☆ Background ☆
The Beginning of the End...
After fighting with Aizen the first time, Ichigo underwent a transformation. He started having headaches and feeling weak. It grew so bad that he collapsed in school one day out of exhaustion and pain. His father rushed him to the hospital but they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Several of his new Shinigami friends came to visit. Being around them seemed to help and the headaches went away for a time. He met the Visored and they helped him train to bring out his inner Hollow. The headaches came back, much more intense this time, but he ignored the warning signs.
Shortly after he began training to master his inner Hollow, Aizen went on the offensive and began attacking people. Hichigo trained harder to master his inner hollow, pushing his physical and spiritual bodies well past their limits. When Orihime was kidnapped, Ichigo was about half way done with mastering his inner hollow. He stopped trying to master it, though, in order to go after her. It was the biggest mistake he could ever make. As he and the others (Renji, Rukia, Chad, & Uryuu) were fighting to save Orihime, his inner hollow grew in strength. The stronger it grew, the harder Ichigo had controlling it. However, no one noticed his silent struggle. It broke free from his control once, during his fight with Ulquiorra. He managed to rein it in but he was horrified that it had actually attacked Uryuu, his friend.
When he was training with Zangetsu for the final fight with Aizen, he heard the shocking truth. The headaches were a prelude to his inner Hollow gaining control. He warned him that if he didn't lose his Shinigami powers when he fought with Aizen, he'd be as good as dead. Losing his Shinigami powers would mean he could return to being a normal human. Keeping them meant his inner Hollow would slowly eat away "Ichigo Kurosaki" until he disappeared completely. He demanded that Ichigo give up the idea of fighting Aizen. As long as he didn't use the final technique, Zangetsu swore he could protect Ichigo's heart. He would keep his inner Hollow in check for him. Ichigo refused, saying he would fight Aizen and he would become a normal human for sure.
He fought Aizen and he could feel his Shinigami powers fading away after using the final technique. He felt a pang at losing Zangetsu and even his inner Hollow. He'd grown fond of Zangetsu, of both of them, during there year and a half together. After the fight, he met up with his friends again. However, he collapsed from a major headache. When he awoke, he had lost all his Shinigami powers...and all his memories of everything that had happened during his time as a Shinigami substitute. He could still see ghosts but he couldn't interact with them like before. He went on with his life as before, not seeming to notice that his friends had increased, or that strange events seemed to occur around him. He couldn't see Shinigami anymore and he was blissfully unaware of Hollows.
Six months passed without incident. Rukia and Renji would occasionally drop by the school but each time, Ichigo showed no sign of recognition. Other Shinigami stopped by, like Captain Hitsugaya and Rangiku, but each time Ichigo showed no recognition. He didn't even seem to recognize Kenpachi, although he tried to making him remember by attacking him and trying to kill him to make him remember. Nothing registered. However, without anyone noticing, Ichigo's spiritual powers began slowly but surely returning during those six months. Suddenly, while Captain Hitsugaya was visiting, Ichigo's Shinigami powers manifested again. He noticed immediately but when he turned to question Ichigo on them, they seemed to disappear, suppressed. The other Shinigami noticed as well. However, no matter how much they questioned him, Ichigo's memories still hadn't returned. He had dormant Shinigami powers but no knowledge or understanding of what that meant.
One night, seven months after he had lost his Shinigami powers, Ichigo woke up in a cold sweat. He'd dreamed of Zangetsu and in his dream, Zangetsu was saying goodbye to him. Zangetsu claimed that within the year, Ichigo would die. He began to get extreme headaches. He passed out in class twice from the pain. His father couldn't figure out was wrong with him. Ichigo, on the other hand, was convinced he was losing his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see a man in a tilted world calling out to him. A man who's name he just knew was Zangetsu. Zangetsu kept talking to him, telling him about his time as a Shinigami. He said he wanted to give Ichigo back his memories before he died. Ichigo had a hard time sleeping, scared of what he was hearing, remembering, thanks to Zangetsu.
He demanded repeatedly why he was so sure he would die. Each time, Zangetsu told him that had been Ichigo's choice and if he could have changed it he would. Ichigo begged him to do something, to help him, to save him. Finally, Zangetsu relented. He told Ichigo that he could seal him away. Once his spiritual powers had grown strong enough to take on his inner Hollow, he'd reawaken. Zangetsu warned him that there was no guarantee that it would happen in this lifetime, though. In fact, there was no guarantee that he would ever be strong enough to fight him, even in the future. Ichigo agreed anyway, desperate for any chance to live. Zangetsu told him he had two months to say goodbye and make his peace. After that, Zangetsu would seal him away and the change would occur.
Ichigo began distancing himself from his friends at school. He suddenly refused to hang out with or talk to any of them. If they tried to approach him, he would lash out at them. He knew the treatment was cruel but he didn't want to drag them down when he disappeared. He'd rather they just forget about him completely. When the Shinigami came to visit, he pointedly ignored them despite his memories having returned. This angered most of them but Captain Hitsugaya saw through it. He demanded to know what was going on. Afraid he would get too close to the truth, Ichigo began avoiding him at all costs. This only strengthened Captain Hitsugaya's belief that Ichigo was hiding something, but with no proof he couldn't say anything on the subject.
He also distanced himself from his family. He would stay out late, sometimes all night, training to strengthen his spiritual powers. He ignored his father's worried, angry rants about being late and refused to speak to his sisters, ignoring them as well. His father never let on how hurt he was about this, though Ichigo knew he was. His sister Yuzu started crying again, upset at "losing her big brother." Karin called him a big bully and began lashing out, getting in trouble at school and starting fights. Anything to get his attention.
The only person he stayed in contact with through everything, even after he'd lost his memories, was Urahara. Before he regained his memories, he often stopped by to help out at the shop. After his memories returned, he continued to go there in secret and sneak down to the training grounds below the shop. It was Urahara and Yoruichi who were the first to put things together--Ichigo was training himself for something. Urahara mentioned to her that there was something strange about Ichigo's training schedule. When Yoruichi asked what he meant about training, he showed her. Ichigo would train almost night and day, sometimes even skipping a class or two, to strengthen his spiritual powers.
They talked to the others about Ichigo's sudden determination to become stronger. They all came to spy on him. Even Isshin came to see his son. It had been over a month and a half since Zangetsu first gave him his deadline when they all got together, intending to confront Ichigo about this sudden change and his training schedule. He collapsed before they could confront him, exhaustion and being pushed too far past his limits making his body incredibly weak. He was hospitalized for two days. When he snuck out of the hospital and tried to go back to training, everyone confronted him. Even the Visored joined in, demanding to know why he was pushing himself so hard. He told them to butt out, that they wouldn't understand.
Isshin stepped forward, saying that he wasn't about to let his only son continue to injure his body like this without a good reason. Ichigo felt a pang at that but shook his head. He refused to answer any of their questions, instead running off to find somewhere to train in secret. The next day, he was assaulted with questions by Shinigami on his way to school. More questions were thrown at him by his friends at school. He managed to evade and dodge most of the questions. However, the Visored wouldn't give up as easily. They even went so far as to kidnap him on his way home from school. He finally relented, snapping that he needed to train so he could fight against someone trying to kill him. He refused their help, saying only he could fight this enemy. He avoided going home, not wanting to face the questions waiting for him. This process repeated for four days.
On the fifth night, Ichigo had a dream about Zangetsu again. He only said two words to him in the dream but they were the saddest, most painful words he'd ever said. "It's time." He finally managed to go back to sleep. He dreamt of Zangetsu again. This time they had a quiet conversation. Ichigo woke up just after dawn, tears rolling down his cheeks. The next day, Ichigo went out of his way to "run into" everybody. He didn't avoid the Shinigami, even stopping to have a pleasant conversation with Rukia and Renji. They were throughly confused, as were the other Shinigami, but they took this as a good sign. They assumed this meant Ichigo was getting ready to talk about his problem.
He didn't avoid his friends at school, either. He sat in his usual spot on the roof at lunch, and listened to Keigo spout stupid happy stories. When Mizuro asked if Ichigo was feeling okay, he actually smiled and told him he felt fine. Chad and Uryuu were surprised by the smile, Chad feeling anxious because of it and Uryuu becoming suspicious. Orihime took it as a lucky sign and hugged Ichigo tight. Ichigo made plans to see his friends the next day, asking that they all go to lunch. Only Tatsuki, Uryuu and Chad were suspicious of the request. They watched Ichigo for the rest of the school day but he didn't do anything suspicious. He seemed back to his normal self.
He didn't object to being kidnapped after school either. He sat and listened quietly to the Visored's complaints. He laughed it off, saying that everything would change soon enough. He finally convinced them to let him go, telling them he had an important question he needed to ask them. He told them he'd come find them tomorrow and ask it then. They demanded to know it then but he shook his head, saying he had to tell them tomorrow.
He went home and ate a quiet meal with his family. He hugged his sisters and Karin told him he wasn't allowed to ignore them anymore. He smiled and didn't reply, just hugging them a little tighter. He didn't sleep that night, not wanting to hear what he knew Zangetsu would tell him. He got up early the next morning and stopped by the school, despite it begin closed. He sneaked inside, leaving a message taped to his desk. He also left an official paper in the principal's office and on each of his teacher's desks. He then went to the post office and dropped off a stack of letters. Mission accomplished, he waited to meet up with his friends from school for lunch. He laughed and talked with them, genuinely having a good time despite how he looked almost sad at times.
He got ready to leave, saying he had to meet up with the Shinigami. They were slightly surprised, since this was the first time he mentioned having his memories back. Just as he was leaving, he paused and asked a question. That question froze his friends in place and he left, saying they didn't need to worry, it was just a passing thought. The scene repeated itself with the Shinigami and then the Visored. Each time, he asked a question that left them wondering and each time he told them not to worry about it.
If I suddenly disappeared... If I died tomorrow, would you remember me?
He went home and spent the rest of the day with his family. His father noticed something was off but he didn't mention anything. He watched him carefully, looking for certain tell-tale signs. What he saw bothered him greatly. Ichigo went to bed but he didn't sleep tonight either. At a quarter to 11, he snuck downstairs. He left a note on the table. He heads for the door, pausing when he opens it. A voice stops him in his tracks. "Are you just going to run away and leave us without so much as a word?"
Ichigo doesn't look at his father. He sighs and nods, stepping out the door and shutting it firmly before he can say anymore. He runs to the edge of Karakura Town. He doesn't care that he can feel everyone's presence as they come looking for him. He's sure his father has called everyone, trying to figure out where he's going. But where he intends to go, no one can follow. He takes a few steps outside of town, heading for a rural area. The area where he fought his final battle with Aizen, more specifically. He sits down on the cliff where the two of them fought, not caring how tired and sore his body is. It was quite a bit further than he remembered and he couldn't even tap into his Shinigami powers this time. He lay there, waiting for morning to come.
A few hours before dawn, he felt his reiatsu spike. He knew that soon the people looking for him would know where he was. He also knew that by the time any of them could get here, "Ichigo Kurosaki" would be long gone. He'd made the right choice, coming here to die. He sat up but doubled over in pain moments later. He'd never imagined the transformation would be quite this painful. He cried out in pain, not holding his voice back because he knew no one could hear him. It felt like his body was tearing itself apart and he continued to cry out in protest. Why was it so painful? Why did it have to hurt so much?
About 20 minutes after the process had started, he heard a soft voice in the back of his head calling his name. He tried to focus on it but it was hard through the pain. His vision had blurred and gone out of focus by the time he realized it was Zangetsu calling him. He answered the call with a mental one of his own. Zangetsu didn't seem to hear it though. He tried again and again but still no response. Frustrated and on the verge of passing out, Ichigo murmured his name outloud. As though waiting for just that, Zangetsu materialized in front of him and lifted Ichigo's chin. "It's time, Ichigo. It's time to say goodbye to this life."
He had a dim awareness of his father's reiatsu heading towards him, along with Uryuu, Rukia, Renji, and surprisingly Byakuya. His consciousness began to fade and Ichigo gladly slipped into oblivion. Zangetsu safely sealed him away before retreating back inside Ichigo's heart. The constant rain that had been drizzling on him these past few days had annoyed him. However, the cold, stark loneliness that was left when his presence was completely gone made him miss the rain. He stood face to face with Ichigo's inner Hollow, self-named Hichigo, and nodded his consent. He wouldn't stop him anymore from what he most desired. Ichigo was safely sealed away, which is what they both wanted. Now Hichigo could take over his spirit body and leave his physical body behind.
☁~☁~☁
Hichigo ripped free from the physical body binding his spiritual body so tightly. He didn't care about the pain it inflicted on him, which was considerably less than Ichigo had endured. Of course, Ichigo had been trying to prevent the separation so it had been much more painful. Hichigo gladly welcomed it, wanting to be permanently separated from the ton of flesh holding him to the ground. Finally, he was free and fully in control of this spiritual body. He was happy, he told himself--convinced himself that he was happy. He didn't notice the tears slip out, silently trailing down the Hollow mask covering his face. He felt the others approaching, no doubt trying to understand why Ichigo's reiatsu had suddenly disappeared. His reiatsu was different from Ichigo's--similar and yet different. They might look the same but they were hardly the same person. He would never be so good as his Master and King had been to others.
He hid, slipping into the space between Soul Society and
After fighting with Aizen the first time, Ichigo underwent a transformation. He started having headaches and feeling weak. It grew so bad that he collapsed in school one day out of exhaustion and pain. His father rushed him to the hospital but they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Several of his new Shinigami friends came to visit. Being around them seemed to help and the headaches went away for a time. He met the Visored and they helped him train to bring out his inner Hollow. The headaches came back, much more intense this time, but he ignored the warning signs.
Shortly after he began training to master his inner Hollow, Aizen went on the offensive and began attacking people. Hichigo trained harder to master his inner hollow, pushing his physical and spiritual bodies well past their limits. When Orihime was kidnapped, Ichigo was about half way done with mastering his inner hollow. He stopped trying to master it, though, in order to go after her. It was the biggest mistake he could ever make. As he and the others (Renji, Rukia, Chad, & Uryuu) were fighting to save Orihime, his inner hollow grew in strength. The stronger it grew, the harder Ichigo had controlling it. However, no one noticed his silent struggle. It broke free from his control once, during his fight with Ulquiorra. He managed to rein it in but he was horrified that it had actually attacked Uryuu, his friend.
When he was training with Zangetsu for the final fight with Aizen, he heard the shocking truth. The headaches were a prelude to his inner Hollow gaining control. He warned him that if he didn't lose his Shinigami powers when he fought with Aizen, he'd be as good as dead. Losing his Shinigami powers would mean he could return to being a normal human. Keeping them meant his inner Hollow would slowly eat away "Ichigo Kurosaki" until he disappeared completely. He demanded that Ichigo give up the idea of fighting Aizen. As long as he didn't use the final technique, Zangetsu swore he could protect Ichigo's heart. He would keep his inner Hollow in check for him. Ichigo refused, saying he would fight Aizen and he would become a normal human for sure.
He fought Aizen and he could feel his Shinigami powers fading away after using the final technique. He felt a pang at losing Zangetsu and even his inner Hollow. He'd grown fond of Zangetsu, of both of them, during there year and a half together. After the fight, he met up with his friends again. However, he collapsed from a major headache. When he awoke, he had lost all his Shinigami powers...and all his memories of everything that had happened during his time as a Shinigami substitute. He could still see ghosts but he couldn't interact with them like before. He went on with his life as before, not seeming to notice that his friends had increased, or that strange events seemed to occur around him. He couldn't see Shinigami anymore and he was blissfully unaware of Hollows.
Six months passed without incident. Rukia and Renji would occasionally drop by the school but each time, Ichigo showed no sign of recognition. Other Shinigami stopped by, like Captain Hitsugaya and Rangiku, but each time Ichigo showed no recognition. He didn't even seem to recognize Kenpachi, although he tried to making him remember by attacking him and trying to kill him to make him remember. Nothing registered. However, without anyone noticing, Ichigo's spiritual powers began slowly but surely returning during those six months. Suddenly, while Captain Hitsugaya was visiting, Ichigo's Shinigami powers manifested again. He noticed immediately but when he turned to question Ichigo on them, they seemed to disappear, suppressed. The other Shinigami noticed as well. However, no matter how much they questioned him, Ichigo's memories still hadn't returned. He had dormant Shinigami powers but no knowledge or understanding of what that meant.
One night, seven months after he had lost his Shinigami powers, Ichigo woke up in a cold sweat. He'd dreamed of Zangetsu and in his dream, Zangetsu was saying goodbye to him. Zangetsu claimed that within the year, Ichigo would die. He began to get extreme headaches. He passed out in class twice from the pain. His father couldn't figure out was wrong with him. Ichigo, on the other hand, was convinced he was losing his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see a man in a tilted world calling out to him. A man who's name he just knew was Zangetsu. Zangetsu kept talking to him, telling him about his time as a Shinigami. He said he wanted to give Ichigo back his memories before he died. Ichigo had a hard time sleeping, scared of what he was hearing, remembering, thanks to Zangetsu.
He demanded repeatedly why he was so sure he would die. Each time, Zangetsu told him that had been Ichigo's choice and if he could have changed it he would. Ichigo begged him to do something, to help him, to save him. Finally, Zangetsu relented. He told Ichigo that he could seal him away. Once his spiritual powers had grown strong enough to take on his inner Hollow, he'd reawaken. Zangetsu warned him that there was no guarantee that it would happen in this lifetime, though. In fact, there was no guarantee that he would ever be strong enough to fight him, even in the future. Ichigo agreed anyway, desperate for any chance to live. Zangetsu told him he had two months to say goodbye and make his peace. After that, Zangetsu would seal him away and the change would occur.
Ichigo began distancing himself from his friends at school. He suddenly refused to hang out with or talk to any of them. If they tried to approach him, he would lash out at them. He knew the treatment was cruel but he didn't want to drag them down when he disappeared. He'd rather they just forget about him completely. When the Shinigami came to visit, he pointedly ignored them despite his memories having returned. This angered most of them but Captain Hitsugaya saw through it. He demanded to know what was going on. Afraid he would get too close to the truth, Ichigo began avoiding him at all costs. This only strengthened Captain Hitsugaya's belief that Ichigo was hiding something, but with no proof he couldn't say anything on the subject.
He also distanced himself from his family. He would stay out late, sometimes all night, training to strengthen his spiritual powers. He ignored his father's worried, angry rants about being late and refused to speak to his sisters, ignoring them as well. His father never let on how hurt he was about this, though Ichigo knew he was. His sister Yuzu started crying again, upset at "losing her big brother." Karin called him a big bully and began lashing out, getting in trouble at school and starting fights. Anything to get his attention.
The only person he stayed in contact with through everything, even after he'd lost his memories, was Urahara. Before he regained his memories, he often stopped by to help out at the shop. After his memories returned, he continued to go there in secret and sneak down to the training grounds below the shop. It was Urahara and Yoruichi who were the first to put things together--Ichigo was training himself for something. Urahara mentioned to her that there was something strange about Ichigo's training schedule. When Yoruichi asked what he meant about training, he showed her. Ichigo would train almost night and day, sometimes even skipping a class or two, to strengthen his spiritual powers.
They talked to the others about Ichigo's sudden determination to become stronger. They all came to spy on him. Even Isshin came to see his son. It had been over a month and a half since Zangetsu first gave him his deadline when they all got together, intending to confront Ichigo about this sudden change and his training schedule. He collapsed before they could confront him, exhaustion and being pushed too far past his limits making his body incredibly weak. He was hospitalized for two days. When he snuck out of the hospital and tried to go back to training, everyone confronted him. Even the Visored joined in, demanding to know why he was pushing himself so hard. He told them to butt out, that they wouldn't understand.
Isshin stepped forward, saying that he wasn't about to let his only son continue to injure his body like this without a good reason. Ichigo felt a pang at that but shook his head. He refused to answer any of their questions, instead running off to find somewhere to train in secret. The next day, he was assaulted with questions by Shinigami on his way to school. More questions were thrown at him by his friends at school. He managed to evade and dodge most of the questions. However, the Visored wouldn't give up as easily. They even went so far as to kidnap him on his way home from school. He finally relented, snapping that he needed to train so he could fight against someone trying to kill him. He refused their help, saying only he could fight this enemy. He avoided going home, not wanting to face the questions waiting for him. This process repeated for four days.
On the fifth night, Ichigo had a dream about Zangetsu again. He only said two words to him in the dream but they were the saddest, most painful words he'd ever said. "It's time." He finally managed to go back to sleep. He dreamt of Zangetsu again. This time they had a quiet conversation. Ichigo woke up just after dawn, tears rolling down his cheeks. The next day, Ichigo went out of his way to "run into" everybody. He didn't avoid the Shinigami, even stopping to have a pleasant conversation with Rukia and Renji. They were throughly confused, as were the other Shinigami, but they took this as a good sign. They assumed this meant Ichigo was getting ready to talk about his problem.
He didn't avoid his friends at school, either. He sat in his usual spot on the roof at lunch, and listened to Keigo spout stupid happy stories. When Mizuro asked if Ichigo was feeling okay, he actually smiled and told him he felt fine. Chad and Uryuu were surprised by the smile, Chad feeling anxious because of it and Uryuu becoming suspicious. Orihime took it as a lucky sign and hugged Ichigo tight. Ichigo made plans to see his friends the next day, asking that they all go to lunch. Only Tatsuki, Uryuu and Chad were suspicious of the request. They watched Ichigo for the rest of the school day but he didn't do anything suspicious. He seemed back to his normal self.
He didn't object to being kidnapped after school either. He sat and listened quietly to the Visored's complaints. He laughed it off, saying that everything would change soon enough. He finally convinced them to let him go, telling them he had an important question he needed to ask them. He told them he'd come find them tomorrow and ask it then. They demanded to know it then but he shook his head, saying he had to tell them tomorrow.
He went home and ate a quiet meal with his family. He hugged his sisters and Karin told him he wasn't allowed to ignore them anymore. He smiled and didn't reply, just hugging them a little tighter. He didn't sleep that night, not wanting to hear what he knew Zangetsu would tell him. He got up early the next morning and stopped by the school, despite it begin closed. He sneaked inside, leaving a message taped to his desk. He also left an official paper in the principal's office and on each of his teacher's desks. He then went to the post office and dropped off a stack of letters. Mission accomplished, he waited to meet up with his friends from school for lunch. He laughed and talked with them, genuinely having a good time despite how he looked almost sad at times.
He got ready to leave, saying he had to meet up with the Shinigami. They were slightly surprised, since this was the first time he mentioned having his memories back. Just as he was leaving, he paused and asked a question. That question froze his friends in place and he left, saying they didn't need to worry, it was just a passing thought. The scene repeated itself with the Shinigami and then the Visored. Each time, he asked a question that left them wondering and each time he told them not to worry about it.
If I suddenly disappeared... If I died tomorrow, would you remember me?
He went home and spent the rest of the day with his family. His father noticed something was off but he didn't mention anything. He watched him carefully, looking for certain tell-tale signs. What he saw bothered him greatly. Ichigo went to bed but he didn't sleep tonight either. At a quarter to 11, he snuck downstairs. He left a note on the table. He heads for the door, pausing when he opens it. A voice stops him in his tracks. "Are you just going to run away and leave us without so much as a word?"
Ichigo doesn't look at his father. He sighs and nods, stepping out the door and shutting it firmly before he can say anymore. He runs to the edge of Karakura Town. He doesn't care that he can feel everyone's presence as they come looking for him. He's sure his father has called everyone, trying to figure out where he's going. But where he intends to go, no one can follow. He takes a few steps outside of town, heading for a rural area. The area where he fought his final battle with Aizen, more specifically. He sits down on the cliff where the two of them fought, not caring how tired and sore his body is. It was quite a bit further than he remembered and he couldn't even tap into his Shinigami powers this time. He lay there, waiting for morning to come.
A few hours before dawn, he felt his reiatsu spike. He knew that soon the people looking for him would know where he was. He also knew that by the time any of them could get here, "Ichigo Kurosaki" would be long gone. He'd made the right choice, coming here to die. He sat up but doubled over in pain moments later. He'd never imagined the transformation would be quite this painful. He cried out in pain, not holding his voice back because he knew no one could hear him. It felt like his body was tearing itself apart and he continued to cry out in protest. Why was it so painful? Why did it have to hurt so much?
About 20 minutes after the process had started, he heard a soft voice in the back of his head calling his name. He tried to focus on it but it was hard through the pain. His vision had blurred and gone out of focus by the time he realized it was Zangetsu calling him. He answered the call with a mental one of his own. Zangetsu didn't seem to hear it though. He tried again and again but still no response. Frustrated and on the verge of passing out, Ichigo murmured his name outloud. As though waiting for just that, Zangetsu materialized in front of him and lifted Ichigo's chin. "It's time, Ichigo. It's time to say goodbye to this life."
He had a dim awareness of his father's reiatsu heading towards him, along with Uryuu, Rukia, Renji, and surprisingly Byakuya. His consciousness began to fade and Ichigo gladly slipped into oblivion. Zangetsu safely sealed him away before retreating back inside Ichigo's heart. The constant rain that had been drizzling on him these past few days had annoyed him. However, the cold, stark loneliness that was left when his presence was completely gone made him miss the rain. He stood face to face with Ichigo's inner Hollow, self-named Hichigo, and nodded his consent. He wouldn't stop him anymore from what he most desired. Ichigo was safely sealed away, which is what they both wanted. Now Hichigo could take over his spirit body and leave his physical body behind.
☁~☁~☁
Hichigo ripped free from the physical body binding his spiritual body so tightly. He didn't care about the pain it inflicted on him, which was considerably less than Ichigo had endured. Of course, Ichigo had been trying to prevent the separation so it had been much more painful. Hichigo gladly welcomed it, wanting to be permanently separated from the ton of flesh holding him to the ground. Finally, he was free and fully in control of this spiritual body. He was happy, he told himself--convinced himself that he was happy. He didn't notice the tears slip out, silently trailing down the Hollow mask covering his face. He felt the others approaching, no doubt trying to understand why Ichigo's reiatsu had suddenly disappeared. His reiatsu was different from Ichigo's--similar and yet different. They might look the same but they were hardly the same person. He would never be so good as his Master and King had been to others.
He hid, slipping into the space between Soul Society and