hollow kept to himself that he could not distinguish the flavors.
Eat and Sleep, the pattern became. Brush away the man seething with hatred, and pretend the cold inside was just the ice from the magic. Eat and Sleep. Listen to the stories of a girl determined to thrive, and let her determine the meaning behind their silence. Eat and Sleep. Hold close the girl at the center of a bubble of peace, and don't question why it's so easy to stay. Eat and Sleep.
The days blurred by, neither the Hollow nor the Quincy could make out how long it had been since they arrived. No one at the guild took any issue with them spending all their time there despite not being a member. The blade pretended they could not see the gazes indicating sympathetic understanding. None of them could understand. Not truly. There was a zone of influence, faces and names that appeared often enough that they could be put together, but not much more than that. Lucy, Levy, Mirajane, Natsu, Gray. Cana was very nearly at that point, toeing the line simply due to her closeness with Lucy. Everyone else, everything else, was hardly more than blurs of color and sound, nothing the zanpakuto could bring themself to care about.
But on one particular night, that pattern, and their blurred stream of consciousness, was interrupted.
A hand on the shoulder woke them from their slumber, where they laid upon Lucy's couch. The Hollow tilted his head toward the source, as no one could tell when Zangetsu's eyes were open or not. Lucy was over them, slight concern and anxiety over her features. A little ways behind her, Natsu stood with his hands hanging off the back of his neck and visibly bored. The blue cat nearly always around him was sitting upon the coffee table, idly nibbling at a raw fish.
"Sorry to wake you." The blonde apologized immediately, lifting her hand from their shoulder. "I just-I was really hoping you could please do something for me?" Keeping his gaze on the Celestial Spirit mage, Zangetsu sat up. "I don't want to bother you or anything, I just-well, Natsu and I were about to go on a quest, and I'm a little nervous about it, and I thought to myself that I would probably be less nervous if we had someone else on the quest with us, so I started wondering who I could ask to join, and-" The Hollow lifted his hand for her to stop. She shut her jaw, and stood up straight as she waited for his response.
'Think we should go?'
'It makes no difference to myself whether we do or do not. Though seeing that this is the first time Lucy has felt uncomfortable going on a mission without assistance, I am inclined to believe there is good reasoning behind it.'
'…Yeah, I was thinkin' the same thing. Somethin's gotta be fucky if she wants us to play bodyguard.' Their agreement was quick, prompting the Hollow to stand himself, picking up their blade as he did. The message was easily received by the mages, both Natsu and Lucy smiling.
"Thank you so much, Zangetsu! Let's go, we have to head to the docks!" The blonde announced. While the implication was clear to them that the quest demanded a trip to the docks, it did not actually inform them of what the quest consisted of.
"…We…go…but…explain." He was able to get out. Internally, the Hollow hissed. He spoke frequently, Mirajane and Levy happily engaging in conversation with him to practice. However, it hasn't gotten at all easier to do so despite that. The tic Zangetsu picked up of it becoming even more difficult when unfocused had not lessened in the slightest. Outside of their name, or the one instance where he shouted Ulquiorra's name, the Hollow had not been able to string together more than two syllables at a time.
The blade's internal irritation was obviously not something the mages could pick up on, and thus they merely listened to the words he did say. The three of them and the cat all left Lucy's apartment, the girl locking her door as she began to follow the spirit's request.
"Okay, so the quest we're going on is to free this island from a curse that's been hurting the inhabitants. That's why we're going to the docks, so we can find someone who's willing to take us there." This answer only brought the demon to tilt his head as they left the building. His left hand lifted to point at himself.
"…Why…help?"
"It's 'cuz the quest is S-Class, and Lucy's being a wimp over it!" Natsu announced, a teasing grin on his face.
'S-Class…We've heard that before, ain't we?'
'We've caught it used in idle chatter, nothing express. I'm under the impression it's some sort of indicator for the level of danger.'
"I'm not being a wimp, you're the one who's overestimating your abilities by stealing an S-Class quest in the first place!"
"If you think I'm over-mating or whatever, why did you agree to join?"
"Because the reward is a Zodiac Key! And we got Zangetsu to agree to oversee the mission!"
"But isn't he always asleep?" The cat brought up.
"Doesn't Natsu always get knocked out immediately when he tries to fight him?" She fired back.
"I do!" To Lucy's great confusion, the scarfed man confirmed her words enthusiastically. "I haven't even gotten him to actually use that sword of his yet! I wonder what type of magic sword it is…" The blonde blinked at his musing.
"Aren't magic swords pretty rare? Wouldn't it be more likely that it's just a normal sword?" The dragon-slayer shook his head immediately, a certain expression on his face.
"No, that thing is definitely a magic sword." He announced with utmost seriousness. Zangetsu couldn't help but turn his head to the pink-haired man, interested to discover his reasoning. "Normal swords smell like metal and leather. Magic swords usually have a hint of Lacrima, or whatever magic they've got. Zangetsu's sword…I don't really know how to explain it right. I don't really like to go out of my way to smell it, it makes my nose tingle and buzz. But it smells like it's part of him. When he's holding it, I seriously can't tell where he ends and it begins."
"Well, then what does Zangetsu smell like?" To both Zangetsu's and Lucy's shock, Natsu and the blue cat both frowned at the question, discomfort dressing their features.
"…I don't like to think about it." The fire-breather cryptically answered, the tone in his voice clear that he wanted to veer the conversation away from that topic. "Let's just get to the boat and do the mission, okay?" He rushed out before quickening his pace, wings appearing from the blue cat's back before he joined his partner. The blade stared at the dragon-slayer's back, silent both in body and in their mindscape. They noticed Lucy's glance their way, filled with confusion and trepidation, before she went to keep step with Natsu. From the way the scarfed man was acting, Zangetsu felt they had a good idea of what scent their body possessed.
…If so, they agreed with him. They didn't want to think about it, either.
At the docks, their team encountered a different, more prevalent issue than the mystery behind what Zangetsu smelled like. That being, no one was willing to take them to the island their mission was located on. Every time the group went up to a captain, they would be on board until they discovered where exactly the destination was. Well over a dozen turned them down without any hesitation, only some even bothering to explain that no one ever returned from the island. As they were talking to the last boat captain, something looked down upon them.
"Finally found you!" That something being Gray. Natsu, Lucy, and the blue cat all went wide eyed.
"What are you doing here, Ice Prick?!"
"Stopping all of you from killing yourselves, obviously! I expect this out of Flame Brain, but Lucy? Seriously?" He glanced around over the group again, his face curling in hatred and disgust as he spotted Zangetsu. "And you thought it was a good idea to bring that thing to a cursed island? What, are you trying to get yourselves killed?!" Lucy turned defensive immediately, stepping in front of the spirit.
"He's not a thing, Gray! I don't know what your problem is with him, but he's joining us to protect us." Being the only one facing the demon, only Gray spotted the flinch that tore through the blade's body.
"Yeah? Is that why he's all twitchy? Because he's just so desperate to keep you safe?"
"Hey, Zangetsu won't do anything to us." Natsu declared.
"And what makes you so certain, huh? He's a demon, in case you're as blind as you are stupid." The ice-mage sneered.
"He doesn't smell like blood." The dragon-slayer kept his voice level. "That's not something you can wash off. He hasn't killed anyone."
"Yet, you mean." The surprisingly fully clothed man huffed in irritation, but did not attempt to argue with a dragon-slayer's nose. "It doesn't matter, not when I'm taking all of you back to the guild so you can be punished."
"Punished?!" Lucy's skin paled at the thought.
"Yeah. What did you think would happen if you stole an S-Class quest? If you come back now, there's a chance you won't be removed from the guild."
"REMOVED?!" She cried, looking as though her soul was ready to leave her body.
"If I back out now, then what's the point of stealing it in the first place?! I'm going, and you can't stop me!"
"Too bad, this is a direct order from the Master!" A grin formed upon the ice wizard's face. "But if you're going to fight me so much, it's my obligation to force you to follow." He announced, ice forming in his right hand.
"You're talking like you can get me to listen to you, ya exhibitionist creep!" Natsu shot back, a ball of flame appearing in his left palm.
"Of course I am, you piece of burning trash!"
"Wait, guys, not here!" Lucy tried to step between the two.
"Wizards…?" The boat captain breathed, his eyes widening. "…Are you…trying to rid the island of its curse?"
"Duh!" Natsu declared confidently.
"W-well, yeah." Lucy rubbed at her bicep nervously.
"Hey, you guys aren't leaving!" Gray shouted angrily. Zangetsu remained perfectly silent, his gaze unwavering from the boat captain's form.
"If that's the case, then hop in!" The Captain permitted, a serious expression on his face. The ice wizard attempted to protest, but during his moment of shock from the Captain's permission, Natsu struck. With a quick kick to the back of the raven-haired man's head, the pathological stripper was out cold. The dragon-slayer wasted no time in climbing inside and tying up his rival with rope, a proud gleam upon his face.
"Natsu?!" The Celestial Mage screeched.
"Hey, if he goes back to the guild, they'll send a licensed S-Class mage after us! And the only active ones at the guild are Erza and Laxus, neither are good options for us!" He reasoned. After a moment to consider that logic, Lucy joined Natsu and his cat inside, the three of them then turning towards the zanpakuto.
"You still in, Zangetsu?" The fire breather asked.
The blade remained as still as a statue, empty glare firmly on the captain. The man shifted uncomfortably, his face more…uncertain, than anything else.
'I'm not sensing shit, am I?' The Hollow demanded.
'Not unless we both are.' The Quincy gravely confirmed.
"…Zangetsu?" Lucy sounded afraid, likely of the idea that the spirit was going to back out.
'…Ain't my problem.' With a snort, the zanpakuto broke his stare and stepped into the boat, almost immediately collapsing down into a sitting position. Lucy and the cat did not notice the light sigh of relief from the captain, before he adjusted his grip on his oar and pushed them off from the dock. He looked out towards the horizon as he started them on their journey.
"Off to Galuna Island."