Hi again! Another surprise!

(To Forbidden readers: I am really sorry! I still plan on writing what will be a seriously belated Christmas special. Hang in there!)

So, yeah. I've been thinking about the way I write now, compared to just over a year ago when I was updating Snow Instead Of Rain pretty much every single day. To be fair, that was during the summer holidays and I truly did have absolutely nothing to do. Also, I didn't have loads of other stories at the time, just one or two. But those chapters were really short- usually only around 1,500 words. Nowadays, my new chapters can range anywhere between 3000 to 7000 words on average. And I take forever to update because of [insert usual school excuses]. Should I go back to short chapters with what will probably be more regular updates or should it stay like this? I personally like writing long chapters- it feels like a huge achievement when I finally finish them.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Allons-y!


Twelve

Fluttering above the leaves of a tall sakura tree is a small green bird. It darts here and there, bathed in the orange light of the dawn. It finally lands on one of the tree's branches, chirping happily to itself as it surveys the dark golden sky, on the look out for other birds.

A few moments pass before the bird ruffles its feathers uncomfortably, feeling a chill creeping over its small body. It dips its beak downwards towards its breast, shuffling its position slightly.

A breeze is picking up, gentle but piercing, as slowly as fog might spread through the air. The bird freezes, unease spreading through its little form. It stays in its position, however, lifting up its head so that its eyes are once again fixed on the sky.

Beneath its feet, the branch is growing slightly hazy as a transparent, thin substance is slowly spreading over the park. The sakura petals are becoming stiff and paling considerably, their surfaces glossing over and shining in the light of the rising sun. The bird tweets in distress and tries to move, only to find that an extremely thin sheet of ice has covered its small feet. It trembles and tries to break away from the freezing white blanket, succeeding fairly quickly. The bird takes to the air immediately with another cry of alarm, weaving in and out of the small snowflakes that are beginning to form in the now freezing atmosphere. The bird quickly distances itself from the calm, silent garden it had taken refuge in moments before.

Back in the garden, the greens, pinks and blues from the grass, plants and the small pool of water have been replaced with sparking whites and icy silvers. The small spot of nature enclosed by ivy covered walls has been transformed into a natural ice rink. In the centre of the calm, silent snowfall is a small figure clad in black, sitting down on the frozen grass with her legs crossed and her sealed zanpakutô stuck in the ground in front of her. This garden is situated outside her own chambers inside the manor house the spot of nature is attached to. Through a small gap in the sliding doors, Byakuya Kuchiki watches his sister meditating, knowing that she has every intention of gaining an audience with her zanpakutô, Sode no Shirayuki.

Rukia's form is still. Her eyes are closed and she doesn't seem fazed by the freezing atmosphere around her, though whether this is because she really is in deep meditation, or if she is remaining calm collected because she is a Kuchiki, or even whether being the wielder of a snow and ice type zanpakutô is unknown to her elder brother.

Although Byakuya always keeps a calm, indifferent exterior, he is internally impressed with his sister's progression. Even without having released her Shikai as of yet this morning, Rukia has already been able to begin to summon its abilities, and this is even after she has stated that she is unable to hear Sode no Shirayuki's voice due to her Hollow's rise in power. Now that the creature is out of her mind, Rukia has been under the impression that this might give her a chance to reconnect with Sode no Shirayuki. Byakuya is silently hoping that his sister will achieve the goal she has set herself this early morning.

It has been under twenty-four hours since the message from Central 46 has announced that the Soul Society is once again going to war against Hueco Mundo. Yesterday, upon hearing that they are indeed going to fight in a new war, Rukia insisted to do something that most would view as... stupid. Or crazy. Probably both.

'I'm going to Squad Eleven,' she had announced to Ichigo and Byakuya as the three of them had sat around a table for dinner in the Kuchiki Manor the night before. Byakuya, although reluctant, has instructed the servants to treat Ichigo as a guest for the remainder of his stay in the Soul Society. So this meant that Ichigo was even allowed to dine with the clan leader and the Kuchiki princess.

'Are you nuts?' Ichigo had boldly come out and said before Byakuya even had the chance to open his mouth and state his disapproval.

'No, fool,' Rukia replied, frowning at her friend. 'If I truly am unable to reconnect with Sode no Shirayuki in the time between now and when we head off for war, then I must improve on my hakuda skills. I need to grow stronger at fighting with my sword and without the addition of my zanpakutô abilities. That comes first. I'll train with Lieutenant Hinamori as well in order for me to further develop my kidô skills.'

'Yeah, but... Squad Eleven are... you know...'

'Completely dangerous,' Rukia finished for him. 'Yeah, I know. It'll prepare me in any case.'

Byakuya could have easily forbidden his sister from participating in such an act but he could clearly see the resolve in her eyes as she looked forwards, her faced showing determination. So instead, Byakuya decided to allow this. 'When do you plan to visit them?'

Rukia thought about this. 'I will visit them in the evenings. I have other matters to attend to during the day. I must try to contact my zanpakutô.'

Ichigo wasn't quite as accepting as Byakuya. He waved is hands dramatically in frustration, causing the Kuchiki man to glare at him. 'Rukia, you can't be serious. Those crazy bastards in Squad Eleven could seriously hurt you-'

'I know Ikkaku and Yumichika well from our mission in Karakura Town a few years ago,' Rukia argued. 'If the other members of the Squad prove to be too barbaric than I will at least train with the seated officers.'

Ichigo looked hesitant. '… Okay, but I'm coming too. Someone's gotta distract Kenpachi, anyway.'

'I highly doubt Captain Zaraki will pick a fight with me, Ichigo.'

'Better safe than sorry,' Ichigo said.

Rukia sighed. 'I suppose. You should probably work on advancing your skills too, although concerning your sword fighting abilities there isn't much room for improvement.'

'I'm gonna work on Zangetsu's abilities,' Ichigo stated. 'I haven't used my Hollow powers in a long time, not since my Hollow left the inner world, and I'm not even sure if I'd be able to now. If I won't be able to use my Hollow powers then I'll just have to make my Bankai even stronger.'

Rukia smirked. 'Perhaps I should try teaching you kidô.'

Ichigo stared at her. '… Funny, Rukia.'

'You never know, you might excel at it.'

'With my lack of ability to control my spirit energy? Yeah, I think I know exactly how that would turn out. Still, I'd probably be better than Renji.'

And just like that, Ichigo and Rukia shared a small laugh, both trying to cover up how worried and broken they felt inside.

After all, they were and still are missing parts of their souls.


'Rukia...'

The voice is like a whisper, indistinguishable and distant. The tone is unrecognisable so Rukia is not sure who is saying it. But she's once again enveloped in an ebony void within a dream state, so she expects- or rather, a small part of her hopes- that maybe those remnants of Homura and Shizaku still reside within her soul. Perhaps it's them. But they truly are gone now, Rukia knows. Perhaps it's her ex-inner Hollow, connecting with her through a dream too. Or maybe it's...

'Sode...' Rukia begins, her voice drifting uncertainly.

There is a sigh of relief. '… So my voice does still reach you...'

'I can barely hear you,' Rukia admits, spinning around on the spot in an attempt to spot her zanpakutô.

'… Call my name, Rukia...'

Why is this so hard? What is her name?

'Sode...' Rukia begins hesitantly. Why can't she remember? What's happening?

A figure appears a few feet away. Although pale in appearance, her colour scheme consisting of whites and light lilacs, the woman almost blends into the black background. Her image is hazy and translucent as if she's not really there.

'My name, Lady Rukia,' she commands, her voice stronger now.

'I... I don't know.' Rukia feels broken. She should recognise this woman, shouldn't she? But Rukia has no idea who the tall, pale figure is.

The woman's image shimmers, her clothes and hair going darker and her eyes glowing crimson in the blink of an eye. This lasts for a few seconds before her original form returns, watching Rukia carefully.

'I'm sorry,' the woman apologises quietly. 'The Hollow is drawing on a different form of my power and it's having a lasting effect on me, even from your perspective. She is preparing to fight. Will you fight, Lady Rukia?'

'Of course,' Rukia says without hesitation.

The woman nods. 'Good. You have the resolve necessary for battle. All you need now is the power to fight and protect that which you hold dear.'

'I will fight to win,' Rukia says automatically. 'But I will not kill. My aim is not to destroy the Hollows but to save them. If I must fight them in order to do so, then so be it.'

'Very well,' says the woman. 'You should still be able to summon my power with your resolve set in place. As the Hollow draws on a separate form of spirit energy in order to use her own unique abilities, you should be able to use my power without restrictions, now that this form of it is no longer being shared.'

'I don't follow...' Rukia murmurs.

'It will become clear to you,' the woman promises. 'All you need is to remember my name.'

'Dance...' Rukia whispers, opening her eyes properly to the real world once more. '… Sode no Shirayuki!'

She uncrosses her legs and gets to her feet, pulling her sword from the ground. At the combination of her touch and the summoning words, the blade and hilt morph into a pure white katana, the pale ribbon extending from the the hilt of the sword and swirling around the petite Soul Reaper. Rukia smiles as she looks down at her released zanpakutô.

'Hello, old friend,' she says softly.

From the door to the garden, Byakuya releases a deep breath he didn't even know he was holding in. The sight of his younger sister reuniting with her zanpakutô is enough to actually cause his lips to curl ever so slightly into a smile.

'Sheesh, it's freezing out here!' comes an obnoxious sounding voice from somewhere within the manor, heading towards Byakuya. 'Who left the frickin' door open?'

'Silence,' Byakuya says without turning around to face the intruder who has just entered Rukia's chambers.

'What are you standing there for, Byakuya?' Ichigo says irritably, wiping the sleep out of his eyes, still dressed in the white yukata he wore to bed. 'Put the heaters on already. Hang on... do you even have heaters here? If not, does anyone around here have a fire type zanpakutô?'

'Foolish boy,' Byakuya murmurs, still watching his sister. 'Do you not know the meaning of the word 'silence'?'

'… Yeah, but are you gonna do anything about the heating problem?' Ichigo asks.

Byakuya sighs. 'Rukia is connecting with her zanpakutô. If you have a problem with this arrangement then perhaps you should leave.'

Ichigo scratches the back of his head, yawning. 'This early in the morning? Seriously? It's gotta be about four o'clock, and it's not nice to wake up shivering like you were sleeping in the frickin' Arctic.'

'The cold reached your chambers?'

'Too right it did. That's the reason I woke up.'

Byakuya is silent, then he says, 'Rukia's powers have reached a greater area of influence. This is good.'

Ichigo comes to stand beside the Kuchiki leader and peers out at his friend who stands in the middle of the garden, surrounded by a small, silent storm of snowflakes. 'So she's managed to reconnect with Sode no Shirayuki?' he asks, then he smiles. 'That's great.'

Without even uttering an incantation, Rukia gracefully releases her first dance, Tsukishiro. A glowing circle appears on the frozen surface of the pond, the procedure increasing in speed due to Rukia's improvement in abilities. In a flash an ice tower reaches up into the lightening sky, fading from view in the dark greyish haze. It shatters a few seconds later upon Rukia's internal command, becoming one with the drifting snow but leaving the ice on the pond still intact.

Rukia does not stop there. Again not using her voice, she prepares for the next dance, Hakuren. She gently jabs her zanpakutô into the ground in front of her four times then leans back and points the sword diagonally, now standing in a battle stance. She obviously wishes to aim her second ice dance at the sky so as not to damage the garden. The ice shoots forwards from the tip of her blade, a perfect mountain of ice in the shape of a well cut crystal. Rukia then swipes her sword and the giant shard shatters, dissolving into snowflakes which drift towards the tip of the zanpakutô, forming an even longer blade and completing Rukia's third dance, Shirafune.

She jabs the extended blade into the ground once more and prepares for another technique she has to go alongside her dances, Juhaku. A trail of shining ice spreads along the ground towards the frosty sakura tree (which is currently being treated as an opponent). The line of ice reaches the base of the tree, slivering over the roots and climbing up the bark. The tree (already coated in a thin layer of ice from when Rukia began the exercise) is gradually covered by the ice, the layer getting thicker and thicker as the physical form of the tree itself is transformed until the the entire entity is made of ice. The tree shatters in an instant, crumbling around the garden.

I hope my brother doesn't mind too much... Rukia thinks, smiling a little sheepishly.

She then focuses on more more technique, planning to practice on her ice-rope connection later on. Maybe she'll train with Ichigo, Renji or Momo. Perhaps even her brother. But for now, she will focus on Tsurarada, a fall of icicles. She swipes her blade in the air and three large shards of ice appear in the air in front of her, situated above the pond. Rukia brings her sword down and the icicles collapse on the frozen surface of the water, shattering the ice in an instant.

Satisfied with her performance, she turns to her brother, standing in the doorway with Ichigo. Her orange haired friend shoots her an encouraging grin which she responds to with a smile.

'Am I ready?' she asks her brother.

'Do you feel prepared?' Byakuya questions her. 'Have you found resolve?'

'I have.'

'Then you are ready,' he says calmly. Rukia bows to him in respect.

'Brother... I formerly request to train with you today,' she says.

'I accept your request,' Byakuya says. 'We shall spar after breakfast.'

'Ready for what?' Ichigo asks confusedly. 'What's Rukia ready for?'

'I trust you'll find somewhere to be today, Kurosaki?' Byakuya says, turning to simple. It is clear that Byakuya wishes for Ichigo to stay away from the Kuchiki Manor today.

'Um...' Ichigo looks at Rukia hopelessly.

She sighs and smirks. 'Why don't you practice kidô with Renji?'

'Yeah, that's hilarious.'

'I'm sure you'll find something to do,' Rukia says.

'What about you, though? What are you ready for?'

Rukia flashes him a sharp-toothed grin. 'You'll see when I'm done, Ichigo.' She turns her back to him and Byakuya and thrusts her sword deep into the ground, sitting down in front of it for another meditation session.

'Don't you have somewhere to be, Kurosaki?' Byakuya says quietly so as not to disturb his sister, implying quite clearly that Ichigo must leave. Right now.

But he is talking to Ichigo Kurosaki, so life isn't going to be that simple.

'This early in the morning? I haven't even had breakfast yet!'

'I will have the servants prepare something for you, and then you will leave,' Byakuya says, wishing for no further objections.

'What about you guys? What are you going to be doing today? What is it Rukia is ready for?'

Byakuya's gaze flutters over to Rukia for a second and Ichigo catches a flash of worry and apprehension which is quickly smothered by the Kuchiki's stoic expression. 'She will be training.'

Ichigo rolls his eyes. 'Yeah, I got that. But what is she doing besides sparring and kidô?'

'I fail to see why this has anything to do with you-'

'She's my friend and my ally in battle,' Ichigo argues. 'Doesn't that give me the right to know?'

This is one of those rare moments when Byakuya actually has a shred of respect for the words that come out of the young Kurosaki's mouth in place of the usual nonsense. He closes his eyes. 'She wishes to obtain a higher amount of power in the course of the next two weeks.'

Ichigo looks at Rukia carefully, wondering whether there's some seriously complicated and difficult level of kidô he is unaware of. His friend is still in the same position, looking completely natural in the icy world she has unknowingly created around her. 'What kind of power?' he asks, but even as he speaks he knows what the answer is.

Byakuya opens his eyes and looks out at the winter wonderland. 'Rukia wishes to achieve Bankai.'


To achieve Shikai, one must enter the inner world and learn the name of their zanpakutô. After that, the zanpakutô itself will teach the wielder all about their abilities and how to use them. To achieve Bankai, one must manifest their zanpakutô in the physical world where the sword spirit will give them a task to complete in order to gain that higher level of power the wielder desires.

Rukia and Byakuya spar for around two hours, using only their swords and kidô, not applying the abilities of their zanpakutô. Yoruichi arrives later on in the morning with what Rukia registers as a strange mannequin that doesn't look like a person but is still vaguely humanoid. And now it has transformed into Sode no Shirayuki, who greets her wielder gracefully once she has gained a physical form.

Yoruichi suggests that they use somewhere else to train because the garden has already lost its sakura tree and the pond's not looking too good either (plus the fact that the garden isn't exactly that big). Byakuya shows the way to a larger area of training grounds just outside the Kuchiki Manor. It is a wide field, surrounded by trees (reminding Rukia a little of the place where she first unlocked her Shikai with Kaien, though that was a clearing and much smaller).

'Okay, so we know that it takes a long time to achieve Bankai normally,' Yoruichi says once they've arrived. 'Ten years, to be exact.'

'I don't have ten years,' Rukia says. 'I have a week.'

Byakuya frowns. 'You have a fortnight.'

'One week to achieve Bankai,' Rukia insists, 'and another week to train with it.'

'Rukia-'

'Ichigo had three days,' she continues. 'I know my power does not match his level by a long shot. I know I'm only a lieutenant. But I have to try.'

Sode no Shirayuki looks extremely apprehensive. 'I know that you are ready for Bankai, but trying to push yourself to the limit- over the limit, probably- is going to have some drastic effects.'

'I'll just have to deal with it, then,' Rukia says stubbornly.

Byakuya is silent before he nods. 'Very well. You have both the ability to achieve Bankai and the resolve needed to gain it without major setbacks. I believe you have an exercise in mind for Rukia?' he continues, turning to Sode no Shirayuki.

The zanpakutô spirit nods.


Dark Rukia doesn't really like being in the palace, and she's pretty sure she's not the only one.

Being in Las Noches is frustrating. Most of it consists of thin, winding corridors like some quartz maze or something. Being in such a compressed environment angers the new arrivals; it gives them the feeling of being trapped, like they were in their ex-hosts' inner worlds. It's too boring, staying in the palace for a long period of time. Dark Rukia is tired of it.

She currently sits on the roof of one of the great pillars of Las Noches, legs dangling over the edge, staring up at the permanent crescent moon. The pillar is shaped like a cylinder with a flat, circular roof. Dark Rukia doesn't mind the fact that it is always dark here; she likes the night quite a lot. The darkness, the desert- quite a contrast to the bright, snowy forests she's used to.

'Who are you?'

She turns around, not shocked. Now that he has amnesia, Hollow Ichigo has sort of forgotten how to control his spirit energy. Dark Rukia could easily sense him coming. He stands at the opposite end of the wide pillar, frowning. There is no smile on his face.

Amnesia really can change you.

'I don't have a name, remember?' she reminds him.

He rolls his black and yellow eyes. 'Yeah, but that's not what I meant. Who are all these people here? What's going on?'

'Do you remember who you are?'

'… No. I feel like...' Hollow Ichigo trails off, looking uncertain. 'I... don't understand. Why can't I remember anything?'

Dark Rukia decides that a little bit of lying can't hurt. 'The Soul Society did that to you. They took away all your memories. They're the people we're gonna fight.'

'Why did they take my memories?'

'Because they don't like you. They don't like any of us. They think that we're all scum.'

'Why?'

'They're scared of us because we're Hollows. They're afraid of what we might do.'

'So they're the enemy?'

'Yep,' Dark Rukia confirms.

'What about my memories? Will I get them back?'

Dark Rukia winces internally. 'I... maybe. I'm not sure. If we defeat the Soul Society then we might be able to retrieve them. They have this big building called the Department of Research and Development. The people there are the ones responsible for your amnesia. They experimented on you and I.'

'What did they do to you?'

'Haven't you worked it out already?' Dark Rukia asks. 'You must have felt it yesterday; my fight with that blue haired piece of shit-' (she rages internally)- 'must have given you some clue.'

'He threw you against the ground and I felt it,' Hollow Ichigo says, sounding a little accusing. 'I was winded like you were. Why?'

'Those crazy scientists put some of your blood in me,' Dark Rukia says. 'They mixed it with this liquid they created. We have a telekinetic connection. You feel pain, I do too; and vice versa.'

Hollow Ichigo blinks, then mutters, 'That sucks.'

'In some ways, yeah,' Dark Rukia says. 'But it means that neither of us can let the other die. We have to be on the same side.'

'… It still sucks,' he says with the beginning of his familiar smirk.

Dark Rukia laughs.

'Who's Ichigo?'

The female Hollow stops laughing. 'What?'

'And Rukia? Who's Rukia?'

Dark Rukia gets to her feet, still facing him. Is he starting to remember?

'They said back in the big throne room that you were Rukia's Hollow or something,' Hollow Ichigo continues. 'I know that a Hollow is what we are. Do you belong to someone called Rukia?'

Dark Rukia frowns. 'I... no.'

'And the blue haired guy, Grimmjow, said that I look a lot like someone called Ichigo.'

'They're... people. Ichigo and Rukia are people on the other side.'

'They're enemies?'

'No,' Dark Rukia says quickly, then winces, not internally this time. 'Well, I mean... they might be... or one of them might be... I don't know...'

'That doesn't make any sense,' Hollow Ichigo points out.

'You've lost your memories,' Dark Rukia murmurs. 'I'd imagine nothing makes sense to you right now.'

He grins and chuckles a little. 'You have no idea.'

'Enjoying the scenery, are you?' comes Hollow Hiyori's mocking voice from down beneath them, then she sonidos onto the tower, in between the two Hollows already up there. 'I don't know why anyone could like the view. It's just sand and a few dead trees. Plus some stupid Hollows here and there. What's so great about that?'

'Better than feeling trapped inside the palace,' Dark Rukia says.

'Blondie Bitch said that you've gotta come to the throne room right now,' Hollow Hiyori announces, rolling her eyes at the order.

''Blondie Bitch'?' Hollow Ichigo questions.

'She means the queen,' Dark Rukia sighs. 'And you should show her some respect. She let us join the court and agreed to help us in the war.'

Hiyori shrugs. 'Whatever. She wants to start assessing our skills now to determine what Arrancar rankings we should get.'

Dark Rukia nods. 'Right. Come on,' she says to Hollow Ichigo.

He shakes his head, smiling condescendingly. He may have lost his memories but his personality hasn't changed as much as Dark Rukia initially thought it had. 'I've got better things to do.'

'Like what?' Hollow Hiyori says, scowling. 'If this has got something to do with the fact that Grimmjow is ditching the meeting too...'

'He wants a fight. I don't really care either way,' Hollow Ichigo admits. 'He said there's this desert inside the dome of Las Noches, and that we can have a battle there.'

'And you have to do this right now?' Dark Rukia asks sceptically.

Hollow Ichigo smirks, but his eyes still seem blank. A lasting affect from the amnesia, perhaps. 'I'm bored.'

In a burst of sonido, he is gone.

'I don't get it,' Hollow Hiyori mutters. 'He's supposed to not remember anything. Why does he still love fighting, and how come he can still do sonido and stuff like that?'

'That's not just tied down to his memories,' Dark Rukia guesses. 'He may have amnesia but he hasn't lost his instincts.'


They come in pairs most of the time.

To begin with, they are just small, weak Hollows. Rukia slices them apart without difficulty. Next there comes the low level Soul Reapers that do not make it into the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. After that there are weak Soul Reapers that are in the squads but are still no match for a lieutenant. They are followed by the Adjuchas.

They are all dealt with fairly quickly.

Rukia knows that the exercise is gradually getting harder and harder as each opponent she defeats is replaced by a more powerful one. Because this is the first day of her Bankai training, she suspects that each opponent she'll face today will not be that strong. She dreads to think of how powerful her opponents will be on the final day.

What if they're captains? Rukia thinks rather worriedly. I may be able to defeat some of the other lieutenants, but captains?

Rukia has so far not had to use her ice powers. She has decided against using kidô unless it is absolutely necessary because this is supposed to be about achieving Bankai through her zanpakutô abilities. But even when the opponents do become strong enough for her to feel the need to release her Shikai, how will her powers have any affect on these opponents?

The thing is, these opponents Rukia must defeat are actually physical illusions made of ice. Sode no Shirayuki's task for Rukia is to keep fighting stronger and stronger opponents. But as they're made of the very thing Rukia will need to eventually use against them, how will she cope? Ice versus ice... how is that going to work? She's sparred with Captain Hitsugaya before, but only simple hakuda- they've never used their zanpakutô abilities against each other. Besides, Hitsugaya is a captain and Rukia is a lieutenant. She suspects that she'll probably have to fight him and some of the others later on.

The ice opponents don't talk, and they simply wear indifferent expressions. Rukia has no trouble slicing them apart with her sword. She knows they're not real and she's perfectly capable of defeating them.

But this is only going to get harder.


So yeah, there will be one spoiler for something that's happened in the manga in this story. But seeing as it's already all over IchiRuki tumblr and has been for quite a few months, I'm sure it's no secret that Rukia has a Bankai. It will be included in this story (though obviously not what's happening in the manga right now. Hakka no Togame (her Bankai) is the only thing I'm including from the current manga arc).

I think.

Er... anyway, review!