A/N: this chapter was not supposed to exist. I had no plans for this chapter. Until I edited my outline, if you looked at it, there was nothing that said, "Hey, Fred, spend an entire damn chapter on this one thing you didn't plan for anywas." But here it is.

Anyways, here's chapter two of iris. Hopefully things still make sense.


Ichigo runs. He grabs the baseball bat on his way downstairs. There is no way that he is letting anything happen to his family!

Ichigo is too late.

He sees them, his family. They are bloody and on the ground. Karin is staring lifelessly at the wall, her wounds fatal. Yuzu's forehead is cut deeply to the bone, and blood pools around her head. Dad is slouched against the wall, side torn open and legs bent wrongly.

Ichigo stares and drops the baseball bat. He can not move. He is frozen to the spot.

Ichigo says, "No," voice weak. He desperately wishes that this is not happening.

Ichigo blinks. The bodies are gone.

"Onii-chan," Yuzu says from behind him.

Ichigo whirls around, eyes wide. His family is there now. Yuzu, with blood still dripping down her chin. Karin, with a rib visible on her side. Dad, who stands on two broken legs and organs dragging down.

They are all staring at Ichigo.

"Onii-chan, why didn't you save us?" Yuzu asks.

"Ichi-nii, it's your fault we died," Karin says.

"You really are a worthless child," Dad says.

Ichigo shakes his head. "No. No, I didn't mean to!"

"It's your fault," Yuzu accuses him. Her face twists into something angry.

Ichigo shuts his eyes. He presses his hands over his ears. This is not real. This can not be real!

"You didn't even try," Karin says.

"Go away," Ichigo whispers. He can still hear them clearly. Like his hands aren't there. The voices are like a stereo in his mind.

"Your mother would be disappointed," Dad says.

"No," Ichigo says, "No!" he repeats, louder.

No, she would not!

Ichigo knows his mother. She would never! She loves him! She loves her family! She would rather die! She chose to-

The voices stop.

Ichigo warily opens his eyes. His family is still there. They are all still staring at Ichigo. But they are silent, and they are not moving. They look like statues now. Caricatures of what they were like previously. Ichigo lifts his hands from his ears. His family crumples to the ground as he does so, like puppets with their strings cut. They are still dead. Ichigo wants to cry.

Ichigo still can not move. He wants to go to them. Wants to hold his sisters close. Wants his mother.

Ichigo starts crying. Shadows move around him, pressing closer and closer. The shadows aren't scary, so Ichigo does not bother to be scared. Nothing is worse than the scene in front of him anyways.

"Onii-chan!" Yuzu shouts.

Yuzu?

Ichigo looks around. Yuzu's body is still there, broken, on the ground. But if she is still able to talk, then her spirit must still be around. Will she still hate him? Ichigo does not know what he'll do if Yuzu still hates him.

"Onii-chan!" Yuzu shouts again.

Something wraps around Ichigo's shoulders, warm and comfortable. Like this, Ichigo feels like he can face Yuzu. Just a little bit. That pressure remains constant even as Ichigo continues to search the room.

If Yuzu is here, then maybe Karin and Dad will be here too? Will they accept Ichigo's apology? For not being able to save them? Ichigo hopes so.

Something hits Ichigo's shoulder. It's a different sort of pressure than the warm one.

"Onii-chan!" Yuzu shouts. She sounds closer than before. Is she looking for Ichigo just like he's looking for her?

There is another hit against his shoulder. It feels like he's being punched. Ichigo frowns and looks around and-

Ichigo woke up.

Yuzu stood over him, frowning. She wasn't hurt. She wasn't hurt. Ichigo breathed deeply in relief.

"Onii-chan, if you don't get up now, you'll be late for school!" Yuzu said.

"Yuzu?" Ichigo asked. He blinked up at her. He didn't cry, but he sure felt like it.

"Onii-chan?" Yuzu said. She frowned in worry. "Are you okay?"

Ichigo sat up. "Yeah. Just a nightmare," he assured her. He made sure to pat Yuzu's hair. Physical contact with his sisters always made him feel better. "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

Yuzu didn't look like she believed him. "Okay. But Onii-chan, you still have to get up."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. "Getting up now."

"Okay," Yuzu said. She nodded firmly at him. Ichigo figured that he'd be in trouble if he didn't get ready now. Yuzu still looked worried as she left his bedroom.

Ichigo sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. He was okay. He wasn't lying. That nightmare, though. It still rattled him. He'd fell better when he saw both of his sisters together.

Ichigo climbed out of bed. He felt sore, for some reason. There was an ache in his chest, as if he had indigestion. Which was weird, since Ichigo hadn't eaten anything out of the ordinary last night. So why-

Rukia.

Ichigo swore under his breath and almost tripped over his pajama pants. He got dressed quickly and didn't bother washing his face. Getting downstairs was more important.

"Yuzu! Karin!" Ichigo called. He stopped at the foot of the stairs. There was a giant hole in the wall. It had been boarded up, but that didn't change the fact that there was a giant hole in the wall.

Well. At least that was physical proof that Ichigo hadn't hallucinated last night.

"Morning, Ichi-nii," Karin said. She looked at him, worried, even as she continued to eat her breakfast. "It's weird that I'm up before you."

"Yeah," Ichigo said. Because seriously, Karin was never up before him. She liked her sleep more than anyone else he knew. The strangeness of the morning continued to hit him.

"Here, Onii-chan," Yuzu said. She shooed him to sit at the dining table. "You have enough time to eat breakfast, still."

"…Why is there a hole in the wall?" Ichigo asked as he sat down at the table. He absently took the food Yuzu handed him. Ichigo knew, but his sisters were acting as if they hadn't been attacked by a hollow. Which. What?

"Oh, the weirdest thing!" Yuzu said brightly. She sat down at her own seat when Ichigo dutifully started eating. "A truck crashed through our wall last night. And none of us woke up at all!"

"Yeah. Lucky someone came by and covered it up," Karin said, "Goat-Face is just really happy it didn't hit the clinic."

Ichigo stared at them incredulously. "A truck?" he asked. No, definitely not. It was the hollow. Wasn't it? Ichigo rubbed at his eyes, and wondered if last night really was just a terrible dream. His sisters didn't look hurt whatsoever, either.

No. It couldn't have been. The blood had been too real.

"Onii-chan?" Yuzu asked. She and Karin were looking at him now. "Onii-chan, it wasn't a truck, was it?"

Ichigo shook his head. "…I'm just confused. I remember what happened las night. But… neither of you do? Does Dad?"

"Goat-Face thought it was a truck, just like we did," Karin said.

"Well, shit," Ichigo said, "I don't know why you don't remember. Dammit."

"You're not going to tell us?" Karin asked. Both she and Yuzu looked worried. Not that Ichigo could blame them. Having their memories tampered with was something to be worried about.

"No. I definitely will," Ichigo promised. His sisters relaxed. "After school, though. I need to talk to Uryu about it."

"What about Tatsuki-nee-chan?" Yuzu asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. "She was at Inoue's last night, so she won't know if she went straight to school with her."

"Good," Yuzu said.

"You'll be good to get to school on your own?" Ichigo asked. He had homeroom duties today, so he needed to get there earlier than normal. It was probably why Yuzu felt the need to punch him to wake him up. He also didn't walk the twins to school.

"We'll be fine," Karin said and rolled her eyes. "Go. We'll see you after school."

"Bye, Onii-chan! Have a good day at school!" Yuzu said.

"Yeah. See you later!" Ichigo said.

The jog to school was quiet. There were a few different groups of thugs that recognized Ichigo and looked ready for a fight, but Ichigo ignored them. It wasn't like they'd catch up to him, or slow him down, anyway.

"Oh, morning Kurosaki," one of his classmates said. Ichigo nodded at them but decided not to speak. He had no idea what their name was. Ichigo supposed he should try working on that, but his classmates were used to it. Besides, he had the sneaking suspicion that they all saw what he and his friends got up to and decided that having their names memorized would be too much trouble.

Their morning routine was simple enough to help Ichigo relax. He needed the calm. The others would all know something was up the moment they saw him. Uryu would have felt him last night, even if he hadn't called or texted Ichigo. And he would likely be marinating in his worry. Ichigo simply didn't want to alarm his classmates. Or his teachers.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue greeted cheerfully.

"Hey, Ichigo," Tatsuki said.

Their faces went from tired to worried the moment they saw Ichigo. Tatsuki, especially, was geared up for a fight. Tatsuki was as protective as she ever was, even if ichigo wasn't the crybaby he was when they first met.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue asked, brow furrowed. Tatsuki matched her frown.

Ichigo shook his head. "Later."

Tatsuki stared at him for a long second before nodding. "At lunch, then."

Uryu came in a minute later. "What happened?" he asked flatly by way of greeting. His fingers twitched as if he wanted to draw his bow. Ichigo bit his tongue.

"Later," Tatsuki said. She always did know when Ichigo didn't feel like talking. "We'll all talk at lunch."

Uryu nodded slowly. He did not look pleased. Not that Ichigo could blame him, really.

Chad came in soon after. He didn't say anything, but he did look at Ichigo worriedly when he caught sight of him.

Ha. Was Ichigo that obvious? To these people, probably. They knew him better than he knew himself. At least Ichigo wasn't obvious to the rest of his classmates. Hopefully.

And then Rukia came in the door. Ichigo sat up immediately and stared at them.

"Hello!" Rukia greeted the classroom cheerfully, smiling. "I'm Kuchiki Rukia. I'm a new student!"

Wait.

Everyone could see them. When did that happen? How was that possible? Rukia was a spirit. Only Ichigo and Uryu should be able to see them.

"Good morning!" Inoue greeted. She bounced excitedly to the front of the class to meet Rukia. Inoue was always excited to meet new people. Ichigo could tell that she was keeping an eye on them, though. Inoue was a lot more perceptive than people gave her credit for.

Ichigo watched as his classmates all gathered around Rukia. The classroom got loud as they all talked excitedly with each other. They hadn't had a transfer student since they started high school, and a new feminine person was bound to catch everyone's interest. Especially since Rukia was so petite; they all thought they were cute.

"Ichigo," Tatsuki said lowly, and slowly, "Who is that?"

"…Someone I met last night," Ichigo said. He was confused. "And part of what I need to talk to you about."

Uryu frowned, wary and contemplative. "Is that so?"

"Oh, hello," Rukia said brightly when they walked to Ichigo's desk. There was an empty desk next to him, so it made sense that they would sit there. Rukia held out their hand, palm up, as if expecting to be handed something. "Nice to meet you!"

Tell anyone and I will kill you.

Ichigo stared at their hand, and then back up to Rukia. "Nice to meet you too," he said flatly.

Like hell he wasn't going to tell the others. Rukia would just have to deal with it. Ichigo hadn't lied to his friends and family before, and there was no way in hell was going to start now. Not for any reason. Definitely not for them.

"Kuchiki-san?" Inoue asked. Ah. She likely saw Ichigo's reaction. "Do you need textbooks? I noticed that you don't have any supplies."

Rukia folded their hand back and smiled at Inoue. "Yes. I am sorry. My transfer was unfortunately somewhat last minute. I was incredibly lucky to get a uniform before I arrived!"

Inoue distracted Rukia. Ichigo sighed in relief. Inoue was too kind for her own good, sometimes. Not that he was complaining.

"Ichigo," Uryu said. He stared at Rukia with an inscrutable expression. Well, at the very least Ichigo could tell that Uryu was irritated.

Ichigo shook his head. "Later."

Tatsuki frowned. "They're going to be a problem, aren't they?"

"Likely," Chad rumbled. He rarely disliked anyone, but there were people that Chad simply didn't like dealing with. Rukia was looking to be one such person if Chad was basing it off of Ichigo's reaction to them.

"Later." Ichigo repeated.

Later came both too fast and incredibly slowly. Rukia was a terrible student, really. They looked like they were barely even paying attention. Even as he kept an eye on them, Ichigo refused to let yesterday affect his grades and took notes as usual. His friends, despite being worried, did the same.

School was usually a great distraction. Today, not so much. Every minute seemed to take forever. Even doodling in his notes didn't help time pass. Not that Ichigo really wanted to deal with what was coming after. He didn't lie to his friends, but that didn't make the conversations any easier.

Lunch did come eventually though.

"Ichigo-san?" Mizuiro asked. He frowned at him. Mizuiro was just as observant as Ichigo's closest friends, but probably for all the wrong reasons. Mizuiro just happened to be quieter. It wasn't surprising that he sensed that something was wrong.

"Ichigo!" Keigo yelled, and ran to jump on Ichigo. Ichigo sighed and dodged the tackle before he kicked Keigo to the ground.

Ichigo glanced between Mizuiro and Keigo and shrugged. They weren't as close to Ichigo as the others, but they were still his friends. "You two might as well both come."

"What are you doing?" Rukia asked. They looked curious.

They were a pretty good actor. Ichigo had to give them that. It was just that no one in Ichigo's group of friends tolerated liars. Even Mizuiro, who lied like it was his life blood, was truthful around them. Or rather, he just didn't speak. At least not without a heavy layer of sarcasm.

Rukia seemed to understand that and they frowned at Ichigo.

"We're going to lunch, Kuchiki-san!" Inoue said, "Why don't you come with us?"

Thank the gods for Inoue. She was the best suited out of all of them for dealing with other people. Everyone else was either too blunt, too straightforward, or just didn't have any patience or kindness. Or, in Chad's case, simply didn't speak often enough.

"Um, okay," Rukia agreed. They fidgeted in place. "If that's not a problem." They glanced at Ichigo warily. And somewhat threatening, too, if that look in their eyes was any indication.

Ichigo snorted. Yeah, good luck getting him not to say anything. He led the group through the school and up to the roof. It was their usual spot, and although other students sometimes went up there, their section was always free. It helped that Ichigo and Uryu had placed minor privacy wards the moment they started high school. It wouldn't do any of them good if strangers overheard what they tended to talk about. Ichigo and his friends were just odd enough for them to believe it outright.

"What the hell is going on?" Tatsuki demanded as soon as they sat down. "I spend one night away from home and something happens?"

"Is this what you were worried about yesterday?" Inoue asked.

"Are you okay?" Chad asked.

"And who is this?" Uryu demanded.

Ichigo sighed. "Okay. First of all, a hollow attacked my house last night."

Silence.

"What." Uryu said. His voice was flat. Wow! Ichigo gave that a solid nine. Impressive, considering it also conveyed how shocked, worried, and angry Uryu was on Ichigo's behalf. "That should not have been possible!"

"Is everyone okay?" Tatsuki demanded. She leaned forward. "How are Yuzu and Karin? Your dad?"

"Are you okay, Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue asked, Chad nodding along behind her.

Mizuiro and Keigo were silent. They were the two that were the most unfamiliar with spirits in general. Still, since they were Ichigo's friends, they had interactions with hollows. Being around Ichigo tended to make people more likely to learn about spirits than not.

"They're fine," Ichigo assured quickly. "I'm fine. I don't know how, though. They were all hurt last night. But I woke up, and they… weren't." Not that Ichigo was complaining about that. Ichigo would never complain about the safety and health of his sisters. And he determinedly did not think about that nightmare.

Uryu frowned. "How was the hollow able to sneak up on you?" he asked.

Ichigo looked at him, completely clueless. "I have absolutely no idea. Our wards were broken last night." Which was both horrifying and worrying. And half the reason that Ichigo had simply panicked when he heard the hollow.

"I'll head over after school to check on them," Uryu promised, looking as uneasy as Ichigo felt.

"But everyone is okay?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, "There's a hole in our wall, though."

"Is the clinic okay?" Inoue asked. She looked worried- oh, yeah. Inoue occasionally volunteered at the clinic.

"The clinic is fine too," Ichigo assured.

"What are you doing?" Rukia hissed. They looked at Ichigo angrily. Rukia turned wary when the others all stared at them in return, but Rukia held their ground. Huh, pretty awesome, actually. Ichigo knew others that would quail under their combined gaze. "You're not supposed to tell them anything!"

Wow. After they had decided to give Ichigo an impromptu lesson on pluses and minuses last night while Ichigo was tied up. Surely the hypocrisy was obvious? Maybe it was too obvious? Sometimes Ichigo couldn't see what was right in front of his face, either.

"What." Uryu said icily. He looked seconds away from shooting Rukia. Hm. Ichigo should probably make sure that Uryu didn't. Ichigo owed Rukia for helping him save his family. "Were you doing at Ichigo's home last night?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, "You did something to my family. They don't remember what happened! They thought a truck drove through the wall."

"…And the truck driver just upped and drove away?" Tatsuki asked incredulously.

Ichigo shrugged. "If it weren't for that, I'd have thought it was all just a nightmare. Kind of wished it were one."

"It sounds like one," Tatsuki said.

"Ichigo!" Rukia snapped. They stared angrily him. "I said. Do. Not. Tell. Anyone!"

"And why should I listen to you?" Ichigo demanded. "Look, I am grateful for what you did. There's no way I can repay you for that. But that doesn't mean that you're going to get me to lie! Not to my friends, and definitely not to my family."

"What did you do, Kuchiki-san?" Inoue asked curiously. She rubbed her hands together and her brow furrowed worriedly. Huh. Apparently Inoue was already fond of Rukia, if she was trying to mediate between them.

"They saved me. And my family," Ichigo said. He sighed. "And probably healed them, too." Because his sisters weren't hurt. Neither was his father, apparently. And Ichigo would forever be thankful for that.

Rukia frowned. "They? I am a woman, fool."

"She saved my family," Ichigo repeated. Well, that saved him the trouble of asking for pronouns.

"What did you do?" Uryu asked again. His tone was stilly icy. At least he seemed willing to refrain from shooting Rukia. For now.

"She gave me her power," Ichigo said, "I had a sword. It was weird."

"…A sword?" Uryu repeated quietly. He looked at Ichigo oddly. "What is Kuchiki-san, then?" he asked.

"I am right here," Rukia said. She fidgeted when they all looked at her again.

Rukia probably didn't expect them to know anything about spirits. Probably that ridiculous pride she had in being a shinigami. Which, yes, after last night Ichigo understood that being a shinigami was a good thing. But that kind of pride was dangerous. It made people blind.

"She's a shinigami," Ichigo said.

There was a silence as the others tried to comprehend that. Ichigo didn't blame them. Even with spirits, shinigami seemed a bit out there.

"Shinigami?" Uryu demanded, voice shrill. "You're a shinigami? You have Ichigo the powers of a shinigami?!"

That was… unexpected. Ichigo stared at Uryu, who looked odd. Uryu looked like he couldn't decide whether or not to be angry or surprised.

"…Yes," Rukia said evenly after a moment. She blinked at Uryu. "It was the only way to save him and his family from the hollow. It was only supposed to be half of my power, of course, and temporary. But…"

"Ichigo. Has shinigami powers," Uryu repeated faintly. He stared at Rukia for a long moment. And then, in a smooth motion, Uryu stood and drew his bow. He aimed a glowing arrow at Rukia.

Well then. Ichigo would be lying if he hadn't thought this might happen, if not for this particular reason. Ichigo stood and grabbed Uryu's wrist, ready to pull the shot so that it would go wide. If aimed at a specific person, Uryu's arrows dissipated when they missed rather than continuing on their trajectory. Uryu glared at Ichigo. He trembled with the force of his fury.

Ichigo had never seen Uryu like this before. Uryu's rage was generally the icy kind, where anyone that made him angry was destroyed before registering it. Before realizing that they had made Uryu angry in the first place. This fury was more like Ichigo and Tatsuki's anger, which burnt hot and impulsively.

"Uryu?" Ichigo asked quietly. He turned so that Rukia couldn't see Uryu. She didn't need to see this. The others really didn't, either, but at least he trusted them. Rukia had no place in this at all.

Uryu closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and released his bow. The spiritual energy faded into the air. Ichigo let go of Uryu's wrist cautiously. Uryu didn't look at Ichigo as he left the roof, leaving behind his lunch.

Ichigo turned around to the worried faces of his friends. Even Rukia seemed concerned, though she also looked confused.

Huh. Apparently shinigami had never heard of Quincy the same way that Ichigo had never heard of shinigami.

Uryu had, though. That kind of rage did not come from nowhere. Ichigo frowned as he checked where Uryu went. Ichigo wasn't as good of a sensor as Uryu, or even Rukia, but Ichigo knew Uryu. It seemed that he had simply left school. Ichigo would have to talk with him later.

"Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked. She stared after Uryu. Tatsuki couldn't see spirits, but she was intimately familiar with how Ichigo and Uryu looked when they created their bows. "What the hell just happened?"

"I honestly have no idea," Ichigo told her. "I'll talk to him later." After Uryu had time to calm down.

"Kuchiki-san," Inoue said into the silence. It wasn't quite awkward, but it wasn't comfortable either. "What are shinigami?"

Rukia shook her head. She started to look resigned to the fact that Ichigo wasn't going to lie to the others. Good. Rukia had best figure that out sooner than later.

"Shinigami are exceptionally strong spirits," Rukia said, "we are in charge of keeping balance by way of two tasks. One, we make sure that spirits move on to Soul Society. Two, we purify hollows."

Well, that was a simpler and easier to understand explanation than the one Ichigo had gotten last night. Then again, it did sound like a rather automatic answer. Rukia was probably still shocked by having an arrow pointed at her chest.

"And you gave Ichigo your power?" Tatsuki asked. She was confused. Ichigo understood. They had grown up with the knowledge that spiritual awareness was hereditary, or at the very least, gotten young. There was no explanation of a transference of power.

"Yes," Rukia said. She inclined her head. "Unfortunately, Ichigo's spiritual energy was more than I had anticipated. I had intended on only giving him half of my power. Instead, he took all of it."

"How can we see you?" Chad asked.

"Yeah!" Inoue said, as the group made exclamations of realization that, yes, none of them should be able to see Rukia. "None of us have any spiritual energy."

"That is because I am wearing a gigai," Rukia said, "It is confining, but it will help me as I regain my power. And it lets me be seen by humans."

"I took all of your power?" Ichigo asked. He frowned. "I didn't mean to."

Because that sounded absolutely terrible. Ichigo was born with his spiritual energy, but he was still human. He still had a life outside what he did with that energy. Rukia was a spirit. Her entire existence depended on her spiritual energy, and Ichigo had taken it all.

Rukia shook her head. "It is fine, Ichigo. Even without my shinigami power, I am still a spirit. There are still things that I can do."

"You help spirits move on," Tatsuki said, "How?"

"With my zanpakuto," Rukia said, "they are not regular swords, even within Soul Society. Zanpakuto are a shinigami's power. The blades are capable of purifying hollows and sending those purified souls on. The hilts have a seal that sends lingering spirits on safely. Either way, only the shinigami have zanpakuto, and as such, only shinigami have those duties."

Ichigo frowned, both at the explanation, as well as how easily Rukia gave them that information. That pride, again, that first refused Ichigo's right to tell his friends and family what happened again, while easily handing that information over herself. Ichigo hoped that this was just Rukia deciding to trust them rather than loose lips.

"How are you going to do your job?" Ichigo asked when he realized what Rukia not having her power meant. "Hollows, I can take care of on my own. But there are a lot of spirits that stick around."

Like Naomi. Ichigo would have to check on her later. She was a strong enough spirit that hollows would like her as a snack. And the small ward that Ichigo had placed near the area Naomi stuck around the most only did so much.

"You are going to do my job, Ichigo," Rukia said simply. She smiled even as Ichigo froze. "The World of the Living runs parallel to Soul Society. I have been assigned to this town, but I am incapable of sending messages home. Until my tour is done and I can return home, there is simply no one else to do my job."

"Wait, what?" Ichigo said. Wasn't a tour something to do with the military? He blinked as he parsed the rest of the sentence. "No. There is no way. For one, I don't have a zanpakuto. Second, how? Thirdly, no."

There was also the fact that Ichigo had taken Rukia's power because his family was in immediate danger. That, if not for Rukia in the first place, Ichigo could have reacted more appropriately to the situation by grabbing his bow. Ichigo could have killed the hollow himself.

Ichigo fought foremost to protect his family. He wasn't the type of person to standby when he saw strangers on the street being attacked or harassed. Ichigo also wasn't the type of person to go out of his way to defend them, either. Ichigo simply wasn't that nice of a person.

Also, he was a teenager, and a tour sounded way too military for his tastes.

Rukia pulled out a glove and slipped it on. It was blue and had a flaming skull on the back. "Oh, you've got a zanpakuto. It is a monstrously oversized cleaver that you swing around with the grace of a caveman, but it is a zanpakuto nonetheless."

And then Rukia jumped forward and pressed the glove to Ichigo's forehead. He fell backward, and the glove followed him down. He managed to catch himself.

"What the hell was that for!" Ichigo demanded.

"Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked, sounding worried. Ichigo glanced at her and saw that she was staring at… his body? Which was crumpled on the ground.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue echoed. She leaned forward to poke at Ichigo's body. Which was. Over there.

What. The fuck.

"He is fine," Rukia assured them. She looked between Ichigo and his body somewhat impatiently. "Ichigo is simply having an out of body experience."

"What?" Ichigo asked. He looked down at himself and realized what he was wearing. It was the same black outfit that Rukia had been wearing when she first showed up in his room. And the zanpakuto was slung across his back again, held in place by a thick red rope.

Huh. It wasn't as frilly as he thought it would be. And it was easy to move in, too, though Ichigo had expected that. Hakama generally were easy to move in. He bounced lightly in place, which Ichigo always did whenever he tried on new clothing.

"The uniform is called the shihakushō," Rukia explained. "It is the uniform of the shinigami. You have shinigami powers, and so you are dressed in our uniform. When my power left me, I was left in a white yukata."

"Ichigo?" Tatsuki repeated. She carefully did not look at his body, but rather in his direction. Rukia was looking at him, so she followed her line of sight. It was a trick that Tatsuki had picked up by growing up around Ichigo and Uryu.

Ichigo wondered if he would be able to make himself visible like he could make Naomi visible. It was just an inversion of the usual spell, right? Or would his own strength make it so that the inversion made him harder to see? Like an invisibility spell, except even for spiritual awareness…

Either way, now wasn't the time for theories or experiments. Besides, Uryu would want to help. He always did. Even if Uryu seemed to hate shinigami almost instinctively.

"How do I get back in my body?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia frowned at him. What, did she think that Ichigo would be excited to be kicked out of his body? She also still looked impatient. Which, why?

"Just touch it an focus," Rukia said, "It is your body, so it will absorb you on its own. It should be less work than putting on a gigai."

Ichigo sighed and did as said. He touched his body. There was a weird feedback. It felt like he was receiving the sensation of both his body and his spirit touching each other at the same time. Huh. Well, it was his body.

There was sudden pressure bearing down on Ichigo. It felt like he had just jumped into a pool. It wasn't painful, but it was surprising. Ichigo blinked and then felt himself shift-

Ichigo opened his eyes. He was back in his body.

"Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked. She helped him sit up. "You good?"

Chad and Inoue hovered over him as well. Mizuiro and Keigo hung back, but kept wary eyes on him. Wait, no, Keigo kept an eye on Ichigo. Mizuiro was keeping an eye on Rukia.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. Didn't hurt at all. It was just weird. Especially with that sword."

"A sword?" Tatsuki asked, frowning. "You'll need training if you're going to keep it. You have no idea how to use a sword."

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo rolled his eyes. "But where would I learn?"

"I," Rukia huffed. She looked offended that they almost forgot that she was still there. Ha. Like they would. Rukia was still too much of an unknown that they would just forget that she was there. Besides, Ichigo trusted Mizuiro to keep an on her even if they did. "Am going to teach you."

Ichigo stared at her. "You'll have to teach Tatsuki, then."

"Why?" Rukia asked, frowning.

"Tatsuki-chan and Kurosaki-kun learn everything together," Inoue said, as if it were obvious. Because it was. "And Ishida-kun, too…"

"Uryu is too set on archery to really work with a sword," Ichigo said. Though he did manage to make Uryu take martial arts lessons with Ichigo when they were younger. Not to mention what his parents taught him. "Maybe he'll want to learn the basics."

"I do not know if he will work with me," Rukia said. She looked offended at the very thought of someone deliberately avoiding her.

"Probably not," Tatsuki agreed.

"I'll beat it into him if he's stubborn," Ichigo said, shrugging. He probably would have to, if Uryu's reaction to Rukia was any indication. Or keep them forever apart. It depended on what Uryu told him was the issue with shinigami.

"Um, Kuchiki-san," Inoue said hesitantly, "I know you have to teach Kurosaki-kun how to use a sword, and Tatsuki-chan will learn with him. But, do you think that you could also teach me? I mean, not a lot, but…"

"I, too, would like to participate," Chad said.

Ichigo grinned at them, amused and pleased by the idea. Chad and Inoue where capable of taking care of themselves, and though Inoue was prone to accidents, Chad had his near inhuman durability. But Chad and Inoue weren't ones to use weapons. Inoue could use a bow decently, and Chad could use a bow passably well, since Tatsuki and Ichigo had taken to teaching them. Swords were a different matter. They could be amazing with a sword.

Rukia sighed and looked incredibly resigned to her life. Ichigo couldn't help but smirk with Tatsuki. That generally was the reaction to Ichigo's group of friends.

"Oooh," Keigo said and made himself known for the first time during the conversation. Strange, he normally made himself part of the conversation. Or, maybe, not so strange. As much as Keigo was an idiot, he wasn't actually stupid. "Can we learn too? Can we?" he asked.

"It does sound like a useful skill to have," Mizuiro added. That was not a lie, but Ichigo could practically see Mizuiro planning to use it to pull in more women. Or maybe something else entirely. Mizuiro liked keeping the people around him confused. Maybe he was just interested.

Rukia frowned. "I have no choice but to teach Ichigo. Inoue and Chad wish to learn for a reason that I can understand. But you two simply wish to learn for what are selfish reasons."

Keigo looked meek at Rukia's assessment. Mizuiro just smiled, neither confirming nor denying anything.

"You don't have to teach them," Ichigo said. Mizuiro and Keigo looked at him like he killed their favorite pet. Manipulative idiots, no matter that they had nothing on Yuzu. "Maybe you can teach them how to hold a sword without accidentally cutting themselves open," he amended.

Teaching them that sounded like a good idea. Ichigo wondered about his sisters…

"Maybe you can teach Karin and Yuzu too," Tatsuki said. "We'd teach them after we learned enough, but having you around would be good."

Rukia frowned. "Maybe," she allowed, "But that depends entirely on how well Ichigo does. He may be doing my work as a shinigami, but that does not mean that I do not have other things to do."

"Kuchiki-san, where are you staying?" Inoue asked. Probably because she saw Ichigo's face twist into something unpleasant at Rukia's statement.

Rukia shrugged and waved a hand. "It is of no matter. My lodgings have already been taking care of."

Ichigo frowned at her. That was ominous.

"How are we going to keep in touch?" Ichigo asked, decided that he did not want to know. "If I'm supposed to take over your job until your powers come back."

Honestly, Ichigo wasn't even sure he he wanted the job. For one, he was only fifteen. He had school and his sisters to worry about. Secondly, what about Uryu and his reaction? Because Uryu knew about shinigami and he very clearly did not like them. And then there was the tour Rukia mentioned. Maybe it wasn't what he thought it meant, but…

Also, Ichigo just plain didn't want to. Like he said. Not that nice.

Rukia pulled out a flip phone from her pocket. "We will keep in touch using this. It is a denreishinki."

"That is a cell phone," Tatsuki said flatly, "nothing really divine about it."

"If it were a regular human phone, then yes," Rukia said. She sniffed and looked offended that Tatsuki had even made the comparison. She sure was looking offended a lot. "The denreishinki are used by shinigami sent to the World of the Living. Other than our Hell Butterflies, they are the only way to directly communicate with the shinigami back in Soul Society."

"The shinigami adapted them from cell phones, though, right?" Ichigo asked. He didn't even want to ask about Hell Butterflies right now. Besides, they were probably like that one butterfly that had given him a headache.

"Perhaps," Rukia allowed. It looked like she was being threatened to do so. "I am not in the Twelfth Division, so I do not know its origins."

Twelfth Division? Ichigo wondered. Were the shinigami organized enough that they actually had divisions? Tour, too… That implied some things Ichigo really wasn't comfortable with.

"How does that help us stay in communication?" Ichigo asked. Because if it were just a cell phone instead of whatever Soul Society had done to it, they would be able to exchange numbers.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Just because this is not your primitive human technology does not mean that it cannot connect to your cellular service. We exchange numbers just as you would. Denreishinki are used for work rather than social calls."

"Yeah, it's a work phone, okay," Ichigo said. He pulled his phone out. "Here, you can put your number in."

"Oh, I will do more than that," Rukia muttered. She grabbed his phone and then, before Ichigo could react, plugged something into the charging port.

"Here," Rukia said after it beeped at her. She handed him his phone. Ichigo quickly checked it over to see if anything was wrong. Nothing was that he could tell, though it did feel warm. Spiritually warm.

What?

"What did you do?" Ichigo asked.

"I added my denreishinki data to your phone using a copier. I am unable to connect to home to request a new one. Your phone now has the same basic functions as my denreishinki." Rukia explained.

"What does a denreishinki do?" Inoue asked curiously. In time to stop Ichigo from trying to hit Rukia for altering his phone without his permission. Sometimes Ichigo wondered how she convinced the world that she was dumber than she actually was.

"Usually, it acts as the connection between shinigami stationed in the World of the Living and those in Soul Society," Rukia said, "but here, there is one function even more important. It tracks hollows."

Almost as if it recognized its cue, Ichigo's phone started screaming at him. Loudly. He dropped it and covered his ears.

"What the hell is that noise?" Ichigo demanded. Loudly. Because he wasn't sure if he was going deaf from the noise or not.

Rukia got to her feet and then pushed Ichigo out of his body. Again. He didn't even try to get away because he was too focused on blocking the noise. How the hell was Rukia ignoring it?

"That is the alarm that alerts us to a hollow!" Rukia said, "Dismiss it, and then it will show the tracker!"

Tatsuki ended up being the one to turn his phone off. Even if she couldn't hear the screaming, she could see his phone blinking. Ichigo pulled his hands away from his ears. His ears still rang.

"Thanks," Ichigo said to Tatsuki. Even if she couldn't hear him.

"Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked. She hovered over his body. She looked ready to jump Rukia. As uncomfortable as it felt to be pushed out of his body, it was probably worse to see his body fall to the ground.

"He is here, and he is fine," Rukia assured. Or, tried to. That really wasn't a reassuring tone.

"You need to stop doing that without permission," Ichigo said flatly. He tried reaching for his body again, but Rukia grabbed his wrist.

"No, you cannot just yet," Rukia said, staring at him, "You have a job to do. There is a hollow arriving, if it is not already here."

"Ichigo," Tatsuki said. She stared at Rukia. It probably looked like she was gripping nothing. "Go. I'll look after your body."

"Yeah!" Inoue agreed, smiling. "Go be a superhero!"

Chad didn't say anything. But there was a look in his eye that gave Ichigo strength. Even Mizuiro and Keigo looked reassuring. Which was, frankly, the strangest thing that happened in the last five minutes.

"Fucking hell," Ichigo muttered. He pulled his wrist out of Rukia's grasp. "Fine. I'll do it. But I am not happy about being dropped into this mess."

"You do not have to like it," Rukia said, "as long as you do your job."

Ichigo groaned. He hated doing something like this without at least Tatsuki there. Or Uryu. Hell, even Chad would be nice, even if he was the one most unused to fighting with Ichigo against spirits. Inoue would also have been a cheerful presence.

This was going to be a disaster. Ichigo could just tell. Because swinging a sword as long as he was tall around like a baseball bat was very useful and did wonders for how effective it was.

"Okay," Ichigo said.


"This is not okay!" Ichigo shouted the next night, because what the hell, Rukia had just popped out of his closet. His closet was not Narnia, okay, how the hell did Rukia even get in there? And why hadn't anyone noticed her?

"There is no time!" Rukia said and scrambled to her feet.

"What do you mean no time-" Ichigo started and then stopped when he saw what Rukia was wearing.

Rukia was wearing the dress Yuzu had asked him about last night. It had apparently gone missing, and since Yuzu was the one that did most of the laundry, Ichigo believed her. Oh, Yuzu was going to kill them. No- Ichigo would kill Rukia first and then go to Yuzu for repentance.

Hopefully Ichigo would get away with just another bruise from a ladle. He had bruises still developing from earlier that day, when Rukia had taken them how to wield swords. Rukia had somehow gotten her hands on some shinai and had pelted Ichigo with baseballs. At least with Tatsuki, Inoue, and Chad there, Rukia had done so while Ichigo was in his body.

The baseballs had been drawn on, split between plus and minus. Rukia still drew in that horribly cutesy style, but at least she had taken Ichigo's previous criticism to heart. Somewhat. They were easier to tell apart this time, at least.

It was kind of a humiliating experience, if Ichigo were to be completely honest. Ichigo had figured that using his sword- sorry, zanpakuto- like a baseball bat wasn't a good idea normally, but here it was okay. At least the wood of the shinai made satisfying sounds whenever he hit a ball. Rukia said that she would teach them actual stances and forms later, and that pelting them with baseballs was just to test their reflexes.

That had been directly after school, and had lasted a couple of hours. Afterwards, Ichigo and Tatsuki had passed by Naomi's street corner. Naomi had been scared of the hollow, but managed to hide behind one of the wards. Not that it particularly mattered; from what Naomi said, it was like the hollow went straight for the Clinic.

Which was concerning. Enough so that, despite his own feelings towards Rukia, Uryu had helped Ichigo put up emergency wards. Not that that stopped Uryu from leaving as soon as they were done. Ichigo would have to chase Uryu down so they could have that talk. Only familiarity made Ichigo certain that Uryu was just reeling from Rukia's presence rather than any desire to keep a secret from Ichigo.

Uryu didn't even stay to help explain things to Yuzu and Karin. Tatsuki had, though, and had been there for a while. His father hadn't been there, off with a drinking buddy for the day, but that was fine. After dinner, Tatsuki had when home for the night.

Which led to this. Ichigo, in bed, mindlessly playing a game until Rukia jumped out of his closet. She jumped and pressed the that annoying blue glove against Ichigo's forehead. He fell backwards out of his body. Again.

"You've got to fucking stop that!" Ichigo shouted.

To top it all off, the wards decided to go off just then. Rudimentary things, they were, because Ichigo and Uryu would have to sit down and actually talk to make more in-depth ones, but they did the job. At the same time, the hollow alarm on Ichigo's phone went off. Tatsuki had thankfully managed to change it so it wouldn't deafen him every time it went off.

"Shit!" Ichigo said when he the hand started coming through his bedroom floor. From below- oh, gods, that was the kitchen, his sisters better be in their room and not downstairs for a snack- Ichigo scrambled backwards, instinctively going for the zanpakuto at his back.

The hollow roared. Ichigo swing his zanpakuto. He was too slow, still too unused to the weight of it, but the sheer size of it helped here. Ichigo managed to crack the mask.

And then stopped, when Ichigo saw the very human eye glaring at him. Because that eye was familiar. Familiar in a way that Ichigo probably should not recognize in this place and time. Because the implications of that was-

The hollow retreated, still roaring rage and defiance. Ichigo couldn't tell if it was scared off by its mask cracking. Or if it- if he just hadn't planned on his face being seen. That's why people wore masks in the first place.

Rukia stood next to him. She looked sympathetic when she noticed Ichigo's expression. "That is why we are trained to cut hollows from behind. So that we do not see the soul that they were underneath, and therefore hesitate from purifying them."

"…I knew him," Ichigo said softly. Distantly, but he could hardly forget watching someone die.

"We would best leave then," Rukia said grimly, "If you know any living relatives, then he will go after them."

Inoue.

She had been injured that morning, hadn't she? But she said that it was a car accident. She had the bruises on her arms to prove it. Though there was that odd mark on her leg-

Well. Shit. Ichigo would have to go ask Uryu to help train his sensing abilities. Ichigo should have been able to feel the hollow energy clearly. Rukia definitely had, since she found that mark suspicious. That was entirely unacceptable.

"Ichi-nii?" Karin asked through his bedroom door. "What's going on?"

"Hollow," Ichigo said. Yeah, they'd have heard the alarms too. "Got to go and kill it. I'll tell you everything after, okay?"

"Okay," Yuzu said. "Be safe."

"We'll take care of your body," Karin promised.

"Come back soon. Dinner is almost ready." Yuzu added.

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo said. "Thanks." He picked his body up and put it on his bed. No need to just let it sit there and get muscle cramps. Rukia climbed on his back because her gigai was slow. Then he opened his window and jumped.

If there was one thing about being a disembodied spirit that made the whole, you know, disembodied spirit thing worth it was that Ichigo was now able to do things like this. It turned out that when you were made of spiritual energy, and had enough of it, the laws of physics turned out to be less of laws and more of suggestions.

Damn. Ichigo really needed to get Uryu to help him figure out how not having a body worked. As well as getting Tatsuki-

Shit. Tatsuki was at Inoue's apartment too. Ichigo pushed himself faster.

"You have heard that widows often die soon after their spouses," Rukia said. And shit, why was she bothering to try a lecture now? Why not after? "It is theorized that it is of a broken heart. In reality, their souls are eaten by their deceased spouse, which have turned into hollows."

Ichigo didn't bother trying to explain that there had been recent research into how humans died of broken hearts. Likely, as a spirit as old as Rukia claimed she was, she had little to no knowledge in biology. Besides, it wasn't as if Rukia was lying. Just because Ichigo hadn't seen it happen did not mean that it never happened. There was a reason Karakura offered such a robust counseling system, and hollows was a rather large part of that.

"How do they become hollows?" Ichigo asked, even as he made himself run faster. There was no way he was letting either Tatsuki or Inoue get eaten.

Rukia didn't answer. Rude. "Hurry, fool. If we do not, then that girl will die."

"Her name is Inoue Orihime," Ichigo snarled. He saw Inoue's apartment and almost without thinking, he- phased through the wall. And then he was in Inoue's living room. He accidentally left Rukia behind.

Inoue was there, hovering over Tatsuki. Tatsuki, who was conscious, but bleeding from a head wound and two long gashes on her side.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue greeted. She smiled warmly at him despite the situation. "Tatsuki-chan will be okay! She has a concussion, but she's been hit worse during tournaments!"

"Wait. You can see me?" Ichigo asked.

And then he saw the chain on Inoue's chest. And then her body.

"She's already dead," a soft voice said from behind him. "So it is her soul that can see you."

And then Ichigo flew through the window. It broke on impact. Apparently, he had to focus to phase through things. It seemed that shinigami had strong enough spiritual energy to interact with the physical world otherwise. Even if most humans couldn't see them.

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted.

Ichigo twisted mid-air, grabbed his zanpakuto, and swung it around. It blocked the tail that came for him. And then the hollow spat at Ichigo, a gross green liquid. Despite dodging, Ichigo's hands still ended up covered in it, and his hands started to burn.

"Shit," Ichigo hissed in pain, and then jumped further back. He pushed with his spiritual energy and coated his hands in a very rudimentary mitten. It wouldn't heal his injuries, but at least it would stop the acid.

Fuck. Why the hell didn't Ichigo grab his bow?

Ichigo was tougher and stronger than most people, especially when he used his spiritual energy to bolster his body. That didn't mean that martial arts would do anything against a hollow, especially since he was still working on hardening his skin like his mother used to. And using a sword that Ichigo had no idea how to wield was doing him more harm than good.

Then the hollow came again and knocked Ichigo into the ground. Concrete actually broke beneath him. This time it hurt, much more than Ichigo would like. Ichigo decided that he'd just… rest. For a moment.

"Ichigo!" Rukia said and kneeled next to him. Her hands hovered over him as if she was worried to touch him. "Ichigo, you need to hurry. That hollow is going after Inoue."

"Like hell," Ichigo growled and climbed to his feet.

Ichigo hadn't met Sora before he died, but he did know this: Sora loved Inoue. Sora had stolen her from the fuckers that had donated their DNA to Inoue. And Inoue was Inoue; she would never let herself be eaten by her brother. Sora just needed some persuasion to leave Inoue alone, is all.

At least, that was what Ichigo felt until he re-entered Inoue's apartment as Sora threatened to kill Inoue.

"Oh, fuck you!" Ichigo shouted, because that really was the topper to an already shitty situation. Ichigo brought his zanpakuto up and around to push Sora away from Inoue. Huh. His anger made the handle fit more comfortably in his hand. "Don't you fucking say something like that!"

This was Sora's little sister. He was her older brother! To even threaten to attack Inoue was disgusting. To attempt it was even worse. And that twisted speech, as if Inoue were an object to be owned-

Ichigo, vaguely, distantly, wondered if this iciness was how Uryu felt when he was angry. It seemed that the past couple of days were for everything to switch around.

"If Orihime won't live for me, then she'll die for me!" Sora yelled. He rushed towards Ichigo.

Ichigo brought up his zanpakuto to block. But before they could meet each outer, Inoue moved forwards and raised her arms-

Sora bit down on Inoue's shoulder. Blood started to seep from her wounds, dripping down her back. And still, Inoue pulled Sora in closer for a hug.

"I'm sorry, Onii-chan," Inoue whispered. "I"m sorry that I made you feel like I forgot about you. I… wanted you to hear about my life. All of the fun things that happened. The things…. And the people that I like."

Rukia came to stand by Ichigo, having climbed through the now-shattered window. Both watched as Inoue explained why she had stopped praying at Sora's shrine. Ichigo knew that Inoue was still heartbroken over her brother's death. But here- well. Ichigo had always known that Inoue was the strongest of all of them.

"Here," Ichigo said when Inoue was done speaking, and held out his zanpakuto handle first. Sora was himself right now, and he was a good older brother. Ichigo didn't think that killing him would weigh nicely on his conscious, but… Ichigo would rather die than to hurt his sisters. Sora obviously felt the same; or, he definitely did when he was human. This was a way out the only Ichigo could give right now.

"It is fine," Rukia said quietly. She walked over to Inoue after she collapsed. Her hands glowed green with spiritual energy, unlike any Ichigo had felt before. "Killing a hollow with a zanpakuto is not a true death. It is a purification. Their sins are cleansed and they are sent on to Soul Society."

Comforted, Ichigo held his zanpakuto up. It was…. Odd, to hand it over to someone that was not him. But Inoue, and Sora, needed this. Some slight discomfort was worth it. As nice as it would be for Sora to revert out of his hollow form, Ichigo knew that it was impossible. Not the way that Sora was now.

"Then," Sora paused and smiled at Inoue. "Goodbye, Orihime." He took Ichigo's zanpakutō and stabbed himself in the chest.

Rather than disappearing, disintegrating instantly into spiritual particles as Ichigo had seen other hollows do, Sora faded. Sora dissolved into glowing dust slowly. It allowed Inoue to say her own goodbyes. Ichigo watched as Sora left with a smile on his face.

Ichigo strapped his sword to his back. Now that he was paying attention, he watched how his zanpakuto covered itself. The thick red cord shifted over his chest, and Ichigo could feel cloth tassel extend and wrap itself around the blade. It was the oddest feeling, but it was easier than trying to sheathe the zanpakuto.

"…Thank you, Kurosaki-kun," Inoue said after a long moment.

"No problem," Ichigo assured quietly. "Will you be okay?" he asked. Because Ichigo knew that, despite her smile, Inoue was by no means okay right now.

"Yeah," Inoue said. She paused and blinked up at him. "Um. How do I get back into my body?"

"Just touch it?" Ichigo offered, shrugging. "That's how it works for me. How are you feeling? Rukia done healing you? Oh, and can you please heal Tatsuki too, Rukia?"

Rukia sniffed. "I have already started, fool." And she was, though it was definitely a recent thing. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Oh, okay," Inoue said. She looked surprised that she had been bleeding. From a bite wound. Seriously, Inoue's ability to hyper focus was legendary. "…Will my body be like this?" she asked, and motioned vaguely to her shoulder.

"No. You will likely be sore, as I was not able to heal it completely. But you are safe to enter your body now." Rukia said.

Rukia's hands glowed green as she healed Tatsuki. Ichigo had to learn that trick since it looked so much easier than just shoving spiritual energy at a wound and hoping for the best. Extra spiritual energy bolstered the spirit which bolstered the body and improved healing, but there had to be better. It also looked like something that Uryu would be interested in learning.

"How is Tatsuki?" Ichigo asked. He kneeled next to his sister and grabbed her hand. He was invisible to her, but he had just learned that he could interact with the physical world. And Tatsuki was familiar enough that latching onto her was easy. Tatsuki blinked and focused blurry eyes on Ichigo. She was stubborn enough to stay conscious when Inoue was in danger.

"I am the most worried about her concussion, but she will be fine," Rukia assured. Ichigo knew that. Tatsuki had worse injuries from tournaments- but she'd never been injured by a hollow before. It was nice to have confirmation though.

"That's good." Ichigo said. He started feeding Tatsuki some of his spiritual energy. It was better than nothing, since energy was energy. At the very least it would help with both the pain and Rukia's healing. Tatsuki blinked again, and managed to focus more clearly on Ichigo.

"I am going to start teaching you zanjutsu," Rukia said into the silence.

"I thought you were already teaching us how to use swords," Inoue said.

Rukia shook her head. "I will continue teaching you, if you wish. But Ichigo is the shinigami, and today reminded me of it. He will need to learn zanjutsu."

There was… something, in Rukia's tone that piqued Ichigo's interest. Rukia saw something that made her think differently than she had before. And that had to have happened during the fight.

Ichigo sighed and returned his attention to his friends. Tatsuki was conscious and becoming more aware as Rukia healed her. Inoue was poking at her body, curious and ecstatic for the opportunity. Ichigo saw Rukia start sweating. It seemed that the effort to heal both Inoue and Tatsuki was harder than she let on.

Ichigo had no idea how to play battery to her. Quincy in general took the spiritual energy in the air and used it as they wished. Ichigo leaked enough energy that what he used in Quincy techniques tended to be his own energy. That was why his control was shit and it took so long to form a bow. He had to reach past his own spiritual energy for some that he could manipulate.

Uryu was good at using Ichigo as a spiritual battery. Ichigo was also good at transferring his energy to Uryu when he started getting tired. But that was between two Quincy, who had grown up together. Rukia was a shinigami.

Eh. Something to think about later. Honestly… Uryu needed to get his head out of his ass. Ichigo was thinking of so many different experiments to do with his new set of abilities. And of course Ichigo only thought of them when Uryu wasn't around.

"I am going to be in so much trouble," Rukia murmured. Ichigo assumed that her honesty was because she was tired. For all she tried to teach Ichigo about his duties, it always sounded rehearsed.

"Why?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia blinked and looked surprised that she had voiced the thought out loud. Still, she answered. "Because humans are not supposed to know about shinigami. If I were to follow protocol, I would have erased and replaced their memories by now."

Which… sounded fucking horrible, honestly. Erasing someone's memories? Especially ones like this?

Ichigo shared a glance with Inoue, who looked unsettled by that too. Tatsuki gripped Ichigo's hand in distress. She could hear Rukia just fine.

"That's fucking stupid," Ichigo said flatly. Shit. Was this why Uryu was avoiding him? Or rather, Rukia? Uryu was Quincy, but he was also human. And- oh, fuck, was that why Yuzu and Karin didn't remember what happened when the hollow attacked?

Rukia rolled her eyes. "It is protocol, fool. And it only works on humans with less than average spiritual energy."

That was a relief, though that didn't explain why Yuzu and Karin were affected too. Ichigo saw Inoue and Tatsuki relax. Also… "You aren't using it on me because I'd tell them everything anyways."

Rukia frowned at him but didn't deny it. Ha. At least she was a quick learner. It usually took people losing their patience and sanity before they realized that Ichigo would quite literally burn the world for his family. Telling them the truth about anything happening around them was simple, really.

Inoue pressed a hand to her body and- well, it was interesting, to watch as he soul and her body sort of layered over each other. It was like watching water go through a drain for a long second and then Inoue sat up. She blinked and rubbed at her shoulder. Ichigo frowned and sort of. Poked at her, sensing. He was a shit sensor in general, really, but he found it easy enough to check whether or not people were hurting.

Inoue felt injured like this. Or- not injured, but weak. Weak, but healing. Huh. It seemed that Ichigo was marginally better at sensing energy when he wasn't in his body. Seemed a bit backwards, since his body wasn't there to provide a barrier between him and the rest of the world. Uryu would be able to help test this too. Hopefully.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue asked, and rubbed lightly at the spot he poked. Oh, yeah. She was in her body now, so she couldn't see Ichigo. Well, that sucked. Rukia would have to play messenger.

Ichigo made sure Tatsuki was comfortable, and helped Inoue drag her to her bed. It would be better than the futon, which Tatsuki normally used when she spent the night at Inoue's. Inoue looked intrigued at the empty space where Ichigo was, but didn't stop to ask questions.

"I'll tell Tatsuki-chan everything," Inoue said to the room.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, "Good night. Take care, all right?" Rukia relayed the sentiments properly.

"Yup! Good night, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san!" Inoue said. She was still waving to them until she was out of sight.

Ichigo sighed, glad that Tatsuki was there, even if she was injured. Inoue trusted Tatsuki the most, after all, and having someone there to talk to would be beneficial. Inoue said goodbye to her brother, and that had to be hard enough without keeping all that emotion in.

Rukia followed him quietly as they walked back to his house. Yuzu and Karin would need explanations, both regarding the current situation and why they had forgotten what happened. And Rukia could probably spend the night at least, though Ichigo would deal with her living conditions. There was no way he was letting her stay in his closet. But he wasn't so mean to just kick her out on the street.

Ichigo needed to talk to Uryu. Uryu knew about shinigami, from his viscerally negative reaction to Rukia. There was a story there, and one Ichigo probably should know.

And- Chad. Chad deserved to know. Chad would know something happened when he saw them all at school. Ichigo refused to leave him out of it. He would never complain, but Ichigo knew that Chad hated when Ichigo got into fights without him. And not the brawls that they got into daily, even if they preferred to go at those together, but the fights that mattered. After all, what use was a promise to fight for each other if they were never involved with the fights?

This, the shinigami thing, was definitely a fight that mattered. And if they were anything like what Ichigo just witnessed, they would continue to be so.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked, looking up at him. "You are thinking. Very loudly."

"It's just…" Ichigo trailed off and thought about how to explain. "This is pretty big, you know? I had an idea before. But this is. Really big. More than I was thinking."

Rukia nodded. "Yes. Being a shinigami is a tiring task, but a necessary one. It… it is good, that you are finally seeing this."

Ichigo shook his head. That wasn't what he was talking about. "How are you going to teach me zanjutsu?" he asked instead.

"We will consider it an extracurricular activity, like a club," Rukia said after a moment's pause. "It is necessary that you learn how to wield your zanpakuto. An hour after school every day. Minimum."

Ichigo frowned, but thought about his own schedule. It wasn't that busy, since he didn't have a club anyways, so he could spare an hour after school each day. Yuzu and Karin had their own clubs that kept them busy, so he could swing by to pick them up still.

And he thought about his zanpakuto. It was easy to carry around, but there was… it just felt off to him. Like Ichigo wasn't using it right, nor was it the right shape for him. It might be because Ichigo was too used to his bow, and his fists, to think that a sword was comfortable. But it might not be, either. If Ichigo thought he didn't know how to use a zanpakuto, then his power would decide that, yeah, sure, of course you don't, and decide to just… not.

"That sounds okay," Ichigo decided. He didn't have anything against swords in general. And with luck, maybe he could have it put on his record as a club? "Tatsuki will learn right alongside me, though."

Rukia sighed. "Yes. Even in the past couple of days I have noticed that you will not do anything without her."

Ichigo couldn't help but snort at that. "Well, not anything. But we learned everything we do together. Tatsuki won't be as interested in it, but she'll stick around through it all. You won't have to worry about her interrupting."

"Your life is an interruption," Rukia said, snorting. Then she looked shocked and indignant that she had said that out loud.

Ichigo laughed, and felt tension he didn't know he had fade from his body. Because that, right there? Proof. Proof that Rukia was more than she made herself out to be. She wasn't just some haughty shinigami that assumed superiority over everyone. She wasn't just a spirit using a false body to traverse the world of the Living. She was just… Rukia. And this Rukia was probably the Rukia that only existed around friends, when she didn't have to act so hard. Or so mean.

"You've got no place to talk, midget," Ichigo said. Not at all fondly, what were you talking about. Anyways, if Rukia had it in her to tease like that, there was no reason that they couldn't get along. Obviously her haughty attitude was just a mask for the person underneath. That was something Ichigo could work with. He had been assured, by plenty of people he trusted, that he could get even the most cold-hearted people to act out from emotion. Tended to be exasperation, sure, but still.

"Midget! How dare you!" Rukia shrieked in outrage. She tried to kick him in the knee. Ichigo dodged it, smirking.

"It's not offensive if it's true," Ichigo said, "Also, that is Yuzu's dress. She's annoyed that it was taken."

"I had no other clothes to wear," Rukia said, sniffing. It was obviously an attempt to regain her exposure. Too bad! Ichigo had already seen a facet of her true self. And Ichigo would bring her true self forward or die trying. And since Ichigo had absolutely no intention of dying anytime soon, Rukia was screwed.

"So? That doesn't give you the right to steal," Ichigo said. He managed to not say anything about Rukia being small enough to fit into Yuzu's clothing. Or that, apparently, Rukia thought she had the right in the first place. "If you asked, Yuzu would gladly lend her stuff to you."

"I do not need your charity," Rukia said simply and firmly, "…but I will accept her generosity."

Rukia was still uptight, having regained her composure. Well. Ichigo and his family had time. Because Yuzu and Karin and Tatsuki were definitely going to help him. It'd do Rukia some good.

Ichigo had hope for her now.

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