Last night—
Ever since he learned Shinomiya could use "blade-meditation" in place of sleep, Ichigo had started doing the same. These days, his inner world felt like home.
"Zangetsu?"
He searched for the familiar silhouette.
A chill of killing intent grazed the back of his neck. No—more than intent.
Ichigo dropped, rolled forward, and barely avoided a blade colder than that killing edge. He snapped his gaze toward the attacker.
"…?"
His face went slack.
"Hah! Thought it was him, didn't you? Sorry to disappoint. The one cutting you down isn't that guy—it's me. Zangetsu."
A white Ichigo stood far away, his sword spinning on the wrapped hilt like a flail, the cloth snapping taut like a chain. When it missed, he yanked it back and started it whirling until the edge blurred from sheer speed.
The wind stung Ichigo's cheek even at this distance.
"Quit screwing around. You're not Zangetsu. Who the hell are you? Where is he? What did you do to him?!"
"I'm here, Ichigo."
The voice came from above and behind. Ichigo twisted—and there he was: the man in black, hanging upside down like a bat from a leaning tower.
"Zangetsu…"
Relief washed through Ichigo—then an uneasy thought.
Zangetsu answered it before he could ask. "You've come again to seek Bankai. I'm willing to help."
"But that alone won't do."
"You must understand your power more deeply. Only then can you grasp your true Bankai."
"True… Bankai?" Ichigo blinked. Bankai was Bankai. He didn't even have a fake one yet—how was there already a "true" one?
"Heh. Babysitting a blockhead is a chore," the white Ichigo sneered. "If it were me, I wouldn't bother yammering. Cut first. If he lives, he learns. Like how people just… learn to walk, run, eat. That's instinct."
"Three words can't make a man understand himself. If he were that sharp, he wouldn't need you."
"You—!"
"Don't. Arguing with a creature bound to instinct is pointless," Zangetsu said softly. He looked at the white Ichigo. "Because he's a Hollow."
"?!"
Ichigo stared at the white copy. The other only grinned, offering no denial.
"His name is Hollow White," Zangetsu went on. "The Hollow who attacked your mother."
Ichigo's eyes widened. Zangetsu's next words hit like stones.
"Your mother did die to a Hollow's hand. You were young then. Now, you can sense the truth."
"But that's not the point. Before that—before you were born—another Hollow attacked her. When that Hollow died, its spirit transferred into your mother. When you were born, it passed into you."
"…"
Words failed Ichigo. His face kept shifting as the ground under his feet gave way.
"As you awakened as a Shinigami and grew stronger, so did he—until this outcome became inevitable. If nothing changes, the day will come when you lose control, hurt your friends, are cast out of Seireitei, and live alone."
"A Shinigami cannot coexist with a Hollow. You understand this well, after what you learned of the Hōgyoku's danger."
"So—"
A sword shaped like a shark cleaver appeared in Zangetsu's hand, then flattened into a black bow. He tossed it to Ichigo.
"Take this bow. Erase his consciousness. Take back the nourishment he's stolen. Then that future will never come."
"Yeah, yeah. Come try," Hollow White laughed, stopping his spin. He set the point toward Ichigo, ambition and malice naked in his eyes. "If you don't, I'll outgrow you and take your body. I'll wreck everything you care about."
"Zangetsu…"
Ichigo eyed Hollow White, then looked up at Zangetsu. "You said 'take back nourishment.' But he's a Hollow. Even if I take it back… it's still Hollow power, isn't it? Seireitei will hate me for it anyway."
"That power is yours by right. It is not the same as hollowfication. Its form is decided by you. It is a more perfect state than wearing a Hollow's mask."
"Should you choose it, you will wield two Zanpakutō—one embodying the Hollow's force, one the Shinigami's. Who holds the reins will be obvious. That is hardly 'using hollowfication.'"
"…That explains the two Shikai forms," Ichigo murmured, lifting the bow. "This black bow—that's you."
"And that guy's blade… the oversized slab of iron."
"To learn Bankai, your cooperation alone isn't enough. I have to 'subjugate' him."
"Not subjugate. Destroy," Zangetsu said, voice hard. "The same end, a harsher path. It is the trial you must cross as a Shinigami—the delusion you must shatter."
"I get it. I know you're looking out for me." Ichigo's brow knit. "But tell me one thing. My mother… did she know? Did she know this would happen?"
"?"
"Sorry—that wasn't clear. I mean… did my mom know she had a Hollow in her? That when she had me, it would pass to me? I need to know."
He stared Zangetsu dead in the eye. No give in him at all.
"…She knew," Zangetsu said at last, sighing.
"…"
Ichigo stood silent for a beat. Then he slung the bow across his shoulder and grinned. "Then I can't just erase him."
"Hah?"
Hollow White's face was a study.
"Are you stupid? If you don't use that bow—if you don't use that power to erase me—I'm going to ruin you."
"I know what Hollows are. But my mom knew and still chose to have me."
"Wait—"
"That's why he looks like me, right? The Hollow that shifted to her… it was already dead in every way that mattered. Otherwise, why move on to me? Why not stay in an adult's body? Passing by blood—no choice in it."
"What passed on wasn't a creature anymore. It was pure force. That's why it could flow through blood to me, and then meld into me without friction."
"If I'm right, she left him to me on purpose—as a trump card to protect me when I was in danger. If I die, he's not exactly better off."
Ichigo's mind had finally found Shinomiya's groove.
"And the reason it didn't save me in that car crash… was one miscalculation. She overrated him. He needed Shinigami power to wake up—to grow into something that could help."
"…"
Hollow White's mouth hung open—the exact face Ichigo made when someone dropped too much info on him.
"Zangetsu."
Ichigo bowed slightly. "I know why you want him gone. If he explodes one day and Seireitei sees, I die. But he's my mom's keepsake—a brother in all but name. Even if he's a Hollow, I can't swing for the neck."
"And besides, he and I are symbiotic. He won't kill me. Pushing me to the brink now and then doesn't help him. If he can't sit still and goes feral, I'll humor him. I need a sparring partner. Always dragging you out… feels rude."
"…"
"…"
"Very well," Zangetsu said finally. "Then we change the test."
"When you're ready—use that bow to defeat me."
"You get one chance. If you fail, I will choose for you. One way or another… I want you to live in Soul Society."
"Got it."
Ichigo drew a long breath and nodded, hard—then snapped out of his inner world.
Sssht.
Hollow White planted his cleaver in the ground and barked a laugh. "You hear that? He called me 'brother'! Who the hell calls a Hollow 'brother'?"
"You were born from Ichigo. Your form, your thoughts, your will—are his."
"Tch. Which is why I'll help—for once. I'll give him a chance to erase me with your power… with Quincy power."
"Yes," Zangetsu murmured, emotions complicated. "To Ichigo the Shinigami, Hollow power is danger—and a magnet for Soul Society's hatred. Even if I grant him a Quincy's arsenal, his core will be the Shinigami's."
"I would prefer your unconditional help. You refuse. The only safe way to gain your force is to erase you."
"Too bad he refused."
"Of course he did. Who trashes their own Zanpakutō?" Hollow White bared his teeth. "Use Quincy force to delete a Hollow inside a Zanpakutō… You're crazier than me. I don't even know what happens if it works. Do I die? Get sealed? Come back a hundred years from now?"
"Maybe it's the curiosity talking—that's why I said yes."
"Anyway… he shot down your plan. I won't team up. So how's he learn a 'true' Bankai?"
"You underestimate your master," Zangetsu said, turning and drifting down to the tilted pavement. "Look around. This slanted world is your clue."
"For the master of a world, the power to overturn it… comes in any quantity he wants."
"And a true Bankai is no different."
"If Ichigo won't have you, I'll keep giving him what a Quincy can. A Quincy's Bankai."
"When that power is perfected, you'll be even less his match. If he then turns and subjugates you—so be it. What choice will you make? I'm curious."
"You smug bastard!"
Hollow White lunged and swung. The blade cut empty air.
Zangetsu was gone.
"Run while you can," Hollow White muttered, then tilted his face to the clear sky. "Brother, huh? Stay naïve. Even with Zangetsu laying rails for you, you'll never beat me if you do."
"Just don't die like last time—clean and quick. No—better. Go wield what he handed you—and lose. Then I can show you what power actually matters to you."
"And the only power… worthy of the name."
…
Back to now—Squad Five's training ground.
"…That's the gist," Ichigo finished, frowning. "I went back before I came here—didn't see Zangetsu. He's waiting for me to call him into the real world. But with one shot only? I can't treat that lightly."
"If I blow it, we miss Rukia's rescue."
"So I was thinking… what if I take out this 'Hollow White' first and team up with him against Zangetsu? Better odds, right?"
"Shinomiya—got any brilliant schemes?"
"…"
Shinomiya pressed his lips together. If he didn't, his expression would give him away.
"A scheme, huh."
"Yeah. You're best at… uh, negotiating. With weird entities."
"Let me confirm one thing. Your Zanpakutō said, 'As long as you defeat him with the bow,' right?"
Ichigo replayed it in his head. "…Yeah. That's what he said."
"In that case, there's nothing to worry about."
"What?"
"I mean…" Shinomiya stood, voice light. "Let your Hollow drive. If he wins, you pass. If he loses, you watch, learn, and plan."
"Then you come back, execute the plan, and pass. If the plan fails—watch you fumble, and the Hollow won't be able to resist chiming in."
"One head short, two heads long. Team up, and you're worried about failing?"
"…"
Ichigo's eyes got brighter the longer he listened.
-------
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