Ba-dump.
Ba-dump.
Ba-dump.
Beating heart… check.
Massive feeling of sluggishness and an overwhelming ache starting from my head and spreading down to my toes? Check.
The fact that I have my toes and the rest of my digits still. Check.
'Ugh,' thought Kenpachi as he brought his less heavily bandaged right arm up to cover his eyes, 'I either went drinking with Kyoraku and the boys last night, or I just had a near-death experience… as a dead soul… not like there is much of a difference though.'
A few more minutes and the pulsing and pounding aches lessened ever so slightly allowing the tough grizzled Kenpachi to crack an eye open and cringe at the light. Heedless of his bodies tumultuous state the giant of a man swung his legs over the edge of the bed he was laying on and sat up to his full height. He nearly doubled over on instinct when the severed muscles of his left torso screamed their protest. A resigned growl was the only outward sign of discomfort as the captain of the 11th division scanned the room he had awoken in. Oddly enough someone was already waiting for him… or rather, HAD been waiting for him. Urahara Kisuke was nestled in a nearby love chair taking a nap as drool leaked out of the corner of his mouth.
Kenpachi's lone eye narrowed to a slit. He had never thought very highly of the former 12th division captain. He was too frivolous and happy all the time. Not enough hacking, slashing, or brutality of any kind. So in other words: boring.
A grunt and a heave later Kenpachi was walking under his own power toward the door. Who was he to care if the bandages laced over his chest had begun to stain a deep red? This was the kind of shit that made you tough. As he was reaching for the door a sing-song voice called out, "Captain-san! I wouldn't recommend leaving just yet. Your wounds aren't nearly healed. You won't be able to last another half hour at this rate. Just look at you… You're starting to leak blood everywhere."
That cruel lone eye turned around to meet Kisuke's playful gaze. "I don't have time for this shit. I need to get stronger. I MUST get stronger. I have so many people to pay back."
"Strength? Is that truly your goal? Or perhaps it is your road which leads to the goal? Hmm?" posed the quirky man with raised eyebrows.
"The fuck are you askin' stupid questions like that for? Does it matter one way or another?"
"Of course it matters Taicho-san. Indulge me."
Kenpachi attempted a snort of disdain, but was only rewarded with a fresh wave of pain tearing through his head. His nose seemed to be stopped up by blood clots. Great. In irritation the 11th division captain decided to play the exile's stupid little game. "If anything strength is my path. My goal would be to fight as many strong people as I could before dying to the strongest one I had ever met. There. What do you think of that?"
Half hidden behind his silly fan Urahara's face suddenly became more serious. Was the man bipolar? "That is good that you are being honest with me, captain. If that is indeed your goal, your dream if I may be so bold, then the next logical question to ask yourself is: What is the best way of achieving the strength you require to reach that final battle?"
"Easy enough. I cut, slash, and hack as many of the strong one's as I can until I finally run into one of the REALLY strong fuckers. Then I go down in a blaze of glory. End of Kenpachi, end of story."
From behind his waving fan the blond haired exile's eyes turned to slits. "And if it were possible to become strong enough to beat that 'really strong fucker?' If you were able to defeat that one, and then keep fighting until an even stronger opponent presents itself… What would you say to that possibility?"
"Is that an offer, Mr. Looney?" asked the cycloptic captain suspiciously. After all, what motive did Urahara Kisuke have to help a seemingly barbaric person such as himself?
"Yes, Kenpachi of Zaraki. It would be." Kisuke's entire countenance, save for the frivolous fan, was now completely serious.
Making a quick U-turn Kenpachi strolled back to the bed, laid down with his eyes closed, and spoke, "I need time to think."
SCENE CHANGE! With Ichigo…
Ichigo awoke feeling like he was wrapped in a cocoon. He was hardly able to move his fingers and toes, and his head was firmly strapped into place. What he could see was a fake sky much like the one in Urahara's training ground under his shop. After a few moments of much wriggling, struggling, and a fair bit of pain from a few mysterious wounds Ichigo heard a voice.
"Are you awake?" Ichigo recognized it as Shinji's voice.
Ichigo was pleased to find that his jaw was not hindered at all. "Yeah. Why am I tied down and what happened after I gave up control?"
"Before I answer that I need you to answer a single question for me. If I release you from your bonds… will you promise to never use your powers against a fellow Vaizard? Will you give me your unbreakable word?" Shinji's voice was deadly serious at this point. It almost sounded as if he were wary of Ichigo somehow.
"What if I'm attacked…" began Ichigo before Shinji cut him off harshly.
"Your word. No matter what the circumstances we DO NOT fight each other. When you become a Vaizard you join the family. Family doesn't kill family." Cold, hard steel lay behind that voice.
Scrunching his eyebrows up as much as possible considering the strap that ran across his forehead Ichigo decided to voice his approval. "I give you my word, no my vow, that I will never raise a hand or blade against a fellow Vaizard. Now, what happened?"
Silence for a handful of heartbeats. "After you gave control over to your hollow we were forced to use extreme methods in order to contain you. These methods forced you into unconsciousness. The hollow that dwells within your soul is one of immense strength. It was only the second Vastolord level hollow we Vaizard have ever seen within a person. It was also just about the strongest Vastolord level hollow any of us have seen, either within a person or not. We had no idea if it would be yourself or your co-inhabitant who had control when you woke up."
"Great. So that means it's going to be a bitch to suppress right?"
"Yes. It will have considerable resistance to any attempts to suppress it, but we aren't aiming for suppression. We want to teach you to subjugate your inner hollow and take its immense powers for your own. That will be even harder, but if you can pull it off then it will be worth the risk."
Ever the man on a mission Ichigo hardened his resolve and immediately responded, "Let's do it."
Out of sight Shinji sweat dropped. "Are you kiddin' me man? Just like that and you're that sure? This could easily kill you."
"I need to become stronger. If this will increase my abilities that dramatically then yes. I won't die until I've completed my goal so you don't need to worry about me failing."
With a sigh the blond Vaizard walked forward and undid the straps holding Ichigo in place and beckoned him. "Come on. Let's get started."
A/N
Short chapter because I am just getting back into the swing of this story, and also because I am whipping up an actual plot for the rest of the story. I don't want to get too far ahead without cementing the facts into place. Big thanks and huge shout to my beta/support CO Raven. That dude has seriously given me more help and inspiration than a barrel full of… well, anthing. Thank you Raven for bugging me all those months while I was being an ass hole.