Chapter 8: Just My Luck

"That's enough!" I heard a familiar voice command as I lost consciousness. Well losing consciousness was not a good way to put it. I could still hear what was going on, but I couldn't move or respond at all.

"You used almost all of your spiritual energy before the battle even started when you summoned us. Your body is still recovering. Please be more careful from now on," I heard Aisuhime sigh, obviously worried. Well crap. May as well listen in.

"T-taicho!" I heard Renji say in shock, "I-I can explain!" I felt Byakuya-taicho's grip on me tighten. I felt bad because I didn't want Renji to get in trouble. It wasn't his fault. I was careless.

"Renji, you felt how little spiritual pressure she had. Letting her fight Ikkaku was irresponsible," I heard Byakuya-taicho scold. Then I heard a snicker. Oh heck no. Renji was not babysitting. I felt my spiritual pressure rise, and I opened my eyes and jumped out of Byakuya-taicho's arms. They all looked at me shocked except Yumichika. He knew that my anger and pride were two things someone should never underestimate or undermine.

"Listen up!" I yelled angrily, my voice no longer soft as it usually was, "I am not some weakling who needs to be babysat by ANYONE! If I get hurt, it's my own dang fault! I'm an adult, and I make my own decisions. Last I checked, if I wanted to go face a hollow by myself right now, I very well could! And-!"

"No you couldn't," Byakuya-taicho interrupted, "You are under my jurisdiction, and I would not allow it. You are not strong enough to take on even the weakest of hollows without serious injury or death."

I couldn't help it. I sneered at him. "Ah, but I'm just a peasant so why the heck do you care? You're only training because you were ordered to by Yamamoto-soutaicho," I replied with an angry smirk, but it sounded like there were two people speaking.

"Shinkiro-chan, stop it! Right now!" Yumichika yelled worried, "Remember when you started to feel a hole forming in your heart when I met you? And I told you to fight it? That's back and you have to fight it! That's why you've been acting strange. You have to fight it now too!"

-Byakuya's Point of View-

I had shown up at the eleventh division to observe how well Shinkiro could fight without her newly found shikai, but when I arrived I saw her falling to the ground. I flash stepped and caught her before she hit the ground. It would be a major inconvenience for both of us if she ended up in the fourth division for a week again. This girl I swear was a liability, but she seemed to have a good heart. Those are rare to find here lately.

After getting on to Renji for not being careful with who she fought, I felt her spiritual pressure suddenly spike, and she quickly ended up about 10 feet away from me. To the others, it probably seemed like she teleported. She moved as though she flash stepped, but she never learned to do that.

Her spiritual energy spiked even more, and I realized her sleeve had been cut on her left shoulder, and her spike in spiritual pressure had caused the sleeve to completely come off. My eyes widened slightly when I saw the scar on her arm glowing red as though it were bleeding. Her eyes were now a vibrant red and appeared to glow, instead of their typical clear ice blue. I only noticed this because she has large eyes. Yes, that's why.

"Listen up!" she yelled angrily, her voice angry and loud and… mixed with another more gravelly voice, "I am not some weakling who needs to be babysat by ANYONE! If I get hurt, it's my own dang fault! I'm an adult, and I make my own decisions. Last I checked, if I wanted to go face a hollow by myself right now, I very well could! And-!" I interrupted her.

"No you couldn't. You are under my jurisdiction, and I would not allow it. You are not strong enough to take on even the weakest of hollows without serious injury or death," I stated. I did not wish for her to do something that could cause serious injury again. I'm pretty sure she's had enough of those in her first lifetime in the world of the living.

She sneered at me, and I was taken aback but didn't show it of course. Then I felt it, a dark spiritual pressure mixed in Shinkiro-san's. Something is wrong here. The only time I have heard two voices like that was with…Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Ah, but I'm just a peasant so why the heck do you care? You're only training because you were ordered to by Yamamoto-soutaicho," she responded, her own voice sounding almost hurt, and the other voice finding the whole thing hilarious from the sounds of it. This was when someone else seemed to have caught on.

"Shinkiro-chan, stop it! Right now!" Yumichika yelled, obviously worried about her, "Remember when you started to feel a hole forming in your heart when I met you? And I told you to fight it? That's back and you have to fight it! That's why you've been acting strange. You have to fight it now too!"

Well that tells us when everything happened, but how did it stay quiet for so long? Then I saw the pained look on Shinkiro-san's face. It seemed as though his yelling snapped her out of it. She looked terrified, and I didn't know what to do help. For the first time since Hisana died, I felt completely helpless.

-Shinkiro's Point of View-

I realized Yumichika was right. There's something wrong. This isn't me. "Dang right it isn't! You're too much of a wimp for this to be you!" I heard a sinister voice inside my head say. Oh crap.

Who the heck are you?! "That's a great question. I'm your potential! The part of you that wants revenge for everything those horrible parents of yours did to you while you were in the world of the living!" I heard the voice respond with a sadistic happiness to it.

Well get out! My body only has living accommodations for one, and I was here first! "Fine, I'll leave you alone for now. But one day you will need me, and I will have control!" the voice said before I opened my eyes to see everyone staring at me, seeing if I had regained my sanity.

"Um… Gomen nasai, minna-san (everyone)," I said sadly remembering what I said to Byakuya-taicho. My knees buckled, and I stabbed my zanpakto into the ground to stop myself from completely falling to the ground.

"Sheath your zanpakto, Shinkiro-san," Byakuya-taicho ordered. I looked up at him.

"With all due respect, Byakuya-taicho, this is what is holding me up right now," I said bluntly, my vision going a little fuzzy for a second before clearing back up. Byakuya-taicho closed his eyes in what may have been annoyance, but he disappeared out of nowhere.