Yoruichi Shihōin was the eldest daughter in the Shihōin Clan, and slated to be the next clan head and leader of the Onmitsukidō. She was a woman trained to handle the most severe of situations, raised to be level-headed and fearless. Her skills as an assassin had been sharpened to near-perfection before she had even attended the Shinō Academy, and her abilities only continued to grow in power and intensity as the years had passed by. Once, even, her father had taken her on a mission with the Second Division so that she would be ready for the morbid conditions of war.
However, none of her training could have prepared her for the attacks she was receiving from the enormous mantis-like Hollow before her now. The titan was a beast, no doubt about it, from the enormous scar that tore across his right eye, to the six sickle-like arms that swung around dubiously. It pushed her further and further back, the claws, each at least six feet long, growing closer to tasting her flesh and spilling her blood. The only thing keeping her from being shredded by the Hollow's arms was her Hohō training her father had taught her, allowing her to just barely dodge the beast's attacks.
Kisuke, however, wasn't as lucky. Her pale-haired childhood friend had been distracted by the smaller Hollows, keeping them at bay with several dozen Kidō spells at a time. While extremely helpful, the Kidō were quickly draining him, far too quickly to be helped. With his energy so low, he hadn't noticed the mantis's sudden surge in reiatsu, or his gigantic figure lunging up off of the top of the academy roof and into the fray. One slash had been all the beast had needed to knock Kisuke away, down, and out. Yoruichi's eyes glanced over at Kisuke for a moment. The cheeky, annoying older brother she never had…she prayed that he would be all right.
Suddenly, the Hollow lunged forward, his three left arms swinging out quickly. Yoruichi jumped back, acting only on instinct, and dodged the mantis' attack. However, the same could not be said for her Zanpakuto that had been in her hand. The sickles had crossed paths with the sword, and because of Yoruichi's exhaustion from the fight, she could do nothing more than watch in horror as her weapon flew over the heads of the smaller Hollows that had grown to form a ring around her and the mantis-Hollow, the blade sinking into the wall. Her last line of defense, gone.
Yoruichi grimaced painfully, looking up into the boney mask on the titanic Hollow's face. Behind the white shell, she could see the narrow, glowing eyes that were leering down at her. She knew it, and it knew it as well. Fatigued and weaponless, Yoruichi had lost the battle.
And now the Hollow was going to seal his victory.
The cruel beast pulled all three of his right arms up, the blades shining in the bright sunlight. Yoruichi stiffened, her eyes wide. It couldn't simply end like this, her so easily and simply defeated! And yet, there was nothing else she could do. She could hear Lisa, screaming for her to run, as the black-haired girl tried to make her way into the ring. She could feel her heart race, her hands clench and form tight fists, the nails digging painfully into her palms. Slowly, she looked down, eyes clenched shut as she awaited her fate. The Hollow smirked at this, and sliced downward.
"Cast off your fear, Zangetsu."
The entire training field surged with power, knocking some of the smallest and weakest Hollows off their feet or spiraling across the ground or air. A huge pressure fell upon all in the area, freezing the mantis-Hollow's attack in its tracks and leaving Lisa and Yoruichi gasping for breath. Yoruichi's eyes widened as the power continued to grow. It was so heavy, so strong…and so familiar. Her eyes grew even further, and slowly she turned her head towards the source of the reiatsu.
There, only twenty or thirty feet away from the Hollows, was Ichigo. At least, Yoruichi thought it was Ichigo. The scowl was there, the orange hair, even the reiatsu was similar to his. However, she couldn't believe that it was Ichigo, because there was no way he could be so powerful as to be the source of the pressure currently on her shoulders. It just wasn't logical.
Before she could think any more on the subject, the figure who had taken the form of Ichigo held his two swords in his hands, one as long as his arm and in the shape of a trench knife, the other as long as he was tall, and shaped like a butcher's knife. His eyes blazed with power, and he swung the blades out powerfully.
"Getsuga Tenshō!" he cried, two black and red arcs of reishi flying from his blades. The battlefield instantly erupted into blinding light and screams of pain. Yoruichi flung her arm across her face, trying to block the light from burning away her eyes, and thrust her other arm across her body in an attempt to still herself as the powerful attack shook her entire body to the core. She clenched her eyes shut, her ears still ringing with the cries of the Hollows.
And then, everything became silent. Puzzled and a bit afraid, Yoruichi opened one of her eyes, to see what happened in the madness. Her eyes widened in shock. Of the about twenty Hollows that had surrounded her and the mantis-Hollow, only five had survived. Her heart began to race, her gaze frantically leaping across the scene. She practically jumped in fright when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Fear clutching her heart, the Shihōin Princess whirled around quickly…and found herself looking up into a familiar face framed in shaggy, orange hair.
"Ichigo," Yoruichi whispered, suddenly feeling very weak. The Shinigami smiled, nodding slowly.
"Yeah Yoruichi-chan, I'm here," he said softly, placing his hand back on her shoulder. The dark-skinned woman felt a shiver run up her back for some odd reason, her heart race. It couldn't possibly be Ichigo! This, this man, who carried such heavy power, who had just barely decimated the Hollows she had barely survived fighting, simply could not be the same boy that she had teased and trained for the last six months. Suddenly Yoruichi felt her legs give out, but she didn't fall, as Ichigo's arm swung out around her back suddenly, holding her up carefully, like she were made of glass.
"Whoa, careful there, Yoruichi-chan," Ichigo chuckled, holding her steady. The Shihōin girl just blushed a faint crimson and nodded. Ichigo smiled softly down at her, and then looked over at the surviving Hollows, his familiar scowl now back on his face. Slowly, he let go of Yoruichi and stepped forward, quickly removing the trench knife-like blade from his left hand. His gaze swept from one Hollow to another, until finally it rested on the mantis-faced one.
"Well?" he asked, holding his swords at the ready. "What are you all waiting for?"
The mantis-faced Hollow scowled down at Ichigo for a fraction of a second. And then, the very next second, his scowl split into a devilish grin that sent chills down everyone's backs, including the other Hollows. Everyone's backs, that is, except Ichigo's.
"Boys," the figure finally said, his tone sharp and jagged, much like his arms, "tear him apart."
The Hollows didn't even pause for one second to debate against the larger Hollow's orders. Shrieking with rage and hunger, the five smaller Hollows leapt forward, claws singing in the still air. Yoruichi could see their glistening fangs, bloody claws, and crazed eyes, and for a moment her heart sank with fear again, though this time for Ichigo. She looked at the tall orange-haired man, who hadn't moved an inch, looking as though he was frozen solid. She wanted to shout to him, to run up and help him, but she found herself frozen in place, unable to do anything. Her heartbeat quickened again and her body shook in fear as the first of the Hollows came within striking range of Ichigo.
It happened faster than even Yoruichi herself, daughter of the King of Flash, could see. One moment the Hollow was lunging out at Ichigo, ram-like mask angled right at the Shinigami's chest, and the next, Ichigo was behind it, his larger sword resting against his shoulder. The ram-like Hollow's body shook for a second, and then two long slashes appeared across its chest in an 'x', and it shattered into dust. Yoruichi's jaw dropped, her eyes wide. What had just happened?
Another one of the Hollows jumped up behind Ichigo, a bestial glimmer showing through the eyeholes on its fish-like mask. It shrieked in hunger and lunged forward. Before its arm could even reach him, though, Ichigo tossed the trench knife into the air, gripped it in back-hand fashion, and stabbed backwards. The blade sank into the Hollow's face, straight down to the hilt. The Hollow released a soft, pained squeal, and then shattered, just like the first. The ash swirled up around Ichigo again, and the Shinigami turned to the last three Hollows.
Yoruichi gasped as all three lunged at him, shrieking wildly, as though they hadn't just barely seen two of their partners so easily destroyed. Ichigo's scowl dipped lower, but he held his blades firmly as all three lunged at him.
"Ichigo, look out!" Yoruichi exclaimed, eyes wide. Slowly, Ichigo turned back to Yoruichi, his warm eyes sinking into hers. The purple-haired woman felt her heart stop as she stared into the deep eyes, and a small blush form on her face as he gave her a small smile, a nod, and then spun around sharply. The first Hollow was cleaved right in half, his sword singing in the air, the second was lacerated several times, the knife gutting him mid-lunge, and the third was beheaded quickly, his masked head falling from his shoulders as he attempted to attack the orange colored blur. Finally, to seal the deal, Ichigo spun around rapidly, the black and red reishi from earlier appearing again, though now in the form of a spinning pillar of darkness. The Hollows shrieked mournfully within the tornado for a few short seconds, and then the attack ended, with Ichigo standing firm and still as a statue, and the Hollows sailing through the air, their remains quickly disintegrating into dust.
Yoruichi gaped as the last of the ash disappeared into the air, and Ichigo turned towards the mantis-Hollow. Th-that was incredible! she exclaimed in her mind, staring awe-struck at the tall man before her. He, he killed those Hollows in only a few seconds! I didn't even see how he did it, he just did! Her eyes fixed on Ichigo, her heart beating harder than if she had been running a marathon in under an hour. Just what is he?!
"Amazing!" the tall Hollow shouted, instantly tearing Yoruichi away from her thoughts. Ichigo glared at the beast and gripped his swords tightly. "No, really, that was amazing! You really are somethin' else, kid! I've faced maybe a dozen Shinigami in my past, but I ain't ever seen a brat like you fight so well!" Smirking, the mantis stepped back and tore his arms into the air, forming an enormous Garganta. "In fact, if it weren't fer the fact that the boss wants ya alive, I'd toy around with ya a little longer!"
Ichigo glared and stepped forward. "Wait, what do you mean, 'boss'?" The Hollow only chuckled, stepping into the Garganta.
"Don't worry too much, Shinigami-brat! You'll learn about it when ya need ta know it! So, 'til then, stay strong, and promise me the best fight ya can muster when the time comes!" The Hollow smirked at Ichigo through the closing Garganta, his one good eye shining with evil. "See ya, Shinigami-brat!" And then, with a sound like rumbling thunder, the Garganta closed.