Chapter 14: I'm Never Gonna Catch My Breath
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Zanpakutō"
"Hollows/Vizard"
"Reading/listening to a message/letter"
"{Speaking a different language}"
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Evening, Third Day of the Ryoka Invasion
As Ichigo clashed with Eien-ō in the distance, Yoruichi turned her attention back to the trio of young women soaking themselves. "Alright kids, everyone out of the pool! Yoruichi's School of Hard Knocks is now in session!" All three clambered out of the hot spring and donned some of the Shinigami uniforms Yoruichi had "acquired" earlier. "Good!" She cheerfully announced, "Since you three have gotten so much sleep, we're gonna be going at it all night!"
"That's what she said," Bambietta muttered.
Yoruichi ignored the comment. "Since I only have three days to work with you, we're gonna focus on the two most important things for you three right now: Working together and not dying when facing a superior opponent." Even as she spoke, Yoruichi calmly tied her hair up in a ponytail. No longer nude, she wore what appeared to be a black bodysuit underneath an orange vest. Black arm warmers and grey sandals completed the ensemble.
"I mean, I already tied against a captain," Bambietta boasted.
The resident werecat immediately shut her down, "In enemy territory, a tie is a loss. They have thousands of allies happy to heal them or just finish you off. Retreating is more of a victory than a tie. At least then, you'll live to fight another day. Furthermore," In a moment between heartbeats, Yoruichi appeared directly behind Bambietta, both arms slung over the German woman's shoulders, "Tosen doesn't fight like most captains. He works by completely crippling his opponent's ability to fight back before striking. A valid strategy, especially for assassinations, but one that's too easy to counter." Bambietta quickly formed a small luger, a backup spiritual weapon she had little practice with, and fired at the woman behind her. Her shot struck the far wall as Yoruichi suddenly stood in front of her, calmly smacking the pistol out of her hand. "Of the remaining captains, one relies on massive overwhelming power. Another utilizes large scale area of effect techniques. Two more prefer striking at incredible speeds before their opponents are even aware of them. And the last four are so far beyond the four of you that they can pick you all apart at their leisure. My goal here is to get you to at least reach a point where you can safely retreat if you can't hold the line."
But one of her comments caught Tatsuki's attention. "The four of us? Didn't you say Ichigo had killed a captain?" And boy did that sting her pride. Ichigo, the crybaby she used to beat at karate all the time, outright won against a captain while she barely beat a lieutenant.
"Yes, he did," Yoruichi agreed. "But while skill and power factored into it, luck and circumstance were more important. Kurotsuchi was one of the deadliest captains in Soul Society's history. But that was a combination of his specific abilities, planning, and intellect. Raw power and swordsmanship were never his forte." In another instant, Yoruichi was a few dozen meters away. "But enough about that!" She called, "For now, you three just focus on trying to kill me! C'mon, it'll be fun!"
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Isane sat quietly in her holding cell. She always knew this was a possibility, but if she regretted anything, it was getting caught. She knew that she had done the right thing. The door to the prison wing opened and in walked a single figure. Isane didn't have to look to know who it was; her captain made no effort to hide her presence. When the woman quietly dismissed the guard, Isane met her gaze unflinchingly. Unohana stared back, disappointment etched on her face. "I warned you not to act rashly."
"You did," the lieutenant confirmed. She would not shy away. Not this time.
"And yet, here you are, Isane-chan." The older woman's voice didn't carry even a hint of anger. Instead, it was laced with disapproval, exasperation, and perhaps even a twinge of regret.
Normally, Isane would be easily cowed by the woman whom she loved in ways both familial and romantic. But circumstances were far from normal. Instead, her answer was firm and unyielding, "It was the right thing to do."
In response, Unohana heaved a great sigh. "Your punishment will be determined after the execution, Isane-chan. I am sorry it came to this." Without another word, she turned and left. Isane would not see her again until the day of the execution.
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Within his office, Shunsui stared blankly into the depths of his sake, the events of the last few weeks playing over and over in his head. 'Two captains dead, another crippled. Two lieutenants slated for execution. Where did it all go wrong? …Ha! What a foolish question. I know exactly where things went wrong.' "Captain?" His lieutenant's voice shook him from his thoughts. Looking at the young woman, he was once again struck by just how much she resembled her "big sister" Lisa. If he didn't know better, and he should, given he was Nanao's uncle, Shunsui would swear his former lieutenant was her mother. 'Of course, that only applies to their appearances. Nanao-chan's personality is night and day compared to Lisa-chan's.' "Captain? Are you alright? You let your sake grow cold." As much as Nanao disapproved of what she viewed as excessive drinking, she still knew that Shunsui would never willingly let his sake grow cold after going through the effort to heat it up.
"I'm just thinking, my Nanao-chan," Shunsui deflected. Whatever he ended up doing, Nanao didn't need to get caught up in it. 'Whatever I end up doing. Seems I'm full of foolish thoughts tonight. I already know exactly what I'm going to do.'
But of course, Nanao proved exactly how well she knew her captain, regardless of his attempts at deflection. "Whatever path you take, know that I'll always be one step behind you."
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The Following Morning
"Rise and shine kids! We've got an exciting day of wrecking your shit planned!" Yoruichi's voice was far too loud and far too cheerful for everyone else. Of course, it certainly helped that she hadn't spent half the previous night learning how many different places she could get stabbed or being treated like a hacky sack. No, from the ex-captain's perspective, she'd had a light workout before turning in for the night.
As everyone got up, groaning both from the early hour and the remaining soreness from the previous day (the springs were great but they couldn't handle everything), Tatsuki took the time to ask her childhood friend, "Hey Ichigo, I know why Candice wasn't shocked at Yoruichi being a woman, but what about you? You just kinda shrugged it off; are transforming cats normal for Shinigami or something?"
Brushing off his Shihakusho, Ichigo said, "First I've ever heard of it. But we're in the afterlife because my android ghost samurai girlfriend broke the law when she stabbed me in the heart so I could use a sword that's also a queen to hunt monsters that turn into butterflies when I kill them. Honestly, I'm just kinda assuming anything's possible at this point."
When he put it like that, she supposed he had a point. Hell, she turned into a dragon-girl. The quartet stood before Yoruichi, Bambietta glaring particularly fiercely though ineffectually. "Oh, none of that, sweet cheeks. I've got something special in mind for you today. Anyone who makes me bleed gets to take the rest of the day off!" Now that certainly got their interest. Well, all of them except Ichigo; he wasn't training against Yoruichi so her offer was moot anyway. Instead, he once more summoned Eien-ō.
With a gesture, the field of swords returned. Ichigo grabbed a particularly large sword, one shaped rather like an overgrown Khyber knife with no true hilt. In response, Eien-ō chose a solid black daitō with a straight blade and a crossguard shaped like a manji. Without a word, the two leapt at one another. Understanding that Eien-ō would have a speed advantage with her smaller blade, Ichigo swung down at her chest. When the knight blocked, he pressed harder, forcing them into a blade lock. Taking his left hand off his sword, Ichigo swiftly punched her in the face. Once. Twice. Thrice. The first strike broke Eien-ō's nose and the next two struck her mouth. Yet, rather than flinch away, the Zanpakutō spirit spat her own bloody loose tooth in his face. As Ichigo instinctively blinked, an armored foot slammed into the side of his knee, thoroughly unbalancing him as his leg gave out.
With the blade lock broken, Eien-ō twisted her blade to impale her wielder. But at the last second, Ichigo brought his own larger sword up, using the flat of the blade to block her attack. Before she could pull her sword back, Ichigo grabbed the blade with his bare hand, ignoring how it sliced into his palm. With a hard yank, the teen pulled Eien-ō downwards and drove his forehead right into her already broken nose. The queenly woman reeled back in pain, her hold on her sword loosening. With another tug, Ichigo ripped Eien-ō's sword away from her and got back to his feet. With a mighty yell, he slashed downwards at her.
But then the blonde's grimace of pain turned into a bloody smirk of triumph. In the blink of an eye, she punched the side of his colossal cleaver, her armored fist meeting the steel with a tremendous clang that reverberated throughout the cavern. To Ichigo's dismay, a spiderweb of cracks formed from the impact site. He could only stare in awe, and not a little panic, as the cracks spread until the entire blade shattered like spun glass. Sadly, that same awe made him too slow to react when Eien-ō socked him in the jaw. As he spun from the force of the blow, she grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed him face first into the rocky ground beneath them. Lifting him up, she slammed him back down again. As she slammed him down a third time, Ichigo grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it behind him, briefly blinding his Zanpakutō. Reaching backwards, he grabbed hold of her armor and flung her forward, buying him time to get back to his feet.
The young Shinigami had barely grabbed a new sword, a moro kris, when Eien-ō collided with him once more, a bronze kopesh in one hand and a xiphos in the other. Her face was wilder than he'd ever seen it, her eyes burning with an intense fire. For the first time Ichigo could recall, her teeth were visible, her mouth split in a vicious grin that showed off far more fangs than he realized she had. "Magnificent, my king!" Even her voice was different, rougher, more guttural. "Come! Show me your ferocity! Your tenacity! Your strength!"
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As Ichigo did his best to murder his sword, or at least survive her, the two Quincy and a dragon were determinedly attempting the same with Yoruichi. Tatsuki engaged her in melee while the two ranged fighters took potshots at her, always moving around the battlefield to keep from being easy targets. Or at least, that was the plan. Not only was the ebony woman's speed outright ludicrous, she also had superb situational awareness, never once losing track of where any of her opponents were. The werecat danced lazily around Tatsuki's many attacks, ducking under punches and slashes only to immediately hop over low kicks and leg sweeps. Even using her new tail didn't give Tatsuki a sufficient edge. And through it all, Yoruichi weaved and flowed around the two shooting at her, seemingly without effort. An observer could easily mistake the whole thing for a choreographed dance, if not for the frustration painting the features of three of said "dancers".
What was worse for Tatsuki was how Yoruichi rarely bothered to retaliate. Tatsuki knew she was good. Hell, she knew she would have swept nationals this year if she hadn't been busy training. But Yoruichi was on a whole other level. So the fact the woman didn't bother taking advantage of what to someone of her skill must seem like outright invitations to counterattack, was galling. Naturally, just as the karate practitioner thought this, Yoruichi blocked a punch by grabbing her wrist and using it as a pivot to flip her entire body over Tatsuki's before flinging her into a nearby outcropping. 'And that's why she's not countering more. It'd only take a few hits like that to take me out of the fight, and I doubt those two are any more durable than I am.' As she pulled herself from the rubble, Tatsuki noticed her haori flapping awkwardly. A quick check confirmed that the rocks had torn up the back of her top. 'The hell with it. Ichigo's too busy fighting and he's already seen anyway.' Irritably, she shrugged off the garment before rushing forward to re-engage, once more performing a flurry of attacks that would have made her instructors weep.
As the Quincy girls passed above them using Hirenkyaku, Tatsuki grabbed hold of Yoruichi's shoulders. Rather than break away or dodge, the older woman let the tomboy grapple her, curious as to what she was about to do. Up above, Reishi streamed towards the two young women, concentrating itself in their left arms. Aiming downwards at the entangled pair, they shouted, "Licht Regen!" From their respective weapons came an immense volley of arrows and bullets, too many to count, falling like raindrops in a monsoon. Just before impact, Tatsuki disengaged from her opponent, leaping backwards as hard as she could. Even as the hail of projectiles fell, she kept her senses open, knowing it would be foolish to assume they'd managed to beat Yoruichi with that.
Indeed, a moment after the barrage ended, Tatsuki found her hakama slipping down before her hands and tail were bound with her own sash. An instant later, she was knocked down as the two Quincy collided with her. Unlike her, the two Europeans also had their haori tied up over their heads, blinding them as well. "Not a bad attempt that time. Though the only way that sort of move would have worked is if you had crippled my mobility beforehand. Still, A for effort." Yoruichi's smug grin didn't fade even as the three cursed her out. "Tell you what, ten minute break as a reward for that last attempt. Then we'll get right back to it."
From underneath the other two women, Tatsuki irritably muttered, "Fuck that cat." Her only reply was muttered agreements from the other two and a hearty laugh from the subject of their ire.
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That Afternoon
Deep within the bowels of the Central 46, Aizen idly waited for the coming execution. On the one hand, it was rather boring, especially as the now deceased ruling body of Soul Society seemed to mostly indulge in things Aizen found beneath him. The closest things he had found to actual entertainment were porn novels. Well, there was that one magnificent Go set with jade and gold pieces, but he didn't exactly have anyone to play with, especially as Kyoka Suigetsu hated board games.
On the other hand, this did handily solve the annoyance of always needing to keep either himself, Gin, or Tosen in the Central 46 chambers in case someone came by. Of course, this did mean Aizen himself was stuck here for another two days. The sacrifices one must make for godhood. To pass the time, he reflected on his plans and what he thought his enemies would do now. 'Not hypnotizing Kurosaki was a risk, but the odds of him being a threat before I obtain the Hōgyoku are minuscule. And once I have it, he'll be as irrelevant as the rest of them. Yoruichi is no doubt training him to obtain Bankai. While Toshiro is too sentimental to read the letter I left Momo, I'm sure Rangiku did. She'd have passed on my "suspicions" by now. So that's him handled. The last report stated Kyōraku showed considerable sympathy towards the Ryoka. He'll no doubt interfere with the execution, dragging Ukitake along with him. And given Soifon's obsession with Yoruichi, the only captains unaccounted for are Komamura and Unohana.' And there lied the issue. Aizen knew his abilities and was certain that most of the captains wouldn't pose a threat to him in the brief time he might be exposed should the execution fail. Komamura relied too heavily on brute force to be a threat, but Unohana was the original Kenpachi. She was one of four people in Soul Society he didn't want to engage unnecessarily. 'Wait. Kurosaki isn't the only one still free. The two Quincy and one of the humans are still unaccounted for. It's doubtful they could replicate the circumstances that led to Kaname's maiming, but they could presumably keep a captain busy for some time. But how could I make certain which captain they battle?'
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Within their holding cell, the captured Ryoka contemplated their situation. "Goddamn! Would it kill them to give us a shogi set or a deck of cards?!" Well, some of them contemplated. Others bitched about their boredom. "Even some dice and a cup would do!"
"We're prisoners. I don't think our entertainment is high on their list of priorities," Uryū snarked at Ganju. He had been there the longest of any of them but you didn't hear him whining about not having anything to do. Granted, he'd spent half that time trying in vain to feel even the slightest inkling of his former powers. But it seemed they truly were gone as his grandfather had once warned him.
"Could we break out?" Orihime asked. "The guards certainly aren't that strong." She was taking imprisonment surprisingly well, though it certainly helped that a couple of the guards mentioned that there were still at least five intruders at large, which meant that Tatsuki was alive and well. 'Wait. If we die in Soul Society, do we just come right back here? Or do we get reborn on Earth? Could we get reborn as aliens?! Or animals?! Oh, I'd love to be an adorable little kitten!'
Uryū shook his head in response, "Unlikely. The guards might be weak but I'm sure there's alarms if anything happens. And…" The bespectacled teen paused. He didn't like admitting such a weakness but it was surely obvious to the others that something had happened to his powers. "Even if we escaped, I'd be dead weight without my powers. The same method I used to become strong enough to defeat a captain also robbed me of my Quincy abilities shortly afterwards."
For the first time in hours, Sado spoke up, "So if we were to break out, we'd have to spend our time protecting you or leave you here." Uryū swallowed and nodded. He didn't like the idea, and he certainly wasn't friends with anyone present. They were acquaintances at best really. But if it came down to it, he wouldn't let himself keep them from escaping. Before he could voice such thoughts, Sado continued, "It's irrelevant anyway. I haven't been able to access my powers since they put us in here."
"Well duh," Ganju spoke up, "They wouldn't toss us in here practically unguarded if we could use our powers. If that were the case, I'd have turned the wall to sand the moment we got here. There's bits of Sekkiseki inside the walls. Not a lot, crap's too rare for that, but enough to keep us from trying anything while inside." Well, that certainly torpedoed their plans brilliantly. It seemed they were stuck playing the waiting game.
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That Evening
"I don't know how he's still going," Tatsuki commented. While the women lounged in the hot springs, Ichigo continued battling his Zanpakutō spirit. "He's been at it longer than any of us and, unlike Yoruichi, I'm pretty sure his sword's legitimately trying to kill him." Right as she said that, Ichigo took another slice along his chest.
"She's pushing him further," Yoruichi remarked, "Whenever Ichigo gains an edge, she fights a little harder, using a little more power." Even as they watched, Ichigo allowed Eien-ō's urumi to wrap around his arm, granting him the leverage to pull her onto his gladius. The blade struck her armored stomach and pierced through, drawing blood. But the wound was too shallow. The blonde knight smashed her forehead into his nose and stole the gladius for herself.
From where she was soaking, letting the magical waters heal her injuries, Candice spoke up, "Still, that's one hell of an ass he's got." Indeed, Eien-ō's urumi had quickly sliced up Ichigo's Shihakusho early on. With the ragged remains getting in the way, Ichigo had opted to strip entirely rather than let modesty kill him, leaving him only in his sandals.
"You're not wrong," Bambietta said, one of her arms resting on the lip of the springs while the other was conspicuously under the water, moving slowly. "Juicy cock too. Definitely one of the biggest I've seen."
"Now I'm curious. Outside the likes of Jidanbō, where could you have seen bigger?" Yoruichi leaned forward, a salacious grin on her lips. Noticing the black-haired Quincy checking her out, the werecat shifted her arms slightly, pressing her breasts together further.
"Norwegian guy I met once. Jared? Gerard? Jeremy? Something like that." The German woman shrugged. Not like his name was important. "Huge guy. Over two meters tall and a cock like a club. I could barely walk three days later. Looked him up later; guy became a priest of all things. What a waste."
Candice couldn't help but rib her comrade. "Really? You're so damn bad that you turned him off sex entirely?"
Bambietta snarled in response. She was an amazing lay, fuck you very much! "More like I fucked him so good, he found God! My pussy is a religious experience!" Yoruichi's laughter snapped her out of her anger. A quick glance to the side showed Tatsuki red-faced and facepalming. "What about you, Tatsuki? What gets your motor running? I'm guessing abs and pecs for you."
Unable to believe she was having this conversation, Tatsuki lowered her hand and answered, "I'm a lesbian. And I've known Ichigo since we were four. Even if I liked men, it'd be like ogling my brother." In the privacy of her mind, Tatsuki could admire Ichigo's muscular form from an aesthetic perspective. Yes, he was in amazing shape but nothing about his body did anything for her. That he was currently covered in dirt and blood only promoted both aspects. The boy looked like a conquering barbarian, but not like a sexual partner.
Taking note of both the time and Ichigo's condition, Yoruichi made a decision. "Right, well, I'm calling an end to today's training." With a gesture, Yoruichi shutdown the Tenshintai, turning Eien-ō back into a mere doll. "Ichigo! Get your cute ass over here and heal up! You're done for today!"
"Wha-? I can keep going!" The teen protested. He was certain that he could defeat Eien-ō tonight if he was given another hour or two. Besides, they hardly had any time to waste!
But Yoruichi merely shook her head. "Yeah, no. You're way too low on Reiryoku to be doing much of anything right now. Blood too, probably. You're done. Get in the water." Her tone brooked no argument.
Wordlessly, the teen trudged over to the hot spring. If he was honest, he did feel somebody locked him in a cement mixer with a box of razor blades. Already naked, he merely needed to take off his sandals before getting in, and the stiffness that came with trying to reach his feet let him know Yoruichi was right to stop things when she had. Easing himself into the healing waters, Ichigo found himself submerged up to his pectorals. But given that Eien-ō hadn't spared his head or upper torso, he took a deep breath and ducked under the water entirely. The pleasant heat surrounded him and all his aches and pains began to fade as the spring worked its magic. Not to mention the refreshing feeling of washing all the dirt, blood, and grime from his form.
When his lungs started to burn, Ichigo emerged from the water, panting slightly to regain his breath. As always, the dirt and such that stained the water quickly sank to the bottom and disappeared. Sitting there, enjoying the waters, he noticed Candice seated near him. When he caught her eye, the verdette brushed her hair back, gave a relaxed sigh, and asked, "Anal?"
This proved too much for him. Despite Ichigo's growing comfort with both being nude around women and having them nude around him, he could honestly say he'd never been propositioned like that before. With a loud choking noise, he slipped, falling back under the water as all four women openly laughed.
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Afternoon, Fifth Day of the Ryoka Invasion, Two Days Until Execution
"A conspiracy involving Captains, Sōkyoku, and the Ryoka." Hitsugaya Tōshirō was twisting himself into knots trying to figure out what exactly was going on in Soul Society recently, even as he absently completed his paperwork. And his lieutenant's, he irritably noted. A glance upwards showed Rangiku passed out on the sofa again, drool leaking from her mouth and her uniform disheveled. The latter made Tōshirō's eyebrow twitch even more. Despite what many thought, he was old enough to be interested in women, even if his body wasn't. Though admittedly, Rangiku's slovenly ways did wonders to counteract the distraction she could cause. That, and if he was being honest, Tōshirō was pretty sure he preferred more slender women. Or perhaps putting up with his lieutenant just turned him off from more voluptuous women. 'And now I've gone on a tangent. Back to what matters: Who could be behind everything? And is their goal really to steal the power of the Sōkyoku or are they after something else?'
A brief but loud snore was Rangiku's contribution to his musings.
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Late Morning, Sixth Day of the Ryoka Invasion, 26 Hours Until Execution
"Come, Your Majesty. Surely you can do better," Eien-ō taunted her wielder from atop a bluff, gazing down upon him. In her right hand was a silver bastard sword with a blue hilt and golden crossguard. Arrayed on the rocks to either side of her were five armored figures, each one identical to herself except for the addition of a face concealing helmet, forged to resemble a lion's face. The field of swords was nearly barren, most of its blades laid scattered and broken.
From his position down below, Ichigo spat out a glob of blood and smirked back up at her. He gripped his weapons, a pair of kodachi, tighter and prepared to charge into the fray once more. The doppelgangers didn't bother him; if anything, the fact Eien-ō had resorted to them meant she was forced to go all out against him. He would win! And then, he'd save Nemu and his friends! "I'm just getting warmed up!"
As one, all six knights assumed combat stances. "Is that so? Then let us kill, Your Majesty." Eien-ō's voice was filled with delight and anticipation. Six warrior women leapt through the air at the lone king. Six blades shone with golden light as they sought his flesh. And one man prepared himself to kill them all.
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Afternoon, Sixth Day of Ryoka Invasion, 20 Hours Until Execution
Within her Division's morgue, Captain Unohana went over her findings one last time. To her chagrin, the results were the same as ever. Lowering her notes, the ravenette glared at the "body" of Aizen Sōsuke in front of her. While she couldn't determine what exactly it was, she knew one thing with certainty: It was not a corpse. For one thing, the term corpse implied it was alive at one point. This thing was missing too many indicators. There were no loose hairs on the skin, no partially digested food within the digestive tract, no traces of fecal matter in the bowels, no marring of the skeletal system from imperfectly healed injuries. With a sigh, she rubbed her eyebrows. Despite herself, Unohana found herself wishing Captain Kurotsuchi was still alive. His knowledge of the human body almost equaled hers and his analytical ability was far superior; he most likely would have been able to determine the origins of this… this doll! 'But, what's done is done. If everyone had what they wanted, there would be no Hollows and no need for Shinigami.'
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Night, Seventh Day of Ryoka Invasion, 11 Hours Until Execution
Despite the late hour, Ichigo refused to retire for the night. Eien-ō's field had been picked clean, the last remaining weapons held by the two combatants, a Polish saber in the spirit's hands and a falcata in her partner's. Both fighters were bloody, exhausted, and wearing little more than rags. Ichigo's Shihakusho was little more than half a shirt and Eien-ō's own armor had been reduced to covering her right arm and her lower legs. Her golden locks were unbound and her crown long since lost. The cave around them was scarred and cratered from their duel. Impacts from thrown bodies, new canyons from blasts of Tenka-Ichiken, and more. Still, neither combatant wavered. Neither faltered. Neither surrendered.
Some distance away, Yoruichi watched the conclusion of their violent struggle. She had set up a barrier to allow the girls to sleep, but had stayed up to supervise Ichigo's training. While she didn't know if Ichigo would obtain Bankai in time, she did know that this fight was at an end. 'Such massive growth in only a few days. Kisuke mentioned it before, but this is absurd. Ichigo's more than twice as strong as he was before training, and he had already grown considerably since our arrival in Soul Society.' Despite this, she couldn't keep her thoughts from taking a darker path. 'Of course, if he doesn't learn Bankai in time, his growth will be meaningless. Only the Head Captain and maybe Kyōraku could face a captain's Bankai with only their Shikai. And if we fail… well, I'm sure Kisuke will figure something out to stop Aizen. But the lot of us are as good as dead.' And wasn't that a sobering thought, knowing their lives rested in the hands of a boy who, in spiritual terms, wasn't even out of diapers yet.
Once more, the two combatants clashed. Eien-ō thrust towards Ichigo's heart, seeking to take advantage of her sword's greater reach. Channeling his meagre remaining reserves of Reiryoku to his left hand, Ichigo gripped the blade with his bare hand. With a violent jerk, he broke off the top third of the blade and stabbed at Eien-ō with both the broken blade and his own weapon. But she refused to yield to anyone. Taking her still armored right hand off her sword, the knightly woman deflected the broken blade with her saber and, mimicking her earlier move, punched the side of Ichigo's falcata. Unlike the cleaver from before, the falcata didn't so much shatter as disintegrate before her fist.
Yet the blonde's armor finally reached its limit as well. The various rivets holding the gauntlet together gave way, leaving her with little more than a loose-fitting metal sleeve. Striking her in the face with the pommel of his ruined weapon, Ichigo ripped off Eien-ō's ruined armor. Knowing his propensity for improvised weapons, she rapidly slashed in front of her with her broken saber to ward him off. Rather than retreat, Ichigo smacked the ruined weapon aside with the strip of armor in his hand, finally costing his opponent her final weapon as it flew from her grip! With a roar equal parts defiance and determination, Eien-ō tackled Ichigo to the ground, slamming his back and head into the rocks. Straddling him, her hands wrapped around his throat and started squeezing the life out of him. Even as she strangled her wielder, the normally aloof queen repeatedly bashed his head against the ground. (Yoruichi rose up in alarm, worried she'd have to intervene before Ichigo actually died.)
His vision fading, Ichigo blindly swung his improvised weapon in the general direction of his Zanpakutō's head. A broken plate landed just right and tore open her eye, yet still she refused to release him! When he swung again, she released his throat with one hand to smack the bit of armor aside, knocking it from his loosened grip. Desperately, Ichigo scrambled for something, anything, he could use as a weapon! Feeling something hard, he gripped it tightly and slammed it into the side of Eien-ō's face. The blonde woman was finally knocked off him as the rock broke her jaw and several teeth.
Ichigo rolled onto his front, gasping for air even as Eien-ō clutched her ruined face, blood streaming from her mouth. Scrambling to all fours, Ichigo noticed his rock had one end that was relatively sharp. He half-tackled, half-fell atop his enemy in his rush to make sure she didn't recover. Adjusting his grip, he raised his chosen weapon high and slammed it down into Eien-ō's throat! The rock pierced through both her trachea and carotid artery! Afraid his opponent might somehow survive even that, Ichigo struggled to pull the stone free. Yet even as he raised it again, the light fully left Eien-ō's eyes. A moment later, her form faded away entirely, leaving behind the Tenshintai.
His adrenaline thoroughly expended, Ichigo didn't even notice Yoruichi approach as he blacked out where he knelt. As consciousness left him, he faintly heard Eien-ō's voice whisper to him, "Rest well, Your Majesty. You've earned this victory."
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AN: There you have it. Ichigo's training is complete. I had considered showing it in more detail, but honestly, training arcs tend to be pretty boring I feel. Better to do a montage of moments while covering other stuff. Also, in canon we know that Unohana determined Aizen's corpse wasn't really a dead body but not why. So my headcanon is that she noticed all the little details that a doctor would pay attention to but other people wouldn't even consider. Otherwise, not a lot to say here. Just bits of setup for various characters. Oh yeah, one of my betas (E-LuckArcher, check his shit out) pointed out that I have a tendency for my fights to devolve into brawls. While he's not wrong, here it was meant to show just how long their fight has been going.
If I'm not mistaken, we have two chapters of action and one of winding down before this arc ends. Those two chapters will be as long as they need to be, so don't go thinking I'm gonna do the whole shebang in only 10k words or so. So hopefully it'll be done before the year's out.
Next time on Vow of the King! Ichigo takes four guys at once before getting dommed. Meanwhile, Komamura learns that size isn't everything!