Uryu wasn't waiting for him the minute he reached the shop. Well that was probably a good thing, it meant he had time to talk to Mr. Hat and Clogs to get him to use the training ground in the first place. He stepped into the shop without looking back towards Grimmjow or Rukia. This was going to happened regardless. "Mr. Hat and Clogs where are ya?"
"Awh Ichigo what brings you here? Did you finally decide to take me up on that offer?"
"In a way. You want to see how much stronger I have gotten I have a proposal for you. I challenged Uryu to a match, I would like to fight it in your underground training ground."
"Why should I let you?"
"It means you are one step closer to getting a match with me. That is what you wanted right."
"Ichigo what makes you think that challenging Uryu is the best idea?" He didn't understand why a simple sparring match would be such a problem. It wasn't like hollow bait was going to be used again. That had been Uryu's idea not his.
"Because he needs to understand how much stronger I have gotten. It is better to spar here then randomly around Karakura. "
"Fine if you think you know what you're doing. I won't deny you the use of the training ground."
"So if this is really happening why aren't you in soul form yet?" Uryu had just walked through the door. Kisuke knocked his soul out of his body using that cane of his again.
"I'm ready for this if you are. You can back down if you are scared."
"I'm not afraid of you Ichigo. So what are the terms of this battle?" He leaped down into the training ground.
"The terms are simple. First one down loses. We can even go all out here."
"I planned to." Oh Uryu had taken that bait easily. He waited until Rukia and Grimmjow had gotten positioned.
"On the count of three then." He might as well take Uryu's countdown from last time. He slowly counted and on three he sent a Getsuga Tenshō towards Uryu. The attack didn't collide Uryu had moved out of the way, his bow was drawn. He sliced through the arrow easily. Uryu had taken his bait, now he couldn't lose this fight. He knew he wouldn't, but if he allowed himself to lose a stable mind he might.
More arrows were coming his way, they kept coming. He couldn't afford to try to cut all of them down. "Bakudo #81 Danku." The shield protected him as he thought of his next move. It was different then if he was fighting another Shinigami. Uryu was a Quincy. What was the best way to go about this? It wasn't like Aizen had covered this in his lessons. The only way he could take all the arrows at once was if he did bankai. That was it he would use bankai.
He held his zanpakutō out in front of him. "Are you going to attack me or are you just going to stand behind your little shield?" Uryu had no clue.
"Bankai!" The barrier faded away, no arrows were being fired.
"No just getting ready." The smoke hadn't cleared around him. He had one easy shot to get to Uryu, he used the speed that his bankai provided him with to go behind Uryu. It was a cheap shot, it was downright dirty, but it was using his own attacks to his advantage. The smoke cleared, Uryu had a long gash along his forearm.
"Ichigo, you don't want to kill him!" Rukia was shouting at him. No he didn't want to kill him, but the spar wasn't over until one of them was on the ground. Uryu sent a series of arrows flying towards him.
"I don't intend to lose. So what if you have gotten stronger, it doesn't matter. I will win this. Quinces are better than Shinigami any day." He could throw Uryu off if he used the information that his father had provided to him. He blocked an arrow from making contact with him.
"What about a Shinigami that also has a Quincy side."
"That is impossible." Uryu had hesitated. He got another strike, this one a little shallower then the other.
"I don't see why it is. It is all about parents is it not?" He pointed his zanpakutō at Uryu's throat. "Regardless if this was a real battle you would be dead. Sure you have gotten better yourself from the last time we had a wager, though you still lost."
"You cheated."
"It is about using what you have to your advantage. I did not cheat."
"That was impressive indeed Ichigo. Though could you fair well against someone who had a more similar weapon to yours?"
"You mean you. I thought we have already established that I can hold my own against you. Though I won't deny another sparring match."
"Ichigo you were bluffing right?"
"No actually I wasn't. My mother was apparently a Quincy."
"When did you get that out of Isshin?" Kisuke must have known the truth all along.
"I also knew he was a Captain, though when is unimportant."
"So did you learn this from your father or from Aizen?"
"I was there Kisuke. His father told him the information." At least Rukia was taking his side for once in this.
"I see." Kisuke was getting that zanpakutō out from his cane. "Awaken Benihime." He was no longer shocked with the change. "Ichigo you still have never said your zanpakutō' name regardless that you used bankai."
"My zanpakutō' name is Zangetsu." He only knew his zanpakutō' because of Aizen's training. Another thing he owed Aizen for.
"I see so you do know the name of your zanpakutō. I guess he did teach you at least a few right things." Was that a compliment about Aizen? Well he was getting somewhere with Kisuke at least. "Though a few right things don't mean a lot in the end. Just because you know how to use a technique doesn't mean you can do it correctly." That was when the red spark came flying towards him. He jumped out of the way, he had to be careful which kido he used from now on. He wasn't used to using kido one after another. Sure the test was one thing, but there was a little bit of a break between the actually testing questions. A lot of the questions had been about incantations. He had surprised himself when he was told he recited them correctly.
No he couldn't allow himself to get distracted. "You might have skills Ichigo, but you don't have the required stamina that allows someone to use the type of skills you have repeatedly. It just shows that your still there. I don't know what kind of tricks Aizen was able to perform but there are still gaps within your training. I have already noticed them." Kisuke came towards him. He had been at the long range, but now he was at medium range and getting closer. He raised his zanpakutō up to block the attack. He had to center himself that was the problem. Aizen had repeatedly told him to center himself. That is why his stamina was lacking. He had only been able to make it through the brutal test because he had centered himself.
He couldn't allow his eyes to close, but he could take a moment to center his thoughts correctly. He took in a breath. He couldn't allow Kisuke to get to him. He couldn't fail Aizen. Failing Aizen wasn't an option. He could use Kurohitsugi he had managed to clear enough space. Kurohitsugi however would kill Kisuke and he rather not kill him. No when he had used it against Aizen he had only come through with a few scratches. Kisuke wouldn't assume him to know that kido. Was Kisuke stronger then him? He wasn't sure, the man kept coming towards him.
What would Aizen do in this situation? If he was going to do that kido he had to hurry up. It would only work at a certain range. Kisuke came charging at him again, he could withstand his attacks. Though the question would be how long could he do it? Kisuke was actually on par with Aizen, although he had never fought the man seriously he could only imagine how it would be. If they were on par or close to it, that meant he could use it.
He got in position. Kisuke had stopped. "Tired already?"
"Hardly. Hado #90 Kurohitsugi." Kisuke's eyes went wide, he couldn't move fast enough to escape the closing sides of the black coffin. The coffin exploded much like it had with Aizen. So he had been right. He saw the blood dripping down the man's arms. So maybe he had come out a little more scratched up then Aizen, but he was still breathing.
"Ichigo are you trying to kill him?!" Rukia was coming towards him. Kisuke was actually breathing heavy.
"No. What do you have to say about my skills and stamina now Mr. Hat and Clogs?"
"I do believe you killed my hat" the hat was laying on the ground, it was more beat up then the man was. Yet the man placed it on his head again. He didn't answer his question. "So how did you learn that one?"
"It was the last question on the test."
"He gave you a test?" Kisuke looked confused now.
He nodded like it was perfectly natural to almost kill someone. Well it wasn't like he had killed or almost killed the man. The man was still alive, he could be worst off. His caring side was however trying to come out a little more. No how did he know the battle wasn't over? "Of course. Though he made me try to memorize every kido."
"Now I am sort of thankful I never had him as a teacher at the Academy. Not that he taught kido, but who knew what he would have done."
"We were running low on time, remember you were going to be executed. I said it was impossible to learn it, but somehow I did. He said it wouldn't be possible for a normal Shinigami."
"That is actually correct. I believe it is starting to make sense. I always knew you would be a scary kid if you accessed your true potential. I was correct in my assumption. Normal Shinigami don't go around knowing level 90 kido spells especially those who have no rank. Add in the fact that you are still alive. I could only imagine what would have happened if you would have died. Shame Aizen was the one to train you though."
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
"It means we are done here."
"Kisuke what did you mean? Ichigo is still Ichigo." Kisuke came forward towards him as Rukia tried to voice herself. He went to guard himself, but Kisuke had slide his zanpakutō quick enough against his side. The pain hit him.
"With Aizen there is always a downfall. The man is powerful, though I have noticed that he isn't exactly good at hiding somethings about himself. Such as this mark on you Ichigo. You're free to go back to him, in fact you probably want to. I rather not have anything to do with you." The pain, why did it hurt so much?
"Kisuke!" He could barely hear Rukia's voice.
"You'll pay for that."
"Grimmjow don't" he was coughing out his words.
"There is the Ichigo I knew. Had you been like Aizen fully you wouldn't have cared about anyone's life. I know this first hand. The man that trained you has a very dark past."
"I know." He was panting, why had Kisuke cut him? Why did it hurt so much? A normal cut never hurt this much, the cut wasn't even that deep.
"No Ichigo I don't think you do realize just who the man truly is. He put up a front of being a nice Captain. He was really doing unspeakable things behind the scenes. I found out what he was doing, I got involved, I interfered with his plan. So he tried to get rid of me. That Ichigo is why I am here in the first place. Do you really want to follow a man who would use people and then dispose of them? Who murders just because?"
"He isn't perfect I get it. I can't know for sure if you're not lying to me." He was having issues with his breathing.
"He put that there, I can feel it. If I had to bet it was also affecting how you were acting. "
"He has never hurt me. Why can't you accept that maybe he isn't this bad guy that you all think he is. "
"Ichigo you're confused."
"No I know exactly what is right and wrong. I was right, you are really the true evil one in all of this."
Rukia sighed, he could barely hear the outtake of air as she came towards him. "Ichigo you really are an idiot. Open your eyes and actually see what is going on here."
He couldn't help the burst of laughter that echoed along with the pain. "I see what you are doing. All of it, you were working with him all along. That front by the river, it was all to get back at me. All to teach me. Well you failed at it. Yep." The pain was making him delusional now. He pushed himself up.
"Ichigo what will it take? Will you only see it if he stabs you like he did his lieutenant. I can't handle if that happen. I can't let you get hurt."
"You're too late for that. At least Aizen never hurt me." He was having a hard time staying up. He could do it though, he placed his hand over his side, he couldn't allow any more blood to leak out. He had no clue how he was going to get out of this place.
Grimmjow grabbed him. "Come on we are going back to Aizen. I hate to say it, but he is probably the best place for you now." His vison was fading in and out so he didn't fight Grimmjow that much. The Espada must have gotten out of the gigai somehow, because he could feel the Espada leap up. So was this how he was going to die? He hoped not, but it was hard to stay focused and not fall under a sea of black. Maybe dying wouldn't be that bad, he wouldn't have to go to boring normal high school again. Sure he would miss his family and maybe his friends, but he wouldn't have to pretend anymore. No he couldn't give up, he had to fight this.
"Don't hurt ya self Ichigo. If I wasn't concerned about you dying on me I would have killed them for doing this to you." Grimmjow's voice sounded so far away. No he couldn't give in. He had to hang in there.