Pre-Battle Plans

"Mm-hmm, exactly." Yuko nodded in agreement, withdrew her feet from the hot spring, and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Yoruichi asked, turning her head instinctively.

"Where? Of course I'm going to take advantage of this time to rest and sleep, and recover my strength." A Shinigami uniform materialized over Yuko's body, covering her naked form. Without looking back, she walked toward the corner.

"Sleep? You still need to sleep?" Yoruichi rested one hand on the rock and watched Yuko, her eyelids drooping as she complained, "By the way, that way you have of getting dressed is really convenient."

Yuko did not answer her again.

"Hmm~ I might as well get up too." Yoruichi watched Yuko disappear from sight, then stretched comfortably and climbed out of the hot spring. The moment her feet touched the rock, smoke billowed, and a black-furred leg emerged from beneath her.

"Phew~ That really feels good~" Yoruichi shook the water droplets from her body, jumped onto a rock, and glanced around. Ichigo and Renji were still lying where they had been, fast asleep, but Yuko was nowhere to be seen.

Hmm? Where did that idiot run off to?

Yoruichi followed the direction Yuko had gone and soon found her beneath a massive boulder.

"She's actually sleeping?" Yoruichi jumped down from the rock in surprise. She was just about to make a few sarcastic remarks when the words died on her lips.

Yuko leaned against the rock wall. Her long white hair, draped over her shoulders, was still slightly damp, with several disheveled strands hanging down to obscure her face. Her eyes were closed, and her slender lashes cast faint shadows over her eyelids. She held the Dark Purple Zanpakuto in her arms, and even her breathing had settled into a steady rhythm.

Yoruichi stared blankly