"Eh? My Zanpakuto?" The light and carefree voice of a dark-skinned female spoke up, currently sitting cross legged on a rock in the training grounds beneath Urahara's shop. She had one finger digging into her ear as she looked over her shoulder at the proclaimed hero of Soul Society.
"Oi. You never really talk about it, and there have certainly been times where it would have been useful." The giant blade that the boy used was stuck into the ground, his body leaning against it with arms crossed over his chest, a calm and stern expression on his face. The purple tinted hair of the woman he was talking to whipped around as she turned to face him, maintaining her posture on the stone. The two locked eyes for a moment, reading the others face. Breathing out a heavy sigh, her eyes closed and her hands rested onto her lap.
"It's a story that, for a long time, has been a tale that I don't like to share." Her voice turned an unusually serious tone, her eyes opening slightly, half slanted and beaming into the ground in front of her. Ichigo's body stiffened against his blade, her change in tone affecting the atmosphere around them. He could tell this was one of those very few moments that it was something very personal.
"If you don't want to share, you don't have to. It hasn't bothered me not knowing all this time, I can live without it," He played it off by easing the tension in his shoulders, letting them drop. A small smile crossed Yoruichi's mouth for a moment, his tactics not going unnoticed. She stood from her space and hopped onto the ground, walking passed Ichigo a few steps before stopping, his eyes following her as far as they could without having to move.
"When you spend a hundred years as a cat, you get used to curiosity trying to kill you," She stated with a wave of her hand, motioning him to follow. He lifted himself from his sword and began trailing behind her, grabbing the hilt and tossing the blade over his shoulder.
"I learned a lot of things through my travels of the Soul King's Palace. Some things were obvious to me, others were completely new-" Yoruichi stopped and tossed up a hand, her head turning over her shoulder with a glare, cutting his sentence short.
"I get where you're going, you can spare me the details," She spoke bluntly for a moment before sighing and giving a brief apology. "Sorry, this subject always makes me uneasy." There was a small pause before she continued moving, words coming soon after. "Have you ever met a God, Ichigo?" Her sudden question made him pause in his steps for a moment, taking to time to process the question he was just asked.
"A God...?" He muttered, slightly puzzled.
"A divine being, often considered to be nothing more than legends and myths, but yet still regarded in the highest stature."
"I know what a God is! I don't understand why you're asking me that," Ichigo yelled back in reply, putting an annoyed scowl on his face.
"Long, Long ago, the Gods used to pass a small portion of their power down to the Shinigami to help them fulfill their duties in slaying hollows. Of course, everything changed when the Zanpakuto was created; we no longer needed the power of Gods to do our jobs. This also allowed more Shinigami to join in the fight. Eventually it got to the point where it became a custom that every Shinigami was required to have a Zanpakuto, each one carefully crafted by Nimaiya. Not all of the Gods were pleased by this though, some of them liked displaying their power, so they split off a portion of themselves and put them inside some of the Zanpakutos, creating the first spirits inside the blades, which would lead to Shikai and Bankai forms down the road." Yoruichi stopped near the edge of the underground field, approaching and kneeling next to a small tree stump.
Ichigo, who was still rather confused, stared down at her as she looked blankly at the stump. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Youruichi started speaking again.
"With Aizen being the prime example, the power of Gods wasn't meant for anybody, no matter how small the portion. It leaves a thirst, a hunger for more. It changes you." She spoke the final words softly, her eyes closing for a moment. She placed her hand on the stump, causing a section of it to glow white with reiatsu. A light clicking sound was made as the stump began to disappear, revealing a rectangular hole underneath, where there was a small black box inside. She pulled out the box and stood to her feet, opening the lid and revealing a sheathed sword inside. It was a smaller blade, one of the wakizashi type swords. The hilt of the sword was wrapped in purple lining, going around all the way until it met the sheath. She carefully grabbed hold of the hilt, taking a moment to shake the awkwardness of holding a sword again, before tossing it towards Ichigo. He was taken off guard, but he caught it with his free hand, holding it by the sheath. Almost immediately, he knew something was off.
"Can you sense it?" She asked him in a hushed tone, her eyes going soft, and a very faint smile in the corners of her mouth.
"There's nothing in it..." He muttered. He had never felt anything so...empty. Even holding a Zanpakuto that had no spirit inside of it felt better than this. It was completely different from Kenpachi's blade as well, back when they had their first battle. This blade felt hollow, like if you tried to cut something, it would easily shatter apart. Simply trying to get a better grip on the handle felt like he would crush it into dust. Yoruichi walked over and pulled the sword from its sheath and glanced at it, turning it from side to side. Then, with a quick slash, she swiped through the air next to them in a horizontal fashion. The air was calm for a second, but then erupted with a very loud boom. The noise was almost deafening, as if the slash itself broke the sound barrier. The vibration in the air left Ichigo's legs shaking for a moment before it stopped. A blank and empty expression was left on Yoruichi's face as she stared into the still shaking eyes of Ichigo.
"A Zanpakuto is supposed to reflect the ideals of its owner; it's why the spirit manifests using a portion of your soul. The two work in a form of harmony to achieve their end goals, as I'm sure you and Zangetsu have talked about. However, if the soul of a Zanpakuto came from a God, it wasn't unusual for their ideals to not align. It then becomes a power struggle."
Once she was done speaking, the ringing in the air left by the slash stopped, and the atmosphere went back to normal. The pieces were starting to come together for Ichigo, her long explanation pulling all the information to the same place.
"So, you're saying that your Zanpakuto has the spirit of a God inside of it?" Ichigo spoke casually, but his interest in the subject was far from being hidden. Yoruichi smiled again, holding the point of her sword above her head, looking at it and twirling it in the light.
"Indeed. This blade has been passed through my family for generations. It's the actual reason we became a house of power and nobility in the Soul Society. It was supposed to be handed down to my brother but..." Her eyes flinched for a moment, hesitating to finish. Ichigo waited a moment for her to continue, but she never did. He pulled his sword off of his shoulder and buried the tip of it back into the ground.
"That blade...for holding the spirit of a so called 'God', it sure feels empty." Ichigo made a few steps towards her, reaching out and grabbing onto the blade of her sword, which was still pointed in the air. He lowered it back down so it was level with her body. "What about the sword makes you reject it so much?" His eyes scanned the small blade once more as he let go of it, returning his gaze to Yoruichi.
"The will of this sword is far greater than any usual Zanpakuto. Since our ideals disagree so much, it refuses to lend me its true strength, which even if it wanted to, I wouldn't take it. As I've said, the power changes people into monsters they never knew they were."
"Can't you force it into submission? Like how I did when I first learned Bankai?" He raised a brow as he asked, to which Yoruichi let out a brief outburst of laughter.
"Don't you think I've tried? We all have a place internally where we can communicate with our Zanpakutos. Even though it's a small portion, it's still a God. Forcing one of them into submission is a near impossible task," She paused for a second, an idea popping into her head. "Perhaps you could help me, Ichigo." She spoke calmly, a faint smile in the corner of her mouth as she started into his eyes.
"Eh? How could I do that?" He cocked his head slightly, unsure of what she meant.
"It would be a stretch, but there could be a way." She looked to the ground with her hand under her chin, thinking about if her strategy would be plausible. "I'll need some time, could you hang out here for a while? Perfect, thanks!" She flashed a cheesy smile as she moved past him, giving him a slap on his shoulder as she did. With her blade in hand, she flash stepped away in the blind of an eye.
"Wait, Yoruichi! Hey!" He tried to shout after her, but she was already gone. He clenched his teeth together and tightly gripped his fist, an anger vein popping on his forehead. Confused and pissed off, he slumped down onto the ground next to his blade, his eyes gazing on the hole in the ground where she pulled her sword from.
Yoruichi didn't go far, simply upstairs into the shop and onto a rolled-out bedroll on the floor, presumably in Kisuke's bedroom. He was currently out at the moment, probably scheming up another crazy invention. She sat cross legged on the bed, placing her Zanpakuto across her lap, taking a moment to look it over. She closed her eyes and eased her mind, finding a center of concentration, and then finally entering a meditation state. She was pulled into her subconscious world, a dark rainforest like area with rain coming down at a steady pace around her. The grass was wet beneath her feet, drops of water rolling of the tall tree leafs that were overhead, any hope of light breaking through covered by the thick rain clouds.
"Yoruichi Shihoin..." A very lone toned growl came from beyond the trees in front of her, a pair of beaming white eyes locking with hers. She didn't say anything; she just looked out towards where the voice came from, her eyes scrunching a little. "It's been some time, over a century if memory serves correctly," The voice continued. "Have you decided to abandon your foolish line of thinking?" There was a low laughter that emitted from its area beyond the trees.
"The exact opposite actually," She spoke up, maintaining her calm composure. The laughter came to a quick stop, and the trees began to shake. Thunderous footsteps shook the ground around them; each one getting closer to her, until out of the trees appeared a creature. It resembled a horse, walking on all fours as it came farther out from its resting place. It had white dragon like scales for skin, and a long spiraling horn on its head. A mane fluffed around the horn and descended down its neck, stopping where its torso started. Its ears were slanted backwards, taking an odd shape that resembled lightning bolts. It towered over her in height, easily three times as tall, looking down at her with a grin in the corner of its mouth.
"Have you come to challenge me again? You should know better than that by now. Remember how it went last time?" It taunted her with another low toned laugh. Memories of their previous battle flashed through Yoruichi's mind for a moment, but she quickly pushed them from her head. She crossed her arms over her chest and slanted her body so she was popping out her hips, that classic smile across her face.
"I've come with a bargain," She continued to keep her calmness as she spoke, not submitting to the intimidation.
"And just what could you possibly have to bargain with me, girl?" The creature slanted its eyes down at her, scoffing at her proposal.
"This is the deal I wish to make. I want you to lend me your full strength for one single battle, against an individual that I believe can stand toe to toe, if not surpass your power level. If he wins, you will abandon and pull your power from this blade. But...if you win, I will pass the sword down to my younger brother. His mind is young and easy influenced; he would be a perfect fit for your goals." The creature exhaled out of its nose, mimicking a laugh as it did. Noticing that it wasn't convinced, she pushed forward. "Your power has been dormant for many, many years, and will continue to stay that way if you remain in my possession. This could be a perfect chance to escape my grasp, and gain access back to Soul Society." The mention of the Society got a reaction from the eyes of the beast. "You could finally take revenge on the people who imprisoned your true form." She paused again before continuing, "Well, what do you think, Kirin?"
"You would gamble the lives of those who are still recovering to fulfill your own needs? Perhaps my influence on you has grown more than you think," It replied boldly. It closed its eyes for a moment, pondering the bargain. A few seconds went by before it reopened its eyes. A red circle began to form itself on the ground in front of them, the beast placing one of its hoofs near the center. "If you wish this deal to be, then you will sign your soul to this contract. If you lose, Yoruichi Shihoin, you will die." Her eyes opened widely for a moment, hesitation coming over her. She gulped down some air and breathed heavily in and out. Finally, she moved to the circle and placed her hand near the hoof of the beast.
"Deal."
She reopened her eyes in the bedroom, her legs still crossed and the blade across her lap. She rolled up her sleeve on her right hand, revealing a red circle that had appeared on the outside, a very small imprint of her hand and the hoof in the center. She clenched her fist tightly for a moment before she stood, making her way back to the underground training facility. She thought deeply about her deal, but she knew she made the right choice. She was confident he would succeed.
Returning down below, she found Ichigo slumped against his sword, eyes closed and a scowl across his face.
"Yo," She greeted him with a wave of her hand. Her voice snapped him out of whatever trance he was in, as his eyes opened and looked up to hers. He placed a hand on one knee as he pushed himself up to his feet, an annoyed look still on his face.
"Yo? Yo?! I've been sitting down here for hours waiting on your ass!" Ichigo yelled, closing the distance between them, so his face was a few inches from her. She put a goofy grin on her face and waved her hand, brushing it off.
"Hey now, I came back didn't I?" She replied halfheartedly. Her expression quickly faded into a more serious one and she rested her hands at her sides. The change in tone calmed Ichigo as he knew something serious was coming.
"What did you even go to do anyways?" He asked pulling away, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I went and had a chat with my Zanpakuto." Her reply caused Ichigo to go wide eyed, he had wondered if that's what she was doing but he wasn't sure. "I made a deal with him. He wants to fight with you, Ichigo. Test his strength and determine if there are any people who can challenge the power of a God." She spoke plainly, no hint of emotion in her voice. She had to convince him to fight, but she knew if she told him the full truth of it, there's no way he would agree.
"So, if I can beat his power, he'll give you access to the true abilities of your Zanpakuto?" He asked as he moved away from her, back to his sword which he tightly griped the handle of.
"Something like that," She replied, her eyes softening up a little now that he wasn't looking at her.
"Well then," He paused as his spiritual pressure began to rise. It flourished around him as he pulled his sword from the ground, tossing it over his shoulder. "Let's get this over with." Yoruichi smiled at him, glad that he accepted without a fuss. She leaped backwards a few steps as to put some distance between them before speaking again.
"Ichigo," She waited for him to lock eyes with her before continuing. "When I release the power of my Zanpakuto, please keep in mind that it will change who I am. When we fight, it's not me that you'll be fighting, it'll be a completely different person. Am I clear?" She narrowed her eyes and spoke boldly. "You can't hold back at all, Ichigo. If you do, I will kill you." This sparked a look of concern to go across his face. This seemed odd, but he was used to his opponents saying that all the time, he just brushed it off as a meaningless threat.
"Alright, alright. Looks like we'll start off with this then," He stopped as he held out his sword, gripping onto his arm with his free hand. "Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!" There was a brief cloud of dust that was blown up from his transformation. Yoruichi raised an arm to shield her eyes, taking in the sight of Ichigo's Bankai when she lowered it back down.
"Very good. Here I come, Ichigo. I hope you're ready," She muttered the last part under her breath as she tilted her head and looked downwards to the ground. Only a moment went by before her eyes flourished open and she tossed her sword straight into the sky. A swirling portal like vortex was opened up in the air above them, absorbing her blade entirely. "Bankai. Kaminari no kemono, Kirin!" The words sparked a reaction from the vortex, changing the swirl to a vicious mix of black and white. A huge lightning bolt descended from the air, striking Yoruichi where she stood. The aftermath was an enormous explosion of spiritual energy from around her location, the initial release brought back painful memories of Aizen as Ichigo watched on.
When the lightning cleared, a much different looking Yoruichi stood before him. Her clothes had changed from her orange vest and black pants she had been wearing previously, into an entirely new outfit. Around her hands and feet were pairs of white gloves and boots that had tuffs of fur sticking out around the edges. A snow-white halter top wrapped around her chest, the strings crossing with each other at the top, before tying themselves at the back of her neck. A pair of white jean shorts was around her waist, and finally a Valkyrie style helmet over her head that had two lightning bolts coming from the side of it rather than wings. Although it was slanted at an angle, the original form of the sword stuck out from the center of the helmet, resembling a horn.
Her eyes and hair changed as well. The golden glow that her eyes once gave had faded to a soft white that had a few traces of blue around the edges. Her hair that was once in a ponytail had been pulled free and the long strands hung down over her shoulders and extended down her backside. The color was still a purple shade, but it was much lighter, more of a violet resemblance. Her skin remained the same dark color like normal, but it looked rougher, almost like scales on the outside.
The two locked eyes for a moment before she slowly rose up a hand, extending her pointer finger out towards Ichigo. Just as it finished rising, a small beam of energy came rushing out, blasting a small hole through Ichigo's torso. His eyes moved from his opponent down to where he had been struck. They lingered there a moment before the pain finally caught up with him. A quick cough of blood came from his mouth, dropping him down to one knee. The assault continued as she disappeared from her current position and reappeared in front of him, clutching his face in her palm and slamming it down into the ground. She dashed across the field, dragging his head across the dirt before finally lifting him back up and tossing him to the other side of the area, passing through a few boulders on the way before finally crashing into the wall.
"Is this the power of Ichigo Kurosaki?" She spoke up, but she sounded different. It was deep and low toned, but still had traces of Yoruichi's voice in it. One thing was clear about her voice though, it sounded completely disappointed.
Across the room, a tattered and bloodied Ichigo pulled himself to his feet, both hands clinging to the handle of his blade, supporting his weight as he stood. His breath was heavy and he had blood dripping down from his forehead. He looked across the room, back towards Yoruichi, trying to collect his thoughts. She hit very, very hard. He rose up his blade and wasted no time charging back at her, using the full speed of his Bankai. He leaped in the air back in her direction, slicing his sword down in front of him as he did so.
"Getsuga Tensho!" A reiatsu powered blast formed from the tip of his blade and came crashing down onto his target. The attack hit and caused an explosion around the area of impact, the dust clouds around them taking a few moments to settle. Once they finally cleared, Yoruichi stood in the same spot as before, completely unscathed. Her eyes were still half shut, and her expression still full of disappointment. Ichigo stood on the ground, his mouth open slightly as he tried to figure out why his attack did absolutely nothing.
"Anything else?" She asked in a demeaning tone
"You're really not Yoruichi anymore... so, what's your name?" Ichigo asked, gritting his teeth.
"While it's not within your rights to know, I suppose I can grant you this favor. You may call me Kirin."
Ichigo didn't waste any time, gripping his sword tightly and taking another dash at her, adrenaline now fueling his fire even more. He approached her body and slashed upwards in a crescent motion. He couldn't believe his eyes as he watched his blade phase into her body and pass through her before it finished its swing. Yoruichi gave a heavy sigh before placing her hand in front of his face, her thumb and middle finger pressed together. She snapped them apart and flicked his forehead, creating a huge wave of force that sent Ichigo flying backwards, finally stopping after crashing into the wall yet again. He fell from his indentation and landed on his feet, dropping to one knee as he did. He was trying to piece together what was happening, but he didn't get much time to do so before she vanished and reappeared in front of him once more, delivering a powerful uppercut under his chin, lifting him off his feet a few inches before he came crashing back down, face first into the dirt. She picked him up by his hair and placed him back on his feet, his weakened eyes looking into hers.
"What a disappointment. I can't believe Yoruichi Shihoin would put her life into your hands, you're pathetic. Now the both of you will die here," She stated, raising her free hand and pressing her finger against the temple of Ichigo's head.
"C'mon, I know you can do better than this," His eyes opened fully as the words of a person ran through his mind. The voice was a distorted version of his own, one that he knew all too well. "Why don't we switch gears king? Let me handle this meat bag." The inner voice of Zangetsu was calling to him. Having mastered his internal struggle, he had gained a new power of sorts. "Okay...keep her busy, it'll give me time to think," He replied to his calling, closing his eyes as a new personality took over. His mouth grew into a huge grin as it clamped down on the arm of Kirin, violently grabbing onto it and pulling her into him, slamming their heads together.
"Hahahaha!" The high-toned voice of Zangetsu laughed as the headbutt forced the two away from each other. A familiar hollowfied mask appeared across half of his face, a horn sticking out from the top. His eyes changed to their hollow color as well, black set with yellow pupils.
"Interesting..." Kirin mumbled as she dabbed her hand against her forehead, looking at a small trace of blood that was on her palm. She reached to her helmet and grabbed the blade that was sticking out. She pulled it out of the slot and held it with her right hand.
"Now we're talking!" Zangetsu shouted enthusiastically, tightly gripping onto his sword.
"I must congratulate you, it's been awhile since I've seen what my own blood looks like. I forgot how much I hate it," She paused as she slashed her sword across the air, in a horizontal fashion, much like earlier. "Die." A second after the slash, a wave of force and lightning was sent out across the field, ripping the rocks and dirt off of the ground and tearing everything in its path to pieces. Her eyes twitched with surprise as Zangetsu raised his blade and held it out in front of him, slicing the attack so that it was deflected to go around him.
"Was that supposed to scare me?" Zangetsu laughed as he lowered the sword back to his side. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't care if the body you're using belongs to his friend or not. I have no reason to show restraint." He twirled his sword around between his fingers before clenching onto it wish his hand and making a very fast dash towards her. She rose up her blade just in time to block an incoming attack, sparks flying from here the two clashed. Multiple slashes were exchanged between them, neither one of them giving any ground. The clanking of metal filled the air, each swing of Zangetsu's strikes getting stronger and more devastating, eventually starting to break the environment around them. Kirin continued to repel the attacks though, but the look of disappointment had finally faded into one that resembled a small amount of excitement. The two clashed one last time with their blades making an X formation as they stood just steps away from another face to face.
"Your fighting style is reckless and has no tact. Your strikes my hold a lot of power, but without strategy you will never succeed," Kirin pressed hard on her blade, shoving Zangetsu's aside and sending it spiraling out of his hands and into the air. She was taken by surprise when a smile came across his face. His palm was open as the sword was pulled back into his grasp, quickly pointed in her direction, inches from her face.
"How's this for tact," He paused for a moment, reiatsu forming at the tip of his blade, but this time it was slightly different. A small red circle began to take shape, swirling and becoming larger with each second. "Getsuga... Cero!" The blast fired out of the tip, completely engulfing Kirin where she stood and continuing to erode the ground below. A large crater was made in the area where she stood, red energy still sparking around the impact zone.
Blood dropped from Zangetsu's chest, a small puddle forming below him. Looking down at his body, he could see Kirin's sword impaled through his chest. Returning his gaze so that it was in front of him. She stood before him, unscathed once again, her hand on the hilt of the sword piercing his chest.
"I admit you do show vast potential for being a simple mortal. However, you don't seem to grasp the power that stands before you." She pulled her sword from him and held it at her side, their eyes peering back into one another's.
"Switch, now!" Ichigo's voice called to him in his mind. Without moving his eyes from hers, he made a quick stab with his sword into Kirin's foot. They both looked down, blood trickling along the tip of his sword as he pulled it out. Without a struggle, his body reverted, regaining his normal eyes and the mask on his face cracking and falling off. Once he was back in control he took a dash backwards, putting some distance between them.
"So, you think you have me figured out?" Kirin muttered in a low growl. Ichigo smiled slightly, tossing his sword over his shoulder.
"I wasn't sure at first so I had to try a few things. I was almost certain that my first Getsuga Tensho attack hit you, but it didn't even budge a hair on your head. So I tried the next attack, a full frontal assault and attempted to slash your body, but that didn't work either. It seemed like my blade just passed through you. When Zangetsu and I changed though, the headbutt caught you off guard and landed without issue, it was then that I had it narrowed down to two things. After missing the pointblank Cero, but landing the jab to your foot, I'm fairly confident that yes, I do have you figured out. You have the ability to dodge any attack that you can see, but if it catches you by surprise, it has a high chance of success." Ichigo stood with confidence, pulling his blade off his shoulder and pointing it at Kirin. She simply tilted her head downwards, smiling as she closed her eyes.
"That's very good, but not quite accurate." There was a pause, Ichigo's eyes taken back with surprise. She reopened hers, looking back in his direction before continuing. "You're correct is assuming that I can block attacks, but it's a different form than what you're thinking. It's not just attacks; it's anything that I choose. I can rearrange the molecules in my body and the air around me to make any part, or even all of my being nonexistent for a period of time, seeming as though things pass through me." During the time frame that she had been speaking, Ichigo was concentrating a large portion of his reiatsu into legs, preparing to launch a powerful surprise attack. In a blink of an eye, he vanished from his location and appeared in front of her, making a slash across her stomach. It passed right through though, and he was met with an elbow crashing down into the back of his head, planting him into the ground.
"You should have let me finish. The part in your theory where you were completely incorrect is thinking that I would have to be caught off guard for your attacks to work. The molecules changing in my body isn't something that I do manually, it's an automatic response to my opponents reiatsu. Unfortunately, the technique is far underdeveloped and can only react to one reiatsu at a time. Now that I've seen both your forms however, I'm afraid you won't be able to hit me again." Kirin watched as Ichigo pushed his body up from the ground, getting about halfway to his feet before a devastating kick was delivered into his gut. It sent him tumbling and bouncing across the ground, stopping after smashing into a large rock across the training area. It felt like his entire ribcage had shattered, making breathing incredibly difficult.
He slowly stood to his feet once again, having a stare down with Kirin across the field. His eyes were shaking with anger as he raised his sword yet again.
"Getsuga Tensho!" He unleashed another attack, much sloppier than his previous as it went slashing across the field towards her, leaving a long trail of dust and dirt in its wake. Another heavy sigh came from Kirin as she let the attack pass through her, exploding on the far wall behind her. The attack must have used too much energy as his Bankai started to dissipate, reverting his outfit and blade back to its regular form.
"I thought you to be better than this," She muttered as she vanished and appeared before him again. She put her blade back into the slot on her head and started beating on him with her fists, hitting him with a hard-right hook. She caught his head immediately with her left hand after hitting him, tossing his face downwards and connecting with a powerful knee. She finished her combo by spinning around and landing a roundhouse kick to his jaw. The last attack sent him flying yet again, bouncing a few times off the ground. It took a bit, but his body eventually twitched and he pulled himself up very slowly once more. His breathing was extremely heavy and his body was a bloodied mess. He placed the tip of his sword into the ground and leaned on it for support, staring back at Kirin.
"Raise your sword," She demanded from him. Ichigo didn't budge from his position, continuing to lean against it. "Very well, if you wish to die without honor, then so be it." Just as she went to grip ahold of her blade again, Ichigo lifted his sword from the ground and pointed it at her. Energy started to form at the tip once again, but this time it was going slower than normal as his body was practically out of stamina. She watched on as his blade finished its charge, shaking slightly from all the power stored inside. This was clearly his final attempt.
"Getsuga..." His voice sounded off again as he spoke; part Ichigo, and part Zangetsu. It was different from earlier when they had swapped bodies though, this time it sounded like it was coming from two different places.
"Tensho!"
"Cero!" The voices split as they unleashed two different attacks. Coming from behind her, stood Zangetsu in his Bankai form, the same wicked smile across his face as blasted energy from the tip of his sword. Caught between the two blasts, the forces smashed together creating an explosion.
After the smoke cleared, Kirin stood with her eyes closed, her body reflecting that of Ichigo's, very damaged and beaten. The helmet on her head began to crack as the Bankai began to slowly fade away.
"To be bested by a mortal... never did I think the day would come. Tell me, when did you conspire this trap?" She asked, her voice strained and weak. Ichigo started to walk towards her as he replied,
"During the 'reckless' Getsuga Tensho. I used the brief moment of being hidden by the dust to split myself from Zangetsu, creating two separate beings. The reason I lost my Bankai state is because I gave it to him, but I knew that you would just assume it was because I was running out of steam. You sealed your own fate when you told me that you could only deflect one reiatsu at a time. While Zangetsu's and I's are very similar, they are different." It was at this time Zangetsu walked passed Kirin and returned to Ichigo, giving one last glance over his shoulder before merging back together again, restoring Ichigo's Bankai.
"Take your victory here, Ichigo Kurosaki, but mark my words I shall return for you one day." As the final words left her mouth, her eyes began to change back to their normal golden glow, and her hair returned to its darkened purple color. Exhausted, she started to fall forward but was caught by a very fast moving Ichigo, her head plopping down onto his shoulder.
"I knew you could do it... Thank you, Ichigo." Yoruichi smiled as her body slipped into an unconscious state. He smiled as well, tossing her over her shoulder and carrying her back upstairs. He placed her on the same bedroll she had used earlier and covered her up, placing her Zanpakuto next to her. As he went to leave, there was a small glimmer in the air that caught his eye. It was a spiritual form, standing above her blade. Her body took the shape of a slim, younger woman. She had pink hair that was currently put into two longer twin tails with a large blue ribbon tied on the back. The most distinctive features though, were the two cat like ears coming from her head and the nine orange bushy tails coming from behind her. Her form was transparent, but he could see her smiling at him. She bowed her head at him and then disappeared, her body fusing with the sword that was lying next to Yoruichi, unleashing its true nature. The sword of the fox, Tamamo No Mae.