Setting
- Bleach: a few months after the Winter War, before the Fullbring arc.
-Harry Potter: Harry's 6th year but the events in Half-Blood Prince like Harry and Dumbledore's meetings, Dumbledore's death by Snape happen in the next year. So instead of 7 years there are 8 years of schooling. Basically, the Half-Blood Prince events happen in Harry's 7th year, and the Deathly Hallows events happen in his 8th.

Prologue

Kurosaki Ichigo, turning 16 next month, was lying on his bed trying hard to not think what it would have been like had he not lost his powers. He was trying very, very hard… actually, scratch that. Kurosaki Ichigo, turning 16 next month, couldn't do anything BUT think about the spiritual world. He wondered if Soul Society was doing fine, if there were any Espada left, if there was another way to come close in taking down Aizen besides using Mugetsu, if Inoue hadn't been captured which side would've prevailed, if they had been better prepared would the Gotei 13 have won…?

Ichigo sighed. He knew there was nothing he could do about his powers. There was no use worrying either, since he couldn't see anything spiritual. As they, whoever they were, said, "Don't cry over spilt milk."

Life after the war was dull. Especially after Karin and Yuzu were told the whole truth of their lineage and of Ichigo's former position as a substitute shinigami. Ichigo couldn't bear the sympathetic looks his friends AND family gave him. Time after time he told them he was fine. Of course he was fine. You would be too if you were stronger than the Captain-Commander himself as a being who transcends all shinigami and hollow– just to lose all of it after a fight against some madman genius set on becoming the Spirit King.

Ichigo had almost managed to kill Aizen using Mugetsu, but Urahara couldn't seal him due to the fact that the Hogyoku had removed everything that wasn't Aizen from his body: wounds, scars, residue left from Kido attacks that hit – even concealed seals. Left with a teenager whose spiritual pressure was rapidly diminishing and a man susceptible to Kyoka Suigetsu's illusions as his opponents, Aizen easily incapacitated the two of them. Why he didn't kill them is a mystery when he could have done so with both hands tied behind his back. He then reverted back to his human figure – before he went through the Hogyoku evolutionary stages – gaining his former calmness and calculating gaze back. Then a flash of crimson red light hit Ichigo, not from Benihime, but from Aizen. Next, he disappeared with a loud crack sound. Yes, disappeared. But not without leaving a verbal message: "So much power. Limitless potential. Adding to that, unpredictable. I'll make sure you join me, my Arrancar, and my causes with whatever means necessary. Wait, Kurosaki Ichigo, for the day I come get you."

Day by day went. Weeks went by. Soon it became months since the 'Winter War' that took place on the 11th of October. And there was still no information on Aizen, not even on where he was staying.

Today was just another 'normal' day: going to school; ignoring the pity stares his friends, including Keigo, Mizuiro, and Tatsuki, gave him; seeing Chad or Uryu bolt from the classroom giving some lame excuse to go and kill hollows; tolerating the sympathy offered to him by Inoue and Yuzu, etc. etc. Ichigo had wanted a normal life and now he got one so what was the problem? That he knew of supernatural predators that preyed on human souls? That he wouldn't be able to stop the weakest hollow when he was once able to kill the 4th Espada in his Segunda Etapa form, albeit becoming a full hollow? That someone near him could die because of a hollow attack and he wouldn't have known it? That Soul Society and the human realm could be targeted by Aizen again or a threat similar to him and Ichigo wouldn't be there to help stop it?

Why weren't any of his spiritual friends visiting him in a gigai? Or give him some kind of message that they were doing well? Was there an order that didn't let them come to the human world unless it was a mission? But while he was a shinigami, Renji had visited him unannounced whenever he felt like it, and the Shinigami Men's' Association had held meetings in his room. Of course, he didn't expect people like Soifon or Byakuya to come but was the friendship he built with Rukia meaningless? Was he just a good 'sparring partner' for Ikkaku? Now he was starting to miss the way Kenpachi always tried to get him to fight against him while he was in Soul Society. Was he going crazy? To even think of wanting to see and hear the fight initiation from a bloodthirsty man was basically a death wish!

Ichigo was so deep in his musings he didn't hear the door click open 30 minutes ago. He also didn't notice a man wearing a dark green haori had let himself into the teen's room and had been watching Ichigo the whole time he was there. Ichigo turned over onto his side and bolted upright when he spotted a person he hadn't seen in months, casually leaning against his closet, holding a paper fan covering half his face.

"Finally noticed me, have you?"

"U…Ura…Urahara-san?"

Smirking, the shopkeeper said, "Who else would I be, Ichigo-kun?"

A/N: First time publishing a story! :D Was the start of this story ok? No? Review please!

Minor editing done to this chapter as of 21/01/13 (DD/MM/YY)