Author's Note: Thank you so much to everybody who reviewed! Reviews make me feel all fuzzy inside ^-^

I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to Kubo.

The Winter War had long since ended, and peace had returned to Karakura Town.

Ichigo had won the right to live a mortal life, unbothered by the affairs or politics of the Soul Society. High school ended smoothly, and the once inseparable group began to loosen ever so slightly. Uryu moved into an apartment in the city to attend a prestigious medical school, though that was nothing compared to Inoue going overseas to pursue her future as a starlet. They kept in touch however, and their friendship remained intact. Ichigo took up attendance at a local university just outside of Karakura town, and Sado, no longer interested in school, took up a position at a nearby auto repair garage. Still, they often spent the time they had together during weekends or evenings together. Because of this, Sado was the first one to hear about Ichigo's headaches.

Even before then, Sado had noticed. Normally reliable to a fault, Ichigo would find himself forgetting important dates and promises that he had previously committed to. When talking, he would suddenly drift off, losing his train of thought. When he thought nobody was looking, Ichigo would rub his temples, his forehead, pinch the bridge of his nose as if he had suddenly come down with a sudden sharp migraine.

Then one day, Ichigo got up to go to class only to have an explosion of pain behind his eyes, wracking his body and every nerve, nearly causing him to black out. When the pain finally subsided, Ichigo realized that his father was holding his shoulders tightly, looking almost as pale as he was. Ichigo's pride finally caved, and he admitted the symptoms he had been having to his father. Isshin immediately took a formal look into the matter. What was meant to be a simple test, some blood-work, a few eye tests took a very dark turn. That night, Isshin and Ichigo drove out to Ryūken Ishida's hospital for an emergency MRI, something Isshin called in a special favor to get.

The results were devastating.

"The white areas show the extent of the tumor." Ryūken motioned to the scan of Ichigo's brain. As ever, he was cold and cool as usual. He had seen thousands of people come and go, resist and succumb to death. He was not about to act any less than the utmost of professional when dealing with his friend's son.

"As you can see... it is in a very advanced stage." Isshin had a dead look in his eyes, looking at the scans like they were his own death warrant. Ichigo seemed to be the more resolved of the two, glaring down the foggy spots like they were just another adversary for him to overcome. Another Ulquiorra or Nnoitra. "This is nobody's fault, of course." Ryūken said with a rare note of empathy. "For a twenty-year-old, there isn't a doctor in the world who would suppose that symptoms of headache or disorientation would mean a cancer of this magnitude."

"So what do we do?" Ichigo said sternly, arms crossed. There was no beating around the bush. It was bad, he understood. This sort of thing would mean invasive surgery, months of chemotherapy.

Thousands of dollars.

The grim possibility of having to drop out of university flashed through his mind, and he automatically steeled himself. He could get a job working at the car repair with Sado. Perhaps go back to school in a few years. It would still be there.

Ryūken sighed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Ichigo was not a child anymore, and he was never a man to put things lightly.

"At this stage... it really only is a matter of time." Both of the men in front of him flinched, if not with their bodies than with their eyes. They were clearly either numb, or had not yet absorbed it. Ryūken continued. "Surgery at this point would be invasive, and certainly life threatening. Even still, it would only slow down the tumor's progression. Any treatments or medication you could take at this point would only be buying time."

"How much time?" Isshin demanded.

"Months. Time to... get affairs in order."

Isshin growled. "Enough! Stop talking like anything's been decided!" He leapt to his feet, looking quite ready to throw his chair.

"I am merely stating the facts." Ryūken said coldly, staring down Isshin unflinchingly. "And from a medical standpoint... there is little that can be done." He handed Ichigo a copy of the prognosis. "Although it goes against every inclination that I have as a professional, at this point I would highly recommend seeking... alternative means of treatment." The shine of the florescent lights cast a glare on his glasses.

"Well, of course the Soul Society is going to help you!" Inoue leaned forward urgently, practically pressing her forehead against the monitor of her computer. "They have to, don't they?" She looked around at those sitting in the Kurosaki dining room through the webcam. Although it was late in Karakura town, Inoue was still wearing her pajamas, having just recently woken up in Los Angeles, where she was attending university.

It seemed that despite Ryūken's professional inclination, something very un-professional happened, as only a few days later Ichigo had the unexpected surprise of coming home for dinner to see the house packed.

The conversation inside died suddenly as he entered the room, something that seemed to have been happening often since the trip to the hospital. Now, Ichigo didn't seem to mind so much. Sitting in the kitchen with his father was Sado, Uryu back from the city he had recently moved to, and Rukia Kuchiki. It was a bit bizarre seeing her suddenly, though she did visit when she could, she had not been around for months. Currently, she was still wearing the old kekai from their high school days, and as such she was still wearing the old uniform. Seeing her like this after so many years, Ichigo felt awash in warm nostalgia, back to a time when the enemies were much simpler to defeat.

"Renji has already made a point to speak with Captain Unohana." Rukia said, leaning forward. "This might not be something that conventional medicine can treat, but as long as you're still drawing breath, she can keep anyone alive."

"Thank you, Rukia, I appreciate that." Ichigo nodded. He would be lying to himself if the healing specialties of the fourth squad wasn't the first thing that entered his mind when he heard the grim diagnosis from Ryken. He didn't expect that the Captain herself would be troubled over the matter. She nodded.

"Well, what about me?" Inoue said insistently, tapping the webcam on her end to remind them all she was still here. "I can heal Ichigo, can't I? I'll fly over tonight!"

"Take it easy now, Inoue." Uryu spoke up. "Your intentions are noble, but from what we understand about your powers, they involve negating an event, erasing it from existence."

"That sounds a lot safer than any surgery." Sado said calmly, wondering just where Uryu's tone of hesitation was coming from.

"Yes, except it involves Inoue negating a large mass very intricately fused to Ichigo's brain!"

"Easy now, Uryu." Ichigo said tersely.

Everyone was sitting tense and rigid, fists clenched at their knees. Astoundingly, Ichigo seemed to be the calmest one present.

"All I'm saying is that its been years since Orehime has so much as healed a paper cut." Uryu checked his tone and adjusted his glasses busily. "We don't want to jump into things and have her digress your brain to the state of a five-year-old, or worse."

"It would be better than nothing." Sado countered. Rukia nodded almost imperceptibly.

Nothing, of course, meaning certain death for Ichigo.

"I know I cannot make you decide one way or another." Uryu said, turning away from the others, and looking towards Ichigo. "But I implore you to at least wait for treatment from the doctors in the Soul Society."

He smiled thinly.

"Coming from you, Ishida, that means a lot."

Even in the most dire of situations, one could not help but be relaxed by the atmosphere that Retsu Unohana created in her home. The gardens were lush and serene, butterflies floating on a gentle breeze, water trickling along a manicured stream, somewhere hidden behind bushes of fragrant flowers.

"Tea, Captain Abarai?"

"Ah, yes, thank you." Renji straightened up a bit. Though he passed his proficiency test with flying colors over three years ago (and even if he hadn't, Renji had a near unanimous recommendation from the remaining captains), it was still a little odd to hear the honorific coming from such a distinguished person as the squad four captain.

"Now... what brings you here today? Your letter sounded quite urgent." Unohana's voice was pleasant as ever though as the two shared a fragrant, herbal tea.

"It's Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki. He is... going to die."

Unohana paused, closing her eyes.

"That is... quite serious indeed."

"A cancer in his brain. They say he doesn't have a lot of time." Renji leaned forward, his hands on his knees. Her lack of response was beginning to unnerve him. He had expected her to jump to her feet at once, the two of them heading straight for Karakura Town.

"It is true, a delicate matter such as this could be remedied with a steady exposure to Minazuki. It will take time."

"So you'll do it?" Renji was nearly in danger of toppling forward and hitting his nose on the porch.

"The entirety of the Soul Society is in debt to Ichigo Kurosaki." Unohana smiled. "It is always my honor to have him... lively of a patient as he is." One of the butterflies touched gently down between the two of them. Neither noticed right away that it was pitch black in color.

A hell butterfly.

Captains Retsu Unohanna and Renji Abarai. Your presence is requested in the hall of the Captain-Commander Yamamoto immediately.

The two looked up at one another in alarm, neither expecting it.

"I suppose Ichigo will have to wait."

Renji and Unohana were the first to arrive.

"Captain Kuchiki." Renji greeted his former captain warmly as he strode in. "You were called as well?"

Renji had a feeling that despite their common ground, Byakuya would never look at him with anything less than his usual cool, intimidating gaze.

"Actually, it was Rukia who received the message." He took at step to the side, Rukia giving Renji a little wave, clearly a bit nervous and out of sorts as the rest of them. "I merely came to... see that things went smoothly." He clarified. This of course, was Byakuya speak for 'emotional support.'

"Ah, Hanatarō." Unohana greeted the trembling soul reaper from her squad with her kind smile. "I see you were also summoned to this meeting. You must be positively terrified."

"Y-yes, Captain." He tried his best to give a weak smile. Really, he just wanted to know what this was all about.

They all did.

"I assume you must all wonder why I called you here." They all turned to see the Captain-Commander Yamomoto walking in, his lieutenant at his side.

"The matter has not failed to reach our intelligence that a certain name has shown up on our lists to have his soul sent in the near future." He cast a knowing look at Rukia, slowly trailing over to Renji. "Though there is margin for ever, it is now a certainty that Ichigo Kurosaki will succumb to a cancer in his brain and die, within the year."

Hanatarō gasped out loud, throwing his hands over his face in alarm that he had spoken out of turn, even unintentionally. His face was even whiter than usual, and Unohana put a hand on his shoulder to ease his trembling. Even Byakuya was surprised, and certainly displeased. He could count the individuals who had ever crossed him and survived on one hand. The idea of one of them finally being defeated by something as undignified as disease...

"A certainty?" Unohana spoke up calmly.

"Indeed." He nodded, gripping his staff all the more tightly. "I have called you here because of your affiliations with Ichigo Kurosaki... and how those relations have led to your disregard for the laws of the Soul Society in the past." He turned to Renji and Rukia, who both glanced away out of guilt. Poor Hanatarō; looked faint.

"And to remind you of the laws of the Soul Society in this time. That for no reason, under any circumstance should a soul reaper use their powers to keep a human being from dying... when it is their time to die."

"But Captain Yamomoto, surely this is grounds for an exception." Renji took a brave step forward. "The Soul Society has never seen a human like Ichigo before!"

"Ichigo Kurosaki did the Soul Society a great service four years ago, in defeating the traitor Aizen." Yamato agreed curtly. "He achieved a great deal, and earned the right for a peaceful, human existence. And so that is what he has received. But a mortal life goes hand in hand with a mortal death. It is not our place to intervene."

"But Captain Unohana has treated Ichigo before!" Renji continued angrily. "Why should this time be any different?"

"Those times, Captain Renji Abarai..." Yamato said sharply, causing him to balk. "Ichigo was not fighting as a human being, but a representative of the Soul Society. If there was one shred of proof that this disease was the work of a hollow or arrancar, than I would authorize his treatment at once." His eyes narrowed. "But such is not the case. The cycle of life and death must be respected." He pounded his staff against the cold marble floors in emphasis.

"I hereby forbid any action to be taken to cure any mortal illness of Ichigo Kurosaki." His words reverberated across the solemn hall. Hanatarō's hands were still clamped around his mouth, his trembling had only gotten worse. Rukia was frozen, and she dare not speak out against the Captain-General in the presence of her brother. The Kuchiki family was better than that. All the same, she trembled in rage and despair at their sudden helplessness in the matter... and glowed with pride for Renji's daring to speak out, and even now scathing look that burned in his eyes.

"In the meantime," if possible, Captain Yamato's gravely tone seemed to soften, "this time he has left will be utilized to prepare for his arrival in this world. There is no doubt in my mind that a soul of Kurosaki's caliber has the potential to become a great captain of the Soul Society should he wish it... or else a devastating enemy if his spirit is corrupted."

Byakuya agreed that it was fair that Rukia be the one to tell Ichigo, to tell his father, that he was not going to be saved. Rukia had no right to promise Ichigo in the first place that they would heal him, in violation of a primary law of the Soul Society.

He was not entirely sure, however, what it was that possessed him to carefully tuck away his spirit pressure and follow her to the mortal world. It was not that he doubted she would fulfill her task. Rukia would not shirk such an important responsibility, he knew that. No, it was more likely the same inclination that moved him to accompany her to the meeting with the Captain-Commander today. When he saw that look of confusion and fear on her face.

Byakuya landed lightly on top of a lamp post, watching as Rukia hesitated at the door. Just as he suspected though, she entered sure enough, her head held high.

With a strange twinge of sensation, Byakuya remembered that if it wasn't for Ichigo Kurosaki, Byakuya would not have this quiet moment of pride for his sister's strength of heart. No, she would have long since been buried in the ground, less than a puppet in Aizen's plan. Byakuya would have remained a cold and bitter man.

Where he was standing, Byakuya could just see the people inside through the yellow light of the kitchen. Isshin Kurosaki was standing there, and he could almost tell what their words were by their body movements. As Rukia spoke, Isshin was tense and still. His body haunched over, his fists clenched. His body was drawn tight, and he suddenly snapped with rage. The shout broke through the walls, reaching Byakuya's ears. It was poisoned with anger and grief and anguish. He moved like someone run through with a sword, throwing over a table before collapsing forward, shaking with dry sobs. Rukia ran forward at once to catch him, embracing him tightly despite their frightening difference in stature.

When Hisana died, Byakuya had never indulged in such a display. He sat quietly by her side into the night, well after she had gone. That was his way, after all. But in his heart... he knew this pain.

Just like Hisana, Byakuya knew that Ichigo Kurosaki was not one to fear death, he never was.

The boy in question was entering the kitchen now, where Rukia was still comforting his father. Byakuya couldn't help but notice how much Ichigo had changed in the last four years. He had forgotten how quickly humans moved through their life stages. He did not seem to have grown any taller, but at the very least seemed to have regained a bit of the muscle he had lost when his powers as a soul reaper were sacrificed to defeat Aizen. At the moment, his expression was drawn. He had digested the scene in the kitchen immediately, and as Byakuya expected, he responded with a quiet resolve.

Byakuya had seen enough. He willed the Senkaimon to open behind him for his return.

After the Captain-Commander's meeting, Byakuya had went to examine the records himself. Disease was an easy sort of death to regulate. It was systematic. It worked on a schedule. Unless fate intervened, the boy had two months left to live.

"I will see you then, Ichigo Kurosaki."

(Not a lot of Bya-Ichi goodness in this chapter, my apologies . More to come!)