I'm back! Sorry about the brief hiatus, but I knew I wouldn't be able to type last week because of my school year starting. The extra time let me get my chapter buffer back up to where I like it to be, so hopefully I won't need another break for at least a few weeks. I really appreciate all the support you guys are giving this story, and I guarantee the plot will be seriously picking up within the next ten chapters! (I can't say anything else at the risk of spoilers . . .)

Chapter 20

Incredibly, Ichigo found that he was able to train Mika with no resistance from the Head Captain – who said that the experience may be able to "teach you some responsibility", which Ichigo found insulting (just who had cleaned up the Gotei 13's mess again?) – or anyone else. Renji and Rukia were more than willing to supervise the training to keep an eye on Ichigo in case something went wrong, with Renji claiming that he wanted to see it just to make sure that Ichigo "wouldn't try anything funny".

Both Ichigo and Rukia had punched him at that comment, with Ichigo yelling something along the lines of "she's a little kid, you pervert!" Luckily, none of the Isuke siblings had been present at that moment.

The Shinigami Women's Association had quickly found out the news and pestered Ichigo to let them "watch" (stalk) a few of the training sessions for pictures on their upcoming calendar. Apparently, the theme was going to be "Substitute Shinigami".

Ichigo's thinking when he heard that title was something along the lines of why me. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it without earning the ire of some of the most powerful and intimidating women in the Seireitei. On top of that, Ichigo didn't want to see what Yachiru was like when she was told "no". He was convinced that Kenpachi only took on the hyper lieutenant so that she wouldn't cause more damage somewhere else. Therefore, he had agreed, but he warned them not to come to the first few just so he could get the hang of it. Surprisingly enough, the SWA had agreed.

At the moment, Ichigo was waiting outside the boys' dorm rooms; his arms were crossed and his scowl was back in full force. Shiro was by his side, smirking as if he found the whole situation amusing. Kira was getting Mika, while Riku was off doing his own thing, though he had promised to show up to watch his sister train, so he would be there momentarily.

It was two weeks after Ichigo had agreed to train Mika, and in that time Ichigo's wound had finally healed. They had agreed to wait that long simply so Mika would have time to get an Asauchi in order to train with Ichigo, though the Substitute Shinigami had told Kira that he would be going easy for the first few days of training. Well, he had lied about the "going easy" part, but Kira didn't need to know that. Mika would be joining Ichigo at his usual training area every day of the week after normal classes, with Renji and Shiro accompanying them.

Somehow, Shiro had managed to get permission to be there to train Mika as well, though Renji was going to keep a very close eye on the Hollow.

The strangest thing was Mika hadn't said a word about the matter. Other than giving her sister a small smile at the news, Mika had taken the whole "being trained by Kurosaki Ichigo, the guy who beat Aizen" deal in stride. In fact, she looked more excited when she heard that she was going to be trained by Shiro as well, which had concerned Kira and Riku slightly.

Ichigo let out a sigh while leaning back against the tree he was under. It was a nice day, though the temperature had been steadily dropping throughout the last few days. While it wasn't necessarily cold – Shinigami and souls with spirit energy had natural resistance to temperature – it was definitely brisk, with a sharp breeze that blew through the area, stirring up small swirls of dirt and leaves.

"I don't know if I can do this," Ichigo muttered. "I mean, I know I can. I just don't think it should be me. I've never been a teacher! I learned by getting my ass kicked!"

"Hey, at least you managed to seal your Zanpakutō," Shiro replied smugly. "That's something."

"Barely," Ichigo snorted. "And I only did it the night before we were supposed to be getting our Asauchi in Zanjutsu. I'm just lucky that Ōnabara managed to sneak Zangetsu into the ones he handed out before class so nobody would get suspicious."

In fact, Ichigo had spent countless hours with Captain Ukitake in the past week, learning to better control his Reiatsu. Achieving the Final Getsuga Tenshō had already strengthened his control, but those extra sessions only helped. Now, Ichigo was able to keep his Zanpakutō in a sealed state whenever he needed – though he still preferred Shikai – without draining his Reiryoku reserves an absurd amount, though sealing the blade did significantly reduce the amount of Reiatsu Ichigo could normally exhibit. Even more impressively, Ichigo had managed to dissipate his sword into spirit particles and then bring it back, though he did nearly pass out during the attempt.

Ukitake had simply told Ichigo to stick to keeping his sword sealed. That in itself was an accomplishment worthy of Ichigo's pride.

Ichigo wasn't surprised at Zangetsu's sealed form. It was reminiscent of the blade Ichigo had gained from Rukia's powers, though it was the size of a normal katana. With a red hilt and flame designs on its rectangular Tsuba, it was practically identical, but with minor variations and no tassel. Specifically, the delicate silver and black threads that wound through the red on the hilt changed the sealed sword's appearance, distinguishing it from its prior look. Because Ichigo wasn't comfortable with holding the sword at his waist, he kept it slung over his back, held in place in a jet-black sheath by the red strap that wound around his shoulders. The sheath, for some reason, had appeared with Ichigo's sealing of Zangetsu, and disappeared when Ichigo released his blade. It also contained difficult-to-see black designs on it, which Ichigo personally found to be a bit much. However, he wasn't really in a place to complain. He'd been so relieved when he finally managed to seal Zangetsu that he'd just collapsed and taken his weapon's new appearance in stride.

Of course, sealing the blade had only been more difficult with the strange absence of Ichigo's Zanpakutō spirit. However, Ichigo had managed, with Shiro following in his footsteps thanks to their connection.

Bored, Ichigo examined his sheath again, for the first time realizing that the patterns on it resembled chains. Is this a hint at my bankai's appearance? Ichigo wondered. And what's with the lack of a tassel? It's nice, but it doesn't make sense.

Along with the classes receiving Asauchi (the normal classes had followed the Advanced Classes the next week), the course for Zanpakutō meditation had also begun. The instructor was Ōnabara, which Ichigo supposed made sense since the guy did teach the Zanjutsu course. The entire time, students were instructed to try and perform Jinzen, with a demonstration of the proper form.

Ichigo simply spent that time trying to find Zangetsu in his inner world, with Shiro joining him, albeit with various muttered complaints.

With a barely audible sigh, Ichigo slung his sword and sheath back over his shoulder, the motion already familiar. Shiro watched, bemused, his own white sheath on his back.

"What's the matter? You look . . ." He paused, and then smirked wider. "Confused."

"I do not."

Shiro's knowing expression spoke volumes about the Hollow's doubt in Ichigo's statement. Groaning, Ichigo leaned his head back and stared up at the branches above his head. The leaves rustled slightly in the breeze that had sprung up, causing the shadows on the ground to constantly shift and change shape.

"It's just . . . I don't like it."

"Yer gonna have t' be more specific, King."

"The way Zangetsu is sealed. It feels wrong."

Ichigo missed the flicker of – was that triumph? – in Shiro's eyes.

"Wrong?" Shiro repeated, struggling to keep his voice at its normal mocking level. Fucking emotions, he thought bitterly. Ever since the Hōgyoku, they won't fucking stop!

"Mhm," Ichigo replied. "It doesn't feel . . . ah, never mind. It's probably my imagination. Mr. Hat-n'-Clogs would probably say that it's because of our Reiatsu or whatever."

Whatever emotion Shiro had been feeling was abruptly shut away as the Hollow scowled, though that was quickly covered up by a smirk his smirk. Ichigo didn't notice, still looking up at the sky.

"Yer probably just bein' stupid."

"Says the guy that only learned Bankai because I did."

"You took yer time doin' that!"

"I did it in three days!"

"And nearly died while usin' it!"

"What? No! That was just Byakuya."

"Sure it was," Shiro drawled, turning away.

Ichigo did feel as if there was something off about his sealed Zanpakutō – something missing, maybe? – but he couldn't put his finger on the feeling. He attributed it to missing a piece of his power, which would explain the strange emptiness emanating from the blade.

"Where are Kira and Mika?" He wondered aloud. "Kira said she'd be back in five minutes. It's been ten."

"No need to get your panties in a twist, Ichigo," a voice called out mockingly, though the person speaking sounded more amused than angry.

Ichigo turned and saw a familiar face grinning at him. "Renji."

"Don't you dare forget me, fool!"

Another person detached themselves from Renji's shadow, her petite frame and violet eyes easily distinguishing her.

"Oh, hey Rukia. Sorry. I didn't see you behind Renji."

Ichigo didn't realize the error of his words until it was far too late. Before he knew it, he was on the ground, rubbing the sore side of his face while Rukia shook out her hand, a miffed expression on her face while she studiously avoided making eye contact with Ichigo; in that moment, she channeled more of the Kuchiki clan snobbery than Ichigo had ever cared to see.

"Hey!"

"You deserved it for calling me short."

"I didn't-!"

"Ah, Rukia?" Renji interrupted. "Wasn't there something that you wanted to tell Ichigo?"

Somehow, those few words managed to stop Rukia's irritation in its tracks and subsequently confuse Ichigo.

"Something . . . you want to tell me? Rukia, what is it?"

For some reason, that question brought Rukia's annoyance back in full force, because Ichigo found himself on the ground again, right after Rukia had allowed him to stand.

"Ow! Rukia, what the hell?"

"You fool! Have you gone blind since I last saw you?"

"No," Ichigo managed to gasp, having some difficulty since Rukia's foot was digging into his back. Silently, the Substitute Shinigami thanked the heavens that no one from the Academy was nearby. His reputation would've been destroyed. "Rukia, would you please get off?"

Something in his tone made Rukia stop pressing down and she took a few steps back, arms crossed, as Ichigo climbed to his feet for the second time in so many minutes. He went carefully, training his eyes on the petite Shinigami nearby in case she decided to attack him again.

And then Ichigo wanted to hit himself when he saw Rukia's position. How could he not have noticed? She'd shortened the sleeves of her Shihakushō, and was now wearing fingerless white tekkō that stretched past her elbows. There was one other major detail that Ichigo could not believe he missed.

"You . . . cut your hair," Ichigo realized. It was the opposite of what Renji had been doing; the redhead had been growing his out, and had swapped his usual white bandana for a maroon one. The guy had even started wearing armbands the same shade as his bandana.

Rukia's eye twitched and her eyes sparked with murderous intent. Renji had to hold her back as she fought to get at a very confused Ichigo, kicking and yelling.

"Uh," Ichigo said, puzzled. "Was it something I said?"

Renji grunted from the effort of holding the furious Rukia back. "Ichigo, you idiot. Look at her arm!"

Following Renji's instructions, Ichigo glanced down at Rukia's left arm.

He choked, and Shiro - who had been watching the whole exchange with distant interest - raised an eyebrow.

"L – Lieutenant?" Ichigo managed, his voice laced with shock.

There, in plain sight, was the armband of a lieutenant, wrapped around Rukia's left arm. It bore the symbol and number of the Thirteenth Division, so there was no doubt in Ichigo's mind that it was not a fake, not that Rukia would ever agree to do such a thing as a prank.

Immediately, Ichigo felt a surge of pride for his friend. He knew that Rukia more than deserved that rank. The only thing that had been holding her back for so long was the concern of her older brother, Byakuya Kuchiki. After the battles with Aizen and his Arrancar, Rukia proved her skill plenty of times over. It figured that her brother would eventually relent and allow Rukia to be promoted, since she was certainly more than qualified for the position of Lieutenant.

For the first time in a while, Ichigo smiled. Genuinely.

"Congrats, Rukia."

Her eyes shone and her anger evaporated when she heard Ichigo's words of praise. The Substitute Shinigami had never been on for long speeches, so getting that much out of him was akin to pulling teeth.

And then Ichigo completely ruined the mood with his next words.

"Took you long enough."

"Why you little-!"

Renji struggled to hold his friend in check. "Rukia, please! Not in public!"

"Um, are we interrupting something?"

Everyone turned to see Kira and Mika walking towards them, with Kira holding Mika's hand. The older sister was smiling slightly, clearly finding the sight of a girl trying to attack Ichigo hilarious.

Abruptly, she stopped, her eyes going wide.

"Lieutenants!" She said, shocked upon seeing the distinguishing badges. Kira went into a hasty bow, with Mika following suit. And then Riku made his appearance, sprinting up behind his sisters while apologizing for being late, only to see the Lieutenants and drop into a bow of his own.

"Don't do that, Kira, Riku, Mika," Ichigo called. "Get over here. These are the guys who are going to watch our training, 'kay?"

Kira was somewhat caught off-guard by how casual Ichigo was acting – he was in the presence of two lieutenants, dammit! – but nevertheless she gently led her younger sister up to them, plastering a (hopefully not apprehensive) smile on her face. Riku followed, his own confusion in his eyes but a small amount of confidence in his step.

"Hello," Kira chirped. "My name is Isuke Kira, and this is my younger sister Mika and my older brother Riku."

Mika didn't say anything, but she did offer a small wave. For her, that was a pretty big step. Riku gave a stiff nod, finding himself at a loss for words.

"Abarai Renji," Renji said, smiling in a way that showed how awkward he was feeling.

"Kuchiki Rukia," Rukia stated, a small grin pulling on her lips. She was handling the introduction with considerably more grace than her red-haired friend.

Ichigo stared at Kira, mentally noting that she could go from confused to outright cheery faster than Shiro could go from mental to serious. Apparently she was a better actor than her actions would lead someone to believe.

"Introductions are nice and all," Shiro drawled from the background, "but can we go? This is boring."

"We'd hate for you to get bored," Ichigo snapped sarcastically. Shiro gave him a half-hearted glare, but didn't respond.

"So . . . " Riku started, letting his voice trail off in a feeble effort to drum up some conversation.

Kira was still looking at the two lieutenants in front of her with something approaching adoration while Mika had turned to stare at Shiro. All parties on the receiving ends of those looks were suitably uncomfortable, with the possible exception of Ichigo's inner Hollow, but that was only because he was hiding whatever he was feeling behind a malicious smile.

Ichigo, seeing how things were getting very stilted very quickly, decided to take action.

"Let's go," he said, disappearing in an impressive - to Kira, Riku, and Mika, at least - display of Shunpo and knowing that the others would come after him on their own. Shiro followed suit, with Rukia and Renji grabbing Kira and Mika respectively, though Renji also ended up having to grab Riku, which he proceeded to grumble about the entire way over to the training grounds.

Unfortunately for the rest of the group, it was a very long way to the training grounds.

By the time Ichigo and company arrived, Ichigo was out of breath – damn my weakness – and silently cursing Shiro for deciding to try and attract three Hollows he had sensed on the way over without telling anyone else.

That had been quite the jump scare, but Shiro had just given a disgusted sigh, stated, "they're so much weaker than I thought they'd be", and killed them off before Rukia and Renji even arrived at the scene. All they saw were dissipating black particles of Reishi, and Ichigo's exasperated look accompanied by Shiro's disappointed scowl said everything they needed to know about the situation.

Renji and Rukia set their passengers down gently; well, Rukia did. The lieutenant of the Sixth Division unceremoniously dumped Riku on the ground while graciously setting Mika down. Riku coughed and spluttered from his position in the dirt, and even he was having difficulty believing that the redhead in front of him was a lieutenant. He was too . . . casual.

Is Ichigo really friends with these two? Riku wondered as he got up, though he knew the answer. Ichigo had his own kind of charisma in the way that he wasn't respectful, he was blunt to the point of just being plain rude, and he was fiercely (recklessly) loyal to his friends.

Maybe that was why Riku, Kira, and Mika had bonded with Ichigo so quickly and easily. Of course, that bond extended to Shiro, but the Hollow was just a little too insane for anyone's tastes. How Ichigo could stand the guy, Riku would never know. Maybe it came with the fact that Shiro was technically a part of Ichigo, if Riku had understood that part of the meeting correctly. Riku had to admit, Ichigo impressed him. The guy had an Inner Hollow and wasn't insane, had the patience to deal with Kira even when he clearly wasn't up to it, and treated each of his friends with respect.

It didn't hurt that Ichigo was also supposed to be insanely powerful when at full strength.

"Uh, Ichigo?" Renji muttered, looking around the training ground and seeing the massive ruts and what looked like craters from explosions scattered across the landscape. Even with the massive size of the field, some of the surrounding trees had been blown away or shattered from some unknown force. "What happened to the training field?"

"Oh, um, Shiro and I were training last Sunday. I was practicing my Getsuga Tenshō." Seeing suspicious looks, Ichigo hastily added, "Captain Unohana volunteered to watch me to make sure I was healed, okay?"

"Your Getsuga Tenshō still sucks," Shiro commented.

"Maybe that's because you wouldn't even give me pointers until I was able to hit you with an attack that you couldn't dissipate with one hand!"

"It's my attack!"

"You're a crappy teacher!"

"You're a crappy student!"

Though the logistics weren't the best, Ichigo and Shiro's method of training actually worked well. Shiro, after much deliberation – none of which Ichigo knew about – had agreed to train Ichigo on one condition. At first, Ichigo had refused, but Shiro was adamant. Eventually, the Substitute Shinigami had accepted, and Shiro had begun teaching his King how to not absolutely suck at fighting.

As the Hollow had so graciously pointed out during one of their spars, "ya can't seriously expect t' win too many more fights with nothin' but yer boring, normal Getsuga Tenshō and a fancy sword, can ya?"

That statement had been followed by Shiro giving a demonstration of each of the different types of Getsuga Tenshō.

By using Ichigo as a test dummy.

There was the spiraling, homing Getsuga Tenshō, the one that Shiro had first unleashed against Byakuya Kuchiki at Sōkyoku Hill.

There was the seemingly normal one that exploded on contact with anything it touched.

There was the most powerful one, which Shiro had used during combat against Ichigo in Ichigo's inner world, that exploded directly after being released from the blade in a massive explosion that would down most enemies in a single shot but also ran the risk of injuring its user.

Finally, there were smaller versions of the attack, scaled-down so that Ichigo could release multiple ones as distractions during a fight without draining his reserves. They were also painful, and not an attack that anyone could just ignore. If used right, the smaller energy waves could be more dangerous than Ichigo's usual Getsuga Tenshō.

And that hadn't even been half of what Shiro had berated Ichigo on not learning that day. They had spent three hours alone on getting Ichigo to learn the proper way to spin Zangetsu by the cloth on its hilt without running the risk of hitting himself – and holy shit did Shiro have the time of his life during that part with the number of times that Ichigo screwed up – while also learning how to do the same thing with Tensa Zangetsu. Due to the pair's decreased energy reserves, however, the time spent in bankai had been kept to a minimum.

Plus, while in Bankai Shiro nearly went insane, and only Unohana's intervention had prevented the Hollow from running Ichigo through. The training session had ended after that, but there was something Ichigo remembered his Hollow saying to him after the incident that confused him.

"Sorry," he had said.

Ichigo never knew that Shiro had been capable of apologizing like that; he figured that the Hollow would be disappointed that Unohana stopped him from doing anything. Strangely, Shiro wasn't, and he refused to elaborate on his reasons why, instead choosing to point out all of the ways that Ichigo would need to work on his technique to make it not suck.

"Hey, Ichigo?" Kira said, interrupting Ichigo's musings. He glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.

"What's up?"

Kira momentarily fumbled for words, but when she spoke, her voice was strong. "I just wanted to say thank you. You know, for everything."

Ichigo was taken aback for a moment before a small smile tugged on his lips. "Hey, you don't need to thank me. I'm just helping out; it's a way for me to pass the time, anyway."

"You say it like there's something wrong with the schedule we picked out," Rukia commented, annoyed.

"You didn't even pick out a schedule!" Ichigo snapped heatedly. Rukia's answering smirk told him all he needed to know.

"True."

"Hey! What the hell are ya doin'?"

Everyone turned at the sound of Shiro's annoyed voice, with Ichigo doing it so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash. At some point during the conversation, Mika had detached herself from her sister's side and wandered over to where Shiro was sitting. Currently, she was messing with the Zanpakutō on his back; it was similar to the one she wore at her waist, though Mika's hilt was a generic gray (it had taken an absurd amount of convincing on Ichigo's part to allow Mika, Kira, and Riku to take their Asauchi off the Academy grounds for training). She wasn't drawing the blade from its sheath, but Shiro was clearly annoyed from the close observation of his sword.

"Will ya quit it?" Shiro snapped, yanking his sword away from Mika. "Play with yer own, dammit!"

Mika didn't listen, but Ichigo didn't miss the sly look that entered her eyes and pulled at the corners of her mouth.

For someone who didn't speak, Mika could communicate her feelings absurdly well with just body language. Right now, Ichigo could tell that she was enjoying herself thoroughly.

"I guess training is starting now," Renji joked. Ichigo smirked.

'Yeah, something like that. Hey, Kira?"

"Huh?"

"You don't mind if I'm a little rough on your sister, right?"

Though she was taken aback, Kira shook her head. "No, I'm fine with that. Just . . . please don't do anything extreme."

There was naked concern in her voice and Ichigo grinned.

"No need to worry. I just wanted to make sure."

Ichigo vanished in a burst of Flash Step and reappeared next to Shiro and Mika. With deceptive ease, the Substitute Shinigami picked Shiro up by the back of his robe and threw him a few yards away, and then crouched down to talk with Mika.

While Shiro strung together every known insult in a stunning variety of phrases, Ichigo and Mika talked, with Mika doing a fair bit of nodding, though her mouth never once opened.

"What's he doing?" Rukia wondered.

"Probably telling that Mika girl how he's going to be training her," Renji answered, examining the scene with a critical eye. "Isuke Mika seems to get distracted by Shiro, so Ichigo threw him away and forced her to pay attention to him. Smart."

"Shiro doesn't think so," Rukia pointed out with a wry grin. Kira just watched, her anxiety mirrored on her brother's face.

A while ago, they had agreed that they wouldn't approach Ichigo for help until after he brought it up himself. After all, he was doing them a service by agreeing to help Mika, so it was only logical that –

"Boo."

Brother and sister leapt gracefully through the air in fright before crashing back down to the ground. Ichigo stood in front of them, smirking, Mika by his side.

"Ow," Kira groaned. "Why'd you do that?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes as if he thought the answer should be obvious. To him, it was.

"You two can't just be standing here, watching me train your sister. It's kind of stupid. If I'm going to come all the way out here, and you guys are going to follow me, then you might as well join in on the fun."

The humorless way Ichigo said "fun" hinted that he meant something entirely the opposite.

"W- we couldn't," Kira started, "that's too much to ask."

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow.

"Too much to ask?" He repeated. "Listen, you are not even close to the 'too much to ask' mark. Trust me."

Renji and Rukia had the decency to look down at that statement, thinking about all the responsibility Ichigo had shouldered, partially on the behalf of the Gotei Thirteen. Ichigo pretended not to notice their reactions, though the slight flicker in his eyes betrayed him.

"Now c'mon," Ichigo said, his eyes hardening. "We've got a schedule to keep."

Ichigo's method of training the Isuke siblings was simple, effective, and on the edge between brutal and cruel. The only two warnings Ichigo and Shiro gave were the unsheathing of their swords, and the clear hint that Mika, Riku, and Kira should do the same.

And then the two mirror images of each other struck, with Shiro tackling Riku to the ground and Ichigo going after Kira and Mika at the same time, his sword an indistinguishable blur as Kira desperately blocked, her arm trembling with each impact. How the hell is he so strong? She wondered. He never felt like this during Zanjutsu!

"He's holding back," Renji muttered, watching the fights. The sound of blade on blade rang throughout the area with sharp clarity, offsetting the silence that had blanketed the training grounds prior to the group's arrival.

"Kira! Get your head up!"

"Riku, if you don't move your feet you're going to get skewered!"

"Mika! Knees bent!"

Each yelled instruction was punctuated by the ringing of steel, and Kira was sent to the ground, rolling in the dirt. Ichigo watched, his face impassive, as Mika ran to her sister. Riku tried to go as well, but Shiro cut him off with a vicious thrust that the eldest Isuke barely managed to parry.

"Don't get distracted," the Hollow hissed, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

Renji and Rukia watched as Ichigo and his Hollow mercilessly attacked their opponents, never giving an inch even when it seemed like they should. Any protests were ignored in favor of harsh commands or corrections.

"It's . . . kind of impressive," Renji found himself admitting. "His teaching style . . . he's always been a learner through combat, so this is the best way."

"I agree," Rukia murmured, her gaze fixed on Ichigo as he roughly pushed Kira's shaking blade aside with his own sword and struck her in the center of her chest with a palm strike. "He's pulling his punches just enough so that the worst they will suffer is bruising, and perhaps small cuts."

The two old friends descended into silence for a few minutes, appreciating the scene in front of them.

Ichigo had been by no means a graceful fighter, but after three months in the Dangai his swordsmanship rivaled that of Zaraki Kenpachi; no step was wasted, no movement was unnecessary. It was almost hypnotic, had it not been for the occasional falter in his movements, like his body wasn't used to moving in the way he wanted it to.

He may have lost his power, Rukia mused, but his swordsmanship is still breathtaking, even if his Reiatsu unbalances his fighting style.

"Rukia," Renji said softly, and something in his tone made Rukia glance in his direction. His expression was serious, matching his voice. "You know why we were actually sent out here," he continued, watching Ichigo. "And I can't help but wonder . . . would we be enough?"

"Renji!" Rukia scolded, trying to snap her friend out of the gloom he'd put himself into. Though she was still tired, she wasn't nearly as exhausted as she had been before. Whatever had been draining her energy was no longer affecting her, and she'd gratefully gone back to completing her full workload. It was just in time for her promotion, too.

"You're thinking it too," Renji muttered. "The Head Captain himself said that the criminal who escaped is a huge threat, not only to the Seireitei but all of Soul Society."

"We'll be enough protection for Ichigo," Rukia stated firmly. "We don't even know if he's going to be targeted, Renji, since his Reiatsu isn't really stable!"

The red haired lieutenant sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment. "Yeah, I know. But I can't help worrying, Rukia. Every time Ichigo's in Soul Society, something happens."

"Which is usually coincidental," Rukia retorted, "or it's because of weird circumstances."

"I'm not denying that." Renji's voice abruptly became more thoughtful.

"I just . . . I wonder why the Head Captain doesn't want Ichigo to know?"

A slight scream from the field interrupted their talk before Rukia could reply, and the two Shinigami had their Zanpakutō half-drawn before they even registered what they were seeing.

"Relax," Shiro growled, glancing at Kira, who had her hands over her mouth and her sword at her feet; she was obviously the source of the scream. "I'm not gonna kill yer brother."

The boy in question was struggling, with Shiro's hand around his throat and dangling a foot in the air. Shiro was deceptively strong, and Riku was finding that out firsthand. He thought he'd seen an opening in the Hollow's defense, but it had been nothing more than a trick and Shiro had proceeded to knock Riku's sword out of his hand and pick the boy up by the neck.

"Shiro," Ichigo called warningly, though his face still had that same cold impassiveness that it had held the entire time. Frankly, Rukia found it a little disturbing that Ichigo was that capable of shutting away his emotions so easily.

A teenager should not do that so easily, she thought. It speaks volumes about what Ichigo has been through.

The Hollow rolled his eyes and dropped Riku, who coughed for a few seconds before scrambling for his sword.

And just like that, the temporary impasse had been broken and Ichigo turned, slamming his sword up against Mika's and nearly driving the poor girl into the dirt. Her eyes were wide but there was determination behind them, and Ichigo felt approval well up inside of him, though he was careful not to let it show in his eyes.

Right now, he was not Kira or Mika's friend. He was their opponent, and if they didn't figure that out soon then Ichigo was going to stop holding back.

Ichigo stared down at the ground in front of him, fighting to keep from sighing. Shiro was next to him, a disappointed expression on his face as he slipped his Zanpakutō back into its sheath. Ichigo had done so minutes ago, when Kira and Mika had gotten so tired that Ichigo was able to block and attack with his bare hands and get the same results as if he were using a blade.

Speaking of Kira and Mika, the two were currently collapsed on the ground, semiconscious and exhausted. They had quite literally run themselves out of energy; unsurprisingly, Mika had fallen first, simply going limp mid-swing of her sword. Kira had called her name, but she had been too tired to do much more than stagger in her sister's direction before she too fell, her eyes closing.

Riku followed about thirty seconds later after lunging at Shiro, only for the Hollow to step out of his way and let him hit the dirt. He didn't get up again.

Ichigo had barely broken a sweat, though the brisk weather did contribute to that slightly. Shiro was in the same boat, though he looked more annoyed.

"They only lasted for forty minutes," he said with a downward curve to his lips, clearly annoyed. "That's pathetic."

"Not everyone can fight for three months straight," Ichigo replied softly, letting his emotions slowly bleed back into his expression. A natural scowl appeared on his face as he regarded Kira. "We should carry them back to the Academy so they can recover in time for tomorrow."

"They're lucky you let them do their work first," Shiro scoffed. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"That's just because the Advanced Teachings instructor decided that it was a great idea to add 'how to complete paperwork' to his curriculum. Anyway, this is probably how it's going to be every day."

"Che. They might get stronger."

"That's not what I mean. We're going to work them until they either collapse or run out of time. At this rate, they're going to just collapse."

"Oi, Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned, seeing Renji walking up to him. Rukia was a few steps behind, and Ichigo didn't miss the slight lines of disapproval in her expression. "What's up, Renji?"

"You ready to head back?"

"We've been ready since these idiots failed," Shiro put in sarcastically, jabbing a thumb in the general direction of the three unconscious students.

"To be fair, you were pretty harsh on them," Rukia put in equivocally. "More than harsh, actually."

"If they're not learning fast enough at the Academy," Ichigo answered slowly, "then I'm not going to let them have it easy out here. They need experience, and that's not going to come from repeating boring drills or sparring with people who still aren't sure how to hold their swords. If they do, and they face a hollow that they don't know the full abilities of - "

"Okay, okay," Renji interrupted, holding up his hands. "We get it. Let's just get these three home before we all get in trouble for being late."

Without any other words, Shiro, Ichigo, and Renji picked up Mika, Kira, and Riku respectively. Rukia brought up the rear, just in case any Hollows felt like trying their luck.

Kira woke up about halfway back and insisted on walking on her own, right up until she nearly fell out of a tree, the only thing stopping her being Ichigo's hand clamped onto her shoulder. From then on, she had meekly agreed to let the Substitute Shinigami carry her at least to the Shin'ō Academy gates, only to fall asleep on the way there.

Once Ichigo made it back to the Shin'ō Academy, Rukia and Renji left, promising to be back the following day to watch more of Ichigo's training. Mika and her older sister were left with a group of passing female students, since Shiro and Ichigo weren't currently allowed in the female dorms due to Academy rules. Riku was ungracefully dumped on his bed and proceeded to snore, much to Ichigo's annoyance.

"That was boring," Shiro declared, jumping up onto his bed. "They're terrible. I didn't really even have to unsheathe my sword!" He paused for a beat, then his eyes slid over to where Ichigo was standing at the window, staring outside with a thoughtful look on his face. "Why did you ask me to unsheathe my sword, anyway? It wasn't necessary."

Ichigo didn't reply, the only indication that he heard Shiro's words being the way his eyes narrowed slightly. Otherwise, he kept looking outside, at the view of a training field. Normally, he would keep the window closed, and Ichigo knew that the shutters had been shut before he left.

"Hey, King! You deaf or somethin'?"

"Did you open the window?"

"What?"

Ichigo turned to face his Hollow, a frown on his face. "I asked if you opened the window."

"What kinda stupid question is that? Of course I didn't, idiot."

The orange-haired boy's expression only grew darker.

"Strange. Because I didn't open it either, and Riku wasn't even here."

A/N Yep, done. On a cliffhanger.

Explanations (for things that I thought needed explaining):

Ichigo's "sealed" sword: Zangetsu is only partially sealed, since it's not a real Asauchi. Therefore, it's not a full seal, and only looks like it isn't in shikai. Ichigo, however, doesn't know this.

Ichigo "dissipating" his sword: Zangetsu isn't really meant to do that, though he can. Therefore, it's not really practical for Ichigo to do so.

What's the mystery condition that Shiro made Ichigo agree to before training him? That's a very good question!

Reviews:

Krazyfanfiction1: I know what you mean by the worm thing. I don't fully understand how it works, so I'm not going to use it. It's not central to the plot, anyway.

arelia22: I hope you enjoyed the update!

LonerReader: You're going to like chapter 24. I hope.

Nethra: Happy to hear it!

Guest: I hope it met your expectations!

iliketoreviewthegoodstries: Shiro's pretty great.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I hope to hear from you again! Also, thank you to the follows/favorites you guys have given me!

-RoR

Coming up: "Stopping on a cliffhanger, Kurosaki?" Uryū inquired, pushing up his glasses and causing them to flash dangerously. "That seems a little too cliché, don't you agree?" (Clearly, it's a reaction chapter.)

Please review.