Zangetsu

10 advanced chapters (and some bonus if you become a patron before chapter 5 is released) on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

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"What do you mean True Shikai? I have heard about an incomplete Bankai, but not Shikai," Yoruichi inquired after regaining her bearing.

"Do you think a Zanpakutō can manifest without an Asauchi?" Ichigo asked calmly, causing Yoruichi to recall how Ichigo gained his Zanpakutō. "The reason why Zangetsu can manifest is the Reishi construct I created with my Quincy power."

"Y- You know?" Yoruichi stuttered with widened eyes.

"You know what my mother was, huh?"

Yoruichi kept her mouth shut. Too many things happened ever since she met Ichigo. She was taken aback by the development. One after another—all of them shocked her. She took a deep breath to regain her composure. A serious look appeared on her face as she stared at Ichigo deeply. It was at this moment she realized how foreign yet familiar Ichigo felt.

"It is not in my place to tell you your origin. You should ask Ishhin—"

"I don't want to hear that, Yoruichi." Ichigo waved his hand dismissively. "I need an Asauchi and I want to know if you can bring it to me."

"It is impossible to get a newly made Asauchi, but I can steal a low-ranked Shinigami's Asauchi for you," Yoruichi answered.

"What is the difference?"

"That Asauchi will contain some essence of the Zanpakutō of the owner. You will need to kick it out first before infusing your Zanpakutō spirit into the Asauchi."

"Fair enough."

Yoruichi stared silently at Ichigo upon his nonchalant acceptance. She wanted to ask a lot of things but figured that he wouldn't tell her anything. She kept her gaze for a few seconds before sighing. Reaching out, a humanoid doll appeared before her. Her friend, Urahara Kisuke, had given it to her to aid Ichigo, but it seemed he wouldn't be needing it soon.

"Is that Tenshintai?" Ichigo asked, prompting Yoruichi to look at him weirdly.

"How did you know?" she asked suspiciously.

"There is always a price for information, you know."

"Hmph! Who cares?"

Yoruichi was slightly ticked by the expression Ichigo had on his face. It reminded her of Kisuke. He had the air of someone who knew what everyone didn't and watched them live with their ignorance. She was a happy-go-lucky person, but she couldn't bring herself to like that look.

"All right, wait for me. I will bring you an Asauchi."

"Thanks."

Ichigo nodded appreciatively before turning his back on Yoruichi. Yoruichi was quite disappointed by their rather bland interaction. It had always been fun getting a rise out of Ichigo. An idea appeared in her mind as she looked at his back. She was tempted to do what she was thinking but held herself. It could wait.

The moment Ichigo sensed that Yoruichi had left the room, he sat on the ground and did Jinzen. He reached into the depths of his soul until he felt his world shift. When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing before a skyscraper that was tall enough to reach the cloud. He admired his surroundings briefly before turning to the side.

The cloaked Zangetsu perched on one of the lampposts on the side of the road. White Ichigo was leaning on the lamppost Zangetsu was perched on, looking uncharacteristically calm. Ichigo walked up to them, only stopping when she was a meter away from them. Their eyes were locked on his figure, but none of them said anything.

"Let's cut to the chase. Allow me to use your Shikai, Zangetsu," Ichigo said, breaking the silence.

"Ya' sure yer' looking at the right person?" White Ichigo drawled out upon receiving Ichigo's gaze.

"Old Man will never let me learn any Quincy techniques. It is useless going to him asking for power."

"Keuk. Listen to King, ya' bastard," White Ichigo, Zangetsu, cackled as he sneered at the cloaked unnamed being who had been professing himself as Zangetsu.

"I am sure you are expecting an explanation, Ichigo," the Old Man, as Ichigo liked to call him, said emotionlessly. "I am going to tell you why I did what I did."

Ichigo already knew given his knowledge about every single happening in this world but kept silent. He listened to the Old Man's speech about how he wanted to protect him from all of the senseless battles he would find himself in once he used his power. He listened to the Old Man's frustration with his nonchalant disregard for his safety. He listened to the Old Man's desire to be his protector while he was busy being someone else's.

"I have been suppressing your power for too long. I don't want to do it, but I can tell you are ready. Therefore, I will relinquish my control and disappear. Zangetsu shall accompany your journey," the Old Man stated somberly with a hint of defeat in his tone.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked with a quirked eyebrow, bewildering the Old Man and Zangetsu. "I have had enough of shutting one of my powers. Both of you will accompany me on my journey. You are all Zangetsu. None of you should perish. Besides, the more the better, no?"

The Old Man was at a loss for a few seconds before dejectedly saying, "As of the moment, I won't help you much. All I have been doing is limiting the amount of Zangetsu's power you can use. Aside from helping you control your Reiryoku output, I can't do anything." He paused before adding, "I need you to awaken your Quincy power first."

"I only have to get Uryū to inject his Reiatsu into my vein, don't I?"

"That will do, but it is preferable to have an Echt do that."

"Then, I will ask Uryū's father to do it." Seeing the Old Man nod his head, Ichigo continued, "Let's get to business."

"We can't do it immediately, King," Zangetsu stated. His ever-present smirk diminished slightly. "Without the Old Man's power to balance mine, you will lose yourself if you receive my power in one go. We need to do it gradually and, for the time being, get to know each other better."

"Fair enough."

Zangetsu's grin widened. He instantly lunged at Ichigo, swinging the same sword Ichigo was wielding at him. Ichigo put up his sword, blocking the swing. The ground below them cratered and some of the lampposts were knocked down. The Old Man jumped away and watched the fight from the air. The air blast caused by the clash fluttered his cloak.

He felt immense pride watching Ichigo confidently fight Zangetsu. However, at the same time, he was also a bit saddened. He could feel his control over Ichigo's power slowly slipping. Despite Ichigo's assurance, he couldn't help but feel Ichigo was getting distant. As much as he had prepared himself, he couldn't bear the thought of being put to the side.

"I shall soon fulfill my purpose. Once Ichigo awakens his Quincy power, I will not feel this emptiness," the Old Man muttered to himself, allowing a small smile to creep up his face.

Outside Ichigo's Inner World, Yoruichi returned from her hunt for an Asauchi. It had taken her longer than she had expected. It was quite difficult to find a Shinigami who was detached from his Zanpakutō in Seireitei. Once she found the person, she knocked him unconscious. She didn't even feel bad taking the Asauchi from the man as she couldn't feel any hint of his Zanpakutō inside.

Once she stepped into the Study Chamber, she was startled by the intensity of the Reiatsu flooding the place. The nature of the Reiatsu was sickening—enough to make her feel apprehensive. The moment her eyes landed on Ichigo; they widened in panic. A white carapace was growing out of Ichigo's chest, slowly covering his entire being. He was turning into a Hollow.

Yoruichi dashed at Ichigo and thrust her palm at him. Whatever was happening to him; she wanted to stop it. Before her palm made contact with Ichigo's body, Ichigo caught it. Her eyes widened in alarm as she quickly pulled back. Unfortunately, it didn't even budge.

"I am in control. Just leave the Asauchi there and don't bother," Ichigo said in a distorted voice, staring at Yoruichi with his golden eyes.

"You…"

"Thank you for your hard work."

Ichigo closed his eyes, preventing Yoruichi from commenting more. Yoruichi sighed before putting the Asauchi beside him and retreating. The air exploded as his Reiryoku surged. She was forced to sit down as it was getting exhausting withstanding his intense Reiatsu while standing. The carapace kept growing and, after some time, the rate at which it was covering Ichigo increased.

As minutes turned to hours, the young Shinigami called Kurosaki Ichigo barely resembled one. With his deformed, lizard-like physique, it was more proper to call him a Hollow. The amount of Reiryoku he was emitting and the intensity of his Reiatsu kept increasing. Yoruichi was even forced to distance herself more, so she wouldn't have to waste her Reiryoku on defending herself from his intense Reiatsu.

"Damn, how much Reiryoku does this brat have?"

She didn't voice out her more curious question. She would like to see the answer to that question with her eyes.