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Chapter 4 – Cannonball

It was still night when Ichigo finially opened his eyes. Seeing that he still had a few hours left before he had to go back to the disaster of a house. He decided to try something new. From his sitting position, he tilted his head back, and fell onto his back. Looking up toward the night sky, He toke his Zanpakuto of his lap, slid it back into it's sheath, and and lay it out beside him. After that, he began to focus again, but this time, insead of him trying the reach into his soul, he tried to pull his soul out. After two seconds, he felt the familiar presence of Tenza Zangetsu, laying on the grass beside him.

'Now this is a good sight to open your eyes to.' Zangetsu said from beside him, with a small smile on his now teenage face.

'You told me sometime ago, that you found my inner world to be rather boring. And that you wanted to see the plants, and explore the wounders of nature. So, as I happen to have some free time. I thought that we should look up at the stars for a while.' Ichigo relied.

'Thank you, Ichigo.' Zangetsu relied back, with calm, pride in his voice. 'Although I must say. You did well in preventing yourself from falling into dispear. I'm proud of you. Ichigo.'

'Thanks for that. Besides, what use is dispearing now? Yes, I just spent three months trying to learn something that you could not teach me, only to go back in time to back to square one, but now. But now we have a chance to make things better. I have power now - to change things for the better. I have the change to kill Aizen, before he gets his hands on the Hogyoku. And even if he does manage to get that thing from her, I have the power to protect our friends, from anything that bastard can send our way.'

'You really are a different person now. Your foes certainly have a good reason to fear you now. Not only are you strong, but you have a heart, and a resolve to go with it.'

They fell into a comfortable silence. Staring up at the stars, intill Ichigo broke the silence.

'Though I have to ask.' Zangetsu turned to look at him. 'How come you're in your bankai from now? I mean, last time I checked you looked like an old man while I'm not in bankai. Even while we talking in my inner world, you still looked that way before-.' He paused before continuing. 'Before Sode no Shirayiki kissed you.'

At this, the young face of Tenza Zangetsu flushed a bright shade of red. Although he was able to calm down quick enough to avoid his welder noticing. Looking toward the night sky again, he took a deep breath.

'It is because that we understand each others hearts, that I am able to mentain this form.' He began.

'What do you mean?' Ichigo asked.

'The reason why you were able to transend into a being beyond understanding, is because no-one does understand you.' Ichigo was not sure on what to say, but before he ask him on what he meat, Zangetsu carried on.

'Yes, you are more powerful now, but having power without reason, is meaningless. The reason why no-one can feel your spiritual energy anymore, is becuase they don't understand your heart, understand your resolve. Unless they understand you. Unless they understand the reasons behind your actions. Unless they understand the reasons behind your resolve. Unless, they understand,you. The true, Kurosaki Ichigo. To understand the very core, of his being. Of his very, existance. If they are truely able to understand all of that. Only then would they be able to sense you. That is also how I can mentain this form. Most Soul Reapers see their Zanpakutos, only as weapons. Some never even learning their swords names, because they use only their own strengh in battle. The academy teaches that, to learn bankai, the user must pass a test and win domination over their Zanpakuto. While that is true to a certain extent, it is not the whole truth. The first step to mastering bankai, is when both the user, and spirit find an understanding. After that, true mastery of bankai, is gained though trust.'

Ichigo's eyes widened. He remembered what he had to do. He had to have complete trust in his Zanpakuto, or he would have died, only days ago.

'You to say that, if I had not had compete trust if you, I would have died?'

'Yes Ichigo, you would have.' Smiling to himself, he carried om. 'But because of that trust, I am able to stay in this form, and exit your inner world freely, as a sign of that trust.'

Just as Ichigo was going to say something, Zangetsu cut him off.

'You don't need to worry about me wondering off without you knowing. What would the point be in that?'

At that, Ichigo could not help but smile, he knew he could true his Zanpakuto, to guard him with his life, because in effect, if one dies, they both die.

'Now where is that idiot son of mine. I said to him, that he get himself back here at dawn, and he's no were in sight.' Isshin told himself.

'Don't worry Isshin-kun, he will be here soon.' Urahara relied.

The sun was only minutes away from coming over horizon, the lined with warm colours. In the distance, two shadows could could moving toward the house, the shadows were moving quickly, as if they were racing against the sun, coming of the horizon.

'Do you think we're late?' Came the voice of one Kurosaki Ichigo.

'Almost. If we hadn't had that spar, we would have been here bright and early.' And the voice of Tenza Zangetsu.

While the sword and the welder started their agrument, a number of things happened. First, Chad and Uyru sweat droped like an anima character would. Orihime started to wonder if red bean paste would taste good if it was covered in chocolate and strawberries. Ganju and Kukaku Shiba were standing by the canon with their months hanging lose. Isshin was grinning like an idiot, and Urahara felt strange.

Not strange as in, he felt strange, but he felt that something was wrong, very wrong.

'What is? This feeling.'

He knew what he should be feeling this. It was wrong, it was meant for the wrong kind of person.

'Looking at who I'm sure is Zangetsu, why.' He wondered to himself. 'Why do I feel a star stuck teenage human female?'

Then it hit him.

'Oh no.' Bringing up his Zanpakuto, still in the from of a cane, he saw it producing a faint white glow.

Then it stopped glowing.

Confused, he looked up, and it was a sight to remember.

The great Tenza Zangetsu, the most powerful Zanpakuto in the universe, was being glomped by a star stuck teenage female.

The female in question, was fairly short, about five foot tall. She wore a dark red kimono, with an orange vine-like pattern. Her obi, was coloured dark purple, the bottom part of her kimono reaches down to her ankles, showing her feet. On her feet, she wears a pair of white socks, and a pair of black plimpsouls. Her sleeves reaching down to she forearms, just short in the hands. On her left forearm, she had a thick sliver bracelet, that covered her forearm and wrist. Her eyes were red, and she wears the same colour on her lips. Strangly, her hair was jet black, reaching down to her lower back. On the right side of her head, tied in to her hair, was a red flower, an azalea.

Her name, was Benihime.

'Wow son.' A grinning Isshin commented 'Looks like your Zanpakuto's getting more action than you are.'

'SHUT UP.' A pair of fists met his face. One belonged to an angry Ichigo, the other belonged to a flushed Tenza Zangetsu.

'WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?' Shouted an angry and flushed Zangetsu, just as he was glomped again.

'He's soooo cute.' A girly voice rang out 'Kisuke-kun, can I keep him please.' She was hunging him so tight, Zangetsu was finding it hard to breath. Kisuke, hiding the lower part of his face behide his trusty fan, did a bad job of hiding his suprise. Last time he checked, Benihime thinking up ways to mess and play around with the other Zanpakuto, as she had not been able to do so in about one hundered years, but this was competely new. She had never come out of his inner world after he learnt Bankai, and that was over one hundered years ago. That meant, that Zangetsu had a rather bizzare ability, to allow Zanpakuto Spirits to exit their respective innerworlds at will. That, or he was a serious chick magnet.

'While it is rather interesting to watch poeple hugging eachother to death, we really need to get a move on.' The voice of Kukaku Shiba called out from beside the cannon.

With everyones attention on the female Shiba as she gave everyone the run down of the plan to get them inside the Seireitei, with Isshin and Urahara putting in the changes to the plan: First, they would try and split up again, but the groupings would change slightly. This time, Ganju and Chad would pair up, with Inone and Uryu pairing up again. Leaving Ichigo to find his own way around alone, with Yoruichi providing recon support when needed.

No-one noticed Zangetsu making an exit into Ichigo's inner world.

'Alright, you all know what you need to do, SO GET A MOVE ON AND GET IN!' Kukaku shouted at them.

After everyone was inside the cannon, everyone let Ichigo hold the ball that would turn them all into a living cannonball. As soon as he touched the orb, they all, for the first time, felt his Spirital Pressure. Strangely, they do not feel like they were being crushed at all, if anything they felt the opposite. They felt a warm, calming sensation flow though out their entire being. They felt warm, protected from what was to come, and most of all, hope.

This feeling was felt outside the cannon as well, as Benihime (still outside in the real world) looked on, with stars in her eyes. The warm sensation flowing though her, calming her, protecting her from the horrors of the outside world. Isshin, with a small smile on his face, felt himself overflow with pride. His son was really to face the dangers again, really to face his inner demons again. As this time, they would be sure to return with vengence.

As the sun began to rise over the the Seireitei, Soul Reapers began to rise from their beds. Granted, only a small few of said Reapers were rising, after all, many did not activily start the day for another few hours. Of the small number of people awake, Rukia sat beside the "window" of her cell, looking out into the distance.

'So it happens today.' She muttered to herself. She could remember her time in Ichigo's inner world. The world that was set on it's side, the skysrapers that would tower over the ground, if the ground was down-would like it was in the World of the living. She allowed herself to let lose a small smile. She had seen the reslove in his eyes, they promised to set her free. Even if he could not just brake her out of prison, as they still needed Aizen to make his move. But she understood all of that. To her, it did not matter, it did not matter that Aizen was going to try to kill the Spirit King. To her the only thing that mattered, was seeing him again.

She stopped her trail of thought, Becuase she suddenly felt a massive wave of Spirital Energy crash over her. Her eyes widened. She knew this power, who belonged to, For that man, was Ichigo Kurosaki.

'The invasion has begun. She thought to herself.