(y/n) POV:

A day has passed since I woke up, my body has started to heal from my duel with Byakuya and I've finally been able to sit up without wincing in pain. Me and Ichigo had spent the past day, talking to Urahara and Yoruichi. The strange man and woman who had saved our lives that night, Urahara had spent that time telling us the basics of the soul society. The 13 court guard squads, each equipped with captains slightly below and even above the capabilities of Byakuya. Each equipped with a lieutenant like renji and other subsequent subordinates that followed their every command. He made it clear to us that at our current level, regardless of how talented we may be, that we were barely a match for the 13 lieutenants much less the captains they served. 

It was brutal, harsh information, he made it seem like we had survived so far based on nothing but luck. Now Yoruichi had a completely different vibe, she gave none of the serious informative talks that Urahara had. Instead her words were focused on us and our personal lives, asking Ichigo about his family and me about how long I had been living alone for. It turns out that she had been keeping a closer eye on us than we had thought since we had awakened our soul reaper powers. She had been there watching when I fought the army of hollows and Urahara watched as Ichigo along with Uryuu and Rukia took down the Men's Grande. Not to see if we needed any help, but simply because we were the most interesting things to come to Kurkura in the years she's been here. "What if we had died?" I asked, not finding the huge smile on her face appropriate for the conversation.

She hadn't gave me an answer instead leaving the room in silence, closing the door behind her. I was agitated of course, yet I chose to just lay down instead thinking of what lay ahead. Me and Ichigo had lost easily to just one captain and lieutenant. Having to face thirteen duos just like them sounded impossible. We would have to throw ourselves into this training, thinking of nothing else, doing nothing else. Coming to that realization I called out to Ichigo, curious was to what he was thinking about or if he had the same mindset as me."Ichigo."

"Yes." He said, I heard him sit up, giving me his attention. "Do you think we can really save Rukia?" I asked, not sure if it was to clear my doubts or because I wanted to know that he believed that we could. " Yes." I could hear the conviction in his voice, "Wow." I said. "What?" He asked. "You didn't hesitate..." "Of course not (y/n), we have to believe that we can save her. If we don't, who will?" he says. I think over his words, thinking that if we don't come to save her who else will. 

"What about the people at school? What about Tatsuki, Orihime and Chad? What do we tell them Ichigo? What do we tell our teachers? This isn't a short trip Ichigo, we aren't just leaving the city. We are basically for lack of a better word, leaving this world and going to another. Not to mention our families Ichigo, your sisters and my parents?"Ichigo was silent for a second "Parents?" he asked. I sat up looking at him, slightly agitated " Out of everything I just said that's the only thing you heard?" I asked. His face kept that same quizzical look that it had. " Forget it, Ichigo" I said laying back down with a grunt. 

*the next day*

After my talk with Ichigo I had fell asleep. The morning after both me and Ichigo were fed before following Urahara and Yoruichi to the back of the shop, before they lifted a small door that showed an abyss of darkness and a ladder. Urahara and Yoruichi went down first with me and Ichigo following before the man who we came to know as Tessa came last shutting the door behind him. We continued down the ladder for what felt like minutes in darkness, before I heard Urahara step off onto solid floor.  Then Yoruichi, Ichigo and finally me. 

We stepped through a door, the light blinding me and when I adjusted I was in awe. We had stepped into a room, no calling it a room didn't do it justice. It was more of a canyon than anything. It was nothing but empty space, with the occasional hill of rocks. " How.. How does all this fit underneath a shop like this?" I asked expecting some answer, even if it was a sarcastic one. Instead I was met with blank stares and a confused look from the rest of the group." Right, well this isn't something that just happens in America... my bad." I said side eyeing the rest of the group.

"What are we going to do here Urahara, Yoruichi?" Ichigo asked ignoring my question like everyone else did. Yet like me he was ignored, the duo he had asked continued walking instead. Walking forward for what felt like forever but was surely minutes. The silence was deafening so I looked at where we were some more. There was a blue sky with clouds and even a sun, yet because of how far down we came I knew it couldn't be real. 

Bringing my eyes back down to Urahara, I see him turn around before quickly hitting both me and Ichigo in the forehead with his cane. I step back only to see that both me and Ichigo have been separated from our bodies. Looking down I'm still in my soul reaper form while Ichigo's soul is in is casual clothing. He suddenly collapses, struggling to catch his breath all while Urahara stares at him. " You're having trouble breathing right Ichigo?" he asked not waiting for a response before speaking again. 

"They broke your zanpakuto Ichigo. Effectively separating your soul body and any power that you had. Right now you're the same was any regular human Ichigo. You can't be in a soul form without dying.  So right now the goal is for us to bring back that power you had.  " He says all of this to Ichigo not once mentioning me. Slightly confused I look to Yoruichi who waves me over to where she is. " This part doesn't have anything to do with us (y/n), come on I'll take you to where we can begin your training. " She says before seemingly disappearing before my eyes. 

Only to reappear on a mountain in front of me. "That's the same thing Byakuya was doing..." I mutter to myself before running over to her. "How'd you do that ?" I ask her. She smiles " That's a little too advanced for you right now. Instead we are going to be focusing on some of the more basic skills that soul reapers have. There are four distinct styles that a soul reaper fights with. Actually it would be more accurate to describe them as ways to lived by. The main four are Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido. " 

I look on intently, hooked on her every word. I wished to know what separated me from these soul reapers, no that was a lie. I wanted to know what separated me from him. Byakuya Kuchki. " Zanjustu is the art of the sword. The captains of the thirteen court squads are all masters of their swords (y/n) and not in just the aspect of swinging it. Most of them know the souls of their swords, the inside and out. They're swords an extension of themselves and who they are. Even if you were to master your sword you'd be in special company. As far as I know there have only ever been two other dual wielders to master their sword. " She says.

"Do you know why it's so rare?" I ask Yoruichi, I had noticed an almost distant look in her eyes. " Well along with the fact that it's rare for anyone to ever have two zanpakuto to begin with. It's even rare for them to live long enough to master, most die quick deaths rather it be to hollows or not being able to handle the fact of having to deal with two zanpakuto spirits." She says to me " Spirits?" I ask. Instead of explaining she simply shakes her head at me making me question what's stopping her from telling me. 

"The second is Hakuda. It's combat without the sword, hand to hand. Most captains see it as a waste because to them, it's rare for them to be without their swords. There are few masters of it left in the Soul society as it currently stands. More than likely the second division will have the most prominent hand to hand fighters. " " And you're one of them I ask?" having picked up on how unlike Urahara she didn't have anything resembling a sword. "Yes. I would count myself as an expert of the Hakuda fighting styles." says with a small smirk. 

" While Hoho the third isn't much of a fighting style, it's more defensive. It has multiple uses one being what I just did. It allows me to traverse against great distances in a second. To the untrained eye you'll disappear and reappear. It can be used to travel, in fighting and other people can find plenty of other uses. It's common to find experts and high level users of this in the soul soci" I interrupt "Is he one of them?" I ask hoping to get answers on how he suddenly was so much faster than me." Is who?" she ask slightly confused as to why I interrupted her " Byakuya?" I see her face relax a content smile gracing her features before she opens her eyes again. Steeling her expression " Yes. Your loss to him, it placed a horrible burden on you didn't it?" she asks her eyes hold a different light to them, a concern I hadn't yet seen. 

"(y/n) I say this with the most utmost certainty, I can make you stronger than him. The only thing that would stop me from doing so is your own mindset. You can't let your mindset be affected by one loss. He beat you because he was more experienced and he knew how to read your moves. Yet the biggest difference was speed, (y/n) there wasn't a moment in the battle where your speed surpassed his. There was a single moment where you matched it just briefly but even then his skill was greater than yours. It's cruel, but you were never going to win that battle against him. Even when I do make you stronger than him, you may still lose due to experience. I can give you a fighting chance (y/n). But what you do with it and how far you take it. That's what is going to determine whether or not you beat him. " She said all of this to me without a hint of her usual joking, or any smile. I look down at the ground, I can feel her staring at me, looking for a reaction. Why am I so obsessed with him,? Was I subjecting myself to this to save Rukia? Or was it simply because I didn't like losing to him. I'm responsible for how this goes and what comes out of it. Finally looking up I see Yoruichi as serious as she's ever been.

" So (y/n).... are you ready to begin?"

(y/n) and Ichigo start to prepare for the fight ahead? Will the teaching of Yoruichi and Urahara be enough? Will (y/n) get his revenge on Byakuya? Will I upload the next few chapters steadily? Find out next time on Bleach!!!!!!!!!

Short Poll:

Option 1: Skip the training arc all together and go into the soul society invasion arc!

Option 2: Spend one chapter on the training arc and then go out into the soul society invasion arc!

Option 3: fully flesh out the training arc, with each style getting a chapter!

Thank you for your input and look forward to the next chapter!