The last time he had saw Kisuke, he had been fighting the man. It wasn't like he had injured him, but still it was enough to make him dread what may happen when he stepped foot into the shop. Another person he dreaded facing was Uryu. He didn't consider him a true friend really, because they weren't that close. Sure they were closer than they had been, but now he knew more than before. So much had changed since he had last seen his friends, he didn't know if that was a good thing or not. He looked at the shop, he really didn't want to go into there, but he had to.

"So Ichigo before we go in, they might want to um…" Rukia started. He moved his thumb over her hand, Rukia was at least concerned about him.

"They might try to convince me how wrong I am. I am aware. Let me guess they were using you before to get me there? "

"No one expected you to know kido."

"Rukia, I'm not mad at you. I don't expect this to be easy, though I'll deal with what comes." He didn't want to let go of Rukia's hand, but he did so as he stepped towards the shop. The children that Kisuke always seemed to have with him were missing from the front of the shop. So maybe this wasn't a good thing at all. He knew he had to do it, Aizen wouldn't just let him go back to Los Noches. High school was his only option at the moment, and that meant he needed his body back. Maybe Kon was in it, it didn't make him feel that much better, but if Kon was he might be able to avoid seeing Mr. Hat and Clogs.

The door to the shop opened, well he had been seen. "Aw Ms. Kuchiki I see you have return. You have interesting company indeed. Ichigo welcome back, and a hollow. Now what can I do for this bunch? Ichigo have you finally come back for your body?"

He sighed. "Yeah."

"Kisuke, I'm going to need a new gigai. As much as I am going to dread saying this, we also need a gigai for him."

"A gigai for a hollow, well this is an interesting request. So Aizen didn't trust his student…"

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at Kisuke as that damn fan appeared. He was laughing at him. "Grimmjow is an arrancar if you really want to know. A hollow that has bridged the gap between…"

"I know what he is. No comment on having no trust."

"I have plenty of trust. I rather prefer having Grimmjow here."

"Ichigo stop it. So Kisuke think you can help us?"

"I'll see what I can do. I'm not sure I can trust you Ichigo. You are Aizen's students after all now."

"Just give me my body back."

"What I don't understand is how Aizen did it. You're soul chain and sleeve were destroyed, yet here you are. You're body seems to still be alive though."

"What do you want to know?"

"Just what were Aizen's methods?"

Aizen hadn't said anything about not saying anything about his teaching methods, so why not. He shrugged. "Lots of fighting, making me memorize kido incantations as homework and oh throwing me in a hole."

"Yet you think Aizen is you're savior." Great Rukia had to get a word in. He couldn't say the rest with Grimmjow there, he wasn't sure if it was the best idea to say the whole hollow part.

"Did you have to reach the top in a certain amount of time?"

"Yeah how did you know?"

"The battle to become a Shinigami. If failed the soul becomes a hollow. Usually it takes a period of 72 hours before a soul reaches that point where they become a hollow. The chain of fate is slowly eaten away until it happens. Come in come in." Great Kisuke was now forcing them into the shop, all of them including Grimmjow. He could tell that Grimmjow wasn't comfortable with the topic of choice. The doors were being slide shut and locked, that wasn't a good sign. "So Ichigo tell me more about your training."

"There is nothing more to know, can I have my body back?"

"You see when the encroachment process begins the chain of fate must be severed from the body, meaning the soul can never return to their body. We'll see just how well Aizen did with your training. Tessai bring in Ichigo's body." A man, wait the man looked familiar, brought in his body. Kon was not in the body at all, in fact it looked very much lifeless.

"What if Ichigo can't return to his body?" Why did Rukia have to ask that question?

"We will see what we can do before we approach that topic Ms. Kuchiki."

He reached out towards his body, he slowly tried to ease himself into his body, but his soul wouldn't go in. "Oh my my my. The body is rejecting the soul. This isn't good at all."

"You did something to my body, that is it isn't it Mr. Hat and Clogs." That had to be the reason.

"I have done no such thing, but how are you sure that Aizen didn't do something to your soul."

"He isn't evil. So he isn't a saint, but he isn't evil. Though I am beginning to think you are evil."

"Me? Though I am only a simple shop keeper."

"With a zanpakutō. Simple my ass." He reached out, Kon had to be around here somewhere. He found the annoying mod soul. He followed the trail and before he realized it, he was falling into a trap door.

"Ichigo?" Kon looked up, he was very much in his body. So that body that had rejected him was a fake.

"Kon cough it up." He went towards Kon.

"No! That isn't a good welcome Ichigo." Kon took off running. His body fell to the ground unconscious, the soul candy that was Kon was on the ground next to his body. Kisuke was down in this place too. Great, though he had got Kon out of his real body.

"Not bad at all. How did you know Kon was down here anyways?" He eased himself down into his body, it felt weird adjusting to the feeling of not being in soul form anymore.

"I just could feel it. You most likely was trying to trick me into thinking that Aizen had done something. Won't work. I knew you had my body all along, it gave you plenty of time to do something with it." The lion plush was thrown on the ground by him, he picked up the soul candy and inserted it into the plush.

"This isn't fair! You leave me here Ichigo..."

"You wouldn't have wanted to go where he was." Leave it to Kisuke to try to get that word in. He stretched his arms to try to get the stiffness out of them.

"So I am impressed Ichigo. How are you feeling?"

"Why do you care?"

"Oh don't be like that Ichigo. I'll look pass the fact that you called me the evil one."

"This sucks!" He could hear Grimmjow complaining from above.

"So what is this place anyways?"

"An underground training ground I had no clue was under my shop."

"Sure." He didn't understand why Kisuke had to act like this,

"You could at least act more excited. Though anyways I would love to see just what you have learned."

"No way. You don't get that pass. You can't just say Aizen is this evil person and then expect me to just let you go on about how he trained me wrong. I think we saw just how surprised you were when you fought me before."

"Oh come on Ichigo."

"Nope, I'm not allowing you to change my mind. " He grabbed Kon, he would probably need him anyways. He jumped up out of the training ground and back into the backroom of the shop. Grimmjow was complaining about the gigai. He couldn't help but chuckle at the Espada.

"Ya try to get into one of these things they are uncomfortable."

"Oh stop complaining Grimmjow. It can't be that bad."

"Actually they are hard to get used to. You'll get used to it eventually."

"Ya make it sound like I'll be stayin here for a while feisty one." He couldn't help but sigh at Rukia and Grimmjow fighting. It was interesting to see the two of them at least trying to get along, even if they were fighting. It must be hard for both of them.

"I have no clue how long you will be staying here Grimmjow. I doubt Aizen will just let you stay here for long periods of time."

"Well aren't you supposed to serve Ichigo?" He wanted to disappear at that point. Why would Rukia bring that up?

"This looks interesting."

"Stay out of it!" He could only imagine what his house would be like. It was like his father turned on a switch to make him act like his normal goofy self upon entering Karakura Town again. He knew one thing was for sure, it wouldn't be anything like before Rukia had been taken to the Soul Society.

"Think about the match Ichigo. You can even go full out."

"Ichigo ya should take it. Then spar with me."

He sighed, leave it to Grimmjow to light up at the mention of a fight. "Fine, though not now. I'll pick the time, and you better be ready."

"Can do. Do you have to check with your teacher first?"

"No. I just don't want to fight now. It isn't like Aizen controls me."

"Says the miniature version of Aizen. You're reiatsu is almost identical to his and that is a little scary."

"Just shut up when you're ahead. Come on I'm not going to stay here and take this." He walked out of the store. Had Kisuke really called him a miniature version of Aizen?

"Don't listen to that guy, you're better than Aizen" Grimmjow was by him.

"Thanks I guess." It would probably take a lot to get used to seeing Grimmjow without the mask fragment, he actually looked normal in the gigai.

"I can see what he means though. At some times more than others I can feel that same presences coming off of you."

"He trained me."

"I guess that makes sense, but it is just a little scary. "

"Don't start this again. I don't need everyone on to me about my life choices."

"Ichigo, we just need to be careful that you can control that presence. Before your reiatsu would leak all over the place, you had little to no control over it. It could be very bad if you let it get out of hand."

"I have better control over it Rukia. Trust me."

"So who is Aizen anyways?" Kon had finally decided to speak up.

"I'm sure Rukia will tell you all about him later."

"Ichigo are you adjusting to your body again?" Rukia looked concerned.

"Yeah, why?"

"It just seems like you're off. If you're body isn't syncing with your soul that could be really bad in the future."

"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong." Just because his body still didn't feel right didn't mean anything. He had just been in soul form for a while, that was it, it had to be.