Technically speaking, Ichigo was canonically dead ever since Urahara cut his Soul Chain. He just kept his corpse fresh and wore it like some kind of meat-suit.
Technically speaking, Ichigo was canonically dead ever since Urahara cut his Soul Chain. He just kept his corpse fresh and wore it like some kind of meat-suit.
However, he hadn't moved on, nor do we know if that wasn't accounted for by Urahara. We don't know what special properties that special training space of his had, but he is one of the three leading experts on souls, and knew Ichigo was descended from Quincy. It wouldn't be unreasonable for him to have taken precautions (like perhaps to completely prevent the risk of Ichigo moving on, spontaneously) that kept Ichigo's quincy power from leaving at his death in canon.
[100] Accept Kukaku's offer of help.
-[54] Stay with her until it works.
-[46] Train with her once a week.
[21] You'll unlock shikai some other way.
-[21] Try the meditation thing.
I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge an error I made. I thought that Ichigo emerged from the pit with Zangetsu in full kitchen knife form, whereas it turns out that he actually came out holding the broken hilt of the sword he gained from Rukia's spiritual energy infusion, and only gained Zangetsu when he first used getsuga. I will be going back and editing the previous chapters to reflect this before I update.
[100] Accept Kukaku's offer of help.
-[54] Stay with her until it works.
-[46] Train with her once a week.
[21] You'll unlock shikai some other way.
-[21] Try the meditation thing.
I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge an error I made. I thought that Ichigo emerged from the pit with Zangetsu in full kitchen knife form, whereas it turns out that he actually came out holding the broken hilt of the sword he gained from Rukia's spiritual energy infusion, and only gained Zangetsu when he first used getsuga. I will be going back and editing the previous chapters to reflect this before I update.
just had a thought, but ichigo cannot really ever have a small zanpaktou outside of bankai, then instead of a large blade, could he just make his blade longer?
just had a thought, but ichigo cannot really ever have a small zanpaktou outside of bankai, then instead of a large blade, could he just make his blade longer?
just had a thought, but ichigo cannot really ever have a small zanpaktou outside of bankai, then instead of a large blade, could he just make his blade longer?
[100] Accept Kukaku's offer of help.
-[54] Stay with her until it works.
"I'll take you up on that offer." You say.
Kukaku turns on her heel and waves for you to follow her into a room that looks to be a larder, or an oversized pantry. "Grab some food and stuff. It'll keep you going for the next few days."
It's gratifying to hear that-
"Not." She says bluntly, "That you have any chance of getting shikai inside of a week, but I'll throw you into the best training I can think of until your body gives out."
Never mind. "There's water where we're going, right?"
"Yeah." Your... you guess she's your cousin, once removed, mutters to herself as you pick up a bag and fill it with non perishable food items. "How did it go again? Did Kaien say it was meditation, or fighting? It was something about one of those, or both." She mutters to herself, and then shrugs. "Both sounds about right."
You follow her away from the road that spikes out West into the wilderness like the spoke of a wheel, leaving behind easy terrain in favor of hills that turn into cracked stone ground, and then into a crevice that you have to carefully leap from platform to platform as you descend, but that the older woman almost skips down.
Soon the light of the sky falls away, leaving you in a dull half light illuminated by the entrance to the crevice. Then you round a corner and there's light again, emanating from panels set into the ceiling of a vast cavern at least as big as a soccer field. You stop and stare, while Kukaku shrugs off her pack. The motion is a little awkward because of her missing arm, but she handles it with the ease of long practice. The sword, which had hung below where the backpack's bottom rested at the small of her back, swings slightly in its horizontal holster.
It isn't the only thing in Kukaku's person that swings, so you busy yourself putting down your own pack. "So how's this going to work?"
"Zanpakuto are part of you, extensions of you. They're... a reflection of your inner self in a sword." The clan head explains after searching for words. "That reflection is a little warped, but it's still you. It's just that it's not a total mirror image of you. You're compatible, like two strangers sitting next to each other with similar interests. That makes sense, right?"
"Yeah. So my zanpakuto needs me to talk to it?"
Kukaku shrugs. "Yes and no, kid. Shikai is a deeper level of understanding between the two of you. It doesn't exactly have to be friendship, but you have to get your zanpakuto's spirit to accept you and agree to give you its power. That does require you to talk to it, I think, but just talking won't do it."
You nod, thinking that over. You've got to win your sword over, got to make it like you? That makes a kind of sense, you guess. It sounds kind of cheesy, but whatever.
"So you've got to get really in tune with it, understand it, get into its head, and what do swords like more than violence! So I'm going to beat your ass black and blue until you can really feel your zanpakuto!"
Wait, what?
Before you can think anything else the amputee woman is right in front of you, fist drawn back for one hell of a telegraphed haymaker that you can see coming a mile away. But you're just. Too. Slow.
She hits you so hard that you tumble to a halt dozens of yards away, in the middle of the cavern, stagger to your feet, and rub your sore jaw. "What the hell, woman?!" You scream. "What kind of stunt are you trying to pull here!?"
"Training!" Kukaku shouts through a grin big enough to show all of her teeth. "Now get out that zanpakuto and hit me!"
"What if I cut you!" You protest, and then eat a punch to the gut that flings you into the wall. When you stand up, breathing heavily, the woman's smile has lost a few centimeters.
She sighs, draws her sword with her left hand, and kicks a rock into the air. Her arm arcs out, and when the rock falls it does so in two clean pieces. "See that? That wasn't even anything special, by soul reaper standards. If you keep thinking with that kind of attitude you'll never even manage to cut the soft, crumbly rock that his cavern is cut out of. You're probably worried about this."
She raises her stump and waves it back and forth. "But you shouldn't be. There's a big difference between the intent behind the meanest, smallest hollow's bite and what a newbie reaper like you can put behind their blows."
She hit the nail on the head. "Fine."
Kukaku sheathes her zanpakuto again. "Don't worry. I won't punish you for lookin' down on me like that. You didn't know better, kid, and besides." She smirks. "You're gonna get hurt soon enough anyways."
You pull your sword off your back, fix your feet in a karate stance, and hold it in the basic position your instructor tailored to your oversized blade. "Fine then." You say. "But you'd better be as good as you think you are."
Long story short, she is. To your credit you stay standing long enough that your teacher doesn't complain when you insist that you can keep going, but eventually Kukaku gets bored and starts smoking.
You take a nap.
And so passes time. You eat, sleep, and try not to get smacked around by a woman with a stronger right hook then you've ever had the displeasure of seeing. Sometimes she mixes it up and kicks you instead, but by the end of the second day she steps back from your two-handed power swings. You have the measure of her timing down, and more than that-
Her fist glances off the side of your zanpakuto. You throw the hilt up to bash her in the chest, then grab the back of your blade near the tip and work it forward like a butcher's knife that almost opens Kukaku up before her stump slaps you in the side of the head and sends you down.
This time, you don't get back up. Kukaku looms over you, her face darkened by the shade she casts. Thin red lines cover her torso, the half shirt long since replaced by bandages that serve more purposes than mere modesty. "Almost got you again." You pant.
"Almost. You feel anything?"
You probably look like even more of a mess than she does. Your nose is in the right place, and nothing's broken, but you've really been worked over. "Maybe I did, but I'm not sure. I thought I heard... laughter?"
The brunette grunts, and hauls you upright. "Good enough for me. Go back to the academy and rest up for a while."
"No." You say, and the wobble in your arms doesn't show in the strength of your voice. You can do this. "I have to do this."
"You don't have to do anything but take it easy for a few days. You said you had kido tomorrow? Take it easy. Give your body time to recover, kid, and come back in a week. No, two weeks. I don't want to see you until the Sunday after this one, am I clear?"
In response you raise your sword. It's shaking. It's...
"Fine." You let it drop. Memories of your father explaining the effects of over-stress on the body, of people brought into the clinic with torn muscles, heatstroke, heart failure, well up before you stamp them back down. You're on a timer, but it's not a fast timer. You can spare a few days. "I'll catch up on the stuff I missed. It's Wednesday, right?" You rationalize the decision.
"Yeah."
Some stats have improved. Training until you drop has benefits... as long as someone is making sure that you don't go too far.
Hakuda (unarmed): Fighting reflexes guide you
Hoho (movement): You can dodge, but it's no super speed
Zanjutsu (swords): The beginnings of a fighting style
Now how are you going to manage things when you get back to Shin'o Academy? You kind of look like tenderized meat, which isn't exactly inaccurate.
[] Try to get healed at the infirmary before anyone notices
[] Sneak back into your dorm room and conceal the damage
[] Declare that nothing's wrong, and you're totally fine
[] Explain that you were going through intense training
Adhoc vote count started by TPK on Aug 29, 2017 at 10:00 AM, finished with 109 posts and 70 votes.
[X] Try to get healed at the infirmary before anyone notices
But what about all that delicious high school drama?
[X] Try to get healed at the infirmary before anyone notices
Not that it's something to hide, and most students shouldn't care, but the instructors might have an issue or two with it. Maybe? Anyway infirmary visit is a good idea. Maybe we'll even meet Hanatoro or something.
