Origin

Things in the real world are beginning to change and when Yamamoto hears about a ship leaving earth to explore the unknown he knows he wants a shinigami on that ship.

Disclaimer- I do not own bleach or Star Trek

I apologise for the long gap- I hope you all weren't too shocked about getting an alert! Thanks to all those who have added to update alerts/favourites since I stopped keeping updates you have kept this story on my radar – I did just start writing as saved on my laptop (due to a serve meltdown) I only had half of the previous chapter so I was just re-writing it before I checked online and realised- I knew I had written this before! So some time wasted but I can finally move the story to where I want it and gets the good stuff happening!
Anyway enough of me- Enjoy!

Chapter 3 – Taking the leap

It had not taken Urahara long to make the gigai however it was still a few hours before Ichigo had managed to escape, the older shinigami had insisted on checking he was ready with various fights and exercises. He had also been placed under a powerful limiter so as not to affect the humans on the ship- Ichigo still had far too much reiatsu for his own good and they didn't want any more Orihime's and Chad's happening as Ichigo was to be kept in a small space on a ship it was highly likely he may affect the entire crew, and since he was only needed for Konso and getting an update from the team at Terra Nova there was hopefully no need for his Shikai no mind his Bankai.

Checking his gigai was still in his pocket he was relieved when he felt the tube shape, he wouldn't have put it past the older man to steal it back off him to plan a surprise attack upon his re-entry. Over the years Urahara had managed to combine the technology of his inflatable gigai onto normal gigai's meaning shinigami's wouldn't have to lug about a body of themselves all the time, and allowing for storage if they didn't require their gigai's for some time, he also had had a spare made in case he needed it despite Urahara's insistence it wasn't needed, Urahara had kept that one, insisting that if it was really needed he could send a lower seat with it.

Personally He was starving his stomach rumbling with the pain of having missed lunch, however he had priority's. He started off heading to his and Rukia's home to pack a few things, he wouldn't have much to pack, the majority of his stuff from home being pictures and his communicator. He would probably have to buy most things when he got there, clothes for one- His gigai only having the one set, which I'm sure would go noticed especially when he was just on earth reintegrating himself with the newer customs- he knew a lot had changed since he had died, he was glad to have missed some things though. World war 3 for one.

It didn't take him long to pack when he got there, it took him longer to find a bag to put everything in- neither him or Rukia had travelled to the real world in quite some time once he had found one wedged under the bed, he dusted it off coughing at the cloud it produced and put everything he had collected into the bag- His wedding photograph along with a picture of his family back from when he was alive – he was tempted to take more photographs but he knew Rukia would want to keep some, his communicator a spare uniform and his pillow. He had small comforts in life and that pillow was one of them, he refused to go on his first mission without it- no matter how stupid it seemed and the fact it barley fit into his bag, making it bulge out and the zip barley close, but he didn't care. He placed the bag by the front door and then went to exit – he planned to visit Unohana first after lunch- he had plenty of medical skills from the real world that were forever ingrained in his head but he wanted a quick crash course before he left on shinigami aliments in case he hurt his spirit self or the people on Terra Nova needed help too- he knew they had been sent with a member of 4th squad but with no contact anything could have happened to them.

He had just stepped outside the door when an officer from 1st squad shunpoed in front of him for the second time that day.

"Yamamoto-Taicho wishes to speak with you"

Ichigo's stomach growled in annoyance before he did, the un-seated officer shot him a nervous look looking very much like she wanted to be anywhere else but in front of the 5th seat captain.

"Alright is he in his office?" Ichigo questioned with a sigh, lunch would have to wait. The shinigami nodded the affirmative and Ichigo nodded to dismiss her and she vanished off to deliver the next message.

Since it hadn't been mentioned if the meeting was urgent or not Ichigo was tempted to get lunch first but he did not want to keep the head Taicho waiting so shunpoed quickly to the office and knocked. He heard an affirmative grunt to enter from within and Ichigo stepped into the office again, he wondered if this was the first time since the war a captain had been called in twice.

"Ichigo-Taicho" Yamamoto greeted extending a hand for him to sit down, "I have good news" Ichigo raised his eyebrow but did not prompt the older captain to continue, Yamamoto took a deep breath and continued,

"Shinigami down on earth have secured you a medical internship for 3 months, there you will carry out your wishes and get integrated again with the real world" Ichigo smiled excitement flooding his system but he did not speak allowing yamamoto to continue,

"However soon as the ship is due to launch you will fake your own death and join the ship in gigai, is that clear Kurosaki- Taicho?" Ichigo looked up and into the older taichio's eyes, he did not often use last names if only to get a point across and Ichigo had received it- make no permanent attachments.

"Perfectly clear Taicho" Ichigo repeated unable to hide the smile that appeared on his face soon after, "When do I leave?"

"Are you packed?" Yamamoto countered

"Yes" Ichigo replied thinking of the gigai in his pocket and his bag with a pillow stuffed into it.

"Then as soon as you have finished your goodbyes" finished Yamamoto-Taicho, "Sasakibe has your details and accommodation arrangements"

"Thanks Taicho" Ichigo stated getting up from the chair that he had barley sat in, yamamoto just watched him with his gaze before replying,

"Do Soul Society proud" he commented before dismissing Ichigo with a nod and going back to sorting the paperwork on his desk. Ichigo smiled when he saw it was one of Yachiru's drawing's before turning and letting himself out and going into the office next door, Sasakibe's

He didn't really acknowledge Ichigo as he entered, busy with paperwork himself he just indicated the stack at the far corner of his desk that Ichigo saw his name on, he picked them up and flicked through them before looking up at Sasakibe,

"Thanks"

The lieutenant just nodded at him not looking up from his work in front of him, Ichigo grimaced at the complicated work before turning and leaving his office too, his stomach then took the opportunity out of the silent offices to remind him what he had missed earlier and chuckling to himself, Ichigo shunpoed away to get himself some good food tucking the paperwork into his clothes beforehand.

_

Phlox was lost.

The kind receptionist had signed him in and given him a badge to wear to get around the building and that was now pinned to his also brand new lab coat that indicated where he was from as it was written on the back, Phlox thought this to be stupid as after all he was an alien in the biggest medical facility on earth, however he was rather pleased it also had his name sewn into the material but this was not the current issue.

She had given him directions but they had involved him using the stairs and rather exhausted from lugging the cages about he had taken the lift which was located on the opposite side of the ground floor. And his plan of working the directions backwards had failed and he had not spotted any other scientist on his floor yet and he was sure he had traversed the entire of the complex. In the end Phlox picked the nearest door and knocked.

There was an annoyed clatter from within and a red faced scientist roughly threw open the door,

"What?" He snapped and then looked Phlox up and down in surprise and his tone changed instantly,

"What can I help you with?"

Phlox opened his mouth to speak but was saved when a voice interrupted them, "Phlox!"

Phlox turned and was very happy to see the smiling face of Dr Lucas, "Sorry Turnbull" He spoke to the scientist who was still rather pink from being disturbed he grunted and shut the door again,

"Come on" Dr Lucas started picking up some of the cages, "I went looking for you when I realised you hadn't turned up yet, I wanted to give you a quick tour of your lab before I started work" The doctor continued rambling and Phlox found it hard to keep up with the quick English but nodded along anyway so far this man was his only friend.

They reached the end of the corridor and too the stairs and Phlox had to interrupt the good doctor, "I thought my office is on floor 17?" he questioned wondering if he had got his numbers wrong on in the lift,

"Oh it is" Dr Lucas replied un-fazed about being cut off mid ramble about why the walls in this building were orange rather than the usual medical blue, "It's just sort of on the stairs"

Phlox assumed he had translated the doctors English wrong and didn't reply until they had descended about 10 stairs onto a landing before the stairs descended further at a right angle Dr Lucas turned and Phlox followed his eye line to a door inside a little alcove from the stair well.

Dr Lucas took out his ID card from the case that hung around his neck and swiped it on the card reader beside the door, Phlox regarded the door and on it was written 17-01, he assumed that meant the 17th floor first office- this peculiar entrance explained why so far he had been unable to find it and why the receptionist had directed he take the stairs.

Snapping himself out of it he entered his new office behind the other doctor and blinked a little in the darkness his senses having not caught up having gotten used to the brightly lit corridors. He didn't have to worry as soon Dr Lucas had turned the lights on and his lab was as bright as the corridors outside.

It was a small lab, just enough for 2 people to work comfortably he suspected but with his cages it might make working difficult with 2 people, he was about to ask if his space was shared but the ever cheery Dr Lucas distracted him,

"What's all these cages for then?" he inquired lifting the closest one to his eye line and hastily putting it back down again when the clatter from within sounded menacing,

"They're pets but they have excellent medical property's" Phlox started glad for once to be able to talk, "Theses slugs for example" he lifted up the top cage, "Have amazing healing properties as they absorb some of the enzymes in the skin"

He went on to explain the majority of the others before an exclamation from Dr Lucas stopped him the kind doctor having just spotted the clock on the wall.

"Ever so sorry Phlox, I'm late for a meeting" he moved to get past Phlox for the entrance, "Enlightening conversation however" he beamed "Have to finish filling me in when I next pop in"

and with those words he vanished leaving Phlox alone in his new lab, he decided to take over the far bench with all his animals making sure the cages were in the right order, the dodjan slugs kept as far away from the sunlight streaming in from the window as possible and his other animals that posed risks to each other kept separate by the creatures they had no appeal too, he didn't want his bats somehow reaching though the bars for his slugs.

Happy with the arrangement he had set them in he turned to the rest of his lab, he hadn't been given a project yet but he assumed he would soon enough once he had been given time to get settled, he had a lot to offer humanity in medical knowledge they hadn't branched into yet- he was a doctor that was in quite a high position back on Denoblia hence why he had been chosen for the programme. He was looking forward to researching properties of earth creatures in medicine as well as collecting more from other worlds to try out, it was his field of expertise and he had heard interesting things about horns from creatures on earth- He himself had not considered using the animals himself just the properties of the creatures themselves so he was interested in finding out more about that.

Also he wanted to meet a dog; apparently these creatures had amazing healing abilities from a few magazines he had read on the shuttle ride from Denoblia.

He stopped his pondering momentarily and began setting out his personal effects, pictures of his 3 wives and various sons and daughters he placed on the windowsill that overlooked the large complex. He figured this would be the safest place to prevent them being covered in spillages, he left the majority of the window sill free though in case he did have to share his lab, he silently berated himself for not asking Dr Lucas when he had the chance.

-

Ichigo now had no reason to stall, he had visited Unohana and gained knowledge on how to heal himself and others, and also he had exchanged a private goodbye with his wife moments earlier she refused to watch him go through the gate- he had expressed she could visit anytime while he was in the real world in gigai and she had perked up a bit at that but had still hit him at the innuendo that later followed he was still smirking about that in his head, he had exchanged a brief goodbye with Matsumoto when she had caught him walking to the gate she had cried in outrage that he was going now and that she had missed her chance to drag him out shopping, Ichigo at that was rather tempted to shunpo through the gate now before she realised it was volunteer he was leaving earlier than he needed and take him anyway.

He had also exchanged a goodbye... well a nod with Toshiro before he vanished quickly back to his office, Ichigo found this curious as he seemed to be avoiding him for the last few weeks- more so than normal, Ichigo hadn't managed to get close enough to play ruffle his hair in awhile, he had thoughts to set Matsumoto spying on him to find out exactly why but then soon set his thoughts back to the mission.

The gate would deposit him at a transport pad where he was to travel from Japan to America, he assumed this had been set up so that there was record of his travel and plus Ichigo was excited to travel via transport, he had never been in a plane when he was alive and to have the opportunity to go into something more advanced than a plane was a little dream come true, he assumed he would get used to it but right now he felt like a little kid at Christmas.

Stealing one last breath in soul society he looked about one last time checked though his belongings in his head and then shunpoed through.