(setting: The Blood Warfare

Rukia, Renji, and Byakuya had gone to Soul Society after training and recovering.)

CHAPTER ONE: The Favor

The Soul King isn't available. Ichigo has to ask him something to help in the war. As he walked around tha palace, he heard someone in the room near the soul king.

"LET ME GO!" a voice of a girl cried.

He didn't want to peek but he did. It was a beautiful girl about his age. She was clothes in white dress. Her hair was dark brown and about as long as Inoue's hair. Her eyes were dark and swollen as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yama-jii… Yama-jii is…"

Ichigo did not like the sound of it. He rushed inside and found the girl talking to a massive mirror.

"Uh…" he said, realizing his mistake. "Uhm, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo…"

"Kurosaki…" the girl gave it a thought as the mirror dimmed. She lit up. "You-… Karin's brother!"

"You know Karin?!"

This was not the usual question. It was usually dad that they know or Urahara but this is a first for Karin's name.

"I'm the Soul Princess. It's a long story but I've met your sister before. What brings you here?"

Ichigo scratched his head. Well, Karin has her own reasons and I'm not in place to be asking wherever she's been. It's not like I've talked to her about this matters before and she's been doing a good job protecting Karakura when I lost my powers before.

"I need to ask a favor."

"Impudent."

"Uh…" His brain raced as he calculated what happened inside this room. "Looks like papa Soul king wouldn't allow you to go to the war."

She flinched. "You little-"

"You know, I have a pass to go down." He smiled sheepishly as he pointed at his toes. "If you grant me a wish, I can hide you with me."

She gave it a thought. "You can't."

"Well, if I can't then there's no wish granting. Maaaan, isn't it too controlling in here? Not being able to do anything. It's nice if you could prevent deaths," he looked at her with sharp eyes. With what he heard, he was pretty sure something bad happened and he is in a race with time to get down. However, he couldn't just gamble everything on him. He needs this favor only the divine family can possibly do.

"Very well, I'll hear you out. If we get caught…"

"There's no threat to me."

After successfully getting out of the palace with a few problems because of the guards, Ichigo has sneaked out the princess of the palace.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Kiza," she said as she held on Ichigo's arm so she wouldn't fall. She pointed north. "See that?"

Ichigo's heart raced. Even from their distance, he could feel it- the cold reiatsu that shivered the whole palace before. It was pure white and silent but massive. A chill crossed across his body. There's only one person right now in soul society who could have such eerie cold reiatsu. It was like when Kenpachi first used reiatsu to attack him. This one was formidable.

It can only be her.

Kiza grinned. "Terrifying. When I've first felt that in the soul palace, I raked my brain for someone on the enemy side who has a cold reiatsu. But this was different, it's eerie yet beautiful. You know her, right?"

Ichigo grinned back. "Ahh,"

"So, what's your wish?" she asked as they landed.

Ichigo closed his eyes and felt everybody's reiatsu- the ones still there, barely alive, and those who he can't sniff out anymore. He clutched his fists. "How many people can you revive?"

Kiza tensed. "You know that's-"

"Please."

There was no girl in the skin of earth who can say no to Ichigo (though he's probably not aware of this), not even the soul princess who blushed. "You can only revive in exchange for another's life! No matter how you beg me, I won't kill anybody just to revive someone who has died!"

"Oh, so that's how it works. Then I'll give you three weeks of my life."

Her eyes widened. "To even give some of your time…"

"Nah, is that not yet fine? I'm not even going to be someone great in the future anyway."

That's not true, thought the princess. Just be looking at him, I could tell. This man is going to be a great person befitting of a king. Just like how she felt with Kurosaki Karin.

She cleared her throat. "Ten years of your life is equivalent to one week of somebody else's. That's how it works. If I kill a man that is thirty years old and has forty to come, I can revive someone for only four weeks… or four people with a week each."

Ichigo gave it a thought. "I'm not good with calculations but if I revive three people for a week, I won't die yet right?"

The princess looked at his lifespan. "Hm, yes you wouldn't. But are you sure of this? That's thirty years of your life…"

"Th-thirty?!"

"You didn't really compute it did you?!"

He sighed. "I wanted maybe five but they had to be alive for a week and I don't think I have fifty to spare. Let's go with thirty. My teenage years would be enough."

"You stupid-"

"Just get on with it!"

She started the ritual. "Who would be these three individuals that you'd be sacrificing decades of your life for?"

"Hm. Let's see, give me the strongest shinigami presently dead who would cooperate with me for sure."

She gave it a thought. THAT person would be perfect. "And?"

"I don't care who the other two is, but give me two more who are ranked strongest and has the heart to protect soul society."

She nodded. "Got it."