//------------------------------//
// Soul Society: Unexpected News 
// Story: Bleach: Heart of a Hero 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
//------------------------------//

Sombra found something interesting when he and Ichigo started their Bankai training, something that he would have to ask Yoruichi about later if he thought about it, and that was the fact that Zangetsu was actively trying to kill Ichigo, who was trying to get him to submit to his will, while Shokyo willingly trained him with no questions asked. Every time he asked Shokyo why she was so willing to do this, while other Zanpakuto would fight their wielder, all she told him was that she was preparing him for a future battle, one that he would need all his power in if he wanted to survive the encounter, and said nothing more about it. The way she said that made him think about his Arrancar blade, that it might have a spirit inside it that would come into the inner world he had found Shokyo in, and made him wonder if that was the fight she was referring to, that he would have to fight and defeat the source of his real power. If that was the case, and he was thinking that it might be the case, Shokyo was making sure that he was ready for something big, as if the spirit in the Arrancar blade might be powerful, but he knew that time would tell him what was really going on. He also had to admit that the powers that Shokyo was telling him about, as in what he would be able to do once he had unlocked Bankai, were far grander than what he expected them to be, so much so that he decided to abide by her sudden request not to show the others until he actually activated his Bankai in battle... something that he decided to go along with, because he knew that she could easily change her mind and force him to try and force her to submit, something that he'd rather avoid.

At the same time, while they were training, it wasn't hard for them to hear the sounds of Zangetsu beating up Ichigo, as he was constantly breaking the blades that he had summoned to do this trial with and usually either cut Ichigo to teach him a lesson or just said something until he forced Ichigo back onto his feet. He could tell that Ichigo's Zanpakuto spirit was in the mindset for training, in the sense that he was trying to resist Ichigo's attempts to force him to submit, and, despite the fact that they only had three days of training before this was over, Shokyo insisted they also take breaks, which involved them observing both Ichigo and Zangetsu's movements so they could see his progress. As that happened Sombra also glanced at Yoruichi from time to time, who had pulled something out of her hair and seemed to be channeling some reiatsu into it, either to keep track of the time that was outside the training area or to keep Zangetsu materialized until the point where he'd go back into Ichigo's inner world. Right now Sombra felt sorry for Ichigo, as he was trying his hardest to overcome Zangetsu and his opponent was going everything in his power to stop him from succeeding in his mission, but he was sure that he'd be able to overcome Zangetsu and win, provided that he had enough time to do all of the training that he needed to do to learn his Bankai.

Of course Sombra winced as Zangetsu knocked Ichigo through the air and caused his friend to bounce around a few times, before finally coming to a stop some distance away from where he had been standing a few seconds ago, where he laid on the floor as he attempted to get some of his energy back... though both Yoruichi and Zangetsu approached him at different times, each appearing to have something they wanted to say to him in regards to his training.

"Ichigo, you only have three days to complete your training, and you'll never reach Bankai if you constantly waste time lying on the ground." Yoruichi commented, though where most would suspect that she would be a little rude towards someone she barely knew, even if Kisuke had trained him, her tone was still stern, but not pushy, as she knew that he had the potential to overcome this trial.

"It's fine." Zangetsu said, approaching a coughing Ichigo, because as Yoruichi started to talk Ichigo picked himself up a little and coughed some blood onto the ground, though at the same time he held the same sword that he had picked up from the moment they started training, as it was designed to be his weapon until Ichigo managed to shatter it, which would be hard for him to accomplish, "If he cannot stand on his own, than I shall just drag him onto his feet!"

Ichigo turned his head for a moment and glared at Zangetsu with disbelief for a moment, as he couldn't believe that the spirit of his Zanpakuto was so aggressive about this whole thing, and again wondered why he couldn't be more like Shokyo, since both he and Sombra weren't Shinigami and the both should, in his own opinion, have Zanpakuto that broke the rules of the other Shinigami. As he thought about that, however, he guessed that since Zangetsu was larger than most swords, and was constantly in the Shikai form instead of a sealed form like Sombra kept Shokyo in her katana form for the most part, breaking too many rules was impossible for him to begin with, to which he sighed as he got back onto his feet, drew another blade from the ground, and resumed his fight with Zangetsu. The fact that Sombra was having an easier time learning his Bankai, since Shokyo was practically giving it to him, made him focus on what he was doing so he could find a way to match the speed and power that Zangetsu was putting out, and then he could think about trying to overcome him once he reached that point in time. The only problem was that every time he thought he was improving in some manner, like catching up in speed or power, Zangetsu seemed to up his own abilities to keep him from figuring out his limits, making it harder for him to determine what was going on despite the fact that he knew that he was catching up to his Zanpakuto spirit... even if the process was, in his own opinions, quite slow at times.

As Sombra observed all of this he and Shokyo watched as Ichigo broke eighteen blades in his search for the 'true Zangetsu' that would allow him to defeat Zangetsu, though instead of taking the blades around him and trying them out, which was what he would have done in Ichigo's position, Ichigo ran all over the chamber and found the one that he was used to carrying since he awoke Zangetsu... who arrived behind Ichigo and shattered the lookalike with a single swing, causing him and Shokyo to sigh and shake their heads as Ichigo stared at the broken blade with shock on his face.

"Too soft." Zangetsu commented, to which he cut Ichigo's left shoulder, and maybe half of that side of his chest as well, before the force of the attack knocked Ichigo backwards by a few steps, putting him close to another blade, "I told you, all the blades here are pieces of your heart. This is a trial where you must find the piece of your heart, out of all the pieces around you, that was formed only for battle and for nothing else. The blade you just picked was your frailty trying to rely on me all the time. While you cannot even distinguish that fact, do not speak of Bankai! Come, Ichigo, draw your next blade. You know that you do not have time to be kneeling."

"Yeah... you damn right I don't have time for that." Ichigo replied, to which he stood up, wiped some of the blood from his mouth, grabbed the blade that was sitting off to his right and pulled it out of the ground, before he readied himself for the next part of the battle.

As Ichigo got back to his own training, and continued to battle against Zangetsu, Sombra and Shokyo returned to the area that they were training in, out of sight from where Ichigo was located, and resumed what they were doing before they took their short break. So far the quickest way that Sombra had learned what Shokyo had to teach him was through the use of battling her every now and then, as they knew the same techniques and could match each other in strength and power, for the most part, and it made it look like they were doing the same thing that Ichigo and Zangetsu were doing, but the difference was that they were practicing skills and Ichigo was trying to force Zangetsu into submission. Basically if Sombra used one of the offensive powers that she taught him there was one of two responses, either use the same power, causing the force of the two attacks to cancel each other out, or use a defensive power to stop the attack in it's tracks. The other thing she did was use the same Kido attacks that he used, so he he wanted to use Sokatsui for instance she would either recite the incantation or fire the attack immediately, as it all depended on which route he took, and they always canceled each other out in that regard, while also proving Yoruichi right that no one could detect them, since he was sure that his power would have drawn others to this location.

It was the same tactic they had used back in his inner world, which they had first met each other and Shokyo gave him her name and Release Call, and right now they were using it to great effect, as this training allowed Sombra to quickly get a feel for all the powers that he was being taught at the moment... while at the same time Shokyo made sure that he had plenty of breaks so he didn't tire himself out, and even if he desired to continue going she would force a break to make sure that he took one.

What happened the next time they took a break, for longer than a few minutes, was when they returned to observing Ichigo's progress, though as they did that, and stood near Yoruichi, who was kneeling as she observed the battle, Ichigo broke another sword and was knocked away from Zangetsu. This time, unlike the last time they were here, Sombra noticed that Ichigo's posture didn't break when his weapon was broken, showing that he was absorbing the teachings that Zangetsu was giving him, even if he wasn't beating him just yet, but at the same time he tossed the broken blade aside and drew the next one. What Sombra found to be interesting was that the previous blade was the fifty-first blade that Zangetsu had broken and that this next one was the fifty-second blade, making him wonder if Ichigo was quickly moving through the blades around him or if he and Shokyo had spent a lot of time on their own training that he didn't notice the time move by so quickly. The next swing that came from Zangetsu was blocked by Ichigo, impressing Sombra by the fact that he was able to actually able to parry the attack, while at the same time appearing to have the same power that Zangetsu was using so he could force the attack backwards and then, without losing any speed, attack Zangetsu with his own blade... who jumped into the air to avoid the attack, allowing Ichigo to destroy the boulder that happened to be behind where Zangetsu had been standing, surprising Ichigo for a moment.

Zangetsu used that instant to swing his sword in a downwards motion and snapped Ichigo's blade into two pieces, causing Ichigo's look of confusion to spread for a moment, before Zangetsu moved in front of him and backhanded him, knocking him through the air until he collided with one of the larger rock formations... but, from what he and Shokyo could tell, Ichigo was fine and didn't need assistance, meaning that he was rapidly adapting his strategy and fighting style.

"Ichigo managed to match his opponent's sword speed while redirecting the blade itself," Yoruichi commented, to which she turned her head a little and noticed both Sombra and Shokyo nodding their heads, as they both knew, from the training that Kisuke gave Sombra earlier, that they knew what was going on, and that they were curious as to what else Ichigo could do, "and then, without losing any speed, he shifted to counterattack instantly."

"It's clear, to anyone that saw how he fought previously, that he's evolved from his previous fighting style," Sombra said, as he understood what Yoruichi was saying at the moment, though at the same time he honestly wondered just how much stronger Ichigo was going to get before he reached Bankai, as his reiatsu was stronger than it had been when they started their training, "which was when he clearly relied on Zangetsu's wealth of power. Now, however, he's absorbing it with frightening speed and at a frightening level."

"Just like you at times," Yoruichi added, as she had seen and heard about Sombra's progress when he was training with only her and Kisuke, before he started training with Ichigo after unlocking Shokyo, which was when his power jumped to a level they weren't expecting, "Kisuke was right... you two are truly gifted in your own ways."

Sombra nodded as he and Shokyo watched the training that was going on at the moment, as Ichigo and Zangetsu continued to fight with each other, swinging their blades at each other as they moved throughout the entire area that was their training grounds, though they were all impressed by Ichigo's speed and skill at adapting to the training. As they watched Yoruichi made a comment that the next blade Ichigo fought with showed more improvement, as he fought with it for over five minutes, only for the next clash of blades to never arrive as Zangetsu seemed to leave the doll that he was forced into, to which the doll fell to the ground and Ichigo stared at it with a look of confusion on his face. Sombra guessed that the first day must have been over already, making him realize that the amount of time that he spent with Shokyo had been for some long that he hadn't taken into consideration that the majority of the day must have already gone by, though when he turned towards Yoruichi she nodded and Shokyo, sensing that the day was indeed over, vanished as quickly as she had arrived, allowing Sombra to revert his blade back to normal and sheath it as they approached Ichigo.

"Put down the sword, Ichigo." Yoruichi said, though she was speaking to both him and Sombra at the same time, as what she had to say applied to the two of them, and she found that Sombra was already waiting to hear her words while Ichigo looked a little annoyed that the training session was over already, "The first day is done. It's time for both you and Sombra to rest and relax before tomorrow morning arrives... so, if you'll both follow me, there's something I want to show you while you do just that."

Sombra and Ichigo raised their eyebrows as they followed after her, because she had them take a short walk through the underground training area and come to a stop at a sight that Sombra immediately recognized, as the hot springs that rested in front of them looked exactly like the one that was in Kisuke's training area. Sombra also found that, in case they actually needed to use this area, Yoruichi had also gone to one of the supply buildings that rested throughout the Seireitei and claimed some towels and other items they might need for something like this, showing how far she had planned ahead when they entered this part of Soul Society. Ichigo, finding nothing strange with the hot springs, moved behind one of the rocks and changed into some more appropriate clothing, as in nothing but something for around his waist, before he climbed into the water, though as he did that he found Sombra, who had done the same thing at the same time that he did, had also climbed into the water... and, based on the look on his face, he liked what was going on at the moment, to which he smiled as well as he climbed into the warm water.

"I didn't realize that it was already nighttime," Ichigo commented, though at the same time he noticed that Yoruichi was checking out something instead of doing anything else, while noticing that Sombra didn't seem to mind the fact that telling time was difficult down here, "You can't tell night from day in here, so that sense goes out the window."

Sombra watched as Ichigo washed his face with some of the water, where the cut on the right side of his face, some distance under his right eye, healed in a matter of seconds and caused him to understand that Kisuke and Yoruichi must have come from Soul Society, something that he had thought about many times and this only confirmed it, because this seemed to be the original hot springs that inspired the other one he knew about. Ichigo, on the other hand, seemed amazed by the fact that all of his wounds were healing at a rapid rate, especially some of the more terrible ones that Zaraki had inflicted upon him, and started splashing around a few times to make sure his entire body was covered, even drinking some of the water in the hopes that it would work that way as well.

"Hey Sombra, how's the water?" Yoruichi asked, because she knew that Sombra would give her an honest answer to her question, especially since it appeared that Ichigo was enjoying himself and acting like a kid, and she honestly wanted a few minutes to relax after the amount of time she spent gathering information before this point in time.

"It's perfect Yoruichi." Sombra replied, as it was the same temperature as the other hot springs, which was why he was relaxing for the first time since he found himself in Soul Society, and he knew that Yoruichi must have wanted to get in as well, something that he was more than okay with, especially after the few times the two of them had relaxed in the one underneath Kisuke's shop.

"I'm glad to hear that." Yoruichi said, to which she raised her hand and undid the part of her clothing that was her belt, which tied the top to the bottom and prevented them from falling apart, and let it fall to the ground, before she gripped the underside of her shirt piece, "Well then, I'm going to get in as well."

"WHAT?! ARE YOU STUPID?!" Ichigo stated, shock crossing over his face the moment he heard that piece of information, while at the same time Sombra noticed that an embarrassed look appeared a few seconds later, making him wonder what was going through Ichigo's mind at the moment, "You can't do that?"

"Ichigo, it's perfectly fine for her to do something like this." Sombra spoke up, as he honestly didn't see any reason to exclude Yoruichi from spending some time in the hot springs and relax, because it appeared that Ichigo forgot about all the hard work she did in making sure that this place was up and running and that they had the supplies they needed for their Bankai training.

"Why are you taking the bottoms off first?!" Ichigo asked, as he had glanced over the rocks that were separating him and Sombra from where Yoruichi was standing, before he quickly turned back with a flustered look on his face, causing some confusion to appear on Sombra's face for a moment, as he had no idea what Ichigo was doing.

"Ichigo, you're so shy that you react as I expect you to do in this situation." Yoruichi said, though at the same time Sombra knew that she was smiling, as it appeared that she found something about this situation to be funny, before he noticed a familiar black cat walk out and descend into the water, who turned towards Ichigo, who was covering his eyes, and spoke once more, "There's no problem if I'm in this form, is there?"

"Y... You..." Ichigo replied, to which Sombra noticed that the look on his friend's face turned into a flustered look, with some hint of annoyance as he pulled his hands from his face and glared at Yoruichi, while at the same time he seemed to be thinking about something else, "Do you want me to drown you, dammit?"

"Oh come on Ichigo, leave her alone." Sombra said, though at the same time he leaned back and stared at the area around them, thinking about what he had thought about several times while they had been down here, before he turned towards Yoruichi, who was enjoying herself, even in her cat form, "Say, Yoruichi, I've been thinking. This place looks an exact replica of the underground training area under Kisuke's shop. Is there a reason for that?"

"I'm glad that you noticed that," Yoruichi stated, as she knew that both he and Ichigo would have noticed that the moment they came down here, and she had noticed the looks in their eyes the moment they realized where they were going to be training for the next few days, "The training area under Kisuke's store was made to resemble this place, where he and I spent many weeks covertly building this place when we were children, as our secret playground, only later to turn it into a secret training ground when he joined the Gotei 13 and I joined the Onmitsukido."

"W... Wait a second..." Ichigo said, quickly turning his head towards Yoruichi, who had shifted back into her human form and sat on the edge of the hot springs, instantly causing Ichigo's face to fluster as he fell back into the water to avoid seeing what she was showing him, causing her to laugh a little as she slipped back into the water and moved closer to where Sombra was sitting, noticing that he was the only person that never seemed flustered by what she did.

"So, you're saying that Kisuke was once a Shinigami?" Sombra asked, as he was more focused on the questions that were in his head than on what Ichigo was doing, though he felt that Ichigo shouldn't be doing stuff like this, but maybe it was because he had some experience with Yoruichi when she was like this, back when they both used the host springs in Kisuke's underground training area.

"You don't sound all that surprised." Yoruichi commented, though at the same time Ichigo pulled himself back up for some air, before sitting down where he had been moments ago, but, at the same time, he had trouble looking in her direction, especially after what she had done to him for some fun.

"Well, I'm an Arrancar that's managed to find a Zanpakuto spirit inside what used to be an Asauchi, so for a time I just thought that he was someone like Ichigo," Sombra replied, to which Yoruichi nodded her head in understanding, as both she and Kisuke had heard the reports that he made on the activities that he and Ichigo got into, "but, after meeting Ikkaku and Yumichika early into our invasion, I began to think differently, especially with Ikkaku's brief comment. I began to wonder if Kisuke was a former Shinigami, which would have explained all the bits of Soul Society and everything else that he knew about and imparted to me during our training sessions, and this is the first time that we can get some verification on who he actually is, or was as the case might be."

"Kisuke is the previous Captain of the Twelfth Division," Yoruichi said, giving both Ichigo and Sombra some additional information on the man that had assisted them in their training, especially since Sombra often saw Kiskue as a mentor will everything that he had been taught before he met Ichigo, "and, on top of that, he's the Founder and the First Chief of the Technological Development Bureau... and, if you're really interested, he's the one who helped develop the training method that involves the Tenshintei, as it's how he unlocked his own Bankai years ago."

"And what about you, Yoruichi?" Sombra asked, because if Yoruichi was willing to talk about Kisuke, or at the very least confirm that he was a Shinigami and that he was a Captain at one point, he was hoping that maybe Yoruichi was willing to share something else with them, so he could understand who she had been and how that shaped her life.

"I was the former Captain of the Second Division, as well as the former Commander of the Onmisukido," Yoruichi said, as she knew that she'd tell Sombra anything, mostly to see if something she said could trigger the return of some of his memories, but just titles alone wouldn't help all that much.

"So you both were big shots..." Ichigo commented, though at the same time he didn't have much to say to that, as it appeared that Yoruichi knew what she was talking about and that he should mind his business at times, but then he thought about something and turned towards Sombra, "You know, that reminds me, you showed absolutely no reaction towards Yoruichi being a woman, when everyone, including myself, thought she was a male cat."

"That's because I've known that she's actually a spirit and not a cat since before I met you and your friends," Sombra explained, thinking back to the first time he had seen Yoruichi in her Human form, along with being shocked that she was a woman and not a man, "True, I was caught off guard the first time I noticed that her cat form was different than her true form, but I've accepted that she's a woman and that she's an excellent teacher that will make sure you understand what she's trying to teach you. Honestly, I'm not sure why you get so flustered when you see her with nothing on, but I guess that's something that only Humans understand, even though I've felt her in this situation before today."

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, as the words made him think about something entirely different and he wanted to clarify it, but, at the same time, Yoruichi moved towards Sombra's back and massaged some of his muscles, showing him exactly what Sombra meant... and, as he watched them, he noticed that Sombra seemed to like the motions and that, oddly enough, Yoruichi had a smile on her face. He kept his mouth shut as he watched them, as there was clearly something between them that he and the others didn't know about, but, at the same time, he had more to think about, as he continued to forget that Sombra didn't have any memories before he arrived in Karakura Town, and clearly he was striving to recreate who he thought he was. Sombra and Yoruichi were friends, just like he was friends with Chad and Orihime, and he felt embarrassed to think that there might be something more between them, because it would have been unfair for Sombra since he clearly had trouble understanding what a friend was, meaning that falling in love might not have crossed his mind at all... but he banished that thought soon enough, as he needed to focus on relaxing and then getting some rest so he could continue his Bankai training in the morning.

Soon enough Yoruichi called that it was time for them to get out of the hot springs and get some rest, to which Ichigo nodded his head and took a position nearby, where he could rest for the night and get some energy back, while Sombra leaned against one of the rock formations and did the same thing. Yoruichi, on the other hand, watched over the two of them and the training area as she headed outside to watch what time it was, to make sure she could wake them when it was time, but, even as she did that, she felt several reiatsus fire off all over Soul Society. She raised an eyebrow as she felt the clash of Captains, as it appeared that two of them were dueling at the moment, though from what she could tell it wasn't training, it seemed like the two Captains in question were trying to kill each other, or at least one was trying to kill the other. It appeared that their invasion must have sparked something inside the hearts of several Shinigami, at the very least that was what she assumed was going on, which meant that most of the Shinigami were busy either fighting each other or trying to understand what was happening at the moment, meaning that they wouldn't be looking for Ichigo and Sombra for some time, giving them the time they needed to complete their training.

As she sat on her perch, and looked at the rising sun, she thought about the speed that Ichigo was making in his own training, as it was an unexpectedly remarkable pace when she compared it to other Shinigami that went through some intense training, and the only one that could match him was Sombra. The Arrancar was making great progress in terms of what he was doing with Shokyo, as he was progressing at the same speed that Ichigo was moving at, and she could tell that his own reiatsu was getting even stronger as a result, pushing ever so closer to the point where he might cross over into the world of a Vasto Lorde. Even as an Adjuchas he was strong, more so than the other Adjuchas ranked Arrancar and Hollows she remembered Soul Society finding and destroying, as he was able to beat down one of the strong Captains that currently lead one of the Divisions, but if he surpassed the power he had been wielding earlier, when the door to the Shrine of Penitence was open, the only Captain that might be able to defeat him was the Captain-Commander. She was positive on that fact, because if Sombra was able to achieve Bankai, and that seemed like a very real possibility, he would set himself apart from the rest of the Arrancar that Soul Society knew about and put him on a level that was different than what the other Captains and Lieutenants knew about.

Since Sombra seemed to be doing well at the moment, and Shokyo was teaching him well, Yoruichi turned her worry towards Ichigo, as while he was making good progress she wasn't sure that he would be able to learn Bankai before the time limit was up, but she also knew that, since Kisuke had faith in Ichigo, there was always the possibility that he might prove her wrong in that regard... though the only thing that pulled her from her thoughts, as the sun continued to rise, was the sound of Sombra walking towards her.

"How's Ichigo doing?" Yoruichi asked, because if Sombra was up and about, as was his custom thanks to the amount of time that he spent with her and Kisuke, that meant that Ichigo had to be up as well, but she would only know that once Sombra told her what was going on.

"He's doing his morning stretches." Sombra replied, to which he looked out at the part of the Seireitei that they were in, knowing that the Shinigami had been busy while he and Ichigo had been training, but for the most part it seemed that none of them seemed to know where they were located, though he was interested in the fact that it appeared that Renji was moving in a different pattern than the other Shinigami, "It looks like that he's ready for his training to continue, even though I think that he wont be ready for what Zangetsu wants to teach him today... but that's not why I came up here to talk to you. I wanted to ask you how long we had until the Shinigami started Rukia's execution."

"According to the intel I was able to gather, after we entered the Seireitei, her execution grace period was cut by five days, dropping it to twenty-five days," Yoruichi said, as she had known that either Ichigo or Sombra would have asked this at some point in time, and she was glad to at least tell one of them how much time they had left, "at the same time you and Ichigo spent ten days training with Kisuke, which dropped our time to fifteen days, and the additional seven days to open the Senkai Gate would have dropped us to eight days. Because of how we exited the Senkai Gate, being chased by the Kototsu, we managed to regain those seven days, so even with the five days we spent to reach this point we should have ten days left, and when we finish the next two days of training we should have eight more days before they start Rukia's execution... giving you both time to rest and relax once you've reached the level that your Zanpakuto are trying to push you towards."

Sombra nodded his understanding before he and Yoruichi headed back down into the area that Ichigo was waiting in, impatiently by the look on his face, but that soon changed as Zangetsu regained control of the doll that he had been forced into and drew one of the blades near him, causing Ichigo to sigh as he did the same thing and prepared himself for the next round of battle. While the two of them did that Shokyo came back out as well and Sombra followed her to the area that they trained in earlier, where they resumed what they had been doing earlier, practicing the many skills that she had started to teach him the previous day so he could be ready for whatever battle she was preparing him for. As that happened Yoruichi stood on some level ground as she observed Ichigo and the speed at which he was catching up to Zangetsu, because she had to focus her energy on making sure that he and Zangetsu had the time they needed to train and eventually unlock Bankai.





Yoruichi kept watch over both Ichigo and Sombra while they trained with their Zanpakuto spirits, as a few hours had gone by since the sun had risen over Soul Society, and he could tell that they were both making the same sort of progress that they had been making the previous day. Ichigo's posture never seemed to change whenever he broke a sword, which was rarer than it had been yesterday, and he was keeping pace with Zangetsu, though now he was parrying all the attacks that were coming at him and continued to push back against his Zanpakuto spirit, only this time he also kept himself from dealing the finishing blow, as he knew that Zangetsu would dodge it and he wanted to be sure he had the movements right before doing something like that. Sombra, on the other hand, seemed to be doing just fine with Shokyo, as his own Zanpakuto spirit was teaching him the various abilities that he would unlock once he unleashed his Bankai, showing that his potential for growth was on the level of Ichigo's potential, maybe even greater when she considered that he was still missing his Arrancar blade, the seat of his original powers. She thought about the series of thoughts she had considered that morning, about Sombra getting closer to the third classification of a Menos, and she knew that her thoughts had been correct, as Sombra was even closer to crossing over... meaning that, when he finally activated his Bankai, his reiatsu would be so great that he was pushed into the Vasto Lorde level.

Even if, by some off circumstance, Ichigo failed to achieve Bankai by the time she told him yesterday, they could always fall back on letting Sombra take care of things, as his power at that point would be so great that only one Captain, in all of Soul Society, could stop him... but, as she thought about that, she sensed something outside the entrance of this secret area and the trapdoor that connected to the ladder exploded, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and turn towards the source of the disturbance.

"I was wondering what you were doing all the way down here, but..." a voice said, one that Sombra almost instantly recognized as Renji's voice, while at the same time Ichigo merely looked over in the direction the voice was coming from with a blank look on his face as Yoruichi sweated a little, since this was supposed to be a hidden area only two people knew about, "That you're Zanpakuto's true form?"

Just as the words left his mouth Renji jumped down from where the opening was located and touched the ground at the base of the ladder, though he waited for the dust to clear as he smiled at Ichigo, but while that happened Sombra and Shokyo stepped out of their training area to watch what was going on.

"Sneaking around to do Bankai training, eh?" Renji inquired, though as he looked around the area he found Ichigo and who he assumed was Zangetsu, a lady he didn't know, and Sombra, who was joined by another pony-like person that had to be another Zanpakuto spirit, though that caused his smile to shift to a frown, "You have got to be kidding. He's had that Zanpakuto for, what, a month or two and he's currently training to unlock Bankai as well? Can an Arrancar even do something like that?"

"As long as we're given an Asauchi, and keep it with us for an extended period of time, it appears that Arrancar can do what Shinigami can do," Sombra commented, though he had the feeling that many Shinigami were going to be upset with him once he revealed what he was able to do, as the first few he had showed Shokyo to claimed that she couldn't be a real Zanpakuto, only for them to be shown the error of their ways, before he decided to get back on topic, "What are you doing down here, Renji? I hope it's not to avenge Captain Byakuya's defeat, otherwise you'll have no hope of touching me."

"Oh, it's nothing major like that." Renji replied, but even as he said those words Sombra could tell, just by the tone of his voice, that he and some of the other higher ranking Shinigami had overheard that Byakuya had been beaten and left wounded in front of the Shrine of Penitence, something that had clearly shocked those that heard the news, "Time just ran out, so I wanted a place where I could concentrate and train."

"What do you mean 'time ran out'?" Ichigo asked, because he didn't like the sounds of that, as the only thing around here, that he and the others were aware of that had a time limit, was Rukia's execution, something that would have made Renji more freaked out than he actually was if the time had changed.

"It's simple... the time of Rukia's execution... got changed." Renji answered, because right now he wondered if he had the power to defeat his Captain and fulfill his goal of surpassing him like he wanted, before he focused on the group that had gathered before him, "The new execution time is... noon tomorrow. It sucks to admit it, but my currently level of power won't be enough to save Rukia... that's why I came down here, so I could finish my own training with Zabimaru."

Renji moved his sword off to his right for a moment and several strands of wind jumped off of it to gather in one spot, where Ichigo and Sombra watched as the energy died down and a large white baboon, with a snake for a tail, appeared from the smoke that had been kicked up by the materialization.

"Noon... tomorrow..." Yoruichi repeated, thinking about the time that they had spent in the World of the Living, the time that had been spent opening the Senkai Gate, the journey through the Seireitei, and the battles that had been fought up till this point, allowing her to come up with one conclusion, that someone was pulling the strings behind the entire execution, as this shouldn't be happening in the first place, "Getting Bankai in two days is unheard of, especially when it took Kisuke three whole days to do it... and yet, despite that fact, I think we can pull off a miracle."

"So the deadline is tomorrow," Ichigo commented, to which the blade he was holding shattered, surprising Yoruichi since she was sure that it would have been able to hold for a much longer period of time, before he turned around and smashed the handle with his bare hands, where he raised his reiatsu a bit, "Fine. Then Sombra and I will make sure that we unlock Bankai today!"

Sombra nodded his agreement, because despite the trouble that Ichigo was having with Zangetsu, and was constantly being beaten by his Zanpakuto, he and Shokyo had reached some of the last techniques that she could offer him, meaning that their own training was almost over, but what Shokyo needed was for them to go back into the Crystal Empire, her name for his inner world, and finish their training there, as she wanted the last few techniques to be a surprise. As such when Ichigo moved to continue his training with Zangetsu, as he had more determination than ever before, Sombra moved off to the area that he and Shokyo trained in, only this time around Shokyo returned to her previous state and left Sombra alone. A few moments later, once he had taken a seat on the place that he meditated in when Shokyo told him to do so, Sombra closed his eyes and emptied his mind, delving straight into his inner world once more, allowing the others to do what they wanted until it was time for him to emerge from his training. Renji, on the other hand, watched the two of them do that for a moment before he walked over to the lady that was overseeing Ichigo's training, as it appeared that she had nothing to do with Sombra's session... though, as he thought about it, what he had seen suggested that Zangetsu followed the norm for Zanpakuto, who resisted their wielder's attempts to learn Bankai, while Shokyo seemed to be the polar opposite, wanting to teach Sombra what he needed to know to use Bankai.

"Excuse me, but who are you exactly?" Renji asked, as the reiatsu he felt suggested that the lady was someone that was at least at a Captain's level, but, at the same time he was having a hard time figuring out who she was and if he knew her, though this was something he figured he should know for later.

"I am Yoruichi Shihoin," Yoruichi replied, knowing that Renji had no idea who she was, since this was the first time they were meeting, and the only reason she knew him was because of what she had been told about the night that he and Byakuya had come and captured Rukia, "right now I am overseeing both Ichigo and Sombra's training so they can unlock and master their individual Bankai, all under what Zangetsu and Shokyo deem necessary as their trial. But I'm sensing that there's something else that you want to ask me."

"Yeah, is it true that Sombra fought and defeated Captain Byakuya earlier?" Renji asked, because that was the story that seemed to be circulating around the guards that had been in charge of the cell area he had been held in, and such a thing seemed impossible for him to even consider.

"Yes, he fought Byakuya outside the Shrine of Penitence and soundly defeated him before he even had a chance to use his Bankai," Yoruichi said, though at the same time she could feel Sombra's reiatsu vibrate from the area that he was meditating in, meaning that whatever technique Shokyo was showing him had to be powerful, "Sombra is the strongest Adjuchas ranked Arrancar to ever emerge from Hueco Mundo, that much I'm positive the other Captains would agree with after what they felt earlier, and he's still growing in strength and reiatsu... soon he'll reach the barrier between an Adjuchas and a Vasto Lorde, and then he'll pass into the third classification easily."

"I never would have stood a chance against him." Renji commented, because he had gained the information about what an Arrancar was shortly after he and his Captain returned to Soul Society, as well as the classifications, but hearing that Sombra was the strongest Adjuchas ranked Arrancar Soul Society had ever encountered, and was on his way to the final classification, made him realize that he never stood a chance against someone like him, "So he likes to hold back and fight with a fraction of his power, only calling upon his true might when the situation calls for it, and this is only with his own Zanpakuto. Captain Byakuya told me that all Arrancar seem to have their own blade with their true power locked inside it... if Sombra is like the other Arrancar, and I think he might be, it's terrifying to consider what his power will be like once he's recovered and unlocked his other blade."

Yoruichi was surprised that she wasn't the only one thinking about this, that Sombra's true power was going to be even greater than whatever it was going to be when he used his Bankai, and yet, despite that fact, she knew that he was different than the other Arrancar that Soul Society had encountered over it's long existence. Even as she thought about all this, and Renji walked off to an area to do his own training, she had to entertain the thought that maybe Sombra had been a Vasto Lorde at one point, only for a sudden transformation into his Arrancar state to cause him to lose his sword and memories before appearing outside Kisuke's shop. That would be an easy explanation, and maybe untrue at the same time, but she was curious about his origins, as he wasn't like the other Arrancar that they had encountered and his growth was identical to Ichigo's, only he seemed to grow in power at an even greater rate. None of these thoughts took away from the fact that the immediate area around Sombra seemed to vibrate, just high enough where she, Ichigo, and Renji could detect him while also being low enough to avoid anyone else finding them, showing that his power was great and that Shokyo had much to teach him... and all that made her wonder what sort of Bankai he would unleash once he was done with his own training.

Eventually she returned to how Ichigo was doing, as he seemed to be grasping the concepts that Zangetsu was testing him on, as his defense and his ability to parry attacks was near perfection, but at the same time his Zanpakuto spirit had increased the pressure by adding clones of himself to the battle, making it more difficult for Ichigo to succeed. Every time Zangetsu cornered Ichigo and shattered the blade that he was using to fight both he and his clones would stop and state Ichigo's improvements, showing that he was pleased with his progress, before asking if he would like to continue this battle while also pointing out that Ichigo was still not using anything resembling his Bankai. Ichigo would always reply by telling Zangetsu not to ask stupid questions and would get back into the fight, causing Zangetsu and his clones to resume the battle as they continued to test Ichigo and his abilities, all while showing that, despite his growth, that Bankai might be impossible for him at the moment, but, even if that was the case, Ichigo refused to back down, using Sombra's luck with Shokyo to motivate him to continue the battle.

Yoruichi watched Ichigo train hard with Zangetsu, heard Renji receive instructions from Zabimaru, and felt the instances where Sombra and Shokyo continued their training in his inner world, showing her that all three of them were pressing themselves towards their ultimate goal. The hours finally ticked by and spilled over into the day of the execution, though while she noticed that both Renji and Sombra had made excellent progress, and where officially done with their training since they both returned without their Zanpakuto spirits, Renji decided that it was time for him to leave the area and start his personal mission. Sombra, on the other hand, remained with Yoruichi and Ichigo, as he was curious as to what would happen when Ichigo finally reached the point where he could access his Bankai, though he bid Renji farewell as the Lieutenant headed back up the ladder and headed for the Shrine of Penitence, using a different path this time so he could get there faster. Sombra had the feeling that today was going to be full of people fighting each other, not just him and Ichigo against whoever guarded the execution stand, and hoped that Renji didn't do anything stupid before the two of them were ready to make their move... and yet, even as he thought that, he also had the feeling that something was going to happen with Renji before he was even near the Shrine of Penitence.





Renji had an easy time making his way through the Seireitei, as he used the roofs to get around the streets and continued to make his way towards his destination, though at the same time he found that he had to beat his way through his friends from the Sixth Division, who were under orders to arrest him since he broke out of his prison cell. To ensure that they didn't follow him, and get themselves hurt in the process, he made sure to cut their blades in half and knock most of them out, before taking to the roofs so he could use the long road that would allow him to get to the Shrine of Penitence long before the guards came to remove Rukia. At least that was his plan, because when he passed under the only structure that rested on the road itself, as the other structures were the numerous pillars on the right and left sides of him, he had to stop when he felt an intense reiatsu enter the area, pressuring him into staying in that exact spot as he glanced up to the top of the structure he had ran under. Standing at the top of one of the structure's peaks, and staring down at him with an all too familiar look in his eyes, was none other than Captain Byakuya, who was sporting some bandages on his chest, arms, and legs, not that anyone could see them anyway, because his attire prevented anyone from seeing that he had been bested in combat, despite the rumors going around the Seireitei.

Even though Sombra had beaten him, and had ruined his scarf enough to the point where he wasn't wearing it at the moment, his Captain looked normal to him, save for the fact that it appeared that he was eager to continue towards the execution stand and prepare for his sister's execution.

"Where are you going, Renji?" Byakuya asked, though he was in no mood for games, because he was going to find the Arrancar that made a fool out of him, unleash his Bankai the moment he found him, and then he was going to make sure that Sombra met the fate he should have suffered in the World of the Living.

"I'm going to save Rukia!" Renji declared, having to raise his voice a little so his Captain could hear him, though at the same time he found that, despite the fact that his Captain was still wounded in some manner, he had to sweat from the fact that his Captain was near him.

Byakuya, sensing that Renji would not budge from this idea, flashed through the air and stepped behind his Lieutenant, where he started to draw his blade so he could forever strip him of his Shinigami powers and put an end to this, but then, to his surprise, Renji turned around and parried the attack with enough force to knock him backwards... only for him to glare at his Lieutenant, as he wasn't sure how much more of this nonsense he could take.

"That was Senka, the move you used against Ichigo Kurosaki in the World of the Living," Renji noted, as he had seen his Captain perform the attack many times over the years, his eyes always watching in case he could finally prove that he was better than his Captain, before he gave Byakuya his full attention, "and, as everyone else says, it's your special technique. In my head, I had grasped your movements, and now it seems that my body can keep up with you now. Captain Byakuya, you can no longer kill me with that sword!"

"You're rather talkative today. What makes you so confident?" Byakuya commented, as this was a first for him, that his Lieutenant revealed that he had been studying his movements for who knew how long, though, at the same time, it didn't matter at all, not when his true target was the Arrancar that made a fool out of him, to which he raised his Zanpakuto and prepared himself, "Do you plan on surpassing me with that level of skill? Scatter, Senb...."

Renji, taking the advantage of the moment that had been presented to him, focused his mind and swung Zabimaru at his Captain, though since it was in sealed form his focus, and knowledge of his Bankai, allowed him to bypass the requirement to call out Zabimaru's name, to which the tip of the extended blade collided with Senbonzakura's blade and stopped it from turning into flower petals... though as surprise appeared on Byakuya's face once more Renji pulled Zabimaru back so he could get ready for what happened next.

"I told you, that sword cannot kill me anymore." Renji said, allowing Zabimaru to return to his side as he spoke, while at the same time realizing that Captain Byakuya was right, he must be in a talkative mood today, "Ever since before I even joined the Gotei 13, all those years ago, there has been only one person that I wanted to surpass... and that person was you, Captain Byakuya."

"You released your Zanpakuto's Shikai form without using it's Release Call or it's name," Byakuya said, though as he thought about all the rules that came with a Zanpakuto, including the Shikai and the Bankai, he realized something must have happened, even if it happened behind his back, "How could you have..."

"Allow me, Captain Byakuya." Renji replied, though as he held Zabimaru, in the stance that looked like he was drawing his Zanpakuto from it's sheath, he allowed his reiatsu to flare as he prepared himself for what he was about to do, as he had one shot at this before his Captain did the same thing, "Bankai!"

It was in that moment that Byakuya watched as Renji was engulfed by his own reiatsu for a moment, which surged outwards in all directions and even tore up some of the tile that rested around them, but, as the smoke cleared, he found a large serpent creature that was coiled around Renji, it's tail attached to where he would be holding a sword, with a large snake skull where the head would be. Renji, despite wearing the standard Shinigami attire, was also wearing some sort of fur coat that was worn on both of his arms, rest of both of his shoulders, and covered a good portion of his back, but the front was open and had some beads connecting the two shoulder parts together, in addition to having a skull near his shoulders at the same time.

"Hihio Zabimaru." Renji stated, though at the same time both he and the skeletal snake faced Captain Byakuya, as he knew that this could get ugly fast and knew that his partner was eager for battle, even if he wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep this up for before his Captain retaliated.

"You bastard." Byakuya said, as this week was starting to become one of the worst weeks of his life, as he was starting to hate everything about the last couple of days and today, because he was annoyed at his loss to Sombra and now it appeared his Lieutenant believed that he could beat him, even if he was a little weaker than he normally was, "When did you learn Bankai?"

"A person like you, who never notices his subordinates, would never understand." Renji replied, because he felt that this time he might as well not give him the answer he was looking for, as he might say something about Ichigo and Sombra on accident, and focused on the task at hand, "I'll say it again: I'm going to save Rukia!"

"No, no you will not." Byakuya stated, though at the same time he noticed that Renji was getting ready to charge at him, meaning that he needed to be ready to move as well, because it looked like the skeletal snake that he controlled had some of it's joints separate not a few seconds later.

Of course Renji decided that the moment Byakuya looked at the joints that it was a good idea to swing the snake at him, to which Zabimaru raced through the air and crashed it's head into the area that Byakuya had been standing in moments ago, though he had flashed out of the way and was no longer standing where Renji had hit. Byakuya flashed through the air a few times, allowing Renji to expand energy that he couldn't afford to waste on attacking where he was a few seconds ago, and let him destroy some of the pillars in the process, because he was studying his Bankai and had an idea on how to stop it already. As he jumped into the air, however, Renji sent the skeletal snake after him and he drew his sword to defend himself as the fangs reached for him, though as he was redirected towards the ground he focused his own reiatsu and called out his Zanpakuto's Release Call, using the disappearance of his blade, and it reforming as a number of flower petals, to wrap around the snake and break the bonds between each of it's joints, causing them to fall into a massive heap as he safely landed on the ground nearby... though as he landed, and reverted his Zanpakuto to it's sealed form in it's scabbard, he watched as the joints flew through the air and reconnected themselves together, allowing the skeletal snake to reform in a matter of seconds.

"Senbonzakura; the senbon blade is separated into imperceptibly small pieces." Renji said, deciding that it was time to show his Captain that he knew the information about the Zanpakuto that he carried, a weapon that he had been studying since before he became a Shinigami, all for the purpose of defeating him one day, "As those blades are dancing they catch the light, making them look like countless flower petals are falling down. Since I have been studying your blade, I have determined what actually happens when you use the Release Call. Sorry, but Zabimaru's joints are connected together by my reiatsu, meaning that you can't cut them with your sword. I even intentionally separated the joints like I did, just to dodge all of your senbon blades. Come, Captain Byakuya, let's close the curtain on this battle between the two of us."

"Close the curtain?" Byakuya remarked, though he found it slightly amusing that Renji, who knew more about his Zanpakuto than anyone else in Soul Society, was acting like he had won the fight already, when, in reality, all he had to do was one thing and the battle would tip in his favor, to which he raised his left hand and made sure that his fingers were pointing in Renji's direction, "Very well, I shall close that curtain with my sword."

Renji, declaring that he was going to be the one to bring an end to this fight, swung Zabimaru once more and the skeletal snake continued towards where Byakuya was standing, but, as that happened his reiatsu flared for a moment as he showed his opponent what he was doing. He used Sokatsui, the same Hado that Sombra used against him, without the incantation and loosed a powerful wave of blue energy that was identical to the one that he had felt a few days ago, and while he didn't damage Renji with it he did strike the skeletal snake that had been coming at him. As dust was kicked up he moved a little and forced his opponent to show his hand, as when the skeletal snake came at him again it ended up hitting itself multiple times, thanks to the way Renji had swung it, and that caused it to crash into the side of one of the pillars before falling to the ground.

"The naive one is you." Byakuya commented, as while Renji's Bankai was interesting, because it was slightly different than some of the Bankai that he knew about, it wasn't enough to take him on or even put up a decent challenge, especially not after the battle he had a few days ago, "I did not use Sokatsui to confuse your eyes, rather I used it to disrupt the movements of your Bankai. The weak point of your Bankai is the amount of reiatsu in proportion to it's massive size, because it's form and size are far greater than that of a normal sword it will take at least fourteen years of special training with the Bankai in order for you to completely master it's movements... meaning that it is far too early for you to be using your Bankai in a battle. Bakudo Number 61: Rikujokoro."

As Byakuya said all of that, and Renji started to get up so he could swing his Bankai again, he raised his left hand and pointed his index finger at his target and six thin, wide beams of light that slammed into Renji's midsection and held him in place, preventing him from moving for the most part.

"You say you can defeat me, but that means that you forgot about something, didn't you?" Byakuya continued, to which he drew his Zanpakuto from his scabbard and readied himself for what he was about to do, which was him turning his sword so the tip was pointed towards the ground this time around, completely different from when he used the Release Call, "I, too, have Bankai."

Renji's eyes widened in both shock and fear as he understood what was coming next, as he had been hoping to stop his Captain before he was able to do this, but the fact that it was happening before his eyes told him that he wasn't going to win this fight, not against the power that was going to be used against him.

"Bankai." Byakuya said, to which he let go of Senbonzakura and Renji watched as it disappeared into the ground, while at the same time the sky darkened as two lines of blades, just slightly bigger than the joints of Renji's Bankai, formed behind him and stretched backwards quite a ways, "Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

In the following seconds that the two lines of blades glowed pink for a moment before shattering into a thousand flower petals, just like what happened when he used his Release Call, before the mass of petals surged past where Renji was standing and moved through the structure behind him... tearing a massive hole in the structure while delivering a number of powerful, and very deadly, cuts all over Renji's arms, legs, and body as the Bakudo shattered in the process. For a few seconds nothing happened, as Renji stood there with a stunned look on his face, before blood burst out of the wounds that had been dealt to his body and he collapsed on the ground where he had been standing, while at the same time his Bankai reverted back to it's basic sword form.

"Even when I'm wounded, you never had a chance to beat me," Byakuya stated, though at the same time he turned around and faced the direction that Renji had been heading in, which was the Shrine of Penitence, but as he did that his frown deepened as he remembered the fight that had been in front of Rukia's cell, where the Arrancar known as Sombra had humiliated him in battle, "Your fangs will never touch me, Renji."

Renji, who might have been messed up from the number of cuts he had sustained by facing his Bankai, pulled himself up onto his feet and charged at him while his back was turned, though Byakuya turned around and raised his index finger, to which a number of blades pierced the ground around him and one of them even went into Renji's right arm, pinning him to the ground in the process.

"I will take a moment to compliment you on the fact that you managed to survive my Bankai," Byakuya said, as that was another thing that was interesting, as usually when he used his Bankai he killed whoever he was fighting, but at the same time he walked forward and grabbed onto one of the glowing pink swords that were near Renji and raised it until it was level with his neck, "but heed my words. The next time you get up I will not hesitate to kill you. You understand the situation you're in, don't you? Your Bankai has vanished. For it to do something like that, without it's master's will, that means that you are incredibly close to losing your life. Allow me to ask you this: will you still stupidly insist that you are going to save Rukia?"

"Of course." Renji replied almost immediately, as he had thought that he might be in serious trouble, and he likely was considering that he had ticked off his superior officer, but he imagined Ichigo in this position and knew what he would have said in this situation, "I swore... to myself... that I would definitely save her! It's just my... it's just my will!"

Byakuya watched as Renji snapped the blade that was in his arm, shattering it in a matter of seconds, before getting up and charging at him once more, like he intended to sacrifice himself for the purpose of saving Rukia, but, at the same time, he stood still and used the blade that he was holding onto to break Renji's sword in half... though as that happened Renji did what he deemed impossible, the edge of his broken blade touched his chest before the blade shattered entirely, to which Renji collapsed and stopped gripping his handle.

"Impressive, I stand corrected once more. Your fangs have certainly reached me." Byakuya stated, though in an instance like this he would have undid the scarf that he would have been wearing and would have draped it over his fallen opponent, but since the one he usually wore had been damaged he was just going to leave Renji in the position he was in at the moment, before he turned around and walked away from the area as he headed towards the execution stand.

Renji unlocking Bankai behind his back make him wonder what the remaining Ryoka were doing at that very moment, especially the Arrancar that had shamed him, and knew that they would be coming for Rukia, regardless of the fact that his opponent had said nothing about them over the last few minutes of their battle... and, when they arrived to 'free' Rukia he was going to unleash his Bankai and kill both Ichigo Kurosaki and Sombra before they even knew what hit them.