Kisuke Urahara sat in discussion with Isshin Shiba who was listening to the events leading up to the death of Orihime Inoue.
"Isshin" Kisuke said, "As you know under the normal course of events a Shinigami must train to activate that power" Giving Isshin a sideways glance he said, "Your grandson was born with those powers already activated, Shinigami, Quincy and Empathic form Orihime.
Isshin thought to himself, that would mean…
"It would mean he is a prodigy" Kisuke told him, "Even more so then his father"
"Isshin" Kisuke told him, I was their even if you were assisting Ryūken Ishida and his son, it was to much blood loss to fast"
"So, no doctor given the equipment on hand could have saved Orihime" Isshin said in his well-practiced almost cold doctors tone of voice.
Exactly, but she did not die alone, after she returned from Soul Society, she came to me with a very personal request" Kisuke deadpanned.
"What was that?" Isshin asks his old friend.
"She asked me to adopt her, and I agreed" Kisuke stated, "She had no family left as you know, and wanted her son to have his birthright"
"What I don't understand is Orihime could have healed herself" Isshin stated.
"Normally you would be right old friend, but all her energy was focused on one thing Isshin" Kisuke explained, "Making sure her son lived"
Hanging his head Isshin said, "Shortly before her death Retsu Unohana came to visit me in my clinic"
"Oh" Kisuke stated as his brow shot up to a quizzical arch, "What did she to say!"
"She told me my son had the strength of two Captain class Shinigami, and he would soon have the strength of three Captain class Shinigami" Isshin told him.
Kisuke's mouth slowly opens and his eyes started growing wider trying to find the words to respond to the comment. His mind starts to comprehend all the possibilities and comes to the inevitable conclusion
"Orihime Knew She Was Going To Die"
"Given my son's spiritual pressure at the time!" Reading his face Isshin said, "That's a logical conclusion"
"I've already spoken to my sister, the only thing my son is to be told is she died in childbirth" Sipping some tea Isshin said, "He doesn't need to know his son caused her death!"
"I understand" Kisuke stated looking at his old friend, "That knowledge could brake him"
"Oh Kisuke" Isshin commented, "Since you're here Karin could use some guidance"
"Why is that" Kisuke said covering his face with his fan.
"She woke her Zanpakutō playing football" Isshin told him offhandedly, she was seeing Captain-Commander Yamamoto privately"
That comment caught Kisuke's attention as he thought, Captain Yamamoto hasn't taken any students privately since Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake.
"What Type!" Kisuke asks Isshin.
Looking him in the eye Isshin said, "An Elemental Zanpakutō, Fire from what Ichigo tells me, A Dragon, but she stays in human form"
Kisuke spits his mouthful of tea all over the table asking, "How old is the dragon."
"I'm not sure exactly but it said the last time it was in the human world she burned Rome to the ground."
Kisuke did some calculation in his head telling Isshin, "That means we are dealing with a dragon roughly 1955 years old, possibly older!"
"That makes sense from what Yoruichi tells me it's at least as powerful as Ryūjin Jakka." Isshin commented.
"She will need to know how to create a Kidō Barriers just to train." Kisuke explained as his face lost all color.
"I can only wonder what Yuzu's will be" Isshin commented with a sense of wonder in his voice!
2 days later in a cemetery somewhere on the outskirts of Karakura Town, Ryūken Ishida and his son Uryū Ishida stand over the open grave of Orihime Inoue, when 28 figures in two columns come marching over the hill. As they drew closer the men could see all 13 Shinigami Captains of the Gotei 13 and their Lieutenants plus two faces even Uryū had never seen walking up all carrying a single red rose in hand.
From directly behind them Isshin said, "The man with the beard and the large set of red prayer beads is the head of the Royal Graurd his name is Ichibē Hyōsube, the slim well-endowed one with purple hair is Kirio Hikifune!"
"The Royal Guard Never Comes to the world of the living they come today to honor her!" Isshin said taking a position beside his son and soon to be daughter in law.
What happened next no one not even Ichigo himself could have predicted Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck walk up making every Shinigami in attendance reach for their sword out of reflex, only to have Grimmjow hold up his hands saying, "Relax like you we have come here today to bid farewell to a friend"
To say it was awkward was an understatement on any other day these three groups would be trying to kill one another, well in truth the Quincy and the Shinigami would be teaming up to kill the Arrancar. But today a truce was called between these three factions to honor Orihime Inoue, the shy girl who never sought the spotlight.
One by one the 28 Shinigami place their rose on the top of the casket as they walk by, the last one Ichibē Hyōsube places his rose then stops to say a small prayer over it.
The last two roses came from Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.
Ichigo was the last one to blink out of sight but not before reading the unanswered question on his old friends face Ichigo said, "Uryū I can never live here again… ever"
The look on Uryū face said it all, "You weren't here, you broke her heart and left after 6 months."
"It's not that simple Uryū" Ichigo said in brittle croaky voice.
"Yes-it-is Ichigo" Uryū screamed in a tierce shrill voice.
"When you left her, you left her…"
"I left her what Uryū" Ichigo said cutting him off.
"URYŪ, that's not what she wanted, not another word" Ryūken said in a rough, ringing tone.
No one spoke for 5 minutes then His voice was low, almost to soft to hear and it had an undertone of sadness and sorrow to it when he said, "After the Blood War was over, my heart went to war with itself"
Uryū was about to walk away not wanting to hear lame excuses when Ryūken Ishida placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Can't you hear it son"
"Hear what" Uryū asked looking at his father.
Ryūken looked at his son saying, "Can't you hear that his heart breaking!"
"I wanted to love her the way she loved me… but I couldn't." In a tired voice Ichigo said, "I loved Orihime, but I was not in love with her"
That Admission caught Uryū off guard and for just a moment Uryū got a sense of Ichigo's true strength commenting, "That's… Endless."
"Now you know the reason" Ichigo spat hoarsely, "My Spiritual Pressure would raze Karakura Town to the ground"
That night back in the Soul Society Yoruichi asks, "Ichigo what did you mean by my heart went to war with itself!"
"Yoruichi from the age of 15 until quite recently I was at war for 12 years I never stopped long enough to consider the possibility's" Ichigo explains.
"Orihime told me she loved me, and on some level, I loved her" Ichigo explained as Yoruichi, said "I see"
As she was about to get up and leave Ichigo pulled her back to himself saying, "Maybe it's about time, The Shinigami Academy updated its curriculum"
"To include what!" Yoruichi asked.
"Human Emotions" Kissing her softy Ichigo states softly, "I said I loved her, I was not in love with her"
"Ichigo if you spent six months with Orihime, what were you doing for the last year" Yoruichi asks.
"Let's see, I spent six months in Nara at Yakushiji Temple, I was meditating their when I realized I love you" Ichigo states, from their I went Iga for six months!"