AN – I've always wondered how Ken-chan was able to reform his sword for the fight against two captains later into the manga. So I gathered that, since Ichigo was able to reform his Soul Slayer when he learned Zangetsu's name, could Zaraki be the same? So this chapter is based souly on what might've happened in between the time when Zaraki was healed and when he woke up. Don't worry, he wont actually know much about his Soul Slayer until later on in the story. Oh, and its best to play "Mike Wyzgowski – Nothing can be explained" and "Shiro Sagisu – Burden of the past" during the reading of this chapter for effect. Yes, they are both songs from the actual anime itself, so any big bleach site would have these up for download. Anyways, enjoy!

(The next chapters will be based on the storyline AFTER the Soul Society Arc)

To be stronger

Zaraki Kenpachi was not one to agree to extended offers for help. Often, the 4th Squad had a lot of trouble holding the huge man down to cure his wounds after a bloody fight with hollows, or another Death God. He was a man who operated alone in his fights, and that was that. His pride would not allow help.

After his fierce battle with the young Kurosaki Ichigo, this had changed. He had realised that the one person who was suffering most from his fights when it came to bloody wounds was not him, but his Soul Slayer. He had never taken much notice of the sword before now, convinced that it was just a tool for war. But he remembered that day the pain of not having a name, and he realised that he had made his Soul Slayer wait a very long time for its chance.

It was this, most of all, that made the spirit trapped inside the sword perk up her head, hope finally returning to her tired eyes. She had almost given up, and now, here was her chance…

1 – Enter stage right, Soul Slayer

It was after the battle with Ichigo that Zaraki Kenpachi found himself on a hospital bed in the 4th division's Headquarters. Their leader was the only one who could restrain Zaraki to her bidding in the effort to heal, and he was lying on the bed, a worried Yachiru beside him.

The little girl stared at the captain's still form, watching his chest rise and fall in rhythm to his breathing. He seemed to be healing well now, and the girl felt a glimmer of gladness. Smiling slightly, she left her Ken-chan to his healing.

Zaraki awoke to the sound of thunder. He blinked, before taking note of his surroundings. He was lying on a cloud with a plain, dark green kimono on. It was not just any cloud, but dark grey, heavy with a storm. He supposed he was lying on its top, because above him, the sky was mercifully clear, but the colour of candy floss.

'Where am I?' He wondered, sitting up and looking around. He had never seen, or been anywhere like he was now.

"Kenpachi."

He blinked at hearing his name, turning his head towards the noise. He didn't find anything, or anyone, until the voice spoke again;

"Over here."

He turned the other way, and saw for the first time a tall, olive skinned woman, wearing black combat boots, navy pants; a halter neck top patterned with army material and a black haori over the top. The combination of western clothing and Japanese seemed slightly strange, but overall, it suited the woman.

But then he noticed how torn up she looked, this included the large scar-like gashes on her cheeks, two on each side, and the three on her forehead. All of them were deep crimson.

"Who are you?" Zaraki asked after a moment.

The woman frowned at him, and didn't answer. After a moment, she jumped into the air and landed beside the 11th division captain, glaring at him with deep brown eyes.

She then slapped him hard across the face.

Kenpachi was so shocked that, as he stumbled sideways holding his cheek, he didn't think about hitting her back, but that almost changed after he felt his cheek. That stung dammit!

"What was that for!" He demanded angrily, now matching the glare he received from this woman.

She then sighed, and lowered her hand. "Sorry," she said, "but I at least needed to take some of my anger out for all these years …"

All these years? Zaraki stared at her, looking at her like she had said something in another language.

"Are you going to tell me who you are, or not?" He demanded.

She merely returned the look with an impassive expression, then folded her arms behind her back, and looked out into the pink sky as if deep in thought.

"You've made me wait a hell of a long time," she said, looking back at him sideways, "A long, painful time."

He didn't say anything, but relaxed again, turning to her.

"You hurt me a lot," she said, pointing to one of her blood red scars on her cheek, "all those times when you fought, did you never hear me screaming?"

"Screaming?" He said, and then it slowly dawned on him. "You're …"

She turned to him fully, and then looked down. "Yes. I'm you're Soul Slayer's soul."

Zaraki stared at her, digesting this news and stepping back a little. "So … this world …"

"This is your inner world," she said, waving her hand around at the pink sky and the storm cloud they were standing on. "And I'm its occupant."

"I see …" He looked down, and realised that this was the person he had practically abused due to his pride holding him back from seeing his true power … but he could not dwell on that now, and he could not let this girl make him feel guilty.

"So …" He said, looking up. "Do you have a name?"

"Yes." She said, but looked at him sadly, "but no-one knows it."
"Oh."

They stood there in silence, only broken by the rumbles of thunder below them. It was a moment before Zaraki spoke again.

"What is your name?"

But she growled at him, storming over to him and glaring in his face (she had to look up, being shorter than the captain)

"You have a lot of guts to ask me that without even saying sorry for the torture you put me though!"

"I don't do 'sorry'," He glared back.

They glared at one another for a moment, each staring the other down, testing the other. But finally, Kenpachi sighed himself, looking at the woman, who looked up with a mixture of anger and grief. She watched him for a moment, before breaking the silence.

"It really hurt, you know." She said, turning away. "All those times I tried to make you listen to me, and you never heard me." She closed her eyes. "It's been a few very lonely centuries in here on my own."

Kenpachi looked back at her, and the woman looked up at him.

"You want to get stronger, don't you?"

He nodded.

"Then you have to trust me."

And it was then he realised that this woman was going to become the key of his powers, the key to his new strength. This woman was the only person in the universe who knew him as much as he knew himself. How could he not trust another part of his very soul?

And so, he nodded, and held out his hand with a small smile.

She took it with a smile of her own.

"From this day forth," Kenpachi said, "I will try a different way of fighting." He looked down a little and said quietly, "I hope you can be patient enough." It was as close to a 'sorry' as the woman would ever get.

And the woman smirked at him, taking it as such, and held the clasped hands up in between them.

"I have been patient for a long time, Ken. A little longer wont hurt … this time around."

Next up – "Chapter 2 – Shikai"

ST