So this chapter is rather short, but it seemed like a good place to stop. I really dig cliff hangers. Ironically enough, you wouldn't know it, because I hardly utilize them in my stories. This story will have a ton though, so you have that to look forward too. Yay!

Anyway, if there are any glaring mistakes, let me know. I'm kind've in a rush to post this and get to my other, more important stories. (Uhh…I mean homework..yeah..)

As always fav/follow/rev

Good vibes~ Ashes.

xXx

As the train was closing in on the station, Ichigo looked out the window with a hint of a grin on his typically scowling face. It wasn't quite often he came home, because it was a two hour train ride from Tokyo. So it had been almost two years since he'd been able to come back. He'd tried before now, but his scantily given day's off never seemed to coincide with the days of which his family were available.

It was funny how a person could tell how much they've changed by the way they'd perceive something differently. The last time Ichigo came back, he felt out of place, as if the streets didn't remember him and vice versa. Although it wasn't so much that he didn't belong, but that he didn't know himself well enough to know if he really belonged anywhere.

Now coming back felt more bitter sweet than anything. The memories were just as potent, but since then, he had found some level of peace in this makeshift life he'd crafted for himself. Finally, he accepted the things he couldn't change, like his mothers passing, or that he still loved his best friend and most likely always would in some way even if he could never have him. Mostly, he came to terms with the fact that, despite all that, he was still here. He still had to get up on his own two feet and trudge his way through the path he created one wobbly step at time. That he could do, and even though it sometimes felt less like a life and more like a series of meaningless motions, after so many years of dragging his feet, he looked up to see that he'd ended up somewhere completely different, but surprisingly, he didn't mind that place all too much.

He had a job he loved, a few people he considered friends, a nice apartment, and he even had Grimmjow for whatever that was worth or for how ever long that would last. He had a semblance of a life, and even if it was one without Byakuya, it wasn't too bad. Maybe one day he'd even fall in love again and put down some more permeant roots.

Even though he missed his home and wished he could just go back and redo everything, now he liked the town better this way. He needed to move forward and make new memories, and he couldn't do that if he was constantly reminded of the ghost from his past at every street corner. It was fine to visit his ghost, like in the way people visit a graveyard, but he couldn't stand in front of that grave forever. Karakura would always house a huge fraction of him, but he needed to start putting more of his heart into Tokyo.

Gifts in hands, Ichigo strolled at a tepid speed towards his childhood home. He reveled in the memories imbued by these monuments of his youth. First he past by the park he spent the better half of his life in one way or another. He saw two boys kicking a soccer ball back and forth with huge smiles plastered on their glistening faces. It reminded him of the summer he taught Byakuya how to play soccer. Ichigo laughed at the memory of how determined Byakuya was, as if he was training for the national team. Then again, Byakuya was always like that, determined to put his best into everything he did.

When they got to be a bit older, about seniors in high school, they'd go out to the swings at night, and Ichigo would bring his guitar. They'd share a cigarette Ichigo jacked from his old man's pack while he'd serenade Byakuya admits the cool, summer gust and limpid night sky. Ichigo, when Byakuya had a particularly bad day, would make up stupid little song's on the spot that were prevalent to his friend's situation, and Byakuya couldn't help but to crack the biggest smile he'd ever allow anyone to see. For Ichigo only, he wore rare smiles that were as big as this whole town.

After a few minuets, he past an old book store that looked as if it had been there since the town was built. It was one of those staples that, if it left, the town would never really feel the same without. Byakuya use to drag Ichigo there and read him these bombastic stories written by a bunch of dead guys. Sometimes Ichigo would act fraudulently agitated, but truthfully, he basked in those hours listening to Byakuya's creamy baritone. It would send him right to sleep sometimes, but then Byakuya would get mad at him for snoring so loud he could no longer hear his own thoughts.

Ichigo noted that the tsbuski tree was still flourishing in front of the shop. That was Byakuya's doing, actually. The pair spent a summer organizing shelves and doing menial task for the owners. Byakuya didn't need the money, but he liked working for the things he had, because he hated feeling like he owed his family anything. Mostly, Byakuya just worked there because he knew Ichigo needed a summer job, and both of their days were the happiest when spend by each others side, no matter what they were doing. They needed no words to convey this. Instead, it was a truth silently spoken in all of their actions regarding the other.

The last stop on Ichigo's ghost tour was the cemetery a couple of blocks from his family's home. Always, he would stop and regard the vigil with a few moments of somber silence. It humbled Ichigo, the realization that underneath six feet of dirt and a thin layer of patchy grass were whole lifetimes never to be unearth, and that the seize of these lives causes such a ripple effect that the pain of their passing could be felt throughout the whole town in someway or another. It both saddened and encourage him that these lives still thrived through the memories they left behind, but there was one life in particular that drew his attention every time he walked by this little section of their town. This was a person that effected all the lives they touched, Byakuya and Ichigo's especially.

It was not his mother he spoke of. She was cremated and sat as a permanent fixture to the alter Ichigo's dad had created in her memory.

It was Hisana.

For Ichigo, Byakuya was his first and only love, and while Ichigo may have been Byakuya's first, he was not his only. If only because of how happy she made Byakuya, Ichigo loved her too. She was bright eyed and bright minded, timid yet strong-willed, and everything she touched flowered just a bit more from the contact. Although, It was always the most dazzling of lights that dimmed the quickest, because after a year of dating Byakuya, Hisana died in a house fire. Like Ichigo's mom, It was completely senseless and sudden, and all the streetlights in the town seemed a bit dimmer after that.

Byakuya's light was the dimmest of all, and through watching the person he loved the most dwindle, Ichigo couldn't help but to dim himself. Byakuya was never quite the same after that, but Ichigo didn't care. He didn't love Byakuya for any reason other than the fact he was Byakuya, and no matter what evolution he underwent as a result of his lover's death, Ichigo, without question or expectation, still accepted him all the same. Eventually, day by day, Byakuya seemed to brighten a little more until the sorrow he gained from Hisana's passing was more like an injury that didn't heal just right. Looking back on it, he now realized it was their relationship that rekindled the flames the Ichigo had feared he'd never again see in Bakuya. At the time, he didn't completely understand why. Neither of them really understood what exactly existed between them or how powerful it was.

Sometimes he wondered if Hisana did. She was so caught up in Byakuya Kuchiki, and who could blame her, really? Only, instead of trying to direct the attention Byakuya always spent on Ichigo towards herself, she simply stepped into their scope. Often they'd all spend time together, and never did she seem the least bit jealous about their dynamic. Never did she try to infringe on the unrelenting bond the two had. Maybe it was because, like Ichigo, she just wanted Byakuya to smile. He could imagine Hisana shaking her head in amusement, wondering when they would get it together and realize what everyone else saw clearly, that their one true loves were each other.

On occation, Ichigo thought about what would've happen if Hisana lived. Would their love ever have had the chance to manifest? Would they have even actualized the veracity of their bond? Eventually, Ichigo thought so, because's one's mind could only out run their heart for so long.

By the time he got to his family's home, an hour had passed and it all felt like an instant spent in a blur. He walked up to the door and thought about just walking it, but he decided to knock a couple of times instead.

The door swung open and standing in it, donning a big, crooked smile and uneasy eyes, was Kaien, his cousin.

"What's up, loser!" Ichigo greeted before he dropped the presents on the porch to give Kaien an enthusiastic hug. "I haven't seen you in over three years. If we didn't share the same mug, I'd forgotten your face."

Mirthfully, Kaien retuned the hug, but something about it seemed lacking and uncertain.

"The prodigal son returns. " He picked up one of the presents and nodded for Ichgio to follow. "Your dad misses you so much, he's been using me for a punching bag in your replacement."

Ichigo arched an eyebrow as he stepped into the living area. "How long have you been in town? Did the whole Shiba clan come out to celebrate the girl's graduation?"

Ichigo threw his hands in his pockets and got on his tips toes to look over Kaien's shoulder in the direction of the kitchen. "Don't tell me Kūkaku's crazy ass is here cooking. She's liable to burn down the kitchen if she's left alone."

The brunette was playing with the nape of his neck, a nervous trait they both shared, and Ichigo noticed the subtle tones of anxiety in the air, but he wasn't too sure what the apprehension was all about.

"Well, actually, Ichigo, that's what I wanted to t-"

"Look who the cat dragged in?" Karin's voice sounded as she descended from the stairs.

Ichigo smirked a bit. "Hey, is that anyway to treat your brother?"

"One's who don't come home for over two years, hell yeah!"

He handed the brightly wrapped gift over to the girl and took her look of interest as a small victory. "What about a brother who came barring gifts?"

"Yeah, I see, trying to win me over with presents. You haven't seen me in two years, so it better be something I like."

Ichigo snorted and crossed his arms. "It's a free gift, so you'l like whatever it is. Give me some credit, I know presents have no effect on you, brat."

Shifting inside the bag, she took out a book and immediately recognized it as a copy of Fragment's of Horror by Junji Ito. Ito was one of her favorite authors, and even if it was just a subtle look, Ichigo could see the genuine joy the gift brought creep upon her seemingly unimpressed glare.

"Open it up."

She eyed him dubiously, but did so. The book had been signed personally by Ito and had a hand written message just for her. She let her fingers drift over it briefly before lifting her head.

"You actually did something cool. Who would have thunk it?"

Ichigo nudged Kaien playfully. "I think what she means is thank you. What an ungrateful punk."

"Don't worry," Kaien said as he patted Ichigo on the back. "She'll mature out of it a bit. Look at you, it's only been five years since you left, and you've mellowed a lot. Definitely still my same brat cousin, but I can tell you've mature."

"Living on your own will do that," Ichigo muttered. "There's something else in the bag for you."

The girl netted her eyebrows as she stifled through the bag, only to pull out a pouch of sake. Her grin turned impish. "Oh, Ichi-Nii, I never knew you were such a bad influence. I'm sort've proud."

He grinned but then put on a serious, almost parental look. "You're going to college in Tokyo, so that bottle comes with a stipulation. Your old enough to try the stuff, but I want you to do it safely. So when you get to town, come spend a night at my place, and we'll celebrate. Oh, and I shouldn't have to tell you this, but don't tell Goat Face."

"I'm not stupid, Ichi-Nii." She shoved Ichigo affectionally on the shoulder before turning towards the clinic. "Thanks, I'm going to show dad my book. He'll freak."

Ichigo smiled as she stormed out of the room bouncier than he'd seen her in a while. Kaien smiled softly and said, "That was nice of you to do. She'll appreciate having someone she knows in Tokyo, even if she won't admit it."

Ichigo shrugged his shoulder. "That's how we communicate. Karin doesn't need to verbalize it for me to know how she feels. Anyway, what were you saying earlier?"

Kaien pitifully grappled for words, only for his awkwardness to be covered by another person entering the living room.

"Dinner is almost re-" The newcomer's words hitched in his throat as he glared up at the two cousins standing side by side, and almost simultaneously, him and Ichigo's faces morphed into flagrantly incredulous glares.

In this town of ghost, Ichigo had seen many memorials of his youth that evoked emotions from him, but none as provoking as the apparition that stood in the doorway of his childhood home mirroring his utter disbelief. In fact, he looked back at Ichigo as if he was a ghost himself, and in a way, to this man, Ichigo was.

A long time ago, they had became dead to each other's vicinity, but at least on Ichigo's part, this man had never died in spirit. Ichigo carried him everywhere. Like footprints that wore in the roads of this town, the indentions he left on Ichigo's soul were permanent.

Silently, froze in this mutual moment of stupefaction, Ichigo observed his very fleshy ghost. He wore a heather hued, stitched cardigan over a plum tunic along with an apron that sat wonderfully against his lithe hips and a dish towel that was slung across his shoulder. His silky raven hair was up in a messy bun, and he had a bit of flower smudged on his cheek. How bewitching he was, Ichigo's very tangible ghost, and although the man didn't move through walls, Ichigo was sure he himself would never be able to reach out and touch him.

Ichigo managed to swallow the lump in his throat to form words, or more accurately, one word. Finally, he rasped, "Byakuya.."