A/N: First thing's first. Sorry bout all the slacking I've been doing over the Winter Break, I'll try to get back on track starting with this chapter. This chapter deals a lot with the things that happened in Chapter 7 too...so you might wanna refresh yourselves, eh?
Also, couldn't resist the whole Zaraki thing...came to me randomly and I couldn't let it go to waste, now could I? It might seem a little stupid, but I added it in anyways.
Longest chapter yet btw, still only about 3,500 words though.
Summer of Changes
Chapter 8
Ichigo groaned, and slowly opened his eyes. With another groan, he immediately wished he hadn't. The sun seemed more blinding than usual, and the fact that his body was sore in places he didn't know he had, didn't help in the slightest.
The orange haired Captain forced himself to think back over the last two weeks, his half-awakened brain trying to figure out why his muscles were seemingly on fire. The answer soon came, training, and lots of it. Ever since the Captain's meeting two weeks ago, after the attacks on the districts, he and Yoruichi had been attempting to figure out where the green mist like spirit energy had come from. They had nearly no success, but it did give them an excuse to spend some extra time "washing" in the hot spring.
Ichigo couldn't help but grin at his last thought, as he looked down to the purple haired shinigami he had been thinking of. He was surprised to find golden eyes looking back at him though, he hadn't heard her wake up. Golden eyes that held a look of curiosity.
"What're smiling about Ichigo" She lazily muttered, as she lay her head back on his chest.
Said Captain simply replied "Hot springs".
Yoruichi couldn't help but grin, he knew how to wake her up... Soon though, her eyes widened as she remembered the training from the previous day.
"Remember how I said you should talk to Zangetsu, see if he knows anything about the energy?" The purple haired Vice-Captain asked.
His reply came in the form of a simple "Yeah".
She took this as her sign to continue. "If anyone would know what that stuff was, it'd be him. Hopefully you'll have some idea on how to use it more by the end of the day."
Yoruichi heard him sigh, before he replied. "Yeah, suppose we should get down there and see what he has to say."
The black clothed figure sighed, he looked over the training grounds he had been materialized in. He slowly turned towards Ichigo and Yoruichi, both of them wearing curious expressions as they awaited his answer.
Zangetsu figured he'd be summoned sooner or later to help out with this new development, though he never thought it'd take so long for them to ask him about it. In truth, he didn't fully know what it was, only bits and pieces. He sighed once more, relishing in the fact that the pair in front of him changed from curious, to impatient and slight annoyed.
He spoke. "I assume the two of you brought me here to ask about the development in Ichigo's power. Right?"
Upon seeing the pair nod, he continued as he closed his eyes. "In truth, I don't fully understand what it is. Nonetheless, I do comprehend it fairly well."
Zangetsu paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before continuing. "It is my guess, that since Ichigo's desire to defend Yoruichi is so great, he unconsciously called upon power that he didn't know he had. This much is obvious though, you need to know where it came from and what it was." He stopped for a moment, taking in a breath, before continuing. "Since Ichigo has two different kinds of spirit energy inside of him, he technically has two separate powers, so to speak. These powers being of a hollow, and a shinigami, obviously."
At this point an impatient Ichigo interrupted. "We know old man, we know. Just get on with it would you."
Said "old man" muttered something about "impatient brats" before continuing. "As I was saying, Ichigo has two separate powers at his disposal. Before the mist incident, those two powers were only used separately, right?"
Ichigo's brow furrowed in confusion, "I've used my hollow mask while I've been in my bankai form before though, even shikai. I use the two powers together all the time."
Zangetsu nodded, before continuing, "That is true, you've used the powers together before, but they were still separate. You must have noticed the extreme differences between your shinigami spirit energy and hollow spirit energy, right?"
The orange haired shinigami responded, "Yeah, but I don't really pay attention to it much. I feel a big difference when I use one or the other though, if that's what you mean"
The "sword" continued with a smile on his face, Ichigo might catch on a little faster than he had expected. "The two spirit energies are extremely different, your right. Did you notice anything different when your green spirit energy showed itself though?"
Ichigo thought back to the fight, attempting to remember any significant differences in spirit energies. He responded after a fews seconds, talking slowly. "I remembered feeling something that I can only describe as a feeling of power. Like I could do anything..." The Captain trailed off, confused about this new spirit energy.
Zangetsu nodded, "And what, Ichigo, do you think that means? Your hollow's spirit energy is dark and evil-like, your shinigami's spirit energy is pure and good. This new spirit energy, merely gave you a feeling of power."
Said orange haired shinigami's eyes widened. "Wait...I've only used my two spirit energies together, not as one before... Are you saying the green energy was a combination of my hollow and shinigami powers?"
Smiling, the old man continued. "That's exactly what I think. However, that's all I know at the moment. I'd suggest attempting to channel both your hollow and shinigami energy through my sword form, just like you would for bankai, and see what happens from there. I do not know what might come from this, you'll have to find out for yourself."
Ichigo nodded, "Thanks old man, one thing though. I've never consciously used my hollow spirit energy before...right?"
Zangetsu couldn't help but chuckle before continuing. "How you think you can call upon your hollow mask? You can call upon your hollow spirit energy whenever you want, all you need to do now, is redirect it." The man paused, and took a deep breath before continuing. "This will not be easy in any way Ichigo. Power like that is usually never easy to obtain. However, if you hope to stand a chance against an Espada, much less Aizen, I suggest you learn how to control this new spirit energy as soon as possible. You'll have to go back to the source of your hollow power, find it, and redirect it; you must also force your shinigami spirit energy into your sword at the same time."
Ichigo looked up with a glint of determination in eyes. "I know it'll be hard, but it'll be worth it too. That power felt nothing short of amazing. Thanks Zangetsu, I think Yoruichi and I can take over from here."
The materialized form of cleaver Zanpakutou nodded, and spoke once more before fading out of existence. "Good luck, Ichigo."
Ichigo sighed, and opened his eyes to glare at whatever rock he felt like. He heard a not-so-quiet giggle from behind him and promptly threw himself down onto his back from his sitting position.
Yoruichi's giggle soon became an all out laugh. This only made Ichigo more frustrated, but Yoruichi couldn't help it. She was so caught up in how childish Ichigo had looked, and laughing herself silly over it, that the purple haired Vice-Captain didn't notice Ichigo shunpo behind her.
Ichigo smirked as he wrapped a hand around her waist, using the other one to tickle her mercilessly.
His Vice-Captain barely had time to gasp in surprise before she was forced into laughing once again. She soon realized what was going on, and leaned forward to try and get away from him, nearly lying down on her stomach. This, of course, pulled Ichigo forward too. He was only too happy to follow.
The orange haired shinigami supported himself with his knees as he stopped tickling her. He was grinning widely as he sat back, pulling Yoruichi , who was still gasping for breath, onto his lap, her back into his chest.
Yoruichi recovered shortly after Ichigo had started planting kisses across the back and sides of her neck. She sighed, and half-heartedly glared at him from over her shoulder. Upon seeing him smile though, she couldn't help but smile too; she then planted a loving kiss on his lips before leaning back into his chest with another sigh, her head rested on his shoulder.
Ichigo relaxed back against a nearby rock, tightening his hold around Yoruichi's waist. He missed these moments, the two of them hadn't spent a lot of time doing things like this over the past weeks. So he learned to enjoy these moments while they lasted.
Ichigo broke the peaceful silence in a soft voice. "I love you."
It was simple, yet it made Yoruichi happier than she could have ever imagined. She smiled, before whispering "I love you too, Ichigo."
The two of them sat in silence after that, sharing a kiss every once in a while, both lost in thought. After a few minutes, Yoruichi spoke up, remembering what had started all this in the first place.
"What were you so frustrated about anyway?"
"I don't have any idea on how to find the source of my hollow power, and sitting on that damn rock wasn't helping anything." Ichigo replied, a slight pout in his voice.
Yoruichi couldn't help but smile again, she fell silent soon after though, thinking over what might help him. She turned her head sideways, into Ichigo's neck, as she thought over all the events that had taken place since she meant him in her cat form.
Minutes passed in silence, before Yoruichi furrowed her brow in thought. "Ichigo, how did you overcome your hollow the first time? Back before you knew Zangetsu's name."
"I had to go to my spirit realm and talk to Zangetsu, something with spirit ribbons too, and how shinigami's were red and such. Why?"
Yoruichi didn't respond for awhile though, when she did, it was in the form of another question. "Do you think your combined spirit energy would have a different colored spirit ribbon as well?"
Ichigo's eyes widened. "Yeah, it'd make sense. So you think all I'd have to do is find that ribbon inside of me, and I'll get that power."
"Not exactly, Zangetsu said you need to combine your shinigami and hollow powers in order to get that power, he never said it was there originally, remember? I think you need to find your hollow's ribbon inside you, and use that to find its source."
Ichigo's face brightened considerably, Yoruichi would never fail to amaze him. Smiling widely he pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss that left both of them gasping for breath.
"Your amazing, you know that right? I'll have to repay you for that help later...would've taken me forever to think of that"
Yoruichi couldn't help but smile as she put he head back on his shoulder, she resolved to make sure they had more moments to themselves like this...that, and to make sure he kept his promise.
Any further thoughts or actions were cut off though, as a hell butterfly appeared in front of the two lovers. Captain-Commander Yamamoto's voice rang out in the training room.
"All Captains and Vice-Captains report to the first division immediately."
Ichigo and Yoruichi shared a look at the shortness of the message, before shaking their thoughts off and heading towards the meeting.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto surveyed the assembled shinigami for a moment, upon concluding that everyone was present, he addressed them.
"There has been another attack, this time on the 67th district of the Rukongai. The 11th division just started their patrol today, so Captain Zaraki was the first to be informed." Ichigo looked over at Zaraki, just now noticing that he looked worse for wear, to say the least. Deep cuts littered his body, along with many bruises.
Yamamoto's voice brought Ichigo out of his thoughts. "He immediately set out to deal with the arrancar, and ended up killing him. However, it appears the arrancar are growing stronger, as Zaraki barely managed to beat his opponent."
At this point, Renji's voice could be heard muttering from his place beside Captain Kuchiki. "Maybe if he actually knew the name of his Zanpakutou..."
It appeared Renji didn't speak quietly enough though, as Zaraki immediately responded. "I've tried learning its damn name more times than I can count, but this thing must not know its own name. See, every time I try asking for it, all it does is insult me."
Ichigo fought down a snort at this point, while Yoruichi futilely tried to stop her shoulders from shaking. The Zanpakutou must be as stubborn as Zarak himself. Apparently oblivious to the humor in what he had said, Zaraki continued. "The damn Zanpakutou always says ahondara, then it goes quiet, nothing else."
Upon hearing this. nearly all of the shinigami present began shaking in laughter, Zaraki still seemed oblivious to it though. Ichigo turned his laugh into a hacking cough, calming himself down before he spoke. "Zaraki. Is that the only thing it ever says when you ask its name?"
By now, most all the Captains and Vice-Captains present had large grins plastered on their faces, despite how serious the meeting was supposed to be. It had long been anticipated when Zaraki would actually learn the name of his Zanpakutou, but this was better than anything they had expected. Zaraki's ignorance just made it harder not to laugh...
Zaraki looked away in a thought for a moment, before looked back to Ichigo and nodding, a slight frown on his face. "Yeah, that's all its said to me".
That did it, nearly all the shinigami present burst out laughing. Yoruichi was using Ichigo for support, even Soi Fon and Kuchiki cracked small smiles.
Yamamoto brought his staff down upon on the floor to bring order back to the meeting, his face expressionless as ever. "Enough! Captain Zaraki can deal with his problems later, I have said what I wanted to say. Dismissed!"
Ichigo shared a somewhat nervous glance with Yoruichi, before the two of them quickly headed back to their cabin.
Ichigo and Yoruichi finally arrived home in the late evening. Neither had realized how much time had passed in the training room or during the meeting, but after they had a late dinner, they agreed to simply go to bed early.
Ichigo followed behind Yoruichi, walking up the stairs to their room. His eyes were glued to her hips and he couldn't help but remember his promise, it seemed he'd only made it minutes ago. Ichigo licked his lips, he decided to pay her back sooner than she thought...
They entered their room, Ichigo still trailing behind his Vice-Captain. The orange haired shinigami shut the door, and swiftly picking up Yoruichi in his arms, earning a startled yelp from her as he carried her to the bed.
He gently tossed her onto the bed, and immediately leaned over her on hands and knees. His lips found the side of her neck, biting and teasing softly, while her hands instinctively entangled themselves in his hair. He worked his way up her neck, along her jawline, to her lips; the little moans she was making just encouraged him more. He slide his tongue into her mouth while his hands parted the folds of her shinigami uniform, soon ending with the top half of it coming off all together.
Ichigo broke contact with her lips, as he moved his down to newly exposed skin. He took her left breast in his hand and kneaded it, while his mouth covered her right nipple. Using his tongue to circle the hardened flesh, and teeth to lightly bite at it, he received louder moans from the purple haired shinigami under him. He soon switched his administrations, mouth moving to where his hand had been, hand to where his mouth had been, and pleasured his love more.
Yoruichi tightened her fingers in his hair as another soft moan escaped her, if he only knew the things he could do to her... She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in as more pleasure swept over her, and flipped their bodies over. She sat back on his waist, straddling him, as she quickly removed the upper portion on his Captain's uniform. She then moved her lips to his abs, biting and licking the defined skin lightly, she soon after began to slowly work her way up his body, relishing in the small groans and light moans he made. His pleasure was confirmed to her, as she felt a pressure on her thigh.
Ichigo's mind didn't seem to want to work at that moment. The feeling of her lips all over him, along with her bare flesh rubbing against his, made it very hard to form a coherent thought. He didn't know how much longer he could wait though. So, as her lips molded together with his and tongues meant, he flipped her over onto her back. He quickly removed all but one piece of her clothing, and looked down at her. Her eyes were glazed over in lust and love, the gold in them adopting a much darker shade. Her breathing was slightly labored, the rise and fall of her chest barely noticeable. He looked down, both her legs were spread out around him, welcoming him, while the only thing keeping him from seeing her completely, was a piece of lacy black cloth.
He brought his lips down to her inner thigh and nipped the flesh there softly, grinning at her quick intake of air. He moved up her body, until he was face to face with her, and placed his lips over hers. One of his hands placed itself on the cloth between her legs, and pressed down onto her already moist center. Her moan was lost in his mouth as she lifted her hips up, but Ichigo pulled his hand away, she could almost see his smirk against her lips.
Yoruichi flipped them over once again, and removed the clothes from Ichigo's lower half, along with what remained on her. She didn't feel like getting teased much, so she'd simply have take things into her own hands.
She held him down and turned around on top of him, still straddling him, merely facing the opposite direction. She lowered her moist center to his mouth, and she brought her mouth to his hardened member. Yoruichi engulfed him in her mouth, using her tongue to please him further as she felt his tongue begin exploring her. She moaned as she felt him start using a finger alongside his tongue to pleasure her further, and began pumping him slowly.
The two continued like this as they lost themselves in passion. It wasn't until Ichigo started to rub the hardened nub near his mouth that Yoruichi felt her release, while she moaned loudly, the vibrations causing Ichigo to release himself into her mouth as well. Both of them lay like this, catching their breath, while Yoruichi got Ichigo awake once again.
Ichigo lifted Yoruichi's small, soft body off of himself, and laid her on her chest next to him. He then got back onto his knees behind her, and positioned himself at her entrance. The Captain put his hands on her hips, and brought her onto her hands and knees as well, before easily sliding inside. Yoruichi moaned out his name at the feeling as he kept an even pace. After many more moans, Yoruichi started rocking her hips back against him in time with his increasing pace. Not much later, the two had lost themselves completely in pleasure, both nearing release.
"Ichigo" Yoruichi gasped out, as she felt herself begin to go over the edge. Ichigo made one final thrust, pulling her hips back against him, before they both released themselves, moaning each other's names as they fell onto their sides.
Ichigo pulled Yoruichi close against him, his arms around her waist, while hers settled themselves on top of his. He kissed the back of her neck, and the two exchanged a whispered "I love you" before falling into a peaceful sleep.
A/N: Lemon was a spur of the moment thing, but I know all you perverts don't mind, eh? ...Call me a hypocrite later, I don't care.
