Kana tried her best to avoid absolutely everyone for the rest of the week, spending most of her time wandering around aimlessly. She would often leave as the sun was rising and wouldn't be back until well after it set-mostly because she couldn't find her way back. She was doing pretty good at avoiding them all too, until Yoruichi accosted her the day they were going to leave and head back to the land of the living. While Kana had been sleeping, the older woman had gone and straddled the teen before shaking her awake gently. The first thing Kana had seen as she blinked blearily was golden eyes and a light smirk. She groaned, lifting her arm to shield her eyes from the sun and yawning widely.
"What is it, Yoruichi? I wanted to sleep in a bit before we go." There was more weight on her and when she moved her arm Yoruichi's eyes were only inches away, the dark skinned woman's bust pressing into her own.
"You've been moping all week. I want you to come with me to the cave for some training." Kana blinked at her for a moment before sighing.
"Yeah, alright. Training with what?"
"Lots of things! Your Shunko is better than it should be, but it's still not quite right so I want to have a look at it. And you're still oozing too much reiatsu when you flashstep, if we can fix that you can be even faster, and if you took to Shunko-or what acts like Shunko-so fast I want to see what else we can do. I could teach you the Kido I know and if you're any good Tessai can teach you more when we get back, you Zanjutsu is shit but I can't help you there, or I could teach you to transform or refine your hand-to-hand-" Kana caught her off by reaching out and clasping her hand around her mouth so stop her from talking, her eye twitching.
"Why the fuck are you so full of energy today?"
"Oh! Well I went to go visit Shunsui for a drink but his lieutenant stopped us from getting the sake out by having us try this coffee stuff instead." Kana sighed, releasing her mouth and leaning up on her elbows, scowling when Yoruichi didn't move to get off of her, their foreheads bumping. Kana was about to warn her to get off or pull her off herself, but a gasp to the side caught her attention. Turning her head she sighed at the sight of Orihime and Ichigo both red faced, Orihime's eyes sparkling and Ichigo's peeking out between his fingers.
"You're-you-she-" He was stuttering and Kana growled, moving to push Yoruichi off to go beat the orange haired Shinigami when Yoruichi's arms wrapped around the back of her head. Kana's eyes widened and she gaped at the older woman as she pressed closer to Kana, smirking at the two orange haired teens.
"Oh, you didn't know? Kana and I are...very close." She purred. Kana was just about to get after her when Ichigo collapsed, blood pouring from his nose. Orihime didn't even fuss over him as she normally would, choosing instead to point at Yoruichi and Kana while stuttering. Kana started off chuckling, and soon enough she was full out roaring with laughter. Yoruichi finally backed off, helping Kana up from where she was rolling on the floor, her sides in stitches and tears in her eyes.
"Glad to see you've stopped being such a bummer. Now hurry and get ready, we'll have time for some quick training before we have to leave." Kana grinned widely at Yoruichi, wiping her eyes.
"Right. Thanks for cheering me up. I didn't realize how shitty I was being." There was a collective noise of disbelief from the doorway and Kana blinked at everyone gathered there. Orihime stepped forwards, smiling hesitatingly at Kana before speaking.
"We were really worried. Since we saved Rukia you haven't really been yourself." Kana watched in apprehension as Ishida stepped forwards next and she felt oddly like she was at an intervention.
"Even your reiatsu has been down." Chad nodded behind them and then Ichigo spoke up, Kana's smile becoming harder and harder to hold in place as he talked, the guilt settling in her gut.
"I figured you've probably been upset that Aizen got away. All the Captains seem to think he'll show himself again, and I can't forgive someone using my friends like that for their own selfish reasons. " She swallowed, resisting the urge to run again.
"So we'll just have to train some more to beat him the next time he comes at us." Kana was silent for a moment, staring at the floorboards before smirking slightly.
"Yeah..." She looked back up to her friends, her smirk softening to a smile at the support the were giving her. She felt bad about deceiving them, but in the end, if she was able to do what she wanted to do and get the result she wanted, surely they would see her reasoning.
"I have a new goal then." Everyone perked up, and Kana's smile grew into a wide grin, her reiatsu sparking back to life. She hadn't even noticed how down it was.
'You've felt weak. You've made us weak. You let pathetic emotions override your drive.' Arashi's words were cold, but Kana just mentally nodded.
'I know. It's not going to happen again.'
'It better not.'
"Next time I see Aizen. I'm gonna kick his ass. I'm not a big fucking fan of feeling weak and helpless, so I'm gonna make him feel the same way."
"So, when you were babbling before about what we could do for training ya said something about transformin'?" Kana and Yoruichi were back in the cave less than ten minutes later, the older woman still a bit hopped up on her new favourite drink.
"Right! So your Shunko felt different than the way mine and Soi Fon's does, and it got me wondering as to what else you can do. Your purple power seems to be pretty similar to Kido, so I was wondering if you'd be able to transform the way I do." Yoruichi started stripping and Kana rolled her eyes as she rolled her hips unnecessarily to put on a little show.
"Now watch and feel how my reiatsu moves. I'll transform slower for your benefit." Kana nodded and Yoruichi's reiatsu flared slightly, Kana reaching out with her own to get a better feel. Yoruichi's reiatsu waved and shifted, and Kana hummed as she 'watched' it form into the shape of a cat before pressing into Yoruichi's skin. Her body started to transform as she pulled her reiatsu back in and Kana clapped slowly when she was done.
"That is pretty cool, but I don't think a little house-cat would be very useful in fights."
"It doesn't just have to be a house-cat. I chose my form to help with my stealth. Whatever you chose you'll have to be certain of. I've tried learning other forms, but no matter what my reiatsu won't shape to anything else." Kana hummed, taking a seat by a boulder.
"I suppose I should think more about it then."
"We'll focus on it when you're ready then. Now for the rest of the day how about we just have a little race." There was a rush of purple and orange out of the cave and into the surrounding trees, Kana forming a much darker blur right on her heels. They raced and played tag for hours, Kana enjoying the whipping of her hair behind her almost as much as Yoruichi's cries of annoyance when her own hair was tugged whenever Kana caught up. Their chase gave way only after they could sense the rest of the group collecting near the Seireitei's senkaimon, a couple vaguely familiar Reiatsu's with them.
"Oh there you are." Ichigo greeted as Kana leapt down beside him, brushing leaves from her hair. Yoruichi landed a bit more cleanly next to Ishida, fixing her own hair from it's loose ponytail cause by Kana's grabby fingers. Captpain Ukitake spoke up and stepped forwards, holding something out to Ichigo. The orange haired teen took it and blinked dumbly at it for a moment.
"What is it?"
"A substitute Shinigami Combat Pass. It's our old custom to give this to a Substitute Shinigami who is deemed useful to the Soul Society. If you use this, you can become a Shinigami whenever you wish." Kana peered at the badge over his shoulder before leveling an expectant stare at the white haired Captain, who smiled softly.
"I am sorry we don't have one for you. Yoruichi informed us you were able to change at will." He said, nodding towards the purple haired woman who grinned.
"I can?"
"She can?" Kana deadpanned at her friends as they all acted far too overly shocked.
"You can! It's just a matter of reiatsu control, you'll soon discover it's as easy as breathing." Kana shrugged, stretching out and tapping the combat pass in Ichigo's hand with a smirk.
"As easy as breathing. And you still need a little wooden skull to help you out of your body."
Ichigo glared at her with a scowl, pocketing the pass as everyone gathered around the senkaimon. Ichigo exchanged a few words of goodbye before they were gone and it was only seconds later that the cleaner was at their heels, Kana laughing as everyone panicked. It was easier to escape it this time for whatever reason, and they were soon bursting out into the night of the world of the living, seeming to suspend in midair before plummeting.
"Why is it so high!?" Ichigo yelled before there was a rush of fabric and everyone found themselves pressed together and flying sideways.
"Yoruichi,what is this!?" She heard someone, Ishida maybe, yell right next to her ear before they stopped midair. There was a flurry of the fabric and Kana blinked from the middle of the pile as she found herself on a large flying carpet. Her face quickly settled into a glare at the sight of that stupid green bucket hat and he struggled to free herself from where she was pinned underneath Chad and Orihime.
"Welcome back, everyone." Urahara still didn't turn to face them, and Ichigo stood, frowning down at him.
"You've heard about me, right?" It was quiet for a moment before Ichigo made an affirmative grunt and Urahara turned around, taking his hat off to hold against his chest while the other pressed knuckles down on the rug.
"I am...very sorry." Kana extracted herself from the pile, everyone situating themselves so they were sat comfortably as she went to stand beside Ichigo. Light brown met dark grey as they stared at other for a second before Kana sighed and turned to face out into the night, ruffling her hair with a frown while Ichigo looked down at Urahara.
"It's fine. I'm not mad. You didn't really do anything bad. Your motivation aside, you did save us and make us stronger. I'm thankful. So...please don't apologize." Urahara sat back up, slipping his hat back on though he didn't tilt it enough to hide the guilt still flashing in his eyes.
"But let me ask one thing. You didn't tell me the truth because you thought I'd be scared and run away?" Ichigo asked seriously. It was silent for another moment before Urahara tilted his hat, bringing the fan up to wave at the orange haired teen.
"Ah, that exactly right!" Before Ichigo could do much of anything, Kana snatched the hat off of the blond man's head and cracked him in the face with it. The hat dropped into his lap and Ichigo scowled fiercely.
"Now that really pisses me off. Also..." Everyone turned to look at Ichigo as he spoke up again.
"Please apologize to Rukia. Though she'll probably say the same thing."
The rest of their strange flight was silent as people were dropped off one by one, starting with Ishida, then Chad, then Orihime who seemed to expect Kana to go with her but she just smiled and shook her head. Ichigo also gave her a curious look as he got off, and soon enough it was just the residents of the Urahara Shoten and Kana herself. When they arrived at the Shoten Tessai quickly took the kids to bed, and Kana followed Yoruichi and Urahara underground to the training grounds.
"I assume you wanted to talk to me about your 'purple' power." Urahara spoke up as he perched himself high up on a rock, fan in face.
"I sure as fuck do. I damn near killed Yoruichi when it snapped, and since then I can summon lightning-" Purple sparked crackling down her arm as she made her point.
"And I can do this thing that is like shunko but not quite, and when I unlocked it I went into my inner world and my Zanpakuto was fighting someone." Urahara put the fan down at that, face more serious than she had ever seen it.
"Oh? And who was your Zanpakuto fighting?"
"My mother."
Shout out to UzuRunner for the animal form training idea.
