Ichigo breathed a sigh of contentment. As birds sang and insects chirped, the very air exuded serenity. He found himself at the Yamamoto Estate, as he so often did, discussing his training with the Captain Commander, when Ichigo shared the results of his medical exam.

He intentionally did not bring up their previous discussions on the nature of justice and the law. He had started researching the laws of soul society, but he was far from ready to debate the head captain on a topic so near to his heart.

Yamamoto was also upset when he had discovered Ichigo had used the room of reflection while on light duty. It turns out, 'mediation' and 'learning to stand under the massive weight of your own spiritual pressure' were completely different things. After enduring yet another lecture on how unsafe training would hurt more than it would help, Ichigo turned the conversion to the upcoming ritual, whatever that meant.

"Hmm," Yamamoto mused, "I'm surprised they recommended the ritual of sealing. Usually, the Healers like to leave ritualistic interventions as a last resort."

Ichigo grimaced at the reminder of his injury. "Apparently, my spiritual channels have been thoroughly worked over. Isane mentioned something about residual scarring. And it's not like I gained my powers through meditation."

Yamamoto tsked, "Such shortcuts always have their drawbacks, Ichigo. Quick power is a dangerous path to walk, one that ends in ruin."

"So you've told me. Honestly, it was so much easier to ignore your advice before the doctor chewed me out for being irresponsible. Still, I'm interested in how much the damage to my channels has affected me. Since the first damage occurred when Rukia first transferred her powers to me, I've never actually been a Shinigami without some degree of damage."

Yamamoto motioned for a refill of his tea. "I've damaged my channels before, though not to the same extent that you have described. When I was first learning to use my Shikai, the fiery nature of my energy demanded control above what I then possessed. The energy was my own, so I was never injured irreparably, but it took time to master the fine degree of control needed to prevent further harm. When my channels were injured, I had even more trouble controlling my energy. It was like trying to see while looking through a sheet of gauze versus looking through a pane of glass. Where before I could feel and control with detail and precision after I could only guess as to shape and nature."

Yamamoto thanked his retainer for the tea, as Ichigo also accepted a second cup. "That's actually really promising," he mused. "While my Zanpakuto favors power over finesse, I always felt my spiritual senses were poor. Ishida loved to make fun of me for it, actually. At some point, I think I just accepted that precise control would never be mine."

"Do not abandon an unhoned blade because it is not sharp. Even if fine control will never be your priority, it is an important aspect of your power to hone. Tell me, have you ever noticed people avoiding you, especially those of lesser spiritual power?"

Ichigo was stunned. "Wait, you're telling me people avoid me because of my control?"

"That is precisely what I am telling you. Walking around the Seireitei with your power unchecked is a threat to any and all you encounter. If your power trumps theirs, it will crush the weaker's very spirit. You've felt this before." Ichigo snorted; that was one way to put it. "When you do so, you are telling someone that they live at your mercy. But it is not just a telling, but rather an assurance they cannot discount or ignore. As a threat, even a naked blade cannot compare, for anyone can display a sword, but suppression of the spirit requires actual superiority of power. Such a show of strength is a blatant threat to those less powerful; likely, only lieutenants and stronger would not feel stifled by your aura when you first started training control. You have gotten better, but most unseated shinigami would likely feel uncomfortable in your presence even still. Support staff or merchants would be even more strongly affected."

Ichigo thought back to his time in the Seireitei. "So say a food vendor in the market district, how would I make them feel?"

Yamamoto briefly considered the character and quality of Ichigo's aura. "Right now, they would likely find your presence supremely uncomfortable. Perhaps they would feel as if you hold a blade to their throat or that you could kill them with a single thought and very well might. The sensation differs between both the affected and the shinigami in question. Most see my aura, when visible, as flames. I've heard that many feel my aura as an increase in the temperature of the air, but some feel as if their blood has started to boil. On the other hand, to me, your aura is closest to the feel of the edge of a blade. Violence with a purpose, waiting to be unleashed."

Ichigo nodded; that would explain why so many seemed to avoid him in the streets. "What about before I started training my aura?"

"Before you begin your exercises in the room of reflection, your natural aura might very well have created sensations of being cut or made it hard to breathe. Some might even see visions of their death at your hands. Most would have found your presence to spark terror."

Ichigo felt indignant, "it's not like I want to scare them! I literally can't help it. Besides, I bet Kenpachi is like one hundred times worse."

Yamamoto cracked an eye open and stared at Ichigo. "Of all people, do you genuinely want to model yourself after Zaraki Kenpachi?"

"..."

Yamamoto seemed satisfied with Ichigo's nonresponse as he settled back into his chair. "Good, one Zaraki is more than enough. Still, you have made an effort in this, and people realize. Most souls grow slowly, acclimating to each increase in power before the next. Control often lags slightly behind overall power, but is never abandoned completely. The nobles, known for being born with higher energy levels, have developed methods to develop control in their children. And you never learned these methods, that control, before you gained your powers."

"Hey! It's not like I could really use my spiritual power when I was alive."

"Still, what most take for granted you will need to hone over long periods of practice. But control will certainly benefit you in more ways than just your reception among the Seireitei. Let us speak in the hypothetical: You are tasked the subduing someone, say at the power level of Lieutenant Abarai. He has vital information on an upcoming hollow attack and cannot be allowed to escape or perish. How do you capture him?"

Ichigo could see the obvious conclusion. The old man wasn't feeling subtle today. Still, Ichigo reflected, two could play that game.

"I would cut off his legs."

"And then the man dies of blood loss."

"Then I use senka to strip his shinigami powers."

"With that absurd cleaver of yours? You'd chop the poor man in half, which is usually fatal. Besides, the loss of one's own shinigami ability is not something you can reverse."

Ichigo's shoulders slumped, he didn't want to satisfy the old man, but he could read the writing on the wall. "Bakudo. Those need control, don't they?"

"Exactly. Now observe: Bakudo No 81: Denku."

At a seemingly casual gesture from the captain commander, a clear pane of force materialized in front of the two shinigami.

Ichigo had almost let himself forget; despite all of his love of questions and tea, the captain commander sharpened his skill for centuries on end.

"Now, Ichigo, fire one of your energy attacks at that shield."

"Weren't you just yelling about me being on light duty?"

Yamamoto fired back immediately. "I didn't tell you to spar or exert yourself, insolent boy. That attack requires less exertion from you than most mortals encounter in a flight of stairs."

Ichigo spluttered and finally complied. He could only stare in awe as, when the bale blue crescent of energy hit the shield, it disappeared with naught but a ripple crossing the surface of the panel. It looked like someone had dived into a still pond, leaving waves traversing the surface but with no sign of the attack itself. These ripples quickly faded, leaving behind a pristine plane for force. Ichigo was surprised; while he had not attempted to empower the attack, he had not held back.

"This spell can block any Hado below level 90. As you just demonstrated, the effect extends to other forms of attacks. You consider yourself a protector, Ichigo, but your powers favor attacking. That preference is true of most shinigami powers. When you need to defend, such a spell is an irreplaceable asset."

As he stood up and inspected the construct, Ichigo could only agree. It was still now, the ripples long past, twice as tall as he and half again as wide as he could spread his arms.

Yamamoto continued, "When you practice, try starting with Sokatsui, Hado 33. It's relatively simple structurally, can be cast with a similar amount of reiryoku as your getsuga, and can be overcharged to great effect. When you master that, you may consider working on the Bakudos but understand that the control requirements are much stricter on that front."

Ichigo agreed, knowing that Yamamoto would leave which bakudo to learn at Ichigo's discretion. The man loved setting a task and watching how Ichigo approached it. Still, the Commander obviously knew a thing or two about kido; the barrier was impressive. It looked like a sheet of water suspended in the air, one he could push through with minimal effort.

Out of curiosity, Ichigo poked the distortion of force.

"Poking an unknown energy construct is a good way to lose a finger. You are fortunate that spell is entirely defensive."

Ichigo grimaced; that was a fair point. But then, Yamamoto had just confirmed it was safe to test. He continued to prod the shield, all to no effect.

Yamamoto interrupted Ichigo as he was reaching for Zangetsu. "None of that now. You don't want to get in trouble for violating your duty restriction. I assure you, even with your 'ban' release, you are not capable of breaking such a barrier. Then again, with your speed, breaking the shield should not be your first objective."

Ichigo nodded and returned to his seat. Control was more than just the path he must walk to see his family again. His name meant 'the first guardian,' and every protector needed a shield.

It was a good thing he didn't mind meditation. After all, he had to prepare for a ritual. Whatever that was.

###

(five days later)

Ichigo woke up in the fourth division hospital room, a simple room without windows or decorations, a headache splitting his head, and an unpleasant weakness coursing through his body.

It had started typically enough; the day of the exam, he followed instructions to the letter and reported to the fourth division for the ritual. Isane Kotetsu was his primary healer now, though he wasn't sure when that had happened, and so she walked him through the procedure.

That was a revelation to Ichigo: while it was called a ritual, with an operating room free of foreign reiatsu, lots of lights, anesthesia, and a support staff of healers and nurses, this was the soul society's version of surgery. And here he was, expecting incense, chanting, and circles drawn in blood.

Isane had laughed at him when he suggested that and explained just how unsanitary that would be. As if he didn't already know. Still, it was a reassuring flashback to his old life in a way he didn't realize he missed.

The procedure was straightforward - since Ichigo's control was insufficient to seal his Zanpakuto, they would first use medicine to quell the spirit's passive defenses against foreign intrusion and then put Ichigo under to prevent any active interference. At this point, the healer would forcefully suppress his energy until the sword reverted to its sealed state. It required exceptional control, especially since foreign reiatsu is always more challenging to control than a person's own energy. Further, the healer's reiryoku levels must approximate the patients, or the healer would be washed away in the flood of power.

The whole thing sounded a bit insane to Ichigo, but he supposed that to the unfamiliar, cutting someone open, but carefully, to make them better, would be just as ridiculous. Still, he was glad it was Isane performing the ritual and not that blonde with the glasses. Who asks someone preparing for surgery to join some boys club?

Regardless, the surgery started well enough, and up until he got the anesthesia, Ichigo thought it went smoothly. 'So why does my head feel like Karin used it as a soccer ball?'

It seemed that the nurses alerted someone to his newfound consciousness, as no sooner had he had the thought, Captain Unohana entered the room trailed by Isane.

"Ah, I see you are up. I'm glad to see that. Tell me, how do you feel?"

Ichigo was worried that the captain decided she needed to visit him, but perhaps this was just her making the rounds. He shook his head, then winced at the mistake. "My head is killing me, and I feel a lot weaker power-wise, but other than that, I'm fine."

Unohana hummed, "Well, the weakness is to be expected. Your Shikai, at the very least, enhances the potency of your reiryoku and enhances your body's strength and speed. You've likely been in Shikai so long you grew unaccustomed to lacking such enhancement."

Ichigo agreed, though he intentionally avoided nodding. "And the headache?"

Here Isane spoke up. "That's why I've asked Captain Unohana to be here. There were two complications during your procedure. The first, and most minor, was the confirmation that you did not bind your zanpakuto to an Asauchi. We had discussed the possibility, and your suspicions that Urahara did not provide a nameless blade, so the absence was expected, though it did make the procedure slightly more difficult."

She paused then and gathered her thoughts. "The second complication, though, was definitely a surprise. It wasn't a complication, per se, more a discovery after the ritual finished. When we completed the procedure and saw your sealed blade, well..." She trailed off, "there was more than one. Blade, that is."

She gestured to the sword rack that seemed to be a standard for Shinigami accommodations. Sure enough, resting innocuously on the wooden pegs was a Daisho pair he immediately knew to be Zangetsu, despite never seeing this form before.

The blades were different yet the same. The longer sword curved like most Zanpukuto, a gentle arc, while the shorter was straight. One blade was nearly three feet long while the other was under one foot. But each was Zangetsu. Each had the same polished black sheath, matching circular silver guards, and deep blue cloth wrapping the handle.

"Two Swords!?"

Unohana gave a smile, less intimidating for Ichigo's apparent surprise. "I see you are surprised as well. I would have been cross with you had you knowingly withheld such information." She continued, "Now it seems that the process you used to gain your powers, the shattered shaft, had even more side effects than we originally anticipated." her glare at this point lived up to every whispered rumor. "It's not surprising, in hindsight, that such a reckless approach left damage in its wake. Still, the apparent suppression of half of your Zanpakuto spirit will be a poignant object lesson for future shinigami who fall into the temptation of the path of taking such shortcuts."

Ichigo sulked; these healers did not like Urahara's methods. Isane's visible vindication was proof he would find no allies there. Still, he could at least change the topic. "So, what do I do now? Is the other Zangetsu alright?"

Here Unohana seemed regretful, though she motioned for Isane to explain. "This aspect of Zangetsu has likely been suppressed since the trial of the shattered shaft nearly a month ago. That level of suppression, to the extent he did not appear even in your inner world… it's not healthy, for the spirit or the shinigami." She sighed, "you should this see for yourself," then stepped over to the swords, his swords, and gently unsheathed the larger blade.

Zangetsu had a crack running down the length of the blade, and the blade itself seemed clouded. The spiritual impression felt like a wound left by a hollow.

Ichigo drew in a harsh breath as he numbly reached for the battered blade. "How can I fix this?"

"You need to strengthen the spirit to strengthen the sword. Connect to this aspect of Zangetsu, and learn what you can. If he is enraged, then do what you can to calm him. For now, avoid using his blade in combat; it's simply not strong enough. Do make an effort to practice with both blades. We gave you an Asauchi while you were out, and you imprinted quickly due to your power. Practicing with the blades will strengthen the bond."

Here Unohana took over. "Whatever you do, no advanced releases, Shikai or Bankai, until one of us clears you. It would be best if you gave your blade time to heal and improve your control to the point where you can reseal your blades without assistance before you reactivate a higher release. Healing the damage will take time. At the moment, the best advice I can give you is to seek your inner world." She paused as if measuring her words and offered one last piece of advice. "Sometimes, often, what we want and what our zanpakuto want are not perfectly aligned. Try to understand the reason behind what happened, and you will learn much of Zangetsu."

The conversation wound down from there, and the healers bade him farewell and left the room. Ichigo barely made the correct responses, his attention captivated by the fractured blade before him, its partner resting innocuously on the rack at the foot of his bed.

Hours later, he had not moved.

Zangetsu had better have a damn good explanation.

Notes:

As always, thank you for reading. Another thank you to those who have followed, favorited, or reviewed this story. I appreciate everyone who has taken to time to enjoy this story with me.

This is the first big change to the way things played out in cannon besides Ichigo staying in soul society. It's a bit of a cliffhanger, more by necessity than design. Sometimes life throws a wrench in our carefully laid plans, and we have to figure out what to do. For Ichigo, this is one such time. If you were wondering why Zangetsu seemed nervous earlier, well now you know.

As an aside, I didn't want to write one of those: 'What would it be like if we made only one change to cannon' stories. All too often they end up following cannon rather than telling a new story. My goal here is to tell a new and interesting story, so don't expect this to be the last divergence from canon.

If you want to know why Ichigo's second sword is only showing up now, come back next week for a chapter I haven't actually named yet.