Pencilpen - thanks! ((well, actually, i'm still sticking with ichiruki anyways. ^^

Hisanachan - thanks a lot - !

Cityangelz - how much do you like the first chapter? :)

AzulaReign - ...Not ichitats.... sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KoriChi - so... you like? :p yay!

phoenixfire3473 - that's what I thought too, which is why I started this remake!

Digiwriter1392 - thanks. I need the luck. :)

-Anyways, this story's definetly going to deviate away from the story I made before, but I'll try to keep all the main points in... kay?

Thanks for your support - really. Without... this revision wouldn't have happened.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, and anything else you may or may not accuse me of. Byebye!

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Ichigo walked purposefully into the graven alleyway which was decorated sparsely with blood patterns and glass.

"...Um... Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked. "Is this really the way to your home?"

"It's a shortcut," Ichigo replied brusquetly, turning to the corner. "Try to make yourself look incopicious - we're still in Shinigami form."

"No one's here anyways," Tatsuki retorted. "People generally don't sulk around alleys soaked in blood and grime." Her nose wrinkled at the acidic quality to the odor coming from the walls. "It's disgusting."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "You would know, wouldn't you?" he taunted. "You haven't ever been on a mission out of Soul Society either, idiot. Try to remember that."

Tatsuki bit back her retort - settling for a low growl, before kicking aside a busted malt liquior bottle.

"Nice," she noted dryly.

"It's an alley... what did you expect?" Ichigo remarked cryptically. "You'd notice, even in Soul Society, outside accomidations aren't as good as inside ones."

"Shut up."

A smirk graced the 5th Division Captain's expression.

"Quit sulking, Tatsuki... we're almost there, anyways."

"Right," she mumbled half-heartedly.

Silence reigned between the two - their footsteps breaking the steady ice only fractionally...

And then voices broke into their silence - delving and cracking the miniscule ice forming between the two.

"...But that's not fair...!"

"I'm not the one who fell asleep in class, Kuchiki-san! I have to go!"

"Not if you tell your dad that you've been with a girl.... Come on, Ishida - I need to borrow your notes...!"

Ichigo turned his head fractionally, at his vice-captain.

"Ishida and Kuchiki... weren't those the names on the listings?"

Tatsuki nodded - the movement was quick, clipped, and curt. "Kuchiki Rukia and Ishida Uryuu, correct?"

"No idea," Ichigo replied, before mentioning cryptically. "Think it is.. I doubt that it's their parents talking."

"Can you tell where they're talking from?"

"The other side of the alley," Hazel eyes steeled themselves in determination. "Come on, Tatsuki."

Tatsuki shrank halfway back.

"The Quincy, Ishida, hates Shinigami," she explained at his dubious expression. "I doubt it'll do a lot of good if he finds himself facing a Captain and vice-captain in one blow."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "You worry too much, Tats," he replied. His voice was saturated with confidence.

And then he slipped to the alley bend.

The Quincy was the first to react - moving instinctively in front of Rukia in a clear, defensive stance, his fingers entwined with reiatsu.

"That's... nice..." Ichigo remarked dryly. "...Quincy..." His eyes traced the Quincy cross.

"...Shinigami...." The reply was just as curt.

"...Science test...?" the words died on the Kuchiki's lips as she spoke.

Ichigo turned his eyes to her.

Kuchiki. The word stole through Ichigo's mind. Kuchiki... the name of one of the 4 Royal Houses of Seirete. Something was odd about that. Ichigo mentally tabbed away that he had to speak to Byakuya about that.

"I don't have any intent to fight you," his words were blank.

"Why are you here?"

Ichigo's eyes turned back on the Quincy.

"The Soul Society has confined you, and several others living in the Human Realm, to a course of apprenticeship for an upcoming war."

The Quincy Cross wavered as Ishida's fist clenched, before it's fragile chain slipped over the Quincy's hand.

The Cross fell on the floor.

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The sky pacifies us with the stars - our requiem of dreams.

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Ishida's eyes flashed - a dull, monotonious emotion in bleak eyes.

"So Soul Society wants us to aid them during a war against this 'Aizen,' who's been toying with... Hollows... despite everything they've done?"

"That's the main point," Ichigo shrugged. "I wasn't given full details."

"Us?" Rukia repeated, turning her head fractionally from the wall she was leaning against.

"A group of certain indivisuals Soul Society has picked out for the occassion because of their reiatsu, stamina, and control," Tatsuki quipped.

"And if we refuse?" Ishida's eyes glinted metallicaly.

"Why would you?" Ichigo pointed out, logically. "Soul Society is offering you both power and protection in every aspect. They equipped you with every possible need you can want, and your freedom won't be limited in any regard except for the training regiment... why bother to refuse?"

"Actually," Rukia spoke up. "You're asking us to believe something so completely absurd, Shinigami and Hollow and whatever, and to learn to fight, and to give way to our alliegions to your side."

"I doubt you'd side with the motherfucker from the other side," Ichigo retorted.

"But if we refuse... anyways, regardless of anything else...?" Ishida prompted, undeterred.

"Then we leave you alone," Ichigo shrugged. "At this point, we're more than certain that Aizen's made it a clear point that Soul Society wants you guys in the war."

"So?"

"So.... your choices are actually severely limited. It's either join Soul Society in their war charade.... or end up being killed by some Vasto Lorde or something... not my fault on the latter."

Silence reigned before.....

"I'll go with the first option," Rukia replied decidedly before noticing the traitorous look Ishida was giving her. "What? If this stuff is real, I'll be killed!"

A smirk lit up on Ichigo's face.

"And... Ishida...?" he prompted.

The Quincy picked up his Cross from the floor, dangling it on his wrist once more. His eyes steeled themselves with an unbidden emotion.

"I'll join."

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Somewhere within the abyss of our thoughts is a sheen of light.

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Ichigo walked across the pavement - splintering broken gravel and pavement as he went.

"Where exactly are we going...?" Rukia asked, testily.

"Don't talk," Tatsuki replied shortly. "Not to us. Not right now."

"And why is that?" Ishida asked persistantly.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "We're in Shinigami form, nitwits. We're trying to preserve your reputation by making sure you don't look like you're talking to thin air."

"So the Shinigami cares," Ishida scoffed.

"Can it unless you want a one-way ticket to Hueco Mundo. I'm sure Aizen would love that," Ichigo snarled in reply.

"Don't bother listening to him," Tatsuki said at Ishida's martyred expression. "Ichigo here isn't allowed anywhere within a twenty-foot radius of Aizen and his hellhole, Hueco Mundo."

"Why not?" Rukia asked, inquisitvely.

"....Er.... personal reasons," Ichigo brushed off absently.

"Personal reasons," Ishida repeated.

"I told you not to talk to us, idiots," Ichigo remarked.

"...And if we have questions?" Rukia asked, probing.

"Act like you're talking amongst yourselves," Tatsuki replied. "We'll answer all neccessary questions."

"Right," Rukia muttered. "That'll be cheerful."

Ishida shot Rukia a pained look.

"Don't make this harder than it really is, Rukia," he replied.

"....So... where exactly are we going...?" Rukia asked. Her face was poised to Ishida, though, as if he would answer the question. Her dark eyes were lit up.

"To the next to-be-apprentices," Ichigo answered shortly.

"...Hey... Did you dye your hair or something...?" Ishida asked suddenly - a suicidal question.

".....Don't ask me that question," Ichigo replied shortly. "Next?"

"Ichigo's a bit sensitive about his hair," Tatsuki explained before receiving a sharp punch. "Ow!"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Figures," she muttered, before questioning... "Who else is....?"

"Inoue, Chad.. and... that's pretty much it," Tatsuki replied.

"Four apprentices?" Ishida quirked an eyebrow. "Isn't that pushing it a bit too far?"

"No," Ichigo replied. "What's pushing it a bit far is that absurd costume you're wearing right now... how long have you been out in public with that thing on?"

Ishida turned crimson. "Shut up."

Ichigo turned across the corner, before staring out at the building in front of him.

"One of them's in here?" he asked.

"...For the most part..." Tatsuki replied, curtly.

Ichigo groaned before turning back to the group. "...Who wants to go in?"

"Isn't it more like, 'who likes shopping,'?" Ishida snapped back.

"Thanks for volunteering, Ishida. It's awfully good of you," Ichigo remarked, shoving the Quincy towards the mall. "Go and come back, okay?"

Ishida turned a dark shade of red.

"No."

"Come on, Ishida... I'm not sending you on a suic-" His voice cut off abruptly as the person they were searching for emerged from the shopping convention.

Liquid gray-dappled eyes widened.

"...Kurosaki-kun? Tatsuki-chan?"

Tatsuki turned, confused, to Ichigo.

"Do you know her?" Tatsuki demanded.

"No clue."

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Ichigo was, ultimately, confused. Confused to the point of oblivion. And despite anything - he couldn't believe. He remembered traces of his former life, yes, but not all of it. As if some barrier was keeping everything away...

He had always disregarded it.... but now....?

"...You don't remember?" her voice trailed weakly. Inoue faltered.

"I remember the bare minimium," Ichigo offered. "Which is a rarity amongst shinigami. Tatsuki doesn't remember anything of her former life."

Inoue's eyes lighted at the sight of the white haori Ichigo sported.

"You're a Captain now?"

Ichigo scowled. "Second I died, Soul Society practically clamored that I be Captain."

"Fifth Division..." Her eyes darkened slightly with unbidden emotions.

"Ironic," Ichigo remarked.

"Er..." Tatsuki began hesitantly. "...Ichigo...?" She shot him a scathing look.

"Right... Inoue? I'll skim over the details because you know enough at this point. The war's coming up, really. The Hogyoku's been delayed over the course of years because of a malfunction in Hueco Mundo. It's coming up in a course of months - six, I think... Tatsuki and I... we were sent out to.... apprentice... certain... people with high reiatsu levels."

"Apprentice?" Inoue's eyes traveled curiously at Ishida and Rukia.

Ichigo's face broke out in a smile. "...Inoue...?"

Her face slowly began to mirror his own. "I'll join."

"...So now we have only one more person...?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah... Sado, I think, is the last one," Ichigo muttered.

Inoue's lavender-grey eyes lit up.

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It hadn't taken relatively long, not really...

Ichigo tracked down the last person to the bridge, below the consequetive bend.

Rukia's nose wrinkled at the scent of decaying blood.

They were at the bottom of the bridge - standing askew to the river, as Inoue, bright as she was, explaining the situation once more to Sado.

"A war?" Sado's toned voice sounded.

"A neccessarity," Ichigo remarked. "Against the person we're going against."

Sado slowly stood to his full height -

"I'll join."

The group was complete.

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HEY - I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ichigo doesn't have his memories because of a certain reason. He'll retain all of it later. The reason why Inoue still has her memories is because of her Shun Shun Rikka - which manipulates TIME, so I thought that her memories would still be, because of her Rikka.

I wanna put something with Aizen... but... I'm not sure how to put it off. I mean, the way I wrote it... I'm leaning onto something, but I'm putting that up for vote.... okay? :)

------hey, but if aizen does come up, i need a good excuse of how it corresponds with Ichi's death. Obviously, Soul Society's been careful... to this point.

But - I'll leave it up to you! (mwahahahhaha).

Please review! :p