Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the positive response to chapter 1!
Something came up in the reviews from the first chapter that made me uncomfortable, so I would like to clarify something about this story: I am going to be exploring gender issues and the spectrum that is human sexuality. If the idea of a transgender person makes you uncomfortable, you will probably not enjoy this story. You are within your rights to feel uncomfortable about transgender issues, however, this is not the place for you to discuss/vent/make broad statements. You have a choice to not read what makes you uncomfortable (although personally, I think you should read about it, try to learn more about it, and try to empathize). Also, should a review like this appear again, I ask that you allow me to deal with it, or indicate your discomfort with the reviewer's comments in a civil manner. Jumping on someone is not going to help them learn!
That being said, a couple of notes about this chapter! First, I didn't just choose taiko drumming because it's Japanese, I actually had the chance to do a course in taiko when I was in university, and let me say that it is awesome, but very, very loud (especially on Monday morning at 8 am :P)! Second, there's a discussion of spirit energy in this chapter, so remember! reishi=spirit particles (although that doesn't come up), reiryoku=spirit energy, which is similar to but not the same as reiatsu=spirit pressure.
Also, preemptively, no! Yoruichi is not in charge of the Second Division, she's just here to stir up trouble :P
Last thing! Note that Ichigo is still male and still thinks of himself as "he". He will be referred to as "he" for the near future, until he really starts to develop and adjust to a female persona; then the pronouns will change.
Now that all that's out of the way, enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to leave a review on your way out!
DISCLAIMER: I wish I owned Bleach, but sadly, no.
Ichigo woke up with a taiko group performing in his head. He could swear there were at least six enthusiastic drummers pounding away on the inside of his skull. Teensy headache, my ass, was his first coherent thought. He vaguely registered that he was lying down somewhere. Opening his eyes didn't provide any clues to his location, as all he could see was a plain ceiling, and plain walls as he turned his head; he did seem to be on a futon, though, not a Western bed, so that ruled out the Fourth. Slowly, he tried to sit up, only to fall back with a groan as the pounding doubled and a wave of dizziness washed over him. What the hell did he do to me this time? he grumbled internally as he remembered Urahara coming towards him with the collar.
I'm pretty sure ya know the answer ta that, King, Shiro snickered. Ya might wanna get your ass up and find a mirror.
Ichigo blanched at the reminder. Slowly, hesitantly, he moved his hands up towards his chest… and encountered two lumps that definitely weren't there before. His hands went downward in a panic, only to discover that he was (*gulp*) anatomically correct… for a female.
But…. But….But….NOOOOO! I'm a DUDE, why do I have lady-bits!?
Shiro's snicker developed into a full-blown cackle at Ichigo's plaintive wail. He let his King carry on for a few moments, then dragged him into his inner world, laughing even harder as the young man frantically checked that he was, indeed, still a man in his head. Even Zangetsu was chuckling by the time Ichigo had finished making sure all his parts were present and accounted for.
Finally satisfied that his sexual identity hadn't been completely overturned by whatever Urahara had done to him, Ichigo turned to glare at his counterparts. "Will you two shut up and help me figure out what the hell is going on?" he growled at them.
"Sure, King… or should I say Queen?" Shiro gasped, sending himself and Zangetsu into convulsions again.
Ichigo snarled and tackled the hollow, who fended him off in a somewhat uncoordinated manner as he continued to giggle. Giggle! Honestly, that was something Ichigo had never thought to witness. Cackling and maniacal laughter, absolutely (quite regularly, in fact), but giggling?
Zangetsu was the first to recover his composure, as usual, and he watched the two of them wrestle. Insults were being thrown by Ichigo at a prodigious rate, which was not helping Shiro stop laughing…. Eventually, after a particularly good shot to the hollow's stomach, they both flopped on their backs, catching their breath.
"Urahara is so dead," Ichigo stated.
"Great!" Shiro replied. "Can we torture him first?"
The berry snorted, but didn't answer, going back to watching the sideways clouds.
"I believe the discussion indicated that this would not be permanent," Zangetsu commented. "And your reiatsu does seem to be restrained. We could enter shikai, but nothing more without breaking the seal."
"What do you mean 'enter shikai'?" Ichigo asked, sitting up to look at the zanpakuto spirit. "We're always in shikai, you've never been sealed."
"Do you recall the size of the zanpakuto you used when you first absorbed Rukia's power?" he asked.
"Yeah, it was as long as I was tall."
"That was an indication of both your significant spiritual pressure and your lack of control," Zangetsu replied. "While both of those have increased since then, your control is still not sufficient for the amount of reiryoku you need to manage."
"In other words, ya still suck at it," Shiro grinned, getting a scowl from Ichigo.
"Yeah, right, Ichigo stinks at controlling his reiatsu. I know that," he scoffed, used to being prodded about his lack of control by, well, everyone. He turned back to Zangetsu as the hollow sneered at him. "So why are you in a sealed form now?"
"Reach out and feel your energy," the zanpakuto replied, turning the question into a teaching moment. He watched as his wielder closed his eyes and stretched out his senses, then opened them again, looking shocked.
"Holy shit, did they ever drop me!" Ichigo exclaimed. "I'm down to, what, around ten percent?"
"More like five," the hollow commented.
"So that's enough to put you into a sealed state?" Ichigo asked.
"Yes," the spirit responded.
"Why?"
Zangetsu looked somewhat startled at the question; had no one ever explained reiryoku circulation to Ichigo? He shared a look with the hollow- perhaps now their wielder would make some progress. Sitting down with the pair, he began to explain.
"Every soul has reiryoku constantly circulating through their form, no matter how small an amount; it's what binds a soul into a form, rather than just being energy. If enough energy is present, a zanpakuto will manifest as another outlet for the pressure, rather than containing it all in the body. The amount of reiryoku flowing through the zanpakuto is what determines its state.
"For most shinigami, attaining shikai is not simply a matter of forming a partnership with their zanpakuto, they must also learn to increase their reiryoku circulation, which creates reiatsu, and direct enough of their reiatsu into the blade," he continued. "You are an exception to this, Ichigo. The amount of reiryoku you circulate through my form is well beyond what is needed to maintain shikai; you must instead learn to direct the flow elsewhere, in order to release me into my sealed form."
"Think of it like a river, King, with sluice gates to control the flow," Shiro added. "Right now, all of your sluice gates are wide open. Ya gotta learn to close 'em up, move the flow elsewhere."
"Ok, I get that, but what does this have to do with you being in sealed form now?" Ichigo asked.
"The limiter placed on you creates an internal loop of reiryoku, and will only allow a set amount to circulate through other channels," Zangetsu replied. "Your reiryoku is still circulating in the same proportions, but the amount allowed by the limiter is not enough to maintain shikai."
"I see. So I have to learn how to change where my energy is flowing through my body?" Both spirits nodded at him. "Why did no one tell me this before?"
"They musta thought ya'd be smart enough ta work it out yaself, King," Shiro snickered, earning himself a glare.
"It seems likely that no one has thought to," Zangetsu said. "It must be something that is taught very early at the academy; perhaps we shall find out."
"Mmm," Ichigo hummed in acknowledgement, looking back at the clouds. "Speaking of, how the hell am I a girl, and what are we going to do to punish Urahara?"
"I say we prank 'im for all we're worth," the hollow exclaimed cheerfully; he had become significantly less bloodthirsty since admitting his priorities, namely protecting Ichigo.
"I believe that we have more targets than just Urahara," the zanpakuto commented. "You were jumped on by several others; I counted Rukia, Renji, Shinji, and Kensei among them."
"And Lisa, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Hiyori. Not to mention Kyoraku seemed to be… very prepared for the direction of the conversation. The bastards set me up!" Ichigo finished. "So how are we going to get back at them?"
"We need ta figure out what'll hit 'em the hardest," Shiro said. "What do they value most? Tha's what we target."
"Right. But it could take a while to come up with plans," Ichigo replied. "Right now, we need damage control so they don't get anything more on me. Ideas?"
"In battle, it is best to direct the flow, not react," Zangetsu stated somberly.
"Meaning?" Ichigo asked with an eye-roll.
"They want ya ta freak out, King. So don't," Shiro grinned. "Ya've already had a freak out, go out and be calm, an' they'll get nervous. Once they get really worried, tha's when we start prankin' 'em!"
"Sounds good. You guys keep working on their weaknesses; I'd better go figure out what the hell they expect me to do now," Ichigo said, then faded from his inner world.
Zangetsu and Shiro remained seated, silence reigning for a few moments as Ichigo rose to consciousness.
"Ya think he's ready yet?" the hollow asked quietly.
"No," Zangetsu replied as he stood to move away. "But soon."
Waking this time wasn't quite so bad; six taiko drummers had reduced to one, which was much more tolerable. Heaving a sigh, Ichigo sat up slowly, a hand going to his head to stabilize himself through another wave of dizziness. It passed, and the throbbing subsided to a dull ache.
He opened his eyes and examined himself. Yep, those were definitely breasts, although they were thankfully reasonable in size. His arms, legs, waist… heck, all of him looked more slender. The hair hanging over his shoulders was as long as when he was in his final form, but still orange.
He got out of the futon, grabbing his hakama as they started to slide off his hips and tightening the tie. Thankfully, everything he was wearing could be tightened, because everything was smaller… except his chest. I'll have to go bra shopping, he thought with a shudder. At least I've done it before with Karin and Yuzu.
Deciding he was covered well enough, he picked up Zangetsu (which felt odd, what with him being sealed) and made his way over to the room's sliding door; it lead to a covered walkway looking out over a lake. Not the Kuchiki estate, then, there was a pond there, but no lake. He could hear voices to his left, so he went in that direction. After several closed doors, he found one open, revealing a very familiar group of people: Kyoraku and Ukitake sat sharing a meal with Yoruichi and, surprisingly, Shiba Kūkaku. Their conversation came to an abrupt halt at his appearance, and Kyoraku seemed to become suddenly nervous. Ukitake broke the silence a tense moment later.
"Won't you join us, Kurosaki-san?"
Remember, King, play it cool, Shiro muttered.
Yeah, yeah, he grumbled back as he outwardly gave a gentle smile and sat down gracefully next to Yoruichi. There, that oughta start freaking them out!
The group did, indeed, looked even more on-edge after his docile entry. Kyoraku and Yoruichi were trying to subtly scoot away from him, waiting for the explosion (although the cat seemed to be eagerly anticipating the blast). Rather than obliging them, Ichigo poured himself a cup of tea and nodded his thanks to the servant who set down his meal before picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat.
"Sooooo, seeing as everyone's gonna be chicken," Kūkaku said with an eye-roll, "how are you feeling, Ichigo?"
"Fine," he replied, internally wondering at how feminine his voice sounded. It wasn't overly girly, more like a grown woman's rich alto. "I did wake up with a headache, like Urahara said I would, although someone should point out to him the difference between 'teensy' and a migraine. It's gone now, though."
"I'm glad to hear that," Ukitake said with a smile. "I suppose you have a few questions for us?"
Ichigo hummed his affirmation as he finished the last bite of his lunch. He neatly set down his chopsticks, smiling again at the servant who came to pick up his dishes. Turning back to the group, he observed them for a moment, noting that the soutaicho and the cat were distinctly further away from him than before, and Kūkaku was looking decidedly amused. That's it, King, keep 'em off balance. Maybe try your best Gin impersonation? Shiro mused.
Interesting, but I've got a better idea. Calm freaks them out, and you freak them out. Can you come forward enough so my eyes go gold? Present a united front, and all that.
Shiro cackled and obligingly moved his presence forward in Ichigo's mind. It meant he got to watch King toy with them directly, so much the better.
"So where are we?" he started quietly; there was just a small hint of an echo in his voice, enough to know that his hollow was very much present. Kūkaku smiled wider, seeing what Ichigo was doing, and Ukitake suppressed a chuckle, while Yoruichi's eyes glittered with amusement. "And how long was I out for?"
"You were unconscious for about two hours," the gentle captain responded. "As for where we are, this is my family's estate, Ugendo. We felt that you would prefer this to the Fourth or the Twelfth."
Ichigo nodded his thanks, then turned to the soutaicho, who flinched at the suddenly hard look on the woman's face. "This is not permanent, correct?"
"No, no, not at all, Kurosaki-san!" he stammered, waving his hands in front of himself. "You'll revert as soon as the collar is taken off!"
"Hnn," Ichigo grunted, hands going to his neck. Odd… he couldn't feel a collar. He glanced questioningly at Yoruichi.
"It's absorbed into your skin," she said. "Anyone can take it off with a basic Kido pulse; raw reiatsu won't work." Her smirk expanded at the intensity of his golden glare.
"I don't suppose you have a mirror handy?" he asked Ukitake.
"Of course, follow me," the captain responded as he rose. Kūkaku followed, wanting to see Ichigo's reaction to his new appearance; Yoruichi and Kyoraku glanced at each other, not sure what to make of the strawberry's calm. They silently agreed that discretion was the better part of valor, and stayed behind (out of that impending blast zone and closer to the sake, as far as Yoruichi was concerned).
Ukitake lead the two women down an internal hall, passing a few doors before he ushered them into a room set up as a bedroom. Unlike the one Ichigo had woken up in, this one had a full length mirror.
Cautiously, Ichigo approached the reflective glass. He studied the woman standing in front of him. Not bad, he thought. Definitely could have been worse. He mentally responded to Shiro's wolf whistle by flipping him off.
The woman in the mirror looked like a mix of Yuzu and Kūkaku with orange hair. She was around 5'6", with large brown eyes and a strong but not overwhelming nose. Her hair reached past her hips, as she had suspected, and she had spiky bangs, just like his Mugetsu form. Her bust, waist and hips were neatly balanced, and she looked strong, but not overbuilt. Most interesting to Ichigo, though, was the black band about an inch wide around her neck, which seemed to now be his only tattoo; the thick black lines he had acquired with his Fullbring were nowhere in evidence.
"Well, at least I'm hot," he commented nonchalantly as he turned back to his audience. Ukitake raised his eyebrows as Kūkaku snorted.
"Hasn't been an ugly Shiba woman yet," she grinned at him.
"So how is this possible?" Ichigo asked, gesturing at him (her?) self.
"From what Urahara-san told us, the soul form is somewhat more malleable than most of us suppose," Ukitake replied. "He says that he stumbled across this Kido combination when he was originally researching the Hōgyoku. It essentially alters the physical body of a soul to its opposite sex. He claims to have never had use for it before since it alters appearance only, not a soul's actual composition. Psychologically and reproductively speaking, you are still male; you're basically rendered sterile while the Kido is being used."
"Weird," the disguised man responded with a shudder, not wanting to contemplate what other uses Urahara had for this particular gadget, or how he knew that subjects it was used on would be sterile. "So I'm for-sure still a man, even though I have woman parts right now?"
"You got it, Ichi-chan!" Kūkaku responded with a punch to his shoulder. "Cute as you are, I doubt you could cut it as woman!" she grinned at him.
"Thanks… I think?" he said, scrunching his brows as he rubbed his shoulder and tried to figure out whether that was a compliment or not.
Ukitake chuckled, then gestured for the two of them to follow him. "Shall we return to your torture of Shunsui? Your calm approach to the situation seems to be quite effective."
"Aa," Ichigo replied with a wicked grin, his eyes, which had returned to their normal brown, going gold again. "Things this morning seemed a little too… convenient on certain parties' behalf. If they think they're going to get away with it, they're sadly mistaken. Don't worry, though, Ukitake-san, you're not on my shit list."
"A fact that I am both grateful and relieved to hear, Kurosaki-san," the man replied with another gentle smile. "You are, indeed, calm regarding the situation?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm right pissed off," Ichigo said cheerfully. "But Kyoraku-san and Urahara-san are right; it is an effective disguise. They just shouldn't have forced me into it."
"Indeed," Ukitake said somberly as they re-entered the dining room.
Kyoraku perked up a bit as they sat down without an obvious temper tantrum from Ichigo; of course, the three bowls of sake he had managed to drink while they were gone might have been helping too. "So what do you think, Ichi-chan? You make a cute girl, right?!" he exclaimed, not seeming to sense the wave of murderous reiatsu that followed the word "chan".
However, instead of exploding, Ichigo stuck with the plan (no matter how much he wanted to deck the soutaicho) and responded demurely. "It's an acceptable disguise," he said, getting a smirk from Kūkaku that didn't go unnoticed by Yoruichi. "So what now?"
"You're taking this much better than expected, Ichigo," Yoruichi said accusingly, staring at him intently. She wanted fireworks, dammit!
"I'm not fifteen anymore, Yoruichi," he replied calmly. "I recognize the benefits of this form. Now can we get on with it?"
"I guess I'll go let Kisuke know he can come out of his bunker, then," she smirked, heading outside. As she prepared to shunpo away, she turned back and leered at Ichigo. "All the benefits, Ichi-chan?" She barely heard the start of his indignant yell before she was gone, cackling madly.
Honestly that cat give you a run for your money, Shiro, Ichigo growled as his hollow laughed.
She's right, though, King. We could do some… explorin', seein' as we're stuck like this, the hollow suggested.
Maybe, the berry replied, blushing internally and externally.
Think about it later, we have other things to deal with, Zangetsu reminded them both, turning their attention back to the outer world.
"Back to the question at hand," he started, interrupting Kyoraku's attempts to cover up his chuckling and Kūkaku's outright laughter. "What's the next step? I assume I'm headed to the Academy, seeing as I'm already in this form."
"Not directly," Ukitake replied. "We need to establish an identity for you first."
"That's where I come in," Kūkaku jumped in. "Welcome to the Shiba family, little sister!"
"Huh?" Ichigo answered, confused. Wasn't he already a Shiba through his dad?
"The great houses have periodically taken in souls from the Rukongai that have high levels of reiryoku, particularly when they share physical traits with their families," Kyoraku explained, finally getting down to business. "It's thought that these souls are likely family members who have passed through the cycle. They adopt them to care for them, and to keep any prestige the powerful souls might gain.
"Anyone familiar with the Shiba family would take one look at you and assume that you are one of them. Of course, you already are, we're just going to take advantage of it!"
"As a bonus, you will be able to move through the Academy at an accelerated pace, thanks to Kaien-san's performance," Ukitake added, looking slightly strained at the mention of his former lieutenant. Years and forgiveness had dulled the pain, but not erased it.
"We also don't have any elders to worry about, and Ganju and I pretty much keep to ourselves, so nobody is going to be able to say that you haven't been training with us for ten years," Kūkaku said, brushing past the mention of her brother. "So? What do you think?"
"Sounds perfect. Thank you, Kūkaku-san," Ichigo answered, only to receive a smack to the back of his head.
"Kūkaku-neesan," a demonic voice insisted.
"Kūkaku-neesan," he replied hastily.
"Welcome to the family, Shiba Ayame!" she cackled.
"Hai, nee-san," Ichigo replied, considering his new name. Ayame was a good choice; it was popular, but not so common that he'd be likely to run into four other girls with the same name at the Academy already. Maybe in a few decades (thank you, Naruto and InuYasha!), but not now. That settled, he turned back to the soutaicho. "What about my division?"
"We're going to hold off a few weeks before we introduce you," Kyoraku said, crossing his arms. "Your death isn't general knowledge yet, so we'll keep it quiet for now. After all, we can't have a new prodigy with orange hair appear at the Academy right after Kurosaki Ichigo takes over the Eighth!"
"They've managed just fine without a captain for the last five years, Kurosaki-kun," Ukitake reassured the younger man. "They'll be alright for a little longer."
"Ok," Ichigo said, feeling better about leaving the division for now. "So, when do we get started?"
"Right now," Kūkaku answered him, and evil glint appearing in her eyes. "Now… we shop!"
"Shop?" Ichigo squeaked. No, no, no, not with a woman, he panicked internally.
What happen'd ta bra shoppin' bein' ok, King? Shiro cackled.
Not with a woman, dumbass! I thought I'd go on my own!
His hopes were dashed as the she-demon took a firm grip on his shoulder and hauled him up. "Shop," she repeated firmly.
"Hai, nee-san," he responded meekly as he was herded out the door to certain doom.
