Training

"Hey! What the hell?!" Ichigo protested.

"Shut up Hollow! Give back Ichigo!" Kensei demanded.

"I AM Ichigo, dumbass!"

"Ha ha, hit me with another!" Kensei replied sarcastically. "Your reiatsu just skyrocketed, Hollow, far more than any of ours did when we first got our masks!"

"How is it MY problem if your Hollow powers are not as strong as mine?! Besides, I have unnaturally large reiatsu reserves as a Shinigami, what's to say my Hollow powers don't magnify it?"

"Let's prove who's in charge then," Shinji murmured, leaning down and peeling the mask from Ichigo's face.

"Yes, well done, you took off my mask and kept me from accessing my Hollow powers," Ichigo snapped, annoyed. "Are you convinced I am who I say I am now?"

"Well, now we know he was in control," Love muttered.

"But what if it's a plot to get someone on the inside, to betray us and our location?" Rose asked.

"You're not entirely wrong," Ichigo had to admit. He felt the various Zanpakuto begin to cut into his skin. "Urahara Kisuke knew I had an Inner Hollow, and wanted to lure you out so I could be trained by you. I imagine he wants me to convince you to fight Aizen with the Shinigami. Or maybe act as a secondary defense, as my friends and I are supposed to be the first one, just in case Aizen invades here to create the King's Key. I really don't know, he hides quite a bit."

Shinji crouched down so he was looking Ichigo in the eyes. "You're very forthcoming about him…" he said suspiciously.

"I don't like him very much," Ichigo said honestly. "He tried to sacrifice one of my friends to destroy the Hougyouku. Since then he's helped me gain my own Shinigami powers, as well as Bankai. He also helped fight provide a means to fight the Bount. At the same time, he's using me as a final defense against Aizen, which grates on my nerves."

"I trust him," a new voice rang. Ichigo swiveled his eyes in the direction the voice came from and saw Hachigen stand up and dust himself off. "He's been very honest and direct. His reiatsu since you removed his mask has been violently churning, but in a way that suggests readiness to fight, rather than deception."

"Besides," Love began, sending a sly look Shinji's way, "I doubt a spy would point out your crush."

"I do NOT have a crush on Hiyori, damn it!" Shinji cried in frustration. "Regardless, you have a point. He wouldn't make waves and attract attention if he was a spy. And he definitely wouldn't have come with his Hollow already mastered. Let him up."

A few moments later, Ichigo stood up and stretched. "Anything else you need to check before you can trust me?" he asked angrily.

"No, we're good," Mashiro chirped happily.

"So, how long can you hold onto your mask?" Hiyori asked seriously.

"Not long." Ichigo scowled.

"Tell us!" Hiyori insisted.

Ichigo looked away, muttering.

"What was that?"

"Nine seconds. You happy now?" Ichigo bit out.

"Actually, yes," Love answered. "That's about the average we could each hold onto our masks at first, excepting Mashiro. She could hold hers for fifteen hours straight on her first try."

"Ok, I don't feel so bad now," Ichigo admitted. "So, this mask endurance training…"

"We have you repeatedly summon your mask and then fight you so your body can get used to wielding so much power," Rose explained. "Your adaptation speed, we've found, is slower if the Hollow is very powerful."

"You'll go through the endurance training until you can hold it for an hour," Shinji directed. "After that, it'll only get better through experience."

"How do you measure how powerful the Hollow is?" Ichigo queried.

"Well, normally we'd have had to fight your berserk body to find out," Shinji admitted. "Got any stories to tell?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Not sure if this means much, but when I was fighting my Hollow, my body went berserk and started through Hollowification. It managed to break out of a combination of Bakudo 99: Kin and Bakudo 75: Gochutekkan after we both went Bankai in my Inner World. It fell to Bakudo 99: Bankin, though."

Shinji whistled. "Wow, that is rather impressive. What about inside your Inner World?"

"We were about the same level," Ichigo confessed. "Like I said, he could use Bankai, same as me. Very strong version of my Bankai special attack. I beat it when I stole the Zanpakuto out of his hand and stabbed him with it. You'll have an opportunity to face the berserk form again in two weeks, if you want."

Kensei blinked. "But you already beat your Hollow. Why would you need to do it again?"

"We agreed to fight every two weeks for control of my body. As long as I win, he'll teach me how to use Hollow techniques. If he wins, he goes to Hueco Mundo to evolve as a Hollow until I win again," Ichigo explained. "The way we saw it, we both get stronger either way, but I'd rather stay in charge."

"But WE can teach you the Hollow techniques!" Shinji exclaimed, waving his arms around in dismay.

Ichigo shook his head. "You can teach the generic Hollow techniques, like Cero. All the specialties of your individual Hollow, you either don't know or discovered on accident. I can't afford to not know, and I can't trust accident."

"But don't you see? Your Hollow's tricked you!" Lisa insisted. "When your Hollow evolves, then he'll become stronger than you, and you'll never win again!"

"You might have a point," Ichigo conceded, "but you never know. Besides, Gillians are pretty mindless. I could kick my Hollow's ass like that no problem. In any case, I don't have a choice but to fight to grow stronger. Let's drop it and move on to the endurance training."

The next morning, Ichigo was exhausted. He'd been summoning his mask all night every time it broke, and he'd only managed to extend the time to nineteen and a half seconds. Still, it was more than double what he'd been at before. He'd been restricted from Bankai so the Vizard didn't have to release their Zanpakuto to fight him; Ichigo got the impression they didn't really trust him. He couldn't blame them.

Ichigo fell to his knees when his mask broke again. "Twenty seconds even," Hachigen called out, clicking his stopwatch. "You got another half-second there, Ichigo."

"Way to go, Berry-tan!" Mashiro called out, having been talking to Hachigen animatedly. "Keep it up!"

"Just half a second? What is up with you?!" Hiyori growled from behind her mask. It'd been her turn to fight Ichigo this time. She pulled back the mask to glare at him. "Baka Strawberry!"

"Stop calling me that! Only Rukia can call me that!" Ichigo rebuked before he had a chance to think about what he was saying. Catching the sudden knowing look in Shinji's eyes across the way, Ichigo groaned. "It's not like that, Shinji! She's one of my best friends! Just like Inoue, Ishida, and Chad!"

Ah, sweet vengeance, Shinji thought fondly. "Really? Cuz I remember you telling me yesterday how much you enjoyed bantering with her and calling her a midget! You even let her hit you with her notebook after you insult her drawing!" He grinned widely, showing off his teeth. "Sounds like there's some sexual tension there."

Ichigo gave him an exasperated look. "There's nothing there, Shinji!"

"Would this be the same Rukia who you broke into Soul Society to save from execution?" Shinji continued.

Ichigo ground his teeth. "Yes, I was returning a favor. She gave me the power to save my family from Hollows, so I was saving her life. I couldn't just let her die without setting us straight. Besides, even if I WAS interested, Rukia is a Kuchiki, royalty in Soul Society, and she's over a hundred years older than I am. I'm only fifteen. She definitely wouldn't be interested in me. Like I said, there's nothing there."

"Summon your mask, Strawberry," Hiyori interrupted, pulling hers back on. "You need a lot of work."

Ichigo sighed and summoned his mask again, holding Zangetsu in the ready position. They rushed at each other again, with Hiyori barely looking winded.

"So, is there anyone you're interested in, Ichigo?" Lisa asked, turning a page in her perverted manga.

Ichigo blinked behind his mask before parrying another of Hiyori's strikes. "Not particularly. I'm a bit too busy to create a healthy relationship." He struck, only to be blocked again. "Between my job as a Shinigami Representative and school, I have next to no time to myself. Besides, there's no one at school who interests me."

"Oh? What about this Inoue person?" Lisa inquired. "Tell me about her."

Ichigo blocked another attack with difficulty – Hiyori was really fast when she wanted to be. "Inoue's full name is Inoue Orihime. She's a bit quiet, and very odd when it comes to food choices. She'll put peanut butter in spaghetti, for crying out loud!" Ichigo, distracted from talking, narrowly dodged out of the way of Hiyori's stab and tried for a sideways cut, which was deflected. "Anyway, she has the ability to reject reality within a limited area of effect, and as such usually acts as our healer, rejecting our wounds. She has a powerful shield as well that rejects any attack that hits it." Ichigo jumped back, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two from Hiyori's wickedly fast slice. "Inoue does have one attack that has some serious potential, but she doesn't like hurting people, so it's mostly unused. We've been friends for years through a mutual friend, Tatsuki, but she developed the powers when I was still learning how to be a Shinigami, and we grew to be friends through invading Soul Society."

"Hey Berry-tan! Guess what?" Mashiro piped up.

"What is it, Mashiro?" Ichigo asked tightly, locking blades with Hiyori for a moment before breaking contact and going in for a stab, which was easily dodged. He couldn't afford to be distracted from the battle, or else he'd be seriously hurt.

"You've kept on that mask for more than a minute now! You're doing really well!"

Ichigo froze. Wait, what? Indeed, he was still wearing his mask. His obvious shock made Hiyori stop her next attack. "Come ON, Strawberry!"

Just then, Ichigo's mask crumbled. "On minute, twenty-seven seconds," Hachigen announced. "Well done, Ichigo, you multiplied your mask length limit by more than four that time."

Lisa smiled and placed a bookmark in her manga before closing it. "You see the key now, Ichigo. You can't keep focusing on the mask – by paying attention to the time, you're anticipating the mask crumbling, which makes it happen as your reiatsu responds to your will. As long as you don't think about it and just focus on the fight, your limit will increase by leaps and bounds. Treat it as a part of yourself."

Panting for air, Ichigo couldn't help a grin. "Thanks. By the way, what time is it?"

Lisa glanced at her watch. "Eh, it's about 6:00 in the morning."

And as though that were an adrenaline shot, Ichigo stood straight up in horror. "Oh shit! Gotta go!" He used Shunpo, rushing to the exit the Vizard underground training facility, only to be stopped by Kensei.

"What do you think you are doing?" Kensei demanded.

"Taking care of personal business," Ichigo responded coldly. "Don't worry, I'll be back, and I won't tell anyone where you are."

"Let him go, Kensei," Shinji ordered. "He may be one of us now, but he's still a human too. He has a family and things he has to do."

Kensei hesitated, but stepped aside. Ichigo nodded at him. "Thanks, Shinji." Then he was gone with another Shunpo.

Crap oh crap oh crap oh crap! Ichigo dashed home as fast as he could. Please don't let me be too late! He was almost there, when he heard, "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD…" Ichigo swore and tried to go even faster. "…MOOOOOOOOORNIIIIIIIIING…" Ichigo quickly dove through the window and into his body just before his door burst open thanks to his father's flying leap. "IIIIIICHIIIIGOOOO!"

Ichigo's eyes flew open and he lashed out, punching his father in the face. His father's momentum made Isshin's legs fly forward as his head flew back, bringing him to a stop by Ichigo's bed. "Bitch, please!" Ichigo growled, stomping over his father and out his bedroom door. That was too close.

Little did he know that his father was thinking the same thing. That was close, Ichigo. You need to be more careful with your body, Isshin thought seriously. Isshin flexed his arms as he got to his feet. I'm almost recovered, he thought as he quickly analyzed his reiatsu. Soon, I'll be Shinigami once again… and then I'll have to face the music with my son. He extended his senses downstairs. He could sense Karin's slowly growing reiatsu, and Yuzu's budding one. Masaki… I pray our children stay safe. For war… war is coming, and I fear our home will be drawn in.

Ichigo yawned as he walked to school. He wasn't sleepy at all – his body had gotten plenty of rest over the night – but he was mentally and spiritually fatigued. Maybe I should skip school… He paused to consider. I need all the strength I can get for Kido practice, and then I have Vizard training… not to mention that I want to train the second Zangetsu. He frowned. Except there's only one Zangetsu in my Inner World, and his spirit is in the first Zanpakuto. He nodded to himself. My original Zanpakuto represents my Shinigami powers as Zangetsu. Therefore, my second one must be my Hollow powers. But wait, my Hollow powers are in my mask!

Ichigo blinked and scowled more, beginning to pace. Rukia's told me that there are a couple of Shinigami out there whose swords, when they go Shikai or Bankai, create two separate blades instead of one weapon. Maybe it's similar? He sighed, and rubbed at his temples. He was giving himself a headache. Maybe Inoue can reject fatigue and headaches…

Ichigo froze. "That's it!" he cried, now fully alert as he rushed to school. I need to go see Ishida!

He got to class on time and as was his normal want, sat by the window. During class, he got out another sheet of paper and began writing a note casually, pretending to pay attention to the teacher.

Q, I have an idea for your heritage. It's almost guaranteed to work. -SS

He waited for the teacher to turn around and then passed it to his right, to Chad, who quickly glanced at it. His lumbering form clearly expressed silent surprise as he passed it to Ishida.

Ichigo watched Ishida out of the corner of his eye, and was particularly pleased when he saw the Quincy almost fall out of his chair in shock. A few moments later, it was passed to Inoue, who looked at the conversation so far. Another minute later, Ichigo had his replies.

You had better damn well tell me what it is! –Q

Tell us, SS! How can Q reclaim his heritage? –R

Ichigo grinned and continued the conversation. It continued as such:

Why not have R use her specialty on Q? Have her 'reject' ever losing it! –SS

SS, you're a genius. –G

Ishida couldn't resist the urge to bang his head once on his desk. I never thought I'd say this, SS… but I feel like a dumbass now. R, would you? –Q

Of course! How about after school at the store? –R

Ichigo preened, smirking at the paper. I'm surprised you didn't think of it first, Q. You're normally better at this than I am. R's powers are practically godlike when she puts her mind to it. By the way, R, would you mind using your ability on me to reject my fatigue? I didn't get any rest last night, and I have practice today.–SS

SS has a point, R. –G

Why didn't you get any rest, SS? And while we're on the topic, you need to explain where you went last night – your reiatsu completely dropped off the map. –Q

Ichigo lost the smirk. You're right, I owe you an explanation. One long overdue. All will be explained at the store. –SS

Later that day, the four of them once again convened at Urahara's shop. "Hey, Urahara! We need your underground training basement again," Ichigo greeted.

"Hai, hai, go on in. Just don't go destroying everything again."

"I shall join you, Ichigo," Tessai announced.

"Yes, sensei. Before we begin, there are a few things we need to take care of," Ichigo replied.

"Very well."

When the five of them landed in the training area, everyone turned to Ichigo. Ichigo shook his head. "Inoue, heal Ishida."

"Hai, Kurosaki-kun. Uryuu, please lie down." Ishida nodded and did so. "Souten Kisshun!" Two pieces of her hairpins glowed and transformed into fairies, which sped over to opposite ends of the Quincy, one at his feet, the other at his head. Inoue kneeled and put her hands on the barrier it created, closing her eyes. "Yes… I see what's stopped his power. His body was overwhelmed by reiatsu and burned out his ability to gather it. This should just take a minute."

Indeed, a minute later, Inoue rose and the fairies returned to her hairpins. Ishida, taking the hint, also got up. He took a deep breath. "OK." He raised his right arm, and let his Quincy bangle fall from his wrist, trying to summon spiritual energy from his surroundings. There was no lack of it with Ichigo there, constantly emitting some, but Ishida reveled in the warmth of finally being able to gather the reiatsu. He formed his Quincy bow and with a smile, fired a single arrow at a boulder, which exploded on impact. "Ha. Still got it."

"Yay!" Inoue yelled, jumping for joy. "Uryuu has his powers back!"

The Quincy turned and bowed low to Inoue. "Thank you, Orihime… I fear I can never repay you."

"Eh heh, it's nothing, really." Inoue smiled with her eyes closed, holding the back of her head in embarrassment. "Now your turn, Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo lied down and let Inoue heal him. When she was done, he felt rather refreshed physically, but mentally unchanged. "Thank you, Inoue." Oh well… I'll get some sleep tonight if I can.

"Now spill, Kurosaki," Ishida demanded. "Why did you suddenly go AWOL?"

"Because if I didn't, there was a chance everything would have gone FUBAR," Ichigo replied. "The Vizard approached me last night."

"Wait, wait, AWOL? FUBAR?" Inoue asked, confused.

"AWOL means Away Without Leave," Chad told her quietly. "FUBAR means Fucked Up Beyond All Repair. They're military terms." He turned to Ichigo. "The Vizard approached you? Aren't they the Shinigami with Hollow powers that were banished a hundred years ago?"

Ichigo nodded. "Remember, Urahara mentioned them last night. That… leads to my confession." He took a deep breath. "I have Hollow powers too. Until yesterday, I couldn't control them, and my Inner Hollow would try to take over at the worst moments."

"How long?" Ishida asked quietly.

"How long have I had them? Since Urahara helped me regain my powers so we could save Rukia," Ichigo answered just as quietly. "How long have I known? I first fought him in my Inner World while I was fighting Kenpachi, but I didn't know he was gonna stick around. He took over for the first time when I fought Byakuya. Ever since, I've been suppressing him on my own willpower, but he kept getting stronger. That's why I was reluctant to change into my Shinigami form – I was afraid." Ichigo shook his head. "I didn't know how to tell you guys. I was afraid of you fearing me. But I beat him down and hard last night, and he'll leave me alone for a couple of weeks. And I have a new power to go with it too!"

"Idiot," Ishida insulted. "We wouldn't fear you! We'd have done what we could to help!"

"He's right, Ichigo," Chad rumbled. "Besides, remember what Urahara mentioned? I have Hollow-like powers too. I don't know how I'll evolve next."

"Can we see the power?" Inoue asked. Truth be told, she was a little nervous with the knowledge that Ichigo had Hollow powers. What if he turns on us when he uses them? I'll feel better when I see him using them…

Ichigo nodded, looking reassured. "I have a time limit on this which I'm working to extend, so I can't use it for very long. About a minute and a half so far." I should be able to use it in human form as well… after all, the Inner Hollow is still part of my soul. Ichigo reached up with his left hand and tore the air in front of his face, summoning his Hollow mask.

"Whoa!" Ishida yelled, jumping back. "Kurosaki, your reiatsu!"

"Yeah, I know. It's a lot more Hollow-like now," Ichigo replied with a nod. "Just be glad I didn't go Bankai first; then the power output is enormous."

Inoue felt fear creeping up inside her throat – unlike the others, she had only one attack, and it didn't have a good history of working. She knew it was her fault for lacking the conviction to attack and truly want to hurt someone, but she had the overwhelming feeling of sheer, abject terror. The Hollow reiatsu was too strong, too overwhelming. Inoue couldn't stop looking at Ichigo's mask… and she could swear that it was grinning at her, leering at her, sensing her fear and feeding on it, making it stronger. And he hasn't even gone full power yet! She began quivering in fear.

Ichigo noticed Inoue begin shaking. Is she… afraid of me like this? He was a little saddened and a little hurt that she didn't trust him, but he had known there was a chance of this happening. He slowly reached up, pausing when she flinched, and removed the mask, holding it in his hand. "You ok, Inoue?"

Inoue shakily nodded an affirmative. "I'm… I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun. It's just so overwhelming… Your normal reiatsu is almost comforting to feel now that I'm used to it. With your Hollow mask…" She shuddered violently. "It changed. It felt so violent, so disturbing, and so overwhelming." She lowered her head in shame. "I… I need help getting stronger. My Shun Shun Rikka is not getting stronger, while all of you are. Chad's arm keeps evolving, Ishida gets faster and stronger with his Quincy attacks, and Kurosaki-kun got Bankai and now this Hollow mask."

"On the contrary," a new voice echoed. Everyone turned around in surprise and saw Urahara walking over to them. "Your Shun Shun Rikka is based on your own heart and will. The stronger your will, the stronger they get. You rarely even say 'I reject' anymore, and when you do, it works faster and stronger, much like Kido," Urahara revealed. "Your defensive and healing abilities are growing stronger every time you use them. The next step is to work on your attack, and to do that, we need to work with you to help you gain the will to hurt."

"But I'm a pacifist!" Inoue protested. "I don't like hurting people."

"Ah, but you'll do it in order to save lives, yes?" Urahara prodded. "As you are now, your attack is easily countered, and you might even hurt or kill Tsubaki by trying to attack when your heart isn't in it."

A light flashed from Inoue's right hairpin, which flew in front of her and morphed into an irate-looking black-haired ninja-like fairy with wings akin to bats. The lower half of his face was covered by a blank white cloth that extended to his shoulders. "He's right, Orihime," Tsubaki stated firmly, arms crossed. "My power and speed increases with your willingness to hurt your opponent, but you're too kindhearted! You never want to hurt anyone!" He reached out and smacked Inoue's forehead with surprising force for such a tiny being, making Inoue reach up and rub the spot Tsubaki had hit.

Another light, this time from Inoue's left hairpin, zoomed and assumed another form. This one was a girl, a blond with topknot, a red skirt and a friendly-looking face. "Orihime-chan, Tsubaki is right. Your pacifistic nature is admirable, but you need to accept that there are situations that you cannot solve without violence," Shun'o the fairy said sadly. "The liberties people enjoy are hard won by the sacrifices of those who fight for them. You need to learn how to set aside your personal doubts and dislike of violence when it's necessary if you want to keep up with your friends."

Tsubaki sighed, flapping his wings a couple of times to reach Inoue's eye level. "Orihime, not all protection is passive. Sometimes you have to retaliate, and hard, in order to protect yourself and your friends. Your sword must strike, else your enemies will keep battering at your shield until you falter. Call me when you have the will to fight." With a small flash, he became a ball of light once more, shooting back into the Inoue's hairpin. With a nod to Inoue, Shun'o did the same.

After several moments of silence, Ishida approached Inoue. "Orihime…"

"No, Uryuu," Inoue cut him off. "I… I need some time to think." Ishida hesitated, but nodded, backing off. "Guys, I… I'm going to go home. Call me if you need anything."

"Ok, Inoue," Ichigo agreed. "I hope you find your answers."

"Me too, Kurosaki-kun. Me too," she replied quietly, walking to the exit. Urahara nodded at the others and escorted her out.

"I'm going too, Kurosaki, Chad," Ishida told them. "I need to reacquaint myself with my powers, and find another way to get stronger without the Sanrei glove."

Ichigo smirked. "No matter how strong you get I'll still kick your ass."

Ishida snorted. "Just you wait, Kurosaki. I'll be up to your level in no time." He turned away, hiding his own smirk as he walked away.

Ichigo turned to Chad, half-expecting the very quiet giant of a man to leave as well. Chad merely shrugged. "I'm hoping to get some training as well. Unlike you or Ishida, I need to be fighting to increase my skills. I figure that I can train from dodging your Kido as you learn them, hopefully increase my speed to match my strength."

The human Shinigami nodded – it made sense. Ichigo could train his Kido against a moving target, and Chad could train his speed. He turned to Tessai, who had been silent since arrival in the underground training facility. "Tessai-sensei, I apologize for the delay, but it was necessary."

"I understand, Ichigo. With the upcoming threat, Ishida Uryuu needs his powers to survive, and it is best not to keep such powerful secrets from your allies," Tessai concurred. "Now, let us begin. Given your large reiatsu capacity, you must first learn to control it, or else risk harming yourself and others. It is fortunate you now have the ability to do so in human form – it restricts your ability to call on your reiatsu, which will serve as another training tool."

"How do I control my reiatsu?" Ichigo asked curiously. "The only things I've used my reiatsu for is my Getsuga Tenshou and for powering this one orb that provided a powerful enough shield to break through the barrier surrounding Seireitei."

"But you know how to put more or less reiatsu into your attacks?" Tessai asked pointedly.

"Of course."

"Then you know what it feels like," Tessai concluded. "Good, that makes teaching you easier. I want you to sit and meditate. Grasp your reiatsu, feel it as it exudes from you and into your surroundings. When you feel comfortable with that, try feeling mine and your friend's reiatsu. See if you can differentiate it."

Ichigo nodded – patience wasn't his strong suit by any measure, but Tessai was once Captain of the Kido Corps, so he knew what he was doing. Ichigo sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, trying to relax his normal senses so he could focus more on his feel of reiatsu. It was a slow process; he had to fight not to fidget. He regretted asking Inoue to reject his fatigue – his physical energy wanted to be used.

Tessai had gone to go train Chad, casting fireballs at the man, who dodged as best he could. Ichigo tried his best to ignore the sounds of "Hado 33: Soukatsui!" and Chad's grunts as he dodged or was hit respectively. Damn it I need to focus. Ichigo took a deep breath, and breathed out slowly.

Ichigo remembered the advice he had received from Shiba Ganju – a very hotheaded member of the Shiba clan, who had helped him break into Soul Society on his sister's orders. Ganju had helped Ichigo feel his reiatsu for the first time by telling him to picture a dark circle in his mind and imagine moving towards the center of it. Perhaps a derivation then… Ichigo pictured a void, where there was no sight, no sound, only him and his reiatsu.

Slowly, without his notice, the sounds around him faded away. With his eyes closed, he could see nothing anyway. With nothing distracting him, Ichigo could feel the reiatsu pulsing flowing strongly inside him. There was so much, Ichigo could hardly believe he could contain it all. It made the fact that he constantly emitted some much more believable.

Speaking of which, he could feel the reiatsu he emitted around him, giving him a sense of his surroundings. Useful, Ichigo thought. I might not be able to be stealthy, but at least I'm always rather aware of what's around me, as long as I pay attention to that. He suddenly made a connection. So THAT'S what Hachigen was doing earlier! He was just in touch with his reiatsu. He was probably emitting his own reiatsu to keep tabs on things.

Ichigo immersed himself in his reiatsu, feeling it, exploring it. He could sense the small streaks of Hollow reiatsu merged with his own, giving it a slightly more violent feel. He found it rather interesting that even with the Hollow mask off, there were streaks like that. I wonder if it has any significance…? Aside from potentially advertising me as a Vizard, anyway.

Once he felt he'd explored his reiatsu enough, Ichigo reached out and tried to sense Tessai and Chad. This was harder – he had to reach past the reiatsu his body let out. It was akin to trying to listen to someone talking when one had a train loudly going by, its whistle blaring.

However, after an indeterminate amount of time – and repeatedly having to calm himself down and stop being impatient – Ichigo finally made out Chad's reiatsu. Having found it, Ichigo focused on it, and was able to approximate how far away he was, and in which general direction.

Once he'd done that, Ichigo reflected on Chad's reiatsu – what he could feel of it anyway. I can sense his better than I can Tessai's because Chad's reiatsu actually does feel more Hollow-like than Shinigami. That makes it substantially different from my own reiatsu, and the difference makes it easier to detect.

Ichigo was nothing if not stubborn, though, so he kept at it, looking for Tessai's reiatsu. It didn't take long, and when that was done, he opened his eyes, squinting at the bright light when his eyes had adjusted to the near total darkness behind his eyelids. Sound suddenly rushed back to him as his meditative state was destroyed, making Ichigo wince.

Chad was still dodging, but he looked very tired, even with his Brazo Dereche del Gigante active. Ichigo wondered how long he'd been out of it, as it was nigh-impossible to tell time in here. He frowned. Given Chad's high level of endurance, it looked like Ichigo had been meditating for hours.

Ichigo got up, wincing again as he felt his legs protest the sudden movement. Yeah, definitely been sitting like that for too long. "Tessai-sensei!"

Tessai stopped sending blue fireballs at Chad, who sat against a nearby boulder to rest for a while. "Ah, Ichigo. You finished?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now you just need practice to sense people more quickly," Tessai stated firmly. "Practice one your own time – we are moving on. Bakudo require a finesse you currently lack, so we shall begin with Hado. Is there one in particular you are interested in?"

Ichigo paused to think, before slowly nodding. "I saw Kuchiki Byakuya using a spell he called Byakurai."

Tessai nodded sagely. "That is Hado 4: Byakurai. It is one of the beginner Kido, yet it is extremely devastating if used by the right person." He nodded again. "In your case, it will make an excellent long-distance attack that uses far less reiatsu than your Getsuga Tenshou. As you no doubt saw in your battles with Kuchiki, it can be devastatingly quick, and capable of piercing even the toughest of armors. There are two downsides to this spell. One is control – Byakurai's piercing power and speed depends on your ability to compress your reiatsu into smaller and smaller volumes. Also, not controlling Byakurai correctly can negatively impact the user, sending electric shocks through the body."

"What's the other downside?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"The second downside is the small area of effect. Even at its most powerful, the hole Byakurai creates is rather small, and as such it is usually non-fatal. As you may have noticed, Byakurai is not used by many people – only precision-oriented battlers wield Byakurai effectively. I surmise Kuchiki Byakuya is one such user?"

Ichigo nodded, grimacing in remembrance. "Byakuya destroyed my soul sleep and chain link when I had absorbed Rukia's powers. Then he left me to die. That was right before you and Urahara helped me regain my powers."

"Indeed," Tessai agreed. "Go ahead and try it against that boulder over there."

Ichigo blinked. "I thought most Kido have incantations?"

"Most do," Tessai admitted. "However, Byakurai, being an extremely low-level spell, has none."

Ichigo took a deep breath and closed his eyes, calling up his reiatsu – it was more sluggish and harder to call out in his human form than it was in Shinigami form, but he managed. He turned to the side and raised his right arm up, pointing to the boulder using his index and middle fingers as he'd seen Byakuya do. Gathering reiatsu to his fingers, Ichigo frowned as he struggled to keep his reiatsu from exploding outwards. He said compression… Ichigo kept the reiatsu at his fingertips, pushing more and more into the small area.

The Kido trainee's forehead was sweating lightly from effort to keep it there. "Hado 4: Byakurai!" Ichigo cried, his eyes flying open and focusing on his target. Even as he shouted the words, he felt the reiatsu stored in his fingertips change in an indescribable way. The closest thing he could say was that it felt electric.

Emerging from his fingertips shot an electric bolt, jagged and fast, that shot into and through the boulder he'd aimed at. Ichigo took a deep breath after he fired the shot. "That was a bit easier than I expected," he confessed.

"That is because you have already mastered the individual aspects of each part of Byakurai," Tessai revealed. "Your Shunpo training with Shihoin Yoruichi taught you to gather reiatsu in parts of your body. Your Bankai compresses your reiatsu, increasing your abilities dramatically. The only new thing you did here was compress your reiatsu yourself. Now you need to train on how quickly you can use it."

Ichigo sighed and nodded – he'd seen that coming. He was about to do it again, but Chad got up and got his attention. "Aim at me," Chad said simply. "I need to continue my speed training."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Ichigo nodded. He refrained from closing his eyes this time – it was a bad habit that he couldn't afford to have, and began his speed training.

"Hado 4: Byakurai!"

It was about midnight that night when Ichigo helped Chad home; the large teenager was worn out from the training. Ichigo had to hand it to him, though – Chad was faster than he looked, even without his power.

"Again, tomorrow?" Chad asked as they reached his place.

"Yeah," Ichigo acknowledged, helping him inside. "See you then."

Chad merely nodded and closed the door, locking it.

Ichigo began walking home, feeling a little proud of himself. He now had a Kido under his belt. Granted, it's not a terribly powerful one, but it's a Kido. He sighed. I have so much I need to work on… mask training, Kido training, and my secret second Zanpakuto training which I have yet to do.

Ichigo made his way home and climbed into his room through a nearby tree – he truly did not want to deal with his father at the moment, and he was almost undoubtedly waiting to ambush him in the living room. Zangetsu and I haven't talked in a while…

With a few moments of intense focus, Ichigo brought out Zangetsu's spiritual form, who sat across from him in his room. Manifesting a Zanpakuto's spirit was one of the crucial steps to Bankai, but Zangetsu had materialized himself on occasion when Ichigo was in danger. "Hello, Ichigo."

"Hey old man." Ichigo leaned back on his bed. "Tell me more about yourself, partner?"

Zangetsu inclined his head. "I am a very practical man. Even so, I have my pride, as you discovered when you neglected to learn more about me after learning my name."

Ichigo winced – he'd been cocky and stupid for a long while. "Yeah… I am sorry for that, Zangetsu."

"Apology accepted," the Zanpakuto spirit replied stoically. "I like watching sunsets – it is a pity you do not see very many."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. "They're beautiful… Wait, every time I'm in my Inner World, it's always sunny, overcast or raining. Do you get to see sunsets there?"

"Not often," Zangetsu admitted. "They only appear when you are feeling at peace, which is rather rare with the amount of trouble you get into."

The Vizard nodded sadly. "Sorry old man. I'll see if I can make the time to watch a sunset or two a week."

"I would appreciate that, Ichigo," Zangetsu acknowledged. After a pause, he asked, "Are you troubled?"

Ichigo sighed. His Zanpakuto was one of the few beings he could truly open up to – Ichigo's trust in Zangetsu was absolute. Fortunately for Ichigo, Zangetsu was extremely observant and could tell when something was wrong. "Somewhat. Inoue was scared of me when I put on the Hollow mask. I don't know how to feel about that. I half-expected it, but it still hurt to see it."

"Give her time. She knows you, and trusts you without the mask. You must admit, your reiatsu is very disturbing when you put on the mask."

Ichigo sighed again. "Yeah, you're right. I'm also worried about Rukia. I am still loath to leave her in Soul Society after they tried to kill her."

"Remember, that was because of Aizen's unseen machinations," Zangetsu reminded him.

"I know, I know… And it's her choice anyway." Ichigo shook his head. "Another thing that's bugging me is that I still have so much to learn in order to protect myself and others. I need to learn some Kido in order to keep from being susceptible to it. I need to learn how to use my Hollow powers effectively. I thought I'd gotten so strong… but there's always someone stronger, better, isn't there?"

"There is."

"Do you think we'll ever be able to rest? It feels like there's always something, someone, trying and damn near succeeding in killing us."

Zangetsu looked out the window at the crescent moon. "Perhaps one day. Perhaps when Aizen is defeated for good."

"I need a vacation."

"I sincerely hope you get one."

"Thanks for the talk, Zangetsu."

"Anytime, Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded at his Zanpakuto spirit as it faded away, back into his Inner World. I really do need that vacation, Ichigo thought to himself as he got ready for bed. At least for now… for now sleep is my escape. He glanced out the window at the crescent moon Zangetsu had been looking at. He had a bad feeling that he would soon be fighting for his life again. "If only the dawn didn't come so soon…"

In Hueco Mundo, Aizen Sousuke smiled. "Ulquiorra, I have a small mission for you in the living world…"

A man around five foot six, slight in build with dark green eyes and twin teal lines running down from his eyes, bowed. His skin was ash gray, and he had a Hollow hole in the lower part of his throat. There was a portion of a Hollow mask on the left side of the man's head, not obscuring his face at all, resembling a broken helmet. His expression unchanging, he rose up once more. "Your will be done, Aizen-sama."

Another chapter done - man the inspiration for this one is flowing quite nicely. One of the things that always bugged me was that Ichigo got into trouble once with Zangetsu for taking him for granted, but we never see Ichigo learning more about him other than "I hate the rain and will do about anything to keep it from raining in here, as it does when you are upset and in turmoil." Ichigo should have spent more time getting to know Zangetsu. At the same time, who can you trust if you cannot trust your own sword? Zangetsu is perfect for Ichigo to confide in. Besides, I can't imagine Ichigo not starting to feel the stress of his position, yet he never displays it in the anime or in the manga, except when he's struggling with his Hollow, and when he tells Tatsuki and Keigo to stop bothering him about Inoue - after she was captured, I mean.

Seriously, he's a TEENAGER! A somewhat mature, somewhat violent one, but still a teenager. How would any teenager react to suddenly finding himself in a lethal war he never wanted to take part in? He took the powers from Rukia to save his family. Once that was done, he wanted to be left alone. He went to save Rukia from Soul Society because he owed her his and his family's lives. But in the process, he got himself completely tangled up in everyone's webs. Urahara purposely made sure he had Hollow powers so Ichigo could continue to grow stronger and be his final line of defense for Karakura town. Aizen took advantage of Ichigo's invasion to fake his death to continue his plan, whatever it is. At the same time, Ichigo nearly died several times in Soul Society - Renji almost killed him, Kenpachi almost killed him, his Inner Hollow almost killed him, Byakuya almost killed him AGAIN... Even if you disregard the anime-only Bount arc, that's going to leave a lasting impression on almost any teenager's psyche. Especially when taking into account Ichigo's fighting of Hollows as a substitute Shinigami just after he'd gotten his powers. And now Aizen is supposedly trying to destroy Karakura town to create the King's key, and has most likely created an army of Arrancar to do it? I would think it easy to start thinking that there would be no end of fighting. Everyone needs a break, but Ichigo hasn't had the chance for one in a long time...