YES! Sweet sweet updates. Don't you agree? Sorry about being so late with this chapter.

Chapter 11

Ichiru blinked several times as he woke up to find himself lying on a white futon in what he can only assume was a spare room in the back of the Urahara Shoten. He could feel the wooden floor through the thin comforter and hear muffled noises through the sliding paper screens to his left. The reiatsu signatures of Urahara, Yoruichi, Rukia, Renji, Uryu, Chad, and Orihime permeated through the thin paper. Sitting up, the orange haired teen ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair as he grumbled under his breath. He wanted to stay with Shiro just a little longer, but he needed to figure out what Urahara really wants and then get himself home.

Standing up and leaving the futon, the teen trudged over to the closed screen, keeping his reiatsu masked, and leaned in close to eavesdrop on the conversation. Rukia's voice lashed out in irritation.

"Give us a straight answer! Can you get them back?" She spoke.

"Of course, of course! If he wants them that is." That was Urahara.

"Why wouldn't he?" Renji.

"Ano… maybe he doesn't like us now?" Sounds like Orihime.

"I highly doubt that's the case." As perceptive as ever Uryu. A soft grunt indicated Chad's agreement.

"Remember, he's Ichiru now and can be considered a separate person. Since he's had a completely new upbringing, his moral standings are probably different as well as his preferences. So, Ichiru may not care for memories of the past." Explained the Shopkeeper. Now the orange haired teen knew what they wanted, although he'd had a pretty good idea before, when, right before he left his inner world, Shiro had mentioned that the Geta-boushi had taken some reiatsu samples. Suddenly, Rukia quietly spoke up, so the teen had to strain his ears to make out what she said through the screen door. Her voice seemed tense, as if she were trying to keep her frustration in check.

"I've been talking with him all week and he's the same! He's still the same hot-headed fool who cares about others as before." Hissed the petite Shinigami Captain.

"She has a point." Came a deep baritone. Ichiru could tell that it was Yoruichi and she was clearly in her cat form. "I checked out his old hometown like you asked."

The orangette raised an eyebrow in curiosity, shifting to sit more comfortably on his spot behind the screen door as the feline continued to speak in the next room. "The local spirits mentioned that he has constantly helped them out with evading the hollows. Also, he apparently isn't very close to his parents nor does he have any friends as people avoided him in general."

Ichiru blinked at the in depth research done on his childhood, mildly disturbed by the group's apparent obsession with him. Not only that, but he did wonder why people avoided him, even though he'd been careful to conceal his ability to interact with the dead.

'It's cuz ya didn't hide yer ability very well. When yer running around, trying to avoid hollows, there've been people nearby to witness you fleeing from nothing.' Shiro piped up in amusement as gold on ebony eyes observed the sideways sky from where he stood in the inner world. The teen laughed sheepishly over their mental link as he returned his attention back to eavesdropping on the group, just in time to hear Orihime rambling. According to her, people wanted to be friends, but couldn't because of an evil underground organization of Yakuza hollows who ate cake… or did she say Yakuza cupcakes who ate hollows? The orangette wasn't sure and he honestly didn't want to know. He could hear Yoruichi calmly persuade the bubbly woman that the theory was highly unlikely.

"Regardless, is his past life truly better than this life?" Asked Uryu. The room fell dead silent as the group withdrew themselves, contemplating memories of the past. Having heard enough, Ichiru decided to join in and stood up, slamming open the screen door, startling everyone except Urahara. The shopkeeper merely smiled under the shade of his striped bucket hat, waving his infernal fan in the teen's direction.

"Ah, Kurokatu-san! Finally awake, hmm?" The teen scowled at the shady man through his orange bangs. Closing the screen door as he sat on the tatami mat near the coffee table, he scanned the room taking everyone in. Rukia was sitting at the low coffee table in her spirit form with a cup of tea clutched in her small hands with a feline Yoruichi lounging in front of her, the cat lady's silky black tail lazily waving back and forth. Orihime was sitting to the midget's right with another cup of tea set in front of her on the table. The bubbly woman was leaning on her husband's shoulder as Uryu calmly sipped his own cup of tea while Chad quietly sat behind them, resting his back up against the wall.

Urahara was across from Rukia, casually fanning himself, and Renji was seated to his right, his sleeveless Captain's Haori flared around him as proof of his status. Crossing his arms, the teen sighed in irritation. "If you wanted to know if I was the reincarnation of Kurosaki Ichigo, you could've just asked. Would've saved me the pain of getting tossed at a tree."

To emphasis his point, he rubbed the back of his head where the tree trunk had got him. Meanwhile, the group, including Urahara, gaped in shock. Ichiru couldn't help but snicker at their faces, a watery laughter echoed his amusement from within his mindscape. The group, hearing his snickers, quickly tried to compose themselves. Urahara adjusted his striped bucket hat, while Uryu coughed into his fist, and Rukia took a large gulp of tea to calm her nerves. Chad was being Chad, Orihime was blushing into her hand, Renji rubbed the back of his neck, while Yoruichi attempted to play it off by cleaning her paw. After a moment of awkward silence, Rukia cleared her throat to address the orangette with what was clearly on everyone's mind.

"So you do remember your past?" She asked, sounding hopeful. Unfortunately, the teen shook his head. "Not really. Before you ask, what I do know is that I'm a hybrid and I can recall vague feelings and some of my power."

"Indeed?" Replied the shady shopkeeper from behind his mask. "Then how do you recognize your old name, or the fact that you're the reincarnation of our dear friend?" He inquired.

"Zangetsu told me." The teen stated bluntly. Intrigued, Urahara quickly reached into one of his wide sleeves, pulled out a wooden plaque, and tossed it straight at the orangette. Ichiru tried to dodge, but the object smacked him square in the face. Immediately, he felt himself gliding backwards, the feeling of the item suddenly vanishing as he felt something heavy land in his lap. Looking down, the teen stared in shock as he found his body, unconscious, having fallen backwards with the wooden badge resting on its face. A skull-like pattern decorated the object's surface. Looking down at his current self, he found that, rather than wearing his blue band shirt, jeans, and accessories that he'd gone out in, he was know wearing his black uniform from his inner world, alongside his dual Zanpakuto.

'Huh… Was kinda wondering if you could still do that.' Shiro's voice echoed in the back of his head.

'DON'T YOU HAVE TO BE DEAD TO BE A SHINIGAMI SPIRIT?!' Ichiru practically shrieked over their mental link. "Did you just kill me?! With a wooden… whatever this is?!" The teen asked out loud, desperately trying not to freak out as he suspiciously poked at the item and pushed it off of his empty body's face. Urahara burst into childish giggles behind his fan.

"No worries!" Said Urahara as he fought to control his snickers. "That would be a Substitute Shinigami Badge. It simply removed your spirit form from your body without killing you. That way, you can just slip back into your body as if nothing ever happened."

Still scowling, Ichiru gently lifted his empty body up into a sitting position and leaned forward. He found it strange yet, familiar to feel the sensation of his soul being sucked into and merging with a vessel. Blinking his chocolate eyes to adjust to the sudden change of perspective, the teen looked down at his lap where the badge had fallen and picked it up. Holding it in his hand, he had the urge to press it against his chest, as if he'd done it a thousand times and more. Although, considering his situation, he probably had.

"Keep it!" Rukia bursted out suddenly. "It's yours anyways. Plus it's -uh- it's more convenient than only having Blut Vene…"

The petite Shinigami trailed off, blushing lightly. Ichiru noticed Renji scowl slightly at her, noting the look of hurt in his eyes, but chose not to comment, having an idea of what might be happening.

"S-so!" Orihime piped up before silence could settle in, immediately lightening the atmosphere. "What do we call you?"

She smiled brightly before suddenly turning red, a look of distress crossing her face. "Ah! That came out wrong! I mean, I know you're Kurokatu Ichiru-kun, but do we keep calling you that, or would you prefer us using your old name?" She ranted before the blush immediately disappeared and she looked to the side, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Then again, that might be awkward since you're used to being called Kurokatu-kun…"

As the copper-red head trailed off, Ichiru fiddled with the Shinigami badge as he pondered the question. 'What do you think?' He asked Shiro.

'I don't care.' Came the the reply. 'To me, it doesn't matter what name you go by. You'll still be my King no matter what. Besides, both names sound really similar.'

The orange haired teen smiled, looking up to see everyone waiting for an answer expectantly. "I don't really mind. So, if you want, you can call me Ichigo."

"Whoa! Slow down!" The newly named Ichigo cried out as he was tugged down the sidewalk. Upon making his decision, Rukia thought it'd be a good idea to become reaquainted with his old family, especially since he's already refriending his old friends, and decided to do it now since it was only around 8pm. A loud snicker cut the teen off from making another protest. Rukia, who was pulling him along by his right arm, looked at him from over her shoulder as she spoke. "You can stop complaining now, we're already here."

Looking up, the orangette found himself standing before a small clinic attached to a house. Seeing the house, the teen found himself freeze in place, a sense of loss bubbling in his gut as time seemed to slow down. He could hear Orihime, who'd tagged along with Chad, Renji, and Uryu, ask him if he was okay, but her voice seemed faded and far away. Remembering what happened at the Urahara Shoten, Ichigo began to panic internally, not wanting to face the empty pain that had torn its way through his soul again.

'Ichi.' The teen flinched at the loudness of the voice in this frozen pocket of time. 'It's alright King. I reinforced the barrier on your past life, so you'll be fine.'

'Thanks. Sorry about this.' The teen blinked several times as his perception of time began to slowly speed back up to normal.

'It wasn't your fault. Just remember, walk forward, don't hold back. Hesitate, you will age. Retreat, you will die.' Shiro reassured him. 'I'm here for ya.'

Ichigo hummed in acknowledgement as his mind finally returned to the present. Turning to his friends, he gave a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He answered Orihime, not missing a beat in real time so the group didn't notice his temporary panic and inner exchange of words. Returning his attention to the clinic, he released a sigh, running a hand through his shoulder-length orange hair before straightening up and approached the building. The group walked around to the side, where the front door to the living quarters was located. Suddenly, as soon as Ichigo, with the group in tow, was a few feet from it, the entryway burst open as a large blur leaped out, startling the poor teen. The orangette immediately sidestepped the oncoming projectile and watched it in disbelief as it crashed into the ground with an audible crack of concrete.

"MY SON! CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING REBO~RN!" The blur stood up from where it was sprawled on the concrete to reveal a man with short spiky black hair that was brushed forward, a stubble, and a doctor's coat. Ichigo stared at the man with a goofy smile, remembering him as 'Old Man Isshin' from when Nobu had first introduced him to the group. Isshin laughed loudly, fists at his hips as he stood like some sort of meat head hero, his boisterous tone slowly beginning to annoy the orange haired teen.

"NO WORRIES! URAHARA TOLD ME ALL ABOUT IT!" The man then leaped forward, arms stretched forward and lips puckered, demanding hugs and kisses has he continued. "I DON'T MIND IF YOU FORGOT! COME EMBRACE DADDY'S MANLY BOSOM!"

Several tick marks popped up on the teens forehead as he raised his leg, allowing Isshin's face to crash into the bottom of his Black converse, before slamming the man back into the concrete with his foot. "Dammit Old Man! Reincarnation or not, I'm still a different person! You could at least wait before introducing me to your weirdness!" The orangette growled as he ground his heel into his, supposed, father's face, burying the man deeper into the concrete. Rukia, Orihime, Uryu, Renji, and Chad all sweat dropped at the spectacle.

"He's got a point Goat-Face. You can just spring these kinds of things onto someone you just met." Ichigo halted his grinding and looked up to see a lady with black eyes and high pony tail, wearing a loose blue T-shirt and shorts leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. A pair of purple slippers adorned her feet, and a look of boredom was drawn on her face. "Hey Ichiru. Name's Kurosaki Karin. Goat-chin there is my dad… unfortunately…"

"KARI~N!" Isshin suddenly leaped up from under the orange haired teen's foot knocking him off balance momentarily. The man was bawling large streams of tears as he hugged one of the Karin's legs. "WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO DADDY!?"

"Dad! Stop being rude! Could you please come set the table?" A delicate voice called from inside the house. On cue, Karin proceeded to kick her father, who continued to cry about abusive children, through the door, grumbling about useless old men. Walking in after him, she beckoned the group to enter with a casual wave over her shoulder. Steeling himself for the oncoming awkwardness, Ichigo followed with the rest of the group closely at his heels, making sure to leave his shoes at the entrance. Inside, the teen found that the kitchen, living room, and dining room were all in one large space, whilst the kitchen was only separated from rest of the area by a sink countertop and tile floor in contrast to the rest of the room's wooden floor.

In the kitchen was a several weeks' pregnant woman with light blonde hair that reached the small of her back with a strawberry clip above her right ear and brown eyes. A sunny yellow apron was neatly worn over a pastel pink dress with sleeves that reached her elbows. She stood, in mint green slippers, on top of a stool and over the stove, stirring a large pot that emanated the delicious smell of curry throughout the entire room. Pausing in her work, she turned around and smiled warmly. "Hello Kurokatu-kun! I'm Yuzu, Karin's twin sister. Have a seat, please and don't mind Jinta, he's just shy."

"Am not!" A man with slicked back red hair, a similar crimson shade to Renji's, popped up from behind the large purple corner couch in the living room area. He was wearing a navy blue tee with the Urahara Shoten's logo and a pair of jeans with the ends folded up. "I was just - uh- cleaning under the couch!" Jinta protested, causing Yuzu to giggle before returning her attention to her pot of curry.

Ichigo watched as Jinta grumbled about cleaning before disappearing behind a door that led to the clinic area, probably going off to occupy himself with something. Surveying the room, the teen noticed that the others were seating themselves on the couch while Isshin began setting the table for four while Orihime helped out by setting up two more eating areas on the coffee table. Karin walked in from the Clinic area with two TV trays, followed by Jinta, who was carrying three more trays to be used. As soon as the two cleared away from the door, another, shorter figure burst into the room.

"Ichi-nii!" Nobu, in his usual yellow hoodie and khaki shorts, shouted with excitement as he crashed into the orangette, hugging the teen's waist. Ichigo couldn't help but smile and ruffle the young Fullbringer's hair in greeting. "Hey shorty."

Nobu released orangette's waist, staring up at him with a pout. "I'll get taller! Just wait!" He declared before bounding over to his dad a plopping down right next to the older archer at the end near the wall. Chuckling to himself, Ichigo looked over the room again, pondering on what he should do, considering the fact that table settings and dinner was already being handled. He considered sitting on the couch with the others, but seeing them acting so comfortable together made him feel even more awkward with the idea. Chad was comfortably sitting on the end of the couch near the dining table, watching some show called No Game No Life, while Uryu sat at the other end, squished between Rukia, who was kneeling on the couch with the skirt of her lavender spring dress neatly tucked under her legs, and Nobu. The Quincy was showing the two a sketchbook that, from what the teen could tell based on whenever Uryu flipped a page, a series of drawings of various outfits.

Meanwhile, Renji was sitting between Chad and Rukia, enjoying the show on TV while occasionally stealing glances at the petite Shinigami. Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, the orange haired teen looked to the other side of the room, just in time to see Yuzu turn around to give Jinta, who was washing something in the sink, a peck on the cheek. The redhead's face instantly turned as crimson as his own hair, leaving Ichigo to believe that Jinta is the father-to-be. Karin was laying out chopsticks while Orihime, who'd tied her hair up into a low ponytail with a red scrunchie, chatted about different possible food combinations with red bean paste. Isshin on the other hand was still bawling about having abusive children while plastering himself to a massive poster on a wall that feature a beautiful smiling woman with wavy light blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and 'Kurosaki Masaki' written beneath her face. Due to the uncanny similarities to Yuzu, the orangette could only assume that she was the mother… his former mother.

'Yanno ya can't just stand in the middle of the room until dinner time, right?' Shiro's watery, double-toned voice spoke up.

'My bad. I just never realized how different it is between just talking with people and actually sitting down and getting all cozy with them.' Ichigo sighed internally, immediately feeling better with someone to talk to. 'It's even stranger to think that in this very place, which I've never been before, I had grown up in, within another lifetime. Not to mention this place, especially that poster, gives me a feeling of nostalgia, but with no understanding of why.'

'Ya can still choose to regain yer memories back. That option is still open to you.' Responded the Zanpakuto spirit, but the orangette mentally shook his head. 'No. I made my decision, and I plan to stick with it.'

Shiro snickered at the expected answer, swinging his legs back and forth as he sat on the edge of a sideways skyscraper in the inner world, lounging with his ivory blades carefully set aside. The albino casually twirled a strawberry lollipop in his mouth as he observed the outer realm through the eyes of his king. 'Alright, if ya won't mingle then at least explore the place. Ya see that door in front of ya that leads into a hallway?'

The orange haired teen looked forward, humming in acknowledgement that he did indeed see the door. Understanding what Shiro probably wanted, Ichigo walked forward, not noticing a pair of violet eyes shooting a concerned glance at him. In the hallway, the teen came across a set of stairs and found himself climbing them, a sense deja vu permeating the air. At the top step, he walked a few feet, only to stop before a closed door with a wooden plaque with the number fifteen painted on it in blue hanging on it. Suddenly, it hit Ichigo, that this house had the same layout as that strange building that Shiro was sleeping in. Curiosity struck and the orangette quickly turned the knob, swinging open the door into a dark room.

Taking tentative steps inside, he reached to the side until he found the light switch and flipped it on. The room was similar to Shiro's, with a simple bed tucked into the far corner, up against the wall, but had much more furniture, including a desk next to the bed and a small bookcase near the door. Walking further into the room, Ichigo could see that everything was cleaned up and neatly tucked away with not a speck of dust in sight. Turning to his right, he could see that the closet door wasn't closed and barricaded by chains, but was instead opened to the world. Walking closer, the teen peered into the small space, kneeling to observe the contents.

Inside was a small oak side table that was lovingly polished to a tender shine. On top was a small, simple white vase with an orange Gladiolous flower with red painting the tips of each tangerine petal, and next to the flower was a framed photograph of, well, Ichigo. Picking up the picture, the teen resituated himself so that he was sitting cross-legged in front of the closet as he observed the picture. In the photo, he could see a basic portrait of himself, (or was it a basic portrait of Ichigo?) with much shorter hair, a mirror image of Shiro's hair as he smiled at the camera, but creases between the eyebrows suggested constant scowling. The figure had his arms crossed, while wearing a purple long-sleeved shirt and appeared to be standing in front of the Karakura river.

Staring at the photo, the teen could feel Shiro's reiatsu wrap around him, pressing down as if the albino was leaning against his back with his porcelain arms hanging around his neck as gold on ebony eyes peered over his shoulder. However, the orangette knew that if he looked, he wouldn't find his pale lover outside of their mindscape. Instead, he simply returned the gesture of comfort by draping his own reiatsu like a blanket around the albino who continued to sit at the edge of a tilted building. 'Am I really the same person as Ichigo? Or does the identity of Ichiru make me a whole nother being?'

'I can't answer that. Not a philosopher.' The alabaster spirit replied with a sigh. 'To me, you're the same. Same face, same personality, same soul, but that's just me. You'll always be my King regardless, so it's up to you if you want to be the same or different.'

Ichigo hummed in response as he returned the photograph back to it's place on the little side table. Standing up, he stretched, stomach growling as a call to dinner was heard from downstairs. Turning the lights off and closing the door, the teen left the room.

Fun Fact: Gladiolous flowers symbolize strength in character and is sometimes called the 'Sword Lily'.

Another Fun Fact: The average age of first time mothers is 30 in Japan.

Yet Another Fun Fact: If you do the math, both Yuzu and Karin are 33 in this fanfiction.

Ichigo: Are you sure it was a good idea to change my name?

Verteller: *shrugs* Who knows? At least now your not on that weird borderline between a Copyrighted character and an OC.

Shiro: Does that even exist?

Verteller: Not sure.

Shiro: ...

Verteller: ...

Ichigo: ...Wait a minute...

Verteller: ...?

Ichigo: *kicks author in the gut*

Verteller: ...oww...

Ichigo: WHY DIDN'T YOU UPDATE ON TIME?!

Verteller: Because life.

Shiro: I don't see the problem. I mean the last two updates were posted really late and might as well be considered updated on Monday.

Ichigo: Why aren't you on my side?!

Shiro: Well somebody's gotta play Devil's advocate!

Verteller: Besides, he's right.

Ichigo: But you agreed to update every Sunday!

Verteller: No I didn't. Go back to the end segment on chapter 9 if you don't believe me.

Ichigo: I hate you.

Verteller: Save the hate for later.

Ichigo: ?

Shiro: Why?

Verteller: no~thing...

Ichigo & Shiro: ...