Chapter 6: Feel the Strength Rise from Within

"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Zanpakutō"
"Hollows/Vizard"

AN: There's quite a bit to say about this chapter in the end notes, including translating new terms, so please read them.

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The trio's trip through the Dangai was uneventful. They traveled in silence except for Kyōraku's apology for "interrupting Nemu's fun time", citing that waiting probably would've only made things more awkward when he did interrupt. Nemu simply waved him off, stating it was fine. Her tone and the unfamiliar burning in her loins disagreed. Once they left the space between worlds and arrived in Soul Society proper, they were greeted by a new pair of Shinigami. The first was a tall man with black hair and cold grey eyes. He wore a Captain's haori over his uniform along with a white scarf. In his hair was a number of intricate white headpieces. Next to him was a somewhat taller man with vibrant red hair pulled into a high ponytail. What was visible of his upper body was covered in tribal tattoos and he wore a black visor on his forehead. They were Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji, Captain and Lieutenant of 6th Division respectively. It was the former who addressed them, "Captain Kyōraku, we are to escort the prisoner to her cell." The man paused for a moment as he glanced at Nemu before continuing, his voice as cold and impersonal as ever, "And why is she not shackled? Regardless of her rank, she is still a criminal."

Unaffected by his colleague's tone, Shunsui jovially responded, "Now, now. There's no need for that. She came along with us willingly after all. Surely we can trust her not to cause a fuss now?" Indeed, the 'prisoner' in question was merely standing there, her hands folded in front of her as she waited patiently. By all appearances, she seemed almost bored.

"That is irrelevant. The law is the law," Byakuya answered coldly. Glancing at his Lieutenant, Byakuya ordered, "Renji, shackle her." Renji started slightly before moving to fulfill his orders. Though he was technically the same rank as Nemu, Renji had only been promoted a month ago. As such, he still felt as though he was moving against a superior officer. In contrast to his discomfort, Nemu easily held out her hands to be chained. Once she was bound, Byakuya and Renji led her away without another word.

Nanao watched them leave and felt a chill down her spine, like someone walking over her grave. Looking around, the bespectacled lieutenant couldn't see any reason for her discomfort. "Captain Kyōraku, do you ever get the feeling you've just made a terrible mistake? One that will cost you dearly?"

"Not for 100 years now, Nanao-chan," Shunsui replied, his hat shadowing his face as the Captain remembered his previous Lieutenant.

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Back on Earth, the final day of the semester was ending. Gym class ended up being a free period as the school administration couldn't figure out why they didn't seem to have a gym teacher. As Ichigo was leaving the school grounds, someone called out to him, "Hey, Kurosaki-san! Wait up!" Turning back, he saw a number of his female classmates heading his way. Rather than Tatsuki or Orihime who he would have expected, it was Ryō, Mahana, Michiru, and Chizuru that were approaching him. Respectively, they were a tall girl with long black hair, a curly haired brunette with the second largest bust in class, a rather shy brunette with short hair, and a redheaded lesbian with an unhealthy obsession with Orihime. As the four reached him, it was the ever-curious Mahana who spoke up in a playfully accusing tone, "Kurosaki, what happened to Kurotsuchi-sensei? Did she run off because you got her pregnant?"

Sputtering, Ichigo struggled to reply, "P-p-pregnant? What the hell are you talking about?" What little of his mind that wasn't misfiring in his shock was instead wondering why they remembered Nemu. Most of the school didn't recall her at all. Even the administrators were confused as to why Kagine had been gone for three months.

Mahana tilted her head in confusion. "Well, yeah. Everyone knows you two were an item. Heck, half the class is certain you were banging in the storage shed after school." The other girls present sans Ryō all blushed, especially poor Michiru who was nearly glowing. A proverbial lightbulb went off above Mahana's head a moment later. "Oh, I get it. You guys thought you were being sneaky. Sorry, but we saw you running off with sensei all the time."

Chizuru chimed in, "You lucky bastard, Kurosaki! I'd never cheat on my precious Hime, but Kurotsuchi sensei was something else. Those heavenly melons and that plump, juicy booty! What I wouldn't give for a taste of those." At this point, the redhead trailed off into incoherent mumbling, her hands making rather obscene motions. The other girls looked at her awkwardly before taking a step away from the sex-crazed lesbian.

Ichigo couldn't take this. Mahana wasn't entirely wrong but he and Nemu weren't a couple. At least, they weren't initially. Not that he was going to tell them that. "I don't know what you're talking about. I have no idea where Nemu is or why you think I was having sex with her!" Without giving any of them a chance to respond, Ichigo turned around and quickly marched away.

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"Hello Kurosaki-kun." Ichigo stopped in his tracks at the unknown voice addressing him. Once upon a time, he'd have assumed the voice belonged to one of his classmates that he didn't interact with much. But even without Nemu's Shinigami powers, his own spiritual power remained, including his senses. Until the voice spoke up, the side street he was on had been completely empty, the closest people being those who lived in the houses on either side. Now his senses were blaring that someone was standing next to him. Looking around, he saw no one. The only other living being in sight was a black cat lounging on the wall bordering the street… and looking right at him. "Took you long enough to notice me, boyo," The cat spoke with a voice like an old man, "You're a little slow, aren't you?"

'Definitely a cat. Only a cat could possibly be that smug.' As Ichigo focused his senses, he realized said "cat" not only had a considerable amount of Reiryoku, but it's Spirit Ribbon was red. With a gasp, Ichigo asked, "You, you're a Shinigami, aren't you?"

The cat equivalent of a smirk on his face, the feline joked, "Well maybe you're not as slow as I thought, boyo. Indeed I am. My name's Yoruichi. Kisuke sent me. We thought you might like to know how Nemu's trial went."

Ichigo's mind instantly switched gears. He moved to grab Yoruichi, wanting to shake answers out of the feline, only for a lightning-fast swipe of his claws to cut open the teens hand. "Gah! Damn those are sharp!" Quickly pulling back his bleeding his hand and cradling it, Ichigo demanded, "You know what happened with Nemu?! Tell me! Is she okay?! Was she pardoned?!"

Eyes closed as it lounged in the sun, Yoruichi shook his head, "Oh my, no. In fact," Here Yoruichi cracked open an eye to gaze at him, "She's sentenced to be executed in forty-one days. Well, it was forty-two days, but my agent couldn't get me this information before today." Having delivered the information, he closed his eyes again.

Slapping a hand over his face, Ichigo's mind was a chaotic maelstrom of thoughts and emotions. The news of Nemu's execution, the particular "person" delivering the news, the sheer mess that was the last few months of his life. As a result, the first thing out of his mouth wasn't demanding to know how Yoruichi had this information. Nor was it about plans to save Nemu. Instead, the first thing out of the strawberry's mouth was, "You know I'm too young to drink, right?"

Chuckling in amusement, Yoruichi said, "I'm not offering you any alcohol though."

"WELL, YOU FUCKING SHOULD BE!" Ichigo yelled, waving his arms through the air in frustration, "A Shinigami cat just told me his spy in the afterlife said my ghost girlfriend is going to be killed! That sentence shouldn't exist! That's something I'd hear in one of Inoue's ramblings!" As Ichigo continued to rant, Yoruichi sat up on the wall. In an instant, an overbearing pressure slammed down onto Ichigo's body. His voice cut out as he stared in awe, and perhaps slight terror, of the small feline that was putting out heavier Reiatsu than even the Menos had. Only Shunsui compared.

As quickly as it came, the pressure vanished. "Now that I have your attention, Kisuke has a way to restore your powers. Between you and your friends, you might have a chance at infiltrating Soul Society and rescuing your 'ghost girlfriend'." Yoruichi smirked again for a moment, before continuing, completely serious, "However, should you fail, all of you will likely die. Painfully. Now then, are you in?"

While Ichigo wanted nothing more than to accept, he remembered Nemu's comments about Urahara. Most importantly, he remembered her saying it wasn't normal for Shinigami like him to "retire to the Living World". As such, he was compelled to ask, "Why are you offering to help me? What's in it for you and Hat-n-clogs?"

In response, Yoruichi laughed openly. After he calmed down, the cat answered, "My, my, it seems you aren't slow at all. Good boy; that suspicion will keep you alive. Personally, it doesn't affect me one way or the other if the girl lives or dies. Iam doing this as a favor to Kisuke. As for him? That's his story to share, not mine. So once more, are you in?" In the end, what choice did he have but to accept? Ichigo nodded. "In that case, you'd best head to Kisuke's store. There isn't much time to waste." With that, Yoruichi hopped onto Ichigo's shoulders and laid back down. "Onwards trusty steed."

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Thankfully, the pair arrived at the Urahara Shop without any more commentary from the old man cat. Ichigo wasn't sure what he'd have done if someone spotted him with a talking cat. Pretend to be a ventriloquist maybe? Knowing his luck, Yoruichi would've used the opportunity to screw with him for his own amusement. Either way, he was here now, and it was time to find out how to get his powers back. Walking past the little girl he saw last time, Ichigo offered her a smile and received a timid nod in return. In some ways, she made him think of a young Nemu. Combined with the fact she seemed to be roughly the same age as his sisters, and she basically screamed, "I am adorable and helpless; please protect me." Walking through the door, Ichigo didn't see anyone else around. So he yelled out, "Oi! Hat-n-clogs! You here?!"

Ignoring Yoruichi's chuckled comment about that name never get old, the teen heard Urahara's voice coming from the back, "In the back, Kurosaki-san!" Ichigo headed towards the back of the store, sliding open the shoji door separating the main store from the rest of the building. In the small, dimly lit backroom, he spotted an open trapdoor with a ladder leading down. Ichigo looked quizzically at the cat still perched on his shoulders, receiving a deadpan stare in turn. Once more, Urahara's voice called, "Come on down. We are on something of a schedule."

Rolling his eyes, made to jump down. He froze, his face a rictus of panic as he pulled his foot back. "What the fuck?" Ichigo stared down into the hole in astonishment. Rather than a basement or small storage space, there was a massive underground room made to look like a rocky wasteland. Shaking his head in disbelief and ignoring Yoruichi's purring cackles, he started climbing down the ladder. With the walls and ceiling painted to resemble a partially cloudy sky, it was difficult to judge how large the area was, but furthest rocks in every direction suggested it was roughly a square kilometer. And going by how far down the bottom of the ladder was, the room was at least a hundred meters tall.

After several seconds of Ichigo staring with his jaw unhinged, Yoruichi spoke up, "Yeah, Kisuke does that. This isn't even the first time he built a giant underground training area. Though that one had a hot spring." The feline paused a moment before humming in thought, "Hm. Why didn't he build a hot spring in this one?" The cat's musing broke him out of his shock, causing Ichigo to continue his descent. As he continued downward, Ichigo wondered if there was an elevator or something tucked away. There's no way Hat-n-clogs climbed such a ridiculous ladder whenever he had to leave the room.

Once he finally reached the bottom, Ichigo made his way towards Urahara and his assistant. A jovial smile on his face, Urahara cheerfully declared, "Can you believe it? I was cleaning the backroom the other day and found this ridiculously huge space under my shop! Who knew such a thing was here?!" The strawberry's answering stare wasn't so much flat as outright two-dimensional. Eventually, Urahara gave up on convincing him, "Aww, you're no fun at all Kurosaki-san." The next part was muttered top low for Ichigo to hear, "Masaki would've played along." Louder, Urahara continued, "Now, this is where we will execute my three-step plan to make you a Shinigami again!"

"And how will you do that? I already gave up my powers." Ichigo asked curiously. Somehow, he doubted Hat-n-clogs was going to use Nemu's method and transfer his own powers to him. Offhandedly, Ichigo noticed Yoruichi hopping off his shoulders.

In response, Urahara tapped Ichigo on the head with his cane, pushing the teen's soul out of his body. Unlike every other time Ichigo had left his body, he was still in his normal clothes and there was a long chain connecting his chest to his physical body. In a tone that screamed 'I know something you don't know', Urahara explained, "Technically, you gave up Kurotsuchi-san's powers. Your own are still present, though they are dormant. So, we're going to force your Shinigami powers to awaken." Glancing behind Ichigo, Urahara smirked wider and said, "And the first thing you have to do is… survive." Before Ichigo could ask what the shopkeeper meant, his instincts screamed at him to move! He leapt aside just in time to dodge as the little girl from before cratered the ground he'd been standing one. "Good reflexes, Kurosaki-san. But you'll need more than that if you don't want little Ururu-chan to kill you!"

Pulling her arm from where she'd embedded it in the rock, Ururu launched herself at Ichigo. He scrambled away in a panic. 'Her face may say "Please protect me", but her fists say, "I must break you".' Ichigo's situation quickly devolved into a brutal game of cat and mouse, if the cat was a Dragon Ball Z character. Each evaded attack gouged craters in the earth or collapsed rock formations. As the teen dodged near Urahara, the blonde tossed a headband at him. "Put that on, Kurosaki-san, and say "Amazing headband of justice in place! Amazing armor of justice protect me!" It should help."

Barely avoiding an axe kick that left a crater deeper than he was tall, Ichigo followed the eccentric former Shinigami's instructions. Slapping the headband in place, he shouted, "AMAZING HEADBAND OF JUSTICE IN PLACE! AMAZING ARMOR OF JUSTICE PROTECT ME!" Rather than a suit of armor forming, all that happened was Urahara and Yoruichi collapsing in laughter. Despite the danger he was still in, Ichigo felt his eyebrow twitch at their antics. "Imma kill em." He tossed the useless headgear on the ground. But first, he had to survive an unholy murder machine shaped like a little girl. A little girl who'd just grabbed his shoulder while he was distracted. 'Oh ffffuuuuuu-!' With a heave, Ururu threw him back first into one of the few rock formations she hadn't destroyed yet.

Were he still in his body, Ichigo was sure he'd be coughing up blood. 'Fuck, she's really going to kill me at this rate. …Wait, if I can dodge her attacks, I should be able to hit her back. She might be a little girl, but if I don't take her down, I'm dead.' When she appeared in front him again, Ichigo shifted to the side, causing her jab to go wide. In the moment before her next attack, he threw a punch of his own at her face. While it connected, the girl didn't even flinch. In fact, her gaze became utterly robotic, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. She grabbed his wrist and flipped bodily above him, her leg extended to deliver a kick that was sure to splatter his brains all over the rocks behind him. Fortunately, Urahara appeared at the last instant and grabbed Ururu's ankle. The kick still created a shockwave that blew Ichigo back and kicked up a dervish of dust. "Well done, Kurosaki-san! You're still alive! You've passed the first test! Now, the second test can begin!"

Faster than Ichigo could react, Tessai severed his Chain of Fate with a large axe. As Ichigo panicked at the sight, Tessai's full weight landed on his back. A moment later, a massive pit formed underneath both of them. While Ichigo lay prostrated on the floor, Tessai stepped from his back and backpedaled away. The massive man clapped his hands together and Ichigo found his arms bound behind his back by thick, black straps. Tessai sat cross-legged on the bottom of the pit and calmly spoke, "My apologies, but for the duration of this test, you will not be permitted the usage of your arms."

Ichigo struggled to maneuver himself into an upright position. Shortly after he'd managed to sit up, Urahara peered over the edge of the hole and called down, "The goal of this test is simple. This is the Shattered Shaft. It's filled with a gas that will accelerate your Chain of Fate's encroachment, turning you into a Hollow. You have three days to climb out. If you fail, we'll be forced to exterminate you." Ignoring Ichigo's shouts of outrage and disbelief, the man continued, "Don't worry, we'll take care of your body while you're down there. Tessai will keep track of your progress. I'm afraid I have some errands to run."

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Later that same day, Sado, Orihime, and Tatsuki arrived at the Sukari Building, looking around for the one who was supposed to train them. That weird shopkeeper had told them about Nemu's pending execution and Ichigo's desire to save her. Naturally, they all volunteered to help but were told they'd have to train in their new powers first. Uryū had been invited as well but had refused. Initially Tatsuki thought it was because his broken legs wouldn't allow him to help. But the Quincy had revealed that he had a way to fix his legs in just a few days. Though more interesting was his mention of potential help. The boy refused to go into details beyond saying his "cousins" happened to be visiting and might be interested.

Since they were supposed to be training, all three chose something easy to move in. For Sado, this meant a sleeveless shirt with loose pants. Tatsuki naturally chose her karate gi and unsuccessfully tried to convince Orihime to borrow one as well. Instead the other girl wore a sports bra under an A shirt along with a tennis skirt, despite Tatsuki's insistence she shouldn't wear a skirt while exercising. Not that it seemed to matter as the three of them were the only ones present. Their mysterious trainer was running late apparently. Just as Sado was about to ask if maybe they got the time wrong, a curious "Mreow," broke the silence. Looking down, the trio spotted a small black cat winding around Orihime's legs and looking up at them. Ever fond of cute animals, Orihime immediately picked up the feline, cooing in joy, "Oh~, what an adorable little pussy!"

Tatsuki choked on her best friend's phrasing while Sado turned scarlet and started coughing repeatedly. Before either could say anything about the ditzy girl's choice of words, the cat responded, "Why thank you. Yours is rather nice as well."

That the cat sounded like an old man was less important than the fact it could talk. Cats weren't supposed to talk! Clearly, Orihime didn't get the memo, as her only reaction was to smile wider and cheerfully reply, "How nice of you to say! I just trimmed it this morning!" It seemed a talking cat was less important to her than accepting a compliment. At this point, Sado really wished the ground would just swallow him up. Ichigo could go to Soul Society on his own.

Tatsuki decided the best course of action was ignoring one elephant in the room so she could address the other. "Wait a second! Why and how the hell is a goddamn cat talking?!" She could deal with the soul eating monsters and the magic ghosts. But she drew the line at talking animals. At this point, the tomboy was wondering if the whole world was a lie.

Smug as only a cat can be, Yoruichi replied, "I'm talking because it'd be hard for me to train you otherwise. I am Yoruichi." Suddenly, a tremendous spiritual weight pressed down on all three humans as Yoruichi's gaze become outright menacing, "And for the next three weeks, I will be the one you hate with every fiber of your being."

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Ichigo was laying on his stomach, trying to think of a way out of his current predicament. Trying to climb out with only his feet hadn't worked. Nor had attempting to run up the walls. Once more wriggling himself into a sitting position, the strawberry thought hard, trying to find a way out of his predicament. Round and round his thought went until he barely noticed them anymore. Everything grew quiet and Ichigo's awareness of his surroundings faded…

"How long are you going to waste your time sitting there, Your Majesty?" Ichigo's eyes shot open as a woman's voice sounded close by. Though he was still sitting on a stone floor, his arms were free, and the pit was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the ground beneath him appeared to be made out of stone bricks. Furthermore, the sky above him wasn't the painted blue of Hat-n-clogs basement, but swirls of greens with numerous floating islands in place of clouds. Turning his head to the side, the strawberry saw a pair of legs encased in metal armor. As he moved his gaze upward, Ichigo realized that they were the legs of a woman, clad in what he vaguely recognized as the sort of armor European knights wore. Where her leg armor met her breastplate, the woman wore a blue skirt with gold accents. Upon her shoulders was a white cloak with a fur-lined mantle. Atop her long blonde hair, tied in a braided bun, was a thin golden crown. Finally, her eyes glowed a bright green. Despite her words, she wasn't looking at him. Instead she stared out over the battlements of what Ichigo realized was a castle. She must've sensed his gaze though, as she soon chastised him in that otherworldly voice of hers, "Staring is unbecoming of you, Your Majesty. Besides, this really isn't the time for such things I'm afraid."

Raising to his feet, Ichigo looked out towards where the mysterious woman indicated. Down below the castle was a massive field with a seemingly infinite number of swords embedded into the ground. From where they stood, Ichigo could spot European swords, Japanese swords, and many he couldn't even begin to guess the origin of. Rather than focus on the view, Ichigo turned towards his companion. "Where am I? And who are you?" For all he knew, he'd never met this strange woman before. The familiarity he felt with her was rather baffling.

The blonde knight gave Ichigo a small smile and replied, "We are in your Inner World, Your Majesty. The manifestation of your soul. As for who I am? Surely Your Majesty already knows my name."

That last part was said almost in jest, yet Ichigo could hear the importance there. She was testing him. More importantly, she was right. Once he thought about it, Ichigo knew exactly what her name was. Unbidden, her name spilled from his lips, "Eien-ō."

The now named Eien-ō smiled just a little bit wider. "You wouldn't be who you are if you couldn't answer that, my liege. …Now, the time has come for you to take your rightful place once more. Find me, Your Majesty. Find my blade and reclaim your powers!" With that, Eien-ō faded away, leaving him alone. Seeing no alternative, Ichigo wandered off the battlements and into the castle proper. The castle was just like he had imagined a real European castle would be. There was a throne room, a ballroom, a smithy, even stables. Yet no matter where he looked though, he couldn't find anything that told him where Eien-ō could be. Eventually, Ichigo's feet took him outside. Staring out at the field of blades, he briefly pondered if one of those was hers. After a moment, Ichigo disregarded such a notion. He wasn't sure how, but he knew Eien-ō wouldn't be found out there. 'Damnit. How am I supposed to find her in this place? She could be anywhere! …Wait, I'm an idiot. Spirit Ribbons!' Concentrating, Ichigo saw countless ribbons form, but only one was the vivid scarlet of a Shinigami. Grabbing hold of it, the teenager followed the ribbon to one of the stone bricks right at the entrance to the throne room. As he reached for it, the stone turned into a sword. Eien-ō reappeared on the other side of the blade, standing tall and proud, "Where else would I be, but standing between my king and his enemies? Take up the blade, Your Majesty, and allow me to cut down all who oppose you." Nodding to her, Ichigo took the hilt in both hands and pulled it free.

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In the Living World, Urahara looked up in surprise at the pillar of Reiryoku pouring out of the Shattered Shaft. Jinta awkwardly scrambled back from the edge, yelling in shock. In contrast, Urahara hummed in interest, "My, my, you certainly are full of surprises, Kurosaki-san. Barely more than a day and already finished. Though I can't help but wonder what that means for that one contingency plan. Ah well, that's why you always have more than one." As he mused, the energy output died down and a dark figure leapt out of the pit and landed only a few meters away. There stood Kurosaki Ichigo, once more clad in his Shinigami robes, an ōdachi strapped to his waist. Raising his voice, Urahara addressed the new Shinigami, "That's two tests passed Kurosaki-san. And in record time to boot. Now is time for the third test-"

However, Urahara was interrupted by Ichigo dashing forward, drawing his Zanpakutō, and slashing upwards, only just missing the shopkeeper's face. "I swore to myself I'd kick your ass if I ever got out of there," Ichigo growled.

Far from intimidated, Urahara merely smiled and replied, "Wonderful! For you see, the final test is to knock off my hat. Unlike the previous tests, this one has no time limit." Shifting his cane to his left hand, Urahara pulled on the head, revealing a sword hidden within the walking aid. "Shall we begin?" And thus, the two were off. Clashing again and again, the two sought to overpower each other. Or, as Ichigo was quickly realizing, he sought to overpower Urahara. The "retired" Shinigami held him back with ease. Even as Ichigo strained both arms until they shook, his opponent maintained his block with a single hand. Indeed, the strawberry's struggles were met with mockery, "Really, Kurosaki-san, is this the best you can do? Didn't you swear to 'kick my ass'?" With a sudden swing of his sword, Urahara sent Ichigo sliding backwards. "Perhaps what you need is a little more motivation? Awaken, Benihime." In a flash of crimson light, Urahara's cane sword transformed, becoming a relatively short single-edged blade with a U-shaped guard and a bent handle that ended in a red tassel.

Urahara leapt upwards, seeking to impale Ichigo from above. Though Ichigo dodged the telegraphed attack, causing Benihime to stab into the ground, Urahara simply used the hilt as a pivot to kick him in the face. With a snarl, Ichigo slashed at the blonde man while his sword was still embedded in the ground. A foot lashed out and his attack was blocked by one of Urahara's wooden sandals. The young Shinigami found himself growling in frustration. Once again, he was outmatched by an enemy who seemed to be every bit his superior. He needed to be stronger. He needed to win. What good was his resolve without the power to back it? "Use me, Your Majesty. Use my power. Let me fulfill my oath." Eien-ō's voice was more than earnest; it was outright eager. 'Of course, how foolish of me. I'm not fighting alone, am I?'

Swinging his sword behind him, Ichigo declared, "Reclaim your throne, Eien-ō!" A blue light pulsed down the length of his Zanpakutō, transforming his ōdachi into a kriegsmesser. The blade changed only slightly beyond growing shorter and slightly wider, while the guard became a simple straight bar. Finally, the handle straightened and now appeared to be sharkskin with silver wire wrap. With a loud roar, Ichigo swung his blade forward in a horizontal slash. From the arc of his slash appeared dozens of spectral duplicates of Eien-ō, all of which immediately launched at Urahara as they formed. Though surprised by such an unusual technique, especially right off the bat, the former captain nonetheless deflected each blade that was aimed for his body. Just as he relaxed, the man felt a slight breeze through his hair. From the top of his head fell his faithful hat, having been pierced through by one of the swords he'd ignored.

Gazing down at his torn hat, Urahara commented, "It seems you killed my hat, Kurosaki-san." His reply was a soft thud. Looking up, he saw that Ichigo had collapsed to the ground, unconscious. "Guess you used up all your Reiryoku in that stunt. Hardly surprising. Still, you'll need your rest. Because when you wake up, the real training begins."

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Yoruichi looked upon his students with satisfaction. Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka fluttered around her while Sado's left arm was transformed into his Brazo Derecho del Gigante and Tatsuki's Ryū no Senshi form was active, her hands clawed and horns sprouting from her forehead. Initially, he'd worried it would take them longer, but they'd managed in roughly a day and a half. "Well done all of you. Now that you can activate your powers at will, the real training begins." Suddenly, a second Yoruichi appeared on the opposite side of the training area. "All of you." A third Yoruichi spoke up from one of the building's windowsills, "Versus all of me." As Yoruichi finished speaking, dozens more seemingly burst into existence.

Sado was the one to ask the obvious, "We're fighting an army of cats for training?" Even as he spoke, it seemed like the cats in the vicinity were multiplying. Everywhere the three of them looked was a sea of black cats with yellow eyes staring at them."

Yoruichi's laughter came from every direction at once, yet it didn't sound like a crowd of people were talking. "Not at all. You didn't think I was just a talking cat, did you? I thought I'd show off a little is all. This "army" is merely my speed clones. Now let's begin." With that, every cat leapt at the trio at once.

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Ichigo awoke with a jolt. The general weight of his form told him he was back in his own body. He was lying on a futon in an unfamiliar room. Going by the boxes stacked up nearby and lack of personal touches, it was a spare room used for storage. As if on cue, Urahara chose that moment to walk in. As ever, he was clad in his dark green shihakushō and black haori. "You're awake Kurosaki-san! That's good; it means we can continue your training."

Abruptly sitting up, Ichigo threw back the banket covering him. "Training?! Now that I've got my powers back, we should be rescuing Nemu right away!" Why would they waste time when he should be fine as he was? Nemu couldn't afford for him to waste time.

In an instant, Ichigo found himself flat on his back with Urahara's cane holding him down, the man's Reiatsu threatening to crush him. For once, the man's jovial mood was nowhere to be found. His voice was as hard and unfeeling as steel, "Listen to me very carefully, Kurosaki-san. You have no idea what you and your friends will be getting in to. You think you know how strong your enemies are? Shunsui had eighty percent of his power sealed away and he still toyed with you. Right now, you're stronger than any Third Seat. But a lieutenant is stronger than the rest of the division under them combined and captains are stronger still. As you are now, you and all of your friends would die if you attacked Soul Society." Here, Urahara's cane pushed down just a bit harder, causing Ichigo to wheeze a little bit. "There's still thirty-nine days left before Kurotsuchi-san's execution. You will be training for nineteen of them. Then, I'll need another day or two to secure your passage to Soul Society, leaving you and your friends with two and a half weeks to rescue Kurotsuchi-san. If you don't like it, find another way to Soul Society. Understood?"

Ichigo nodded warily and the pressure vanished. Urahara removed his cane and instead helped Ichigo to his feet. As the shopkeeper turned to leave the room, Ichigo remembered his earlier question to Yoruichi. "Why are you helping me? What do you get out of all of this?" The man was strong, far too strong to have been an ordinary Shinigami. And his seemingly random skills stood out even more. Whoever Urahara used to be, he was important.

Urahara paused. Turning back to Ichigo, the man tilted his hat downwards, further shadowing his eyes, before answering, "I'll warn you now: you're not going to like my answer. Over a century ago, I was a Captain in Soul Society. Captain of 12th Division specifically. Once, a novel experiment went wrong, creating a wonderous device I called the Hōgyoku. What it does is immaterial. What matters is that it was extremely dangerous, and completely immune to all the methods I tried to use to annihilate it. Eventually, I theorized that if placed I it in a special Gigai – one designed to permanently render someone powerless – along with a Shinigami, the Hōgyoku could be rendered inert." Urahara sighed and answered Ichigo's next question before he could even ask, "I dared not test it on myself, lest it fail and those who sought the Hōgyoku be able to steal it away despite my efforts. But fortune smiled upon me and I came across young Kurotsuchi-san, in need of help. I thought to myself, 'Why not use her? Not only could I prevent the Hōgyoku from being misused, but I'd also be objectively improving her life by getting her away from her father.' So, I hid the Hōgyoku inside her Gigai." The former Shinigami sighed again, heavier this time, clearly regretting what had happened. "But she was found out. Now she's facing execution and my enemies are poised to steal away the Hōgyoku. To make a long story short, Kurosaki-san, I'm helping you because this situation is mostly my fault to begin with."

Ichigo moved to speak, but was cut off, "And no, I can't go to Soul Society with you. I am far too high profile. Should they detect me, we'd be swarmed by captains in a heartbeat. Better that you and your friends try to fly under the radar." Once more, Urahara turned to leave. At the door, he paused and said over his shoulder, "Tessai will be waiting for you in the training area. He will be your sparring partner until I need his help finalizing your passage."

-]|[-

Down in the basement, Ichigo stood across from Tessai in his Shinigami form. Unlike himself, the large man was unarmed. As he drew his Zanpakutō, Ichigo asked, "Shouldn't you have your Zanpakutō if we're going to spar?" Despite his words, he still made sure to enter a ready stance. The people at this shop had proven far too powerful to not take seriously. And far too prone to attacking immediately for that matter.

"Actually, Kurosaki-san, I prefer to use Kidō for combat. I don't know if Urahara-dono told you, but I used to be Captain of the Kidō Corps. As such, I don't use my Zanpakutō very often." Ichigo nodded his acceptance. In a way it made sense for him to be fighting Tessai. Between Nemu and Hollows, he had plenty of experience fighting melee opponents. Fighting someone who preferred ranged combat would only round him out as a fighter. Plus, he might be able to duplicate some of Tessai's Kidō if he paid attention to the incantations. Said plan was immediately thrown out the window when Tessai raised a hand and fired a crimson orb of energy without a word.

Immediately dodging, Ichigo knew now wasn't the time to hold back. He held his Zanpakutō high and declared, "Reclaim your throne, Eien-ō!" His Shikai released, he dashed forwards, hoping to fight Tessai too close for the man to properly cast. But when Tessai held up a hand and formed a rod of energy he recognized as the beginning of Hyapporankan, Ichigo was forced to abandon his charge lest he be pinned in place. The Kidō master didn't relent, firing off pinpoint blasts from his index fingers next. When Ichigo proved capable of dodging or deflecting those, Tessai launched a massive yellow blast of lightning with one hand while the other traced an inverted triangle, firing three glowing fangs at the teen. Ichigo quickly parried two of the fangs with Eien-ō, but the third struck his foot, pinning him in place. The yellow blast struck him dead on, dispelling the Bakudō holding him in place and sending him flying.

Pulling himself off the ground, Ichigo briefly checked himself over. Finding nothing broken or bleeding too badly, he decided he was alright to continue. "Damn. He is way too good at using Kidō. Still, if I can find a way to close the distance, maybe flank him, I might be able to win." Tessai took the opportunity to prove him wrong. Slamming his hands into the ground, a massive tsunami of lava formed in front of Tessai. Easily six meters tall and ten times that in width, the wave held its position for only a second before surging forwards at incredible speeds. Ichigo stared upwards in shock and terror. "I was not ready for today."

-]|[-

"I think that went rather well." Yoruichi's cheerful comment was met by a trio of glares. All three had been scratched, sliced, slashed, and altogether cut up by the cat for hours every day. If not for Orihime's Sōten Kisshun restoring their clothing on top of healing their injuries, all of them would likely be functionally nude. It seemed nothing was off limits to the little hell beast masquerading as a cat. Hell, forget off limits, he seemed to delight in scratching and biting them wherever he thought it would hurt the most. Heedless of their impotent rage, the feline continued, "Although, I did notice a rather glaring problem. Orihime, you haven't tried to attack me once. All you've done is shield and heal. Normally, such a strategy would be acceptable, but your three abilities are all ranged and can be used separately from one another. Explain."

Orihime fidgeted nervously at suddenly being put on the spot. She wasn't a confrontational person, never had been. "Um, you see, I- I don't like hurting people or fighting. People shouldn't have to fight each other."

"Adorable," Yoruichi's sarcasm was thick enough to choke on, "And what are you going to do when your pacifism gets people killed? We don't live in a shonen anime where love and friendship conquer all."

"Hey! Lay off Hime!" Tatsuki interrupted, her teeth bared at the one disparaging her best friend. She'd fought plenty of bullies before who tried to victimize the passive girl before.

"No, I don't think I will. We are going to war with Soul Society, in case that hasn't penetrated your heads yet. This isn't a game. You will be fighting and you may be dying. Do you know what pacifism accomplishes in war? Death." Yoruichi's words cut through them like knives. But he wasn't done yet, "But, I know words won't make someone change their ways so easily. So I have a solution. Orihime!" The cat's voice changed from annoyed condescension to an angry hiss. His aura became oppressive and deadly. "Either you kill me, or I kill Tatsuki!"

With that, he leapt at Tatsuki, claws out. Orihime quickly placed her Santen Kesshun between them, but Yoruichi simply blurred from sight and appeared on the other side. Sado tried to intercept was too far away to make it in time. Never before had he cursed his own helplessness. He was strong and tough, but he wasn't fast. The massive teen ran as fast as he could but knew he wouldn't make it in time. He'd seen Yoruichi cleave all the way through concrete dividers so he knew she could kill Tatsuki. Even as he saw Tatsuki move, to dodge or to attack he couldn't say, both of them knew Yoruichi was just too fast. "Koten Zanshun! I reject!" Faster than any of them had ever seen, Orihime's attack blazed through the air, moving even faster than Yoruichi himself. Indeed, the bright orange shield pierced right through the cat, splitting him in half before continuing into and through the building behind him.

A moment later, both halves faded away into nothingness. "Well done." All three, still high on adrenaline from Tatsuki's near death, whipped their heads towards the voice, ready to fight once more. Yoruichi sat, cool as you please, on the old pool table Nemu had once brought there. "You finally showed some proper killer instinct and passed the test. However, it's rather late so we'll wrap things up here." The black cat hopped off the pool table and walked away from the lot. Over his shoulder, he called, "Do make sure you're here bright and early tomorrow!"

The trio stood there in shock for several seconds, frozen by the mood whiplash. When the spell broke, a tearful Orihime ran to hug the friend she'd nearly lost. Tatsuki quietly returned her hug. Once she'd gotten her own racing heart under control, the tomboy muttered, "I think I hate that fucking cat."

-]|[-

Nemu sat silently in her cell. Mere days ago, she'd been sentenced to death by the Central 46. Despite her hopes, they'd absolutely refused to hear of any extenuating circumstances and declared that "the punishment must be the same regardless of circumstances". Though given she'd once heard a rumor that Captain Hitsugaya had to fight someone to the death because they both possessed the same Zanpakutō (Her creator had been furious at the loss of potential research material), she wasn't overly surprised. If she was to die, then so be it. Still, she wanted to see Ichigo-kun again. To be held by him again. Unfortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by a heartless voice she knew all too well, "Nemu, you worthless, obtuse simpleton! Not only did you fail to procure any specimens, but now you're going to be destroyed! Do you have any idea how long it will take to build your replacement, especially without your remains so I can determine why you're so dysfunctional?!" Ordinarily, Nemu would simply accept Mayuri's abuse. But as he ranted at her, the violette remembered Kurosaki Isshin, a father who was absurd and spastic and overly emotional. A father who loved his children with all his heart and always made sure they knew it. A father who was the polar opposite of her own. In that moment, a thought occurred to the young woman, 'I think I just might hate Mayuri-sama.' "Don't ignore me, you moronic waste of space! If it were up to me, I'd-"

"Pardon, Captain Kurotsuchi, but I'm here to escort the prisoner to the Senzaikyū," Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane interrupted the amoral scientist's rant. The tall, grey haired woman stood nervously at the entrance to the holding cells. Incensed, the man turned his glare on the statuesque lieutenant, causing her to burst into apologies once more, "I'm sorry! But it's the Head Captains orders! Lieutenant Kurotsuchi is to spend the last month before her execution at the Senzaikyū! It's procedure!" Rather than waste his time arguing with such an insignificant gnat, Mayuri left to his laboratory so he could get started on his next assistant. Once they were alone, Isane turned towards Nemu, who merely gazed back impassively. Quietly, Isane told her, "I am sorry, you know. You don't deserve to be executed for what you did."

-]|[-

In three different locations, spiritually aware teenagers completed their training. Near the Karasu River, a recovered Uryū finally allowed his bow to dissipate. Though he was only supposed to maintain it for a week, he'd been training for the last ten days straight. But now, he knew he was strong enough. Strong enough to fight the Shinigami. And… strong enough to make up for what he'd done. Despite his words, Uryū had known at the time that his "duel" had been childish and petty at best. He'd been blinded though. Blinded by his pride as a Quincy. Blinded by his outrage at someone with Quincy heritage becoming a Shinigami. And most of all, blinded by his grief at losing his grandfather because of the Shinigami. While he knew the others wanted to help rescue Kurotsuchi-sensei out of friendship to either her or Kurosaki, he was doing it out of duty. And perhaps, his duty as a Quincy was more important than his pride as one.

At the Sukari Building, Sado, Tatsuki, and Orihime rested after their final training session under Yoruichi. The cat was an utter slave driver, but he certainly knew how to make them stronger. While Tatsuki regretted missing Nationals, she didn't regret devoting her time to training to help her oldest friend. She and Ichigo weren't as close as they'd been when they were children, but she'd be damned if she let him invade the afterlife alone. Orihime was proud of her new strength, even if her new resolve was still a little shaky. She still didn't enjoy fighting or hurting others, but she understood that it was sometimes necessary. If her friends got hurt because she hesitated, she'd never forgive herself. For that, she'd always be grateful to Yoruichi. For giving her the strength to defend them. She just hoped she wouldn't freeze up when it became real. For Sado, it was simple. Ichigo believed Kurotsuchi-sensei was worth laying down his life for. So Sado would lay down his life as well. He and Ichigo had promised to always have each other's back and he refused to disgrace that vow.

In Urahara's basement, Ichigo sat against one of the many boulders, Eien-ō leaning against his shoulder like an old companion. In only a couple days, he and the others would be invading Soul Society to rescue Nemu. The strawberry almost wanted to insist he go alone, but he understood it was their decision to make. He wouldn't belittle them by insisting it wasn't safe; they already knew. Maybe if he hadn't met Kyōraku, Ichigo would feel he had to take on the whole of Soul Society, but he knew they weren't all his enemies. Speaking of which, Kyōraku had a lot to answer for when Ichigo saw him next. He'd all but guaranteed leniency for Nemu, yet she was set to be executed anyway. Well, he'd get his answers soon enough at any rate. And if saving the woman he loved required he burn down the whole of Soul Society, then so be it. If necessary, he'd build something better atop the ruins. 'Just wait a little longer Nemu. I'm coming to save you, and nothing will stop me.'

-]|[-

On what would be their last night before the big day, Ichigo and his friends all attended the local fireworks display. To Ichigo's mild surprise, even Uryū came. He was being followed by a pair of young women who quickly split off before Ichigo could get a good look at them. Tatsuki and Orihime had naturally shown up together, a blanket under Tatsuki's arm, while Sado came on his own. Ichigo had come with his family but had quickly split off from them. He knew he might not see them again, but in some ways, he already felt worlds apart from them. It was like knowing about the greater world had opened a rift between him and others. Ichigo wasn't sure when he last spent time with someone who wasn't spiritually aware other than his sisters. Given that Karin could see ghosts but simply refused to acknowledge them and Yuzu's eyes sometimes lingered in the direction of a spirit, Ichigo wasn't sure they counted as unaware.

The five of them all gravitated together naturally. For several minutes, none of them said anything, content to simply share a companionable silence. Eventually, it was Ichigo who broke it, "I can understand why everyone else is going to Soul Society, but what about you Ishida? Why are you going?"

Uryū adjusted his glasses and calmly replied, "I have a number of reasons. But I suppose the one you're most interested in is simple. I may have my pride as a Quincy, but I'm not so proud that I can't understand the need to atone for a mistake." The answer was honestly not what Ichigo had expected. He'd half expected more emphasis on Uryū's Quincy pride, maybe something about making sure they didn't mess things up or wanting to prove his superiority to the Shinigami. Either he'd seriously misjudged the bespectacled teen, or the Quincy had done some serious thinking over the last month and change.

Nodding his acceptance, Ichigo made his excuses, wanting to spend some time with his family before charging into likely death. Even if there was a gulf between them, it didn't mean he couldn't find a way to span it. Uryū muttered something about needing to show his cousins around before taking his leave. Sado simply drifted off. Feeling they were already in a good spot to watch the pending fireworks show, Orihime and Tatsuki simply sat down on their blanket. It was as the first firework went off that Tatsuki spoke up, her voice uncharacteristically soft, "Hey, Hime? I-, there's something I've been meaning to say for a while now. Something important. But I never could figure out how to say it."

Orihime turned towards her closest friend, watching as the flash of the fireworks illuminated the tomboy's face. By contrast, Tatsuki was gazing down at the ground. Gently, Orihime prompted her, "What is it Tatsuki-chan? You can tell me anything." Hoping to bolster her, Orihime placed her hand on Tatsuki's shoulder.

Keeping her eyes focused firmly downwards, Tatsuki said, "We're going to this Soul Society tomorrow. We- we might not come back. I always knew that, but Yoruichi really drove it home. When he was trying to make you more aggressive, when he leapt at me like that, I was so certain I was going to die. And for those few heart stopping seconds, I realized I only had one regret." Finally, Tatsuki turned to look at her friend. In that moment, as she watched the reflection of the fireworks in Orihime's eyes, the martial artist was captivated. Still speaking quietly, but firmer now and full of emotion, she said, "My one regret was not telling you how I feel. I- I love you, Hime. I don't know when it happened, but I can't picture my life without you in it. I adore everything about you: Your kindness, your cheerfulness, your smile, well, maybe not your cooking." Tatsuki offered a weak smile at her attempt at lightening the mood. "Anyway, I want to be with you. And-"

Before she could continue, she was cut off by Orihime's lips pressing against hers. Their kiss was clumsy and inexperienced but filled with their mutual love for one another. After several seconds, Orihime was the one to break the liplock. Giving that beautiful smile Tatsuki loved so much, she replied, "I love you too, Tatsuki-chan. You're my best friend, my hero, and my role model. You're so strong and beautiful, Tatsuki-chan. You're everything I wish I could be. More than that, you're the one I want to be with." This time, it was Tatsuki who initiated the kiss. The two ignored the fireworks happening across the river for each other as they wordlessly expressed their feelings for each other, falling back onto the blanket.

-]|[-

AN: Why yes, Ichigo's Zanpakutō spirit is who you think she is. For what Ichigo's shikai looks like exactly, look up Skallagrim's "Knecht Kriegsmesser Review" on youtube. Besides the handle (which looks like something I'd find on a steak knife), I think it looks like an interesting semi-fusion of Eastern and European swords. But more importantly, I think it looks cool as hell. You've seen one of its special abilities. But the other won't show up for a while yet (and by that, I mean I'm not sure when).

Also until Yoruichi resumes human form, those not in the know will refer to her as a guy, especially because both the subbed and dubbed anime saw fit to give her an old man voice in cat form. Oh and I totally fucked up. For some reason I was sure Bleach took place in 2004, when it's actually 2001. Rather than fix it, I'm just moving the timeline over three years. Not like it really affects much anyway. Lastly, Orihime and Tatsuki are absolutely NOT in the harem. For this story's purposes, Orihime is bisexual and has a crush on Ichigo, but she is in love with Tatsuki, who is a lesbian. Neither of them will be romantically involved with Ichigo.

Translations: For god's sake, correct me if you know I'm wrong.
Eien-ō: Eternal King/Once and Future King
Yūrei no ken: Ghost Swords
Ryū no Senshi: Dragon Warrior

Next time on Vow of the King: Sado fists a guy and Kūkaku blows her load all over Seireitei.