Incomplete (Solo Training)

[Zeich Yajuu]

((OOC: This is training for 400 CTP, with the rest as TTP, but will also be used as CIU justification for the change of Zeich’s Bankai, to be posted upon completion of this thread.))

“So here we are again.”

Golden eyes met their mirror, the latter shrouded in a pool of black sclera as Zeich and Tsukikage sat opposing one another. The two of them were within Tsukikage’s Inner World, the Hollow still banned open access to Zeich’s; in that other world, Haiiro resided, safe from Tsukikage’s murderous and bloodthirsty whims. Their current location was a land of shadows, a world shrouded in darkness as far as the eye could see. The only light was that which surrounded Zeich, like a spotlight cast upon a darkened stage. It was a wan, thin glow that didn’t disperse the darkness, but rather served to accentuate it. Casting only enough light to illuminate the two figures seated in its center and distinguish them from the shadows around, the glow was no comfort in the shadowed realm.

“I have come to pay the price.” A simple statement from Zeich, yet one whose meaning was grave; the two of them had a bargain, one whose debt was to be paid now. When the Shinigami was learning to master the Soulbind technique, Tsukikage had imposed a strict penalty to make up for the pain it caused him to be forcibly aligned with his host’s body. For every second that the two of them were merged in the form granted by Soulbind, Tsukikage was granted an equal amount of time in order to cause suffering and torment to Zeich. As long as the force remained non-fatal, the Hollow was allowed to do as he pleased; the last time they had been there, the Vizard had literally been skinned alive, flesh peeled from over the muscle in gruesome, agonizing pain. There was no telling what cruelties Tsukikage had planned now.

But Zeich intended to pay the price. He had accepted the bargain then, and Tsukikage had responded to his call for cooperation and alignment. If a Hollow could bargain in good faith, the Vizard could do no less. That was why, upon returning to Uzaki Enterprises and depositing Enma and his assistants in a safe area of the building that was off-limits to all but a very limited group, Zeich had returned to his own apartment near the edge of Karakura and had immediately gone into a meditative trance. This trance was a means of accessing and entering the Inner World, the reflection of their soul where their Zanpaktou Spirit dwelt. In this case, Zeich had a Hollow waiting for him, and a second Inner World that served to compliment the spirit’s darkness.

“I know.” Tsukikage’s response was unusually terse and brief, without the goading and the gloating that came when he knew he was in control. Something was on the Hollow’s mind, that much had been obvious since Zeich had entered his Inner World. For one thing, the Hollow had taken on his host’s appearance instead of his usual lupine form, the one that represented his former appearance before he found himself sealed within Zeich. His colors were faded to shades of gray, however, his hair a dark ashen color while his skin was almost pale. Only those golden eyes held any color as he sat opposing Zeich, his expression even free of the malice that it normally held.

“So how will you torture me today?” Zeich’s tone was surprisingly casual, given the agony he was about to experience, but it was inevitable. “You chose some interesting tortures last time, from skinning me to showing me images of my living life, and the betrayals and pain of those times. No doubt you will be no less creative this time.” The Vizard was without his mask in this world, Tsukikage forbidding it as a mockery of his form, and so his plain, placid expression was clear to see. Unlike in the real world, he could see here, within the depths of his spirit. For the moment, he was not blind, and his eyes studied Tsukikage, curious as to the Hollows reticence.

“I don’t know.” Another quiet and brief response, one that gave no answers but left many questions. Zeich was curious now, admittedly; he had never quite seen Tsukikage this thoughtful and moody. The Hollow had always been predictably violent, desiring the shedding of blood, the infliction of wounds, the ending of lives. He had always been one to goad and taunt and mercilessly threaten his host, despite being the one confined. Yet now he was quiet, and though his gaze was steady on Zeich’s, there was something unreadable in it. Perhaps it was Zeich’s lack of human empathy; though he could often tell what a person was feeling, he had difficulty understanding why. Yet there were times, with complex or strange emotions that he himself lacked, that he had no ability to read another. This was one of those times.

The two of them sat silently for a few moments, Tsukikage’s eyes searching for something within Zeich’s for a few moments. The Hollow said nothing, remaining silent, and for the time being, the Vizard remained respectfully silent. Something was going through the wolf’s mind, and it was significant enough that despite being freely offered the ability to do his worst, Tsukikage had not taken it. Zeich could only guess that something had happened in their last battle, the one with the masked man. Something about it had caught Tsukikage’s attention and had left him pensive and thoughtful. It was the only major event that had happened before Tsukikage’s unusual mood.

Finally though, Zeich broke the silence. “What is on your mind, Tsukikage? You seem distracted. Normally you’d revel at a chance to hurt me.” An acknowledging grunt was all that the Vizard got in response at first, and Tsukikage seemed to hesitate in his response. Zeich had never seen the Hollow do that, at least not in his words; the wolf never seemed to have any issue about speaking his mind as brashly as he wanted. Finally though, he answered, though not in the way that Zeich expected; rather than explaining, Tsukikage answered his question with another question. “If I promise, at risk of my life, to leave Hai—er, the mutt, alone, may I go over there for a little while?”

“Why?” Zeich’s response was short and simple, a question of both the reason and an undercurrent of curiosity at how that related to Tsukikage’s strange behavior. The Vizard was suspicious, though; his Inner Hollow had a natural hatred of Haiiro, especially given that the smaller wolf was the Zanpaktou spirit that he had failed to consume. Likewise, Haiiro had little love for the dark demon that had devoured his mate and nearly destroyed him in the flames of his wrath too. The only reason Zeich could imagine Tsukikage wanting to go to the other Inner World was for the sake of finishing what he started. Normally, the Vizard would not allow that. But Tsukikage’s odd attitude right now left him curious, and he wanted to hear the reason.

Tsukikage was quiet for a few minutes before he finally decided on his response. “To understand something.” Zeich cocked his head to the side slightly, an indication of curiosity that he had picked up out of association with the two wolves that shared his spirit. A hint of irritation entered the Hollow’s voice, and his expression became flat, expressing his displeasure at having to constantly explain himself. “I don’t know what it is I want to understand. That’s why I want to go there, alright? I just… I feel that I’ll understand it there. Stop being an idiot and name your conditions, boy.”

That was a little more akin to Tsukikage’s normal attitude, and Zeich found himself surprisingly inclined to believe the Inner Hollow. Perhaps it was the wolf’s thoughtful expression painted across a mirror of his own face, perhaps it was that shared experience of wanting to understand something beyond comprehension. Whatever it was, the Vizard made his decision quickly enough. “Very well. Three conditions: first, you are not to go more than an arm’s length away from me without permission. Second, you are to keep a distance I specify at any given moment away from Haiiro. Third, you are to maintain your own form, and not mine, so as to properly identify yourself. Should you violate any of these, particularly the second, I will show you the lessons in pain that you have taught me. Are we clear?”

“Fine.” The humanoid Tsukikage began to warp and change as he shifted to his more lupine form, rather than mirroring Zeich to echo his pensive mood. His ears grew pointed as his muzzle pushed out, sharpened teeth emerging between curled-back lips. His limbs lengthened as he fell on all fours, his spine shifting and reshaping itself even as patches of fur grew from his body. Before long, he stood as the demonic, shadow-black wolf, taking on the form Zeich had become so accustomed to seeing as opposed to the hybrid form that was native to the Hollow. Once the transformation was complete, Tsukikage padded over so that he was directly next to Zeich, well within arm’s reach. “Happy?” His tone was somewhat more disgruntled and irritated, a bit closer to the Hollow that Zeich had come to know.

Zeich gave a nod, standing in their disc of faded light, and raised his hand. Though no such gesture was necessary to transfer them from one Inner World to the other, the visual aspect of it facilitated the shift. In his meditative studies, as well as in the fight against Tsukikage for control, Zeich had discovered that the mind influenced the spirit in many ways, and that appealing to the mind with stimuli such as those provided by the six senses helped guide and shape actions within the spirit. Thus, creating a portal through a visual display triggered the mental reaction that would allow the transfer to be made far more smoothly and with much less effort.

The air seemed to ripple, and then light poured through a circular opening a few inches taller than Zeich was. The light illuminated beyond the disc they stood in, revealing the ground past the edge of the scenery the Vizard normally viewed. It caught the edge of something, a squared-off, stony structure, and glinted off of something metallic; curious, Zeich started to look a bit closer until Tsukikage cleared his throat. Though the Hollow was being unusually polite about it, it was obvious that he wanted to get to where he was going. Shrugging, deciding that he’d ask about it later, the former Shinigami turned and made his way back to the opening that he had made. Once he was sure that Tsukikage was next to him, Zeich gave a nod, and the two of them stepped over to the other Inner World.

[Zeich Yajuu]

The two of them emerged into bright moonlight, the orb above glowing with a heavenly radiance as it shone on the world below. Unlike Tsukikage’s world, the light here was vivid and bright, almost alive in its luster. Zeich and Tsukikage stood atop a massive plateau, a pillar of stone that rose up from the forests below, a thin path the only other way to ascend to the top. The platform extended nearly two hundred feet in diameter, its surface smooth and unobstructed. It was from the top of this plateau that Zeich and Haiiro often looked out at the trees below, seeing the world that spread about them as a metaphor for the Vizard’s own soul: mysterious, unyielding, and hiding its true nature from the naked eye. Beneath that thick canopy, the true nature of the man who called himself “Wolf” lay hidden.

Of course, not all was concealed from sight. Off in one direction from the plateau, a large swath of trees had been torn away, the ground left behind scorched black and left as an unsightly scar upon the face of the otherwise verdant woodland. This was where Tsukikage had first shown himself, all that time ago. It had been only a little while—a year, perhaps—yet it had felt so long ago. But upon emerging, the Inner Hollow had taken hold of Zeich’s soul, the one that bore a second Zanpaktou, the mate to Haiiro’s own. Back then, the Vizard had possessed two Zanpaktou: Polaris and Ventus. Now there was only one. It may have been an early sign of his enormous spiritual potential that had later caused a spiritual split between him and Haiiro, but that was a matter for another time.

Tsukikage had claimed Polaris in the flames of his hatred and, in one swift movement, burned her alive, boiling her within her armor and leaving nothing but charred flesh and scorched fur behind. A similar fate might have met Haiiro at a later point had Zeich not sealed him away in another sword in the misguided belief of a betrayal, unintentionally saving his companion’s life. The flames that had consumed Polaris had done the same for a section of Zeich’s Inner World, leaving the forest burned away and the land permanently scorched, a wound inflicted that could never be healed. Zeich reflected on that wound frequently, wondering what life would have been like had Tsukikage never emerged from that place. It was pointless conjecture, but he wondered anyway.

Standing atop the plateau, Zeich felt a cool breeze flow over him, a breath of refreshing air that seemed to revitalize the spirit. Tsukikage said nothing as that same breeze ruffled his fur, his golden eyes still searching for something as he started forward. Zeich cleared his throat, a reminder to Tsukikage of their agreement, and the Hollow paused before giving the Vizard a flat look. A tilt of his head gave a wordless indication of his desire to move closer to the edge of the plateau, to look out over the forest below, and Zeich acquiesced. The two of them drew close to the edge, and Tsukikage took a seat, staring out and away from the plateau.

Zeich still had no idea what Tsukikage wanted, or why he was here. The wolf-like Hollow seemed to be looking for something, searching for some kind of answer, but Zeich couldn’t even figure out the question that was being asked. For now, the best solution would be to wait and see, while keeping an eye on Tsukikage. Though the Inner Hollow had made no sudden movements up until this point, there was no guarantee that he wasn’t just laying low until he found the right moment to strike or escape. Zeich was ready to strike the moment such a situation presented itself, but until then, he waited, albeit curiously. The two of them sat there in silence a while, saying nothing, just watching and thinking.

The sound of footsteps broke Zeich’s concentration, however, and the voice that followed drew his attention away. “What is he doing here!?” The sound of a low growl rang out following that displeased statement, and the Vizard turned to see Haiiro standing at the far end of the plateau, his hackles raised and his teeth bared. Zeich was startled at this reaction from his Zanpaktou Spirit; it wasn’t that Haiiro was incapable of being angry, but he was so frequently positive and playful that seeing his fury exposed was disarming to his master. For the moment, Zeich remained quiet, unsure of how to respond. Guilt washed over him; he knew that Haiiro had a deep fear and loathing of Tsukikage, no matter how he acted on the surface. Yet Zeich had brought the Hollow to this world, the sanctuary that held Haiiro separate from the darkness that inhabited the Vizard’s soul.

But there was more. It wasn’t just the Hollow’s sinister and sadistic nature that put Haiiro off; Tsukikage was also responsible for a far more heinous crime: he had caused the death of Polaris. When Tsukikage had awoken, he had attacked Polaris and devoured her, burning her alive in the crucible of his fiery, wicked soul. Even Ventus had not come out of that encounter unscathed; he now stood with his eyes dilated in fury, his once pure-white fur now an ashen gray. The whorls of color representing the freedom and flow of the winds were now faded, leaving him to look oppressed by the monochrome of despair that had been thrust upon him.

The winds had become gray. Ventus had become Haiiro.

Even now, Zeich knew how much Polaris’s loss still hurt Haiiro. The wolf would never let that grudge go, would never be able to ease the pain that had come with the loss of his soulmate. That was why he was so angry, looking ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. Slowly, Zeich rose to his feet; he didn’t recognize the look in Haiiro’s eyes, a blazing rage that was so foreign to the light-hearted spirit. In this state, the Vizard was not sure that he would be spared the attack, and Zeich wanted nothing less than to attack one of the few beings he had such trust in. The former Shinigami shifted slowly, his feet moving scarce inches at a time, and gradually he positioned himself between Tsukikage and Haiiro, serving as a physical wall between them, for what little good it would do.

It wasn’t that Zeich couldn’t stop either of them on a moment’s notice; this was his world, a reflection of his very soul. Should he wish it, the air could become solid and trap either spirit, or the ground could rise up to bind them. He was not afraid that he wouldn’t be able to stop bloodshed; he was afraid that he would trigger it in the first place. His breathing came in calm, measured paces, but his mind was racing. What could he do to prevent aggression? How could he calm Haiiro down without feeling as though he were betraying the being that represented everything good and positive in his soul? Standing between the two was a good start, cutting off the visual aspect and preventing Haiiro from having a visible focus for his anger. The next part would be harder, though.

“Haiiro, please. Calm down a moment and listen.” It was unlike Zeich to make such a request, or at least with such a tone. A plea, a request, instead of the orders he was used to giving. It was meant to be a sign of his willingness to work for peace, his desperation to calm his companion down. “I know what you’re thinking right now. I know how you’re feeling.” It was true; he did. Zeich knew more than anything else the feeling of betrayal, the thought that someone close to him had stabbed him in the back. It was that same feeling that had caused him to sever Haiiro from his soul and bind him in another blade. Though it had saved the wolf’s life and prevented him from meeting the same fate as Polaris, the feelings that it had caused at the time would never be forgotten.

“Why… why did you do this, Master?” Haiiro’s tone was demanding; it was as though, for the moment, their roles had reversed positions. Now Haiiro was the dominant one in the exchange, his anger and focus pressuring Zeich. “This is our home, our sanctuary. He has already defiled it once; do you not remember?” Zeich’s eyes naturally slid to the side, to the gaping scar of burnt and scorched land that had been torn out of the tranquil forests below. He knew all too well the desecration that Haiiro was referring to. They both remembered that day, the smell of burning fur, the cries of a slow, agonizing death. Neither would ever forget it.

“He… he asked to come here, Haiiro.” Zeich responded, though he was well aware of how empty that statement sounded. He could almost hear Haiiro’s scorn, even before the wolf replied. “That monster asked to come to this world. Did he say ‘can I devour your other spirit too, pretty please’? Did he request control of your soul while he was at it, and with a few polite words make you sell yourself over to him?” The words were scathing, each one like a whip flaying at Zeich’s conscience. And yet the Vizard had no real response to them; he had indeed accepted, even with the terms that he had laid out, but stating that was pointless; in retrospect, Zeich didn’t see any logic to his decision either.

“Look… I’m sor—”

“Hey, mutt.” Suddenly Tsukikage spoke up, and the Hollow strode around Zeich, ignoring the purpose of the Vizard’s intervention. His expression was level, but the dark wolf’s tone was condescending. “Shut up a moment, will you? You’re irritating me.” The Hollow’s callous words drew Haiiro’s lips back again, those fangs once more bared and ready to tear into flesh, but Tsukikage remained true to his word; he didn’t move an inch closer to Haiiro, remaining within arm’s reach of the Vizard that stood between the two. For a few moments, the two stared at each other, the animosity almost palpable between them. Tsukikage said nothing, only glaring at Haiiro, while the Zanpaktou Spirit kept snarling, his whole form quivering with the need to act. The stalemate between them continued for a while, a good five minutes where neither said anything, leaving Zeich feeling helpless and unable to control the situation.

Finally, however, Tsukikage broke the silence. “Tell me something, mutt. I want to know what it is you feel when you are here, or at least what it is you feel when I am not here. I also want to know what it is you used to feel here, before I emerged. Answer these, and I will be on my way soon enough.” Zeich’s eyes darted down to Tsukikage, and the rocky ground of the plateau began to quiver as the Vizard considered restraining the Hollow and forcibly transporting him back to the other world. Yet he had to admit, he was curious as to the point of this encounter; did it have something to do with what Tsukikage was looking for? What was that something, anyway?

The effect of the question was obvious; Haiiro was visibly surprised, his anger vanishing for a moment like the flickering of a candle, as if unsure how to react to such a thing. Yet in a moment it was back, the fire burning ever brighter as he considered it a mockery. The Zanpaktou Spirit practically spat his response. “You want to know, mongrel? Very well!” He stood tall, his stance proud and his eyes leveled in a righteous anger. “Here, in this world, I feel pride. I feel strength. I feel courage, compassion, and unity with my Master, though I do not understand why he is doing this to me now. Yet at the same time, when I look out onto this world, I feel empty. I feel incomplete. I look on the burnt scar where you stepped onto our land, where you violated and destroyed the seeds of hope and love that we were cultivating within our Master’s soul. And because of that scar, I feel as though a part of me has been torn a way, a hole in my heart that will never be filled again!”

“It never used to be that way, before your foul presence came upon us. Back then, we were whole. We were together, Polaris and I, the two aspects of our Master’s noble soul. I was his pride, his joy, his desires to express himself and be free of the constraints of the world. She was his discipline, his order, his strength and his honor. When it was just us three, we felt a completion as though the world was right, that all was perfect. There was never this emptiness, this loneliness. Because of you, we shall never be fully whole again, never be complete again! And it’s all your fault, you twisted fiend!”

“Now go away… begone, before I rip your throat out.” Haiiro’s teeth were bared again, and this time he inched closer. Tsukikage glanced askance at Zeich, as he was not sure of the amount of space he was required to give as per the conditions he had agreed to, but the Vizard shook his head; he did not feel Tsukikage would attack at this point. But what was the point of these words? Had the Hollow truly come for the sake of goading Haiiro? It wasn’t beneath the dark spirit to do so, and the enmity between the two had always been present, yet after all the thoughtfulness and deliberation that Tsukikage had shown, it seemed odd that this was all it amounted to.

“Fine.” With that, Tsukikage tilted his head towards Zeich. “Open the portal to my world, boy. You don’t need to escort me back there, once I’m out of your precious world, right?” There was a sneering tone to the Hollow’s words, and his attitude earned a glare from the Vizard. Zeich wanted nothing more than to banish the dark wolf, and so he quickly opened a path to the Hollow’s Inner World. Tsukikage didn’t even look back, strolling through the portal and vanishing into the darkness. Zeich immediately closed the gateway, leaving the shadows behind; soon it was just him and Haiiro, alone on the plateau.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Haiiro hadn’t backed down much, though; his glare still held Zeich firmly in place. The wolf’s anger hadn’t been forgotten, just because the target of it had gone away. Zeich let out a sigh, taking a seat at the edge of the plateau, his back to the forest behind him. The Vizard didn’t approach Haiiro, nor did he say anything; he believed his companion’s anger to be fully justified, and was willing to take the yelling and anger that were sure to result. The wait was the painful part, though; Zeich hated to see the dark scowl on the wolf’s normally playful face, but all he could do was sit silently, watching.

When the time finally came, Haiiro’s anger was released in one word. “...Why…?” Zeich let out a soft sigh, trying to figure out the best way to word his response. How did he simply say “he seemed unusual, and I thought maybe he was being sincere” without sounding like a fool? Already the Vizard was cursing his decision, wondering why he had given in to Tsukikage’s request so easily. Perhaps it was curiosity; Zeich admitted that he wasn’t aware of what the Hollow was thinking this whole time, and had hoped to learn more by allowing the request. Thinking about it that way made it feel so selfish, self-centered; he had put Haiiro at risk for the sake of satisfying a curiosity.

Haiiro was waiting for answer, though. “...I won’t lie, I’m not sure of the reasons myself.” Zeich admitted. “But I need you to trust me, Haiiro. There’s… something there. Something you might have seen better than I were your eyes not clouded with anger.”

“How can I have anything but loathing and contempt for that… that…” Haiiro’s body was visibly shaking with anger, his teeth still bared. Zeich couldn’t think of another time where his companion had been like this, so distraught and volatile. The Vizard was quiet, choosing his words carefully. Even in his anger, Haiiro knew him better than anyone; any attempts at evasive responses would only earn scorn. No, Zeich had to answer sincerely and openly; nothing less would satisfy.

He took a slow breath, then let it out. “Haiiro. I don’t blame you for your hatred. He’s earned it with his actions. But at the same time, there’s… there’s something there.” Though it was a repeat of the words he had said only a few moments before, Zeich pressed them forward to try and make his point. “He’s been troubled since I arrived for my end of our Soulbind agreement, and he’s neglected opportunities to do both you and me physical harm. Though his words were to goad you, they felt… hollow. Like he was going through the motions rather than trying to actually attack you. Trying to maintain appearances.”

Another deep breath came as Zeich tried to sort his thoughts out, to organize his mental processes into coherent lists. “Something is bothering him, and he’s looking for an answer. That’s all I can really guess at. And I think coming here helped him to look for it. Even his attempt to anger you was probably for a reason. I don’t know what it is he’s looking for, or what he hoped to find here, but… for once, I believe he was dealing in good faith, despite his words. So while I know that this… this...” Zeich fumbled for the right word.

“Betrayal?” Haiiro spat at him, though with slightly more control than he had shown before Zeich’s explanation.

“...Trespass. I know I brought him into your world, your sanctuary. And I should have asked first. But please, Haiiro, trust me…?” Zeich knelt down on one knee, putting himself at eye level with his Zanpaktou spirit. The anger was still there in the wolf’s eyes, but the fire seemed to be cooling slowly.

The silence stretched out for several minutes before Haiiro finally gave a slight nod, a stiff agreement. “...I’ll try, Master. I know you wouldn’t try and bring harm to me; I just worry you’ll do so without intending to.” The wolf let out a sigh and finally relaxed, sitting down instead of standing at alert. “He scares me, Master.”

“I know.” Zeich’s response was short, but between the two of them, it conveyed a bond of empathy; the Hollow scared him too. Both of them knew what Tsukikage was capable of, what horrible acts he had committed in the past. Both had a quiet and fearful respect of the Hollow’s malicious nature.

“More than even you know, Master.” Zeich’s head tilted slightly in response to that statement, a hint of questioning in his body language. “While he scares me with his threat to kill me, to consume me like he did with Polaris… he also scares me because of what he might do to you. What if he corrupts you, turns you? Or what if, in slaying me, he leaves you defenseless and preyed upon? I am here to be your support and companion, Master, and to help protect and guide you. I am afraid of failing in those tasks, and what it implies for the both of us.”

“Haiiro...”

“Make me a promise, Master. Promise me that you’ll stand against his corruption, his deceptive words, should he choose to exert them. Promise me that, even if you pursue this route and look deeper into Tsukikage’s motivations, you won’t let him tempt you into trouble, or lead you into his own darkness. Alright?”

Zeich gave the faintest hint of a smile, the corners of his lips turning up ever so slightly, before he placed a hand on Haiiro’s head, ruffling the fur slightly. “Promise. Though I don’t need to worry about trouble; you seem to cause enough of it for me by yourself without extra help.”

“Someone has to live enough for the two of us. You’re certainly no fun at a party.” Haiiro gave a wry smile at his own joke, and Zeich leaned in to wrap his arms around the wolf’s shoulders, squeezing him close in a quick embrace. The two sat there for a moment, the last vestiges of Haiiro’s anger and apprehension flowing away to be replaced with the calm that Zeich had come to expect from his companion.

Eventually the two pulled apart, and Zeich stood. The Vizard brought up his hand and gestured again, opening the path to Tsukikage’s world once more. “I’m going to get back, then, and see if I can’t learn a bit more about what’s going on. I’ll come back here after I’m done, alright?” This drew a nod from Haiiro. “Be strong, Master. I’ll be waiting here for your return.”

[Zeich Yajuu]

“So you’re back.”

Darkness enveloped Zeich’s sight again, seeming even thicker than usual after the radiant light Haiiro’s sanctuary. The Vizard himself still stood in the small spotlight that was the lone bastion against the shadows looming about him, though this time Tsukikage was not present. He was somewhere in the murk, lurking out of sight, yet Zeich could feel him circling. It was like being watched by a predator ready to strike… and Zeich did not like being the prey. He forced himself to remain calm, his natural discipline enabling him to relax.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Zeich called out, unsure of the Hollow’s location. Something about this made him feel uneasy, but he imagined it was simply because of Tsukikage’s concealment. He didn’t like being watched, hunted. There was no answer from the shadows, however, and that sense of a predator drawing closer grew sharper, causing Zeich to reflexively rest his hand on his hip, where his Zanpaktou normally was.

Yet there was nothing there. The weapon was gone; Zeich could only imagine that Tsukikage was exerting his influence, disarming his captor while they were in the Hollow’s sphere of control. This was his realm, after all. But Zeich was the one who was truly in control; if he wanted to, he could simply step out of the trance and return to the real world. Yet Tsukikage knew this as well as anyone else; his display was either an arrogant display of dominance or else had some deeper meaning that Zeich couldn’t begin to comprehend. Either way, there was no threat, and the Vizard lowered his hand to his side again, easing his posture.

“Perhaps.” The sound echoed from all directions, and Zeich did his best to keep steady, his eyes moving while his body remained still. What was the point of this facade? Why was Tsukikage suddenly trying to intimidate him? Perhaps Haiiro was right; the Hollow was up to something.

As if reading his thoughts—a distinct possibility, in Tsukikage’s realm—the dark wolf spoke again, once more untraceable. “Don’t be unfair, boy. Here I was going to give you a gift, and you’re accusing me of dark designs?” A bit of a sardonic chuckle rang out. “I suppose it’s not unreasonable...”

Zeich sighed; he was getting tired of Tsukikage’s theatrics. “What do you want, Tsukikage? If you’re still waiting on your chance to torture me as part of my payment, just get it over with.”

“As I said, I have a gift for you. Call it… insurance.” As the last word was spoken, Tsukikage’s voice seemed to coalesce into the space right behind Zeich. The Vizard whirled, expecting to find the wolf there, only to see that a path of light extended before him, vanishing in the distance. It was like a road through the darkness, though doubtless Tsukikage could make it vanish at any point, leaving Zeich trapped in the darkness. The Vizard didn’t trust this path; in the shadows, he’d be at his Hollow’s mercy.

“Follow the path. At the end, you will find my gift.”

“And if I don’t?” Zeich’s reply was quiet, his eyes narrowing.

“Then you will never be able to use your Zanpaktou again.”

“I… won’t be able to use my Zanpaktou?” Zeich asked, trying to puzzle through Tsukikage’s plot. The Hollow was the conduit for the Vizard’s Zanpaktou, and he could potentially block its use, but at the same time, Zeich could probably exert influence to force access. Doing so would require concentration that could be fatal in a fight, however; cooperation was necessary if he wanted to survive as an outcast from Soul Society.

“Well, as you’ve figured out—” If that wasn’t damning proof that Tsukikage was skimming through his thoughts, nothing was, “—denying me will only make your survival more questionable. And when you die, so does your mutt.”

“And so do you.” Zeich countered quietly, but he was aware that his argument was futile; Tsukikage had a purpose in mind, and the wolf knew his mind far too well. Zeich would never sacrifice himself and Haiiro over something so petty, so Tsukikage was perfectly safe. Only if the stakes became dire would the Vizard take such a risk, and at the moment, they were only questionable. A low chuckle rang out in the background again, confirming Tsukikage’s agreement.

“Come on, boy. I haven’t got all day, and this will benefit us both in the long run.” Tsukikage’s voice had no tone of impatience to it despite his words; if anything, he seemed amused to be the one in control, poking and prodding to see if Zeich would dance to his tune. The man considered, closing his eyes as he weighed his choices. He could disobey and simply leave, which would end with Tsukikage making true on his word for at least a little while, or he could follow the path given and see what lay at the end of the Hollow’s path.

In the end, there wasn’t much of a choice. The practical choice was to simply follow through; being without his Zanpaktou would be too much of a guaranteed risk, while playing along bore a slightly lesser risk. Zeich knew that he could influence his Hollow as needed and stop any threat towards him. The moment things turned against him, he would take control again, by any necessary force.

Slowly the Vizard turned and started down the path that was laid out before him, walking at a relaxed, measured pace. If he hurried or slowed, it would betray a sense of apprehension towards being on the path. Tsukikage was, above all else, a predator, and the last thing that Zeich wanted to do was bait him into taking rash action. So he kept his calm about him, letting his still facade hide the sense of growing discomfort within him. This all felt so strange, though; did it have anything to do with Tsukikage’s request to visit Haiiro’s world? Zeich had no idea what the Hollow was thinking at this point, only that the wolf had some kind of plan for whatever aims he had.

The path abruptly ended at another circle of light, much like the one that he and Tsukikage met in normally. At the center of the circle, thrust into the ground until half of its blade was buried, was his Zanpaktou. Zeich could recognize it at a glance; he had used it for so many years that the weapon was practically a physical part of him. In a way, it was, given that it was imprinted with his soul and imbued with Tsukikage’s power. It almost seemed to call to him as it sat there, the one light in the darkness surrounding it.

Zeich stepped into the circle, but as he did, a brilliant light flashed, blinding him temporarily. Even when he opened his eyes, all he could see for a few moments was nothing but a haze of white, and a few blurry shapes beyond that as his vision adjusted to the new light. Blinking to try and adjust them faster, the Vizard squinted as he looked out at the area around him, trying to make sense of what he saw. As the spots faded from his eyes, however, he was surprised at what he saw.

He stood in the middle of a large town, with buildings rising up on two sides of him. To his left was a large park, complete with a children’s playground. A small building nearby looked like a residence, with a carefully-kept garden out front. It was as though he had stepped out of his Inner World and back into Karakura’s more suburban areas, with one exception: everything was a dull, faded gray, like staring at an old, colorless photograph.

Surprisingly, there were even people around, also in shades of gray. Children ran about the playground, an elderly couple talked on the sidewalk not far away, and a glance down one of the roads showed a small group of young men making their way down the street. Of everything in the area, Zeich was the only object that had any color to it… and that wasn’t saying much, given that his wardrobe consisted mostly of blacks and whites. It was strange, making the Vizard feel as if he didn’t belong.

“Welcome to my Inner World… its true form, anyway.” Tsukikage said as he materialized beside Zeich in his Hollow form. Standing on two legs, the lupine Hollow towered over his captor, his golden eyes shining amidst a black backdrop. “Up until now, you’ve only seen the barest fraction of my power, of my being. But now, you are going to experience it all, witness the potential that you hadn’t even suspected lay beneath the shadows. And then, once you’ve truly begun to open your eyes, you will learn the truth.”

“What truth?” Zeich couldn’t help but feel curious; apprehension faded as he realized that Tsukikage was trying to show him something. There was an odd lack of malice about the Hollow’s presence; it was more like he was thoughtful, reflecting upon something. Perhaps that was why he had pulled back the veil of darkness that had been cast over his Inner World, shrouding it in an umbra that had turned gray to black.

“You’ll see, soon enough. Take a look at your right hand, the palm.” Zeich did so, and paused in surprise. The very center of his palm was gray, a small disc about the size of a quarter. Yet as he watched, it expanded ever so slightly, the pallor spreading over more of his Yskin. “Now that you’re enveloped in my full power, it’s only a matter of time before you’re absorbed by it, becoming a part of it. With your current mastery over my abilities, you cannot resist this. You will slowly see the color drain out of you, and once it completely consumes you, you will be lost. You will join the hundreds of other souls that exist in this realm, wandering for eternity.”

“There is one way to stop it, however.” Tsukikage grinned, and gestured towards Zeich’s Zanpaktou, still stuck into the ground at the corner of an intersection. Even as he gestured, the sword broke apart into thousands of granules of ash, which then scattered as though guided by a powerful gale. “Somewhere in this world, in this city, is your Zanpaktou. If you are able to reclaim it, you will gain new mastery over my power. Once you do that, you will not only be able to reverse the effects of it on you, but also control that power.”

“...Why are you doing this, Tsukikage?”

“As I told you: insurance. Either you’ll fail and become a part of me, at which point I’ll be able to take over your body and make use of my full power, or you’ll succeed and tap into that power yourself, enabling you to be stronger than you’ve ever been at any given point. Whichever happens, my security will be ensured for however long I need, whether it be for daily survival or for building my strength to claim your body.”

Zeich shivered slightly, mostly because he sensed the truth in Tsukikage’s words. The Hollow was indeed looking to strengthen his host body, and whether it was in the long or short run, it was for the sake of self-benefit. Whether it would matter would be up to Zeich, in the end, but despite his strange behavior and his “gift,” it was obvious that Tsukikage had still not given up on the desire to take control and to claim his host’s body to live once again.

“Clock’s ticking. Don’t stand and think too long...” With that last jab, Tsukikage faded out of existence, leaving Zeich to fend for himself. A glance at his hand showed that time was definitely of the essence; already, the circle was creeping towards the edges of his palm, soon to start spreading along the base of his fingers. He couldn’t afford to just stand around, lest he be consumed by Tsukikage’s power.

But where did he begin? If Zeich was right, and this Inner World embodied everything about Tsukikage, then it was likely to be a good deal larger than it seemed. Even just searching the immediate area would be difficult; the sword could be hidden inside any of the buildings, or buried somewhere. There had to be a trick to discovering its location, to drawing it out. Tsukikage had suggested that this was an even chance for either of them to reclaim dominance, and though the Hollow was malicious and self-serving, he tended to honor whatever deals he agreed to. There was a solution; Zeich just had to find it.

Closing his eyes, the Vizard cast his weak spiritual senses out, hoping that perhaps he could feel his connection to his Zanpaktou. But that did little good; the only sensation that Zeich picked up was an oppressive force pressing at him from all directions that was tainted with Tsukikage’s spiritual energy. Well, Zeich hadn’t expected it to work anyway, not with his low ability to discern spiritual presences. No, there was another way to do this. But how?

Zeich considered the scenery. Perhaps the answer was in the surroundings. What was the symbolism behind this Inner World, anyway? Haiiro’s, for example, was a verdant wilderness; it was a world of freedom, where even from one’s perch above the ever-expansive forest showed nothing of what lay beneath the surface. It represented a mysterious, undefinable personality that yet still embraced the fullness of life. So what did this city mean to Tsukikage? What did it mean that he had conjured up images of people to populate it, to give it life?

That in itself was odd; usually, the only resident in an Inner World was the originator of it, host aside. So who were all of these people? Were they merely images cast across the background, or were they something more? Zeich decided to test that theory, walking up to a man hurrying along the sidewalk, a suitcase tucked under one arm. “Excuse me...” The man rushed past without even giving Zeich a second glance. As expected; it was a projection, and nothing more. These people weren’t real, and neither was the city.

The Vizard glanced at his hand, and a sliver of cold slid down his spine as he realized that it was entirely gray, with the color already halfway up his forearm. A glance at the other arm showed that it, too, was showing signs of change, with only the tips of his fingers showing any color while the monochrome shade had already started along his wrist. The conversion was happening faster than he had expected; at this rate, Zeich predicted he had no more than half an hour, if that, before he was completely consumed by Tsukikage’s world.

Zeich forced himself to clear his mind, examining the world about him again. Once more, something about it tugged at his thoughts, a curiosity overwhelming him. It was a simple question, too: why? Why did Tsukikage build a city for his Inner World, and populate it with images and illusions? Was it a desire for companionship or a fear of solitude that created it? Did he desire stability and order, and in doing so build a city along a uniform formula that he knew, complete with the people that lived within it? Zeich couldn’t tell why, but something instinctively screamed at him that he was at the edge of understanding something vital; what it was, he couldn’t tell, but his mind kept fixating on the images repeatedly. Why was he so obsessed with the false people?

“Because they’re not false, boy.” Tsukikage appeared from nowhere again, now in his fully lupine form as he stalked about Zeich in a slow, lazy circle. “Question for you: what happens to those victims when a Hollow enjoys devouring their savory souls, hm?” Tsukikage waited for but a moment before responding, already knowing the answer that Zeich would have given. “Indeed; they’re consumed, but their souls become one with the Hollow that ate them. Hollows are often twisted masses of souls given into despair, agony, and suffering of all types, with a single dominant personality defining it as something more than an amorphous mass of turbulent negative emotion. Every soul I’ve eaten, all the way from the very first, resides here in this city. Nearly thirty thousand people live within the stone walls of my inner city, unaware that they are naught but fragments and memories. How deliciously sad. Yet a Hollow’s power is the sum total of all that he has consumed, strength gained from all of the spiritual energy it has accumulated over time, so in a way, they’re as real as they are not.”

Thirty thousand; Tsukikage had been a Hollow for quite a long time to achieve such a number. It was rather impressive that he had never evolved into an Arrancar, given his consumption. These days, most Shinigami could be counted on to defeat and purify new Hollows before they’d had a chance to consume any victims, let alone more than a small handful, but it only served to show that Tsukikage had been a formidable creature before his imprisonment within Zeich’s body. But why would Tsukikage tell him this? Was the Hollow simply aiming to impress and intimidate him?

Looking down as he considered it, Zeich realized that the gray color had spread across his chest in thick patches, starting to move down his stomach and along his neck. It was advancing even faster than he thought! Thinking quickly, the Vizard considered the situation. He had to find his Zanpaktou to take control of Tsukikage’s power and reverse this absorption, else he’d end up just as one of the many spirits walking throughout the city, oblivious to his nonexistence, fuel to his captor’s power…

Wait. Fuel to his captor’s power. If Tsukikage’s power came from a combination of all the spiritual energy he had consumed up to this point, wouldn’t that mean that his power came from the many people reflected on the landscape? If they were projected in his Inner World, much like a Zanpaktou Spirit would be for a normal Shinigami, then they were the source of his power. Zeich also drew upon that power when he used his Zanpaktou, with Tsukikage’s strength fueling its abilities and form. A voice in the back of his head told him that made him no different from the Hollow, as he was channeling those same spiritual energies through Tsukikage and then through his Zanpaktou, but he pushed it aside; he had no time to worry about that.

No. It wasn’t the people who were the representation of Tsukikage’s power; it was the whole city, everything within this revealed Inner World. The people who were bound by Tsukikage’s consumption of them had been placed here, parts of the greater whole. In the end, the answer was simple: Zeich’s Zanpaktou wasn’t in the area in the way he had expected. His Zanpaktou was the area, the world about him. Everything about him was a manifestation of Tsukikage’s power and, by extension, his own strength that he drew from the Hollow.

Closing his eyes and concentrating, Zeich willed it all to come to him, willed the entire world to gather together at his fingertips. The Vizard felt it vibrate through his entire body as a surge of spiritual energy went outwards, before collapsing inwards. He could feel the subtle shift in presence, taking away from the sensation of being somewhere and creating a sense of being nowhere, as everything around him began to break up into uncountable fragments before coalescing into a shape within his upturned palms. A heavy weight soon settled into his grip, and when he opened his eyes, a Zanpaktou rested within his hands. His normal, colored hands.

But it was not the same sword he had used before; this new blade did not resemble either Tsukikage nor Tsukikage no Ookami’s forms. The sheath was carved with an intricate engraving along its length, which could only be fully seen by turning the sword to view the whole image. It depicted a wolf in silver howling up at a dark, ebony moon as it filled a starlit sky. The blade itself was long and narrow when drawn, the metal a deep black that seemed to swallow light within its darkness. The edge of the blade was razor-sharp, lined with impossibly small but pointed edges to rip and tear through whatever flesh it struck, leaving jagged wounds rather than clean ones.

“And there you have it, boy.” Tsukikage had changed back into his Hollow form, towering over Zeich, but his stance was surprisingly relaxed, without its usual malice. Up until now, you’ve only used a fragment of my power. Think of it like having your own room within one of the buildings in my Inner World; you’ve had a limited authority over what you could do, but it was only a small portion of my true strength. With this, you possess everything that I can command. This is your new Bankai: Kage-no-Tsukinoaruji, the Lord of the Shadowed Moon.” His eyes narrowed. “You have no excuse to screw up and get us killed from now on. If you perform as poorly as you did against that masked man again...” The usual malice and threat practically dripped from that statement.

“A new Bankai...” Zeich mused. “Why are you giving this to me, Tsukikage? You’re not one to give gifts.”

This drew an irritated growl from the Hollow. “I already told you: insurance. Either you get strong enough to ensure my survival until I can take your body, or else you’re too weak to handle it and I take ov—”

“We both know that’s not true.” It was Zeich’s turn to play the mind-reader, though not in the literal sense. After the look into Tsukikage’s true Inner World, the Vizard thought he understood some of what motivated the Hollow. “Your world… your strength comes from unity, from all of those souls you’ve eaten. This world is to remind you, and to tell me, that you are strong because of the many you’ve consumed. And you’re offering me this new power because, combined with mine, it’d make me far more powerful than before, keeping us both alive.”

“You also mentioned the fight against the masked man; it suggests that it’s weighed on your mind. In that fight, you and I, along with Haiiro, worked together as a team to perform to our very best. Once more, the value of unity was shown there. And just a short time ago, you questioned Haiiro about how things used to be, how he felt as part of the whole. You’ve found value in unity, and now that you’ve tasted it, you want it back in some form or another. In this case, through my use of your full power and my reliance on you. Am I wrong?”

Tsukikage didn’t answer, but instead faded out, leaving Zeich alone in the void where the city had once been. The Vizard guessed that now was not the time to press the issue, but he was intrigued; who knew Tsukikage possessed such a human trait? It was obvious now that it had been said: the Hollow longed for a sense of unity and belonging, of being more than just himself. It was part of what he was as a Hollow, one piece of a multitude of souls, a drop in the ocean. What that meant for the future, Zeich didn’t know, but he would keep it in mind.

Maybe there was hope for Tsukikage yet.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

84 paragraphs for +400 CTP and +20 TTP