Chapter 4 is sort of where my ideas, and what made me want to write a fanfic unfold. When I create new content about an anime, instead of making an entirely new concept and using that, I prefer to take what's already adament in the show, and expand on that.

Just a quite note. I often used the term 'stepped' to infer that the character has used shunpo to come to their location. eg. Ichigo stepped towards Byakuya.

I also realized I have left in some of my editor notes (the #'s left in the middle of sentences). Since my editor is on holiday, and having the lack of decent internet, I have been unable to fill in these gaps in my knowledge. If anyone feels like taking it upon them to somehow fill in what I have left out, send me a PM, or leave a review, and it will be GREATLY appreciated.

Chapter 4

Above The Rest

"Since our limiters are still in place, getting down to theory is a good place to start" Toshirou said, mouth almost completely full with rice. "We get stronger by...?"

Rukia stood apart thinking technique would have been where they began, swordsmanship and the like, but she figured having her teachers hands filled with Uraharas stolen food might have made it a little hard.

"Our bodies react to micro~tears in the muscles, and the spiritual energy demands in battle, and to cope for the growning needs, muscle strengthen, and the amount of energy released is increased." Rukia replied, in all seriousness, as if for an exam.

Toshirou finished his mouthful.

"Correct, so applying that logic, if every time we nearly killed ourselves in combat, we would come back even stronger and stronger?" He continued, drawing his Zanpakuto.

Rukia widened her stance.

"Lets go!" He cried.

Toshirou stepped infront of Rukia swinging his Zanpakuto, the air whistling around the edge. The sharpness and condition of the blade was a repesentation of the connection between host and spirit, and there was no finer blade in either of the three planes of existance. Rukia lifted her sword to parry, but the power behind the swing was immense. The swords clashed, and the glance sent Rukia tumbling back. She wasn't prepared.

She breathed as she motioned to roll back and compose herself, but before she could react to her thought, the captain had stepped above her, thrusting his sword down into her coat between her arm and chest. This wasn't the technique practise she had anticipated.

Toshirou rose to his feet, and removed his Zanpakuto from her side.

"We're both aware you're only considered as strong as you are due to your combat tact and experience" He began, dashing back to a position similar to the beginning. "But there will be no need to study our opponents from the seretei."

Rukia caught on. She already knew of all of her ex~comrads Zanpakutos, and training with them gave her an idea of their fighting styles.

"No doubt they will make a similar mistake, and that's our chance to attack in unrelent, giving them no time to think" Toshirou continued.

She was ready this time, as she widened her stance again, in preparation for another attack. Their stares met, and Toshirou moved again.

"Sit upon frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!" Toshirou called.

His blade lengthened, and the chain and glaive emerged from the pommel of the sword. The air snapped cold as a massive trail of jagged ice erupted from the tip of the blade towards Rukia. Toshirou stepped again, away to Rukia's right, and unleashed another trail of ice, and again above her, from behind, and to her left.

Five attacks coming simultaniously from all sides, Rukia's only option was to defend. A feint call was heard from the crashing of the ice. Dust and ice was thrown into the air, obstucting Toshirou's vision of the aftermath of his assault. His eyes closed for a moment, listening for any change in his environment, suddenly opening them, and turning around, swiftly striking behind him with his blade. The two magnificant blades crashed, snow and ice falling from the strikes.

Rukia's shikai had been released, and glancing back to her previous location; the 4 ground attacks had been eqaulized be 4 similar ice barrages, and there was no trace on the one that had fallen from above. Due to the limiters still being in place, strength wise they were equal, but their technique and experience was setting them apart. While Rukia parried each of the subsequent attacks, their placement was perfect, each requiring a hard to train muscle group to aid in defending it. But she watched each attack carefully, beginning to understand his movements and trends.

Toshirou could feel his attacks being defending more aptly, and prepared for his next strike with intensity. Mid swing, the blade was sheathed with ice, and cold winds backed it. The blade was faster, heavier and more dense than before, and the attack caused Rukia's knees to buckle in, and the ground to crumble under the force, coming directly from above. Rukia jumped back, almost amazed at her superiors ingenuity. She had seen similar attacks from Ichigo, coating his Zanpakuto with spiritual power, and unleashing it when it connected, but never in a way the directly augmented the blade and swing of the sword. The attacks had stopped coming, as it was obvious to Toshirou that she had learn't something already from the edevour.

"When you power is equal, only use an attack like that to suprise the enemy" He said, sheathing his sword as the changes from his shikai seemed to fade with an icy wind. "But when you are stronger, or at a disadvanted, use it indefinetly."

To Rukia, the concept now made perfect sense, but nothing was able to prepare her for what he told her next.

"Ice type Zanpakutos like ours are best used to augment our already refined capabilities, and usually result in physical menifestions at higher levels" He began, and was pleased to see his pupil's eyes widen in awe, ready for his next words. "Like at Bankai."

Though they had only faught for no more than a minute, what Rukia had felt and learnt was simply unparalelled. The intelligence of the 10th's captain left her in awe. He was preparing her for her Bankai, and teaching her how to use it, before it had even be achieved.

When I saw 'it' in action, it was obvious to me that the captain of the 10th, Toshirou # was her mentor. And by nature, they turned out to probably be the greatest pair for combat.

Byakuya entered the massive training complex, with Ichigo following closely behind. Due to the nature of both Shinigami, Ichigo knew there was simply no point in trying to 'teach' eachother anything, unlike Toshirou and Rukia. While the limmiters were still in place, all that was left to do was refine what they already had. Byakuya continued to the centre of the field, and Ichigo took his stance in front of him.

"Now, I know you are probably thinking I have nothing to teach you" Byakuya began, leaving Ichigo dumbfounded and regretting his previous thoughts. "But there is something only I can teach you, and though I dislike having to be the one to do so, our situation leaves us no choice."

Ichigo was already a student of Byakuya, and combat hadn't even been contemplated by either party yet. He was lost in thought of what Byakuya had that he didn't that wasn't unique to their own Bankai's and Zanpakuto specific abilities. He riddled his mind for things he had seen in combat with Byakuya, but there was simply nothing of note.

"You are probably thinking I still have nothing to offer" Byakuya continued, forcing a blank look to appear across Ichigo's face.

'How does he know what I'm thinking. Is that what hes going to teach me? Fucken wee, I'm gonna learn how to read minds' Ichigo thought, a sinister grin apearing on his face.

"Do you remember the moment I uttered the word 'Senkai'?"

Something snapped inside Ichigo. The time he faught with Byakuya in Soul Society, and he was surounded by rows and rows of vibrant pink swords. He was slower, weaker, and all in all completely at a disadvantage as soon as it began. The only thing saving him being his Hollow self and his unstable spiritual power.

"Now do you remember when I said Bankai was something only the noble families could achieve?"

Again, Byakuya's words rang inside Ichigo's mind, but he was having trouble piecing it together. Either way, that statement he said must have been wrong, as Renji and Ikkaku had both achieved Bankai, and neither of them were of noble birth.

"I wasn't completely wrong when I told you, I was simply lost in translation" Byakuya stated, drawing Ichigo out of his thought trance. "There was a tome, ancient, even to Soul Society, stating the conditions of Bankai. It was misread, making us believe Bankai was only achiveable for the nobles."

Ichigo was following, and he nodded, inviting Byakuya to continue.

"It wasn't Bankai that we read about, but something greater, and noticeably more powerful; Senkai, a third level of release"

Everything came together. Ichigo understood why he was in a losing battle until his Hollow self evened the tides. Byakuya had released what was thought at the time to just be an ability, not a completely new level of Zanpakuto release. His thoughts dawned on a greater level, a new high. But it was cut short when he remembered Byakuya's words.

"But wouldn't that mean only nobles are able to achieve it?" Ichigo asked, his disappoint obvious.

Byakuya smiled; the first sign of a more relaxed side Ichigo had never seen.

"And as far as Soul Society is concerned, Bankai isn't achievable in three days either"

I was truly amazed at what I was just told, but it also nearly made me laugh out loud when I thought about it later. Rukia was learning Bankai while the rest of us dawned on Senkai, the third level of release. It reminded me of Ulquiorra's second release, and how he had dominated while using it. I had a new respect of Byakuya, one that I can only describe now as one you can have for a teacher. Due to the limmiters, it wasn't worth an amazing amount of training, since there was no way to push ourselves. And apart from Senaki, there was nothing left for us to master.

Kenpachi and Renji's 'training' could be heard all throughout the underground of Urahara's shop, and it was obvious to the rest of us it was a bloody and mindless fight. Not only that, but it was also useless, seeing the limiters were still intact. Thankfully, Kisuke didn't lie when he said the gigais and limiters would be the easy part.