Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Daydreams Come True ❯ Hollowed Zangetsu ( Chapter 32 )

Tite Kubo owns Bleach. I just borrowed the characters.

 

Warning: Frequent coarse language and violence. It makes a nice change from introspection.

 

Hollowed Zangetsu

 

The old man was muttering to himself again and it was irritating. Muttering, talking to himself or ignoring him. This was what always happened in the long sections of life not taken up with fighting.

 

“Talk to me. I'm here too.” The sound of his voice echoed through the broken silence.

 

“Yes, you are,” he was told and then promptly ignored again.

 

“Aren't you meant to be training me? Teaching me things?”

 

He was answered by a bleak look but no words. Getting on his feet he walked closer to the pole on which the man stood. “You might think it makes you look enigmatic, but you look like a dick standing there. Are you posing for a cover shot for `Zanpakuto Monthly' or something `cause I don't see any cameras.”

 

His attempt to gain a reaction met with nothing. Not a smile, a frown or any sign he'd even been heard. Why did he have to be trapped in here with this guy? Why couldn't Ichigo's spirit be a hot babe, or an animal, or anything else? Instead he got Mr Stoic who spoke like a textbook and acted like he had a broom up his arse. If he had a sense of humour it wasn't apparent. In that respect he was a lot like Kingy. No fun, no ability to fool around. When he tried to work out who was more boring: Zangetsu or Ichigo, he couldn't make up his mind. The orange haired kid was so noble, so serious and so freaking tedious. Hell, he studied and tried to get good grades. Sure, he got into a few fights with other school kids, but not enough. And then he'd pout and complain that everyone was picking on him because of his hair colour.

 

It wasn't the hair. Ichigo's personality made it essential for any person who encountered him to wish to shred, maim or obliterate him. He wondered why the Quincy hadn't killed him when he has the chance.

 

Thinking about Ichigo always frustrated him. If Zangetsu bothered to talk to him it would push any thoughts of the King of the Dweebs to the back of his mind. Sometimes Zangetsu would let him see what was happening outside, but it happened too infrequently and he was often forced to rely on his own resources. He didn't have many.

 

“I didn't ask to be born,” trying a new tactic he wanted to see if he could get a pity response.

 

“No-one does,” was the dry reply.

 

“But I really didn't ask to be born. If Kingy hadn't gotten all noble trying to protect his bit of fluff, I'd never have existed.” He sounded like he was whining, but didn't care. Zangetsu didn't react to any of the range of emotions he'd tried except when he looked bored. "I was forced into existence and now I'm kept in here like I don't matter. I'll die of boredom."

 

“And wouldn't that be a blessing for us all,” Zangetsu said quietly.

 

“Hey, Old Man, that's not fair! The kid'd be nothing without me. I'm the best part of him,” he responded, wishing he had a hard object to throw at the man. If only he could get his hands on a blade, the annoying bloke would be in pieces and he could take over. Or would it work that way? If he killed Zangetsu, would he die as well? Would the orange haired exhibitionist lose his Shinigami powers? He snarled at the annoying thoughts. Why did his brain have to interfere with his fun?

 

In a disinterested tone Zangetsu said slowly, “That remains to be seen, but I think not.”

 

The measured reply only served to make him angrier. “Screw you. You don't know what you're talking about.” He knew the guy disliked him, but he didn't have to bloody say it. And the way he talked about his little tin god, Ichigo, like the guy was something special. instead of a teenager with overactive hormones and a taste for older women. Though the older woman in this case was a hot one; one he wouldn't mind getting all sweaty and intimate with, if he could get Kingy out of the way for a time, or forever. That guy got all the breaks while he got nothing except lectures, a hard-on and his right hand.

 

Zangetsu ignored him as he often did, staring out into the distance.

 

“Why won't you let me take over?” He'd asked this question many times and never received an answer, but he was fed up with the silence and brooding. Even a conversation with the brooding one would be better.

 

“You will have your opportunity later,” Zangetsu said. “Be silent, I am trying to observe what is going on.”

 

After all this time he finally twigged to why there were such long silences. The man was once more observing what was happening while he was stuck, staring at the scenery. The damned blue sky and windows which only got slightly interesting when it thundered and rained. Why did it thunder? It didn't happen often enough, but every time it did Zangetsu turned from dour to melancholy. Did the guy know how to smile, or were the muscles around his mouth frozen?

 

For as long as possible he tried to concentrate on answers. Sometimes it rained, sometimes it thundered. Maybe the man hated the rain and his inability to smile just supported his idea that he had no sense of humour. Tiring of his thoughts he tried for another diversion. “Hey, you. Can I listen in on Kingy too?”

 

The man finally gave him his full attention. “You have the ability to do so without my intervention. It takes practice and quiet. You have to be at one with yourself and content to merely observe.

 

What the fuck did that mean? `At one with yourself?' Who else would he be? He wasn't he kid or the sword. He was a Hollow imprisoned inside a Shinigami. Listening in to what was happening would be better than staring at the horizon for the next few days. Deciding to ignore the latter part of the instruction he asked, “How do I start?”

 

“By being silent.”

 

That figured. Silence in a place which was already too quiet. There had to be more than that required to listen to Kingy and find out what was going on.

 

“I can shut up,” he announced.

 

The small rise of the man's eyebrow indicated that he wasn't confident of the truth of the statement. He had three choices but he dismissed the 'being silent option' immediately. He could try to get the guy into a fight over his attitude, and from past experience he knew that wouldn't work, or he could keep asking questions.

 

“What else?”

 

“Silence is more than not speaking. Master the art of silence and I will explain the next step.”

 

This time Zangetsu turned away. Staring at his back, the Hollow felt fury growing within him, even though he knew it was futile. The smug git obviously didn't believe that he could be silent. He'd show him.

 

Retreating to a distance where he didn't feel in immediate danger of hurting the man, he sat down. Silent he stared at the unchanging horizon. What did he mean by that statement: `silence is more than not speaking?' Was it one of those statements which really was a question? He had to work out what it meant and it was plain that the man wasn't going to tell him anything more. This was unfair. Thinking was not his favourite past time, or even in his top million favourites.

 

He wanted to sigh in disgust but stopped himself in time. Sighing was not part of silence and it seemed there was a need to prove he could try. Being silent he attempted to find another method of amusement so he stared at the scenery. The horizon bored him. Never changing, the blue sky, clouds and buildings spreading endlessly on into the distance until they met in a clear blue line. Yeah, the clouds changes, but trying to imagine what they were palled after looking at them for hours on end. There was no sunrise, no sunset, no cloudy weeks, a few storms happening too infrequently for variety.

 

Sitting still and being quiet wasn't much fun either. He fidgeted a little, wanting to get up and do something, but that wouldn't be silent. Shutting his eyes he listened to the absence of sound. The only thing that made noise was his breath, but he wasn't going to stop breathing, not even to listen to what was going on outside. His mouth gaped wide and he yawned unintentionally. The noise of the exhalation of breath at least provided some change and he yawned again. His head nodded forward and he opened his eyes briefly wondering if he'd slept. Nothing had changed. The man was still on his pole. The sky was still blue. He was still bored.

 

Letting his eyes drift shut again he lay on his back. If he slept it would mean he was silent. Would that be enough for Zangetsu to agree to help him with the next step or did he have to be actively silent. His lips curved into a smile at the thought of active silence. It would be Ichigo with a mute button. That wasn't a bad idea, muting Kingy. Then he wouldn't have to listen to any of his annoying babbling or squealing when he finally got to view the outside world. If only he had the chance to show the idiot what he was missing out on? One display of his superior abilities would mean that he was the king and the orange kid was nothing, not even a horse.

 

A sudden noise woke him. Jumping to his feet he noticed he was alone. Zangetsu had disappeared with the sound that had awoken him. Where could the man be? At first he searched the area but couldn't find him. He went over the corner where the man liked to stand and could find nothing.

 

“Great! I'm free of his rules. I can do what I want.” Uttering the words aloud did not bring back the man dressed in black. Looking around he began to wonder what he could do. He walked back and forth making as much noise as he could, calling out, yelling, singing discordantly, burping and doing anything to break the oppressive silence. As soon as he stopped the silence came back.

 

“I'm King of this world,” he declaimed and no one contradicted him. “I'm the only King!”

 

Again no one said anything. Emboldened he yelled as loudly as he could. “The kid is nothing! I am everything! I am the once and future ruler. I'll take over, get the girl and stop being so fucking noble. Why does he have to act like that all the time? Like he's the most important ass in the world and everyone else is a jerk, or a horse? I'm sick of the poser!”

 

Hearing the words spoken aloud made him feel better.

 

"I don't want to look like him or dress like him," was his next declaration as he took off his shirt and pulled off the sleeves. "Why do I need shoes?" he yelled as he flung the offending foot coverings over the side of the building. "Women wear sashes," he laughed as he took it off and tied it around his forehead in a much cooler style.

 

"I'm not a copy. I'm me and Ichigo is an excuse."

 

He wished he had a mirror so he could see how different he looked. If that substitute could see him, then he'd realise who was the better man, except he was a man and Ichigo was still a kid. It would be great if he had a pair of sunglasses but then he might look like a creepy copy of Zangetsu.

 

It freaked him out how each time he stopped making any noise, the silence returned even more profoundly. Why was that? It was oppressive so he started to sing loudly, anything he could remember. The main problem was the only songs he knew were the ones Ichigo listened to and his taste in music was crap. JPop and doubtful American singers. Where was the heavy metal or Punk? Instead he had hip-hop and dance music. To compensate he sang as if the songs were heavy metal, just to fill the void of silence.

 

Without meaning to he found he was giving a heartfelt rendition of 'My blade is my pride', and stopped mid lyric. He couldn't sing that! It was sickening to hear his voice echoing the sentiments of how much Ichigo liked his sword. It indicated a certain worrying predilection in the kid or was yet another example of his devotion to honour. It could be both. The silence returned with more intensity than before.

 

"I'll hum. Anything. It doesn't have to be loud," he said aloud and then hummed tunelessly, while he tried to decide his next action. It had to be something bold, and manly. Something that his so called 'master' would never think of because he wasn't up to the challenge. Wild, crude, wicked, evil, the opposite of honourable or fair.

 

"I'll break some windows. I'll get into the buildings and write graffiti over the walls. I'll spray paint my tag on everything," was the decision, but a few seconds reflection showed him one minor problem. "No stupid paint. No effing permanent markers." He searched his pockets once more but again failed to find anything that could be used to write.

 

"I can still break the windows!" Running up to one he stamped on it. It juddered under the impact, but that was all. There was no crack, no satisfying sound of shattering glass. He tried again and again. The window shuddered, rattled and shook, but refused to break. Kneeling down, he punched at the stubborn glass until his knuckles began to bleed.

 

"Break, damn you. Break. BREAK!" He yelled, infuriated at his inability to change anything. The Old Man prevented his from trying to get the upper hand over the kid, he was cut off from what was happening in the real world most of the time, he had to put up with some petulant fifteen year old and he couldn't alter a thing. Fury took hold of him and he continued to beat at the window until he was exhausted and dripping sweat all over the window.

 

Scowling he looked at the glass and noticed that at least the changes he had made to his appearance were still there. His sweat was smearing the glass, making it less reflective of the sky. "I can change myself," was his fervid assurance. "I'm the only one who can bloody well change me. The kid won't 'cause he's a twerp and the old man can't because I won't let him."

 

Frustrated, he sat on his haunches and thought about being silent. Zangetsu was silent too often, but that was maybe because he was listening to what was going on. That seemed right. He'd been misled. The man wasn't just being quiet. He was eavesdropping on Ichigo. For all his attitude, he was as bad as the Hollow.

 

Shutting his eyes, the Hollow struggled to listen to the absence of noise instead of trying to cover it. It was hard. Concentrating was a new activity he'd avoided but he persisted. The silence grew louder, pushing against his ears, swaddling him in layers of lack, but slowly and very quietly he heard a underlying sound. It sounded like wind and the small amount of sensory input encouraged him to try harder.

 

This was active silence. The Old Man hadn't told him , but he grudgingly admitted he wouldn't have understood. He sat there and continued to listen, hoping for the expected reward.

 

***************************************************************** *******

 

Life had been considerably more pleasant before the arrival of the Hollow. Not being able to communicate properly with Ichigo had irked him, but he was aware that time would change that. Time, wisdom and experience changed everything until it barely resembled the imperfect beginning. At least that applied to most cases.

 

All the indications were that the Hollow would change, but not necessarily into anything better. The need for constant conversation and reassurance he found annoying. The thing existed due to mistakes and while he had been present at the creation there was nothing he could do to prevent its birth. When Ichigo had his Shinigami powers removed from him and was left to die, for a brief passage of time Zangetsu had despaired that his life would end, prematurely, before he had a chance to train the boy.

 

Although the teenager had been saved, Zangetsu had become dormant due to the loss of contact with the outside world. His awakening had proved difficult and ultimately unsatisfactory. Through their brief acquaintance he'd become aware of how stubborn Ichigo could be, and often would prove to have difficulty adapting to new situations, or accepting sensible advice. The birth of his Hollow supported that belief, but there was nothing he could do to alter the past.

 

As soon as he established contact with Ichigo once more and was finally persuaded to acknowledge him as his Shinigami, he found that the boy had once more accepted an insane suggestion. Entering Soul Society and the Seireitei with no knowledge, little experience and a sparse force was not the act of a rational person, no matter what reason was presented.

 

He knew the boy was in love. It was not a good reason to risk friends and life to protect a woman who was recaptured by her own brother and returned for sentence and punishment. If her own family were involved, it would be a serious matter and the rescue would be difficult, if not impossible.

 

The child would not listen to his advice, determined as he was to follow his own way. The shopkeeper and cat didn't help either, cajoling him, making promises and hinting at inside knowledge or secrets that would help. The man was unsavoury and talking cats were not normal. Even his limited experience of the human world had proven that. It was suspicious.

 

For a limited time he considered warning Ichigo. What awaited them on this mission he could not predict, but it seemed futile. He was prepared to lie to his family and venture his life. Was love such a strong emotion that it encouraged people to make foolish decisions? If that was so, then he was pleased to be a spirit of a zanpakuto and had no need to indulge in those unwanted feelings.

 

Intently he listened to the events that were occurring outside. The Hollow irritated him with its constant demands and questions, often interrupting at a time he would have preferred to be able to listen freely. The time in Soul Society had interested him little. Plans, suggestions and silly fights dominated that time. It only became slightly interesting when a method was found to breach the shield that surrounded the Seireitei but it made him wonder at the identity of Mr Yoruichi. The cat had too much knowledge and too many contacts within Soul Society.

 

One thing disconcerted him tremendously. There were times when sleeping that the boy seemed absent. The body was still there and a level of consciousness existed, but there were no thoughts or dreams that he could sense. When he had experienced this in the human world, he had dismissed it as a temporary abnormality. The second time worried him. After each event he had noticed that Ichigo was more determined to continue the quest, despite Zangetu's increasing uncertainty. He spoke rarely of Rukia, but instead of fading, the emotion he felt toward the woman seemed to increase. Many times he almost asked him what happened and each time he had sensed that no answer would be provided. The boy had a secret place within him, barricaded so neither he nor the Hollow might gain entry.

 

Each encounter with a strong Shinigami made Zangetsu's communication with Ichigo easier. The boy was prepared to take his advice and borrow his strength in battles, but aside from that he tended to follow his own inclinations. It pleased him that each victory brought additional strength, but the problem with that was the Hollow appeared to draw power from this also. It fretted and fussed, complaining more each day. It postured and postulated and on the whole was boring. He disliked the colour of the thing and the deep black eyes that bored into his own, reminding him with each glance that the Hollow not only sprang from Ichigo, but partly from him.

 

Irritation swept through him that an imperfect creation like the Hollow was in any way connected to him. While it might possibly provide strength to argument Ichigo's and Zangetsu's at a later time, it was doubtful that the benefit would outweigh the inconvenience.

 

One thing that he knew without doubt. Even though he knew he would hate the process, it was essential that Ichigo learned to bankai. The quality of the fighters he was encountering kept improving and while his skills had grown, it was not enough. The boy needed healing and a method of reaching his potential quickly.

 

He was watching intently as Ichigo finally managed to defeat Renji, only to encounter another Captain when the Hollow once more attempted to engage him in meaningless conversation. The creature obviously wanted to be once more given the opportunity to eavesdrop on events happening outside, but he wasn't in a generous mood.

 

He spoke to it sharply and it once more became quiet.

 

Then the most amazing thing occurred after he'd leant his strength to Ichigo and defeated the 11th Division Captain. While that achievement was astonishing, Yoruichi finally revealed she was a female and obviously knew the Seireitei. From her conversation with Ichigo she knew more than she disclosed. The failed attempt to save Rukia from her prison only reinforced the fact that Ichigo needed to gain more strength if he was to fight and defeat an opponent as formidable as Captain Kuchiki. Watching intently, the plan unfolded and he realised that with the woman's help, bankai might be achieved within 3 days. Not that it was likely, but who could predict the future?

 

He wanted to concentrate totally on the events that were unfolding, but it was not possible. The external world was interrupted by an internal distraction. The attempts the Hollow made to engage his sympathy were amusing only because they were transparent. Tiring of the facile conversation he disclosed a secret that might allow the creature to make his own link with the outside world, if it was possible for him to work out the methods. For him to learn silence seemed a long reach. Even when he was trying to be quiet he constantly moved, shuffling, scratching, wriggling. The thing was never at peace.

 

Finally it fell asleep leaving him the chance to observe without interruption. The intensity built.

 

He felt a sensation of someone tugging at him and he found himself facing Ichigo. Finally it was time to teach the boy that while he might be his zanpakuto, he was so much more than a mere tool that could be used to fight or from which he could borrow strength. He glanced at the woman who nodded at him in acknowledgement. It was odd to be noticed by another human, but that was why he was here.

 

"Now, it begins," Zangetsu said and exhaled with a strange feeling of contentment. The next few days would reveal if death was the outcome, or additional strength was granted to both of them. Even he did not believe the result was assured, but it did provide a break from the complaints of the Hollow. For that relief he was prepared to exert himself fully.

 

=====================================================Au thor's Note:

 

A long time between updates. It happens more often now. Life marches forward, dragging the unwilling behind it.

 

If you've watched the anime or read the manga, you are aware of the result of Ichigo's attempt at bankai and there is not much point in repeating what happened. It was more interesting to gauge the reactions of the Hollow and Zangetsu.

 

Next chapter? Definitely not Kira. Of that you may be confident. Rangiku? Momo? Captain Unohana? Nanao? Why not a female who is not Rukia or Orihime? Or a male who has been neglected until now? Hisagi? It is unlikely that Ibe will be given his own chapter, and while I respect and (cough) admire Yamamoto, he doesn't provide much inspiration and I'd probably waste my time making jokes about his eyebrows.

 

Please review.

 

MS