Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters, everything belongs to Tite Kubo and the Viz media company.
A/N: Yeah…things might get a little repetitive and start to form a pattern in this story. It's a really bad habit of mine that I just can't seem to break. In other future stories (if you're interested of course) I'll try not be to this way. Also on other note this is where I being the zanpakuto pairing, remember if you want kisses and sappiness then they are your pairing. Hopefully it'll grow on you if you're willing to try. Enjoy!
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Chapter 5: Yep, This Is Just The Beginning
"Oh dear, not again," Unohana sighed as she waited for the fainted boy to wake up. It seems that every time she tried to remind Ichigo of something he would pass out the next second. How could she gain any progress at this rate?
A small groan was heard and she smiled at the young boy. "What happened?" he yawned as if he woke up from a nap.
"Do you remember my question Ichigo?" Unohana inquired the small boy.
Ichigo rubbed his eyes and blinked, "I'm sorry I must have fallen asleep."
She found this pattern irritating yet endearing at the same time. Each time she asked a question that had to do with anything with him being sixteen he would faint on the spot and forget the next moment. Yet each time the boy woke up he apologized sweetly while making gestures people would normally make when first waking up such as rubbing their eyes or stretching. The fourth captain quickly scribbled a few notes on her clipboard and sweetly smiled at the boy in front of her.
"Ichigo, when you woke up earlier this afternoon before you first left here; what was the first thing that came to you mind?" Unohana questioned. The boy blinked then crossed his arms in a thinking position while looking up.
"Um…I thought of my mom," he answered.
"Could you tell me about you mother?" she spoke in a soft tone.
Ichigo smiled as he started swinging his legs. "My mom is the best mom in the whole world! She's nice and kind and she takes good care of my sisters and me. Oh! She also takes care of goat face," he grinned.
"Goat face?" Unohana slightly giggled.
Ichigo nodded and chirped, "That's what I call my dad!"
"Well Ichigo sounds like you have a good family," Unohana complimented as she wrote a few more notes. It appears that Ichigo could remember his family when he was younger. Anything that tried to trigger his other memories the boy would faint. She looked up and the woman blinked. "Is there something wrong Ichigo?" she asked in concern. The suddenly smiling boy now had a face of gloom. It looked like the boy would break into tears at any second.
"I'm never going to see my family again," Ichigo sniffed as he rubbed his sleeve across his face, "Karin and Yuzu…goat face and mom…"
A frown reached the woman's face, this boy…as a young man he seemed strong and unbreakable but as a boy he was extremely fragile. She wrote another note on the clipboard and sighed as she put her pen down. The fourth captain got out of her seat and sat down beside of the young Ichigo as he started wiping his tears away.
"There are a lot of people here that lose their families," Unohana told the young boy, "Then they form new families with other people."
"Do they ever find them again?" Ichigo sniffed as he looked up tears shimmering in his eyes.
"It's very rare but it's not impossible," Unohana told him as she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Even if you never meet them again you have friends here that treat you like family. So you wouldn't have to feel lonely."
The young boy sniffed as he recalled Zangetsu saying the same thing earlier. "Captain Unohana, do you think I'll remember everyone?" Ichigo asked.
"Course you will," the captain said then patted his head. "Do you think you can answer one last question before I go get you something to eat?" she asked as she walked over to the door.
"What is it?" Ichigo replied.
"Do you still remember the date of your last memory?" Unohana said as she had her pen read to write the date.
"Uh…June 17th when my mom and me were walking from the dojo in the rain," he answered.
"Thank you Ichigo, you wait right here and I'll go get you something to eat. Would you like some mild curry?" she offered as she wrote the date on her clipboard.
"Yes please!" he gratefully accepted.
"Just wait for me right here and I'll be right back," Unohana instructed as she closed the door behind her. As soon as she closed it Renji and Rukia stood up from the bench they were sitting at.
"How is Ichigo Captain Unohana?" Renji asked the fourth division captain.
"It seems trying to trigger his memory overwhelms him and puts him in a state of shock. Try not to push too hard or he may faint," she warned them.
"We won't Captain Unohana, thank you," Rukia bowed gratefully.
"Miss Kuchiki can I ask you a question?" Unohana politely asked as she clicked her pen and held it ready to take notes.
"Yes Captain Unohana," she permitted.
"What is the significance of June 17th to Ichigo Kurosaki?" she inquired.
Rukia widened her eyes as her fingers started to twitch. "June…17th?" she repeated.
"Yes Miss Kuchiki," Captain Unohana confirmed.
Rukia furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at the floor. The soul reaper clenched her hands into fist as she tried to steady them. "June 17th…is the day Ichigo's mother died," Rukia answered.
"Thank you Miss Kuchiki," Unohana said as she wrote it down on her clipboard.
"Wait, that's isn't all," Rukia said as she lifted her head back up. They waited until she regained her composure to hear her answer. "When Ichigo woken up near the riverbed he was under his mother's dead body, then for six years Ichigo blamed himself for his mother's death. It was until a short time after he first gained his powers from me that he found out the truth," she said then took a deep breath, "his mother…was killed by Grand Fisher."
Renji widened his eyes, "G-Grand Fisher?"
Rukia nodded sadly, "The same one…"
"Thank you Miss Kuchiki. You may go inside and see Ichigo now," she permitted. They both headed inside leaving Unohana outside in the hallway. She wrote down what she had just heard then sighed. It must have been such a traumatic event…no wonder he couldn't remember up to that day. She continued down the hall, she still needed to go get something for Ichigo to eat.
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"Wha? So that's how Byakuya's inner world is? That's sad!" Ichigo pouted.
The samurai that sat in front of him chuckled, "At first I thought the trees would never bloom again but I started noticing small buds. You just have to look close enough to see them."
"Then they'll bloom?" Ichigo asked with hope.
"Hopefully yes," the samurai nodded.
"Look! You're smiling!" Ichigo smiled himself as he swung his legs.
"Y-You can tell?" Senbonzakura gasped.
"Huh? Isn't smiling a good thing?" Ichigo blinked in confusion.
"It is but…I would never have guessed you'd be observant enough to know what I'm feeling through my mask," the zanpakuto spirit commented as he tapped the mask. He was astonished by how sharp the boy was at perceiving emotions. Was he as good when he was older? If so then-
"Senbonzakura, can I ask you a favor?" Ichigo interrupted his thoughts.
"Go ahead, what do you need?" the zanpakuto asked.
"Can you ask Zangetsu if he's okay for me? I can't seem to reach him after he's been out here," Ichigo said as he held out his zanpakuto.
"I can try," Senbonzakura gestured to give him the sword. Once it was placed in his hands, the samurai relaxed and concentrated. When he opened his eyes once more he gasped at scenery he was surrounded in.
The zanpakuto spirit was now staring up at a blue sky and when he looked at his feet he could see reflections. Looking around he realized he was standing on tall buildings covered with windows and when he turned around there was a modern street below. Somehow he was standing sideways on a building without falling! How could this be?
Remembering his earlier promise he looked around for any sign of the zanpakuto spirit. There was no sign of a man with a flowing cloak, just buildings. He took a few steps forward and marveled the world around him. Was this what a modern city looked like? What would it look like if he saw it from the street below? Walking down the side of the building he eventually reached the street and he reached a hand towards it. The samurai gasped as another hand covered his wrist and he turned and faced the other.
"Zangetsu? Is that you?" Senbonzakura asked as he looked at the figure that stood behind him. They had the hood drawn up and the cloak flowed out and moved despite the lack of a breeze. A groan emitted from the figure the other arm reached down and pulled down the hood. Instead of a man with facial hair he saw a young teen. He still had the same tousled brown hair and shade that covered his eyes yet…the other spirit's eyes remained closed as if he had been moving in his sleep.
Zangetsu had once again groaned and then opened his eyes slowly to look at the person he held. "Senbonzakura?" Zangetsu asked still groggy from his sleep, "What are you doing here?"
The samurai turned but didn't pull his arm away, "Ichigo sent me. How are you?"
"Mm, I was just sleeping," the now young spirit replied, "I'm still trying to recover."
"What happened to you?" Senbonzakura asked in concern as he noticed a wound on the teen's wrist. The samurai moved closer and examined the wound.
"I was battling Hozukimaru and his partner to gain the attention of the soul reapers. I used up every ounce of energy I had to materialize and fight them," the teen covered another yawn with his other hand.
"Can't you materialize properly?" the noble's partner asked.
"No…"Zangetsu replied as he started to sway. The cloaked teen started to fall but the samurai had caught him. Only then did Zangetsu realize they were both holding onto each other and started to blush.
"Are you getting sick?" Senbonzakura asked as he put a hand on Zangetsu's forehead, "you feel a little warm."
"Tired," the sword excused, "We need to move away from the street."
"Why did you stop me earlier?" Senbonzakura inquired the younger spirit as he slung the cloaked arm over his shoulder and wrapped an arm around the waist.
Zangetsu started to feel himself getting flushed and placed his hood back up again. "I had to, that part has become unstable since Ichigo has turned younger. It leads to another world full of pain and scattered memories," Zangetsu replied.
"Have you gone past it?" the samurai asked.
"Only once…I nearly drowned until the hollow had to save me," the teen growled.
"Where is the hollow anyway?" the spirit started looking for any trace of a hollow.
"On the other side, that's where the hollow lives. He thrives on pain," Zangetsu snorted.
"So why hasn't the hollow crossed if the boundary between his world and yours is unstable?" Senbonzakura inquired as he moved them farther away from the boundary.
"We each thrive in our separate worlds. If he were to cross into my world I would have to give him permission or based on Ichigo's control over the hollow," he explained.
"Is this far enough?" the samurai asked.
"Yes, thank you," Zangetsu nodded. The samurai had gently laid him down and if he ever lifted his head he would see the sky. The elder spirit had sat up and watched the sky as the clouds moved by.
"This world of yours fascinates me. I've always wondered what a modern world looked like," the spirit complimented.
Zangetsu sighed, "All there is are buildings…I've always preferred greenery."
The samurai looked at the cloaked teen. He couldn't see half of Zangetsu's face with the hood drawn up. He would almost give anything to have the same ability Zangetsu's master displayed earlier. "Maybe you could come over and visit my world sometime, the cherry blossom trees have started to grow blossoms again," Senbonzakura offered.
Zangetsu turned his head toward the samurai and a smile formed on his lips, "I would like that."
"Get some rest," the samurai advised as he stood up, "You need rest."
"Senbonzakura, thank you for your company," Zangetsu's voice was almost a whisper.
"Thank you as well, if you hadn't stopped me I would have drowned," Senbonzakura bowed and started scattering into cherry blossoms. As he left he could have sworn Zangetsu said something else.
"I would have saved you anyway," the teen muttered. At that moment Senbonzakura felt his cheeks flush.
88 Earlier when Rukia and Renji entered Ichigo's room 88
"How are you Ichigo?" Rukia asked as Renji slid the door behind him.
"I'm fine," Ichigo smiled.
"Why is Senbonzakura materialized?" Rukia asked. She looked at the silent samurai; the samurai being so calm and silent was often rare, that held Ichigo's zanpakuto.
"We were talking when I asked him to see how Zangetsu was doing," Ichigo answered.
"Tired Ichigo?" Renji asked as he sat himself down in a chair.
Ichigo yawned, "A little."
"You ran all over the Seireitei while we were busy trying to find you. We're all a little tired," Renji said as he leaned back in the chair and stretched.
"More like Renji slacked off a little while I was mostly looking for you," Rukia teased.
"Hey! I looked as hard as you did!" Renji objected.
"Sure, that stew wasn't your extra lunch," Rukia flapped her hand.
"You guys were looking for me?" Ichigo questioned.
"Of course we were! We're your friends buddy," Renji said as he set the chair's legs down.
Ichigo's lips thinned, "I'm sorry but…I can't remember anything."
"It's all right Ichigo," Rukia pardoned, "You can just start trusting us okay? We won't let anything or anyone hurt you."
The door slid, Unohana came in with a warm pot of curry and Isane came behind her with a pot of rice. "I've made sure to bring some for everyone just in case you all were hungry," Unohana announced as she placed her pot and Isane's on top of a large coaster. "I'm sorry Miss Kuchiki but could you serve some for Ichigo? I have to send my report to the head captain then immediately go treat some patients," Unohana asked.
"It's all right. I'll serve everyone," Rukia gladly stepped forward and grabbed a plate and a serving spoon. The captain left with her lieutenant and Rukia opened the two pots. A wonderful scent of curry wafted into the room and Rukia started serving some for Ichigo.
"Renji can you make some tea for us?" Rukia asked the red head.
"Sure," Renji got up and started looking for tealeaves.
"There you are Ichigo," Rukia held out a plate for the boy. Ichigo thanked her and started eating right away. After running around the Seireitei on an empty stomach no wonder he was so hungry!
"Found them!" Renji stated proudly as he held up the tealeaves.
"Want some Renji?" Rukia offered.
"Maybe later," Renji said as he started looking for the teapot.
"Suit yourself," Rukia shrugged as she served some for herself. The clank of armor had alerted them Senbonzakura had returned. Ichigo blinked, was the samurai blushing again? What for?
"How's Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked not commenting on the blush.
The samurai spirit rubbed the back of his neck, "He's fine, just a bit tired from battling Hozukimaru earlier."
"Thank you Senbonzakura," Ichigo whispered.
"No problem little one," Senbonzakura chuckled as the small boy puffed his cheeks and glared. He ruffled the hair lightly and started to turn into a sword once more. Ichigo caught the zanpakuto then gently placed it beside Zangetsu.
"So how does it feel to hold onto Byakuya's sword Ichigo?" Rukia asked.
"It makes me feel happy," Ichigo answered, "Senbonzakura is a really nice person and is fun to talk to."
"Huh? Zabimaru keeps telling me how Senbonzakura is too overzealous and causes trouble," Renji flapped a hand.
"Over…zealous?" Ichigo repeated with a tilt of the head.
"He means that Senbonzakura gets too excited over everything Ichigo," the young Kuchiki explained. After telling Ichigo to finish his meal they started to talk about normal everyday things. The atmosphere was warm yet Ichigo still felt something missing. He looked over at Byakuya's zanpakuto and smiled. If only he could share it with the two zanpakuto and Byakuya…
"It feels like I'm forgetting something," Renji said as he scratched his head.
"You're always forgetting something Renji," Rukia took a sip of her tea, "What is it this time? Your paperwork?"
"Nah, something else," Renji said as he crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows in thought.
"I think I forgot something too," Ichigo agreed.
"Was it that important?" Rukia asked the two.
"I don't think so," Renji sighed and gave up. Ichigo shrugged and went back to eating his second helping of curry.
88 Back at the pit 88
"Almost… there!" one of the men groaned as he tried to reach the top of the pit.
"Hurry up! I don't think we can wait all day," the one below him said.
"Hey look! There's a ladder!"
"What? Where?"
The trio toppled into the garbage again. Karma had now taught them a lesson, never mess with a little Ichigo.
88 Back When Byakuya Left 88
The noble strolled across the Seireitei as he was making his way towards the head captain's office. He tried to keep his mind clear of any thoughts but a certain orange haired boy kept entering them. Why couldn't he stop think about the boy? It had just been one simple hug yet…why was he so unsure of what to do? The noble could have returned it, yet it would say a lot about him. A pat on the head could have been enough, but what had stopped him from returning a simple gesture? Fear?
The heir of the Kuchiki clan sighed inwardly. Why had his mind settled on such thoughts? Composure, he had to maintain his composure. He had to maintain the reputation of the Kuchiki clan…yet felt tired of restraint. His mind then wandered to Ichigo as a young teen. Ichigo had freedom, something which he had lately desired. The first time they had clashed swords he realized how restrained he was from his promises. Rukia could have died and he would have let her all because of his promise to his parents to uphold the law, yet he would have broken Hisana's promise to protect Rukia.
Ichigo was a strong, determined, stubborn young man, yet here he was a small, fragile, sweet, and innocent child. They had their similarities such as their bright orange hair and warm brown eyes of course along with how they were kindhearted yet the two were so different in so many ways. As a teen he would always step forward and not show a hint of fear to the person he was facing, as a child he was shy and was unsure of how to approach someone. Nothing had seemed to break the sixteen-year-old substitute soul reaper and if something did he would stand up stronger than before, as a nine-year-old boy he seemed almost too fragile and had to be handled delicately. Kurosaki seemed to always wear a scowl yet as a boy…he was full of smiles. How could this be the same Ichigo Kurosaki already he knew? How could that smile be torn away? What had changed him to become they way he was now?
Why did he keep thinking about him? It was frustrating!
The sixth division captain couldn't be thinking of this now, he had a report to give to the head captain. Soon Ichigo would be away from him and would be out of his thoughts so his mind could be at ease. Yet as he thought of the sweet boy that had held onto him and was currently holding onto his zanpakuto he was reminded of another promise he made. Byakuya had to go back and return for Ichigo. If he had tried to avoid the currently small boy then it would be harder than he had thought…plus Ichigo still had his zanpakuto…
Ichigo still wanted to see him…
Why though?
Byakuya stopped short of the two gigantic doors in front of him. The doors opened and he continued to wear his calm and seemingly unbreakable expression. He stopped only a few feet away from the head captain's desk and the doors closed. Byakuya immediately cleared his mind and waited for the head captain to address him.
"Good evening Captain Kuchiki," the old man before him greeted.
"Good evening head captain," Byakuya bowed before the man. This is how he should act, adamant and levelheaded, there was never a time for foolishness.
"It seems the Seireitei is now at rest," the captain commander commented.
"Yes, sir the boy has been captured and is now in the fourth division barracks," Byakuya informed.
"Captain Unohana has sent me her report, so the boy that has been wreaking havoc is none other than Ichigo Kurosaki," the old man chuckled lightly. Byakuya remained silent; as he stood there unmoved he couldn't help but wonder what would happen to Ichigo. "Seeing as how the boy has mysteriously turned young and you're the one to have found him Captain Kuchiki it would seem best if I placed him in your custody for the time being. It will be temporary until we return him back to normal," the head captain informed the noble.
Wait…what?
"The paperwork should arrive to your manor first thing tomorrow morning. You shall be given three days off until the process had been settled. You are now dismissed. Oh, also give my regards to the young boy," Captain Yamamoto chuckled as he stood from his desk and left through another door.
Byakuya had stood there stunned. Gray eyes were now wide and the tips of his fingers were shaking. What had just happened? Did he just…
Kami…this was only the beginning wasn't it?
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Kami: means god in Japanese if some of you aren't familiar with it.
Chapter 5 ReviewsTo Hesymi: I really loved your review! I freak out about it every time I see it! I'm so glad that you gave my story a chance (bows) I'm really grateful and I'm so glad you liked the way I tried to describe Byakuya, he's pretty hard to keep in character. I also wanted to people to see how I saw Ichigo when he was younger. I kept imagining what Ichigo would be like as a kid and suddenly his character came to life. As for the background characters I try to do my best as to bring them into the picture and give them roles to help support the story line. Such as Ikkaku and Yumichika, I wondered what I should do since I brought them with a different plan for their appearance. What I had originally was they find Ichigo but Ichigo runs away because some other soul reapers start to chase him but seeing as how this wouldn't work (it would slow down the story line and lose readers) I kept thinking about how I would bring them in. So as I was watching the scenes I was imagining I thought of Zangetsu again then I thought how would he do against someone when he doesn't have a grip on materializing while Ichigo is so young. Eventually it brought forth the fighting scene to life! Ta da! It moved me forward and it gave me a pretty good flow.
The relationship for Zangetsu and Ichigo is something I decided to turn into something special. Here in this story I portrayed Zangetsu to seem more like an older brother and have some sort of a major role seeing as Zangetsu appears so scarcely in the Bleach story line (it seems that way to me at least). As people continue reading I want them to realize that Zangetsu will play an important part once the time comes for Ichigo to return back to normal but that's quite some chapters away!
Now for Ichigo I wanted to portray him as a cute and innocent boy. This brings the feel of a younger brother and it will also help to bring the story along seeing as how Ichigo will make drastic changes to Byakuya character. Now so much as to where Byakuya will have a different character entirely he'll just have different views and starts to open up his heart. Once I reach that point I think I'll be able see him out of his shell and hopefully describe him enough of the point of Byakuya becoming a new person which hopefully people will be satisfied with but that's still until much later.
I'm sorry for making you wait so long and I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thank you for your lovely review and I hope I'll be able to satisfy you in the next chapter.
To Black Cat Angel: I think just about everyone wants to hug my little Ichi- I mean Byakuya's little Ichigo. Hehe, don't want Byakuya to kill me for thinking that I'm going to take him for myself. Although Ichigo is very adorable in this story if I do say so myself… (Sees a sakura petal) Ah! (Runs)
Shade: Hehehe…
To shadowmarialove: Indeed! Although I was thinking that Rukia was innocently thinking of Byakuya and Ichigo being friends but now a different idea comes to mind… Ha! Ha! The power of reviews! It helps form the story! I hope I get to see you in the next chapter!
To Sesshomarubaby18: I try…
To neko neko: I also love your review! Plus I hope you enjoyed his this chapter as well. Hmm…Sesshomaru and Rin huh? I haven't watched Inuyasha for a while but I still remember quite a few moments involving those two. I will admit they do have their cute moments. By the way neko you shouldn't worry there are still plenty of more chapters, promise!
Anon: Well we all have our fan girl moments now and then. I also have mine! Quite often as well as I might add…
Lil Mexican: There is a funny little story behind you review. I don't mean to make it sound like I'm laughing at you when I'm really laughing at myself. I will apologize so many times to you if I hurt your feelings I am not joking. Okay you will not believe how hard I laughed went I got this by email. When I open up my browser I have it set up to where I pull up my email account. So I noticed my email and started reading reviews (really happy to get them might I add) when I noticed yours and there were stars. I was confused for a moment and when I read your review on the review page I palm faced so hard at how stupid I was because I didn't know that my email account could censor. I don't mean to make it sound like I'm laughing at you when I laughed at myself. Trust me I am really stupid and clueless sometimes and that is what my friends find funny and weird about me. Anyways, I'm excited that you reviewed and that you alerted my story! Thank you so much! (P.S. If you want me to take this down I will. Again I am really sorry if this hurts your feelings. I just wanted to share my stupid moment with everyone)
To ATPT557: Yay! Hugs make the world go round don't they? That's why I love them and I love putting them into my stories! I'm curious though, how did I make you nervous? I can understand the laughing and squealing but I cannot understand nervousness. Is there something I need to fix? If so, let me know!
To : I'm glad that you enjoyed it Panda! I'll be sure to try my best on the next one!
To aerie-art: I know! There should be more Byakuya and Ichigo pairing fans out there! Fan girls unite! (Bleh, sorry if I'm acting stupid I get carried away sometimes)
To La Rose de Minuit (fancy name by the way): Yeah! As more and more people keep on commenting on Ichigo's personality I start to grow more confidence with it. I'm glad so many people enjoyed it and I'm glad you enjoyed it as well!
To XDARKERXDESIREX: Yay! Glad to see you again! As always I try my best to update quickly while I still have the free time. Pretty soon you shall see me update a lot slower… I will try my best though to bring these chapters to you as fast as I can! Plus don't worry as you already read Ichigo shall be following Byakuya around and softening him up for three solid days! Hurray!
To Little White Comet (cute name by the way): Yes! Thirteenth review of the chapter! My favorite number! I'm so glad that you loved my story and I'm so happy you gave me my first thirteenth review of the chapter! Thank you so much!
Now some of you are wondering, "Do any of these chapter get any longer without the notes?" Yes, they do in fact but you haven't reached that far! Then again there are still quite a few that are really, really short…sorry about this I don't focus on the "middle" as much as I should. This is ShadowWolf XIII logging off!