Chapter 21:

It was a good five hours before Ichigo felt something stir within him. It was a very strange feeling, he had to admit. He knew what it was.

"Ahh!" Nathan sprang to life in his body. "Wh- what happened? Am I alive? What's going on?"

"Calm down already. Relax!" Ichigo told him aloud. "I did it to save your life. Things weren't looking too good for you back there and all…"

"Quit putting on the act, Ichigo," Rukia glared at him. "You were freaking out. Everyone saw you."

"Shut up. If Soi Fon hadn't held those other guys back then maybe this wouldn't have happened. I don't know what she was thinking."

"You were… worried about me?" Nathan sounded so timid.

"Don't give me that. Of course I was worried about you. You were dying back there. I had to save your life, didn't I?"

Ukitake walked to his desk and turned. "Who are you talking to, Ichigo?"

That's right. No one could hear Nathan but him. "It's Nathan. I can hear him in my head."

"Oh, good! So he finally woke up. That's wonderful news." Ukitake approached and leaned close to Ichigo's face. "Can you hear me in there, Nathan?"

"Tell him yes and that he doesn't need to stand so close."

"He says yeah and back away from me."

"From you or him?"

"Does it matter? We're the same person!"

"Right…" Ukitake cleared his throat. "Nathan, you have nothing to worry about. You're in my office. There are many caretakers around if you need anything. I have lots of helpers and members from Squad 4 are here all the time."

Nathan gasped. "What about Rodger? And Rosalia! Is she ok? And Sashiro, too!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "They're both fine and I killed Rodger. He's dead. You never have to worry about him again." He heard Nathan breathe a sigh of relief.

Ukitake smiled. "Well, Nathan… While you were sleeping, the other captains and I had a meeting to determine what to do with you."

Ichigo paused, listening to what Nathan had to say. He nodded then said, "He wants to know if he's in trouble."

Ukitake's smile spread. "Not at all. We decided that the three of you are fine. Everyone agreed that you're not dangerous and that your need for attacking us in order to get Spirit Energy is perfectly understandable. Besides, you did help a few of us out. And you helped to bring down the true enemy. You're free to go."

Ichigo phased again. It was strange and difficult not being able to hear Nathan talk for himself. "He says that he wants to know what they're going to do for Spirit Energy now."

"Since everyone is aware of your condition, we've decided that you can get your required amount of Spirit Energy from off-duty Soul Reapers. They'll visit you guys everyday and help you out. And if there's a problem, you can always come to the gates and someone will attend you."

Ichigo smiled. "He says that he's glad to hear it."

The door flew open and in came two very familiar faces. "This candy's so sweet! I can't remember the last time we had sweets!" Rosalia and Sashiro ran to the desk and dumped their loot on the smooth surface. Sashiro unwrapped one and popped it into his mouth. "Yummy!"

Rosalia grinned and hugged Ukitake. "Thanks so much for caring for us. Sorry about the misunderstandings and everything. Wanna have some sweets with us?"

Ukitake hugged her back and patted her head. "That's very nice of you to offer, but no. It's all yours."

"Thanks!"

Ichigo's vocal cords convulsed and spoke without meaning to. "Mistress!"

They turned.

Ichigo shook his head. "That wasn't me this time. It was Nathan."

"Huh?" Rukia didn't get it. Neither did Ukitake.

"He can manipulate my vocal cords and make me speak for him."

"He can do that?" Ukitake asked. "Then why didn't he do it sooner?"

Ichigo spoke involuntarily again. "Mistress, it's me! Nathan! Are you ok?"

She hopped over to him with a pout. "I should be asking you that! I'm fine. How are you doing?"

Ichigo felt a warm tingling in his chest and his voice cracked. "I- I'm fine! I'm feeling much better now… B- but I don't think that I can leave Ichigo's body just yet…"

"That's ok. Take your time!" She held up a candy. "Want a sweet?"

Ichigo shook his head, but Nathan answered for him with a loud 'yes'. Unable to control his right arm, Ichigo took the candy from her and popped it into his mouth. The others looked at him like he was crazy.

Sashiro jumped on the couch against the wall. "Did you hear? The Soul Reapers are going to help us now! Isn't it great?"

Ichigo nodded, this time, he was the one in control of his actions.

Rosalia sighed sadly. "Yeah… but it's too bad that we can't just live here. Only Soul Reapers are allowed. I would ask to become one, but it's too much work and we still have our little problem to worry about. We're still in half-dead territory."

"Oh, yeah…" Sashiro sighed. "We still have to work that out. We're not full souls yet. We're still stuck."

"Research and Development is trying to work something out for you guys, but I wouldn't offer myself up for experimentation if I were you. That captain can be a little…"

"Creepy?"

"Strange?"

"Scary?"

"Freaky?"

"Eccentric?"

Ukitake chuckled. "All good answers…"

There was a knock at the door and a Soul Reaper entered. "Sorry to interrupt. But I was told to come by and see if anyone was in need of some Spirit Energy."

"No, we're fine." Sashiro unwrapped another piece of candy. "Isn't this great? Now that they know about us, they're sending someone down every few hours to see if we need any Spirit Energy. Neat, huh?"

Nathan didn't say anything, nor did he give any indication that he was happy to hear the news.

Rosalia started playing with Ukitake's long white hair, braiding it. He smiled at her and allowed this. Ichigo's chest felt warm. He wasn't sure what this meant. Was it Nathan? What was this strange feeling?

"M- mistress..?" Again, Ichigo wasn't in control of his actions.

She knew it was Nathan speaking now and looked up.

Ichigo didn't resist. He allowed Nathan to speak to his heart's content. "I… I- I was wondering… That is… If you… if we… If… I… If…"

"Yes?" She waited patiently.

"I… I… I… Oh, this isn't going to work, Ichigo!"

He knew this was going to happen. "Now what?"

Nathan used Ichigo's voice to speak once again. "I can't do this. It just doesn't feel right. I- I should be the one to tell her as myself. It just isn't the same if it's you doing it. I should be the one… But I'm not healed enough to come out of your body yet… And I would also have to… and then we would… and then I…"

"I get it already. You can't do it now. Don't worry about it."

Nathan didn't say anything, but Ichigo could sense his nod.

Sashiro hopped off the couch and went over to Ichigo. "You know, Nathan… It was pretty brave what you did back there."

Rosalia nodded. "Oh, yes! Very brave."

Nathan used Ichigo's voice again. "R- really?"

"Yeah." Sashiro elbowed Ichigo in the gut since he was too short to reach his shoulder or chest. "But I've got to admit, it could have been better."

"Huh?"

"Well, I'm just saying that as brave as you were, it kind of lost some of its heroicness, if you know what I'm saying."

"No, I don't. What are you saying?"

Sashiro shrugged. "You were clumsy. You charged in without thinking and almost got yourself killed. I mean, if you wanted us to run, you should have said so sooner instead of rushing in like that. I thought that you were really going to take him down. Not stall for time."

"I was running on adrenaline, I wasn't thinking! I acted… You wouldn't have run anyway even if I told you. Besides, I did tell you and you two didn't budge."

"True. But still… You almost got yourself killed. You were desperate and looked it. Face it, Nathan, you have no skills."

"I'm aware of that."

"Then why bother trying?"

"Because what else am I supposed to do? I felt like it was my responsibility to protect the woman I love and anyone else who…" He broke off, realizing that he had just said those fatal words yet again.

Rosalia smiled. "So you do love me. Even enough to nearly get yourself killed."

Nathan was stuttering all over again. "Well, I… I was… I was only trying to… But he… And then…"

"It's ok. I get it. I won't criticize you. I know why you did it."

"Even though he was clumsy and clearly had no idea what he was doing and could have done it so much better…"

"The point is, Sashiro…" Rosalia looked back at Ichigo. "Thank you Nathan for trying your best. And thank you Ichigo for saving him." She closed the gap between them and gave him a hug. Despite how small she looked, she was pretty strong. She had a good grip. Ichigo, of his own choosing, placed his arms around her shoulders, hugging her back.

"You're welcome."

Under Nathan's instructions and manipulation, Ichigo spent the last couple hours running around the Soul Society asking people for favors and gathering up various objects. Nathan wanted to do this right and Ichigo wanted to help him. Not like he had a choice anyway. Finally, when everything was gathered and in place, Ichigo returned to Ukitake's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Ichigo opened the door and stepped inside, his arms full of pink roses. Rosalia, sitting on the couch with Sashiro, looked up. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw the roses. Ichigo held them out for her to take and then went back for the rest. Soon, the couch was covered with pink roses, herself included. Finally, Ichigo sat on the ground and braced himself. "Ready, Nathan?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Yes, I need to do this."

"Ok. As long as you're sure…" Ichigo opened his mouth wide and felt Nathan leave his body.

Nathan stumbled out and knelt on the ground by her feet. He got ready to speak, but suddenly the words left his brain. Shaken and bewildered, he turned to Ichigo, eyes pleading for help.

"For crying out loud…" he muttered. "Just tell her."

"B- but… I- I- I don't know what to say..!"

"Just tell her what you did before but keep it shorter."

"But…" He looked like a frightened little mouse in a corner.

Ichigo encouraged him with a smile and nod and pointed to Rosalia. Nathan looked at her and started blushing all over again. He gulped. "Go on." Ichigo knew that the words would come eventually.

At last, Nathan tried his best to speak. "Um… M- mist… uh, Rosalia…"

"Yes?"

He looked at her legs, unable to look at her face. Slowly he brought his eyes up a little at a time until he saw her face. She was waiting with a curious expression on her face. But her eyes held understanding. She already knew what he wanted to say. All he had to do now was say it. The words were there, but he was having trouble saying them aloud.

"I…" He took a deep breath and spoke the next words rather quickly as if to get them out before his mouth gave out on him or something. "I love you! Do you love me back?"

She nodded easily. This was very easy for her. Why was it so hard for him, Ichigo wondered.

A small crowd was forming by the door. Ukitake and Rukia had to hold them off by themselves, allowing the two some privacy. They stood with their backs to the developing crowd, watching.

Nathan shut his eyes tight and blurted out his question. "Then will you be my bride?"

She smiled brightly at him. Nathan remained where he was, like a deer caught in headlights. He even had the same expression.

Then he looked guiltily up at her. "But… only… I do not have a ring… and I don't have much to offer you… But I-"

She cut him off by sliding off the couch and onto the floor in front of him. "You dummy… I don't need a ring."

His face was bright red. "Y- you don't?"

"No. I need you at my side. I need you to take care of me and to love me. Can you do that?"

He swallowed. He didn't know how to answer. Then he realized something that had escaped his notice up to this point. All those things she had asked him to do where the same things he had been doing all his life. He could do that.

"Yes, I can and will. I always have, after all…"

"Then yes. I will be your bride."

Nathan was at a loss for words.

"Hang on a second." Sashiro pushed the roses off his lap and stood up. "You can't marry her."

"Why not?"

"Because you need to get it approved first." He winked.

Two seconds went by before they understood.

Holding Rosalia's hands in his, Nathan smiled at his lover. "I approve. As long as she loves him in return and he loves her true, I approve of this marriage."

She giggled. "I know the answer to that."

Nathan blushed.

Rosalia leaned forward and Nathan did the same. Their lips met in a passionate kiss. For the first time ever. Like lovers do. They had grown up together and lived together for so long, but this was the first time they ever had each other.

Their kiss lasted several long seconds and when they finally broke apart, their ears were filled with the applause of all the Soul Reapers eavesdropping in the doorway. They laughed and held each other close. Rukia jumped up and down, cheering for them and Ukitake gave his congrats. Despite himself, Ichigo clapped his hands. He was happy for them. Nathan finally found his true love and could keep her. This turned out to be a pretty happy ending after all.

"Out of the way! What's with all this commotion? One side! Coming through!" Renji shoved his way through the crowd and into the office. He looked at Ichigo and beckoned him over with his finger.

Ichigo got up and walked over to him. "What?"

Renji leaned forward and whispered the message into his ear. "Kisuke Urahara wants you guys to return to the World of the Living right away. He said that he has some news regarding those three."

Ichigo looked back at the trio. News regarding them? Maybe this was more good news. Maybe he had found a cure for them. What better wedding gift for them than that?

It wasn't good news.

Ichigo brought the trio back to the Urahara shop with him as he was told and the ex-captain welcomed them with open arms. Rosalia launched herself into his chest and hugged him tightly. Sashiro did the same. According to Nathan, Kisuke had been like an uncle to her during his rein as captain so it was understandable that she would react this way after not seeing him for 100 years. Be gave them some tea and Rosalia told him the good news. Kisuke patted Nathan on the back and told him what a player he was and that it was about time he confessed his love to her. They also told him about Rodger and all the troubles they had gone through because of him and how the Soul Society viewed their situation. He was very happy to hear of it.

After asking Tessai to treat them to some free sweets and pound cake to celebrate, Kisuke took Ichigo into the next room. He closed the door and waited until the others were distracted before speaking to him in a hushed tone.

"I didn't want to say this in front of them but… I ran some tests while you guys were gone. The results were not good."

"Oh?"

Kisuke nodded. "Yeah. According to you, Nathan started to disappear when he was running low on Spirit Energy, which happened after about 24 hours. That means that he needs Spirit Energy everyday now."

"Yeah, so?"

"Back when I first met them, they only needed it about twice a week to keep stable. Their need for it has increased in the past century. This is not good." He kept his head down while looking up at Ichigo, hat shadowing his eyes. "If my calculations are correct, in the next decade, they'll be needing Spirit Energy at least twice a day. My guess is, in the next century, they'll be needed it every minute in order to remain stable."

Ichigo felt his heart sink. "So… So then… That means that their need for it is going to keep increasing over the years? What happens then?"

He shook his head sadly. "At some point, Ichigo, they're going to need a steady amount of Spirit Energy every minute in order to keep from disappearing. I can say with confidence that one day they're going to need it every second. When they pull away from the Soul Reaper they're feeding off of, they're going to start to disappear. Soon even that won't be enough."

"Meaning..?"

"That someday, no amount of Spirit Energy is going to be enough to sustain them and they're going to vanish anyway."

Ichigo was shocked. No matter what they did, they were going to end up vanishing anyway? There was no way to save them? Their lives were limited.

"Be happy that they at least get to live longer than normal humans." Kisuke didn't sound happy at all. This was one of the few times when he sounded unmistakably sad and hopeless.

"There's nothing that we can do?"

"Not without a cure, there isn't."

Ichigo looked back into the next room and watched the trio. Rosalia was tossing pieces of candy into Sashiro's mouth and giggling. Nathan was pouring her some tea and sliced her a piece of cake with strawberries on top. They all looked so happy. It was a shame to think that they were all going to die and there was no saving them.

Ichigo looked at Kisuke. He was watching them, too, with a sad look on his face. It was almost like he was watching their execution. Time was ticking by and there was nothing they could do to stop it. "You really do care about them, don't you?"

Kisuke didn't look at him. "How can I not? I'm sure you've run into the same problem, too. They have a way of getting under your skin." He sighed and put his hand on the wall to support himself. "You know, back when I first met them, I thought it was just going to be another burial. But when it didn't work out that way, I made it my mission to find out way. But somewhere along the way, without ever noticing it or meaning to, I took them out from under that microscope. They're not experiments or something to be studied… I felt connected to them. I can explain it."

Ichigo knew what he meant. He felt the same way. After only knowing Nathan for about three days, he felt a deep connection with him. Like he had found a true friend or even a brother. It was hard to him to accept that he and the others were going to fade away into nothing. The situation wouldn't have bothered him so much if he knew that they had somewhere to go. But with them, it was different. When they disappear, they had nowhere to go. They would just fade away into nothing. There was no afterlife waiting for them. There was nothing. That was the end of them. That was what made it so hard for Ichigo. Even the soul he sent to the Soul Society had somewhere to go and didn't just disappear. There was always a chance that he would see them again and he had a couple of times. But that fate didn't await these three.

Rosalia screamed playfully and used Nathan as a shield while Sashiro pelted them with candy wrappers. They seemed so full of life. Why did they have to go like that?

"How are you going to break it to them?"

Kisuke sighed. "I don't have the heart to tell them."

Ichigo turned, but Kisuke stopped him.

"Why do I need to tell them now? It would only hurt them. After all, this will happen over the course of 100 years. I'm sure they've already noticed the change themselves. Why worry them?"

Ichigo knew that he was right. "But they're going to have to know." He turned away and turned back. He did this several times before finally deciding to speak. "Would finding the cure help?"

"Yes. But in order for that to happen, I would have to know what went into that potion that they made. It was over 100 years ago and it took them a while to make it. They've long forgotten the ingredients and any record of it has long been destroyed. With the fire and the years that have passed and the location… That's why we haven't had any luck in a cure. I'm sorry, Ichigo."

He looked at Nathan smiling and laughing with his new wife. "Yeah… I am, too."

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