"Huh. There's no one here." Ichigo spoke to himself as he stared at the tall structure in front of him. It reminded of a wooden stage back at in World of the Living. He slowly took a couple of steps towards the structure thinking that it was where he was supposed to go, when the entire sky suddenly turned black, with a spotlight on him. He quickly clutched his eyes as a loud screech came from above. Bright lights starting up above him until they lit a small platform where a single dark skinned person stood, and rock music started playing from the speakers.
"AYO! PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER AND MAKE SOME NOOIIISEEE!" A wave of smoke suddenly erupted from behind him. "BECAUSE THE BOSS IS IN THE HOUSE! I AM THE ORIGINAL ZANPAKUTO CREATOR AKA THE OG BLADE GOD, NIMAIYA OETSU!" Screens on the side started flashing letters. "S! I! K! U! Y! O! R! O! YA KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?! THAT MEANS LIKE YO! WHAZZUP! HOW YOU DOIN'! HOWZIT HANGIN'! ZANPAKUTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, WE LOVE IT!" With a single gunshot gesture, Ichigo, not knowing how, quickly found out in a fairly big club with a LOT of hostesses surrounding him.
"WELCOME TO THE LOVELY AND AMAZING HOOHDEN!" The beautiful ladies shouted at the same time. As he walked past them with a deadpan expression on his face at not understanding what the hell was happening, he started to notice that all the ladies had suddenly piled together in groups and were whispering to each other and some were looking at him with blushes on their faces.
"Well well well. Looks like you're popular among the ladies, Go-Ichi." Oetsu said as he reappeared in front of an open door. "Welcome Kurosaki. So whatcha think about my opening number? Pretty dope, right? Anyways, allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Nimaiya Oetsu, the master of this Hoohden and and the baddest damned badass in all of Squad Zero. Up high!" He shouted as he held up his hands.
'Do it.' The Reio spoke, and the overpowered being in a teenager's body could have sworn he could hear a hint of amusement in his voice. 'Do what he does and he will leave you alone.' Sighing, he raised his hands, but right when he was about to make contact, Oetsu lowered his hands and laughed. "Haha! Too slow, Go-Ichi! ACK!"
He fought the urge to smile as the eccentric man got kicked in the face by a flying kick and sent flying to the wall, eventually crashing into it. He turned back to look at the person who kicked him, and realized that it was the same girl who saved him a couple of days ago.
"What the fuck are you doing?! Let's get on with it already!" The red-haired girl shouted after him.
"Come on Mera-chan! I was having fun, that's all!" He whined, making her huff.
"Hey." The girl, Mera, stared at the tall dude who was staring at her.
"What?"
"Are you the girl who saved me from the Hollows and Thirteen Court Guard Squads a couple of days ago?"
"Yeah, what about it? You got a problem?"
Ichigo shook his head. "No. I just wanted to say thanks. For saving my ass back there."
Mera widened her eyes in surprise, before huffing and walking away. "Whatever. Now follow me." She said as she walked away, expecting Ichigo to follow her and he did. After a couple of minutes walking, they finally reached their destination; a shabby hut at the edge of the cliff that looked like it was about to fall apart at any moment.
"This is the real Hoohden." She drawled. Ichigo blinked, then turned around to look at the lively club that was far away, then looked at the hut in front of him. He looked at the idiot who was crying his eyes out and then to the girl who had a bored look on her face.
"Are you serious?" A nod was his response. "No wonder he lives there."
"You're wrong, Go-Ichi." Oetsu stopped crying. "I don't live there, I just kick it every once in a while. I live here, in this hut. Now in you go." Ichigo shrugged, stepped through the curtain and fell down ten to fifteen feet to the ground. Once he got up, he dusted himself off and glared at the Shinigami who just smiled at him.
"I wonder, did you happen to notice that I was the only living, breathing Shinigami since you got here?" Oetsu asked.
"Really?" Ichigo responded. "That explains why every single one of those women felt the same, as if they all had the same amount of reiatsu within them, just like the girl next to you."
This response caused both the girl and her master to look at each other in shock, stunned that the human could be getting closer and closer to realizing the truth, even if he did not know it yet. The hype Shinigami turned back and responded. "That's exactly right Go-Ichi! The reason that you felt nothing from the lovely ladies and Mera-chan over here is they are all Zanpakuto."
"They're… what?" Ichigo asked in shock.
"You heard me! Zanpakuto, Go-Ichi! Every single last one of 'em. Just like the Zanpakuto in there with you right now." Ichigo narrowed his eyes in confusion before hearing some movement behind him. He turned around and to his surprise, he saw countless grey men with mouths for eyes.
"These… are Zanpakuto?"
"Yep, or rather they are the ultimate Zanpakuto that can become anything, the Asauchi. Those nameless Zanpakuto that are provisionally issued to trainees during their times at the academy, and then officially reissued to them when they become full-fledged members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Every Shinigami eats and sleeps with their Asauchi and trains with it relentlessly, until finally by imprinting the essence of their soul on it, they have created their own personalized Zanpakuto. And the dude who makes each and every one of those Asauchi is this guy, Nimaiya Oetsu! Now then," he pointed at the hybrid, "let's see if you can find your own Asauchi."
Ichigo turned back to look at the Asauchi, which were just standing there looking at him. As he thought about how to find his own Asauchi, he suddenly felt it. A tug. Gently guiding him to the back, to the darkness. He slowly walked towards it as its tug became a pulling, drawing him closer and closer to… something there. He did not even realize that all the Asauchi surrounding him had started bowing towards him, or that after doing so had begun to disintegrate into reishi particles and flowed like multiple rivers connecting to each other and continuing towards the darkness. When he reached his destination, the pulling finally stopped. There, bowing down with one knee and looking at straight at him, was a single Asauchi. For reasons unknown to him, his arm moved and met the Asauchi's arm halfway, causing the grey skin to peel away, revealing his Inner Hollow staring at him with an amused grin on his face.
"King." Shiro greeted.
"Shiro." Ichigo greeted back with a calm smile on his face, before giving him a knee to the face.
"The fuck was that for?!"
"The limit barrier you put in my mind."
"Come on King! I was just having fun!"
"At my expense?"
"…When you say it like that, it sounds bad."
"Well since you were fun at my expense…"
"Whoa King. Let go of my arm."
"… I'll have fun at your expense!"
"Shit!"
"Get back here, you!"
Oetsu just stared at the scene playing out in front of him with eyes that had not blinked in minutes. Never in his eternal life has he seen anything like this. All the Asauchi he had built, had been absorbed by the Hollow! Not to mention the fact that before that, they all bowed to him! HIM! They had bowed to a stranger when they had one so to no one, not even him! The guy who created them! 'The Reio was right about Kurosaki.' He somberly thought to himself. 'The potential this kid has is astronomical, just like his power. He really could the one to undo it all, and maybe, just maybe, finally stop him once and for all.'
"Ok guys, come on up!" He shouted, causing Ichigo to stop beating the shit out of his Hollow. "It's about time you had a true Zanpakuto."
X
"Hey King." Shiro spoke in a bland tone.
"What is it?" Ichigo replied with the same bland tone.
"I'm starting to think this was a mistake."
"You're not the only one."
The reason why they were having this conversation was because after they went down the slide and entered the place where he said to create Zanpakuto and screaming about getting some show started, he was suddenly attacked by five girls; one was Mera, who had been staring at Shiro this entire time for some reason, a blonde lady with breasts the size of Orihime's, a pink haired child, a kid with bandages covering half her face that reminded him of his Mugetsu transformation, and the last lady who looked sad and miserable.
"Hey, what are you doing just standing there, staring at me for?" He asked the Hollow while wincing in pain, who just tilted his head in confusion. "When I said every one that also includes you… Hollow." With a gesture, Shiro suddenly glowed and turned into a white blade that flew around the room. The former Substitute Shinigami then watched in curiosity and hidden fascination as the other girls did their part in getting the forge ready while the dark skinned man took off his jacket and glasses, tied his hair to the back of his head, and began hammering away on the glowing blade.
"So what are you thinking while you're watching, Go-Ichi?" Oetsu grunted after a few minutes.
"Um… I think the fire's a lot brighter now, so maybe you should have kept your sunglasses on?" Ichigo responded.
"You fool!" He yelled. "If I kept my sunglasses on, how would I be able to see the colour of the flames?!"
After a few more moments, Oetsu spoke again. "Have you figured it out yet, Go-Ichi?"
"Figured what out?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask.
"I'm talking about the reason why this Asauchi turned white, the moment you touched it?" When Ichigo's eyes widened, he continued, "I bet you thought 'This Asauchi looked a lot like the Hollow within me.' Didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did. Can you tell me why that is?"
Oetsu gestured for the blonde woman to put the blade into the water and back on the forge. "The answer is pretty simple. The Hollow is your true Zanpakuto."
To say that Ichigo was shocked would be an understatement. He was mortified. He could not believe what he was hearing. It couldn't be the truth. If that was true, then…
"Aizen Sosuke created the Hollow known as White by layering countless Shinigami souls one atop another. Oddly enough, this is the same method I use to create my Asauchi. That very same Hollow entered your Hollow and mounded with your natural Shinigami powers, thereby becoming your Zanpakuto."
"Hey, hold on just one second! You mean to tell me that Zangetsu no Ossan is-?!"
"That's right!" He agreed as he continued to hammer away at the Asauchi. "It seems that deep down, you already know the truth about the man who's been pretending to be your Zanpakuto!"
X
Ichigo, without knowing how, found himself inside his soul once again, staring down the man who had been with him, since day one, who was just standing there staring right back at him. He noted that the Reio nor Ayumi were nowhere to be seen. He also noticed that the sky had turned from the bright blue, to dark pink, creating a cool atmosphere. He ignored it for now. He had to know. He had to know if he had been lied to all this time.
"Zangetsu no Ossan. Is this… true?" He whispered.
The Old Man continued to silently stare at Ichigo, before breaking the silent silence. "It is as you just heard. I am sorry Ichigo." He took a deep breath.
"I am not Zangetsu."
Seeing Ichigo look at him with shock and hurt in his face was making his heart ache in guilt and pain. He just found out about his heritage and who his father was through the Reio's shenanigans and how he came to be. To drop this news on him felt wrong, cruel even. He noticed that the rain was coming in harder than ever before, and that the buildings were crumbling. Before long, he found himself looking down at the young man while they were in the sea of despair and pain.
"Then… you're the man in those memories? You're… Yhwach?"
"What I am, Ichigo, is the source of Quincy powers that lies within you. I merely bear the visage of the Quincy King because his blood runs through your veins. In a way, you could say I am Yhwach, but not."
"What the hell does that supposed to mean?!" Ichigo shouted for the first time since the barrier was removed. "Are you my ally or enemy, and was everything you told me just a lie?! DAMNIT, ANSWER ME!"
"I am not an enemy, nor am I an ally." He answered. "But my words held no lies, except for the name that I told you. Ichigo, I know you have seen it. Think back. Whenever I taught you how to use your Zanpakuto, I always had help from the Hollow. Whenever a time came that you could not handle your Zanpakuto's power, whenever you were truly in danger of losing your life, it was not I, but the Hollow who saved your life. I never wanted you to become a Shinigami, not did I want you to traveldown this path of battles and bloodshed. That is why I suppressed your true power, which had not fully matured. I took control of it and became the centre of your power instead."
"But why?"
"Why, you ask? The answer is simple Ichigo. I wished to keep you from danger and conflict. If you became a Shinigami, you would be dragged into battle where you could potentially lose your life, whether you wanted to be or not. You would get hurt. You would suffer, and even if I did not want to, I would have to kill you with my bare hands and put you out of your misery."
With eyes widened in shock, Ichigo saw the Quincy manifestation extend his arm to the side and summon a huge sword of black and white reishi that was almost as tall as him. He then grabbed the hilt and pulled the sword backwards, as if to jab it forward. "Because of the path you have chosen, you have gotten hurt. You have suffered. The only thing left to do now is kill you and put you out of your misery… and yet I cannot bring myself to do so. I knew what would happen if you went down this path, and yet you did that on your own free will. As I watched you overcome every obstacle that was in your way, I could almost feel my heart beginning to waver. Eventually, I decided that instead of keeping you from the path of the supernatural world, I would help you in any way I could." He put the sword back to its original position and began to disappear little by little as Ichigo watched in horror.
"And now…"
Ichigo began to frantically swim up to him, raising his arm as if to grab him before he disappeared.
"No."
"As I stand here before you…"
"Wait!"
"I feel a great sense of joy, at the thought of stepping away from you."
"Please wait!"
"You have become strong Ichigo. I had the honour of standing right beside you, watching you grow."
"Don't go!"
"I am happy to stand on the sidelines, knowing that you are able to stand on your own."
"I said wait, damnit!"
"…I am satisfied."
"Don't go Zangetsu! I STILL NEED YOU!"
It was too late. The Old Man disappeared, leaving behind the blade of reishi and a single tear that had fallen from his face right before he disappeared.
(Insert Number One Remix, by Hazel Fernandez and Shiro Sagisu)
"Ichigo." The Old Man's voice came from the sword as the young man continued to stare at it. "What you have been using until now had merely been a small portion of your total power. It is the only portion that I was unable to suppress, but now no one can stop you from using your full power, along with some slight adjustments added by the Reio himself. Go on. Take it. That is your true Zanpakuto. That… is Zangetsu."
Without another word, Ichigo grabbed the sword, and everything went white.
X
On the real world, Oetsu backed away when Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of the forge and grabbed the hot Asauchi. He watched in surprise as the flames not only continued to grow larger and larger, but had also turned black with a crimson outline on one side, and white with a crystalline blue outline on the other.
"H-Hey, what are you doing?! Your hands will burn if-!"
"It's all good." Oetsu soothed the blonde girl. "Isn't that right, Go-Ichi? Funny, I had the same feeling myself. I had a nagging suspicion that if you didn't pour your soul into it, then it would remain incomplete. So go on, show us what you got Kurosaki Ichigo, because that is your Zanpakuto!"
With a roar, Ichigo raised it up and pulled it apart, before disappearing in a wave of black reiatsu that blew everyone back, including Oetsu who had to let go of the hammer and anchor himself with his hands and knees. When it vanished, everyone but Oetsu gaped as the entire sea had evaporated. However, their jaws would be on the ground when they saw Ichigo.
The teenager had undergone some changes as well. Instead of the short spiky hair, his hair returned back to the way it was when he exited the Dangai. He was also not wearing the shihakusho he wore when he first got here. His attire now consisted of a modified version of his Bankai's long overcoat, except this time it had X's on his wrists, hands and torso, as well as the mask that he wore when he fought against Ulquiorra Cifer and that his hands had gloves, with his right hand having claws at the tip of the fingers. But the biggest surprise of all was the Zanpakuto he was carrying.
Or rather, the two Zanpakuto he was carrying.
He now had two Zanpakuto that resembled Khyber knives; one with the grip at the base of the blade and a handle extending back from this about roughly the width and length of his forearm. There was a thin, hollowed-out portion running along the back edge of the blade from the base to the middle of the blade. His second Zanpakuto was almost exactly the same, the difference was that it was entirely white.
"So, you're the third dual-wielder in Soul Society's history. How does it feel? Do you think you're going to be okay with them, those two Zangetsu you have there? After all, they were both real."
Instead of answering Oetsu's questions or paying attention to his bodyguards complementing his swords, he just stared at the two Zanpakuto with an impassive look on his face. 'Zangetsu. There were no lies in your words, or in his.'
He thought about Ossan. 'You used the Quincy's shadow, in order to help me.'
He then thought about Shiro. 'You saved me, when I was in danger of dying multiple times.'
He put them together in an X shape. 'I won't ask you to lend me your strength anymore.' The white Zangetsu dissipated into blue particles.
'Nor will I tell you to stay out of my way.' Then the black Zangetsu dissipated into red particles. 'And I will no longer ask you guys to fight alongside me. From here on out, I will fight with my own strength.'
He looked up, and saw both Zangetsu standing above, staring at him with proud expressions on their faces.
'Thank you for everything, Zangetsu. You… are me.'
X
In Ichigo's Inner World, both the Reio and Ayumi stood on top of a massive skyscraper and watched what Ichigo was seeing, both of them in good moods; the Reio, satisfied with how his adjustments worked and Ayumi, happy that Ichigo would move forward. Both of them now had something in common.
They were interested to see what the future held.
X
A/N: A couple of things I need to clear up about this chapter:
As you can see, I have changed Ichigo's Zanpakuto. I had originally intended for Ichigo to wield Mugetsu as a solo Zanpakuto, but I couldn't bring myself to do it as I love the dynamic of Juha Bach and White. They are both one and the same, two sides of the same coin. Wisdom and Violence. Logic and Instinct. Black and White.
If I do decide to do a sequel in the future, Ichigo will not gain Fullbring as, if you didn't pay attention to what you were reading, he unknowingly already has it thanks to the Reio's use of the Almighty and giving him that power, hence the X's on the wrists, arms and torso.
I based the character design of the fan-art I saw online, think it was for Bleach Brave Souls. Type in Brave Souls Ichigo, God Ichigo or Soul King Ichigo, and you will see what I am talking about.
Sorry if this chapter seems rushed to you. I just wanted to get this done and move on to the main plot of this story, so no Irazusando.
Quick announcement: I will no longer continue writing A Vengeful Hybrid until this story is finished, because I cannot focus on two until I have completed the one.