A/N: This story starts with four short chapters that should gently place you back into the world of Bleach as it pivots away from canon after Ichigo loses his power after defeating Aizen and sets up the primary conflicts for this story. This story picks up the pace with longer, more plot-dense, chapters starting in Chapter 5. This is where 'Act One' starts, which focuses on the fluffier aspects of the relationships between the characters. 'Act Two' starts around Chapter 13, and it is a bit darker than the first act. As the characters age, the story will become more mature and emotionally complex and the relationships between the characters will develop in organic ways.

I hope you enjoy, please let me know in the reviews. And of course, standard disclaimer, I don't make any money off this and the characters/world they live in aren't mine, just the story.

Growing Up Gifted

Chapter 1: Our lives are different

April 5th.

It didn't happen right away. It was the beginning of December when Ichigo lost his spiritual pressure, and he didn't go back to school until after the New Year break. The lanky strawberry-blond initially enjoyed a bit of a honeymoon period after having his shinigami responsibilities lifted off of his shoulders. He had relished hanging out in arcades with Keigo and Mizuiro after school, getting into normal fistfights under the bridge with Chad by his side, and going home to eat dinner and do his homework and go to bed at a reasonable hour. He even would go so far as to say he didn't hate helping Ishida and Inoue when she begged him to model items they had sewn for the handicrafts club's Winter Fashion Show.

But as winter led to spring and a new school year, he began to get nostalgic, remembering that come May it would be a year since he first met Rukia. Despite her abuse, he missed the ankle-biting shinigami. If he was honest with himself, he was also starting to miss his substitute shinigami duties. If he was really honest, he missed feeling like a hero most of all.

So when Rukia and Renji showed up in class on the first day of his second year of high school, he was conflicted. Besides being simultaneously worried and elated, He had so many questions. Why? Why them? Why now? He wanted answers. Despite his anxiety he decided to suck it up and wait until lunch to get them.

At lunch, Ichigo headed with Chad, Mizuiro and Keigo to the the otherwise empty classroom in which they usually ate lunch during inclement weather. He started to pick up speed as he got closer, impatient to learn what Rukia and Renji were doing at school.

"Ichigo!", the diminutive black-haired shinigami sang from her perch on the windowsill as he stopped short in the doorway, and the anxious teen was about to begin his planned interrogation when he was clobbered from behind, nearly falling to his knees. He turned around to see Tatsuki offering a hand to a very out-of-breath Orihime, who was flanked by a flailing Uryuu.

"Inoue-san! Are you alright?" the wispy Quincy asked in a worried tone, posturing like a disheveled hen.

"She's fine, Ishida. Sheesh," answered Tatsuki, while dragging Orihime up by the elbow. The mortified healer offered a quick bow while brushing off her now-dusty skirt and mumbling an apology before quickly bee-lining it for a desk near Rukia. Ichigo though to himself that wasn't the only one anxious for answers, if Orihime's lack of self-consciousness was any indication. The others quickly found a seat.

Ichigo recovered and started the proceedings. "What are you doing here, and why can I see you?" he asked in a voice that betrayed his hopefulness. As much as he thought he wanted his normal life back - as much as he denied it himself over the preceding months - he wanted desperately to be a shinigami again.

Renji and Rukia made eye contact, and the taller of the two smirked while the other rolled her eyes with great emphasis. "We're in gigai, brainiac," Rukia replied as she hopped off her perch and made her way over to the former Shinigami. "What, were you hoping your reiatsu had been magically restored or something?" she snipped, flicking him on the forehead.

"Oi! I never thought…" Ichigo denied, rubbing his forehead.

"We're here because of the recent hollow infestation in Karakura," Renji interrupted. "Didn't they tell you?" he gestured toward Uryuu, Orihime and Chad, who suddenly looked very interested in their lunches.

"What hollow infestation? Why didn't you tell me?" Ichigo looked pointedly at his three supernaturally gifted friends.

Uryuu and Chad looked to Orihime, who wilted under their pleading gazes. She took a deep breath and looked up directly into Ichigo's eyes for the first time since she left Hueco Mundo. The hurt and betrayal she saw there caused her to wince slightly before she caught herself. Suddenly the vague sense of guilt she had been holding onto came into stark focus.

"I'm so sorry Kurosaki–kun," she spoke softly - gently - like she held the trigger to an explosive. "We wanted to tell you, but we didn't want to burden you. We knew it would bother you that you couldn't help…"

Chad could see that Orihime's explanation was not having the desired effect. Ichigo looked like he had just been slapped in the face, and he had taken a step backward and was shaking his head in apparent denial before the quiet man decided to speak up. "I think what Inoue is trying to say is that we weren't trying to keep anything from you. We thought the local shinigami had it covered, and when he didn't, we thought we could deal with it. Just recently things started to get out of control".

Ichigo looked back up at Orihime with knitted brows and eyes that shone with pain when he replied, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was so untrustworthy and useless," growling with humorless sarcasm.

"Watch it, Kurosaki", a sharp voice interjected, and the Quincy was suddenly in Ichigo's face, shielding Orihime from their friend's misplaced ire.

"What's it to you, Ishida?" Ichigo shot back and stood up to his full height, towering over his rival by a few inches.

"Boys, boys, boys," Rukia muttered exasperatedly as she put a small hand on either teenager's chest, pushing them apart none-too-gently. "Can I have everyone's attention, please?" She returned to the window and was joined by Renji, who produced a visual aid adorned with poorly drawn bunny illustrations. "I will explain everything as succinctly as possible. Renji and I are here because Soul Society has identified a sudden rise in hollow activity in Karakura. The resident shinigami was killed nine days ago. Sado, Ishida, and Inoue have been able to deal with the threat so far, but the situation is not ideal. We arrived two days ago have been staying with Urahara. We will be going to school with you again so that Sado, Ishida, and Inoue are not constantly 'on call' for hollow-slaying duty. We will be here until the further orders from Soul Society." Renji nodded silently and put the visual aid away before Rukia softened her tone slightly and continued, "I'm happy to see you, too, Ichigo. You owe Inoue an apology; she was only trying to protect you".

"Protect me?" Ichigo spat out, eyes wildly looking from one pitying face to another. "What do you mean, protect me?!"

"Well," Orihime began, looking intently at the hem of her skirt, which was presently clenched in her small fists, "The hollows seem to be following you, Kurosaki-kun. We don't know why, and you don't seem to notice. We have not let them get you yet, um, obviously... But every time it happens they get closer and closer", she hesitantly raised her eyes to his then, and he saw the tears that were beginning to pool there. She was clearly trying very hard to keep them at bay. He suddenly felt like an asshole.

"I'm sorry, Inoue." He said in defeat as he tore his gaze away from hers and blushed. How could he have been so oblivious? Although his friends just returned from spring break, they looked awful. Ishida and Chad looked like they hadn't slept in a week, and Inoue was looking thin and drawn. "How long has this been going on?", he wondered. "Had they been doing this since December?"

"Anyway," Renji continued where Rukia left off, "Because you seem to be the hollows' target, we thought it would be best if we stayed with you".

"Oh no, I am not having that munchkin sleep in my closet again", Ichigo answered hastily.

"Ah, you are mistaken, Ichigo. I will not be staying in your closet. Urahara and your father have agreed it would be best for both Renji and I to stay in the Kurosaki Clinic." Rukia responded in a know-it-all tone.

"Oh great," Ichigo began to whine, "You mean my old man's in on this too? How many people have been keeping this from me? Do you really think keeping all this a secret has been for my own protection?"

Orihime suddenly stood up, knocking her chair over and gaining everyone's attention in the process. However, when she spoke, she had an audience of one in mind. "Kurosaki-kun, you don't understand. You always protect everyone you care about. You still do, even without being a shinigami", she testified in a surprisingly assertive tone. Ichigo looked to her and was silenced by the intensity of her gaze as she spoke. "I also want to protect those I care about; I want to protect you, Kurosaki-kun. We all do. You sacrificed so much for all of us. We only want to do what we can to make sure Kurosaki-kun is safe and happy. We owe you our lives..." Her voice cracked and the tears she had been holding back were finally beginning to fall as her composure began to break. She continued in a whisper, "I am so sorry I can't protect you from this. You died for me, Kurosaki-kun. After everything you did for me in Hueco Mundo, I am so ashamed that I can't even keep you safe from run-of-the-mill hollows on my own…"

Ichigo was disarmed by Orihime's honesty and distressed by her raw display of emotion. He hesitantly reached out to comfort her but stalled as Tatsuki put her arm around the healer's shoulders.

"I'm sure Ichigo forgives you, Orihime", the tomboy spoke tersely while trying to soothe her tear-stricken friend. Her eyes shot daggers at Ichigo for a moment, but softened, as she appeared to remember something. "I understand how you feel, Ichigo," she spoke tentatively at first. Her resolve seemed to solidify as she pondered her next words. "When all of you got your powers, I could barely even see hollows, and I felt like I was being left behind" she looked to Orihime apologetically and back to Ichigo. "Even now, although I can see them I can't fight them with any effectiveness." She paused before continuing. "We are both fighters, Ichigo. It kills me that I can't win in a fight against a hollow. I am sure it is killing you, too, to be unable to do anything against them. But there is nothing we can do about it Ichigo. Nothing except support our friends the best we can."

Ichigo knew she was right, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow. He got up and began to walk out of the room. He stopped as he reached the doorway and looked over his shoulder, "I need the rest of the day to digest this. I guess I'll see you tonight, Rukia, Renji," he said flatly. Keigo and Mizuiro followed him shortly thereafter, desperate to escape the gloomy atmosphere in the room.

"Well," said Uryuu in an upbeat tone as he pushed up his glasses, "that went better than I expected."

A/N: Now Ichigo is up to speed. In the next brief chapter, we'll go back in time a bit read Orihime's take on a couple things that have plagued her mind since the Winter War, which gives you a bit of insight about why she was so emotional in this chapter. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews and thanks for reading!