Disclaimer: I really, really wish I owned Bleach. Honestly. But I don't, regrettably.
"Kurosaki-san?" Urahara inquired politely, peering at Ichigo's face. Ichigo, however, averted his gaze to stare at his zanpaktou, wondering why it refused to obey him. He tried again.
"Getsuga Tenshou!" He screamed, aiming his sword at a mountain in the big training area under Urahara's shop. Nothing happened, however, and he was left standing stupidly in the middle of the large training complex holding his zanpaktou out.
He let his grip on it sag slightly, and lowered it till the tip touched the floor. Zangetsu was not obeying him lately, and this time, as soon as he had set his sword down, a burst of blue power erupted out of the tip of his zanpaktou and blasted a huge crater in the middle of the ground. Ichigo sighed and picked it up, sliding it into its sheath and walking away. Something was wrong with Zangetsu.
That night, Ichigo was woken up rudely by Rukia's gloved hand smashing into his face and letting his body slump limply onto the floor.
"Wake up!" She shouted at him in his sleepy shinigami form. "There's a minor arrancar just 5 kilometers away!"
Ichigo blinked and tried to keep his eyes open, but found it quite impossible and was just starting to sink into slumber again when they reached the arrancar. He took one sleepy look at it and his eyes shot open. Spinning around, he grabbed Rukia and shook her.
"That's not a minor arrancar!" He gabbled quickly. "That's too big! That's- that's- that's an espada! A HUGE ELEPHANT ESPADA!!!"
"Relax." Rukia placed her hand on his arm and twisted it, making him drop her to the ground. "It should be no problem."
A sudden thought struck Ichigo. 'She doesn't know my problems with Zangetsu.' He turned to her.
"Rukia…" he began, but she screamed "WATCH OUT!" and forced him aside, drawing her white zanpaktou as she did so. Leaping into the air, she parried the blows aimed at her by the arrancar, and then proceeded to slash it on the arm. The arrancar, a massive monster resembling a large bull, roared and clipped her with the sheath of its zanpaktou, sending her flying. Rukia landed lightly and sprinted over to Ichigo.
"Ichigo!" She yelled, "come on!"
Ichigo swallowed and decided to give it a go. Leaping at the arrancar like Rukia had, he aimed at its head but found himself tossed aside almost effortlessly as the arrancar hit him with its sheath. He aimed his sword and screamed
"Getsuga Tenshou!" As he had predicted, nothing happened, so he landed and ran towards the arrancar. He swung his sword around so that he held it out in front of him and screamed
"BANKAI!"
Unexpectedly, it worked and his reiatsu flared, his robes changing to tattered black with a blood red lining. He tried again, yelling "Getsuga Tenshou!" As he ran, but still nothing happened. However, he used his speed to shunpo to the back of the arrancar and land a hit on its shoulder, leaving a large gash. Smiling thinly, he raced again to the front of the arrancar, cutting its leg as he went. Jumping into the air in front of the arrancar, he was fully prepared to slash it down the middle of its head, killing it, but once again Zangetsu failed him.
His eyes widened as he felt his speed diminish and lessen until the arrancar noticed him and used its zanpaktou to give him a large gash on his shoulder. Ichigo landed on the concrete, blood flowing freely from his wound, his robes plain shinigami robes once again.
Rukia frowned from the sidelines, wondering why Ichigo had suddenly reverted back to his normal shinigami state at the most inappropriate time. She decided to interfere and charged forward with her own zanpaktou, wounding the arrancar here and there. Suddenly, however, she was hit hard in the back by the flat of its zanpaktou and went flying yet again. Everything would have been fine if she hadn't hit her head on the telephone pole she landed against. It knocked her out, and she slumped to the floor, comatose.
Ichigo looked up to see Rukia get knocked out cold, and, determined to protect his friend, he stood up and yelled
"BANKAI!"
His robes changed again, but as he charged for the arrancar, he felt his speed lessening again until he was in his normal shinigami state again.
"Damn!" He cursed, skidding to a halt, panting hard, sweat running into his eyes. He blinked hard. He was unable to keep his form in bankai for more than a few seconds now. He swore and tried again, with the same result.
Looking up, he realized that the arrancar was charging towards, him, zanpaktou held up high.
"DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!!" Ichigo yelled at nobody in particular, only to hear a voice in his head whisper to him.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance, king." The tone his hollow self used was mocking, and Ichigo started to panic as the all too familiar blackness started to steal its way across his vision.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Please, please review!
