A/N: Sorry bout the wait, and I know it must get old hearing that...but yah. I think this chapter might make up for it.

Summer of Changes

Chapter 9

Ichigo and Yoruichi sprinted off towards the first division. It had been weeks since they talked to Zangetsu about Ichigo's power. The orange haired Captain had made little to no progress, he just couldn't seem to find the ribbon signifying his hollow power inside of him. This frustrated both of them, but they couldn't seem to get a break, no matter how much work they did.

The two had been in sour moods all week, and what had happened earlier just made it worse. They awoke, quite naked, to Yamamoto's voice, rambling on about a meeting...again. Neither had any idea what was going on now, but the old man's voice did seem a little more urgent.

Ichigo and Yoruichi entered the Captain's meeting room to find that they were the last to arrive. All of the other shinigami present had worried looks plastered on their faces, while Yamamoto looked older than he usually did. They quickly took their place in line, and turned their attention to the Captain Commander.

Said shinigami immediately began speaking. "Aizen is moving much faster than we had planned before. He has somehow decreased the amount of time the hougyoku has until it is fully useable. This means that the squad on patrol duty will increase the amount of shinigami they send, Aizen will-"

The old man never got to finish what he started to say though, because the copy of the security board in the meeting room went crazy. Over half the districts were seemingly under attack.

Yamamoto's eyes widening, before he regained control of himself and addressed the startled shinigami in front of him.

"All Captains and Vice-Captains, return to your division and take as many members of it as you see fit to defend the Rukongai. Each squad will take the districts nearest to it, further orders will be issued after a proper analysis of the problem. Now go!"

Ichigo and Yoruichi took off towards their division, reaching it within a minute, and threw open the door to the main lobby. The secretary looked up, startled.

Ichigo addressed her immediately. "Call teams 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 14 here now!"

The secretary did just that.

The Captain and Vice-Captain pair watched as the people they requested gathered. Each team was made up of about 5-6 members, and division two, being a large division, had about 100 teams. These teams were ranked accorded to skill level, one being the highest, while 100 was the lowest. Ichigo had called the best teams that were currently available...he only hoped it was enough.

Nearly a minute after they had entered the division, all the shinigami were assembled. Ichigo spoke quickly.

"Follow me, I'll explain on the way." The members of the teams saluted respectfully and followed Ichigo towards the attacks.

"The Rukongai has come under attack, and we've been ordered to secure the districts nearest to ours. So, we'll be taking 43-49. Team one will handle 43, three will go to 44, six to 45, and so on; Yoruichi and I will take care of 49. If you are in need of assistance, use your hell butterflies. Am I understood?"

A solid "Yes sir!" came from all the teams assembled, and the group split up.

Ichigo and Yoruichi arrived at the 49th district to see that nearly everything looked normal. Upon closer inspection though, they saw smoke in a far corner of the district. The pair shared a look, and headed towards what seemed to be the problem.

As the two of them neared the area, they were suddenly forced to jump apart by what seemed to be a cero at a glance. Then, before either of them could think, they saw a flash head towards Yoruichi. She barely had time to pull out her katana before the blade of a blue haired man collided with it.

He jumped back with a snort, putting distance between the three of them. This also gave Ichigo and Yoruichi a chance to see the jaw like fragment of a hollow mask, as well as the number six on his lower back.

Ichigo's eyes widened...that number was low, really low. He knew from then on that this was going to be tough.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrancar speaking though. "Name's Gimmjow, sixth Espada. That's all you need to know, since you'll be dying momentarily...but be happy, you survived longer than any other fool here..." He laughed coldly.

Grimmjow's opponents nodded to each other, before both taking off towards the arrancar at the same time, Ichigo transforming into his Bankai state and Yoruichi using her flashcry as they did.

Grimmjow's brow furrowed as they neared him at speeds he never expected of them, he had thought they'd be easy, even if they were a Captain and Vice-Captain...but then again, he was always up for a challenge. He smirked.

The blue haired man quickly fired off a cero at Ichigo, causing him to divert his path momentarily. That moment was all Grimmjow needed though, as he flashed behind Yoruichi, and swung out sideways with his blade. The arrancar was slightly surprised to see her block it, and even more surprised when he found out Ichigo had reached him already. He quickly dodged what would have been a decapitating blow, before forming another quick cero at Ichigo's stomach.

The Captain pushed himself to the side in time to avoid most of the damage, as Yoruichi went after Grimmjow. Said arrancar easily blocked her blows, though he had to admit, the pair was faster than most shinigami he had seen before. This might actually be a challenge, since his power was restricted to the sealed form...but they didn't need to know that, did they?

Smirking, he quickly reached out to grab Yoruichi's arm and throw her into an on-coming Ichigo. The Captain caught her, and started to placed her on the ground. Ichigo sensed something though, and looked up. His eyes widened as he saw a cero flying at the two of them, he quickly threw Yoruichi out of the way, before putting his arms out in front of him in a defensive position. He took the blow at full force, and promptly flew back through a building.

Grimmjow used this distraction to catch Yoruichi off guard. He appeared behind her, and attempted to make a sideways cut across her back. The arrancar frowned though, as she managed to move forward enough so that the cut was shallow, but still a little debilitating. The damage was done though.

In the seconds it took Ichigo to recover, Grimmjow began to wear Yoruichi down. One shallow cut across her back caused several other injuries to appear on her arms and torso as well. She was out matched and she knew it. Their fight was frozen though, as they both felt spirit energy burst out from where Ichigo was. It felt like pure evil.

Before Grimmjow could even blink, the orange haired Captain was in front of him, about to slice off his head. He narrowly avoided the blow, barely able to spare a thought at the weird mask on his face, before another slice missed his arm by a hair.

The arrancar dodged and parried for several seconds, being all he could do at the moment, before an unexpected kick to the chest sent him flying backwards. Grimmjow faintly heard the words "Tensa Zangetsu" from behind him, and turned to find himself face to face with a mass of dark energy, it cut him diagonally across the chest, inflicting a deep wound. In the shock of the attack, he was unable to stop the Captain from kicking him to a roof of a building, where he came to a stop.

Ichigo cut off his hollow powers, since it appeared Grimmjow wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and turned to Yoruichi. He soon found that her injuries were minor, just random cuts that could be healed with basic first aid...she was faster than he gave her credit for. The orange haired Captain then sent out a hell butterfly to his teams, asking them for their status.

The shinigami sighed, it already seemed like it had been a long day, and it was only just after noon...

A groan from a nearby building brought his attention back to the beaten arrancar though.

The blue haired man was struggling to sit up, his mind racing. "Shit! Aizen-sama said to only release our swords if it's really needed. That bastard's on a level only my released form can take on too... If I don't do anything, then they'll probably take me in to question me and crap, torture me. No way in hell am I gonna let that happen to me...that brat'll pay for this, screw restrictions!"

With that thought, Grimmjow uttered "Grind, Pantera."

Ichigo started walking towards Grimmjow, who seemed to be in his own little world. The Captain was ready to call it a day, using his hollow powers always took a lot out of him, after all. As he neared the downed arrancar, he could hear him muttering under his breath. Ichigo sighed again, and started to speak.

"Hey, Grimm-"

He stopped, his eyes widening. Before him, he saw the wound on the arrancar's chest close up completely, and his clothes become form fitting. His hands and feet transformed into cat-like paws, sharp claws adorning the ends of them. His hair turned into what looked like a long tail, and the jaw piece of his face turned into a crown like object.

All-in-all, it was startling for this to happen in front of Ichigo. It was even more startling for the man to disappear in front of his eyes, only to reappear behind him. Ichigo started to turn around, but winced noticeably as he did...the Captain looked down in horror to find a large gash on his chest.

"How..."

Ichigo was cut off again, this time, a large gash opened on his shoulder.

He stared in shock at the wound...this was bad. He couldn't even hope to keep up with the arrancar at this level. His thoughts were cut off though, by another cut appearing on his chest. The orange haired shinigami staggered backwards.

Ichigo could faintly hear Yoruichi's cries for him to run in the background, before another gash appeared on his leg. This was unbelievable. How could this arrancar who was on the verge of death suddenly attain such speed, he was so fast, that Ichigo couldn't track him in his Bankai form. He didn't have enough energy to use his mask either, this was bad.

His thoughts were once more interrupted as another gash appeared on his unscathed shoulder, shortly after, the arrancar spoke.

"Here I thought this was actually gonna be a challenge. Guess I was wrong. That damn mask may have caught me off guard before, but it looks like you can't even use it again. Your done for, Captain."

Ichigo lifted his eyes to see the arrancar move again, slowly tracking him. He could almost see the final blow coming, like it was in slow motion. As the man drew closer, Ichigo willed his body to move...but there was no response. It seemed he was going to die here today, and there was nothing he could do about. He couldn't see any way he could beat his opponent now, so what was the point in trying anyway.

Grimmjow was almost to him now...Ichigo made one last feeble attempt to move, only to get the same unresponsive result. Desperation overtook him, the arrancar was obviously out of his league...if this was what Aizen could do before the Hougyoku before it was ready, then what could he do with it at full power?

It seemed hopeless. He was going to die, and he knew it.

"Ichigo!"

Yoruichi's voice snapped him out of his trance, as he quickly looked to her. She seemed to be moving in slow motion as well, but the tears in her eyes and the emotion in her voice was still as clear as day.

There is a reason for him to live. There is a reason for him to try. He must win. He will win!

Ichigo's eyes glowed a bright shade of green as he looked back in determination towards the arrancar who was now mere feet from him.

He felt power surge through his veins once more, a feeling of strength overwhelmed his senses. Only now did he realize that green spirit energy had been crackling lightly in his hands. He quickly focused all the spirit energy he had left into Zangetsu, the power he felt increasing with every second. A single word came to mind throughout all this, like it was instinct.

"Roukai" (1)

Soi Fon looked up from her poisition in the 50th district of the Rukongai, sensing a massive amount of spirit energy in the direction of the 49th. She held her gaze over the small group of buildings, before slowly turning back to what she was doing...cleaning up. It appeared almost all the attacks had been fakes, merely set up to test them...she hated her job sometimes.

Another wave of spirit energy passed over her, this one shocking her greatly. She stared, slightly wide eyed, back at the 49th district. Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out the Captain-Commander, along with the over Captains and Vice-Captains heading towards the district that held her attention. They stopped before her, and the old man addressed her.

"Almost all of the other attacks were fakes as well, the regular division members are cleaning up currently. I felt a wave of spiritual energy from division two's districts though, since I never got a response from them, I came to investigate. The other Captains joined me as well, curious as to what it could-"

He was cut off though, as a pillar of green spirit energy seemed to come down from the sky, onto a single spot in the 49th district of the Rukongai. The shinigami present stared at it in confusion and slight awe for a moment, before recovering, and hurrying over.

Yoruichi was never easily surprised. When Ichigo had tried, numerous times, to sneak up on her, she almost always caught him. So, when she was staring wide eyed at her Captain, something must be surprising.

Ichigo was currently in a pillar of green spirit energy, Zangetsu in its' Bankai form pointed straight above him, his hollow mask reforming on his face, his legs in a wide stance to support him. Aside from the pillar of energy, this would seem normal...but the fact that both Zangetsu and his hollow mask began to deteriorate moments later, was nothing short of insane.

This was the sight that the rest of the Captains and Vice-Captains happened upon when arriving at the 49th district.

Most just stared in awe, never having seen something like it before. Others' faces were impossible to read, while one face had a blood lust grin plastered all over it. Confusion and awe clearly dominated the thoughts of the shinigami present.

Ichigo let out a yell, almost like a battle cry, as his Zanpakutou finished dissolving, along with his mask, into the green energy.

This caused the by-standers' interest to increase even more, their faces showing their confusion clearly, while a slightly worried look formed on the face of the arrancar. He subtly called for a little reinforcement, since he wasn't sure he could handle what might happen.

The green pillar soon got too bright for anyone to keep their eyes open, the blinding light held for several seconds, before slowly disappearing.

Most shinigami there had no idea what this might be, so their stares were intent on the place Ichigo had just been. Waiting to find out what had happened to the newest Captain. Captain Kuchiki could even be seen slightly interested, while the stone cold face of Soi Fon stared shamelessly.

A pulse of the same spirit energy slowly cleared away the green mist covering the figure in the middle, what the shinigami present saw, drew gasps from all their throats. Never before had they seen something like it.

(A/N: was about to end it here...but I found time to write, luckily)

Ichigo's appearance had changed drastically, to say the least. His legs were wrapped in black bandages, up to just under his kneeHis standard shinigami pants disappeared into the cloth around his lower leg at around knee level, while a few inches hung loose over the bandages, giving him a slightly baggy look. Thin, white colored hollow bones acted as armor, covering the front part of his bandaged legs, also ending just under his knees.

His torso only had half the shinigami outfit it had seconds ago, his right side remaining completely uncovered. The sleeve on his left arm was also tucked into black bandages that ended just below his elbow, thin hollow bones also covering the underside of the bandaged part of his arm. (Think of how his torso looked when he saved Rukia, a lot like that, I just added in bandages/hollow bones)

His right arm held the most interest of the entirety of his body though. It had a massive gauntlet-like object that almost reached his elbow, it had to be nearly a foot wide, and seemingly made completely of hollow bone, since it matched the white color of the other hollow bones on his body. The kanji for the 2nd division was marked on the side of the gauntlet.

Zangetsu, though, was another story completely. It seemed to have split into two swords. One being almost identical to his Bankai form, the hilt was just made of hollow bone.

The other sword was nothing short of amazing though. It was completely black but for the hilt, which was also made of hollow bone, probably to support its' massive size. The double bladed zanpakutou had to be atleast seven feet in length, nearly two feet in width. The kanji for hollow and shinigami marked in white onto one side each.

Ichigo turned his stare to Grimmjaw, and the ten lower ranked arrancar that had come to back him up. The Captain lifted the massive blade with one hand, pointing it directly at his group of enemies, before flashing out of existance.

A/N: I think I'll leave it at that, lemme know how I did...that form I described in this chapter was actually sorta the starting idea for this entire story.

1 – I'm not sure how they figured out the Bankai/Shikai stuff, so, I came up with a word that sounded good together with kai, and put em together. If I'm wrong in the way I'm doing this, tell me would yah.