I do not own Bleach.

"Oof!" Sakura huffed as her back hit the dirt once more. She rolled over and leaned her head on her forearms. "Can I point out how completely unfair it is that I have to fight a freaking horse?!" Sakura looked up as a black horse watched her from a distance.

"You may, but it will not change your situation." Muso-ku spoke as she watched her master stand and brush dirt off of her. "You were the one that requested Bankai training." She turned away from her master and flicked her tail in her direction.

Sakura glared at her zanpakutou. "I didn't think it would mean having to pull you into the physical world. And why was that so easy?" Sakura snickered a bit remembering everyone's shocked faces when Muso-ku just walked out of a shadow all on her own. Apparently it was actually really difficult and took decades, sometimes centuries, to be able to do that.

Muso-ku shook her mane out. "Your soul is already used to the strain. Since it is how I protected you while you were unable to use me yourself. So it is only natural that you would have no difficulty summoning my true form." The black mare shuffled in her place. "Now prepare yourself."

Sakura sighed as she got ready. She relaxed her muscles as Muso-ku ran at her. Stepped to the side and grabbed her flaming mane in her hand, letting natural forces pull her back and up till she was sitting on the horse's back. Now the hard part began.

Sakura closed her eyes and held on tightly as Muso-ku began to jump and thrash around. She tried to stay on, but it only lasted for about 1 minute. Which was 5 seconds longer than the last time.

"This is going nowhere." Sakura huffed as she stayed on the ground.

A shadow came over her and let out a chuckle. "Bankai training isn't suppose to be easy sweet heart." Shunsui smiled down at his daughter. "How is it going?" He turned his eyes to the majestic black mare that was his daugther's zanpakutou.

"She is getting better." Muso-ku walked up to her master's father. "But if she continues to believe she is not making progress she will not make progress." Muso-ku eyed her master, she was still laying on the ground. "I believe we have finished for the day." She turned and vanished into the shadow at her master's side.

Kyoraku looked from the shadow to his daughter. "So you have your mother's confidence issues."

"No, I have my own confidence issues." Sakura snapped as she got up. "Just because I am your daughter doesn't mean everything comes from either one of you. I'm my own person." She sent a glare over to her father, then stopped. She sighed while shaking her head. "Sorry. I'm just so frustrated."

Shunsui hugged his daughter. "It's alright sweet heart. It me over a century before I got Bankai. And that is perfectly normal."

"But I'm not normal." Sakura sighed. "I'm not normal, dad. Normal would be me still in the academy. Or with whoever was my age. Which is also not normal because I grew thinking I was human."

"And for those years you were human." Shunsui could see what his daughter was getting at. "Have you talked with Ichigo about this? He was a shinigami while he was human, so he might be able to help."

"I can ask him." Sakura tucked pieces of hair, that had fallen out of her ponytail, behind her ear. "Guess a break could do me some good. I'll be back in time for dinner." She waved as she took of towards 8th squad.

'Ain't this going well?' Tsubaki asked sarcastically.

"Shut up Tsubaki!" Sakura snapped back at her hollow. "If you would let me sleep then I wouldn't be so irritated."

'I'm not the one giving you nightmares. That's all on you.' Tsubaki chuckled as Sakura sent her a mental glare. 'Face it you worry too much.'

"Of course I worry." Sakura slide down the roof into the courtyard of 8th squad. "Aizen hasn't made a peep. And there is no trace of him or his Espada anywhere. It makes me wonder what he is planning. Or waiting for."

'Maybe he is waiting for a rainy day?' Tsubaki offered half heartedly.

"Is that really your only suggestion?" Sakura grumbled as she tried to find her Taichou. Which she did, by turning right and running into him. "Sorry Kurosaki-Taichou."

"It's alright Kyoraku." Ichigo frowned slightly. "Isn't today your day off? What brings you around? You know Lisa is going to put you to work if she finds out you're here."

"I know. But that's why I always make sure there is a shadow nearby." Sakura pointed to a shadow to her left. "But I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure. What do you need?" Ichigo was always happy to help people. That part of him had never changed.

Sakura fidgeted a bit. "Um...you know how I was human before?"

Ichigo smiled a bit, guessing what she wanted to talk about. "You feel like you're not progressing fast enough." He chuckled as he saw her shocked face. "Despite what everyone thinks, I do know how to read people. And this is nothing to feel bad about. You aren't human anymore. So it's natural for your learning curve to level out a bit."

"I see." Sakura frowned at the response. She had been hoping for a solution, not an explanation.

Ichigo placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's not something anyone really wants to hear. Especially not someone in your position. Be as strong as you can. It will be enough to protect them."

Sakura smiled at her Taichou. "Thank you."

"Now that you two are done chatting." Sakura tensed at the voice to her left. "I believe I have some work to do with Sakura-chan." Lisa wrapped an arm around the girl. She was blocked off from her escape.

Sakura laughed nervously. "Actually I was in the middle of Bankai training. So I have to go back to that." She tried to escape, but Lisa's arm was like steel.

Lisa smirked as the kid tried to escape. "Bankai training you say? Then let's watch. Since Kurosaki and I both have one, we can give you pointers." Lisa steered the girl towards the training grounds. "Come on Taichou, let's go help Sakura-chan."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at his Fukutaichou, but followed along. Lisa actually had valid points for watching Sakura do her Bankai training.

Sakura took a deep breath as she drew her katana. She could feel Lisa-san's and Kurosaki-Taichou's eyes on her. This was more nerve racking than having her father watch.

"Let's do this, Muso-ku." Sakura tossed her katana into a shadow. A black mare stepped out of said shadow with a huff. "What has you in a huff?"

"Katen Kyokotsu. That woman thinks she could teach you better than me. Ha!" Muso-ku snorted and lit her mane on fire.

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes. "Let's forget about her for now. Let's go again. I'm not giving up." Sakura braced herself as she got ready for Muso-ku to charge.

And charge the horse did. But instead of Sakura moving to the side, she held her ground. Muso-ku burst into flames once she hit her. Catching her clothes, hair and skin on fire. And Sakura just stood there burning.

"Sakura!" She heard Kurosaki and Lisa shout. But she was focusing on the crackling of the fire. And trying to ignore the feathery tickling of the flames on her skin. She may have been on fire, but it didn't hurt. It couldn't hurt, Muso-ku would never hurt her. Or at least not a crippling hurt that she would never recover from.

"What are you, Sakura?" Sakura listened to the fire. A wispy, crackling voice spoke to her. Like a fire cracker going off in the distance. You could feel the pop, but the noise wasn't harsh. "What do you want to be?"

Sakura opened her eye and looked up at the sky. "I am a dreamer."

"Then catch them." Sakura felt the sudden urge to leave the ground. So up into the air she jumped. Up into the clouds till she just floated amongst the clouds. "Call my name."

"Hosho no Yume." Sakura smiled as the name rolled off her tongue. Her hands clenching, reaching for her zanapakutou. Her fingers met resistance. Lifting her hands she saw she was holding a pair of large dream catchers. Kunai hung where feathers would and beads were spread throughout the woven center. "Their beautiful."

"Thank you. With this, we will protect them. We will see our dream come true, and put an end to our nightmares." Hosho no Yume spoke calmly to her master. The girl was ready. "Let us return. I'm sure they are worried."

"Yeah. I wouldn't be surprised if they called my dad. Or Inoue-Taichou." Sakura released her hold on the reishi beneath her feet and began falling back to the ground. "They did think I was on fire after all. And now I'm free falling." Sakura laughed, both at the joy of falling and imagining everyone's reactions.

She got her answer as she felt a few very worried reiatsu heading her way. She quickly flipped over so her feet where to the ground. She got a foothold in the reishi in the air before falling forward and propelling herself down faster. Flipping back over and landing with her feet on the ground and creating a dust cloud.

"Sakura!" Sakura sighed as she straightened out her clothes while her father called to her. "Sakura are you alright?" Shunsui had panicked a bit when he saw his daughter falling, but then she sped up her own decent. But what had sent her up that high?

"I'm fine dad." Sakura walked out of the cloud of dust and smiled at the crowd that had accumulated. "Wow. Did Kurosaki-Taichou or Lisa-san get everyone?"

"Well you were kind of on fire there kiddo." Lisa smirked as she looked over the young woman. There wasn't a scratch, bruise, or burn on her. "But it looks like we didn't have to worry."

"Anyone else wondering what the heck she is carrying?" All eye looked towards the small green haired child. Lilynette looked back at everyone with a glare. "What?! It's an honest question."

Everyone looked over as Sakura looked down at the dream catchers in her hands. "Obviously their dream catchers." She showed them all and smiled through them. "This is Hosho no Yume. My Bankai."

"YOU GOT BANKAI!" Sakura was a bit surprise to hear how many people were shocked. Her Taichou and father though we're laughing.

"Y'all were the ones training me. And you didn't see this coming?" Sakura smirked as everyone was quieting down. "Now then, who wants to help me train with it?"

Yay! Bankai! And I'm back after so long. I actually don't remember when I last updated this story. But I'm sure it has been too long. Sporadic updates and all. But I am working on it.

So for clarification on names. Muso-ku, means dreamer. And Hosho no Yume, means catcher of dreams, or dream catcher.

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