Disclaimer: The only kind of Bleach I own is for the laundry.
Story: When Rukia comes to Karakura, Gin tags along for supervision (and because he made some nobles angry). How will Ichigo deal with both of them, while they adjust to a surprising human that could do things she shouldn't? Especially given the odd things that keep happening around her. Fem!Ichigo AU.
Set as a genderbent AU.
Spoilers: Yes, most definitely.
Pairings: Ryuuken Ishida/Ichigo, Gin/Ichigo, Urahara/Ichigo, Aizen/Ichigo, Ukitake/Ichigo, Kyouraku/Ichigo, Byakuya/Ichigo, and maybe one-sided Others/Ichigo, Grimmjow/Ichigo, Ulquirrora/Ichigo…
Warnings: My usual crap…crazy writing, some perverseness every now and then, drama, angst, wild humor, drama, romance, drama, and that kind of thing…

Bleach It Orange!
Chapter Two: Strangers on the Rise

"Ichigo!"

She tensed, stopping herself from reacting. Given it was a glomp and not a tackle, there was no need for her to retaliate.

"Come on, Goat-face," she said irritably. "I have to start on breakfast."

Isshin pouted. "But-but –!"

"No buts!"

He sighed, but finally let go of her. Together, as he leaned affectionately against her and she let him, they headed to the kitchen where Yuzu was waiting for Ichigo and had already set out what they needed to cook with. Karin had likewise set up the table.

Though Ichigo had taken up their mother's role and duties, the other two had taken on more responsibilities as they grew older. Yuzu helped clean the house while Karin did laundry. Though Ichigo was in charge of cooking, Yuzu wanted to learn and help out there, so Ichigo had taken to teaching her how to cook and to also letting her help her out with the cooking.

"My beautiful Masaki! Look at how mature and responsible our girls are!" he sobbed at the large poster of their mom.

Ichigo rolled her eyes, but turned to the girls with a gentle smile.

"Let's have breakfast together, alright?"

Even if it was probably just their ideal of her, Ichigo would continue to do her best to emulate their mother.

At school, the now sixteen year old orangette headed to her classroom, lost in thought. Today, Ryuken had asked her to visit him at the hospital. She felt uneasy, but since he didn't sound worried, she tried not to be either. Not that would help much though; Ryuken tended to be inexpressive all the time.

"I-Ichigo-hime?" a nervous girl had approached her, and Ichigo had realized she had reached her class already and was in her seat. Smoothing over her usual indifferent expression and pushing away her natural inclination to scowl, Ichigo gave the other girl a soft smile and waited patiently.

"Um, Ichigo-hime, can I take your picture for the club?"

Ichigo ignored the mention of that club and nodded her assent. When the girl smiled brightly and took her picture, Ichigo had been too distracted to notice Chizuru come up from behind her and then grab her breasts.

Blinking before turning bright red, she didn't get to have a chance to lecture Chizuru before the girl with the camera screeched and threw her camera at Chizuru and knocked her back. She stomped over and she and Chizuru began to argue.

"Hahaha! I guess your fan club is as overprotective as ever," Tatsuki Arisawa, one of her best friends, had approached her with Orihime Inoue, another of Ichigo's best friends.

Orihime giggled. "But Ichigo is pretty and elegant and graceful! Why wouldn't her fan club be?"

Tatsuki snorted, even as Ichigo frowned and blushed horribly.

"Quiet, you two," Ichigo grumbled. "I don't need to hear it."

"I wonder how they'd be if they saw how Ichigo is normally around her friends," Tatsuki teased.

Orihime clapped. "Like Ichigo needed some comfort and love, so they have to do everything they can to wipe off that scowl from their princess' face!"

Ichigo sighed and gave one of her infamous scowls that her friends always tease her about. "You two…"

"Ah! Ichi-hime! I am here to protect you!"

Ichigo took a step back and Keigo Asano, one of those she didn't know how she actually befriended, flew past her, crashing into a few desks. While Orihime and Tatsuki laughed, their other male friend, Mizuiro face palmed, while Chad appeared silently and stood behind her like a bodyguard. Ichigo's face was completely deadpanned.

"I still don't know how she became friends with you," Mizuiro told his in-pain friend.

"Ah, it's heaven! Both Ichigo-hime and my beloved Orihime are here together!" Chizuru was back.

Ichigo wondered why was she surrounded by idiots. She really, really wished she knew.

The hospital was busy as usual, and Ryuken had his hands full that morning. Being the director of the hospital wasn't as cozy as it sounded and when he took on shifts too, he didn't have lots of time for himself. His son was probably resentful of him for that.

However, today was a little bit different and special.

"Hey, did you see that pretty lady that walked by?"

"I did! Is she visiting someone?"

"I don't know. Lucky person though. What if it's a man?"

"Lucky man! Oh, I wish I had her pretty hair. It reminds me of sunset. I wonder if it's natural?"

Sunset, huh? There was only one person he knew with that hair color and he had invited her here. It both amused him and embarrassed him to know his nurses had been talking about his fiancée.

He found his way towards an elevator and waited for his floor, where he quickly strode towards his office. Inside, he found Ichigo Kurosaki gazing out of his industrial windows with her usual indifferent face. He observed her for a moment.

Ichigo had certainly grown up in the time he'd known her. Her orange hair, rare strands of blended red highlights included, had grown long and she had left it floating around her. She had also grown tall, especially for a Japanese woman, though she was still shorter than Ryuken. All in all, the nurses were right in how beautiful Ichigo had become.

"Something on your mind? You've been there for a bit," she raised an eyebrow, finally turning to face him. He also should've known she already knew he was there. It was rare for her to not notice a change in her surroundings, even when she was being inattentive. "And can I know why you asked me here?"

He gave her one of his rare, small smiles. "I've been meaning to give you something for a while, especially since you've turned 16."

He went over to his desk and opened up a drawer, grabbing a medium-sized velvet box. He went to her side and opened it, revealing a pentagram cross.

"It'll be something you can use, and at least you won't have to use and rely on mine anymore," he said stiffly, holding it out and feeling oddly anxious.

But Ichigo gave one of her own rare and genuinely happy smiles, and accepted it from him.

"Thank you, Ryuken," she thanked him, sounding pleased. He himself was pleased at the usage of his name and he found he liked the sound of it from her.

"So when do I get to meet your son?" she asked teasingly and he grimaced. "Still not on good terms then."

"Don't remind me," he grumbled.

Though Ichigo was someone who fought a lot when she was younger and currently fought these days in professional places instead, Ichigo had taken up tea ceremony and painting classes after her mother died. In her and her family's eyes, Masaki had been beautiful and graceful, and Ichigo wanted to emulate her, especially for the girls. Tea ceremony was something that was supposed to be full of grace and what many considered elegant, and she even remembered her mother wishing she'd learned how to do it more properly. According to Ryuken, his family had tried, but Masaki had trouble with it.

Painting though? Ichigo reflected back to the cheesy poster of her mother in their kitchen and scowled. She was crap at drawing and whatever, but she swore she was going to learn how to paint, even if it killed her. She was going to paint a proper picture of her mother, even if it was the last thing she did.

"Pst! When are you going to enter the kendo tournament?"

Ichigo sighed, ignoring Mizuho Asano as she focused on making her tea.

"Ichigo!"

"Asano-san! Please be quiet. You're disrupting the class!" the strict tea ceremony teacher scowled heavily.

Ichigo hid a smirk as Mizuho's face flushed red.

Serves the other girl right.

"Please attain a partner and perform the tea ceremony with them," the teacher assigned.

To avoid Mizuho, Ichigo turned to her left, facing a man with dark hair that was slicked back. He smiled slightly at her. He was actually handsome, but there was something about him that felt off…but familiar. She also felt a rush of reishi flow through her veins, which she forcibly put a stop to in surprise. He bowed slightly in his seiza position.

"Hello, I am Tamashii Kukuo. Pleased to meet you."

She hesitantly replied. "Pleased to meet you too. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

He waved a hand towards the tea sets. "Shall we begin?"

There was a certain elegance and grace to him that made her envious. Though she'd always been described as such, she doubted she could ever compare to him.

Quietly, they began tea ceremony preparations. He started first, then her, before they served tea for each other.

"I have some homemade cookies I brought. Would you like some?" he asked kindly, accompanied by a kinder smile.

Unwillingly, she seemed to feel her hesitation drift away.

"O…kay…"

As he held out one, she felt as if this was some strange turning point.

But it was just a cookie, right?

Forcing out a smile and accepting a cookie, she took one bite. Despite the delicious flavor, she didn't want to finish it. But she made herself eat the rest of it and forced out another smile.

However, he looked solemn.

"Thank you so much."

Why did it seem like he was thanking her for more than a cookie?

Though Zangetsu had been quiet in her head, as soon as Ichigo had been on her way home, she saw Hou appear. He waited until she was near before grabbing her arm and tugging her in a direction. She followed until she saw a ghost of a girl crying by some lamppost, with some jerks goofing off and laughing nearby. A crystal vase with a flower was knocked over while the pictures near it were obviously of the crying girl.

A tick developed by her temple. "What the hell do you think you guys are doing?"

If she was yelling and throwing out any sense of grace, it was because she couldn't stand bullies.

"What's your problem?" one of them sneered. She ignored their leers though.

"My problem?" Her eye twitched. She pointed to the lamppost. "What is that?"

"A lamppost?" They all looked at her strangely while one of them answered in annoyed confusion.

"Wrong!" She kicked one in the face.

The others yelled out in indignation before coming at her, screaming insults. She looked at them blankly, before she quickly took them down in succession.

"THIS. IS. A. PLACE. OF. PEACE. FOR. HER!" She then pointed at the pictures. "Pay your proper respects!"

By then, they were all posturing themselves and begging for forgiveness. They promised to get a new vase and flower, and they would never do it again.

Ichigo scowled at them. "Make sure that you don't."

They flew off while she sighed and turned to Hou and the girl. The girl wasn't crying any more, but looking at her in awe.

"Wow! You took them all out and the way you fought was so..so pretty!"

Ichigo sweatdropped, but decided to just shrug off the admiration. She gave another one of her gentle smiles and softened the look on her face for her. She remembered her own mother and placed her hand on the girl's head.

"Take care and try to pass over, alright?"

The girl nodded and smiled at her. Ichigo sighed and then looked at Hou with a frown.

"Come on, you. Geez, give me a clue what's going on next time, won't you?"

Ichigo had been getting ready for bed when she was shocked and terrified to find two people jump through her window and land softly on her carpet. The male was tall, with short silvery hair and eyes that seemed closed. He wore a black shihakusho that was similar to the one the girl next to him wore. She had dark hair, cut particularly, with big dark blue eyes.

Ichigo bit her lip before she could blurt out, "Soul Reapers."

Started – Completed (Same)

Edited/Typed 9/27/16 - 9/27/16

A/n: Huh…I didn't think this would be so popular. I'm a little bit amazed. Anyway, I didn't mean to update this so quickly, but I haven't updated this whole month (and I think last) and I have nothing else available to update and I'm a little sick of not uploading anything. So here you go! Please remember to review!

Quick Points:

1. Pandora Pairings Forum: Rare pair forum I created that has lots of challenges, so check it and subscribe please!

2. Guys in harem: I don't really plan on anyone else being added on, though I'm tempted with Ulquirrora, Grimmjow, and/or Starrk. I guess I'll have to see. I also like Amagai Shusuke and Ginjo, but ehhhh….we'll see how it goes.

3. The Regions Legends: If you like Pokémon, this is my collab account with a few friends of mine. Please check it out and fav, alert, and review! I'm personally in charge of "The Book of Ash", "The Book of Eve","The Book of Mal", and "Kitty Claws."