Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Ichigo stopped outside the second squad building and glanced up at the banner overhead. The thick white fabric seemed to glow in the pale moonlight. A nervous frown darkened Ichigo's features as he looked the place over. 'Why am I here?' he asked himself. 'That's right… SHE summoned me…" Ichigo's mind flashed back to his encounter with Yoruichi earlier that morning.

"What's this?" Ichigo asked, staring down at the folded piece of paper.

"A summons from the Second Squad… Don't ask me why…"

"I don't even know anyone from that division."

"Well, I don't pretend to know what this is all about," she said, climbing onto the balcony's railing. "But if I were you, that's one appointment I'd keep." And with a devious grin, she vanished.

With one last glance at the face of the building, Ichigo sighed noisily and stepped inside. In appearance, it differed little from the other divisions' bases; the same feudal-style paper walls and wooden frames, the same polished hardwood floors. The long halls were poorly lit, illuminated by the dim glow of a few dozen wall lanterns. Ichigo squinted into the distance.

"Kurosaki-san." Ichigo froze in place, eyes as wide as dinner plates. Taking a moment to recover, the young shinigami spun around to face a tall, lanky soldier wrapped in shinobi-style outfit.

"What the hell?!" Ichigo snapped angrily. "Don't sneak up on people like that! You almost gave me a heart attack."

"The Captain has been expecting you," the soldier continued, ignoring Ichigo's outburst. "This way, please." The soldier brushed past the exasperated shinigami and briskly made his way down the far corridor. Reluctantly, Ichigo followed. Tmp tmp tmp tmp; the sounds of their feet on the hollow wooden floor echoed throughout the building, destroying the eerie silence. As they walked, Ichigo glanced along the walls, admiring the various mounted weapons that decorated the otherwise naked hallways. Suddenly, the soldier came to an abrupt stop. Ichigo barely managed to catch himself before stumbling into the man's back.

"Hey, what's the-!"

"The Captain's chambers," the man announced, motioning toward the door. Bowing swiftly, the shinobi stepped back into the shadows and vanished.

"Right," Ichigo muttered with a frown. Bringing his hand from his side, he gently rapped his knuckles along the door's wooden frame.

"Come in," a stern voice replied. Cautiously, Ichigo slid open the shoji door and stepped inside. Like the hall, the room was poorly lit. He was barely able to make out the sparse furniture that dotted the chamber. At the center of the room, near a large wooden desk he spotted a short, slender figure. The light from the lanterns fell short of the form, but the silhouette it casts against the far moonlit wall was obviously female.

For a while, Ichigo stood in silence. He didn't know what to say or do at this point. After all, it hadn't been his idea to come here in the first place, and the warm, stuffy air was beginning to get to him, now.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked. He was surprised at how profound his voice sounded in contrast to the silence.

"I did. Please have a seat." Ichigo quietly made his way across the room, finding a chair near the adjacent wall. The wood was cold and stiff on his rear, but he accepted it with a frown. From here, he could vaguely make out the figure's appearance. It was in fact female; a woman with a small, sleek frame under a loose-fitting shinobi gi. Even in this light, he could make out the powerful curve of her muscular build; it was powerful, yet modest, like that of a panther. Her raven colored hair was cropped short all around, save two long braids that fell decisively at her waist. Had she been smiling, most would have deemed her very attractive.

"Comfortable?" the woman inquired.

"No."

"Good. I suppose you're wondering why I summoned you here…?" Ichigo scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, but said nothing. "You know,' the voice continued, "I've been a member of the Gotei 13 for over a century and a division captain for longer than you've been alive…"

"You're point being?" he quipped with irritation, shifting in his seat.

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How did you, a shinigami with no prior training achieve Ban-Kai in three days?"

"Huh?! What the hell kind of question is that?" The gentle sound of footsteps answered him as she swiftly closed the distance between them. Before Ichigo could form a coherent thought, she was before him, engaged in a death-stare.

"Tell me," she demanded.

"Why?! You're a captain right? Doesn't that mean you've already reached Ban-Kai? Why do you need to know how I did it?!"

"Because in the history of Soul Society only one man has ever managed such a feat." Ichigo shuddered under her cool, black eyes. Why was she staring at him so intently? A long moment of silence passed between them. Maintaining eye contact, the captain took a step back and clasped her hands behind her back. "You're a strange boy, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Whatever," he muttered to himself.

"But with or without your help, I will discover the secret to your power." Ichigo's lips parted in a haughty grin.

"Think so?" he sneered? "Well, I think-!" A swift kick to the jaw cut Ichigo's sentence short. The force of the blow wracked his entire body, shaking him to the very core. Wide-eyed and deeply confused, he stumbled in place to the sound of his own brain sloshing around in his skull. A second kick to the stomach sent the young shinigami crashing through the far shoji wall.

Ichigo tumbled through the wall on rolled to a stop beside a budding sakura tree. Unable to speak or hear, he gripped his stomach and squinted out at the blurry world around him. He couldn't remember the last time he had been hit like that. It was as if he'd caught a guided missile head-on. Slowly, he climbed to his knees with support of his trembling arms.

"Feel that?" the captain said, mockingly. "THAT is power… Power that can't be attained through luck, or desperation… You can't achieve this level of power in three days, Kurosaki."

"Damn you," he choked out. Little by little, his vision was returning. He could make out the area around him, now, at least enough to tell where things were.

"Does it hurt?"

'Dammit, what the hell was that?' he thought to himself. 'What is her problem, kicking me like that? Dammit!'

"Stand, Ichigo Kurosaki," she ordered. The moonlight gleamed off the blade of her sword as she drew it from her lower back. "Stand and show me your power."

"Shut the hell up," he snapped, dragging himself to his feet. "You sound like that freak Kenpachi! You want a fight? Fine, you found one!" Clumsily, Ichigo reached back over his shoulder and drew Zangestu from its wrappings. "I'll show YOU power!"

The two shinigami clashed in an eruption of light. The sky lit up with sparks of reiatsu every time their blades clashed. Even as his senses returned, Ichigo found it hard to keep up with the second division captain. Her movements were sharp and abrupt, unlike the fluid movements of past opponents. He couldn't read her zigzag pattern and barely mustered the foresight to match it.

'Damn!' he cursed. 'I can't keep up! At this rate, she'll kill me for sure!'

"What's wrong, Kurosaki?!" the captain taunted between strikes. "What are you waiting for? Release your zanpaku-to!"

"Quit talking or you'll bite your tongue!" A final collision of blades knocked both fighters out of reach. Ichigo stumbled back, lost amidst the swirling cloud of dust. 'Damn, she's good.'

"In case you didn't know, I'm the leader of the Special Ops team in addition to being a division leader… I'm a trained killer, so I won't hold back and I won't pity you… Release your blade now or die!"

"Release my blade, huh…? You hear that, Zangetsu? I guess we have no choice but to show her what we're really capable of…" Planting his feet firmly in the dry soil of the courtyard, Ichigo points the tip of his blade intently at the female captain. Here we go… BAN-KAI!" The courtyard is immediately swallowed up in an explosion of blue light, the flash engulfing the area like an azure flame. The captain raises her arm to shield her eyes, but to no avail; the brilliance of his power is too much. When the light subsides, she slowly opens her eyes, letting them readjust to the night.

"So," she smirked, "that's your Ban-Kai: the final form of Zangetsu."

"That's right," he grinned backed. "Now, hurry up and bring out yours… I'd feel bad beating you without it!"

"Fine, it's your funeral…! BAN…KAI!!!" Again, the courtyard was swallowed up in an explosion of light as her reiatsu poured out into the night. Ichigo couldn't help but smile in wild excitement as the final form of her zanpaku-to came into view. What was this feeling? Why was he so happy all of a sudden? He couldn't explain the gathering warmth that coursed through his veins.

"Wow… Impressive," he exhaled with glee.

"I'm glad you like it; it will be the last thing you ever see…"

"Whatever," he scoffed. "By the way, I didn't catch your name…"

"Captain Soi Fong of the Second Division, not that it will make any difference after you're dead…"

"We'll just see about that!"

Ichigo opened his eyes to find himself staring up at the night sky. The stars looked like needle holes in a back-lit canvas. 'Funny,' he thought. Some how, he figured the sky would be different in Soul Society. Tilting his head back, Ichigo looked about him. His shinigami robes were torn to shreds. The black fabric hung loosely around him like scraps of tissue paper. Beneath the robes, he could feel the aching pulse of his bruised limbs and torso as it throbbed in time with his breathing.

"I must say you're much stronger than I'd expected," the captain greeted him, wryly. Ichigo looked up to see Soi Fong looming over him. With a sharp, jerking motion, he sat up, wincing slightly at his abdomen's tenderness. "Honestly, I've never seen a Ban-Kai like that one…"

"First time for everything," he retorted. Silence. Ichigo sighed nosily into the cool night air. The silvery moon hovered meekly behind a tuft of violet clouds. It was almost cherry blossom season, he thought.

"The cherry blossoms will be blooming, soon," Soi Fong remarked, wistfully. Ichigo glanced over at her with a look of surprise, but said nothing. "I think they'll be especially beautiful this year, don't you?" Ichigo wrinkled his nose thoughtfully and followed her gaze to the sky.

"I guess."

"Tell, me Kurosaki, do you like being a shinigami?" Ichigo shrugged.

"I don't hate it. It's not really something I chose to do… 'Just kinda fell into my lap."

"Then why do you continue."

"I guess you could say I feel guilty," he replied. Out of the corner of her eye, Soi Fong caught the gloomy smile that momentarily passed over his features.

"Troubled past?"

"No more than anyone else," he scoffed. She was surprised at how quickly he could change moods. "Everybody has problems. Who am I to complain about mine?" Soi Fong turned to look at him. His bright orange hair waved gently in the breeze, offsetting his perpetual scowl. His brow seemed to be permanently pinned over the bridge of his nose, maintaining a cold, serious appearance. She imagined she must look the same way.

"Kurosaki-"

"Ichigo," he interrupted.

"Ichigo… when you first came to Soul Society, were you afraid?" Ichigo stared unblinkingly up at the sky, mulling the question over in silence.

"No," he said, finally. Soi Fong opened her mouth to protest, but was quickly silence by the words that followed. "To be honest, I didn't have time to be scared. As far as I was concerned, I had a job to do, a job that was riding on the backs of everyone I care about… If I were to chicken out, even for a second, it could mean the death of everyone who helped me. With a burden like that, you can't afford to get scared."

Soi Fong shuddered. Suddenly she realized the truth. It was all so clear to her now; the irrefutable fact that separated him from her. Never before had she met anyone with such resolve. It wasn't just the overwhelming energy that poured out of him or the drive and the determination behind his sword strokes; what made Ichigo so powerful was his unshakeable resolve. She could feel it now, flowing around him in a bright blue aura. It was warm and thick, potent in concentration. Just by being near him, she herself felt empowered. There was something about this man…

"Ichigo," she murmured. The young shinigami turned to reply, and much to his surprise, met Soi Fong in a deep, full kiss. Her lips parted as she ran her tongue around the outskirts of his mouth. She tasted tart; it was a strangely pleasing flavor, but impossible to describe. Shocked, Ichigo remained wide-eyed and slack-jaw, unable to break away or engage. All he could do was accept it.

Slowly closing her mouth, Soi Fong broke off the kiss and stood. Brushing away at the layer of dust that covered her clothes, the raven-haired captain picked up her zanpaku-to and headed back toward the division building.

"You're a strong man, Ichigo," she told him firmly. "Don't ever believe anyone who would tell you differently." And with that, she was gone.

Author's Notes: Okay, first, I'd like to apologize for being gone for so long. I've had so much to do lately… You know, school and all, but hopefully I'll have more time to write in the future. Secondly, I wrote this at seven in the morning after having no prior sleep, so please excuse any mistakes in and around this story. Lastly, feel free to review my work; I encourage it. The more feedback I get, the better I'll get and that's good for everyone. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. :-D