A/N: Welcome to chapter four! Once again I have to admit that I don't have anything overly important to say, so I won't waste your time with a pointless ramble. Please forgive any minor errors and/or OOCness, and, most importantly: please enjoy!

Warning: Minor spoiler(s) for the end of Arrancar Saga. (I don't actually know if that even counts as a spoiler anymore, but, better safe than sorry!) Also: Minor spoiler(s) for current manga arc (not actual plot, so much as new detail).

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to someone who is not me. (So sad…).

Holding On

Chapter Four: Reunion Confusion

"Wake up, Ichigo!" Renji's familiar voice called, piercing through the haze of Ichigo's fading dreams.

Ichigo groaned and rolled onto his back, blinking his eyes open and scowling at the sight of his friend's unmistakable red hair. "Renji? What the hell?"

"You're always so articulate in the morning," Rukia teased from somewhere to the right of the bed.

Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he propelled himself into a sitting position as he shifted to face the rest of his room. And, as he'd suspected, his eyes immediately landed on Rukia, who was leaning against his desk with a satisfied smirk on her lips. "When did you get here? What are you doing in my room so early in the morning?"

Renji snickered and stepped off of the foot of Ichigo's bed, moving to stand beside Rukia and crossing his arms in his sleeves as he said, "Well, good morning to you, too, sunshine."

Ichigo shifted, curled his fingers around the edge of his pillow, and then promptly chucked it at the larger Soul Reaper. "Yeah, yeah, good morning. Now what the hell are you two doing here so damned early?"

"It's not that early," Rukia argued as Renji sputtered and threw the pillow back at Ichigo. With a brief glance at Ichigo's clock, she added, "Your alarm was going to go off in a minute, anyway."

Before Ichigo could even formulate a response her words were proven accurate as his alarm turned on. Loud (and therefore effective) chords of music suddenly blared through the room.

With a heavy frown, Ichigo reached out and slammed his hand onto the device, silencing it. He used the following moment to gather himself, shifting so that his feet were resting on the floor.

"See?" Rukia insisted knowingly.

Releasing a breath, Ichigo said, "Yeah, okay, sorry." He paused, but before he could stop himself he quietly added, "It's good to see you guys."

The words hung in the air for several seconds, with the older Soul Reapers awkwardly looking away from their friend, their own faces contorted with frowns and distant, unfocused eyes.

Lifting his gaze from the floor, Ichigo asked, "How's everyone in Soul Society?"

"The recovery's coming along nicely," Rukia replied, her voice low but even as she managed to return her eyes to Ichigo.

After a beat, Renji met Ichigo's gaze and declared firmly, "Head Captain Yamamoto ordered Captain Kurotsuchi to look into working on a way to reverse the Memory Erosion."

Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that…possible?"

It was Rukia who answered him, her voice tight and strangely formal. "We don't know. But the Head Captain thinks it's worth looking in to."

Ichigo looked away, his eyes landing on his bare feet. "Don't get me wrong," he finally said quietly, "but I'm not gonna sit around and wait for a cure that might not happen."

"What do you mean?" Rukia asked, confused now at his response.

Ichigo's jaw ticked for a moment, and then he pushed to his feet and stepped toward his desk. He avoided their curious gazes as they moved out of his way, watching in silence. And then Ichigo easily tugged open the top drawer of his desk and withdrew a single piece of paper.

Without closing the drawer he turned and held it out to Rukia, still keeping his eyes elsewhere.

Rukia stared at the paper for a beat before carefully taking it from his hand. She ignored Renji as he leaned over her, reading over her shoulder.

Their eyes widened almost simultaneously as they read the note.

Lowering the paper, Rukia looked up at Ichigo and whispered, "Ichigo…you know there's no guarantee that this is even real, right?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the ground, but he said nothing.

Renji's voice was firm as he said pointedly, "Katou could just be toying with you. This could be his way of getting the last laugh."

"I know," Ichigo finally admitted. He lifted his head, then, and plucked the paper from Rukia's loose grip. After returning it to the drawer and sliding the drawer shut, Ichigo turned and faced his friends. "I know all that," he repeated firmly. "But it's all I have right now."

The words hung in the air for another long minute before Renji moved to stand in front of Ichigo. He clamped one hand on Ichigo's shoulder and declared, "Do what you have to. We've got your back."

"And if there's any way we can help," Rukia began, letting her words trail, knowing that Ichigo would fill in the blank appropriately.

Ichigo nodded before finally grumbling, "I have to get ready for school."

Renji stepped back and said, "I'll hang around and help with the hollows for a while."

Rukia nodded, silently echoing Renji's sentiment, and added, "We'll both help with hollows where we can. And in the meanwhile, I have to run and get my gigai from Urahara. It wouldn't do for me to be late to school, after all!"

Ichigo's head snapped in her direction, one hand wrapped around his shirt. "Late for school?" he repeated incredulously.

Rukia grinned before moving to the window. "You know you've missed my company. See you soon!"

Orihime was running late. Her cell phone had died during the night, and since she had taken to using it for her alarm clock, she had slept later than she was supposed to. And then it had taken her nearly twenty minutes to find the charger. Still, she had refused to go to school without taking a proper bath, but she had had to forgo breakfast, and now she was regretting both decisions.

Oh, I wish I could stop for a pastry! But she knew better. As it was, if she stopped for anything, she would almost surely be late to class. She hadn't been late to a class since her first year of high school, and she knew she'd be mortified to break that record now. They only had a couple of months left of school before graduation.

Reminding herself of this for the thousandth time, Orihime rounded the final corner between her apartment and the school, and what she saw nearly had her falling on her face as she came to a rapid stop. It can't be…! Her eyes must be deceiving her. And yet, when she focused, her senses confirmed what she was seeing.

There, running toward the school from across the street, was none other than Rukia Kuchiki. She was wearing a gigai, which was dressed in the school uniform, so her destination was obvious.

Excitement overwhelmed her disbelief, and Orihime called, "Rukia! Rukia, wait!"

Rukia froze, immediately recognizing the familiar voice, and slowly turned toward the source. She…recognizes me? It made no sense. She knew that Orihime – along with Chad and Uryuu – had forgotten Ichigo. But Orihime still remembered her? How is that possible?

Orihime quickly jogged up to Rukia, an honest, bright smile on her face. "Oh, Rukia, it's so good to see you! But what brings you back to our world?"

Blinking rapidly, Rukia silently prayed that she wouldn't make an ass of herself as she blurted the first thing she could think of. "Oh, I have some time off so I thought I'd check in on old friends! It's good to see you, too, Orihime!"

Excitedly curious, Orihime asked, "Will you be coming to class today? I'm sure Uryuu and Yasutora would be happy to see you as well!"

"Um, yes!" Rukia replied, trying desperately to remember who Yasutora was. That's Chad's name, isn't it? Adding an exaggerated smile, Rukia said, "But we should hurry, or we'll be late!"

Orihime's eyes widened in horror as she gasped, "Oh no! I forgot! Come on, hurry!" Even as she spoke, she reached out and grasped Rukia's wrist. Then she turned and began running toward the entrance of the school with the petite Soul Reaper in tow.

Rukia allowed Orihime to drag her toward the building, all the while trying to figure out what was going on. No matter how she thought about it, she could not figure out how or why Orihime remembered her. And obviously Orihime expected Uryuu and Chad to remember her, too.

All she could hope for was to figure it out as the day progressed.

Ichigo blanched when Orihime burst into the classroom, gasping and dragging an equally-breathless Rukia in behind her. The look of shock on Rukia's face was enough to assure Ichigo that she had no idea what was going on, but it did nothing to pacify his new bout of confusion.

"Sorry we're late!" Orihime cried between breaths, releasing Rukia to cover her stomach with her hand as she tried to regulate her breathing.

Their teacher gave Orihime a stern look and said, "You're not quite late yet, Inoue. Take your seat." Turning to Rukia, she asked, "And you would be?"

Rukia sucked in a breath, quickly composing herself, and offered a polite bow as she said, "Rukia Kuchiki. Sorry to barge in on you like this; I thought you'd be expecting me?"

The teacher blinked, and then her eyes widened. "Oh, right! I'm so sorry, I completely forgot!"

Ichigo watched, a myriad of emotions rolling through him, as Rukia was introduced to the class. A quick glance around confirmed his new suspicions: Uryuu's face portrayed familiarity as he watched. He couldn't see Chad from where he sat, but he figured it was a safe assumption that he remembered Rukia, too. How the hell does that work? None of it made any sense.

Rukia was given an open seat somewhere behind Ichigo, and for the rest of class Ichigo once again threw himself into his thoughts.

Now, on top of trying to re-bond with his friends, he was realizing that he had to worry about what they thought they remembered. He had completely forgotten that their minds would provide 'reasonable substitutions.'

That would make it even harder to insert himself back into their lives.

"So, is that Renji I've been sensing downtown?" Uryuu asked at lunch that day as the trio met up with Rukia beneath an isolated tree in the yard.

"Yes," Rukia replied, having found her composure during the morning. Though she hadn't been able to speak with Ichigo before Orihime had whisked her out of the room at the start of lunch, she was sure he would be alright with her using this opportunity to try and discern what, exactly, they remembered.

Orihime clasped her hands together in front of her chest, her eyes bright as she said, "I'm so glad you were finally able to come visit us! I mean, we completely understood that you were busy and you weren't really supposed to be here in the first place, but still it's nice to see you again! Do you think we can see Renji before you have to go back?"

A sinking feeling beginning to take over her stomach, Rukia slowly nodded, allowing her lips to curve in a smile. "Of course," she replied. "I'm sure Renji would be happy to see you all."

"And how've things been?" Chad asked.

For a moment, Rukia felt a twinge of panic. How've things been? What if I answer wrong?

She was spared, however, as Orihime almost immediately jumped in, rambling, "Oh, yes! Are they treating you alright? I know that the Head Captain said they were dropping the charges against you, but did they really? They haven't been making things hard for you, have they?"

Unable to decide if she was glad to know how to answer, or concerned about what Orihime had just revealed, Rukia managed to offer a short laugh as she replied, "Things have been going well. They really did drop the charges. In fact, I've been promoted."

Three pairs of eyes widened and Orihime said, "Really? Congratulations!"

"Yes, congratulations," Uryuu echoed. His lips curved up in the faintest of smiles and he asked, "What rank were you given?"

Smirking now, Rukia replied, "You're looking at the new Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen."

"They promoted you all the way to Lieutenant?" Chad asked, sounding mildly amazed.

"That's great, Rukia!" Orihime added immediately.

"Thank you," Rukia said. It was weird to have this conversation with them a second time – especially since their reactions had been largely the same – but it was also good to see what had and had not changed.

However, her relaxing mood was shattered when Uryuu sobered and quietly asked, "What ever happened with those Captains who defected? Have you captured them?"

Rukia was sure her stomach had fallen clear to her feet with his words. They remember Aizen's betrayal, but they don't remember the War…? The mere idea was baffling.

But she had to be sure, and so she said carefully, "Ah, well, yes, but it wasn't easy. Two of the traitors died in the fighting, and Aizen was eventually defeated and imprisoned."

A somber silence descended on the group for a moment, and, at length, Orihime softly asked, "How did Soul Society fare in the fighting?"

Rukia's response was honestly grave, if not for an entirely different reason, and she looked away as she said, "We managed not to lose any of our Captain-class Soul Reapers, but we took a lot of damage. It was a while before everyone was back on their feet."

"And you're sure it's over?" Chad asked carefully.

"Yes," Rukia assured them. Well, it's official. They don't seem to have any memory of the war.

"Help me out, Orihime," Tatsuki began as they headed towards Orihime's apartment after school. When Orihime turned a curious look to her, Tatsuki continued, "How is it you know that Kuchiki girl?"

Orihime's eyes went wide, and she pulled her lip between her teeth as she briefly debated on how to answer her best friend. I forgot that Tatsuki wouldn't remember her, she reflected. But, still, Tatsuki knows more than she did back then…so probably it would be okay, right?

"Orihime?" Tatsuki asked carefully as she watched the other girl determine her answer.

Turning an apologetic smile to Tatsuki, Orihime said, "Why don't you come in and I'll tell you all about it? Do you have the time for that, Tatsuki?"

Tatsuki's eyes shifted forward, and she realized that they were closer to Orihime's apartment than she had thought. A quick glance at her watch confirmed what she was thinking, and the karate champion turned a smile to her friend, saying, "You bet I do."

"Great!" Orihime exclaimed, jogging forward slightly and turning to run backwards as she added, "I've still got some potato-flake and peanut butter cookies, too, if you want them!"

Only her years of practice kept Tatsuki from cringing as she said, "No thanks, Orihime. I'm still full from lunch. And walk forward, for crying out loud!"

With an exaggeratedly-disappointed sigh, Orihime spun around on her heel and said, "Okay, okay!"

They laughed about something that had happened during class until they were settled in Orihime's apartment a couple of minutes later.

Orihime set a glass of water in front of Tatsuki, before setting a glass of homemade iced tea and a couple of cookies in front of her own spot. Then she tucked her legs beneath her and said, "Now, Tatsuki, keep in mind that this was a while ago, okay?"

Tatsuki frowned and lifted a suspicious eyebrow. "That's not an appealing opening."

Orihime laughed self-consciously, waving her hands around to dismiss Tatsuki's negative suspicions. "Oh, I didn't mean it that way! Just that…um, I didn't realize you could see hollows and things…and, well, actually I don't think you could back when it started."

Her face relaxing, Tatsuki looked down at her water glass for a moment and said, "Oh, I see. It's about that stuff, then?"

"Yes," Orihime admitted.

With a sigh, Tatsuki looked up again and said, "Well, alright, so how is that weird stuff connected to Rukia Kuchiki?"

"Well," Orihime began carefully, swallowing to push past her own mixed emotions over the story she was about to tell, "do you remember the night we were attacked at my apartment? In our first year of high school?"

Hesitantly, Tatsuki said, "Yeah…." She knew a little of the story, nearly all of which Orihime had told her later; she remembered very little of the night itself.

But she did know, from Orihime, that they'd been attacked by a hollow. The hollow had been after Orihime, and had turned out to be her dead brother. Orihime had never said much beyond that, other than that she knew her brother was in a better place now. Tatsuki had never asked for more.

"The part I never told you," Orihime continued, "is that I wasn't actually able to do much to stop him. It was actually Rukia who saved me."

Incredulous, Tatsuki interrupted to demand, "How did Rukia save you?"

"Eh heh," Orihime laughed, reaching up with one hand to rub the back of her head. "Well, it turns out that Rukia is a Soul Reaper. At the time she was actually trapped in, um…let's call it an artificial body. Anyway, she was stuck in that, and not able to take her actual Soul Reaper form, so it wasn't an easy fight. But she saved me, and then she healed up my injuries."

Tatsuki lifted a hand and rubbed at her temple as she closed her eyes for a long minute. At length, she replied, "So it was Rukia who taught you about hollows and Soul Reapers?"

"Um, sort of?" Orihime hedged awkwardly. Quickly, she added, "Rukia did teach me a little, but I actually learned a lot about it all from Mr. Urahara, and from when I went to Soul Society that one time!"

"So what's Rukia doing at the school?" Tatsuki asked curiously, letting her hand drop and come to rest on the table.

"Oh, she says she's in town for a few days or so," Orihime replied easily. "She's on vacation and so she thought she'd come check in with us."

"And by 'us' you mean you, Uryuu, and Yasutora, right?" Tatsuki asked, recalling that Orihime had travelled with the two men to Soul Society.

Orihime nodded. "Yep," she said. Her eyes brightened and she added, "Oh, and she came back with Renji, too! Maybe I can introduce you to them both!"

It was Tatsuki's turn to hesitate. With one eyebrow raised curiously, she slowly asked, "Renji?"

With another laugh, Orihime explained, "Renji is another Soul Reaper. We befriended him while we were in Soul Society; he's actually the one who physically rescued Rukia. He and Rukia are childhood friends."

"Right, okay," Tatsuki said with a short nod. Adding a partial shrug, she said, "Well, maybe we can work that out. I'd like to meet your friends." She paused, then, before another thought struck her and she couldn't help but ask, "How did Uryuu and Yasutora meet her, though?"

Orihime lifted a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, if I remember right, Yasutora met Rukia shortly after I did…I think his bird was possessed or something like that. Anyway, he and Rukia fought together to save the bird from a nasty hollow."

Tatsuki shook her head slowly. Only in Orihime's crazy world would a possessed bird even be possible. "And Uryuu?" she asked after a beat.

Orihime launched straight into the story, clearly more familiar with these details. "Oh, well, Uryuu confronted Rukia about being a Soul Reaper after school one day. In fact, it wasn't long at all before Rukia was dragged back to Soul Society. And he tried challenging her to some sort of competition, but Rukia didn't want to do it – mostly because it would have been wrong, but also partly because she didn't have much of her Soul Reaper power left at that point."

"Wait," Tatsuki interrupted, "why didn't she have her power?"

"Um, when Rukia first came to Karakura Town she was injured by a hollow," Orihime explained, temporarily pursing her lips as she thought back. "She was saved by Mr. Urahara, and that was when she was given the artificial body. It was supposed to help heal her and allow her to rest while she recuperated, but it ended up being a deficient model – or so she thought – and she got stuck in the body. And while she was stuck, it actually started draining her power instead!"

Tatsuki frowned. "That sucks."

Orihime nodded. "Mhmm. In fact, because her power was so depleted, when Soul Society finally caught up to her, they even accused her of transferring her power to a human! That was why she was arrested, and why the three of us went to save her. We knew she was innocent, and Yasutora and I owed her our lives, anyway. Plus, Uryuu wanted revenge against Soul Society, and even though he wouldn't admit it, I knew all along that he was worried about Rukia, too."

Orihime paused only long enough to take another swallow of her drink before she added, "But it turned out that the deficient body was actually a trap by a bad guy that Soul Society didn't realize they had at the time – he manipulated everything, even the hollow that injured her that night. To be honest, that's still a little confusing, but at least it's all been put to rest now."

Tatsuki nodded, opting to agree with the statement. She figured she only actually understood about half of what Orihime had just said, but hopefully it was the half that mattered. "I still can't believe you went through all of that in just a couple of months."

Orihime laughed lightly. "Yeah, sometimes it's a lot to think about! But…I wouldn't have all the friends I have if not for all of that. I wouldn't even have my Shun Shun Rikka. So it was completely worth it!"

Tatsuki allowed a small smile to curve her lips. "That's good at least."

"Nothing?" Ichigo asked after Rukia recanted her earlier conversation with the others.

Rukia slowly shook her head. "They barely even remembered Aizen's name."

Ichigo drew in a deep breath, letting his head fall back as he stared up at the sky.

The sun was setting now, and the sky was still alight with different colors. He felt like he could only see them through a screen – like he was watching it on television. The breeze lifted and danced through his hair, playing with the loose sleeves of his shihakushou, but that, too, felt distant.

Renji, standing beside Rukia and opposite Ichigo on the rooftop, exchanged a knowing look with his long-time friend before looking forward again and carefully asking, "Have you tried just approaching them and telling them that they've lost their memories? They're reasonable people, if you explain the situation they might be willing to work with you."

"Renji," Rukia cautioned softly.

Before she could say another word, Ichigo returned his focus to them and met Renji's gaze. Scowl deepening, he said, "I thought about it. But that would probably just blow up in my face. If any of them believed me, things would still be awkward and forced. Not that it matters, because probably they wouldn't. And then I'd never be able to get close to them."

Renji heaved a sigh and planted his hands on his hips. "Yeah, you're probably right. It was a stupid idea."

Ichigo turned and stepped towards the edge of the roof, putting his back to his two remaining friends. The wind increased, whipping at his loose clothing, the tips of his hair, and the strap around Zangetsu's hilt.

Voice tight but firm, Ichigo said, "While you're here, there's a favor I need to ask of you both."

Exchanging another silent look with Renji, Rukia slowly asked, "What is it, Ichigo?"

Ichigo's hands curled into fists at his sides, but his voice remained steady when he spoke again. "They still remember you. They still trust you. They won't question it if you show up to fight alongside them or protect them. I'll do what I can from a distance, but we all know it won't be that easy. If you could…just watch their backs for me."

Both Renji and Rukia averted their gazes from the sight of their friend, standing against the increasing wind, and found themselves staring at the concrete beneath their feet.

"We will, Ichigo," Renji promised after several seconds.

Ichigo lifted his head again, this time closing his eyes and attempting to focus on the wind as it moved across his face. He tried to feel its caress, to breathe in the fresh, crisp air.

But the air tasted stale and the only thing he felt was the weight in his stomach.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Wow…this chapter was strangely hard to write…but hopefully it was easy to read! And I hope I didn't get too confusing, either! I was trying to show in more detail how the memory-loss is actually affecting them (*cough*Orihime*cough*) – so hopefully that came out alright! LOL Anyway, please take a moment to send me a review letting me know what's working, what isn't, or just what you're thinking! And come back soon for chapter five!