A/N: Alright, chapter 2. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, and I am not running for president.
Yoruichi Shihoin let out a slight sigh as she came to a stop at the front door of the Urahara Shop; she began to think. What had she gotten herself into? Had she really just told this girl, Orihime, that she knew a way to make her into a shinigami? Sure, it didn't seem impossible. The girl did have a great deal of spiritual power. Her finding the ability to manipulate that power into the form of a zanpakuto seemed entirely plausible. As plausible as it seemed, Yoruichi honestly had no idea how to go about it.
She supposed she must still have a real weakness for the smile of a cute girl; that was the only explanation for why Yoruichi would promise Orihime something she did not know how to accomplish. Orihime had looked so sad when she had been told this dream was impossible, that she could not become a shinigami. Yoruichi had to wonder if dispelling the girl's sadness was worth lying to her, getting her hopes up.
It seemed to Yoruichi like she had made the wrong decision, like waking up and finding herself immediately confronted by a bright eyed girl with a lofty dream had clouded her better judgment, but the more she thought the more her mind wandered over the possibility of whether this was doable. Ichigo Kurosaki was the only case she knew of where a living human had been able to become a shinigami. In typical fashion of a program developed by Kisuke, the training Ichigo had used was much to demanding for someone of Orihime's constitution, and would surely be impossible for the girl. Perhaps Kisuke knew another way for a human to become a shinigami, a way Orihime could use.
Orihime was soon right behind the feline and was opening the door. The two entered the Urahara Shop, Orihime following closely behind Yoruichi who moved slowly in the direction of the trap door leading to the basement training room. Yoruichi noticed Orihime had stopped following so closely and looked up, finding her dear friend Kisuke Urahara relaxing in a nearby chair.
"Yo, Yoruichi. I knew it was your voice I heard doing all that shouting this morning." Urahara mumbled casually, staring at the black cat, "So what exactly are you two up to?"
"Sorry about the noise, Kisuke. I was startled when I woke up." Yoruichi spoke in a sincere voice.
"No problem, even if I do like to get a little extra sleep on the weekends... But do tell me, what's the girl want?" The shop owner said with a healthy yawn.
"Yoruichi's going to train me!' Orihime announced with exuberance, pushing her fist upward in a cute gesture.
"Oh, that so? What's the training for?" Urahara gave a short laugh, as he held obvious curiosity in his voice.
Yoruichi then remembered that she had wanted to ask her long time friend for opinions on her current dilemma. Now would be a good time to do that. She started softly, "Well, you see Kisuke, I was actually wondering…-"
"Yoruichi is going to show me how to become a shinigami!" Orihime gave another declaration accompanied by another over zealous flare of adorable motion, seemingly not noticing that she had cut the feline off.
"Her?! A shinigami? That's stupid!" This was not Urahara's voice but rather that of the young boy Jinta who was overhearing the conversation as he helped clean the shop nearby.
"She can do it... if she tries hard enough…" Sounded the spacey voice of the other child worker of the Urahara Shop, the girl Ururu.
"Are you serious? Yoruichi you should know that that is both impossible and ridiculous." Urahara said with a sharp laugh, slightly taken aback at this revelation.
"I don't think it is. Ichigo's proof that it can be done. I think Orihime can really do this!" Yoruichi said surprised herself at the words escaping her.
"Orihime will die if she attempts that procedure, Yoruichi." Urahara said with blunt certainty.
"I realize that, Kisuke. That's why I'm going to try and use an alternative method." Yoruichi said, sounding infinitely surer of herself than she actually was.
"You actually know an alternative method to transform humans into shinigami!?" The former division 12 captain asked with obvious doubt.
"Not a sure method, but I do have a few theories that are worth trying. " Yoruichi lied, she had no theories; anything she tried would be just her winging it.
"It's surprising that you would have theories on how to do something when I don't…" Urahara seemed to have a degree of suspicion to his voice.
"Well I do!" Yoruichi said with finality. She then asked with insistence, "Now you don't mind if we borrow the basement for awhile, Kisuke?"
"Of course not. " Urahara said in a relaxed fashion. Showing hints of concern he added, "Just try not to get Orihime killed."
"Got it." Yoruichi said with a nod.
"Thank you Mr. Urahara!" Orihime shouted gratefully, wearing a beaming smile on her face. Opening the trap door she followed Yoruichi down to the sprawling basement training grounds.
Yoruichi let out another deep sigh as the door up to the shop closed behind them. She was going to ask Kisuke to help her with this but had in the heat of the moment decided to continue down the hole she had dug blindly. This was all because of that girl's smile, that proud tone in her voice when she said Yoruichi's name and how she was going to make her dream come true. Yoruichi had to wonder how she had let herself get into this.
"Thank you so much Yoruichi! That was really awesome how you defended me even though Mr. Urahara was saying all the same things you said before." Orihime said with a bubbly expression.
"Yeah… Anyway, we should probably get started." The feline replied helplessly.
"Yay! So what do we do first?" Orihime was noticeably thrilled to be starting her training.
"To start I should probably change into a more suitable form." Yoruichi gave soft smirk as she said this.
Then without further warning, a smokescreen formed as the tiny cat made the abrupt change into a beautiful woman. Of course, as always upon her transformation, Yoruichi wore not a shred of clothing.
"There. This is better." Yoruichi said lightly, smiling at the sound of her soft, feminine voice while stretching her now humanoid limbs as the smoke cleared.
Yoruichi made sure to make note of the young girl's reactionary expression, she was blushing profusely, and seemed to alternate between keeping her eyes averted and keeping them well focused.
"Yoruichi! Why don't you have any clothes on?!" Orihime asked in clear embarrassment while looking away.
"I didn't have any clothes on before and you weren't saying anything." Yoruichi teased with a soft laugh.
"Oh. I guess you're right… I never thought about it before…" Orihime gave a gasp as she gave this notion thought. Coming to a unnecessary conclusion she exclaimed, "I should get you some of those little kitty clothes that people sometimes put on their pet cats!"
"No thank you. Stuff like that is sure to be uncomfortable. I rather like the feeling of not wearing anything anyways." Yoruichi said steadfastly, the thought of being forced to wear clothes as a cat was frightening to her.
Silence fell momentarily before Orihime worked up the courage to once more stare up at the other woman. In a meek way she asserted, "You're very beautiful, you know, Yoruichi…"
"You think so?" Yoruichi continued to laugh at the cute reaction she was getting.
"Oh yes! I-I've never seen another woman's body naked like this before, and your's is just so perfect…" Orihime continued to speak sheepishly, her eyes nervously tracing the other's figure once more.
"If you don't mind me saying, you're a beautiful girl yourself, Orihime. I doubt my body is any more perfect than your's." Yoruichi couldn't help but flash her widest smile as she held the girl's attention rigidly. "Still, if were going to do this training I should go put some clothes on, right…? Unless you want me to stay good and comfortable like this, of course?"
"No you should get dressed. It's not proper to run around training someone while naked." Orihime said in a certain way with accompanying nods.
"You sure? It might be motivating…" Yoruichi said coaxingly, smiling brightly at the girl as she posed her sexy figure slightly.
"W-Why would it be motivating…?" Orihime blushed furiously as she asked, once more turning away.
"While you're the one who said I was so beautiful and perfect, and you seem to enjoy staring at me… Of course that could mean it would be distracting instead of motivating, I don't know…" Yoruichi gave a sharp laugh as she watched an expression of shear horror creep across the human girl's face.
"It wasn't… it wasn't anything weird… I-I just think you're beautiful Yoruichi… Nothing more than that…" Orihime seemed inclined to defend herself frantically.
"Alright then. I keep a set of clothes down here. So just wait a minute and I'll get dressed." Yoruichi said in a warm tone as she turned from the other and proceeded a short distance away from her. She removed her set of clothing and a few other assorted items kept down here by Urahara from behind a rock. She dressed herself slowly.
"There. That better?" Yoruichi asked as she presented her now clothed figure before Orihime's eyes.
"Yeah…" Orihime nodded, her once permanent blush finally beginning to fade.
"Now then, you ready to begin?" Yoruichi though still largely lost as to what she was about to do, at least had something resembling a plan by this point.
"Yup! Now what do I do first?" Orihime asked in a carefree manner.
"Let's see… shinigami are spirit beings. So if you plan on becoming a shinigami you must be capable of existing as a standalone spirit. So for the first test, I'll have you fight an artificial hollow with your current abilities while your spirit has been forced from your body." Yoruichi explained methodically, wondering what would happen.
"Okay, sounds great! Let's do it!" Orihime cheered excitedly.
"Very well. Brace yourself." Yoruichi said with a faint smile as she forced a skull glove onto her hand. Forcefully she brought her fist to Orihime's stomach. In an instant the human girl's spirit was violently thrust from her human body. The girl looked down to see a thick heavy chain connecting her spiritual body to her physical one which was now collapsed on the floor.
"Whoa… it feels so… weird" Orihime said awestruck as she stared at her body and felt her chain of fate.
"To become a shinigami that chain must disappear. How we do that without you becoming a hollow is the tricky part." The dark skinned woman said looking somewhat intrigued.
"So how do I get rid of it?" Orihime asked with a driven look.
"I honestly don't know. My best guess would be that it would disappear if you were to manage to form a zanpakuto. That is why I am going to have you fight, and while you fight I want you to concentrate on your zanpakuto. Try and find it within you." Yoruichi advised in a wise sounding voice; she wondered if Orihime had any idea that this was all guess work.
"Alright. So where is this fake hollow I'm supposed to fight?" Orihime really seemed into it, she was more focused than Yoruichi would have guessed possible.
"Right here." Yoruichi said as she pushed a motionless hollow shaped figure before the human girl. It was a fairly nondescript humanoid hollow, making it seem unnatural compared to some of the monstrous real hollows Orihime had seen. It was very small, only reaching about a third of Orihime's height.
"Oh, it's so small. It's kinda cute." The human girl said with a soft giggle as she looked at the artificial evil spirit.
"It's small now but this thing's special. It's a training tool developed by Kisuke. Every time you destroy it, it will automatically regenerate twice as big and twice as powerful as before." Yoruichi explained in a cool tone.
"Cool. Let's get started. I can't wait to be a shinigami!" Orihime struck a battle pose as she spoke with enthusiasm.
"As I've said before there's no telling if this method will actually work. Also, even if this thing isn't a real hollow, it still can become quite powerful. It has the potential to hurt you just as any real hollow was. In the state you are in currently it's particularly important you stay on your guard. Remember that if you're chain is cut, restoring you to your body becomes exceedingly difficult." The Shihoin woman threw out some warnings, making it clear the other should take things seriously.
"Right!" Orihime gave a quick nod as she prepared for battle. Energy sparked from Yoruichi's hand into the fake hollow, and soon it was moving around. Noticing Orihime it leapt at her.
"Koten Zanshun, I reject!" Orihime shouted, causing one of the Shun Shun Rikka, the six fairy like entities that made up her current powers, Tsubaki, her offense, to appear, flying swiftly in the direction of the approaching hollow.
Tsubaki seemed to bounce straight off the artificial hollow, causing the evil spirit to crash to the ground but not cutting it in the slightest. Angrily Tsubaki protested, "Girl, what are you doing?! I don't even know what this damn mini hollow thing is, but you have no reason to hold back against something like it!"
"Sorry. It's just… it's so small… I didn't want to overpower it." Orihime explained apologetically.
"Tsubaki's cutting shield can slice through anything, Orihime, it is only you who hold him back. While using his power imagine him instead as a zanpakuto, as a sword. The sharpest swords will leave cuts even when wielded with reluctance." Yoruichi gave out more advice, watching Orihime was turning out to be actually quite invigorating.
"Right!" Orihime nodded in affirmation. She shouted cone more as the hollow went once more on the attack, "Koten Zanshun, I reject!"
This time as Tsubaki flew forth, his glowing cutting shield sliced effortlessly through the tiny hollow. Yoruichi couldn't help but give a light cheer. Within seconds the hollow had reformed just as Yoruichi had said, at exactly twice its previous size. It began to move around sporadically, before making a leap at Orihime. Despite being much larger than before it's speed actually seemed to have increased.
"Koten Zanshun, I reject!" Orihime cave another call, once more Tsubaki flew at the hollow, again it was cleaved in two, and again it reappeared at twice its previous size. It was now actually taller than Orihime.
The hollow moved about quickly. Its speed had grown yet again. It began to run in a weaving path toward Orihime. The girl raised a hand as she shouted her attack once more, "Koten Zanshun, I reject!"
Tsubaki flew once more at the hollow. This time however he did not make a clean cut. The hollow at the last second had jerked out of the way of the cutting shield's path. The hollow escaped the blast losing only a single arm. It continue it's lunge ant the human girl.
"Santen Kesshun, I reject!" Orihime shouted to call forth three more members of her Shun Shun Rikka, Hinagiku, Lily, and Baigon who formed triangular defensive barrier between Orihime and the hollow. The hollow rebounded from Orihime's shield and swiftly Orihime used her Koten Zanshun once more to destroy it yet again.
It regenerated again, bigger, faster and stronger than before. This time it took Orihime almost 15 minutes to destroy it completely. Each time after that it just took longer and longer, and took more and more uses of Orihime's three techniques. Hours passed and soon the hollow was many times taller than the tallest hollow you would ever see naturally. Yoruichi couldn't help but be awestruck with the amount of work the young girl was willing to put into this.
"Koten Zanshun, I reject!" Orihime called out passionately as she faced down the behemoth of a hollow. Tsubaki flew straight at the giant's mask, in hopes of finding a clean shot. The artificial being made a quick movement out of the cutting shield's path, so as it escaped with only a cut to its shoulder.
The hollow recoiled it's arm before delivering a swift and powerful punch in Orihime's direction. The girl had little choice but to raise her shield immediately with a shout of the words, "Santen Kesshun, I reject!" The shield spared Orihime from the incredible destructive might of the gigantic beast but it didn't spare her from the force, as she found herself tossed roughly several feet back.
Orihime panted desperately as she tried to get back to feet. Yoruichi could tell she was tired. She had been greatly jostled by the throw, and her rough fall back to the ground had left her with many painful scrapes on top of the bruises. It was obvious that as Orihime and the hollow faced off, as the hollow readied it's next punch, Orihime was at a loss as to which of her techniques to use, whether she should attack, defend, or heal herself.
"Koten Zanshun, I reject!" Orihime made her choice and Tsubaki flew forward in a desperation attack just as the hollow released it's punch. A gasp escaped Orihime's lips and a look of terror crept across her face as she realized this punch was not aimed at her but rather at the chain of fate connecting her to her lifeless human body. Tsubaki had failed once more to land a fatal blow, and Orihime was about to be killed by the hollow.
Yoruichi decided then that it might be a good time to bring an end to the training. The former stealth force commander performed a simple flash step finding her way to the top of the giant beast's back. Forcefully she sent a spark of energy deep into an orifice atop the hollow, and at once it stopped in its tracks. Very shortly afterward it returned to its original size.
"That should be enough for now, Orihime." Yoruichi said as she walked to the girl's side.
Orihime, who looked as if she had just been certain of her impending death gave a sigh of relief. However, upon thinking it through decided something was amiss, "But, I'm not a shinigami yet..."
"I don't think that training method was ever going to result in you becoming a shinigami, only you becoming a hollow." Yoruichi said, effectively admitting defeat.
"Really? But it seemed like I was working so hard..." Orihime wore an expression of deep disappointment.
"You did work hard, and you did marvelously, far better than I would have imagined. And it's not like its a total waste; real combat experience like that is sure to have made you stronger. It's just I don't see any signs that that chain is about to vanish.Nor do I see a zanpakuto formed in your hands"
"But the chain feels much lighter, and it even looks a little thinner..." Orihime assure the other who remained doubtful.
"That's probably just because you've gotten use to it. You did fight splendidly while it weighted you down and restricted your movements." Yoruichi continued to praise the girl in light of the training failure.
"Does this mean, I'm not going to be able to become a shinigami..." Orihime had that same sad look on her face that got Yoruichi into this mess in the first place as she said this.
"Not necessarily. I still have a few other experiments I want to try before I give up completely. I just think that's enough for today." Yoruichi lied to the human girl, in truth her mind was desperately scrambling for some sort of coherent training plan.
"That's great! You're the best, Yoruichi!" Orihime cheered, showing her adorable smile once more.
Yoruichi gave a soft smirk, with a subtle laugh she informed the other of the day's paln, "Heal your injuries and return to your body. We'll take the rest of the day off to relax." Somehow Orihme's confidence was inspiring confidence in Yoruichi as well.
A/N: A bit of a departure from the first chapter. This one was more from Yoruichi's perspective. Also this one had a little action to it, and the yuri vibe at least got a chance to start to show. I'm definitely liking this fic so far. I love writing Yoruichi, she's so awesome. I'm also really starting to see the chemistry that could be there between these two. I have a feeling this thing is going to be real cute. Still, kinda miss being able to insert the random Orihime thoughts. I mean it was a whole chapter without updates on the Robot-Mermaid Wars.
It was another randomish poll this week: basically I asked who out of the actual candidates and a bunch of random choices of my selection should be president. It quickly developed into a dead-locked race between Yoruichi and Tsunade. Apparently Tsunade's leadership experience as the fifth Hokage was more impressive to you guys in the end than Yoruichi's military experience as commander of the shinigami special forces, as Tsunade beat Yoruichi by one vote (14 to 13), either that or it was because Tsunade has bigger breasts and Naruto is more popular than Bleach, I'm not sure. Interesting to see how the actual candidates stood up to the craziness. Most didn't. I found it quite humorous that with my audience Barack Obama (8 votes) is apparently somewhere between the coolness of Death Note's L (9 votes), and Pokemon's Pikachu (7 votes), whereas Hillary Clinton polled with just 3 votes equaling the nation of Mexico and the current president George W. Bush (whom I had anticipated gettign nothing). I love how my 7th highest scorer in the poll was that one hot chick (6 votes), I kinda like her too.