Ichigo panted. Damn it, Shiro was fucking fast, and his fighting style was developing quickly despite the fact that Ichigo knew Shiro shouldn't have had enough time to develop these complex techniques with their new Zanpakuto. Then again, this was Shiro that Ichigo was thinking about. It didn't matter if he had one sword or two, his Zanpakuto was adaptable and relied on his instincts enough to be able to improvise efficiently.

Ichigo ducked to avoid Shiro's smaller blade – which just missed the longest of Ichigo's hair by an inch. Ichigo saw Shiro coming and, without thinking, he threw both his blades at his Zanpakuto spirit.

Shiro only grinned.

He dodged both swords, but that left Shiro without time to react when Ichigo suddenly appeared behind him. Shiro was still twisting to dodge the swords Ichigo had thrown at him, allowing Ichigo to grab his wrist and use that twisting motion to throw Shiro to the ground.

Ichigo sat on Shiro the moment he hit the ground. He pinned Shiro's wrists above his head. Shiro's eyes widened, taking a second to read Ichigo's expression. Ichigo moved Shiro's wrists together where he could hold them with one hand, then used his now free hand to summon his Hollow mask.

"Heh," Shiro spat, looking into the inverted eyes of his wielder.

Ichigo called his short sword back to his hand before Shiro could do more. He pointed it at Shiro's throat. Panting, Ichigo asked, "How was that?"

Shiro started laughing. "Finally. That's the killer instinct I've been waiting for. What took you so damn long, Ichigo?"

Ichigo's eyes widened when he felt Shiro's Spiritual Pressure rise.

Shiro wiggled an arm free, knocking Ichigo's sword away from his throat. Ichigo was forced to lean back or else Shiro's sword would cut him. Shiro turned his swords around in his hands and stabbed them towards Ichigo. Ichigo flashed away to where his larger sword had wound up. He pulled it out of the side of a skyscraper and turned back to face Shiro.

"Yer getting better," Shiro praised. "But ya won't ever get me ta admit defeat."

Ichigo nodded in response. He was learning quickly that Shiro was unlike any opponent he'd ever met even when they were just sparring. In a normal spar, a sword to his opponent's throat meant that Ichigo won, then they'd reset themselves and start over. Shiro, however, was a good reminder to Ichigo that if he was in a real fight, there was no such thing as exchanging victories or starting over. If Ichigo was truly up against someone who would do anything to win, then even pinning his opponent down wouldn't stop them.

Shiro closed the distance between himself and Ichigo in a flash – and Ichigo cursed himself for thinking too much, especially since this was a fight against Shiro.

The force from Shiro's strike knocked Ichigo off balance. Shiro's other arm swung for his face, and Ichigo managed to lean back enough that it didn't hit his skin but it did shatter his mask. Ichigo prepared himself for another hit, blue veins appearing along his skin, but he paused when Shiro's stance faltered.

"Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked, mask crumbling off his face.

"Shit…" Shiro cursed. "I didn't mean ta… actually shatter it…" Shiro fell to one knee.

Ichigo swiftly caught Shiro as he fell.

"When yer mask breaks… it's like my whole body does the same thing," Shiro explained. "I'll be fine… I just need a minute."

Ichigo frowned and hugged Shiro close. "So that's why… you want me to protect it?"

Shiro grinned and patted Ichigo's cheek. "Boy, ya sure do learn quickly, don'cha King?"

"Joke later," Ichigo said, placing Shiro on his back on the skyscraper. He sat next to Shiro and waited for him to recover.

Shiro's lips curled into a smirk and he slid his hand in Ichigo's. "I think we've trained enough for today anyway. Yer all sweaty and gross."

The Old Man nodded. "Indeed." He turned and started to walk away when Ichigo called out to him.

"Zangetsu, wait-" Ichigo caught himself.

Ichigo turned to Shiro, who wore a soft expression. "It's alright, Ichigo. He is part of your power after all. You can acknowledge him as Zangetsu."

Ichigo frowned. "But, won't having two Zangetsus get confusing?"

Both Ichigo and Shiro turned to look at the Old Man. He sighed. "You can call me Yhwach, Ichigo."

"Yh…wach…." Ichigo scowled. "I'm just gonna call you Zan-ossan instead."

The Old Man's eyes widened. He turned away, hiding his amused smile.

Shiro snickered. "Kinda like how ya call yer one friend 'Chad'?"

Ichigo frowned. "What? Chad's a cool name. It suits him."

"And 'ossan' suits me then, does it?"

"Don't change the subject!"

Shiro cackled at Ichigo. Zan-ossan turned to look at the two and said, "The last time the three of us stood together in your inner world, I told you, Ichigo, that he was the source of your despair."

Ichigo blinked. He glanced at Shiro, then turned back to Zan.

He couldn't hide his smile from Ichigo this time. "You've both grown. Ichigo, you found your will to move forward again, and this world has turned once more into a world of hope. And Zangetsu is no longer your despair, but a source of happiness."

Ichigo blushed and leaned a little closer to his Zanpakuto spirit.

"Ichigo, do not forget what you are feeling right now. Never forget, even when all seems lost, you can always find your way back to how you are feeling right in this very moment."

Ichigo nodded. "I won't forget."

Zan slowly nodded before he vanished from their sights.

Ichigo leaned back against the skyscraper. Shiro placed Ichigo's hand against the glass. "Can you feel it, King? My power… Our power flooding your Inner World? It's such a nice feeling, really, to feel proper balance return to this world. And, if you feel close, you'll sense the old man's power there too."

Ichigo curled in closer to Shiro. "I feel it, but, not in the building. I feel it in the core of my soul. I feel my own power flowing through your sword, then I feel you adding your strength to my own and returning that power to me. I feel ossan's power just at the edge of my fingertips, like I'm reaching for it, and getting closer to it the more I train."

Shiro breathed a soft sigh of content and nodded. He closed his eyes, a lazy grin on his lips.

Ichigo fidgeted nervously as he and Shiro entered the classroom. Rukia had promised that no one would find Shiro suspicious and that everyone's memories had been altered just a little to make it seem like he'd been there for a month.

Well, almost everyone. Uryu, Chad, Orihime and Tatsuki were the only ones to notice the new person. Tatsuki nudged Orihime. "Is that…?"

Orihime nodded. "He's the one Rukia told you about. Don't worry, Tatsuki. He's not dangerous and he's only going to be here for a few weeks until all the Zanpakuto go back to their inner worlds."

Tatsuki shifted uncomfortably. When Rukia appeared in her house last night, she had to admit she was a little freaked out, but she rolled with it. Ever since she learned the truth about Ichigo, she was able to dismiss small anomalies and even cover for Ichigo to help maintain the illusion of normalcy.

According to Rukia, the other people in the class had 'met Shiro a month ago when their teacher introduced him as a transfer student from another country'. Tatsuki was also told to only speak English to Shiro if she had to talk to him, and otherwise to act like he was just another student that Ichigo hung out with.

Still, Tatsuki felt a little insulted that Ichigo hadn't spoken to her himself. Sure, Ichigo wasn't one to open up about a lot of things nowadays, but the whole time Ichigo was suffering without his powers, and even once he got them back, Ichigo never spoke to Tatsuki. Even now, Ichigo seemed to be avoiding her. With a nod to herself, Tatsuki decided that today she'd get some answers out of the boy (after school, of course).

"Settle down students! Settle down!" The teacher exclaimed as she entered the room. She glanced at Shiro and Ichigo with a large grin. She spoke in English, "How are you both getting along?"

Shiro just nodded, and Ichigo replied in Japanese, "I've been translating plenty, but his Japanese is improving. We'll probably take a walk to the mall to practice his Japanese tonight."

Their teacher clapped. "Excellent! Now, back to business, class. We have another student joining us today! She's from a different part of Japan, just transferring here to finish off her final year of high school. So how about we give her a warm welcome, everyone! This is Kyoko!"

A woman with a bob cut and a thin scowl entered the room. She gave a curt bow, but that was all.

"Well, Kyoko. There's a spare seat next to Orihime, so go make some new friends!"

She nodded and took small steps towards Orihime. She glanced at Orihime once before sitting down. The girl reached into her bag and took out her math textbook. She flipped it open to pages 95/96 just as their teacher spoke again. "Everyone, we're going to be moving on to some more advanced mathematics today! So please open up to Chapter 4: page 96!"

Orihime's eyes widened. Kyoko didn't seem to notice her staring. Orihime slowly flopped open her book and turned her attention back to the board.

Ichigo sighed as he sat back against the fence on the roof of the school. He felt the breeze cool his skin just as the hot sun warmed it. It felt heavenly to be back in school and not constantly fighting. For once, things felt normal.

Even with Shiro's hand in his, things felt normal. Ichigo chuckled softly as he thought to himself, Is this what a regular high school student goes through?

"KYA! ICHIGO!" Keigo screeched. Ichigo turned his eyes slowly to meet the other's finger, which was pointed at his hand in Shiro's. "What's going on!? Are you two dating or something!?"

Chad didn't look up from his food. He simply murmured, "Not being homophobic, are you, Keigo?"

Keigo fell to the ground. "WHAT!? Of course not! Are we not gonna talk about this!? Why are they holding hands? Does no one else find this weird!? Somebody please tell me that I'm not going crazy! Is there anyone sane on this rooftop!?"

Mizuiro slid one side of his headphones off. Still typing away on his phone, he answered, "Everyone here is sane but you."

Ichigo tuned out the rest of Keigo's cries. He gave Chad a thankful smile, and Chad simply nodded. Ichigo leaned back against the fence and close his eyes, enjoying this moment of serenity. He felt Shiro's thumb dance along the top of his hand and he smiled before leaning to rest his head on Shiro's shoulder.

Brown eyes blinked open around the first time his stomach growled. Ichigo disconnected his hand from Shiro's and wrapped his arm around Shiro's instead. This way Ichigo could use his hands to open his lunch and each it without separating from the warmth Shiro provided him.

Shiro was happy just to watch Ichigo eat and keep even just a little bit of contact. It truly made his soul sing that Ichigo had made just that tiny effort to stay close. He chuckled at the rice crumbs on Ichigo's lips and turned his attention then to his own food. He didn't really need to eat, but it supposedly helped the gigai to function (according to Kisuke) so Shiro opened the lunch Yuzu had made for him. It was essentially the same as Ichigo's, just slightly spicier for Shiro's taste buds to pick up.

Lunch was cut short by a scream.

Ichigo recognized that voice. He sprung to his feet and gazed down below at the schoolyard. "Orihime!"

Orihime glanced up at Ichigo, slight terror in her eyes. There was a woman at her feet, Kyoko, who had purple reiatsu lashing out around here.

Ichigo gritted his teeth. What was he supposed to do now?

Chad reached for Ichigo. "You look faint." He nodded at Shiro.

Shiro blinked, suddenly catching on to Chad's plan. He summoned as much English as he knew, or rather as Ichigo knew, and said, "You should see a doctor."

Ichigo blinked as Shiro swung his arm over his shoulders and carried him downstairs. Tatsuki turned to Keigo and Mizuiro. "You two should go find the principal. Chad, Uryu and I will make sure Orihime is okay."

"Why do you get to go?"

"Got a problem with that!?" Tatsuki snapped.

Keigo froze. "N-No ma'am!"

Shiro put Ichigo down on the ground once they were inside the school. Then he and Ichigo ran towards the schoolyard. Ichigo freed his badge from his pocket, ready to use it if he needed to.

When Ichigo arrived at the scene, the new girl was gone. Orihime sat there on her knees, trembling. Ichigo knelt next to her. "Orihime?"

"Ichigo!" she gasped, turning wide, teary eyes to him. "Please help her! I sensed the same loneliness… the same pain that Muramasa felt was within her. It's not too late to save her, though. So please Ichigo, help her!"

"I will," Ichigo promised.

Before he could leave, Orihime grabbed his sleeve. "Wait, Ichigo…" Realizing her earlier mistake, Orihime added. "I want to come with you. I want to help her."

Ichigo slowly shook his head. "You could get hurt."

Orihime stood tall. "So, could you! Take me with you! I want to help!"

Ichigo flinched. The desperation in her eyes was something he was familiar with, having spent more than a year looking into a mirror to see his own eyes with that expression. Ichigo nodded. "Alright then."

He pressed his badge to his chest and then picked Orihime up. "We'll find her! Don't worry!"

Tatsuki approached Ichigo and Orihime.

"Tatsuki?" Orihime questioned.

"I can watch your body," Tatsuki offered. She looked unsure, but Ichigo was wise enough not to mistake it for timidness.

Ichigo nodded. "Thanks, Tatsuki."

Tatsuki nodded in return.

Ichigo and Orihime took off, leaving Shiro behind with Tatsuki.

"So," Tatsuki looked Shiro up and down. "Aren't you going with them?"

Shiro shrugged. "Ichigo's strong enough to handle it. Besides, you look like ya have a few questions."

Tatsuki was surprised at first, but if she couldn't get any answers from Ichigo, then maybe Shiro was her next best choice.

"Kyoko!" Orihime cried, pushing out of Ichigo's arms. She ran towards the new girl, black and purple reiatsu flaring violently around her. "Kyoko, what's happened to you!?"

Yellow eyes locked onto Orihime. A deep chuckle emerged from Kyoko's throat. "You are too late, girl." Purple light surrounded Kyoko and, when it faded, all that remained was a woman with long green hair who had the bottom half of a snake.

"What have you done to Kyoko? Bring her back, right now!"

"Silence!" the woman growled. She threw her hand in Orihime's direction and it elongated into a spear. It rushed towards Orihime and Ichigo blocked it.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes on the spirit. "Orihime, this is Kyoko now. Can't you feel her suffering? She's in there fighting for what she thinks is right. You have to help her remember who she is."

Orihime opened her mouth to protest. This couldn't possibly be Kyoko! It couldn't be the same girl she'd been talking to only an hour ago! But then Orihime thought back to when Ichigo was fighting Ulquiorra. Is that what Ichigo meant? The Hollow Ichigo had become was still him, it still fought for what Ichigo wanted, even if it wasn't going about it the right way…

She nodded. "I understand Ichigo." Orihime marched around him and put up her healing barrier around Kyoko. "You've been hurt badly, Kyoko, both of you have been. I'm going to heal that pain."

"N-No!" The Sword Beast cried. She felt her connection with her new host weaken. Orihime was reversing the bond with her host that she'd waited so long to complete! But it all happened too quickly for the Sword Beast to stop. She screeched as she felt like her whole body was shattering.

"Kyoko! Kyoko can you hear me!?" Orihime cried.

Slowly, Kyoko separated from the Sword Beast.

Ichigo raised his arm, gathering Spiritual Pressure onto his blade. He aimed carefully for the Sword Beast and he released his Getsuga Tenshou with a cry of its name.

A Zanpakuto, broken into many small shards, landed on the rooftop.

Kyoko collapsed into Orihime's arms. Slowly, Kyoko's eyes opened. Orihime giggled, "You're all better now. Want me to walk you home?"

Kyoko blinked. She blushed and slowly nodded. "I would love that…"

Hey everyone! It's been a while! If you haven't yet, check out my ao3 profile "MidnightMuse234". It's where I'm posting all my new stories, and I'm slowly working on transferring my old stories to it!

Also, feel free to reach out to me on tumblr. I'm shiroxichigo! :)