Ichigo was bored. He'd briefly meditated but, at the moment, found meditation to be the opposite of relaxing. He had muddled his way through an overview of laws and rules for soul reapers. He'd even contemplated, albeit briefly, running away, but, after their talk last night, he considered Isane to be a friend, and you didn't walk out on friends. Ichigo was grateful she had let him stay out as long as she had, and he wouldn't replay that kindness by skipping out as soon as he got bored.

Not to mention there was no way out of his room that didn't pass a nurse's station.

Besides, she had a point about recklessly endangering his well-being. Until the observation period ended, not that he was counting down these last three hours, he would do his part. No matter how mind-numbingly dull he found waiting to be.

As much as Ichigo wanted a break from the monotony of the hospital, Yamamoto dropping in was not what he had in mind. His relationship with the man wasn't exactly close; Ichigo considered Yamamoto to be an intensely practical man and expected that, to Yamamoto, he was a means to the end of protecting soul society. All that to say, the Captain Commander's visit was a surprise.

"Head captain, thank you for visiting me." Ichigo always felt awkward speaking formally, but the Commander had thousands of years to get stuck in his ways. Most old men took eighty years to become crotchety; Yamamoto had thousands. The most frustrating part was that man wasn't always cranky; he could be downright welcoming, but only on occasion.

Ichigo knew that this was a public hospital staffed by Yamamoto's subordinates. He might not spiritually suppress Ichigo— He was in a hospital recovering from a procedure— but Ichigo would prefer to save whatever goodwill he could for more valuable concessions, like visiting his family.

"Kurosaki, I'm glad to see you are well. I heard there was some excitement after the sealing?"

Ichigo nodded and drew Yamamoto's attention to the sword rack. Not that the man hadn't noticed already, but it was only polite to get permission before inspecting another Shinigami's Zanpakuto.

Yamamoto started with the tanto. The shorter of the daisho had a straight silvery blade that felt sharp, even from across the room. The blade itself was edged on one side, nearly as long as a forearm, and ended in a wicked tip. The circular guard had a shrouded face toward the edge and a brighter face toward the handle, wrapped in navy blue cloth. "It is a beautiful blade. Is this the one you wielded in Shikai form? I'll admit, I expected that to be the larger of the two when I heard you had a daisho pair."

Ichigo agreed, "You're right in a way. Apparently, I was using a partial Shikai that borrowed from both aspects of Zangetsu. He said my full Shikai is similar but different." Ichigo huffed, "Zangetsu can be frustratingly vague when it suits him."

"I think that's a part of the nature of all shinigami powers, Ichigo. Zanpakuto's personalities reflect their wielder, but all are universally vague on such things, regardless of their wielder."

Ichigo nodded. "That's something I wanted to ask you about. With the two swords, I have two spirits. And they look nothing alike. Shiro Zangetsu is still unconscious, but I'm wondering if you have an idea of what to expect when he returns. Even now, he and his sword seem... lessened. Like the sword was missing that vital piece that let it be a weapon. Like it is a prop made of rubber, it looks the part but lacks the ability." Ichigo felt the discontent that comment had caused but continued. "The crack, at least, had begun closing in the day since the ritual.

"According to old man Zangetsu," here Ichigo gestured to the shorter blade, "Shiro there suppressed the hollow reiatsu from the final encroachment. Without him, I would be a Hollow. But that left him weak, so weak that the old man could take over and pretend to be my complete Zanpakuto. I've been in a partial Shikai from then until the ritual, and since he was released and Shiro was not, he could press the advantage indefinitely."

Ichigo sighed, "he has since claimed a change of heart— one perfectly coinciding with the completion of the sealing ritual."

Yamamoto raised one of his long eyebrows at that. "A mystery indeed. You would not be the first reaper to find himself at odds with his weapon. I'm surprised that you find yourself in such a dilemma, though having two blades complicates the matter. Usually, a shinigami that values others as highly as you do has little issue cooperating with his Zanpakuto."

Yamamoto seemed to consider the issue for a moment longer. "My students might be able to help. Shunsui and Jushiro each wield a pair of blades. Before yesterday they were the only such sets in soul society. Shunsui's blades in particular also have two aspects in spirit and sealed form; he might be able to tell you more."

Yamamoto spent a few more minutes chatting but soon excused himself and left Ichigo to his recovery.

Ichigo was grateful for the visit and the advice; he would track down Shunsui Kyoraku in…, two hours and forty-three minutes. He sighed again. Even if he knew that rest would help him recover his strength, he found the stillness stifling.

###

Shunsui Kyoraku was a gregarious man that, were his lieutenant's words to be believed, disdained paperwork and being responsible. Ichigo missed the full lecture, but the delivery seemed as practiced as the captain's disinterest.

Ichigo tried very hard not to gape at the trashy pink kimono that covered the captain haori, though he did notice that the man also had a daisho pair of Zanpakuto.

"Captain Kyoraku?"

Both the captain and the lieutenant seemed surprised at the interruption, through the lieutenant recovered faster.

"Hello, Mr. Kurosaki. May I help you?"

Ichigo grimaced at the terse formality; he was still adjusting to some of the more archaic customs here. "Thanks," he paused when he realized he did not get her name, "... Lieutenant. I had a bit of a surprise and was hoping Captain Kyoraku could help." Ichigo gestured to the two swords at his waist.

The still-unnamed lieutenant raised a manicured eyebrow at that, having evidently missed the two hilts previously.

"Let him in, little Nanao. This is undoubtedly more important than some requisitions forms, wouldn't you say? Come in, Ichigo."

Ichigo hesitantly followed the eager direction. The man spoke casually, but he would not insult someone he had approached for a favor. "Captain Kyoraku, Head Captain Yamamoto said you might help with a problem with my Zanpakuto."

"None of that, now, I'm Shunsui. Now, do you want a drink?"

Ichigo tried to remember what Chad had said of his encounter with the man. "Umm, thanks, but I'm underage."

"Nonsense, you are a member of the Gotei Thirteen. By our laws, you were old enough to drink when you manifested your Zanpakuto there."

Ichigo reminded himself he was asking for a favor. To again refuse the offered hospitality would be rude. He mentally sighed.

"Then thank you, Shunsui." Ichigo decided that he would have to be careful with how fast he drank: Shunsui seemed like both a practiced drinker and a man who would refill your drink without question.

As Ichigo accepted the saucer and took a tentative sip, all thoughts of Zangetsu fled when the sharp taste of liquor nearly made him choke. That was not the light beer he had tried before.

Shunsui laughed at Ichigo's visible distaste. "Not much of a drinker, then? Don't worry; we'll get you up to speed in no time."

Ichigo promised himself that this was one area he would not train. He pretended to take another sip but kept his lips closed. The drink still burned, but at least now it wasn't burning his throat.

"It's my sword, Zangetsu. He has two spirits, and the old man," here he rested a hand on the appropriate hilt, "used an opportunity to suppress Shiro. I manifested them right after becoming a shinigami, and I stayed in Shikai release ever since. I had no idea something was wrong until I woke up after a sealing ritual to an extra Zanpakuto."

Shunsio seemed appropriately shocked. "Ahh, so like you were talking to your girl, and just when you go to make your move suddenly there's two of her and the new one's yelling things like 'you asshole that's my sister' and 'stay away from us, you creep.'"

Ichigo was a bit dumbfounded and shook his head, "Umm, not really? It was…." He trailed off. "I trusted him. I've visited my inner world; I have Bankai. I felt that he was someone I could rely on unconditionally. And I had no idea he was deceiving me until after the ceremony. And he feels guilty about it, I could tell! But he, he distanced himself from it. Like it was someone else that suppressed Shiro."

Ichigo took an incautious sip. It still burned his throat, but he managed to swallow it this time. His throat burned, but the warmth was comforting.

Shunsui seemed more attentive than his carefree demeanor might otherwise suggest. "How did the one overpower the other? Usually paired blades are commensurate in strength?"

Ichigo explained the trial of the shattered shaft and sacrifice Shiro had made to prevent his Hollowification. It was a draining tale, but the warmth in his stomach made it somehow easier to tell.

"Ahh, that makes sense. Well, I guess the first thing you should know about swords like ours is that each blade takes on different aspects of their wielder's personality. Normal Zanpakuto reflects the whole thing, but paired sets play by different rules. For Katen Kyokotsu, Kyokotsu is playful and Katen serious. I can act either way, but each spirit favors only one aspect or the other."

Ichigo nodded along and took a less tentative sip. "Zangetsu said something like that. Apparently, the old man took on some Quincy aspects and Shiro some hollow aspects since I had both influences when Rukia woke them up."

Shunsui coughed and nearly dropped his saucer. "Could you run that past me again, Ichigo?" He silently refilled the young man's saucer.

"Well," Ichigo drawled, "mom was a Quincy, Dad was a captain. He said something about how a Hollow passed on to me when I was born, I guess? Since Rukia woke my powers up when I was still alive, and I had Hollow and Quincy influences, each sword, well, adopted one of them."

Ichigo looked at his full saucer and sat it down. He realized he'd shared more than he meant to already.

"I guess I'm wondering why the old man would do that?"

"What, marry your mom? Well, I've never been with a Quincy, but with their... abilities..."

Ichigo urgently cut the captain off. "No, not that; my spirit, dammit. Why old man Zangetsu would suppress Shiro."

Shunsui smirked. "That's not a question I can answer. Only you can." Here Shunsui grew more solemn. "Bankai is the final release because to enter Bankai is to fully synchronize between you and your Zanpakuto. As a side effect, it's impossible to hide your emotions from your blade, and vise versa. You already know one blade's heart; now, you need to learn his mind. Each has their own place in how we act."

Shunsui stood up and motioned for Ichigo to follow him.

"Come on, Ichigo. You'll never learn of your new blade's heart by talking to me about it."

###

Shunsui smirked as he faced Ichigo in the division training yard. The ground was a smooth pale grey stone, though broad lines of slightly darker stone throughout the area betrayed the recent damage.

It was a sunny day, the enduringly clear skies and slight breeze of the soul society surrounding them both. Ichigo held wooden facsimiles of his sealed blades, selected from the division supplies, but seemed unused to two blades. Bokken, or wooden swords, he had seen before. The steel core was new, though it did make the weight closer to his Zanpakuto. These swords were no less deadly for lacking a honed edge. A solid hit would break a bone or collapse a skull.

Ichigo looked at the conspicuously unarmed captain. "Are you sure you don't want a bokken?"

Shunsui smiled lightly. "I don't think I'll need them for this lesson, but I suppose if you prove me wrong, that's on me." He glanced at Ichigos swords, both in hand as they paced off. "You know, while many samurai carried daisho, few fought with both blades at the same time."

Ichigo nodded, well aware of the fact. "Yeah, it's just, with what's happened already, I can't favor one blade over the other. Maybe if I use them both, they'll learn to work with each other." Ichigo nervously looked down at the blades before trying stance; the longer, for Shiro, was in his right and Old Man's tanto in his left. He felt unbalanced by the weight in his left hand.

"Admirable, though for now, you may want to start with each blade individually before you attempt to combine the two. Most children walk before they learn to run."

Ichigo nodded; the advice was sound, but his gut told him that to rely on one blade or the other could weaken the fragile relationship with each. "I'll have to make sure I don't favor one or the other." The thought made him feel like a parent of particularly quarrelsome twins.

Ichigo shook his head to discard such distractions as he got into his starting stance. It felt off, but, at the moment, he had no idea how to resolve that.

Shunsui raised his eyebrows. Holding the sword directly in front was reasonably typical for one blade, but with two? How would he get his sword into position with only one hand to guide it? Using one hand made each sword slower and harder to control. And what was he doing with the left, just letting it sit there? It's like he had no idea what to do with the second sword. Shunsui smirked as he decided to test that theory. He shunpod to Ichigo's right side and attacked with a blatant kick.

Ichigo's response was instinctual. When he felt the captain's reiatsu gather around his legs and saw him glance and crouch, he knew the captain was about to flash step. Ichigo pivoted back with his right foot to buy space and time, brought the right arm and sword around to block, and pulled his left hand up near the right shoulder to support the blocking blade.

Ichigo had spent a long time fighting with massive swords. Hollows and Shinigami alike had each served to hone his experience, his mastery, his instinct. In this case, that instinct betrayed him.

For a single blade, bringing the sword around to block is a common maneuver. For Ichigo, who often supported the weight of his blade against impact with the off-hand, the addition of a second sword proved disastrous. As he twisted and brought his left hand back to support the right's wooden practice sword, he felt the stinging sensation of a solid hit on his right shoulder— past his guard. Before Shunsui's kick even reach him.

Had he used Zangetsu, he would have just stabbed himself with his own sword.

Shunsui didn't even bother to follow through on his attack as he laughed.

"You know, Ichigo, traditionally, you're supposed to stab the other guy. At least now I know why old man Yama liked teaching so much; this is priceless."

Ichigo could only growl as he retook the stance.

This time when Shunsui deliberately attacked Ichigo's left side, he successfully guarded with the tanto but found his katana unable to react to the pink-clothed man's follow-up. This time, Shunsui started talking while maintaining the attack.

"Your blade is out of position. The first thing you have to realize about dual-wielding," Shunsui started, his good humor fading, "is that you have less control of each sword. With a one-sword style, you can use both hands to control the blade, giving you unparalleled responsiveness and control. It is easier to feint and harder to over-extend." Shunsui punctuated this point with a series of attacks that, while not fast, Ichigo found himself incapable of blocking. "With dual-wielding, you have half the control over twice the number of blades." Shunsui swept high and low with fist and foot as Ichigo attempted to block both. Ichigo's defense buckled on both counts.

"To train yourself to use both swords at once is to master dual wielding." Ichigo winced as one strike after another tapped the self-inflicted bruise on his shoulder. "For now, you are not ready for such an effort. Defend with your tanto and attack with the katana. The longer blade makes it better suited to an offensive role anyway."

Ichigo nodded; it seemed like a reasonable way to leverage the advantage of a second sword. Ichigo decided to attack this time, leading with an upwards slash aimed at the annoying man's crotch. He knew it was a cheap shot, but Ichigo also felt that, even if he didn't have anything particular in mind, Shunsui definitely had it coming.

"Nuh-uh-uh, we can't have that," the captain chided as he lazily blocked Ichigo's attack. He flicked his wrist, and Ichigo found himself one sword lighter as he suddenly had to defend against an onslaught of strikes with a much smaller sword than he was used to.

Ichigo quickly realized that the smaller blade was much faster and focused on meeting each attack and deflecting them rather than stopping them cold like he often did with larger, heavier blades. This wasn't a sword he could hide behind. Shunsui still prevented him from re-arming, but Ichigo decided to take a moment to get more comfortable with the old man Zangetsu's new form. The smaller blade fit the methodical spirit, each thrust carefully controlled to lead into the next, and each deflection giving a small window for the sort of probing attack Ichigo was all too familiar with.

In time, Shunsui took a step back and looked at Ichigo appraisingly. "You're getting used to the smaller already, though it will take time for you to reach the level of proficiency you are used to. Set that one aside for the moment and pick up the larger blade. You're going to continue to use only the one hand."

Ichigo nodded and got into a cautious stance. At first, he tried to fight like he was holding the tanto still, but the larger blade's inertia foiled the strategy. He found himself using the length to keep the irritatingly competent fighter at bay, but his efforts felt clumsy, even to him.

He finally made a probing attack, the kind meant to break up the rhythm of an opponent's movement. Shunsui dodged, of course, but then spiked the top of the Ichigo's bokken near the grip with his own. Ichigo watched as his longer blade fell out of his hands again.

"With one hand and the heavier blade, your grip is much weaker. Try again, but don't overextend. With one hand, it is much easier to do."

Ichigo took a moment to consider the other Zangetsu. The old man was methodical, controlled. He was 'progress.' What would that make Shiro? Regression? No, the old man said they were different, not opposites. He looked over to the manifested blades. The curved katana was a slashing weapon; though the point was sharp enough to stab if needed, his style could not rely on it. He thought back to the time when Shiro had taken over his body during the fight with Byakuya. He was wild, aggressive. He had attacked with wide swings and defended with violent blocks.

Shiro was aggression, anger, and hate made manifest. Ichigo could work with that.

Shunsui noticed the change in Ichigo's stance immediately. Before, Ichigo held the blade as if he was unfamiliar with it— like the weight threw off his balance and coordination. Now he flowed with the blade-like it was an extension of his arm, of his soul.

Ichigo started with a wide slash, and Shunsui smiled. Finally, they could get started.