Disclaimer: Bleach's not mine. Sadly.

Decisions

He sat on his desk and stared on the paper laying in front of him. A forgotten cup of strong coffee stood there, cold, without milk or sugar, just plain and disgusting. His hand holding the paper trembled barely noticeable. One month. Only one month to decide. He shook his head. Why now? It has been ten years. Ten years since his life had changed so dramatically. Nine years since the great war. Eight years since he had nothing heard from the other world. Seven years since he had finished school. Six years since he started university. Five years since he moved out from his dad's house. Four years since he started dating in hope to forget. Three years since he gave it up again because not being able to forget. Two years since he moved to Osaka. One year since he started working at the local hospital.

Tomorrow was his 26th birthday. And now there was the paper. This letter with the ability to change his whole life. Maybe he could see HER again. He knew it wasn't her fault. She was assigned to a foreign town, not Karakura, not Osaka, he didn't knew which town it was. Urahara had told him, but he couldn't find out where she was. Nobody would tell him, since he should live his human life, without any disturbance. So they cut all the bonds to him, but they didn't take his power. He was told to keep his badge, just in case. But there was never, not even once the opportunity to use it. Maybe because he didn't get to know when a hollow had shown up. He didn't even know the local shinigami – neither in Karakura nor here in Osaka. And now this request. After almost ten years of silence. He knew they must need him or he never had received this letter in the first place. They had said he should live his life and after his death there was enough time to use his powers again. Taichou. But not until he died.

He stood up and took a sip of his cold coffee. He barely noticed that it was cold. He made his way to the window and opened it. Maybe some cold air would clear his head. He watched the sleeping town. All this people were unsuspecting that there was maybe a new danger. Hadn't even noticed the danger nine years ago. A sigh escaped his mouth. Fighting. Fighting again to protect. Maybe his friends. Maybe his family. Maybe HER. The only girl – no, woman – he… heck, he didn't even know what she was to him. Maybe a friend. Maybe more. Maybe… There were too much maybe in his thoughts.

He should call his dad. He knew since nine years that his dad was like him. Shinigami. Soul reaper. Death god. But he didn't know why Isshin left Soul Society. His dad had refused to tell him why. He hadn't asked further since there was a pain in these eyes that he had never seen before, not even after his mom's death. His dad, Ex-shinigami. Maybe he could give him an advice what to do.

He didn't knew if he liked his life. His friends were miles away. Orihime was now living in Europe. France. Paris. She was working on a little theatre, dating some guys. Orihime. She was like his sister. He knew she had a crush on him in highschool, but this was long gone. He received some e-mails every now and then telling him what she was doing. Ishida had not studied medicine to everybody's surprise. He had broken all connections with his father and opened a sewing store in Karakura. Keigo was working as a lawyer. Yes, Keigo a lawyer. It was ridiculous – the guy who ever complained about school and grades was a lawyer! But after the whole incident with Aizen he had changed. 'Maybe I can't protect people in death, but I can help them with life.' Keigo had answered Mizuiro's question why he was studying so much. He guy had matured a lot. Mizuiro was married to a woman ten years older then him. She was working and he was at home with his two children. Yes, Mizuiro was the first of his friends being a father. Tatsuki was living in Karakura running their old dojo and teaching kids karate. She had never thought about leaving her hometown and when the dojo needed a new sensei she hadn't hesitated. And last but not least Chad. Well, Chad, he didn't know how Chad was doing. Chad died with cancer four years ago. Maybe he was able to see him if he agreed to the request. And he would see all his friends in Soul Society. Renji. Ikkaku. Yumichika. All the others. Hell, even Kenpachi. He would need to train if he was going to live there. Live? Can you live when you're dead? Maybe. And there it was again. Maybe.

He sighed and closed the window. His gaze fell back to the letter. When he was a taichou, would he be able to see his friends and family? His sisters, both studying in London. Karin was studying medicine, just like himself. Yuzu's dream was to be a teacher. They were living together in a small apartment. His dad was alone in Karakura, running the small clinic. He sighed again and looked at his cellphone. He took it and dialled a number.

"Dad?"

"Ichigo! What's up boy? Missing your daddy?"

"No, it's just… forget it."

"You received a letter from them, didn't you?"

He was stunned. "How do you know?"

"Well, Urahara told me. What do you think?"

"I don't know. Especially I don't know what to do."

"What's your problem? You didn't seem to be happy the last nine years."

"What do you mean?"

He heard a sigh at the other end. "You hate it, don't you? You hate not being able to protect. Being useless. Being a doctor isn't enough for you, or am I wrong? Especially since SHE left."

"I don't know who you think of."

"Don't deny it. You're missing her, or not? Rukia, I mean. The little shinigami with the hard punch. I loved the sight of her kicking your sorry ass."

"Don't remind me of that! But maybe you're right and I'm missing her…"

"I KNEW IT! GRANDCHILDREN!

"WILL YOU SHUT UP! Hey dad, let's be serious for this time, OK? This decision has nothing to do with Ru… her. "

"Why don't you call her by the name? Every single time you mentioned Rukia in the last nine years you just said 'her'."

"I don't know. Hell, I don't even know what she is to me. Wait, why are we talking about this? I only wanted your opinion about me being a taichou in Seireitei."

"Well, my opinion is… SAY YES!"

"WHAT?"

"You wanted my opinion, you got it. Go to Soul Society. Be a taichou. See your friends. See Rukia. And before you ask: You will be allowed to visit friends and family in the living world. Yamamoto will be kind with that. He's desperate. They need a new taichou. Do you even know Madarame Ikkaku and Abarai Renji were forced to be taichou since they were the only remaining shinigami with bankai? Consider you lucky for being asked and not being forced."

"Wait, Ikkaku and Renji are taichous? Which squad?"

"Well, Madarame is taichou of squad five and Abarai s taichou of squad nine. That leaves squad three for you, son."

"Oh hell."

"Nice say. By the way, I think you've decided right in the moment you've read the request. You wanted to be a fulltime shinigami since the war is over, or am I wrong? I saw it in your eyes when you returned after old man Yama told you to go on with your life in the living world and be a taichou when you're dead. At this time they thought some of the fukutaichou will gain bankai in no time. Seems they were wrong. So they thought of you again."

"Urahara told you all of this shit? How does he know that much about the whole thing? I thought he wasn't told anything? By the way, what's with him?"

"He don't want to be a taichou anymore. No more to say about that."

"By the way, how's Kon?" Kon was living with Urahara, still as a stuffed lion.

"He's fine. Not much to do for him. But back to your little problem. Are you going to say yes? I know that a certain someone is missing you."

"Which certain someone do you mean?"

"Are you dense or what? I mean Rukia."

"Don't lie. That's not funny."

"I don't lie. She was here and asked where you are."

"When was that?"

"Yesterday. You should expect a visitor soon. BYE!"

"Wait! Wha-" but his dad had hung up.

What should he think? SHE was going to visit? Why suddenly? After eight years of nothing. RUKIA. He didn't know if he want to see her. Not right now. Not when he didn't know what to do. Not when he's so unsure of his thoughts. Hell, that girl – no, woman – would certainly give him a hard time.

He glanced to the window. The sun was rising and a new day was about to begin. And then he saw her. She stood on a lamp post right before his window. RUKIA. She hadn't changed a bit. She looked straight into his heart. And he knew what to do.

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A/N:

OK, second one-shot. This time originally written in English. Sorry if there are spelling- or grammar-mistakes. Not good with languages.

This idea hit me yesterday evening while I was starring at an empty word-page in hope that it would fill itself with words. Didn't work. But then came this thing and bit my ass with the demand to write it down. Took only one hour to do it. Why could I write this but not my lecture??? It's hopeless. Nee-san, you need to kick my sorry and lazy ass.

What do you think about it? Write a little review and don't be too harsh with me, I'm a nerve-wreck because of university.