Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

AN: The premise for this story is a different Ichigo going through the events of the Bleach storyline. I aim to make him more cool headed, logical and just generally not a brash teen who rushes mindlessly into things. I would say that he would not become over powered, but then, in a world where beings redefine the landscape with the swing of a sword, what is overpowered? Anyway, BAMF Ichigo

Kurosaki Ichigo took in a deep breath of the cool night air as he sat on the roof of his family home. Back in his room, the Shinigami known as Kuchiki Rukia slept as she recuperated from the stress of the questions and answers session Ichigo had put her through. He had spent hours drilling her for information about the afterlife, and from what he had learned, he was highly intrigued.

The first thing he noticed was that Soul Society was obviously not as advanced as the human world was in general. It was to be expected, however, on account of the massive difference in life spans between humans and Shinigamis; for beings who lived for millennia, progress was something that happened over centuries, as opposed to the mere years over which humans made vast strides forward. Their relatively shorter life spans made humans much more eager to cram as much achievement as they could in the small duration of a century long life.

Still, the talk about the clear division between the Seireitei and the rest of the Soul Society made Ichigo somewhat uncomfortable. It seemed to him like the Gotei 13 had focused too much on battling hollows, and other enemies like Quincies, to the exclusion of the very souls they were sworn to protect; it was much akin to Santa Claus focusing so much on delivering presents that he had no time for the children themselves. The elitist mentality that most Shinigami had in comparison to the regular souls in the district bothered him greatly. Knowing that there wasn't much that he could do about the situation at the time, he put it from his mind and focused on the most interesting piece of knowledge he had recently gained; the Zanpakuto.

The concept of an eternal partner who was essentially the other half of his soul sounded quite fascinating to him. After thinking about it for a few moments, he ascertained that there was nothing stopping him from proceeding with his plan; it was the weekend and his father had planned some activities with his sisters…to have some father-daughter bonding time; cue shiver down spine.

Dispelling all distracting thoughts from his mind, Ichigo closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. With the ease of long practice, he smoothly slipped into a state of deep meditation. Having long since mastered himself – a prerequisite for mastering Tai Chi and Wushu, he was able to discover the new addition to his internal energies. Armed with the basic knowledge of reiatsu control from his talk with his Shinigami guest as well as knowledge of how to control the flow of one's internal energies, he seamlessly submerged himself in the flow of reiatsu within him. He was glad to note that the fact that he was in his human body did not seem to be interfering too much with his connection to his reiatsu.

Following the instructions provided by Kuchiki Rukia, he firmly took hold of his reiatsu and pulled.

With a spinning sensation he could only compare to being flushed down a toilet, he suddenly noticed that he could feel the sun on his face, as well as a cool day breeze ruffling his hair. With a small triumphant smile on his face, he gracefully rose to his feet and took in the breathtaking landscape before him.

The first thing his eyes noticed was the abundance of glass skyscrapers dotted all over the place. Yet, in addition to the presence of such buildings, there was an equal amount of gardens and orchards scattered amongst the buildings as well, creating a perfect counterbalance to the artificial structures. With the sun shining in the clear blue sky, the scenery could only be described as perfect.

From his position on the roof of one of the skyscrapers, Ichigo surveyed what could only be his inner world. Sensing someone standing behind him, he refrained from turning, entirely at ease with the presence of the newcomer. With a slightly awed murmur, he spoke,

"It's beautiful."

The newcomer responded in a smooth baritone that went into Ichigo's ears like vintage wine,

"Indeed, it is beautiful."

Slowly turning around, Ichigo finally came face to face with the other occupant of his soul. Standing easily above six feet, the handsome middle aged man before him was clad in a flowing black coat that had red highlights. Underneath the coat, he wore a white dress shirt with an upturned collar and cuffs, in addition to black dress pants and boots. His hair was a ragged black neck long elegant mess with brown highlights. With his pale skin, high cheekbones and stubble, he cut a striking and regal figure, one whose identity Ichigo couldn't possibly have been more sure of.

Completely aware of his wielder's scrutiny, the zanpakuto spirit took the opportunity to do the same in return. He immediately noticed that Ichigo was dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans, and not in the shihakusho he expected; probably a result of him entering his inner world while in his human body. Considering the fact that he was born of Ichigo's soul, he could say that he knew Ichigo, yet at the same time, he knew that he didn't know him at all. It was much like studying an artist's best painting. Through observing his use of colors and the nature of his brush strokes, the subject of his vision and his method of presenting that vision to the world, one could learn so much about the artist who created the piece of art – could learn how said artist perceives the world around him. Yet, at the same time, meeting the artist in person is a whole new experience, filled with learning new things about him that you never knew. This was the position in which the zanpakuto spirit currently found himself; meeting Ichigo in person and getting to know him would provide a whole other insight into the nature of his wielder.

Finally finished with his observation of his companion, Ichigo turned back to face the scenery before him. For the first time, he took more time to notice that his inner world was arranged in a circular fashion; much like concentric rings. The outermost ring was made up of tall trees with lush green leaves, forming a sort of boundary beyond which was indiscernible whiteness. Immediately before the ring of trees was the middle layer, composed of moderate to extremely tall skyscrapers made of perfectly reflective blue glass, all spaced at regular intervals. In the spaces between the buildings, there were gardens and orchards containing a variety of trees and plants, as well as ponds and streams. Then finally, there was the innermost ring; located in it was the tallest of the skyscrapers, the very skyscraper upon which Ichigo and his companion currently stood.

Ichigo cast a thoughtful look at his companion standing before him, before he turned and leapt from the edge of the building. An excited smile spread across his face as he found himself, not plummeting to his death as he would in the real world but, sailing effortlessly through the air. He landed on the side of one of the shorter buildings and immediately kicked off to continue towards his final destination – the biggest garden in his range of vision, which also had a stream flowing through its center.

On silent feet, he lightly landed at his target, hearing the telltale flapping of cloth in the wind that indicated that his companion had easily kept up with him. Satisfied that his theory about him having more control of himself inside his inner world was proven true, Ichigo took off his shoes and made his way towards a large rock that was conveniently located next to the clear stream.

Knowing that his companion was following him, Ichigo sat in a meditative pose on top of the rock, making sure to leave enough space for the other man to sit as well. Ichigo took in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then smoothly exhaled. He repeated the action a few more times before finally trying to reach for the well of energy inside him again.

He had to fight from twitching when, like an overeager puppy, his reiatsu suddenly leapt at him. Immediately, he took a firm hold of it and began to smoothen it out, fighting to keep it from exploding out of him like it wanted to. Slowly, deftly, he regained control of his energy, and it was only then that he finally felt the gradually dying breeze. His eyes snapped open and he saw that the stream was only just returning to its smooth flow, and that there were numerous leaves strew about the place. His brows furrowed in confusion, before he decidedly reached for his reiatsu again, while keeping his eyes open. Immediately, he picked up on the rapid increase in wind speed as well as the sudden increase in the velocity of the stream before him. Slowly reducing the amount of reiatsu being released, he observed as its effects on the environment gradually lessened as well.

Shaking off his fascination with his new discovery, Ichigo aimed a slightly sheepish look at his companion, who he had been ignoring in light of the exciting new find. Instead of an annoyed look he might have otherwise gotten from anyone else, he was greeted with a small harmlessly amused smile, indicating that his silent companion did not mind his sudden occupation. Glad that he hadn't angered his new friend, he resettled in his pose and firmly grasped his internal energy, pleased with how easy it was here as compared to when he was in the outside world. Slowly letting it out, while keeping it calm and even, he felt a light breeze on his skin, nothing like the powerful wind that had surged forth earlier. Confident that he could maintain the same degree of calmness, he began to speak,

"This place reminds me of a park we used to visit…back when…back when my mother was still alive."

Ichigo's mouth twisted into a faint frown when he felt the usual twinge in his chest that accompanied any mention of his mother's death. The light behind his eyelids darkened a little and he opened his eyes to see clouds gathered in the sky…clouds that had not been there before. In his confusion at the sudden phenomenon, his feelings of loss slipped away from his mind and suddenly, the clouds cleared away as though they had never been. Blinking at the now clear sky for a few seconds, he let loose a sound of realization when he understood what had just happened. He wondered if he could pick the conversation back up, that is, if he even wanted to. Still, he reasoned to himself, if he couldn't talk to a manifestation of a part of his soul, who could he talk to?

Ichigo's black clad companion calmly observed his wielder as he spoke about his memories of such a garden. He quickly noticed the sudden gathering of clouds in the sky and, for a moment, he worried about the possibility of rain. Yet, almost as quickly as they had come, the clouds vanished into nothingness, freeing up the skies for the sun to shine brightly again. Turning his gaze back to his wielder, he was just in time to see a dawning look of realization cross his face. Knowing what wounds lay underneath the topic, he chose to speak up,

"This place has not always existed."

Noting the attentive gaze of his wielder, he continued,

"It used to be only buildings, magnificent buildings, but nothing else. Then one day, the sky was swallowed up in darkened clouds, and the rain fell…for three days and three nights, the heavens wept."

Ichigo lowered his gaze when he remembered those days of feeling lost, like a little boat lost in a turbulent storm, without the safe harbor that had been his mother. Before he could continue with his thoughts, his companion continued speaking and he immediately noticed a slight change in his usual stoic tone; it was almost…amazed,

"And then, the clouds suddenly cleared, the sun shone brighter than it ever had, the air was cool and clean, and one day, the first green thing began to grow. Day by day, inch by inch, the trees grew to rival the buildings, the plants grew fresh and healthy, and then the streams flowed clean and clear. This place has not always existed as you see it, but now, I am happy that it does."

Ichigo gained a small smile at the words of his stoic companion. Slowly, he began to understand what his inner world meant; what the various elements that made it up represented about him. Just as he was about to return to his meditation, something that his companion had said suddenly leapt to the forefront of his mind. His back straightening in dawning realization, he spoke,

"Wait…you said that it used to be only buildings. You make it sound like you've been here for years…"

His zanpakuto spirit allowed his pleased smile to show on his face at the perceptiveness of his wielder. With a nod, he confirmed Ichigo's statement, as well as confirmed his suspicions.

Stunned, Ichigo considered the implications of having had a zanpakuto spirit for years…probably since his birth. A cold sensation trailed down his spine when he began to think about the various things that happened around him. At the time, he had just taken the fact that he could see spirits in stride, but now, he was not so dismissive. Wondering which of his parents could have been the one he inherited his powers from, his mind alighted on his mother.

He easily ignored the pain that was associated with that memory and recalled the little details of that day. He vaguely remembered his mother shouting after him…as though she could see that something was wrong. His lessons in meditation had forced him to revisit that memory and deal with some of the pain that it held. As such, he knew that his mother had been murdered by something not human; something he now knew had been a hollow. And from what he had just learned, his mum had been able to see it. Yet, she had been unable to fight it off, so that cast doubt on his idea of her having been the shinigami.

As though his recent shocks were not enough, he suddenly realized that his mother had been Kurosaki Masaki, before she had married Isshin. Almost afraid of following that thought to its logical conclusion, he began to think about what he had learnt from the Shinigami currently asleep in his room; Soul Society generally frowned upon human-Shinigami relations, meaning that for it to happen, the Shinigami would have to disappear. Given the disparate levels of development between the two worlds, something as simple as changing ones name and suppressing one's reiatsu could go a long way in hiding one from the afterlife. Unable to deny the plausibility of his thoughts, Ichigo finally allowed himself to accept the possibility that his father was a Shinigami. Funny enough, the thing that cinched it for him was the thought that a normal guy wouldn't survive things like falling out of his son's window every morning without so much as a scratch.

He turned his befuddled gaze to find the amused and silently laughing eyes of his companion, causing him to mock scowl at the teasing glint in the older man's eyes. Finally giving up, he let out the smile that was fighting to show on his own face. Somehow, he found that he wasn't mad at his dad for possibly keeping such a thing from him; it was his business and he would wait for his dad to tell him, if he wanted to.

Satisfied at partly resolving a very important part of his past, he resettled on the rock, effortlessly slipping back into his meditation. Still being aware of his surroundings, he somehow felt the gaze of his companion on his face. Opening one eye, he cast a curious look back at the older man.

The black clad figure paused for a moment, wondering how to phrase his request. Deciding to just go ahead with it, he spoke in his usual calm and even baritone,

"If you feel up to it, I would like to hear about your mother."

Though Ichigo only twitched at his companion's request, clouds rapidly began to gather in the skies above them, swiftly blotting out the sun and casting the land into shadows. Ichigo forced himself to take in a deep breath, and hold it for a few seconds before releasing it. Immediately, the rate of appearance of the clouds slowly reduced, until no new clouds were being formed. After giving it some thought, grateful for the solid patience of his companion, Ichigo began to speak,

"Her name was Kurosaki Masaki, and…she was the most loving person I have ever known."

Slowly, with frequent pauses between sentences, Ichigo began to talk about his mother, relieving the wonderful memories that he had made with her. Neither of the two people present noticed the gradual clearing of the skies above them, as Ichigo slowly but surely dealt with the remaining pain associated with his mother's death; pain that, even with his training and meditations, he had been unable to let go of.

For what felt like hours, Ichigo reminisced about his mother, somehow being able to recall the memories of her with love and happiness, unmarred by the previously constant pain of bereavement.

As he listened to his wielder, the black clad zanpakuto spirit marveled at Ichigo's inherent fortitude; the ability to move forward when his entire world had been ground to a halt the day his mother died, to never stand still, and to never look back. He listened as, gradually, his wielder's voice became more lighthearted and just generally unburdened the longer he spoke about his mother. He didn't attempt to stop Ichigo when his talking about his mother smoothly transitioned into talking about his dad, his sisters, and even his friends. He was very eager to get to know his wielder, and so, he listened, and as time went on, he learned.

After what felt like hours, Ichigo finally stopped speaking, only then realizing that somewhere along the way, his previously silent companion had begun to contribute some words of his own, turning a previously one-way speech into a two-way conversation filled with sharing.

From Ichigo, the older man learned his ardent desire to always protect those who mattered to him, starting with his family, then his friends, and finally, any other innocent that needed his help. He learnt of Ichigo's lifelong goal to master himself, his emotions and his actions, to ensure that he didn't always just react brashly to any situation he found himself in. He listened as Ichigo described his lessons in two schools of unarmed combat, as well as meditation and Kendo. All in all, he was immensely pleased with his wielder's drive to always better himself.

On his part, Ichigo learned about his partner's hatred for overcast skies and rain, of his love for the gardens and for the sun. Being the perceptive teen that he was, in addition to his recent understanding of what the elements in his inner world meant, Ichigo was easily able to deduce what his companion was really saying; that he hated it whenever anything happened to cause Ichigo to lose his drive, to despair and stop advancing day to day. He preferred it when Ichigo's sight was not clouded by fear or grief; when he was constantly striving to achieve his goals.

Gracefully rising to his feet, pleasantly noting that he lacked any lingering soreness that would have been normal after such a prolonged time in that pose, Ichigo turned to his now standing partner and said,

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but I think it is about time that I get back. I hope you don't mind if I visit again in the near future."

With a nearly regal incline of his head, the older man smoothly replied,

"I look forward to your next visit."

Ichigo smiled and was about to return to the outside world when the next words of his companion, spoken in a musing tone, halted him,

"You know who I am, of that I am sure, and yet you have not asked me for my name. Why, I wonder? Do you, perhaps, believe that you are not yet ready to know it?"

The smile that broke out across his wielder's face was not what he was expecting, nor was the amused chuckle. When Ichigo replied, he found his eyebrows rising, uncontrollable in the wake of his surprise,

"Not at all; I merely felt that it would be rude to ask for your name, before I had offered mine."

And before the older man could react to that statement, Ichigo smoothly raised his right hand and said,

"Hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Kurosaki Ichigo."

Now with a bemused smile on his face, the older man gracefully accepted the offered hand and responded in kind.

"It's nice to meet you Ichigo. My name is Zangetsu."

Zangetsu interpreted the look in Ichigo's eyes to be that of surprise, and so, he prepared himself to explain to his wielder why he was unable to hear his name, somehow finding himself faintly disappointed that his wielder still couldn't hear him. Before he could begin however, Ichigo replied,

"It's nice to meet you…Zangetsu."

For a moment, Zangetsu was frozen in his state of shock, before he blinked and focused his gaze on the suddenly too innocent face of his teenage wielder, just in time to see him gradually fade away from the inner world to return to the outside one. With a shake of his head, he wondered just why he had been surprised that Ichigo could hear his name; given their long session of sharing, he should have expected it.

Ichigo opened his eyes to the nighttime sky out in the real world. Without even moving, he could already tell that his body was somewhat sore after having spent hours in the same unmoving pose. While he was massaging his legs to get the blood flowing, he was thinking about what he had just learned about his father. He acknowledged that at this juncture, all he had were a series of coincidences that painted a suspicious picture; he would have to wait and be on the lookout for more clues. Though, he thought to himself, it wouldn't really change anything either way.

Finally deeming himself capable of standing, he made his way back into his room to find that the Shinigami was still asleep, as she should be. Taking the chance offered, he performed a shorter variation of his usual katas, promising himself to do a longer sequence tomorrow in compensation. Once he finished, he cleaned up and, pulling an extra futon out of his closet, he laid down to sleep, slipping away into oblivion a few moments later.

Ichigo woke slowly, and blinking open his eyes, noticed that he was the only one in his room. Rising from his sleeping mat, he saw that his bed had been made by his formerly sleeping guest, and that a note had also been left behind, thanking him for his hospitality and implying a meeting sometime in the near future. Putting it out of his mind, Ichigo went about performing his usual morning rituals, absently thinking that the house was too quiet. When he finally made his way downstairs, he found a note stuck to the fridge, telling him that his father and sisters would be out for the most of the day as well. Not questioning the good fortune, yet still somehow suspecting that his dad had something to do with the sudden space he was being given, he set about warming and eating the breakfast Yuzu had kept for him, before leaving his home.

Ichigo finally crested the small hill a few miles from his home. He took a moment to appreciate the tranquil peace and beautiful scenery before him, feeling a surge of gratitude towards his first sensei for revealing this place to him. Suddenly, Ichigo became aware of barely detectable feelings of approval and contentment that were not his own. As though they had been waiting for him to notice, the moment he began to pay attention to the foreign feelings, they came across clearer, and with a start, he realized where they were coming form; without a doubt, the flavor of the feelings brought to mind his black clad companion, Zangetsu. The instant he made the connection, a stronger wave of approval flooded his senses, confirming his suspicions and leaving him feeling relaxed.

Deciding to get to the reason he had come to his usual training grounds, he moved to place the items he brought with him – a towel, some water bottles, and some bandages – at the base of the tree in the center of the small field. Stepping away, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. In his soul, he could feel the curiosity of his soul partner, which then turned to startled realization at what he did next. Reaching deep within himself, he grasped his reiatsu, and with a firm intent in mind, he gave a deft twisting pull and, suddenly, he was holding his sword in his hand.

Now that he was not fighting for his life, he took the time to fully study the blade. It was a magnificent sword, notably broader than the more conventional katana, and longer as well. As evidence had shown, it was also deadly sharp, strong and well balanced. He gave it a few swings to get his actual physical body used to its weight, noticing instantly that it was lighter than a sword its size had a right to be; now that he was in his physical body, he had expected the sword to seem heavier than it had been.

Shaking off his musings, he settled into a beginning stance for one of the more basic Kendo katas. With slow and graceful movements, he flowed through the motions and stances, acclimatizing to wielding the new blade. Slowly but surely, his movements became more fluid as he gradually moved from exploring the blade to moving with it, transforming it from a mere sword to an extension of his body. For hours, he practiced, a combination of graceful twirls and flowing strikes creating a deadly dance of steel. Being the brilliant student that he was, Ichigo had taken his learning of Kendo farther than the conventional dojo; mixing in movements learnt from Tai Chi and Wushu, his handling of the sword deviated enough from traditional Kendo that even his teacher had found himself blindsided by unexpected manoeuvers from time to time. Finally, with a smooth and powerful killing thrust, Ichigo's kata drew to a close.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Ichigo rehydrated himself using one of the bottles he had brought for such a reason. Appropriately recovered from his strenuous activity, he cast a thoughtful gaze at the sword he held in his hand, wondering if he had just been imagining what he felt during the katas. Shaking off the thought, he dropped to sit on the grass at his feet, placing the sword across his lap and preparing to reenter his inner world.

With a noticeably smoother transition than last time, he opened his eyes to the clear blue skies of his zanpakuto's domain. Sensing the presence behind him, he smoothly spun with a happy smile on his face to meet the equally pleased face of Zangetsu. Zangetsu, sensing that his wielder had something on his mind, aimed a vaguely inquisitive look at the orange haired teen before him. Feeling an oddly significant amount of anticipation, Ichigo answered his companion's unspoken question,

"I know we spent most of yesterday getting to know each other, and so I wanted to try something else today."

With Zangetsu watching on, Ichigo reached forward and pulled, his hand coming away with a spiritual manifestation of his sword. With a slightly dangerous smile on his face, he spoke up,

"My sensei always said that two people can learn more about each other when they cross swords."

With a mere incline of his head, Zangetsu's flowing cloak billowed to the side to reveal that his right hand was resting on the hilt of a replica of his sword planted on the ground at his feet. The slightly discordant feeling Ichigo had felt when he had been performing his kata earlier was suddenly more pronounced when he watched Zangetsu wield the same sword as him. Still, putting that thought aside for the moment, he smoothly shifted into an opening stance, noticing Zangetsu do the same.

At an unspoken signal, the two were off, and immediately, Ichigo noticed that his companion was extremely skilled with the blade – not surprising, consider that he was a sword spirit. After a few more exchanges, silver sang through the air and Ichigo pulled back, a thin line sliced into the front of his shirt. Without a moment's hesitation, he dove back in, launching a flurry of attacks at his sparring partner, with each attack gracefully and expertly deflected. He knew that Zangetsu was holding back and so he pushed onwards, determined to provide some measure of challenge to his companion.

At the start of the spar, Zangetsu was exhilarated that his wielder sought to learn about him by sparring with him, though his face showed nothing to indicate his feelings. At once, he noticed that Ichigo's moves were the crisp motions of learned katas, lacking the instinctual reactions gained through experiencing real battle; he did not blame his wielder for it was to be expected. Still, as they progressed, he saw that Ichigo understood that he was not yet at a level where he could match him, and yet, he did not retreat; he pressed on, even more determined, never hesitating, and never retreating. And as time went on, before his amazed eyes, his wielder slowly began to learn to interpret what the little movements of his body meant – to read his attack moments before it came and to instinctively shift to meet it. He wasn't perfect at it – that was to be expected – yet, that he was able to pick it up in such a short time and under such conditions was nothing short of incredible.

Slowly but surely, the amount of attacks getting through his defense reduced, until he was successfully parrying aside all the attacks Zangetsu launched at him. Despite that accomplishment, he did not become complacent, because he read in Zangetsu's languid pose an indication that he was holding back. And so, Ichigo did not rest on his laurels, he continually attacked and defended, and above all, he learned.

Zangetsu was once again amazed by his wielder's determination and drive, but above all, he was immensely proud. Though Ichigo was a panting mess of sweat, dirt, and blood, he still stood tall before him, ready for more. It was clear to him that his wielder's already impressive stamina had been doubled, tripled, even quadrupled by his recent access to his vast stores of reiatsu. So, where before he would have dropped after an hour of the rigorous spar, he was still sanding after four.

Still, Zangetsu lowered his sword, feeling it disperse with his intention to call the match to an end. Ichigo, seeing this, allowed his focus to drop from being on alert for an incoming attack. Only then did he allow himself to plop down in fatigue and pain from his injuries, and yet, despite how crappy he felt, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He saw an answering smile on Zangetsu's face, if a comparatively smaller one, and the sight caused him to finally break out into exhilarated laughter, paradoxically refreshed by the strenuous spar he had just had.

Finally having caught his breath, though the numerous cuts on his body continually stung when he moved, Ichigo remembered the feeling that had been bothering him. Casting his gaze down at the sword currently lying next to him, he wondered. Zangetsu, noticing his wielder's preoccupation, prompted,

"Is something the matter, Ichigo?"

Startled out of his contemplation, Ichigo raised his eyes to meet the expectant gaze of his companion. Trusting in the other man not to misunderstand him, and yet still worried that he might end up offending the older man, he softly spoke

"This sword...does not feel like it is mine."

Bracing himself for some negative reaction from his seeming rejection, he was completely unprepared for the blinding – for Zangetsu anyway – smile of approval that appeared on his companion's face, quickly followed by his proud and pleased baritone,

"So you've noticed it. I had wondered if you would."

Relieved that he had not inadvertently offended Zangetsu, Ichigo continued,

"Well, to be honest, I felt that there was something off the first time I held this sword. At the time however, I reasoned that it was simply because it was a product of powers not inherently my own. However, yesterday, you helped me realize that I had been born with Shinigami powers and as such, had possessed a zanpakuto spirit of my own – you. Now that you have confirmed my suspicions, I can only conclude that Kuchiki Rukia's reiatsu not only awoken my own, but also influenced my Shinigami powers."

Zangetsu found himself fighting the urge to break out into applause at Ichigo's keen insight; he instead settled for expressing his pride and approval in his voice,

"Truly, I could not have asked for a better wielder than you."

Choosing not to comment on Ichigo's faint blush, Zangetsu began to explain the exact side effects of gaining Rukia's Shinigami powers.

"Normally, when a Shinigami transfers their Shinigami powers to a human soul, it is temporary, allowing that human soul to perform supernatural feats – like slaying a hollow – for a short period of time before it disperses from their soul. In your case however, the injection of foreign reiatsu forced your own dormant powers to awaken. In that situation, instead of gradually fading away, Kuchiki Rukia's powers clung to your own powers, influencing the way they expressed themselves. That is why, no matter how much you learn to control your own reiatsu, the extra reiatsu from Kuchiki Rukia will always be felt by anyone with the senses to do so, making it seem as though you have terrible control of your reiatsu. Furthermore, as you know, the size of a zanpakuto is dependent on the amount of reiatsu being constantly passed through it; the sword you currently wield will never assume a smaller shape until you are free of the foreign reiatsu. However, now that you have gotten in touch with me, and heard my name, I can set about gradually removing the influence of her powers until all that is left is solely yours."

Maybe once upon a time, Ichigo would have immediately jumped at the chance to wholly use his own powers, but he was not that brash child anymore. He thought about the situation for some time, grateful for his ever steady companion's infinite patience, before reaching a decision,

"I think for now, it would be best if we didn't hasten the disappearance of my foreign powers. From what Rukia told me, Soul Society considers it a serious offense for a Shinigami to have relations with a human, and now that she has seen what my sword looks like, having it change will raise questions that might reveal my dad's true nature and bring the wrath of the afterlife down on our heads. From what I understand, Rukia's actions would be severely frowned upon when they discovered, meaning that I will come under scrutiny sooner or later. I think, for now, that it is best if others see only what they expect to see."

After a few seconds digesting what his wielder had just said, Zangetsu inclined his head in acceptance of his reasoning. Though he did not like being overshadowed by another's reiatsu, he acknowledged that in this case, discretion was the better part of valor. He immediately refocused on Ichigo when he realized that he had resumed speaking,

"Still, that does not mean that I should not practice using my true zanpakuto. If there is a way for me to access your real form in here without affecting what you would look like outside, that would be very helpful."

With a nod of his head, Zangetsu replied that he would see what he could do. The two of them then spent a few minutes discussing Ichigo's performance, with Zangetsu pointing out whatever areas he needed improvement in. Ichigo graciously accepted the criticism and made mental notes to address those issues before their next sparring session – for it was an unspoken agreement between them that such spars would become regular things.

Once their discussion wound to a close, Ichigo prepared to return to the outside world, but a fleeting thought had him pausing, once again garnering Zangetsu's attention. Without prompting, Ichigo spoke slowly, trying to put together the vague thought he had just had,

"Rukia mentioned that reiatsu is primarily a measure of one's experiences, suggesting that the more one did with it, the more it increased in amount and potency; hence the reason why older Shinigami were generally stronger than the younger ones."

Seeing Zangetsu nod, he finally realized why that thought had seemed important to him,

"Rukia is about ten times my age and I have portions of her reiatsu inside me. She has gone through formal instruction in the Shinigami Academy and spent decades more as an active Shinigami, I'm sure there is much we can learn from her experiences."

Pleased with the flash of interest he easily saw in Zangetsu's eyes, Ichigo smiled as he faded from his inner world, leaving his companion to ponder the validity of his suggestion and how to go about implementing it.

Ichigo winced when his eyes opened in the real world; some of his wounds had transferred to his actual physical body, though less serious versions of them. Gingerly, he used the left over water to clean his wounds, before applying the bandages that he had brought along. With that done, he packed up his belongings and turned to return home. After a few steps, he stopped in silent contemplation. Deciding that now was as good a time as any, he reached for a tiny amount of his potent reiatsu, and began siphoning it into his body. Once he was satisfied that he had a firm hold of it, he glanced at his watch, and then he took off running back towards his home.

The difference was immediately obvious.

With the wind whipping in his face, Ichigo blazed across the ground, muscles functioning at far above their usual peak efficiency; propelling him so fast that to an untrained eye, he would appear as an indistinguishable blur. Ichigo cut off the flow of reiatsu the moment he reached the bottom of the hill, causing himself to stumble at the sudden loss of speed. He looked at his watch and blinked once he realized that he had covered the distance in a few seconds; it usually took him two minutes to get down the hill while running.

Ichigo was of the opinion that if he managed to learn to use his reiatsu in his physical body, then his soul would be that much stronger for it; hence his motivation to learn how to summon and use his sword, as well as augment his muscles with reiatsu.

Siphoning off a slightly larger amount of reiatsu and flooding his muscles with the power, he took off again, noticeably faster than before, with an exhilarated grin on his face.

I feel that I should reiterate and explain some things. First off, there will be no pairings, that hasn't changed. Also, I hope this chapter has shown that I intend to change Ichigo's usual relationship with Zanpakuto. I have always been dissatisfied with the way those two interacted…I mean, if you stop to think about it, a zanpakuto is essentially a soulmate…Yes, take a moment to take that in…soulmate. That said, I want them to be much closer, which will of course go a long way in making Ichigo much stronger.

Please leave a comment if you can. Thank you for taking the time to read and review my story.