Wow…the more I type, the more Sci-fi like it feels…but I'll let you decide that. okies enjoy!

Also, Thank you SO much Lori and Inuhanyou for your inspiring reviews! It's times like these that make me proud to be a writer...sniff, sniff.

I revised this, but I can't believe nobody told me the mistake I've been making! I've been calling Ururu Uryuu by accident. I don't know, but everytime I typed her name, Uryuu came to mind. I think I used to have a friend by that name….whatever. It's fixed now.

Chapter 3

"Hm…"

Ichigo fidgeted under the scrutinizing eyes. The large female was bent over, her huge, yellow eyes scanning his minuscule body. Her pure white skin clashed with her jet black hair, and her lips painted with what seemed to be liquid gold.

Finally, she stood up to her full height of 18 feet. She turned to a male and spoke in English. Ichigo recognized the language, but couldn't grasp what she was saying.

"You've done some bad things, dear." She said in Japanese.

Ichigo looked away from her.

"But you've done so much good…that the bad has canceled out. Sort of like…a room filled with light….with but only a mere corner shrouded in darkness…" She spoke with pauses in a wistful voice. It rivaled the very sound of wind chimes.

"You are in the clear for heaven, dear." She smiled, "I'll be your Guardian Goddess."

Ichigo was confused, "Guardian Goddess?"

"Yes, dear…..Oh I DO hate to repeat myself." She sighed. Before Ichigo could say anything else she continued, "A Guardian Goddess…..is the Goddess who helps you through heaven, dear. You see, if you have a question, or perhaps you just need someone to talk to, I'm here. Also, I uphold the law in this section of heaven."

"The law?"

"PLEASE don't make me repeat myself…..I DO hate it!" She sad it so sadly, Ichigo immediately felt remorse.

"Yes….I keep the law in this section….Fuyutsuki. Even heaven has laws, dear. My name is Lilium…or at least that is what I'll like for you to call me."

"Lilium…lovely name." Ichigo whispered.

"WHY thank you!" Lilium smiled again, "Now, you run along through the white gates over there. I'm ALWAYS listening…so call if need be."

"Can I see Celeste?" Ichigo asked hopefully.

"Celeste? Is that a human you know? We can look in the books…"

Ichigo was dumbfounded. This woman was clearly a goddess, and she doesn't even know the one humans been worshipping!

"That's okay, Lilium. I'll just be going now."

"Okay…if that's what you want…"

"Yes." Ichigo said, heartbroken, "It is."

………………………………………….

"You poor, poor thing you…" The blue goddess looked over Rukia with tears in her eyes.

"So much you've been through!" She spoke quickly, each word drenched in emotion.

"If you don't go to heaven, I'd be such a horrible Goddess!"

"Nova, stop overreacting!" A male stood next to her shaking his head.

"I'm sorry Toru, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing this young human gets any more drama!"

"I understand." He turned to Rukia, "Kuchiki, isn't it? Helps those get into Soul Society?"

"Yes." Rukia replied, "Isn't heaven referred to as Soul Society?"

"Actually…there are different segments of heaven. The section you sent souls to is considered Soul Society: Home of the Shinigamis. But this section, Call the Aoi Segment, is a completely different part."

"How did I end up here?"

"Not even I know that. The human's section is randomly selected. I just write the name in the book."

Nova was sick of being silent, "Rukia, you may pass through the blue gates if you wish. If you need any help—any help at all—just call me, 'k?"

Rukia nodded. Then she asked, "Have you let anyone named Ichigo through?"

Nova thought, "Hm…Ichigo? Doesn't that mean strawberry in your language? Such an odd name…."

Rukia chuckled. She wondered how Ichigo would react to that.

"Kurosaki Ichigo?" Toru questioned.

Rukia's heart lit up, "Yes!"

"He went in through the Fuyutsuki gates. Lucky for you, it's neighboring the Aoi Segment."

Rukia nearly jumped for joy, "How do I get there?"

Toru shrugged, "I don't know, ask the locals."

"What?! How do you not know?!"

"Look, I just write in the book. Nothing else."

Rukia accepted that, "Okay."

Slowly she headed towards the gate. Before she entered, she turned and asked, "Do any of you know where I can find Celeste?"

Nova thought, "Celeste….? Hm…what is she…assuming this is a female."

Rukia, though shocked, replied, "She's a Goddess, right?"

Nova thought again. Suddenly recognition lit up her face, "Oh Celeste! The Goddess that the Nazukego overthrew. Wow…I haven't seen her in ages…approximately six years in Human time."

Rukia's heart beat wildly as she bowed, "Thank-you." In her mind ran several questions. But the main thing that stood out was:

How will I find Ichigo?

……………………………………

"We have to hurry. We wasted too much time back there!" Urahara ran ahead of the pack as they fled the burial site.

"We left a long time ago, Urahara," Orihime said, "We shouldn't have anything to worry about."

Urahara sighed, "Since we stayed so long the pets of the Joushi, the Akuma, will have our scent. We can't afford to even stay together!"

"What do you mean?" Ishida began to slow down as Urahara's words sunk in.

"You know what I meant, Ishida! We have to split!"

Orihime swallowed hard. Before she could open her mouth, Urahara yelled, "Don't say anything! Just go!"

Without thinking, Ishida and Orihime headed off in the east. The rest followed Urahara westward.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Ururu questioned.

Sado chose to ignore it. It already hurt to know that two of his friends were dead, let alone thinking ill of the ones who still lived.

Urahara, on the other hand, responded, "The best thing to do now is worry about ourselves."

Even though it sounded selfish, rude, and downright cruel; the others knew he was right. The more one pulls, the deeper the group will sink.

…………………………………………..

"Ah!" Orihime took a large gulp of air as they neared a clearing. Ishida stopped as she began to slow down.

"Do you think this is far enough?" Orihime quizzed, ready to run again.

Ishida nodded, "I think we should take a break."

They walked over to a small pond and looked into it. Their faces looked worried and frightened. Orihime's eyes were puffy from tears while Ishida's were stone cold and solemn.

"We need to find shelter soon…" Ishida quickly turned from his reflection and up at the darkening sky.

"I think that's a cottage over there…" Orihime pointed to a small house not too far off.

Ishida groaned, "You know the only people who own houses are the Zaisan-jin, the wealthy. They wouldn't spare a room to the likes of a Shuujin."

Orihime shrugged, "It's either that or wait to be eaten alive by the Akuma…."

With those as the only choices, it was quite obvious what would be selected. They trudged over to the house, fearing what's to come.

…………………………………………………

"Whoa…." Ichigo stood in awe as he looked around Fuyutsuki. True to it's name, the night sky was lit up by a bright moon, casting a beautiful glow on the snow below him. Even though it appeared to be winter, Ichigo didn't feel the need to wear a coat. It was warm out; even the snow didn't feel cold.

"Hello! You must be new, Mister."

Ichigo looked down at a boy tugging his pants legs. He had white hair and light blue eyes. His skin was pale, yet he seemed very full of life.

"What're you wearing, mister?" The boy questioned, "I've never seen this before."

Ichigo realized he was still wearing his Shuujin uniform. The pale slacks underneath the black shirt were tattered from his walk through the forest.

"Aren't you from Earth?" Ichigo asked, "This is the standard clothing all around the world right now."

The boy thought, "I'm from Lunesta."

"Lunesta?"

"Yeah, you guys call it the moon."

"Wait…how did you get here then?"

The boy laughed, "Wow, you really are new! I'll take you to my sister. She'll explain everything."

Ichigo was pulled through the streets as the boy tugged his arm. Everyone smiled and waved as they flew by.

"Here we are!" Before Ichigo knew it, the boy stopped in front of a large house. It was more like a mansion. Lights were on and silhouettes bustled about behind the windowpanes.

"Come on, mister!" The boy opened the door and pulled Ichigo inside.

"Taishou! Shkunekti warekute?!" a beautiful girl holding a wet dish yelled at the boy in a odd language. She had long, white hair that matched the boy's and silver eyes. Her skin was pale as well, but it complemented her dark nails. She wore a maids uniform of a black, short dress and a white apron.

"Nana, morukneti wa shkune!" The boy cried. The girl looked up, finally noticing Ichigo.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't notice you before!" She spoke in Japanese with a perfect accent. "My name is Nanoru…my brother calls me Nana…oh by the way, his name is Taishou…can you pronounce our names?" She spoke quite similarly to Lilium, with pauses between her words and the wistful aura, but her words were much sweeter. Her voice had the 'teenage' feel to it so she didn't sound like a woman, yet not at all like a child.

"Yes, I can pronounce it fine…Nanoru and Taishou…" Ichigo said for emphasis, "Taishou means 'symmetry' in Japanese…"

"My mother knew that," Nanoru said, "You see, I'm the oldest, also the nicest. My younger younger brother, Tknute…that's ta ni ku te, is a brat….oh I didn't mean that! He's just misunderstood!" She spoke quickly as her nervousness fueled her, "So you see, Taishou is the line between us…he's the 'symmetry'…get it?"

"Sort of…except how did your mom know that there will be three of you…and that he would be the line?"

Nanoru dried the dish in her hand, "Oh I don't know…but Lunestans breed differently than humans…I mean we have sex but…oh I'm getting off subject!"

Two people walked pass her with a large tray full of dishes. She placed hers on top and wiped her hand on her apron. "Why did you bring him here, Taishou?"

"He wanted to know how Lunestans got here…or something to that extent."

Nanoru looked at her watch, "Hm…well, my shift will be over in 10 minutes. Show him around as I finish up, okay?"

Taishou nodded and took Ichigo's hand once again, "Okay…what was your name?"

"Ichigo. Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Okay Ichigo! Let me show you Lilium's manor!"

"This mansion belongs to Lilium?"

"Yes, and we help her keep it in shape."

"So….do you get paid for this?"

"Sort of…you see, we just clean it every once in a while for thanks, you know? I mean she created Fuyutsuki, so we built her this mansion. Well, not us exactly, but the souls that have been here for along time. We just keep in shape, to keep it in short words."

"Okay…" Ichigo didn't really get, but accepted that anyway. After all, he never really understood kids.

"Good! let me show you the top floors!"

"I'm in for a loooong tour…" Ichigo thought as he allowed himself to be dragged upstairs.

……………………………………………………………

Rukia waded in the small pond. Aoi was full of them. The sun was bright and warm and children's laughter filled the air. It reminded her a lot of Soul Society.

"Excuse me." She walked up to a man holding his son's hand.

"Yes?"

"Do you know how to get to Fuyutsuki?"

"Hm…I'm not sure, but you can ask my brother. He goes there all the time for vacation."

"Thank you." Rukia began to walk off, when suddenly she remembered, "Hey, wait a minute!" She turned to see the man was gone. She sighed heavily, "Who's your brother?!"

………………………………………………………………

"Hello?"

An old lady cautiously opened the door. She gazed upon two Shuujins.

"I'm sorry if we are imposing…but…can you spare us a room for the night?" Orihime's voice was laced with sugar.

The woman looked at their clothing. "I don't want trouble…"

Ishida nodded, "Understood. Let's go Inou-"

"But I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing you guys were out in the cold. Please come in!"

She moved aside so they could enter. Their mouths fell open as they looked around the house. It looked a lot bigger on the inside than out. It had red carpeting and diamond chandeliers. A long table marked the dining room and even stairs were present, the mahogany railing looking freshly polished.

"Please make yourselves at home." The woman closed the door and stood besides them, "My name is Kaori, but that name is too young to suit me anymore. You may call me by my last name, Aomori."

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Aomori-san." Both Shuujins bowed their thanks.

"No problem at all. There is a green room upstairs that you may borrow. I live here all alone, so you shouldn't be bothered."

"We have to share a room?" Ishida asked.

Aomori nodded, "That's not a problem is it? Please let me know if it is."

Ishida began to say something, but the look on Orihime's face stopped him. She looked like she would be offended if he didn't want to share a room with her.

"No. No problem at all."

They walked up the stairs and down the hallway. For a small house, it looked more like a castle. It felt like it took forever before they reached an Emerald room.

"Oh…wow…" Orihime was in awe as she looked at the lovely room. The white walls complemented the emerald carpets perfectly. The green drapes held gold embroidery that matched the gold patterns on the carpet. The bed had a canopy that fell long over the sides, making it private. Ishida walked over to it and moved the canopy curtain. The bed was made with a white mattress and pillows. The comforter looked soft to the touch as Ishida gazed at its lush green color. The headrest was pure gold. Not a single scratch was present.

"We have to share this bed…" Ishida mumbled.

"This used to belong to my sister…" Aomori appeared out of nowhere. Ishida nearly jumped out of his skin.

"R-really?" He tried to regain his composure.

"Yes…but she was taken by the Joushi after the Nazukego declared her his wife. She was very beautiful, so I do understand…"

"Was…?"

"Oh my, yes. You see, after she got a single wrinkle on her face, the Nazukego discarded her and had her sentenced to death."

"What?!" Orihime looked outraged, "How could he!?"

"Oh…it's okay…my sister used to write me letters, telling me how she would rather die than remain his wife. I suppose she is happier now."

"What was your sister's name," Ishida asked, "Out of curiosity."

"Her name was Sora. Lovely, lovely name. She was so sweet…"

"I'm sorry to hear of her passing…" Ishida said, absentmindedly bowing.

Orihime nodded in agreement.

"Please, don't worry about it. You're too young to worry. Oh my, it's getting late. Please, enjoy the room."

Aomori bowed and left, closing the door behind her.

Ishida's heart began to pound wildly…It wasn't enough that they fled form the factory, witnessed a suicide, and spilt from their friends, but to top it all off, now he's sharing a bed with a girl. Not any girl either, but Inoue Orihime.

All there was to do now…was wait.

………………………………………………..

"How am I going to find this guy?"

Rukia's legs began to cramp as she walked mile after miles in the warm sun. No matter where she looked or who she asked, she could not find the brother of that helpful man.

"DOESN'T ANYONE KNOW HOW TO GET TO FUYUTSUKI!!?!!?!" She screamed in frustration.

"Yes. I do."

She turned to a man sitting in a pond, playing with a little girl. He didn't appear to have any relation to her (They were of different races) but he resembled a father figure.

"I go there all the time for vacation, you know, when the sun gets too warm?" He splashed some water on the blonde girl. She laughed and splashed back.

"Oh thank you! Can you tell me how to get there?" Rukia was relieved.

"Sure. Just continue westward until you reach a pink orb floating in front of a gate. Touch it until it turns blue, then open the gate. There you have it, Fuyutsuki."

"Flu you…flu you su kai?" The blonde girl tried to pronounce the word.

"No dear," The man said in perfect English, "For you, it would be Winter Moon."

"Why is it not Winter Moon for the lady?" She pointed to Rukia.

"Don't point Sarah! I'm sorry." He apologized to Rukia.

"No problem."

Rukia began to go, but she was intrigued with the conversation. Though she didn't speak English all too well, her understanding of it was adequate. She bent over and splashed some water on her face so she had an excuse to stay.

"She would call it Fuyutsuki because she speaks a different language called Japanese."

"Are you Japanese, Daddy? You guys look alike."

"Yes I am. Also, you know I'm not your father, Sarah."

"But…my Daddy…my daddy didn't come to Aoi…"

Rukia looked up. The man's eyes became solemn as he looked at the girl.

"Do you want us to find your daddy?"

"Oh please Daisuke! I'd love it!"

Daisuke stood up and took Sarah's hand. He noticed Rukia still staring at him.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Rukia apologized and stood up, "I'll be going…" She wiped the water from her face and began to leave.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Daisuke asked, coming out of the water.

Rukia stopped and thought. She surely didn't want to travel alone.

"Okay."

Sarah tugged at Daisuke's swim trunks, "What are you guys saying, Dai? I wanna know!"

"Sarah, don't be rude." He said it in a fatherly tone. Sarah instantly stopped tugging, "I'm sorry."

Daisuke smiled, "That's alright." He looked up to Rukia, "You can come over to our house. It'll just take us a second to change clothes."

Rukia nodded. 'Ichigo can wait a few seconds' she thought to herself as she followed Daisuke and Sarah.

…………………………………….

"I'm sorry it took so long!" Nanoru sat across from them on a big, velvet couch. They were in the living room area of the mansion. Ichigo, after suffering a long and boring tour of the house, was tired and glad to be sitting down.

"That's okay." He said, in complete contradiction to his true feelings.

Nanoru smiled in relief, "Now I'll explain how some different worlds can end up in heaven."

"Please do. Humans on earth know so little…I have no idea what's going on."

Nanoru nodded, "Understood. You see, Heaven is not only limited to Earth alone. As you know, you live in the Milky way galaxy, right? Well, heaven is for the entire galaxy. So if someone on Mars who was good dies, she will end up in this heaven, and not the heaven for someone in the Ktshte Galaxy, get it?"

Ichigo nodded, "Yeah…I think I do. Is anyone else around here from a different planet?"

"Well, most of the people here are from Lunesta and Earth. If you want to see people from other planets, you'd have to go to the millions of other segments of heaven."

"I don't think I have that kind of time…"

It was quiet for a while as each person thought of what to say next. Suddenly, Ichigo remembered something.

"A God or Goddess controls each section, right?"

Nanoru, relieved to start another conversation, nodded.

"Which one does the goddess Celeste control?"

Nanoru thought, "Celeste…? Hm…I believe she used to control Nova's part. Instead of Aoi, it used to be call Galexicus, which in Runa, the language we speak on the moon, means 'everything'. In English, it may resemble space and Galaxies. That segment used to be made purely of stars. The people walked on paths made of rainbows and lived within planets similar to the one their soul left. A bright sun stood at the very height of the area, lighting up every corner, and being replaced by Lunesta…I'm sorry, the moon, at the appropriate time."

"What happened to her?"

"One day a Nazukego, a godchild, as you know, became belligerent and abusive. He was the son of Celeste, and her hated her idea of a perfect world. He figured everyone should bow down to him, that they should work in his honor. So he went down to Earth, hoping to rule it, just like many a human have tried on several occasions. But, no one would take a child seriously. In order to fulfill his wishes, he used his mother to boost his authority. He created a book…the Yuubi na Hon was it? In it were experts of his mother's thoughts on the world and how to make it better, not to mention some of his own twisted ideas. This resulted in the successful takeover of Earth. This reign has lasted for approximately six years."

"What?!" Ichigo slammed his fist on the table angrily, "That bastard has been making us slaves just for his own pleasure?! Where is his mother in all of this?"

"Celeste disappeared shortly after the Nazukego left. No one really knows what happened to her."

Ichigo was furious beyond belief. He stood up, "Thank you, Nanoru."

"Where are you going?"

Ichigo thought about it. He really didn't know.

"You can stay here. Lilium doesn't mid at all."

"Really?"

"Really. You can stay in Taishou's room. He's been dying for a roommate."

Ichigo looked over at Taishou, who has been sitting silently in the couch next to Ichigo. The child smiled at him. For some reason, it made Ichigo feel uneasy.

"We're going to have fun!" Taishou jumped up and grabbed Ichigo's hand.

"Oh boy…" Ichigo groaned. This whole journey was going to be a lot longer than he thought.

………………………………………………….

"How did you two meet?" Rukia asked as she and Daisuke sat in the living room. They were waiting for Sarah to finish getting dressed. Rukia wore borrowed clothes from Daisuke's sister. It was a black, short, sleeveless dress. Daisuke was dressed in a red shirt and regular jeans. On his feet were black and red sneakers. His long hair was in a loose pony tail. He looked across the table at Rukia with his small, dark eyes.

"Well, as you see," Dai began, "Sarah died at a young age. She's five."

"Oh! I'm so sorry!"

Daisuke nodded, "She hasn't been taking it hard, though. In fact, she's pretty active for a spirit."

Both laughed. Sarah didn't seem to realize she was deceased. Despite her being merely a soul, she was still bubbly, loud, and just a bit obnoxious.

Dai continued, "Well, I noticed her on my trip to the Kaede no Mori section. She was alone, wading in a pond. In my life, I traveled across the world. I learn to speak English, Chinese, and Spanish. Of course, my native tongue is Japanese." He paused to take a sip of water. Then he continued, "Noticing her hair was blond, I figured she was American. I began speaking to her in English. She told me how the Kaede no Mori God, Green, told her that her mother was sent to Hell for misdeeds. Surprisingly, Sarah wasn't effected. In fact, she said, and I quote 'my mother was never there. She never said she loved me and I never expected it from her. If I saw her here, then the Gods have a much bigger heart than I.'"

Rukia was surprised. The way the girl behaved earlier, she would never guess she would even think that way, especially at the age of five.

"Naturally, I was shocked." Daisuke continued, "But I understood. I let her know so, and suddenly she just became…attached to me. She followed me back to my home in Aoi, and hasn't really left my side since."

Suddenly, Sarah's door busted open, "I'm ready!" She was dressed in a light blue shirt that matched her eyes. She wore capris with straw sandals that resembled Getas. Her hair was pulled back and braided.

Daisuke finished his water and stood up. "Good. Let's get going."

Rukia nodded and stood up. 'Finally' she thought, 'Finally I get to see Ichigo again!"

Well, there we have it. At first, I wasn't really feeling the different planets thing, because I'm not a big sci-fi person, but I think I added it in pretty well. Also, to get the couples straight for the romance part of the story: IchigoXRukia, IshidaXOrihime. I will include other bleach characters from time to time, but for right now, the main characters are Urahara, Sado, Ururu, Rukia, Ichigo, Ishida, Orihime, and….that's it. Another thing...personally, i think the Emerald room i described was a bit gaudy. I dunno why, but i just do. Odd, because i was trying to portray it as beautiul...whatever. Also, I called the wealthy people Zaisan-jin, which in technicality(If that's a word) is "Wealth person" or "Person from Wealth(like a place)" in the same sense as an "American" or "A person from America". I was going to just call them the Yuufuku (Wealthy), but that hardly rolls off the tongue. I mean, to me it's not easy going around saying Yuufuku when you could be saying the quicker, hip, and creative Zaisan-jin, ya know? Wow...it's like i'm trying to sell my slang... If you prefer it the other way, i'll be glad to change it. Okay, till the next chapter!