Author's note: "Since this is almost finished I've put EYES. on hold until I'm done. But I get bored writing the same series all the time so yesterday I begun another series -laughs- I hope you don't find this chapter too boring.." - Alex Lawsford
There it was in all it's 'glory'.
The Urahara shop stood in front of Team L which was currently missing two members; Ken'ichi Akatsuki and Miya Saito Not to mention they were being led by Ichigo Kurosaki. Although the store looked normal on the outside to L, he had the strangest feeling something was about to go down.
"Okay" Ichigo took a deep breath as if he had never been there before, he grit his teeth and pulled the sliding door across violently revealing a shady looking figure to the group.
"Who could that be?" The thought raced through Akane's mind as she shielded her eyes from the blinding light that radiated from the room.
"Mwahahahahahahaha~" an ominous voice called out the them, it was overflowing with malevolent intent "You may enter my domain!"
"God dammit!" Ichigo shouted walking past the figure. As the light faded it revealed but a scruffy blonde man to the group. He was wearing a torn green kimono, a striped hat and a pair of wooden clogs. Sitting on the hat was a black cat with a sore expression on it's face.
"Awh, I thought we had you that time Ichigo." the man said as the cat pranced off his head and onto his shoulder, "Who did you bring with you this time?"
"Urahara... Yoruichi can't you be seri-"
"Yoruichi?" Rin exclaimed interrupting Ichigo's train of thought, "Where is she?"
"Right here." a masculine voice called, it was coming from the cat sitting on Urahara's shoulder, this terrified L tot he core.
"D.. Did that cat just speak?" Rin asked with a dumbfounded expression across her face. This wouldn't usually be something that worried her, after all she had spent time with captain Komamura and she never uttered a word. But Komamura wasn't a cat and Rin was secretly terrified of cats. Hence the angry response to her "feline features".
"Not again. Just like you Ichigo." the cat tutted as he jumped from Urahara's shoulder. "1, 2, 3!" he counted and in puff of smoke transformed into a tall, dark skinned woman. That was Yoruichi's true form and she was completely naked.
"HOLY CRAP" Rin exclaimed, more at the fact her childhood icon was in the nude in front of her rather than the fact she was a cat no less than three seconds ago. Ichigo threw Yoruichi a towel to wrap herself in and slammed his fist into a table he had sat down at moments before.
"We haven't got time to play around you two, we need to get to business."
"Right... Of course, our apologies." Urahara turned around to the table behind him where Ichigo was sat. Without looking back he joined him and gestured to his guests. "L, Akane, Rin and.. Silent boy."
"My name is Hattori."
"Hattori, right. Please, take a seat." They sat down around the table and Yoruichi began pouring herself tea although she didn't offer anybody else any. The only person interested seemed to be Rin who was staring intently at her eyes which remained cat-like.
"Why did you bring us here?" L asked Ichigo who, rather than replying, nodded his head toward Urahara.
"You're here to be trained by me."
"What?" Akane spluttered, "Why?"
"Because for once, Head Captain Yamamoto was wrong in his decision."
"How? Do you know why he sent us in?" L asked pushing his face closer to Urahara's.
"You and Beyond Birthday are linked, you already know that. Yamamoto decided that you had to be the only one to fight him. If anyone else defeated him your memories would continue to fill your head, doing so would corrupt your mind and eventually you would begin a process called 'Hollowification'. He was being an idiot in brash terms, sending you in without the power to defeat him."
L was silent, he had only met him once but the energy surrounding Urahara told him he was trustworthy. Why? Not even L really knew.
"What about us?" Akane asked "We have to help him."
"Have to? No, you want to." Yoruichi calming assessed her, without batting an eye Yoruichi knew the girl wouldn't back down, neither would L nor the other two.
"So, are you going to stop us?" she clenched her fist. Akane knew she was the weakest of the group but she wouldn't back down without a fight, she would die for L. L, on the other hand, wouldn't allow it to get that far.
"On the contrary, do you think I'd let Ichigo bring everyone here if I wasn't prepared to take responsibility?" Urahara chimed in happily. "Rin and Hattori, you will be training with my friend Tessai. He will look after you for the next three days. Please wait in the room across from here for him."
"Three days?" L asked, "Surely it will take longer?"
"No." Yoruichi answered as both Rin and Hattori left, "Urahara has been studying Beyond and from what he gathered the next attack will be in three days. L, you will be training with Urahara. He has an invention that allows you to achieve Bankai in three days."
"But what about the oth-"
"We can only hope Tessai can help."
"Finally, Akane." Urahara smiled, "You will be training with Yoruichi."
"What!" Yoruichi complained "But, I can't.."
"Just this once?" he winked.
"Never do that again." a disgusted look grew on Yoruichi's face and rightfully so, even Ichigo thought he should never attempt to wink again.
"Only if you do this." he promised with his usual corny smile, Urahara knew she wouldn't refuse, she was also indebted to him otherwise she'd have nowhere to stay.
"Tch, fine." she sighed, Yoruichi called to Akane loudly "Come with me." who followed her out of the room slowly like she didn't want to. Maybe it was the yelling or the fact she was worried for L's safety. He didn't know, nor did he have time to find out.
Once Akane had left it went dead silent. Urahara was studying L like a piece of meat. He touched the necklace he was wearing, the one Ide gave him. He hadn't taken it off since that day all those years ago. "L? Where did you get this?"
"It was given to me..."
"Hmm" A glint appeared in Urahara's eyes "Do you know what it is?"
"No."
"Heh, it's an invention of a great captain. One before my time, he was feared by Hollows of all kinds. The necklace helps channel spiritual energy through your body and those around you. It will help with your training. It also explains how you all achieved your Shikai early."
"When do we begin this training?" he asked ignoring the man's annoying drabble.
"Now. Ichigo, please take L to the training ground."
"Okay. L, follow me"
"Sure" he said walking with him out of the room. Rather than following them Urahara stayed sitting, he was thinking deep into the matter of the necklace. He unfolded his fan and smiled into it.
"Ide... That's where you have been hiding?"
XXX
"This place..." L looked around the large open space, it was huge and he had no idea how Urahara had hidden it underneath a small candy shop. The entrance left them in the middle of the area and as hard as L tried he couldn't see where it ended. It looked like an endless desert with rocks that were damaged from times before, a large hole sat by the entrance and bandages blew in the fake wind. "It's so big."
"Leave the sightseeing for later" Urahara called from behind them, "Your training can only last three days, if you cannot achieve Bankai by that time then you are doomed to become a Hollow through your corrupted mind. If you become a Hollow you know what we will have to do."
"Right."
"Ichigo. The Tenshintai please." he called over to Ichigo who had been holding a cut out of a slightly-human shape fitted with limbs. He threw it toward Urahara who caught it in between his index and middle finger. "This is the Tenshintai, an invention of my own design. It allows your Zanpakuto to manifest in a solid form. You must fight them in order for them to accept you as their master."
L gulped, his Zanpakuto had spoken to him before but he had never said anything of interest bar his name due to L's overwhelming hidden potential he didn't have a good relationship with Hatsuyume. Urahara walked towards L slowly and placed the Tenshintai in front of him. "Ready?"
"Ready."
"Then let the training commence!" he shouted as the cut-out began to glow and the training ground shook violently. Urahara dodged out of the way and used flash-step to leave the training ground.
As Tenshintai began to change and L called out for his Shikai, as his Zanpakuto transformed the Tenshintai did too. It to the form of a young blond boy with short hair. He had heterochromia eyes; one blue and one green. He was wrapped in a glowing white robe. The little boy was Hatsuyume's true form and L felt proud just to be in his presence. The boy was holding his Shikai for in his right hand, the opposite of L's.
"I'm not here to mess around Lawliet."
"Me neither, YARI!" L screamed, while he was preparing the attack he felt the energy swelling up inside of him however when it came to releasing it nothing would happen. L was confused until he saw the smile on Hatsuyume's face.
"I think not. I'm your Zanpakuto. Do you think I'd allow you to use myself against me?" Hatsuyume raised his hand to L and the Shikai form of Hatsuyume reverted back to it's sealed form.
"How am I supposed to fight like this?"
"I guess we'll find out!" he yelled pointing the blade at his master.
XXX
It didn't feel long and three days passed without a single appearance of the Arrancar Prince. Hattori and Tin had been pushed to their limits by Tessai as had Akane with Yoruichi however it was not in vain as they had increased in power immensely. L had also just completed his training with Hatsuyume after defeating him in a one-on-one fight, he was able to use his Bankai to defeat his own Zanpakuto.
"Well done." Hatsuyume told him panting, "I'm impressed, I truly believed you could pull this off master."
"Thank you." L replied as both his Bankai and Hatsuyume faded off into tiny flakes. "Urahara. I'm finished, now what?"
"Congratulations!" he clapped appearing behind L from nowhere in particular, "Now, it is time for your final test."
"What? But, I've achieved Bankai right?"
Ichigo drew his blade and faced L ready to activate his Bankai however Urahara shook his head, "Ichigo is not your enemy."
"Then who is?" Ichigo asked him.
"Yoruichi! Bring her in.."