"Let's try this" his ass. This was so not working.

"Dammit king! If ya don't wanna look like Swiss cheese by the end of this then lemme take control! It's only gonna be for a few seconds so quit pushin' me back every damn time!"

Ichigo knew this. He knew the days when Shiro was threatening him were over and that right now, he should be able to depend on him and trust him as much as he did with Zangetsu. He knew that if Shiro said he would give back control, then he would do it without hesitation.

The only problem was that it looked like his body wasn't so inclined to trust Shiro to the extent that his mind did.

Feeling the familiar slight tugging sensation that indicated Shiro was attempting to take over, he mentally swore to let him this time. But the moment when he felt black begin to cover the white in his eyes, he completely and utterly chickened out. Forcefully shoving Shiro back, he grimaced in pain when another one of the infernal shadows pierced him in the side. Clutching the wound, he jumped away to give himself more distance and to calm himself down.

"Again king?"

'I'm working on it alright?'

"For fuck's sake- How 'bout I just try an' take some control over something like an arm or your legs next time then? You'd have control over yer mind still that way."

That might work. Ichigo agreed before sending a wave of black energy at a shadow that seemed to have an odd shape. He smirked in partial victory when he heard a surprised yelp and Kyouraku's voice whine, "That was mean!" Unfortunately, his victory was short-lived when he felt his legs moving on their own. Logically, he knew it was just Shiro but instinctively, he began fighting back for control- a distraction which resulted in yet another painful gash on his already profusely bleeding arm by a shadow sneaking up on him from behind.

Well, if that didn't basically spell out what Ichigo was only just beginning to realize, then nothing else would. Shiro also seemed to have caught on at this point.

"... Ya still don't trust me."

The ache Ichigo felt in his chest was not do to the numerous cuts littered there. It was a combination of Shiro's hurt and his own pain for not being able to deny that statement.

"Shirosaki is correct Ichigo. Despite what you may wish to believe, you lack the absolute trust necessary for becoming true partners."

So that's why Zangetsu had suggested to use this method of fighting: he had wanted him to realize that the bond between them was still fragile and would only act as a handicap in a fight- a handicap that would have proved to be fatal had this been a real fight (though this "spar" was proving to be quite deadly itself. He was going to kill Urahara after this even if he wasn't completely at fault).

"But that is not the only thing I wished for both of you to see."

Stabbing his sword into the ground and narrowly blocking another shadow trying to sneak up on him, Ichigo could feel both his and Shiro's confusion. Trust Zangetsu to make his expectations ridiculously complex and have double meanings.

"The desire to trust Shiro is not something to be over-looked. It is true that what you are trying to accomplish has never been done before and something that any logical shinigami or hollow would say is impossible to do. However, your capabilities are not measured by their standards alone since you acquired your abilities when you were still human Ichigo."

"If humans are known for something, it would be their tendency to defy logic."

Ichigo still didn't see where this was going. 'What does that have to do with anything?"

"Desire and a powerful will can make even the filthiest human rich if they are prepared to go through extreme lengths to get what they want. Likewise, even the weakest human can obtain the greatest of strength so long as they believe they can, and do everything possible to become stronger."

"Get to the freakin' point old man!" Shiro really needed to learn to get some patience although Ichigo also wanted Zangetsu to hurry up and get to his point. It wasn't that he was irritated with the long speech or anything per say, it was more of the fact that it wasn't really easy listening to his inner spirits while dodging the things going on in the real world at the same time.

"Ichigo, you are a shinigami and a hollow with the soul of a human and you desire strength. Shirosaki and myself are the epitomes of strength. Together, we can attain power beyond the man you are currently fighting and any other shinigami, beyond the strongest Vasto Lorde, beyond anybody's wildest imagination. But in order for this to happen, we must achieve a state of perfect harmony- a feat that is unheard of even among vaizards since they rely on dominance and control in order to utilize their power. You are not like them, you are different. Thus, if it is something you strongly wish for..."

"Then it is possible."

It was times like these when Ichigo was relieved that Zangetsu was his zanpakto. Wise and observant, he noticed things no one else could and understood things only one who dwelled in his mind could understand and then conveyed his advice through lessons and experience and even gave him encouragement when the going got tough although he did tend to be vague and roundabout with his words.

"You will not win this battle Ichigo."

He could also be quite blunt at the most random moments.

'Yeah, I figured as much.' It was a blow to his pride but until he figured out how to get himself to fully accept Shiro, there was no way he'd be able to win against the 8th division captain or anyone else as strong or stronger than him. So that brought him to his next problem: how to end this "game" without losing his life. Kyouraku had said Katen Kyotsu was extremely whimsical and that when she wanted to play, she played until the end a.k.a until someone died. In other words, the one he needed to convince to stop was the sword. Why the hell was life (or death in this case) so bent on making things difficult for him? Was it even possible to talk to a sword spirit unless it was your own?

Ichigo sighed. Alright, he had no other choice. Screw it if he looked like an idiot or a nut ball for talking to thin air. Slamming his sword into the ground, he stated as boldly as he could for someone who looked like he was speaking to nothing, "Oi, Kyouraku-san and if she's listening, Katen Kyotsu. I'm going to forfeit this match."

There was complete silence and for a moment, he really did feel like he was talking to air until he heard Kyouraku's voice mutter, "Oh that's not good." Wondering what was "not good," Ichigo looked around and then saw what Kyouraku was worried about. Tendrils of shadows seemed to be curling in fury and dissatisfaction before abruptly lashing out straight towards him, something that Ichigo highly doubted was by his opponent's doing. Not budging an inch despite the threat that was currently hurtling closer, he continued quickly.

"It wouldn't be fair to either of you if we kept going. This fight... is boring for you isn't it?"

To his inward relief, the tendrils paused just before impaling him, a small indication that though she was angry, Katen Kyotsu was giving him time to talk. "We both agreed to fight using more or less everything that we had but so far, only Kyouraku-san has done that. I don't want to keep fighting so half-assed but I need a bit of time to come to terms with a few things. So... if you promise to let me end this with my life intact, then I'll promise that the next time we play,"

"You'll have more fun than you've had against anybody else."

The tendrils wavered a bit as if debating on this so Ichigo added another challenge as an incentive. "Next time, it'll be Kyouraku-san who forfeits the match."

Holding his breath, he stared at the shadows suspended in the air before releasing it in a relieved exhale when the shadows slowly backed off and slithered back to their origins.

"Well I'll be! That's the first time Katen Kyotsu has ever let one of her victims go after they lost one of her games!" Kyouraku exclaimed as he slipped out of a shadow nearby, a little roughed up but nowhere near as injured as Ichigo. Ichigo grinned weakly as the captain also said, "Though you're quite cheeky aren't you? I guess I'll have to be on my toes next time we fight huh?" Ichigo nodded and then sighed before muttering, "I thought I was going to die..." Kyouraku laughed and pat him on the back, quickly retracting his hand when he noticed the younger man wince a bit. "Whoops, sorry! Hey Retsu~ Give the poor kiddo here some treatment would you?"

A kind-looking woman with long black hair tied into a braid down her front gracefully shunpoed from her former location and landed in front of the two, "I was just about to do so Kyouraku-taicho however I would also like to take a look at your wounds as well. You did not emerge out of this unscathed either, yes?"

Although the rather frightening smile wasn't directed at him, Ichigo felt the same shiver of fear Kyouraku undoubtedly felt. Reason number one why he didn't like female doctors: they were extremely scary despite their friendly appearances. Yuzu hadn't acquired the skill of intimidating others yet but when she was pissed, she was very terrifying. He made a mental note to make sure Yuzu didn't spend a lot of time near the captain in the future.

A gentle warmth suddenly enveloped his injured arm and he looked at it to see his arm enshrouded by a faint glowing green light that instantly began closing all his wounds. The familiar feeling sent a small pang of sadness through him since it reminded him of what he had left behind when he'd died. The warm feeling generated from the kido spell was...

"...just like Orihime's..."

The woman glanced at him curiously, "Did you say something Kurosaki-kun?" Realizing he had let that slip out loud, he quickly shook his head and said, "Oh, uh no. I was um, just... wondering if you specialize in healing or something." That was a total lie but he prayed that she didn't notice The last thing he wanted to do was make the shinigamis aware of his friends and their abilities in the Human World and drag them into troublesome things.

The woman gazed at him speculatively before returning her attention to her task as she replied, "I am Unohana Retsu, captain of the 4th division. And yes, my division is in charge of healing any and all wounds. Thus," a scary pleasant smile was directed at him that nearly made him shrink back in fear, "Please refrain from doing anything purposely that will threaten your well-being unless there is a very good reason for it alright?" Giving her a slightly shaken nod, he relaxed a bit as she began healing his other wounds.

"So? What did everyone think?"

Kyouraku's lazy question reminded Ichigo of exactly why they had been fighting in the first place. 'Oh right... this was supposed to determine whether I could become a captain. I completely forgot.'

"Che, too caught up thinking of the princess?"

Where Shiro got that idea from, Ichigo had no clue although he was confused by the sullen tone used to say that comment. Was Shiro upset that he was thinking about his friends back in the Human World? He couldn't fathom a reason why though now that he thought of it, Shiro had never seemed to really like his friends even among the other vaizards. His dislike towards Orihime had always been more obvious though and Ichigo wondered if there was a reason for that.

"...saki-kun? Kurosaki-kun?"

Jolting back out of his thoughts, Ichigo blinked when he realized people were looking at him expectantly and a bit questioningly. Recognizing the voice that had been calling his name belonged to the 13th division captain, he directed his attention to him and said, "Ah, sorry about that. What were you asking?" The pale, long-haired man smiled and repeated his question, "We were wondering if you could head to the 4th division to get some rest while we make a decision. Would that be alright with you?" 4th division meant medical wards, not somewhere he wanted to go at the present. Ichigo bit his lip and mumbled, "I... don't really like hospitals..." Not completely true, he did love his family's clinic but right at the moment, being in any place that resembled his home would stir up some feelings of homesickness and he didn't really want to deal with that.

"Oh really? Then Unohana-taicho, would it be fine if he returned to the 10th division?" Ichigo felt a bit of amusement when he heard Toushiro mutter, "Oh sure, don't bother asking the captain of said division first." Unohana also looked briefly amused before she adopted a thoughtful look and replied, "I don't really mind... however," and there it was, her sinister smile, "please refrain from doing any strenuous activities Kurosaki-kun." She received a nervous, fast nod of confirmation.

'Holy crap she's scary.'

"Um... can I use shunpo to get back?" he asked hopefully. The thought of walking lord only knew how far to get to the division was extremely unappealing. "I'm afraid not." His shoulders slumped a bit at the immediate response. He really wasn't injured enough that he couldn't do something like shunpoing back but he was very reluctant to challenge the frightening captain's authority. "You don't have to worry about walking back since you will return by riding on Minazuki with me."

"... Who?"

Unohana only smiled benignly before drawing her sword. 'You've got to be kidding me. We're riding on her sword?' Being the creative person that he was, the only image his mind could conjure was them sitting on it like a witch did on a broomstick. It was not a pleasant thought. To his surprise, the sword began to turn into green gas that was morphing into quite a bizarre shape. 'Is that a manta ray?'

When the smoke became solid, his suspicion was confirmed: it was most definitely a manta ray, a green manta ray with one eye and a mouth lined with extremely sharp-looking small teeth. He honestly couldn't say if it looked creepy or kind of cute in a funny sort of way. The medical captain lightly stepped onto its back and then gestured for Ichigo to do the same. 'I wonder if this is what a real manta ray feels like...' It was almost like walking on green rubber which was a bit unexpected. For some reason, he had expected it to be slippery, slimy or something of the sort. Unohana patiently let him marvel at the texture of the skin before motioning that he sit down.

"If you are ready, then we will take off."

'Take off?'

The dead world really was different from the human world. It had swords that liked to play games and swords that turned into sea creatures that flew instead of swam. Lovely.

When Minazuki landed in front of the 10th division, Ichigo could see Karin and Yuzu waiting outside. He really hoped they hadn't been sitting out there the whole time he was gone and he really, really hoped they didn't sense him fighting. The last thing he needed to do was worry them. Hopping off Minazuki's back and walking towards them, he barely managed to get out a, "I'm back!" before his arms were full with two siblings.

"Ichi-nii, you're back!"

"What the heck were you doing that made your reiatsu go more all over the place than it already does?"

For not the first time, Ichigo wondered how these two could be twins. From the way the looked to their personalities, they were complete opposites. "Nice to see you again too Karin" he said sarcastically, lightly flicking her on the forehead when she carelessly shrugged and muttered, "Whatever." While he tried to figure out a way to avoid answering her question, Yuzu suddenly gasped and whispered in awe, "Ichi-nii, is that Unohana-taicho?" While relieved he had found a way to change topics, Ichigo had a bad feeling about this. "Yeah... Why?" Yuzu let out a small squeal of delight as she exclaimed, "I really admire her! When we first came here and began learning about shinigami stuff, she was the one who showed us a few healing spells. I was really happy when we were put into Hitsugaya-taicho's division but once we become better shinigamis, I want to join her division."

Karin rolled her eyes and said in exasperated affection, "She's been practicing her healing and defensive kido spells more than her offensive ones. Personally, I think she is more suited for the 4th division than for this one." Ichigo sighed- there went his hope that Yuzu wouldn't get influenced by the friendly but scary 4th division captain. "I need to thank her for bringing me back here, do you guys want to talk to her?" Yuzu looked at him as if he'd become the messiah which he took as a yes so he led them back to where Unohana was.

"Unohana-san! Can you come down here for a sec?"

She lightly jumped down from her perch on her zanpakto's back and smiled, her expression turning a touch warmer when she saw Karin standing next to her brother and Yuzu hiding behind him. After the two girls gave their greetings, he said, "Thanks for bringing me back. I was really worried that I'd have to somehow find my way back here on foot." Her expression turned amused as she replied, "I would never do something like that Kurosaki-kun. It is only expected that someone escort you back but I appreciate your gratitude all the same." Slightly uncomfortable since he was unused to compliments, Ichigo gestured to behind him and said, "Before you go, Yuzu has something she wants to ask you." Yuzu let out a small squeak before blushing and stuttering madly. Unohana chuckled before kneeling down so she was eye-level with Yuzu. "What can I do for you Yuzu-chan?"

Recovering a bit of her composure after a few more stutters and mumbles, Yuzu took a deep breath and said with a strong, unwavering voice, "When I become a better shinigami, may I join your division Unohana-taicho?" Unohana blinked in surprise before giving her another warm smile and replying, "Of course. I would never reject the request of such a compassionate person such as yourself Yuzu-chan." Taking her hand into her own, Unohana added, "Train as much as you can so you will have enough strength to heal your reckless brother alright?" Yuzu was in a momentary daze since her idol was giving her encouragement and even holding her hand before she enthusiastically said, "I- I will!"

Standing up, Unohana rested a hand gently on Yuzu's head and murmured, "All three of you truly are such wonderful children." They noticed the small sadness in her eyes and smile but wisely chose not to comment on it. Ichigo hesitantly said, "Unohana-san, do you need to go? We don't want to hold you back." The kind smile was back, all traces of sadness completely removed as she replied, "Yes, I must be on my way. I will do my best to help lead our discussion at the meeting to a positive conclusion Kurosaki-kun." As she settled herself down on Minazuki's back, she looked down and said, "By the way Yuzu-chan..."

"The only thing that needs improvement is your strength and stamina. You, Karin-chan, and Kurosaki-kun are already wonderful shinigamis."

On that final note which had embarrassed all three siblings this time, Minazuki rose into the air and flew off, growing smaller and smaller into the distance before vanishing from sight. When the captain was out of sight, Karin ran a hand through her hair and said in an abnormally subdued voice, "Guess a lot of people here have something in their pasts that aren't happy memories." Yuzu nodded and said softly, "i wonder if Unohana-taicho had children before..." Ichigo looked at the twin before patting them both on the head, "Come on you two, stop being so broody. That's my job." Karin snorted as Yuzu protested, "But Ichi-nii-"

"If Unohana-san did have children and something happened to them that wasn't pleasant then you guys just have to make sure the same doesn't happen to you right?"

Yuzu blinked, her protests dying in her mouth as she thought over his words. "That's true..." Karin smirked, "Same applies to you Ichi-nii." "Hey, I'm not a kid!" Grabbing her twin into a headlock, Karin said, "We just gotta keep each other in check right Ichi-nii? So you watch over us and me and Yuzu will watch over you." Grinning at her captured sister, she declared, "Let's show these guys what it means to be family." Despite the hold her sister had on her, Yuzu smiled happily.

"Right!"

Ichigo watched them fondly, glad that they were looking energetic again. He couldn't really afford to have another worry stacked on his list, especially if it would distract him which his sisters' unhappiness would have undoubtedly done. It looked like they had their own plans for moving forward and he certainly couldn't fall behind them. There was a lot of thing that needed to be done but for now, he would take a small reprieve and rest until the captains finished deciding what to do with him. The issues between him and Shiro weren't going to be solved if he tried to rush things so he had to put their problem on hold but that was definitely going to be one of the first things he would start to work on.

He wanted to be able to trust Shiro as much as Shiro trusted him.

A/N: OMFG I finally got this chapter done! For some reason, I had a lot of difficulties with it (writer's block, computer crashes, changing events in the story b/c I didn't like them, etc). It didn't help that I was busy with a class for a month T.T Anyway, I'm glad I'm finally getting this chapter out and hopefully, the next few will be updated more quickly since I have them roughly outlined. I am sincerely sorry for the super long wait!

Holy crap I missed writing these... Deleted Scenes! Actually more like a deleted scene side story but whatever. Only 1 since this chapter was getting really long. Sorry!

Flying

The dead world really was different from the human world. It had swords that liked to play games and swords that turned into sea creatures that flew instead of swam. Lovely.

"... Unohana-san?"

Looking over questioningly since the script hadn't mentioned they would talk during the flight, she blinked in surprise when she saw Ichigo looking a bit pale. "Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?" Waving a hand, he managed to say, "Uh well, I forgot to say this in my resume but... I get motion sick really easily." Hurriedly, she ordered Minazuki to land while pulling out a medical kit. Pulling out a bottle of pills, she handed two to him which he swallowed, letting out a relieved sigh a his nasea slowly faded.

"That was quite unexpected. I'll make sure to give you these pills before we restart the scene. But I wouldn't have seen you as the type to get motion-sick Kurosaki-kun. How do yo do the scenes where you're moving around in the air?"

Ichigo blinked. "Oh, that stuff I'm good with. It's riding something that makes me sick."

Seeing her confused look, he explained, "You know how Urahara-san is a scientist both on and off-stage right? Well, one time he gave Shiro a car for his birthday. Shiro was really excited and he wanted to take me with him on the first ride so I agreed. Everything about the car was normal except there was this button that said 'Push me!' Naturally, we got suspicious so we didn't push it. But apparently, after an hour, the car goes into Agent Mode."

"Agent Mode basically means the car starts doing everything you'd see in some cliche action movie and even beyond that. It gets rocket boosters, missle shooters, wings, floaters for water, it even starts growing this animal hide-like substance and takes the shape of a huge flying bird. The problem is that the last thing it does is take off into the air and flies. That wouldn't have been so bad... if the rocket boosters didn't die after five minutes in the air. Apparently, the stupid 'Push me!' button lets out a huge parachute and that's what's supposed to help make the car land safely but since we didn't press it, we were sent flying through the air, crashing through trees, until we luckily landed in a canopy of really leafy trees. But it was the worst experience ever- it beat any roller coaster I've ever been on."

"So in other words... Urahara Kisuke is the reason why you get motion-sick?"

"Yup."

A sigh. "... Why am I not surprised."