Disclaimer:I don't own BleachWarning: Genderbender! Don't like, don't read!

Accidental Heroine

Chapter One: The Suit

Six months after Aizen's defeat….Karakura Town

Ichigo dodged a punch thrown by a thug before kicking him in the side, sending him flying into the river. For what felt like the umpteenth time, another street gang had tried to force him into joining them and when Ichigo refused, they took exception to that. So Ichigo did what Ichigo did best: kick their asses.

They were fighting on a riverbank under a bridge but to the gang's dismay, sixteen on one wasn't much of a challenge to Ichigo, who was battle-hardened by his experiences as a Substitute Soul Reaper. As his fist connected with another punk, Ichigo was glad that he still had it, as powerless as he was.

"Curse you!" one of the punks said as he pulled a switchblade out. "Nobody makes a fool out of-"

When Ichigo heard a loud cry from behind he dared to turn around and smiled when he saw who'd come to back him up. "Chad!"

Yasutora Sado gave Ichigo a thumbs-up before joining in the brawl. The fight didn't last long since the punks were unprepared for Ichigo and Chad being two very heavy hitters. After several minutes of getting the world's biggest asswhopping, they all turned tail and fled, scared out of their wits.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ichigo fistbumped Chad and smiled. "Thanks, Chad. Glad to use the help."

"You looked like you had it covered. But I figured you might want a hand," Chad said as they both walked away from the bridge. "How are you holding up?"

Ichigo looked away. Every other day Chad, Orihime or Uryu would ask how he was holding up with the loss of his powers. And every time he had to fight to keep it together and give them the same answer. "I'm adjusting," he said, repeating what he'd told Orihime the day before. "It gets easier day by day."

"Okay," Chad could tell that Ichigo was lying but didn't know what to tell him. It wasn't like he knew anything that could restore his powers unfortunately. Still, he knew he had to be the friend that Ichigo was to him. He tried to think of something but was cut off when he felt something in the distance.

Ichigo noticed Chad looking away with a stern look on his face and knew what was happening. "A Hollow?" he asked.

"Yeah." Chad turned to Ichigo and sighed. "Ichigo…I'm sorry but I-"

Ichigo lightly punched his arm and chuckled. "You don't have to apologize. Go."

Nodding, Chad gave him a smile before taking off, speeding to the direction of the Hollow. Sighing in resignation, Ichigo put his hands in his pockets and headed home, his head slumped.

No, he was not adjusting. Ichigo was in pain. Every day he woke up he felt like his life had spiraled out of control. All of his friends were putting their lives on the line daily to fight Hollows and he was completely helpless. He couldn't help them. He could only watch as they went daily to fight Hollows.

He hated his life. Sure, he'd never taken much pride in his neverending struggles as a Substitute Soul Reaper but he still had the power to protect those he loved. He wasn't ashamed of his sacrifice to defeat Aizen; if he hadn't they'd all be dead. But still, he hated being weak and powerless.

The home was empty when he arrived, Yuzu and Isshin at Karin's soccer game. Sighing, he walked up to his room and opened the door.

"Long day?"

"Yeah, something like-" Ichigo's head snapped up when he realized there was another person in his room. He looked around and gasped when he saw the source. "Yoruichi!"

Sitting on the bed in her black cat form, Yoruichi stood up and hopped off the bed, trotting over to Ichigo. "Hello, Ichigo. I came to see how you were doing."

Touched by her act of kindness, Ichigo picked up the cat and hugged her. "I'm fine, Yoruichi. Would you like a glass of milk?"

"Not right now. I came because I have something for you." Escaping Ichigo's grip, Yoruichi walked over to the bed and hopped back on it. "You don't have to lie to me, Ichigo. I know you're in pain because of the loss of your powers."

Ichigo sat down in a chair and sighed. "You're right…I am…I hate this." He looked down at his powerless hands and balled them into fists. "I wanted the power to protect my friends and family. But now…now I can't do that anymore. All I can do is watch as my friends go off to fight and just hope they'll come back. It's a nightmare that repeats itself over and over again…" he admitted. "I just want to help again."

"Then you're in luck," Yoruichi said as she pointed to an object on the bed with her paw. "I have something that could help you fight again."

Ichigo stared up, his heart racing in excitement. "Really? You do?"

"Yes." She once again gestured to the package on the bed. "Go on and open it."

As quickly as he could, Ichigo got up and grabbed the box that was on his bed. Opening it, he took out its contents and…looked at them in confusion. "Yoruichi…this…" he looked at what he was holding puzzled. "This is a school uniform."

In his hands was a black high-school uniform, similar to the one that he wore to Karakura High School with the Shihoin crest stitched into the front pocket. "Is this a joke?!" he demanded, looking at the cat angrily.

"No joke," Yoruichi said as she sat up. "Look, before you get angry, let me explain myself. What you have there isn't just some new uniform. I found it several days ago. What you're holding is one of the Shihoin Clan's greatest secret."

"Your clan's greatest secret…is a uniform?"

The cat rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to say it, Ichigo? It's not just a uniform. Sit down and I'll explain." When Ichigo did as she requested she began her explanation. "You don't know this, Ichigo, but the Shihoin Clan is one of the four great noble clans of the Soul Society and tasked with the title of defenders of the realm. Part of that title includes protecting the World of the Living. So, in accordance with our duty, we decided that we would need special help to protect the Human world since we couldn't be everywhere at once. It was for this purpose that we crafted special armor which would endow humans that the Shihoin Clan leader chose as worthy. These armors would give them the power to fight on the same level of Soul Reapers. These armors take the appearance of ordinary clothes that could disguise the wielder when he wasn't in battle. And Ichigo…" she hopped off the bed and got onto his lap. "Believe me when I say that nobody is more worthy than you."

"But…if that's the case, then why…." Ichigo left the question hanging, his eyes going back to the uniform.

Yoruichi sighed before continuing. "Unfortunately, shortly after we forged these armors, the Soul Society judged that humans were never to be given the power of Soul Reapers; not even a facsimile like this. So in our rush to keep the Thirteen Court Guard Squads from discovering the project, the clan had most of the armors destroyed, keeping only a few as keepsakes." Yoruichi looked down at the ground. "I'm afraid I can't quite remember much else though. I was told all of this when I was a little girl which was many years ago. But what I'm certain of is this," she pointed a paw at Ichigo. "You've earned the right to protect your friends. So as the former head of the Shihoin Clan, I, Yoruichi Shihoin, dub you, Ichigo Kurosaki, a champion of our clan and the honor of wearing our armor."

Ichigo stared at Yoruichi in astonishment, never dreaming she'd go this far to help him regain his powers back. "Yoruichi…." He pulled the cat into a big hug, a tear falling down his face as his heart swam with joy. "Thank you. Thank you so much. But wait…" a thought occurred to him, "Won't the Soul Society get mad if you give this to me since I'm just a Human?"

"What they don't know won't hurt us," Yoruichi winked. "Now come on. Put it on."

Nodding, Ichigo quickly got up, his heart pounding as he slipped on the uniform. It was surprisingly in his size so it was neither too tight nor too loose. Standing up, he looked down at himself but didn't feel any different. "It's not working, Yoruichi!" he said in dismay.

The black cat leapt up onto the windowsill. "The outfit only responds to the wearer when he or she is in battle. All we need to do is wait and-"

When Yoruichi suddenly turned her head, Ichigo swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yoruichi?"

"Well, speak of the devil." She turned to Ichigo and smiled with her cat lips. "Your friends Orihime and Chad are fighting a Hollow right now. Shall we go back them up?"

Ichigo nodded, ready once more to protect his friends at long last. "Lead the way."

A short while later….Karakura Town Park

Ichigo, with Yoruichi on his shoulder, hid behind a large tree as they heard fighting in the distance. "So how's this work?" he asked, feeling no change to himself. He couldn't see anything still.

"Hey, that thing's an antique, remember? I can't remember a lot of its secrets. Just trust me that it'll do its job when the time comes." Yoruichi's eyes widened. "Better duck. Here they come."

As Ichigo watched, Orihime and Chad dashed through the park, sprinting away in fear of something that was leaving craters in the ground. As Yoruichi watched, a huge elephant hollow blew its trunk before swinging it down like a weapon, carving huge chunks of earth from the ground when it missed its targets.

"They must be in quite a pickle if they're running," Ichigo said, worried for his friends.

Hopping off his shoulder, Yoruichi looked up. "Alright, Ichigo. Try and activate the suit. Hurry!" she said when she heard Orihime shout Chad's name.

Ichigo looked down at himself and wondered how to make this work. "Um…activate!" he said, holding his hand out like he was about to transform in an anime. When that didn't work, he tried another command phrase. "ON!"

Still nothing.

"This isn't working, Yoruichi!" Ichigo said in dismay.

Yoruichi bristled in annoyance. If only she could remember that most crucial part that she just couldn't remember. "This is taking too long." Hearing shouts from the distance, she cursed. "We'll have to try this another time. Wait here while I go help them."

Ichigo expected her to disappear from his vision as she transformed into her human form. However, to his surprise, he could see Yoruichi fine…and he could also see her very fine body. "Yoruichi!" he said, covering his eyes. "Put some clothes on!" he shouted in embarrassment before realizing he could actually see Yoruichi. "Wait…I can see you?" Turning around he saw the giant Hollow that was chasing his friends.

Ignoring her obvious nudity, Yoruichi merely patted his shoulder. "It looks like the suit responded to your inability to see spirits by giving you spiritual awareness. It's not much but it's a start. Wait here while I-"

Yoruichi was caught off guard when something slammed into her. "While you do what?" came a voice from out of nowhere. When Ichigo looked up he saw a small hollow that looked very humanoid, an excessively long head and large shoulders on its nimble body. "You'll do nothing but become my dinner while my friend has his fun squashing those humans!"

Yoruichi cursed as she got up. This wasn't just any Hollow. This was a Vasto Lorde. She wasn't sure if she could handle this all by herself and still get to Orihime and Chad in time. "Ichigo! Run!" she shouted before charging at the hollow, her naked body glowing white from activating her Shunko.

Ichigo ran, tears running down his face as he realized he was just as useless now more than ever. He could see spirits again but he couldn't fight. Ducking behind another tree, he looked up in horror to see Orihime and Chad on the losing end of their fights. "No…" he said in horror, despair clutching him. Kneeling down he looked at the suit wrapped around him and prayed with all his might that he could find some way to activate it. "Please…" he pleaded to it. "Let me fight…" he looked up to see Yoruichi get thrown back by the Vasto Lorde, obviously losing to the Hollow. Hearing Orihime scream he looked up and saw her on the ground, the elephant hollow holding its foot over her, ready to crush her. "No!" He squeezed his eyes shut and once again called out to the suit. "PLEASE!" he screamed. "GIVE ME THE POWER TO PROTECT MY FRIENDS!"

As he said the words, the suit vibrated and Ichigo was overcome by a burst of power from within.

Yoruichi, Orihime and Chad were all startled when the park was filled with a blinding light. Orihime covered her eyes, wondering what'd happened when she heard something above her. Expecting to get crushed by the elephant Hollow, she opened her eyes and instead gasped when she saw its disintegrating body.

Yoruichi struggled with the Vasto Lorde as it climbed on top of her. Opening its mouth, it revealed its hideous tongue and licked her face. "I'm going to enjoy eating you. But first…I think I'll-" It was cut off when its head was suddenly crushed, having been caught completely off guard and its defenses weakened.

When the glow faded, there stood a figure in the center of the park. Yoruichi smiled in joy when she saw the head of orange hair. Once again, Ichigo had saved them.

Except….

Orihime and Chad ran up to their friend, their faces expressing their bafflement. "Are you okay?" Ichigo asked, wondering why his voice sounded a few octaves higher. Was it because of the suit or something?

"We're fine. It's just…" Chad looked away in embarrassment.

Orihime's face turned red as a strawberry. "Who are you and…why're you wearing that?"

"What? Orihime, Chad, it's me, Ichigo," the boy said, wondering why his friends didn't recognize him. Wondering how much the suit was covering him up, Ichigo looked down….

And then she screamed in abject horror!

Yoruichi, bruised but still naked, walked up behind Orihime and Chad and gaped in complete bafflement. Ichigo had completely changed. He was no longer a man. The suit had transformed him into a woman! And then there was the problem with the…*ahem!*…"Armor"….

To put it bluntly, Ichigo's outfit was scandalous, barely covering any skin at the legs or stomach; it looked more like a swimsuit than it did armor. The outfit showed just about all of Ichigo's feminine beauty. While her arms were covered by dark sleeves and gloves and she had high-heeled boots that came up to her knees. She had a scarf as well as goggles and several hairpins shaped in the Shihoin crest but that was about it. The rest of her was just about exposed for the entire world to see. The outfit didn't cover her back or stomach at all and she found that her Orihime-sized breasts were only half-covered by armor plates, the undersides were completely exposed. She had on black stockings that went up halfway up her legs and her crotch was barely covered by a black thong. Not only that but attached to her face was a red ballgag. She looked like a bondage queen!

"Oh…oh my god…" Ichigo muttered, somehow able to talk through the ballgag. , shaking from head to toe. She looked up and saw her three friends staring at her in shock before screaming for the entire world to hear her. "What did this thing do to me?!"

"Oh dear…" Yoruichi said, dressed in Chad's shirt that he'd given her. "I…did not expect this….

To be continued