Disclaimer: Warning this is unbetaed and a first run printing. I am not responsible for any temporary or permanent psychological harm that occurs from reading this story. Also I don't own Bleach because if I did I wouldn't be so worried about getting a job in a fast food joint.

The Training of a Vaizard

Chapter One: Ichigo's Resolution

Ichigo felt a stirring in his soul. It was a feeling that he had come to recognize as his Inner Hollow awakening. Ever since his fight with Byakuya he felt it more and more often. It scared the crap out of him. When Yammy attacked and he was unable to respond because his Inner Hollow paralyzed him in hopes of taking over permanently he was no longer scared. No, now he was terrified.

Tatsuki nearly died because I couldn't move. What happens if I freeze up and someone does die? That Shinji guy says he can train me. He says that he can give me control of my Inner Hollow, but can I trust him? Hell, can I afford not to trust him? If I don't learn what he has to teach me my Inner Hollow might take over and it is getting harder and harder to hold him back. It would be so much easier if he didn't look like me, talk like me, and sound like me. Ugh! Talk about an identity crisis. If Ishida knew what I was thinking he'd laugh, call me weak, and spout off some bullshit about how Quincy are superior to Shinigami. Renji would just laugh awkwardly and make up some excuse to get the hell away from this emotional crap. Rukia… well I don't what she would do but odds are it would involve a blow to my head and my pride. That's it! I am going to go find that Shinji guy and make him tell me more about this Vaizard business. Now where is he…

Ichigo stood up off the park bench he had been laying on and began turning in circles with is eyes close trying to find some hint of Shinji's rietsu. Damn I forgot how bad at this I am. If it wasn't for the fact that the tower they kept Rukia in was a prominent part of Soul Society's skyline I probably never would have found her. Focus! He took a deep, closed his eyes and just let his feet take him where they will.

Five minutes later he opened his eyes as he ran into something for the fourth time. This might be getting me in the right direction but at this rate I won't be in any condition to train when I find him. What was it Ishida said about following rietsu trails? It was something about ribbons and them sticking to you. Ichigo closed his eyes and tried to remember the fluttering of ribbons across his body he felt the last time he tried this method of tracking. Suddenly the feeling of ethereal cloth brushing across his arm caused him to open his eyes and see hundreds of small, white ribbons flying across the air in the park. Shit! How in the world am I supposed to find any specific ribbon? There all… white. Oh yeah, normal humans are white and Shinigami are red. Wait Shinji isn't a normal Shinigami. Being able to don a Hollow's Mask must do something to your rietsu. Maybe it will stand out and I can find his ribbon, but I don't see any red ones much less a weird one. He took another breath and released some of his as rietsu exhaled. As his rietsu was expelled he could see more threads that were actually connected to him. Among them was a deep burgundy one. When Ichigo reached out and grabbed it he got a flash of Shinji entering a building.

"Aha, I got you now," said Ichigo as a slow smile made its way across his face. It promptly vanished when he saw that the ribbon didn't extend more than five feet. "Ah crap. Maybe if I just follow it or pump some rietsu into it will still lead me on." Ichigo closed his hands around the thread and sent tiny pieces of rietsu into it as he pulled himself along the ribbons path. At first it seemed like the ribbon was deteriorating and shrinking and Ichigo was afraid he had screwed up and lost his only lead but after a few moments it slowly began to grow until after a minute or two it stopped. However every time Ichigo took a step forward the front end of the ribbon seemed to flutter and extend just far enough ahead to remain twenty feet in front of him.

Several hours later Ichigo stood in front of the building he saw Shinji entering earlier. He took a deep breath to steel his resolve and walked through the door.

"We've been waiting for you, Ichigo," said Shinji as he jumped down from the rafters where everyone else still sat. "Now fight me!" he yelled as he drew his blade.

"What!" said Ichigo as he stumbled back trying to avoid Shinji's attacks, "I came for the training you offered!"

"I know. Consider this your entrance exam. And Ichigo, if you fail, you die. We can't have untrained Vaizard wannabes wandering the streets killing everybody when they lose control. Its not good for our image you see. No hard feelings, right?"

"There won't be any hard feelings as I am going to pass your stupid test and kick your ass!" yelled Ichigo with new resolve as he readied Zangetsu after shoving his body in a corner out of harms way.