The Wound Within

"Well, had you been destroyed the moment you became conscious of this world, the rift would've been healed," he explained. "Yet somehow, you managed to do the impossible again: you survived. I have to admit, I'm impressed with how you've been able to live with yourself all this time."

Kyousuke remained still, puzzled by all the things this man had been telling him. One after another, there seemed to be contradictions surrounding his entire existence.

"Did you never find it strange, Kyousuke, how after all of this time, after all of your training, you've had absolutely no control over your spirit energy?" he asked him. "Did you never think to ask yourself why everyone around you would always feel sick or wounded in your presence?"

"Well...I..."

"Isn't it obvious? It's been because the spiritual pressure you've been exerting isn't actually yours," the man revealed. "It belongs to someone else. The only thing people feel from you is the wound which you've been carrying all these years."

The man heaved another sigh from his breath, falling back against a tree towering next to him, "To think you've been so ignorant all this time; thinking all was well; that it was just a formality and you would gain control in time. Honestly, you are completely hopeless."

Those words were a bit like a slap in the mouth to him, but Kyousuke couldn't deny that he had been elusive to the real reason behind his powers. He never would have suspected himself to be such a dangerous, oppressive individual.

"Anyway, we've wasted enough time talking about this," said the tall, blonde stranger. "Now you need to get the hell out of here... fast. All of this explaining hasn't slowed that thing above any; besides, I doubt you've been able to understand anything I've told you."

That much was true. Kyousuke was still having trouble piecing everything together and comprehending just what kind of person he actually was. But at this point, it no longer mattered. Lifting his head to the sky, he watched as the giant black hole gradually descended toward them.

"How do I stop it?" he asked.

Raising his head, the blonde-haired man looked over to him, "Hm? What?"

"How do I stop it?!" Kyousuke repeated, "How do I stop that thing from killing us?!"

"Us?" the man quoted with a mild inflection in his voice, "Haven't you been listening to a word I've said? We're just memories, put here by you, Kyousuke. We don't have any business being here in the first place. But if you are caught in that thing, then you'll die, and the rift you caused will open - destroying both this world as well as the world of the living. That's why I've been yelling at you to get the hell out of here!"

"Then which way am I supposed to go?!" shouted Kyousuke in agitation. "How exactly do I get out of here?!?"

"Hmm..." the man moaned thoughtfully, looking around the city. "Well, I'm not sure you can. I've been up and down each of these roads and never saw any plausible means of leaving this place." He threw his shoulders casually in a shrug, resting back against the tree and bowing his head into his chest, "But I wasn't the one who built it. So now that you're here, maybe you'll have better luck."

Kyousuke growled at the stranger, feeling strung along for his personal amusement, "Why you --"

"Standing there growling at me isn't going to help you get out of here any faster, you know?" the man quipped. "And you don't have a whole lot of time left before that black hole gets here."

Kyousuke felt even more agitated now that the man had decided to lecture him after slamming a world of painful truths on his back. He wanted to wring his neck, but decided if he was just a memory, then it was all a moot point anyway. Casting his emotions aside, he finally bolted away from him and took to the streets...

Darting around one block after another, Kyousuke still couldn't discover a way out of the massive city. He slowed to a stop and slumped forward, grabbing his knees in exhaustion. Beads of sweat fell from his face down upon the sidewalk as he struggled to breathe. It felt like he had been running, searching for hours.

'Damn it! I feel like a rat in a maze!'

He raised his head, hoping to collect more oxygen faster, but the air seemed so thin it was tough to breathe normally. He looked across the street and spotted a traffic light set up between the next intersection. One lane of vehicles would pass through while the opposing lanes sat still and patiently waited for their signal to turn. Hoping to gain some bearings on where he was, he glanced to the street sign only to discover it was blank - just like all of the others had been. He had no idea where he was, or where he was going.

"Damn it all!" he snarled, sprinting down the next street across from him.

He raced onward for another half-mile before suddenly sliding to a quick halt. He lifted his head and gazed up along the stretch of a towering skyscraper next to him. Maybe by getting a better vantage point he could map out the city much more accurately, he thought.

Setting his feet apart, he tensed and pushed himself up in a strong leap. But the instant his feet left the ground, he started to fall again. He waved his arms in panic before his feet slapped the sidewalk again. He had barely gotten 2 feet off the ground.

'What the hell?! Why didn't my spirit energy carry me up there?'

Confused but undeterred, Kyousuke tried again, giving an even harder push with his legs while concentrating hard on his spiritual pressure. He managed to gain another 2 feet before gravity pulled him back down. Perplexed, Kyousuke looked at his hands, scanning both with trepidation.

'What's going on? What happened to my powers?!?'

His breath immediately caught in his throat as he recalled the words that blonde-haired stranger just told him. "Isn't it obvious? It's because the spiritual pressure you've been exerting is not actually yours. It belongs to someone else!"

'It belongs to someone else?' he repeated to himself. 'What does that mean? Does it mean that my powers have been stripped from me? Or does it mean that I never had any spiritual power to begin with?'

He wasn't sure which was the truth, but one thing did seem certain - as long as he was here, he was powerless. Never in his life could he remember a time when he felt so helpless and vulnerable than how he felt right then. But if his powers never actually belonged to him, who did they belong to? He wondered. How could he have come into temporary possession of them?

The sound of an unworldly growl that practically shook the entire city woke him from his reverie. Kyousuke glanced up to the sky where the black hole now seemed twice as large; a giant mouth poised to consume everything. He noticed as the very peak of several of the tallest skyscrapers began to break apart and tumble into the black abyss.

'Shit!'

Tossing his concerns to the wayside, Kyousuke took off through the streets again, carelessly rounding one corner after the other. He was almost out of time, and things were much more serious than he had originally thought...

As Kyousuke frantically turned the next corner, he came to a sudden stop and his heart sank. There, standing 100 feet away, was a colossal 3-headed beast of pure white skin, powerful limbs, sharp teeth, and a very twisted, eerie mask.

'A Hollow?!?'

The triple-headed creature stretched it's long, thick necks to the swirling black sky and released a deafening roar. Citizens fled in terror from it as it stomped it's 4 tree-sized feet through the street, bashing a tail 35 feey long against the surrounding buildings, bringing them crumbling down in massive heaps of brick, glass and steel.

Kyousuke watched it, horrified - not merely due to it's sheer size, but due to the entire situation he was in.

"You have got to be kidding me," he mumbled to himself, disheartened.

'Why in the hell would I put something like that in my own mind?!?'

Each long head suddenly turned down to the Shinigami, snarling. The giant beast advanced toward him, dipping each of their long necks closer to him, which gave him a clear look into their bright, yellow eyes.

"Look brothers," the center head growled, "It has come before us at last.

"This is the one?" asked the left head. "He seems weak."

The right head leaned in a bit closer to Kyousuke, sniffing at him. "He reeks of fear. This one couldn't be the one we have sought."

By comparison to their giant structure, Kyousuke felt like a mere flea. He had never seen such a large Hollow before. It was practically the size of a dinosaur, with the shape of a monstrous hydra beast. There was no way he could fight it, he thought. He had no powers, no weapons, and was quickly losing time...

Above them, the black hole began to gobble up the city's tallest buildings. Kyousuke heard the twisting and grinding of metal echoing a horrid chorus as each one was slowly ripped apart. Pillars of debris stretched into the maelstrom of vacuity, gradually bearing down on the Shinigami, who was now trapped, cut off by this 150 foot tall monster.

'I don't have time for this!'

The frightened young man suddenly spun on his heel and took off in the opposite direction of the Hollow as fast as his legs would move. He gained about 20 yards before a tall, white wall of spikes dropped down in front of him. The ground quaked against the impact and a violent wind force threw the panicked Shingami backwards. Kyousuke tumbled and rolled along the street for nearly half the distance he had gained from the creature.

"What is this?" spoke the left head of the beast. "It tries to flee from us?"

"It seeks a way out," the right head replied next, leering at their staggering victim.

Kyousuke picked himself up off of the asphalt, groaning. As he looked at the massive wall that had smashed down across from him, he noticed that the beast had used it's powerful tail to box him in.

"You seek to escape this city, mortal?" the middle head asked, drawing his attention.

"There is but only one exit out of here," said the head on the left.

"It is through us," the right head finished.

Kyousuke scowled at the Hollow, balling his hands together at his sides in frustration. Just how was he supposed to get passed this thing without any means to fight it he wondered. Then, from out of nowhere, a beam of light shone down from the mouth of the twisting black void, temporarly blinding the young Soul Reaper with it's violet fluorescence. After a few minutes, the light dispersed, revealing a sheathed katana protruding from the stone street...

Kyousuke gaped at the weapon, taken aback by its presence. Where had it come from? Such a question instantly seemed inconsequential to the matter at hand as he quickly ran to the sword and tore it from the scabbard. It's smooth, steel blade glistened beautifully as the Shinigami turned to confront the ghostly white beast with contemporary courage.

"So battle is what it wants now, eh?" the creature spoke with a chuckle.

"It believes it has something to fight for, does it?"

"It thinks we can be slain?"

Kyousuke set his feet apart and wrapped both hands around the leathery grip of the sword. His eyes gleamed with both fright and determination. True, the sword seemed almost like a needle compared to the hulking behemoth, but it was the only thing he had now.

The Hollow simply stared at the young warrior in long silence as the city was slowly pulled apart around them.

"Tell us, mortal, what exactly is it you plan to do with that sword?" asked the center head.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna cut you to pieces and then get out of here," Kyousuke snarled.

"Do you truly believe that?" the left head spoke next, followed by the right head directly after. "Do you have such faith in your weapon? We do not believe so."

"We can smell the apprehension on you," the middle head added. "You have no power, and therefore have no faith in your sword."

"In your heart, you feel that sword is the dullest of blades - useless, pathetic."

"Your body trembles in anticipation of our might," the beast continued as each head traded turns speaking to him. "You sweat with anxiety of all the possible pain that will be inflicted upon you."

The creature didn't lie; it was true, all of it. Kyousuke knew he had absolutely no chance against this monster. The thought was infuriating; however, the thing that made his blood seethe the most was the transparency of his cowardice.

The Squad 12 Lieutenant struggled to make his hands quit shaking, but they wouldn't listen. 'Stop it. Stop now, damn it! You can't afford to be afraid right now! You have to win! You have to kill this thing! There's no other choice!'

He raised his eyes skyward, watching as the moon-sized black hole swallowed up more of the city in a storm of debris. He could tell it was getting more and more difficult to keep his feet flat on the ground as the upward winds became increasingly violent.

"You know you cannot win, Kyousuke," the Hollow spoke again, just over the roar of the gaping black void.

"Fear anchors your feet; paralyzes your muscles; erodes your will to do what must be done."

"SHUT UP!" Kyousuke hollered as he threw himself at the Hollow in a blind rage of despair...

Kyousuke bellowed out a roar which sounded even over the clamor of the black hole. Rage flared in his eyes like fire as he swung the blade of the katana into the pale monster's leg. The strike landed with such impact both of his arms jolted, but the instant the blade made contact it was immediately forced back, echoing a solid scraping noise.

Kyousuke staggered backwards and gasped as his attack didn't even leave a single mark on the creature. His body began to quiver again and he charged it a second time, swinging and slashing at the Hollow's two front legs. The blade scraped and slid against it's skin like it was made of concrete. He couldn't manage a single scratch.

All 3 heads of the creature simply watched his pitiful attempts to injure their body.

"He has strength," one head said.

"He has tenacity," said another.

"But he does not have what is required."

"Perhaps we should tell him?"

"He has been told enough," the middle head answered. "It is up to him to discover now. If he cannot..."

"Then it will not matter."

He must have hacked at the Hollow's legs for 30 minutes straight before finally slowing to a stop. His last handful of strikes were limp, torpid, and had failed to cause a single abrasion to the monster's skin. Above them, the giant, black void was growing vivaciously closer. The ground beneath their feet started to tremble and crack; the rooftops of buildings began to pull apart; cars and trucks were lifted into the mouth, vanishing into the darkness.

'Damn it! What am I supposed to do?!?'

"You cannot win, Kyousuke," the monster said again. "So why do you fight?"

"Are you blind?!" snarled the Shinigami. "Can't you see what's coming?!"

"We see it. The question that concerns us is: Can you see what's coming?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Kyousuke asked the creature, screaming above the roar of destruction.

"Tell us, Kyousuke, why are you attempting to destroy us?"

"Do you not realize what we are?"

Kyousuke stood there, still struggling to breathe, covered in sweat and pondering over what the beast was trying to say, "You're...a Hollow."

"That we are, human," the left head said. "But what is a Hollow doing trapped within the recesses of your mind?"

The young Shinigami paused for a moment in thought over that very question, yet no matter how much he tried to make sense of it, he failed to reach an understanding.

"I've been trying to figure that out myself," he finally answered.

"Then you do not know?" The Hollow continued.

"Know what?!"

"You do not know the way out."

The way out? What were they trying to tell him, Kyousuke wondered as he stood there with his body sagging with fatigue.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" the creature asked him. "The only way you'll be able to leave this place is if the wound between time and space is healed."

"That is the only way you can return to Soul Society," the right head added.

Kyousuke stood there for a moment in heavy contemplation as the winds roared around him, and a few of the buildings surrounding him were starting to lift off of their foundations.

"I don't understand," muttered Kyousuke as he gazed up to the towering, white beast. "You said earlier that the only way out of here was through you."

"That we did, Kyousuke," the middle head replied. "But you assumed that meant you had to destroy us."

"You assumed we are what has bound you here," said the left head of the Hollow. "But we are not the wound you seek; we are all merely a part of you; your own creation; scars within the fabric of time and space."

"We are not the wound which has brought about this destruction that seeks to claim both realms of life," the right head now informed the perplexed young warrior, "You are."

Kyousuke's head slowly drooped toward his chest as the monstrous, white-skinned titan conveyed these truisms to him.

"Everything that has transpired up to this point; the weight of your presence; the severance of your connection to your sword; the absence of your spiritual powers; all of it is because of you," the beast continued. "You are the lone reason the balance between both this world and the world of the living are now on the verge of total annihilation."

"And yet here you are; running in circles in hopes of finding a way to preserve yourself. What a pathetic Shinigami you are," the left head tagged next.

The young Soul Reaper's eyes fell behind thick, brown bangs with contrition. He understood now why his Zanpakuto loathed him. He reminisced the things that had been said to him earlier.

Burakkuhoru: "You are a cancer, Kyousuke. A blight upon both Shinigami and Zanpakuto alike. Everyone you come into contact with will feel the weight of the disease you carry."

Blonde stranger: "Did you never think to ask yourself, Kyousuke, how after all of this time, all of your training, you've had absolutely no control over your spirtual energy? It's because the spiritual pressure you've been exerting isn't actually yours! It belongs to someone else! The barrier between both dimensions has still been damaged. But rather than create a gaping hole in the barrier, you simply caused a rift in it."

'So all of this time, it was never my own power that got me through Shino Academy. Instead, it's been the only thing preventing both worlds from being ripped apart.'

For the first time since he had arrived in that metropolis of forgotten memories, Kyousuke was content to let himself be torn apart by the black hole that hung only 500 feet above him. What was he supposed to do with all of the information he had just received? How was he supposed to make amends with his Zanpakuto? How could he even think of ever returning to the Soul Society and the Seireitei, knowing that anyone that got close to him would only suffer in his presence?

His body felt incredibly heavy in spite of the terrific forces pulling up the entire city by the roots, 'All of this happened because of me; because I was afraid to face the truth. How long have I been running?' His fingers loosened around the sword and he dropped it carelessly to the ground. He knew what he had to do...

Slowly, the Shinigami raised his head up to the colossal Hollow standing before him. His honey-golden eyes gazed adamantly into it's own tiny, yellow orbs. The winds lashed at his body, struggling to draw him up off the street. His clothes beat against him and his hair jerked and pulled in practically every direction. Remnants of debris and rubble zipped around them as the city block was gradually demolished brick by brick.

"You said the only way out of here was through you," he said to the creature, barely over the roar of the ebony maelstrom. "You said that the only way to leave this place was to heal the wound which caused the rift in space and time. Can I trust you that once I'm gone the damage I've caused will be reconciled?"

"So you have finally chosen to take action then?" the Hollow growled in return with it's horrid voice.

"I don't care what becomes of me now," said Kyousuke. "I just want everyone to be safe. I don't want anyone else to suffer because of me. But I need to know if you're telling me the truth; if this really is the only way."

"After you are gone from this place, the crack between the dimensions shall stay sealed," the beast answered.

"But - this will not mend the rift completely," added the right head suddenly.

"As long as you possess a faint memory of this place, the threat of extinction shall always be there," included the left head of the creature.

"Then how do I close it?" Kyousuke asked promptly after, giving the beast a look of sheer resolve.

"Every soul that tries to cross over to the Soul Society can only be recognized if they possess some measure of spirit energy within themselves," The middle head of the Hollow explained to him. "This is what divides the Spirit World from the World of the Living; only those who harness their spiritual powers are ever allowed to progress beyond the border."

"There has also been a few rare occasions when a mortal being learns to channel their spirit energies to pass through the Dangai into the Spirit World," added the right head. "It is the element which binds all things in the universe together as one."

"But you are an exception to this law, Kyousuke," the left head now revealed. "You are the only one in history that has ever been allowed to pass through the barrier of time and space, and undergo a full, natural birth in the Soul Society without having any possession of your own spiritual energy."

"So does that mean I don't have any spirit energy of my own?" asked Kyousuke.

"All souls possess some measure of spirit energy," the left head answered once again. "You are no different."

"Your own spirit energy exists, Kyousuke. But because you somehow maintained a grasp on something which did not belong in the Soul Society, your powers were locked away and hidden from you," the center head told him. "If you were to discover where your powers were hidden --"

"Then your crossover would be complete," the right head interrupted.

"And the rift which you caused between the realms would finally close up for good," the left head added.

Kyousuke and the Hollow stared at each other; as though one were waiting for the other to say something. Suddenly, the Hollow began to slide backwards - tugged by the incredibly strong pull of the black hole. Striking it's bulky, acuate claws into the cement, it managed to stop itself from going further than 2 feet. It was due to merely having a lower center of gravity that Kyousuke himself hadn't already been sucked up into the void.

"That's all there is to it," the Hollow said to the Shinigami.

"Actually, it isn't. There's something else you're not telling me," Kyousuke challenged. "You've told me what will happen if I discover my true powers. What will happen if I don't?"

The Hollow fell silent for a moment as a car suddenly flew past the Shingami and bounced harmlessly off of it's thick, stone hide, and was then swallowed up by the dark, round circle in the sky. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the middle head answered. "Then your soul will become Hollowfied," it said.

A gasp caught in Kyousuke's throat, his eyes filling with dread.

"While we are simply a memory in your mind, Kyousuke --," the right head added.

"We are still Hollow," the left finished.

Kyousuke swallowed a breath, hoping to slow the pace of his heart speeding in his chest. He wasn't sure what else he had been expecting to hear, yet somehow, that news seemed all the more vexing. Maybe it would've been easier for him had he not not asked at all, he thought, only to quickly dismiss the suggestion immediately afterward.

'No,' he exclaimed to himself. 'I have to stop thinking this way! Now's my chance to prove to myself and everyone else if I really am cut out to be a Shinigami!'

He then exhaled a slow, calming breath and gazed up at the 50 foot monster standing before him, his eyes brimming with new resolve.

"I understand," he said.

"Are you ready then?" the Hollowed asked

Kyousuke hesitated only for a moment as he weighed his options. Finally, he answered in a steely voice. "Yes. I'm ready."

"Then, good luck to you, Kyousuke."

The beast then raised all 3 of it's heads and unleashed a bone-rattling howl into the roaring black skies. The earth trembled around them as Kyousuke slammed his hands up against his ears. The cry was maddeningly loud. It was as though he had been standing next to a bomb that suddenly exploded. Staggering around on the crumbling street, Kyousuke fell to a knee, pondering when the Hollow would shut up.

Glancing up at the white behemoth, he saw the middle head leering down at him - it's jowls open, revealing rows upon rows of tiny white daggers lined along pitch-black gums. Streams of malodorous saliva dripped out of it's gaping mouth, coating the streets and any nearby objects in it's translucent residue. Suddenly, it's neck snapped forward and the beast snatched Kyousuke into it's jaws in the blink of an eye, and swallowed...

There was no telling how long he had been out cold this time as Kyousuke's eyes peeked open. The ground beneath him felt warm, moist, and spongy.

'Where am I?' he asked himself as his vision faded back and forth from dark silhouettes to blurry, purple blobs.

It was then that his nostrils were suddenly assaulted by a putrid stench that made his stomach churn and roused him harshly from his repose. "Blaggh!" He gagged, pinching his hand over his nose. He rose to his knees and took a moment to let his senses adjust.

'Uggk! What the hell is that?! This place smells worse than a sewer!'

While keeping his nose plugged, Kyousuke stood and surveyed his surroundings. Walls of fatty, purple flesh entombed him within a vast, muculent cavity. Lavender veins snaked along the walls and intersecting pillars of pulpous, purple tissue. But the most peculiar, notable thing for him, was the display of thousands of scattered swords protruding from what Kyousuke concluded to be the innards of the giant Hollow he had been speaking to, prior to being rendered unconscious for the hundredth time...