Bleach Chapter 233

[mage]

"While fighting with his hollow side, Ichigo is constantly demanding to see Zangetsu, the embodiment of his zanpakutō. The hollow responds by saying that he was always part of Zangetsu and that his personality is now simply dominant over that of Zangetsu's, equating it to a servant trading places with its master. Ichigo realizes that if he manages to defeat his hollow side, the hollow will revert back to the being known as Zangetsu, allowing him full control over that part of his spiritual power."

If he always had shinigami powers, that means zangetsu was always his too, WHICH MEANS that the hollow was always there too...

what's the source of that nifty quote?

The hollow says that he was always part of Zangetsu, but that "always" is only from his point of view. The moment he came into existence he became part of Zangetsu because Ichigo found his shinigami powers at the same time his chain of fate was eaten away. I'm tired of saying the same thing over and over again.