When Raphael opened his eyes, he was staring up at a dark ceiling.

If not for the dank smell and the dull pain at the back of his skull, he would have doubted that he regained consciousness at all. He forced himself to sit up and tried to get his eyes to adjust. "Don't force yourself," an unfamiliar voice told him. "Just let your body get used to your surroundings."

Raphael scrambled to his feet even as he realized that he was a lot more sore than he had thought. As he slowly got adjusted to the darkness, he could make out a figure sitting a few feet away from where he had been recuperating. There were several things that looked like pillars casting an even inkier gloom around certain places, leading Raphael to believe that they were in a subway tunnel, probably long abandoned. Their locale could wait, though.

"Who're you?" Raphael demanded.

"A friend," came the reply.

"Right," Raphael scoffed. "And I'm the flippin' king 'a England."

"A blunt one," the voice said, somewhat amused. "Well, your Majesty, you're certainly entitled to your beliefs and opinions. However, you're in something of a dangerous situation. If someone claims to be your friend, it would be in your best interests to hear what they have to say before making judgments, no?"

Raphael considered the words carefully. From what he could make of the voice, he was dealing with a woman. He thought for a moment that this might be the cat companion of Urahara's, but the more his eyes adjusted, the more he saw that she definitely had a human appearance. Though he was still a little scattered from his fight with Hitsugaya, he remembered the shinigami say something about being accompanied by a female lieutenant. Since he lost consciousness during battle, it was safe to assume that he had been captured. "If you're part 'a that Soul Society cult, then ya can forget about us bein' friends, got that?"

The woman said nothing for a long time. At length, she rose to her feet, her silhouette proving that she was indeed a human female. "Maybe it'd comfort you to know that I'm something of an exile from Soul Society, then." She walked past Raphael, adding, "Me and Kisuke Urahara both."

Surprised, Raphael turned around, not wanting to lose her in the darkness. "Hey! Wait a sec!" Following her as he blindly navigated the unfamiliar terrain, Raphael called out, "Ya know that insufferable nitwit?"

"I taught that insufferable nitwit most of what he knows," she replied wryly. "And in turn, he's taught me a couple of the tricks he keeps up his sleeve. But only a couple. Kisuke doesn't like it when other people know as much as he does. Makes him uncomfortable."

"Know what makes me uncomfortable?" Raphael brought up, walking besides her now. He was able to tell that she was wearing an orange shirt or jacket and that her long hair was done up in a high ponytail. Though her hazel eyes seemed to shine a little in the gloom, he could distinguish little else about her features. "Somehow findin' myself in the middle 'a some big talk about souls and about monsters terrorizin' my city. That makes me just a little bit uncomfortable."

"Serves you right," she shot back without looking at him. "Ichigo could have destroyed that Hollow on his own; no one asked you to jump in and try to rescue his sisters. Don't take it the wrong way, but anything that doesn't look human shouldn't interfere in a battle with someone who's used to dispersing evil."

"Listen lady, I don't know where ya get off on-" Raphael stopped in mid-sentence, realizing something. "How ya know how I met Ichigo? Were ya there? Didja just happen to… no. No, Ichigo said that coincidence never figured into anything that involved Urahara. That was planned, wasn't it? That schemin', good-for-nothing bastard purposely put two little girls-"

"My, you're even more talkative than Ichigo." The woman stopped and turned to look at him. "While Urahara has staged some similar escapades, it never involved an actual threat. So you can rest assured that no little girls were endangered in the introduction of you and Ichigo. There are these marvelous inventions that I believe are known as cell phones, through which some people communicate. Ichigo and I did just that while you were resting. That's how I came by my knowledge."

As Raphael wondered how much of what she said could be trusted, the woman reached out and a harsh, bright light suddenly pierced through the darkness. Raphael fought the urge to cry out as he shielded his eyes. It took him a few moments, but when he saw that there was no one besides him, he realized that she had opened a door and had stepped through it.

Blinking a few times from the brightness in the next room, Raphael walked in and kept both hands on his sai. He didn't know how useful they'd be, but if he could make out the form of the woman in the darkness and she proclaimed to be an "exile" from Soul Society, then she was clearly not a shinigami and he at least had a fighting chance. Especially if he could see her.

He didn't walk too far into the room before he realized that there was something very, very peculiar about this. Though he had been willing to bet that he was being held in some sort of underground tunnel, he was now… outside. This definitely ain't New York City anymore, Toto.

Rolling hills, lush trees, and a blue sky awaited him on the other side of that door. He could even feel a warm summer breeze, even though Christmas had just been the day before. Looking back, Raphael saw the door leading to what looked like a black rectangle behind him, seeming horribly out of place with no walls or anything marking this as a room.

But it was a room. Even after his eyes adjusted, Raphael could tell that the light was a little too bright to be sunlight, the grass too green to be the walking grounds of animals, the breeze a bit too direct to be a product of nature. It was a simulation, and nothing more.

"Looks like naptime's over, eh?"

Raphael whirled around at the sound of the voice. Sitting atop one of the small hills was Ichigo. He was twirling something on his index finger as he looked at Raphael almost solemnly. When he saw he had Raphael's attention, Ichigo stopped twirling it and stood up. "I heard they sent Toushiro after you. All things considered, I guess you didn't come out too bad."

A dark-skinned woman with purple hair stepped up besides Ichigo, and Raphael managed to make out that this was the same woman that had led him here. If she was partnered with Ichigo, then maybe he hadn't just walked into a trap. "He's headstrong and vocal," she told Ichigo dryly. "This is going to be the most even match I've seen in ages."

"Match?" Raphael asked, suddenly apprehensive. "Whaddaya mean, match? I ain't fightin' Ichigo."

"Of course you are, Raphael-san!" The turtle looked to see that the disturbingly pleasant voice came from Urahara, who appeared out of nowhere and was now walking towards Raphael with a cane in hand. "You see, I promised that I'd help train your spirit sense, didn't I? Well, what better way to train it than to match it against someone whose rietsu matches yours almost perfectly?"

"So long as you ignore all of the training I've already had," Ichigo remarked.

"Ah, yes," Urahara commented good-naturedly, "but you were never trained to be a ninja! Oh, this is going to be so entertaining, Yoruichi! Thank you for getting Raphael-san out of that sticky situation with Hitsugaya-kun."

"Yoruichi?" Raphael asked, confused. When a quick look around proved that there was no cat in the vicinity, Raphael looked up at the woman who had led him here. "Wait… you're Yoruichi? I thought somebody said ya were supposed to be a cat."

"Be thankful," Ichigo told him as he descended the hill. "She could have transformed in front of you and forgotten to put on clothes."

"I didn't forget," Yoruichi said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I simply find them much too confining. At least felines don't feel insecure about seeing one another in the buff."

"Now, now," Urahara mused in a placating tone. He passed by Raphael and winked at the turtle as he continued towards Ichigo. "Yoruichi isn't one for modesty, but who can rightfully blame her?" Turning towards Ichigo now, he continued, "This will be rather simple. Once Kurosaki's entered his shinigami form, we will train Raphael to be able to see him. Once his eyes are open, they will battle. I'll assess Raphael's progress and we shall continue from there."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Raphael began. "What's this gonna prove? And how's Ichigo supposed to go all shinigami without Kon around?"

"This will prove a most interesting hypothesis," Urahara answered. "I'm afraid that's all I can say right now."

"Why?" Raphael inquired.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Urahara queried. When Raphael didn't answer, Urahara grinned and held up a finger, as though announcing an amazing statement. "If I say anymore, it'll ruin the surprise!"

Raphael stared at Urahara blankly before turning to Ichigo, who was now standing side-by-side with the strange man. "Is he always this much of a whackjob?"

Though there was no direct translation for "whackjob" in Japanese, Ichigo didn't need a translator to understand Raphael's question. "More or less." Holding up the object that he had been twirling before, Ichigo presented it as some sort of badge. "This was given to me by Soul Society when I became a substitute shinigami," he explained. "Remember, I said that I had a way to leave my body without using Kon, but it left my body defenseless. At least with Yoruichi-san watching over it, I know it won't get damaged." Giving Urahara a hard look, he asked, "Right?"

With another agreeable grin, Urahara remarked, "Why, you can trust me!"

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo muttered, "That's not what I asked."

"Enough!" Yoruichi called to them from her post atop the hill. "Your childish banter can wait until after we've prepared Raphael to deal with Soul Society." Looking directly at the turtle, she told him, "We're not going to go easy on you, Raphael. We can understand your desire to live a peaceful life with your family, and we're going to see to it that you get it. It just so happens that it's rare to experience peace without first going to battle. I don't recommend that you antagonize anyone, but you'd be surprised what sort of casual behavior can be interpreted as antagonistic in Soul Society. If everything I've heard from Ichigo and Kisuke is true, then you've got a lot of questions. Put those questions aside right now and concentrate on doing your best to beat up Ichigo. You probably won't get a chance like that again!"

Raphael looked up at the woman staring down at him with a stern expression. She almost looked like some sort of a professional, and she was giving him the go-ahead to beat down an ally during a spar. It seemed rather ruthless. With a smirk, Raphael remarked, "Call me crazy, lady, but I like ya."

"All right, you're a crazy lady," Urahara stated. "A crazy lady who should consider ducking."

Before he could look at Urahara and ask what he meant, Raphael felt something strike his jaw. Caught off-guard, Raphael stumbled back and looked around. Though he couldn't see anything, he noticed that Urahara was now propping up Ichigo's slack body. It didn't take a genius to realize that Ichigo had gone into his shinigami form and snuck in an easy shot.

"You sneaky twerp!" Raphael growled out. "That's cheatin'!"

"Technically," Urahara brought up as he dragged Ichigo's body to the foot of the hill upon which Yoruichi was standing, "we never specifically laid out any ground rules. We simply said that we were going to train you to see him."

"And him blindsidin' me is your idea of trainin'?!" Raphael asked, moments before getting his feet kicked out from under him.

"Precisely, Ichigo," Yoruichi said. As though realizing that Raphael couldn't hear what Ichigo had said, she explained, "The shinigami won't wait until you can see them. Even after training your spirit powers, they have the advantage of using the flash step, which will make them virtually invisible."

"Okay, okay," Raphael growled, taking out his sai as he made his way to his feet. He remembered that Hitsugaya had seemed to disappear in front of him and had mentioned something about Raphael's speed being no use against someone like him. "I get the point. Now shut up so I can concentrate!"

"Put the weapons away, Raphael-san," Urahara called. "We're not at that stage yet."

"Are ya kiddin'?" Raphael yelled. "Ya expect me to spar with some guy who's fightin' dirty and not even lettin' me use my-" Suddenly, he could feel Ichigo's hands reach out for the handles of his sai, as though meaning to disarm him. Working on instinct, Raphael wrenched his weapons away and kicked out in front of him. Judging by the fine spray of dirt that rose from the ground, he had sent Ichigo rolling.

"My, that was fast," Urahara murmured, impressed.

"No," Yoruichi replied, having a better vantage point. "That was dumb luck."

"Oh," Urahara pouted. "Pity."

"Will ya quit yappin'?" Raphael barked out. "Nobody ever said this was some kinda spectator sport." Raphael tried to calm himself down. That typically helped, didn't it? Taking in a deep breath, he tried to think of times when he's fought blindfolded. An opponent can't move towards you without causing some kind of disturbance in the air-

Raphael cried out in surprised when he was hit sharply in the stomach, sending him reeling back. "You bastards," he snarled when he felt his sai being forced from his hands. "What the hell kinda place is this; some kinda vacuum or somethin'?"

"Why yes, in a way!" Urahara answered proudly as Raphael tried to dart for his weapons. "It's one of my own designs! This is the only other one in existence outside of the one beneath my shop! It's not quite as perfect, as it hasn't been aired out since its completion, but it's still quite remarkable. It works best when both of the sparring partners are spirit beings, or at least those with a high spirit sense. I'm afraid that, as you're tied down to your earthly body and senses, it will actually work to your detriment." Being able to see Ichigo drag Raphael away from his discarded weapons by his leg, Urahara scratched his head and wondered, "Should I have mentioned that before?"

"Don't bother with your weapons!" Yoruichi commanded of Raphael. "Even if you cut him, you won't be able to see his blood, and it will either do little damage or too much. Focus on being able to see him."

Raphael kicked at the hand that was hauling him away from his weapons and scrambled away from where Ichigo was. There was no way he was going to be calm about this. And if being calm was supposed to help him see, then it wasn't likely that he'd succeed.

But wait… Ichigo wasn't calm. According to Yoruichi, Ichigo's temperament wasn't too different from Raphael's. And yet their spirit powers had a common enough pattern to catch Urahara's eye. They had something in common. Something that made them stronger. "What are ya fightin' for, Ichigo?" Raphael whispered. "Why did ya start fightin'?"

"My family was in danger of being killed by a Hollow…."

That's what Ichigo had said when he was explaining his background to Raphael and Splinter. "My family was in danger…." That's why he became a shinigami. His family needed him. And he needed to protect his family.

"And when you have something to protect, you become much stronger."

Karin. Ichigo's little sister had known all this time. The source to her shinigami brother's powers was the need to protect. And she didn't know it as a source of power; she only knew it as a way of life.

Deep in his thoughts, Raphael hardly noticed when Ichigo hit him again, sending him to the floor. He pretended to need a moment to regroup while he went through his memories. He had seen the vague outline of the Hollow when Karin and Yuzu—two strangers—were in trouble. He managed to see the Menos Grande and at least hear Ichigo when that woman had died—and when Leonardo needed his help. And then, on the rooftop, he was able to actually see Hitsugaya… because he needed to get to his family and make sure they were all right.

That was it. That was the common link. Both Raphael and Ichigo felt that need to protect others, and the stronger that need became, the stronger each of them became.

If I do the wrong thing, Raphael realized as he rose, if I don't make the grade before those Soul Society creeps find me, then Leo or the others might get caught up with that mad scientist captain 'a theirs. I can't let that happen.

Catching a flash of orange out of the corner of his eye, Raphael grabbed hold of Ichigo's fist just before it would have collided with his face. "Sorry Ichigo," he told the surprised shinigami. "I just can't let that happen." He flipped Ichigo over, forcing the boy to land rather hard on his back. Even as Ichigo groaned, Raphael remarked, "Hey, ya look good in shinigami clothes."

"My, my, more dumb luck?" Urahara asked as Raphael moved to retrieve his sai.

"Hardly," Yoruichi smirked, her eyes never leaving Raphael.

"He's certainly a fast learner," Urahara commented, feigning surprise. Clapping his hands, he enthusiastically hollered, "Well done, Raphael-san! Most impressive! Now that your eyes are working, let's see how the rest of you measures up, eh? Draw your weapon when ready, Kurosaki-san!"

"Pfft, piece 'a cake," Raphael scoffed. Watching Ichigo make his way to his feet, Raphael lazily twirled his sai in his hands. "Now that I can see 'im and got your so-called permission to use my sai to kick his can, this is gonna be pretty cut 'n dry."

"Heh," Ichigo laughed dryly. Besides being a bit dusty, he looked none the worse for wear. "Sorry, Raphael. But you're just a little too cocky." When Ichigo reached behind him, Raphael realized that the shinigami seemed to have some sort of large package strapped to his back. It wasn't until Ichigo unsheathed it that he realized it wasn't a package. It was a monstrosity of a sword.

There was no guard, and the blade was probably as long as Raphael was tall. It looked more like an overgrown butcher knife than it did a katana, which is what Raphael had assumed all shinigami fought with. "What the heck is that thing?" Raphael sputtered.

"Its name is Zangetsu," Ichigo told him. "He's my zanpakutō. Or, roughly translated… my soul slayer."

Despite the intimidating phrase for the sword, Raphael remarked, "Don'tcha think you're overcompensatin' a bit there, buddy?"

Ignoring Raphael's comment, Ichigo glanced back at Urahara and Yoruichi. "Oi! Don't you think it's kind of unfair, me coming at him with Zangetsu while all he's got are those little things?"

"Oh, we are not gettin' into a discussion about size!" Raphael snarled.

"Belittling the size of his sai?" Urahara mentioned. "What a rather dry pun!"

"Quiet, Kisuke," Yoruichi scolded. To Ichigo she said, "Maneuvering may be difficult, which is why you will merely defend yourself until he gives you cause to attack. Use only the barest limits of your power until he proves worthy of using more."

"Didn't figure I had to prove nuthin'," Raphael remarked. "C'mon, Ichigo. Ya came at me in the water while I was tryin' to save your sister, and I couldn't see ya then. Don't go skimpin' out on me now that I've got a fix on ya."

"Hurting you wouldn't achieve anything," Ichigo replied. "Just come at me and I'll try not to break your weapons until you start annoying me. Who knows; it might not take long."

"Ya got some mouth, kid!" Raphael growled as he charged at Ichigo.

The tips of his sai clashed with the broad side of Ichigo's sword. Though they posed no danger of going through, Ichigo was still surprised that Raphael was strong enough to exert so much pressure on Zangetsu that he was being pushed back. Nevertheless, he countered with, "There's a saying you have here in the West. Something about a pot calling a kettle black. I never really got it when I learned it in English class, but I think you're what some would call a textbook example of it."

"Cute," Raphael grunted. "Really… friggin'… cute." He broke his contact with Ichigo and moved to the boy's side. Though Ichigo moved to face him quickly enough, he couldn't set up his sword as a guard before Raphael kicked him hard in the gut. When Ichigo doubled over, the turtle returned the hit to the jaw that Ichigo had administered early on.

He had no reason to hurt Ichigo, but as much as he was loath to admit it, the shinigami had probably faced worse trials than him. Still, there was no reason Raphael couldn't give him a decent run for his money. "I'm startin' to think that ain't a sword at all," he goaded when Ichigo raised Zangetsu to deflect another attack. "Looks to me like ya just use it as a shield and gave it a pointy edge to scare off the bad guys."

"Keep talking, turtle," Ichigo told him as he cautiously circled around him. "Give me a reason to use more power on you."

"Reason?" Raphael jeered. "How about I'll clean your clock if ya don't?" He attacked again, and once again Ichigo deflected him. "Don'tcha get it? Just cuz you're a death god don't mean nuthin'! Alien invasions, megalomaniac monsters… I've seen it all! You're just a punk with a big sword who can go invisible if I don't focus on ya! Big whoop!"

"Kurosaki-san!" Urahara called gaily. "Increase Zangetsu's strength, if you please!"

Ducking below the reach of Raphael's sai, Ichigo muttered something in Japanese that Raphael took to mean something along the lines of, "About time." Raphael was about to retaliate when he felt a strong presence suddenly fill the room. It was as though the air grew heavier and constricted Raphael, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"I don't think you understand," Ichigo remarked, noting that Raphael could indeed feel the increase in his rietsu. "Your aliens and monsters are nothing. It's like your sensei said; calling the Hollows 'evil spirits' was just a way to simplify them. They were people once. Good, honest people. But after they became Hollows, that didn't matter. There's nothing anyone can do for them except kill them before they destroy others. Can you do that, Raphael? Can you strike down a monster, knowing that underneath its mask, it's someone you used to know? I don't think you can."

Raphael hardly had time to dodge the sudden attack from Ichigo's massive sword. When he turned to face Ichigo, he was surprised that the shinigami had struck down with his sword again, sending it crashing into the ground a mere inch away from Raphael. The turtle looked up and saw Ichigo's face close to his, staring down at him dispassionately. "Or can you?"

"Screw you!" Raphael spat out. He sent a quick jab at Ichigo's face, but missed. As he continued to throw empty punches, he screamed out, "Shows how much ya know, twerp! Ya can't imagine the stuff I've had to deal with. My brother! My own brother was one 'a them monsters that I had to fight. Do you know how often I came close to losin' my brothers 'n friends 'n Splinter? Huh? What does your Soul Society care about that, though?"

Ichigo grabbed hold of Raphael's wrist and pivoted behind him, pinning his arm down. "I lost my mother," he told the turtle through gritted teeth. "I can't ask you to understand that kind of pain; you're different from me. You never had a mother, and your family isn't as real as mine is. You're only an illusion, a mistake; and that's what got you in this mess to begin with. Your entire existence is the property of people like Kurotsuchi-taichou, so I don't see why you're so unwilling to submit."

As painful as it was to have his arm held tightly against his shell, it was Ichigo's words that stung Raphael even more. The kid had been blunt, distant, and sometimes even a little callous… but Raphael had never expected this sort of cruelty to exist within him.

"Bastard!" Raphael screamed, ignoring the pain as he wrenched his arm away from Ichigo and whirled around. He punched again, and this time it connected. Ichigo stumbled into a crouch, seeming to be surprised that the hit drew a trickle of blood from his temple. "Be careful what kinda buttons ya push!"

Looking up at Raphael with a smirk, Ichigo commented, "Well, maybe you're actually smarter than you look, turtle." He stood and stepped back a little, repositioning himself for the next attack. "The question now is whether you're smart enough to understand your current position."

Raphael took Ichigo's words as a smug challenge, causing him to snarl out, "I'm gonna show ya how smart I am after I introduce some small-fry death god to some real death! Let's see if you're still gonna have that stupid look on your face after I rip your head off and use it as a football!"

With another yell, he charged at Ichigo in a red rage. He didn't even get a moment to stop in surprise when he saw with some alarm that Ichigo had disappeared from view. Remembering about the move that could render shinigami almost invisible, Raphael decided that Ichigo must have sidestepped him and was preparing to come in from behind him.

The thought left his mind when he felt a strange sort of warmth was over his plastron. Looking down, Raphael saw a long gash across his chest and realized that this heat came from the flow of blood that poured from his new injury. He didn't even realize that a weapon was still embedded in his flesh until it was suddenly removed, as though in shock.

As Raphael fell to his knees, he thought he saw the grass in front of him bend, as though someone was stepping away from him. Crud, he realized, raising a hand to the crimson liquid spilling from his wound. He didn't move. He's… he's right here. I lost 'im again.

"Too bad," he heard Yoruichi say rather unsympathetically. He looked up to see that neither she nor Urahara had moved, though Urahara's face was actually devoid of a smile. "Though I've become fairly neutral towards most of them," Yoruichi continued, "it'd be foolish to deny that in the end, the shinigami are trained to be protectors. Their bodies, minds, and souls are dedicated to carrying out their duties, which exist to ensure the safety of humanity. When they lose themselves in the desire to kill—not just to win a battle, but to kill—they are by definition diminishing their own power. I wonder sometimes if most of them even realize that to be true."

Looking down at his own blood staining his weapons, Raphael thought back to his previous battles once again. Yoruichi was correct. He had lost his ability to see the Menos as soon as he had thought about the sense of satisfaction he'd feel upon killing it. And it wasn't until he threatened Hitsugaya that he began losing that battle. And now…. Did I really just have the urge to kill Ichigo?

"It's a shame," Yoruichi declared. "You had been doing so well. I actually entertained the possibility that you would be able to enter Soul Society and rescue your brother. I believe it was Leonardo, was it?"

At the mention of his brother, Raphael looked back up at Yoruichi. "What are ya talkin' about?"

With a shrug, Yoruichi explained, "I had gone to your home to warn the others of what was going on. After I left, I sensed the presence of a shinigami. Trailing the rietsu, I found you unconscious, and your brother was in the company of Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya and his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, who were both under orders to take the two of you back to Soul Society. I carried you away, but it would be a safe assumption that Leonardo was unable to outrun the two shinigami."

She paused for a moment, allowing for Raphael to let this sink in. Seeing Raphael breathing hard as his anger began coming back, Yoruichi finished with, "If you can't pass this training, then it doesn't seem like there's any way you can help Leonardo should the both of you be captured."

Leo, Raphael thought. I just needed him to be my eyes while Ichigo was fightin' with that Menos thing. I didn't… I didn't know he'd be…. And now he's sittin' in a cell somewhere just because I couldn't mind my own business or see what I was doin'. And if he's in the same place as this crazy Kurotsuchi guy….

Looking up, Raphael caught sight of Ichigo once more. He was standing a few yards away, looking at Raphael with a surprisingly concerned expression on his face. It was then that he realized that Ichigo had purposely been insulting him, dragging him down, testing him to see how much he could get away with before this point was driven into his head. Though he might thank Ichigo later, that wasn't the primary thought in Raphael's mind right now. Ignoring the pain at his chest, Raphael rose to his feet as he glared at Ichigo.

With a loud grunt, Raphael hurled one of his sai towards the shinigami. Ichigo was pulled back slightly, and a glance behind him showed him that Raphael's sai had pinned the cloth of his hilt's wrap to the ground. When he turned to pull it loose, Raphael tackled him to the ground so hard that he almost lost his grip on Zangetsu.

"Why didn't ya tell me?" Raphael demanded as he held his remaining sai above Ichigo's face, trying to temper his emotions so he won't lose sight of him again. "My brother was in danger and you're just sittin' around testin' me? Why didn't ya just let me know that Leo's waitin' for me?"

Ichigo looked at Raphael for a moment and opened his mouth, as though meaning to respond. Before any words could escape, however, Urahara's lackadaisical voice called out, "More power, Kurosaki-san!" As though speaking to Yoruichi, Urahara said in a quieter tone, "This is just starting to get interesting."

Ichigo hesitated for a moment, unable to move as he looked into Raphael's desperate eyes. As though ridding himself of a stupid thought, he pushed the sai away and quickly brought Zangetsu in on Raphael's left side. Raphael rolled away from Ichigo, dodging the move and allowing for the shinigami to jump to his feet.

This ain't good, Raphael knew. Ducking under another swipe of Zangetsu, he ran for his discarded sai and readied himself for the onslaught. I ain't gonna get much headway unless I get rid 'a that huge weapon 'a his.

Figuring that Ichigo must have a vast store of physical strength just to wield that thing, Raphael jumped above the next horizontal swing, purposely landing on the broad side of the sword. Ichigo seemed surprised, but he didn't drop the weapon. It was all he could do to watch as Raphael flipped forward, meaning to bring his sai down on Ichigo's arms.

Catching what Raphael meant to do, Ichigo swung Zangetsu out of the way as soon as Raphael jumped, but it didn't save his left arm. He cried out at the puncture Raphael managed to make. Landing besides Ichigo, Raphael withdrew his sai and hoped that the wound was only as serious as the gash on across his chest; that is, serious enough to hurt and limit Ichigo's movements during battle, but not serious enough to take an age to heal. He decided that this was the case when Ichigo blindly swung Zangetsu towards him.

As he ducked beneath the sword, Raphael heard Urahara's infuriatingly pleasant voice cry, "Up the power, Kurosaki-san! Don't be afraid to really let him have it!" Raphael growled as Ichigo took Urahara's direction to heart. The turtle decided that he'd have to give that blond bastard exactly what he deserved after all was said and done.

Raphael lost track of time long before he lost track of how many times Urahara happily called for Ichigo to "let him have it." He was beginning to wonder if Ichigo needed rest or food while in his shinigami form, since it seemed like they had been going at it forever. Still, Raphael was determined not to budge an inch before Ichigo did.

At length, Ichigo leapt away from Raphael and asked, "Are you getting tired, turtle?"

Raphael was breathing hard, and his throat ached with thirst. He could feel the dried blood against his plastron cracking as his chest heaved. Regardless, he maintained his fighting stance and asked, "Why? Givin' up?"

Holding Zangetsu to his back, Ichigo flexed his left arm, as though absently bothered by the small wound Raphael had made. "I've fought for days without stopping before, against enemies that were actually out for my blood," he replied, as though vaguely bemused. "No, I'm not tired. I only ask because these little dojos of Urahara's don't represent the current time. There's no nightfall; only day. There's no way to tell how long we've been fighting. Maybe five minutes, maybe five hours… maybe five days. If you push yourself-"

Ichigo was shocked when Raphael interrupted with a sharp yell and quickly closed the distance between them. The suddenness of the move forced Ichigo to resort to using Zangetsu as a shield once again as Raphael came down on him with both sai. Once again, Ichigo was surprised that the turtle was able to push against Zangetsu with so much strength that he was forced backwards.

"Ya mean to tell me that I mighta already wasted days playin' war with ya?" Raphael growled. "Wasted days 'a my brother's time? And ya don't tell me this 'til now? In that case, I'm gonna end this, right n-"

"Break time!" Urahara cheerfully proclaimed.

Having forgotten that Urahara existed as an actual person and not just a detached voice that asked for more power, Raphael turned around and allowed for Ichigo to back away from him. Urahara was clapping his hands approvingly, stating, "I'm quite pleased with your progress, Raphael-san! We might just be able to make something useful of you yet!"

Raphael looked to Ichigo, who had warily put down his sword as though worried that Raphael would still attack. Thoroughly exhausted, Raphael put his weapons away, hoping this wasn't just a moment of false security before Ichigo unleashed some other weird power.

"No one's wasting Leonardo's time," Ichigo told him quietly. "Except for maybe my sisters or Kon." When Raphael gazed at him questioningly, Ichigo clarified, "Just after I got Yoruichi's call to get here, Leonardo appeared at my door and told me that Toushiro had let him go. Yoruichi insisted I come alone, so Leonardo's watching over Karin and Yuzu right now. Kon should alert him if he feels the presence of a shinigami nearby, so he's as safe as he can be."

Taking all of this in, Raphael turned to look at Yoruichi. She was descending the hill, her arms still crossed over her chest. As he realized that Yoruichi had purposely let him believe that Leonardo was in danger in order to help him fight in exactly the same way Ichigo purposely angered him, Raphael saw a small smile appear on her lips. "For the record," she said, "everything I told you was true. The last I saw of him, he was in the company of Hitsugaya and Matsumoto, and I simply neglected to add that he was allowed to escape."

Gingerly touching his wound, Raphael muttered, "Looks like Blondie ain't the only tricky bastard around here."

Slowly approaching Raphael with his cane, Urahara mentioned, "You did fairly well to hold your own against Kurosaki, Raphael-san. I should know; I trained him! Providing you're well enough, your next lesson will involve learning the special speed technique known as the flash step."

"The flash step?" Raphael asked. "Ain't that the stuff that death gods use to move fast?" When Urahara confirmed this, Raphael told him, "But, when I was fightin' that kid, that Captain Hitsu-whatever, he told me that I couldn't be as fast as 'im cuz I still got a physical body, and he's a spiritual being."

"And Hitsugaya-kun was absolutely correct!" Urahara told him cheerily. "Therefore, we will need to find the more spiritual side of you! Kurosaki-san, please be so kind as to catch Raphael-san's body when it falls."

"Body?" Raphael inquired, alarmed. "Whatcha mean, my body?"

Urahara's only response was a small smile as he raised his cane, its tip aimed between Raphael's eyes. Raphael was able to make out some sort of insignia on the tip involving a skull and some sort of blue flame. Then came an odd jolt as Urahara lightly tapped him with the walking stick. Looking down, Raphael saw that there was suddenly a vaguely familiar-looking chain attached to his chest. Glancing back, he felt a chill as he watched his unconscious body fall into Ichigo's waiting arms.

"Lesson two," Urahara smirked.