Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters.
Title: in awe of that which cannot be seen
Rating: K+
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo can't see ghosts like his sisters but he doesn't really mind because at least he could see the old man.
Author's Notes: Spoilers up to chapter 542. Inspired by "Sight" by cywcross on ArchiveOfOurOwn where Ichigo could see both regular spirits and zanpakuto spirits. Go read that story now! I decided to switch it up and write what if Ichigo could only see zanpakuto spirits but seemingly doesn't have his usual enormous spiritual power. More details about this will be further explained.

The title is from Bleach's tagline, "We stand in awe of that which cannot be seen, and we respect with every fiber that which cannot be explained". Due to the nature of this story, Ichigo would become more closer to the zanpakuto than the shinigami, such as Sode no Shirayuki for Rukia or Zabimaru for Renji. For some zanpakuto that hasn't had much screen time such as Benihime or Ryujin Jakka, I developed their personality based off their wielders or from what others had said about them. Sorry about the mixed up documentation. I accidentally included some parts that were supposed to be in future chapters. Hope you enjoy this!

For as long as Ichigo could remember, he was able to see the old man, just like he could see other ordinary human beings.

The old man came and went as he pleased, mostly remaining in the corner of Ichigo's room but he was often seen wandering the halls of Ichigo's school or by the riverside or whatever street Ichigo happened to be walking by. He was quiet and not even his black cloak made a sound and didn't bother anyone so Ichigo left him as is.

He had first thought he had gained the ability to see ghosts like Karin or Yuzu, even if Yuzu could only see blurs or wisps of spirits but when he pointed the old man out to them, neither could see him. He didn't even try with his mom or dad who for some reason never had that ability to see ghosts. So he thought perhaps this was a special type of ghost that was bonded to him or something of that nature.

He tried to ask the old man about it but the old man either gave a cryptic answer or said nothing at all. Eventually Ichigo gave up and just referred to him as "old man" which he appeared to be content with and answered to if Ichigo called. In some ways, he became like a secondary uncle to Ichigo when Ichigo never had any aunts or uncles.

Even when Ichigo's mother died (killed, he insisted, raging to the skies, she was killed, I killed her), the old man was there to wipe away the tears and hold him as the boy sobbed and shook under his blankets.

He would only solemnly say "I'm sorry" again and again and Ichigo never understood why. He told him he had nothing to apologize for, it wasn't his fault and he wasn't the one who killed his mother (it was me). And eventually, every year on that day of the anniversary, the old man retreated to wherever he went when he wasn't with Ichigo and wouldn't reappear until the next day.

It was a presence that always assured Ichigo he was there. When students and teachers whispered and gossiped over his delinquent status, the old man glared at them and if they happened to wonder why the air around them got cold, nobody knew better. When thugs and mobsters started gunning for him, he might not have been there physically to help Ichigo throw a punch but his darkly threatening aura was enough to send a lot of them running. Even when everything was silent and the nights were long, Ichigo knew the old man was there, watching him, making sure that he was safe and protected.

It wasn't long before Ichigo semi-counted the old man as part of his family, even if a good portion of said family wasn't able to see or hear him.

~.~.~

All Ichigo had for a warning was the strange black butterfly that brushed past his face before a strange woman dressed in white stepped through his wall.

A sudden chill breezed in the room even though the window was closed and it was a warm spring evening. Ichigo was transfixed at the woman, dressed in a white kimono, as pale and light as her long hair. Her skin was an ashen color and her lips a myriad of blue and lavender as if she had been standing too long outside in the cold. He was explicitly reminded of stories of the yuki-onna and knew the myths were not exaggerating their cold beauty.

When she quietly spoke, he could have sworn that a few flakes of snow danced behind her, weaving between her hair. " Please be careful, Rukia-dono," she said softly, gazing towards something unseen. " The Hollow is nearby."

Rukia-dono? Hollow? It was unfortunate the old man wasn't here. Unable to take this intrusion into his room and blabbing about nonsense things anymore, Ichigo stood his full height, preparing to fight. " Who are you?" he demanded.

The woman took a quick look dismissively at him, her icy blue eyes flicking briefly over his direction before continuing to stare at the empty distance of Ichigo's room.

" I said, who the hell are you?!" Ichigo snapped, this time aiming a kick towards her backside.

The resulting action sent the woman crumbling ungracefully to the bedroom floor like a string-less puppet. With an unladylike shriek, she sprawled on the floor, blinking in confusion. She finally spun around to look at him, eyes comically wide and mouth gaping like a fish.

" You're pretty confident for a burglar," Ichigo growled threateningly.

It took a few more minutes of the woman staring and stammering incomprehensibly before she managed to make some sense of her words. " Y-you can see me? And – and touch me?" she gasped, looking like she had seen a ghost. She glanced towards the side, as if looking at someone before turning back to him. " But you can't see Rukia-dono? "

" What are you talking about?" he scowled.

A clatter of footsteps interrupted Ichigo and Karin popped her head around the door. " Ichi-nii-san, what's with the ruckus?"

" How can I not make a ruckus with that person around?" Ichigo jerked his finger towards the woman. " Dad's security must be acting up to let people like that into our house."

Karin frowned. " I don't see anybody there."

Now it was Ichigo's turn to frown. " I'm talking about this woman in the kimono – "

" There is no point," the woman calmly said from behind Ichigo, startling him. " No human or spirit can see me. And at times, not even my own shinigami," she added in a sad tone.

Before he could ask what she meant by that, Karin tugged at his sleeve in concern. " Ichi-nii-san? Are you ... starting to see ghosts?" she hesitantly asked.

Forcing a smile, Ichigo ruffled her hair. " Don't worry about it. I'm probably just tired. You go back down and stop Dad from eating all the rice before me, okay?"

" All right." With one last suspicious glance at her brother's empty room, Karin left and allowed Ichigo to return to glaring at the woman.

" Start talking. Tell me who are you."

The woman sat in a perfectly posed position, her previous ruffled appearance gone. " My name is Sode no Shirayuki," she bowed deeply. " My sincere apologies for my earlier misunderstanding. You must understand that there has been no other soul that has seen me other than my shinigami. Shinigami are sent from Soul Society to exorcise and exterminate spirits in the human world," she quickly summarized when she saw Ichigo's baffled expression.

" What are you then? You're not a spirit or a shinigami."

Sode no Shirayuki smiled wistfully. " I am a zanpakuto. A spirit of the sword of my master. I am a representative and a reflection of Rukia-dono's soul. We fight together to stop Hollows or any other threat to Soul Society."

" And this Rukia person can't see you?"

" Only in our inner world are we able to communicate." She gazed longingly outside the window, perhaps at someone that Ichigo couldn't see. " But you ..." Her eyes turned back towards him, thoughtful and wondering. " You can see me yet you cannot see Rukia-dono or any other spirits. How is that possible?"

Ichigo shrugged. " Don't ask me. Why are you and Rukia are here in the first place?"

Sode no Shirayuki would have answered had not she heard something for her ears alone. With a gasp, she stood up, rushing towards the window. " Rukia-dono!" she cried out. And with a flutter of her sleeves, she flew out the window, leaving Ichigo dumbfounded.

" Hey! I'm not done with you yet!"

Bowling down the stairs and past an alarmed Yuzu, Ichigo shot out the door, shouting to the confused Karin that he would be back soon. If that Sode no Shirayuki thought she could evade his questions by running away, she was wrong.

Skidding to a stop outside his house and into his neighbourhood, Ichigo spied Sode no Shirayuki crouching near the ground, hands gripping something (or someone) unseen to Ichigo, whispering frantic assurances.

His irritation faded away and concern replaced it. " Hey, are you all right?" he called out, taking a step forward.

Suddenly realizing he was there, Sode no Shirayuki cried out. " Don't come near us! Run! Get away from here!"

Something invisible grabbed him, flinging him towards the wall. With a sickening crack, Ichigo slid to the ground like a limp doll, gasping and shuddering. Pain exploded at the back of his head and he could feel the slick wetness of blood dripping down his hair. His vision began to blur.

The pressure continued to push and squeeze against his entire body, crushing his lungs, leaving him without enough breath to scream. A foul, hot air blew itself heavily over him, suffocating him even more. Dimly, he heard someone calling out his name but he couldn't tell who. Darkness crept into his vision and he could hear his own heart beat growing quieter and quieter and quieter ...

Suddenly, there was a loud screech of metal snapping through the air and the pressure lessened and the stench was gone, enabling Ichigo to breath properly again. Gasping, he struggled to sit up, scratching uselessly at the cracked wall behind him for support and trying to squint at what was in front of him.

The old man stood before him, his black cape fluttering in the evening wind and a long black blade held in his hand. Smoking black blood spilt from the blade in fat drops. His normally composed eyes blazed with a fury that Ichigo never saw before. " You hurt Ichigo," the old man said quietly and angrily all at once.

With an inhuman speed, the old man leapt through the air swinging his sword with deadly precision. More black blood soaked his blade even though for all Ichigo could tell, he was randomly slashing and cutting the air.

" Child!" Sode no Shirayuki ran to his side. " Are you all right?"

" Y-yeah." He touched the back of his head and winced when he saw his hand came back bloody. " And I'm not a child," he muttered absently.

Ignoring him, Sode no Shirayuki's gaze switched from him to the strangely one-sided battle in front of them where the old man continued to hack away at his enemy. Her lips were pressed together in an inscrutable expression and her gaze was fixed upon the old man. " That zanpakuto ... who is he? Whose shinigami does he belong to?"

Either he had hit his head harder than he thought or he just heard Sode no Shirayuki call the old man a zanpakuto and belonging to a shinigami. Not to mention she was able to see him. " The old man? You can see him too? He doesn't belong to anyone. Well, I guess he's mine, I think. He's always been around me," he gabbled unintelligently. I'm going to need to see Dad for stitches, he mused.

" You?" Sode no Shirayuki was incredulous, somehow able to make sense of his rambles. " But you are an ordinary human without any reiatsu. How could you have a zanpakuto if you are not a shinigami?"

" I ..." Ichigo wasn't able to answer her. Somewhere ahead, the old man flicked the last of the blood from his blade and sheathed it, indicating the battle was over and he had won. When he saw that Ichigo was sitting up and hale enough, the old man's shoulders released their tension.

" Ichigo," was all he needed to say to convey his relief and it was all that Ichigo needed to know that he didn't care who or what the old man was.