Hello everyone! It wasn't a fluke and you didn't have to wait another 5 years for an update! Before we begin I'd like to answer some comments from last chapter. Everyone that commented seemed pretty happy with the update so thank you for that. I forgot how much I enjoy getting comments *wink*

Guest - Unfortunately I'm not a Rukia/Ichigo fan. I'll be honest there aren't to many het ships with Ichigo I sail for Bleach. If I did a het pairing it'd probably be Ichigo/Tatsuki. It's Rukia/Renjj for me.

So that's something I'd like feedback on. This was originally going to be an Ichigo/Urahara hence Ichigo never entering a relationship in the world of the living. If I did go with a Ichigo/Tatsuki I could make it work. The real idea was the person he loved was in Soul Society and he could never move on...

I was thinking about starting every chapter with a flashback memory. Something that has to do with what will be happening or who he will be meeting that chapter. What do you guys think yay or nah?

Another thing to keep in mind with this story is I really only know bleach to Kūgo Ginjō and Ichigo getting his powers back. I haven't seen anything passed that so this will pretty much be ignoring everything passed that or at least I won't be going into depth. I'll use what knowledge I do have and make my own story up from there. Sorry if that's a deal breaker!

Without further ado!

Chapter 4

— Flashback —

He wasn't pouting. Nope.

He was dead tired. He didn't make it a habit of finding a place in the hospital to hunker down and sleep until his next twelve hour shift. But this week he had really really thought about it. There had been a surge of activity in the ER. He felt like anytime he finally relaxed he'd get called back in be it for a consult or to cover for that asshole Dr. Mori. Ichigo scowled at just the thought of the man. He'd enjoy the day he left the hospital just for the ability to tell that man exactly where he could shove it. So next week when Ichigo made the transition from the hospital to the clinic.

A nearly sinister smile stretched across his face. It would have been truly sinister if he wasn't. So. Tired. And Yuzu was out for the night so it was quiet.

She had a date.

He had heard so much of this Hiro that he felt like he knew the man already but he hadn't met him yet. He didn't know if it was because Yuzu was trying to keep him away from him. But why would she do that?! It's ridiculous. It's not like he would do anything to the man. Honestly.

He sounded like a much better man already than some of the men he has met, interested in pursuing his baby sister. Ichigo wondered briefly if she still held a grudge against him for running off that pretty boy Nakano with a cleaver... He was an ass so Ichigo felt no remorse.

Until he walked back into the kitchen and locked eyes with Yuzu.

Ichigo slumped. He was pointing now. But then he heard footsteps and whispered voices.

"Yuzu isn't it a bit early for you to be home?" He called out. He looked up from the stove he had for sure been paying attention to... shit shit shit it's boiling over. Ichigo scrambled to turn down the heat before looking back up. "Did something happen?"

"Uh... yeah something like that." She called back with a sheepish laugh.

After a moment Yuzu and a man who just had to be Hiro came around into eyeshot. Hiro was just as Yuzu described. He was tall, almost as tall as Ichigo, probably standing at six foot even. He wasn't nearly as broad shouldered as Ichigo, much more on the lean side. Ichigo was sure if he wasn't so flustered at the moment, Hiro's face would be as kind as Yuzu talked (gushed) about. As it was the man's face was burning red for some reason, wide light grey eyes darting between the two siblings. His wire framed glasses askew on the bridge of his nose and his dark hair was a pushed back out of his face. They both looked nice which made sense seeing as they were supposed to be eating at a new fancy restaurant right now. Ichigo gave Hiro some more points for the beautiful bouquet he was holding. Obviously for Yuzu.

"I'm really sorry!" Hiro said. "There was a mix up at the restaurant and they lost our reservation. They let us reschedule but..."

Ichigo nodded along hoping to at least calm this man's poor nerves but Yuzu smiled and he watched as Hiro practically melted as he returned it.

Ichigo is now captain of a ship thank you.

"So..." Yuzu segwayed. "I said we should come here for dinner."

"Oh yeah that's fine. Give me a minute to clean up a little and finish what I'm making then I'll get out of your hair."

"Oh no I really don't want to make you leave!" Back to the nervous energy, though he notes it is less than moments ago.

"Yeah Ichigo. We can all eat together I'll just whip us up something when your done!" Yuzu cheered.

"That's not very romantic." Ichigo commented, quirking an eyebrow. Really he could go to his room.

"Nope it's been decided!"

"Alright." He conceded. "You are in luck though. I think I made enough for all three of us. I hope you don't mind karashi mentaiko."

So they sat and shared a meal together. Yuzu introduced them properly before they started eating and Ichigo was pleased that Hiro had relaxed. They were cute together. When Yuzu asked why he had made so much for just him he lied and said that he planned to take it with him to work. Really though he was just tired so after he ate his fill and helped clear the table, Ichigo retreated to his room to fall into bed.

This one... He should stay.

— Present —

It was nearing the end of his first day as a dead man. He'd made progress toward getting to a better district. He figured when he passed at least District 55 he could ask about the location of the Shiba Clan home. The last time he had seen the... ridiculous home of Kukaku Shiba it had been in West Rukongai. Ichigo knew the head of the family liked to move frequently but what was considered frequently here? After a while Ichigo imagined the passing of time would change. It would feel less consequential. Here moving every 100 years could be frequently.

Would the Shiba house have moved in the last 60 something years since he had last seen it?

He supposed it didn't really matter if it was or wasn't where it had been. He'd still have to walk the way and ask for directions. There was no way he could remember how to get there and definitely not from where he was now.

It had been over 60 years since he had last seen any of those he had met in Soul Society... Nearly as long since he had seen his father and sister. And it had been decades since he had seen Yuzu and Hiro. Suddenly he felt something deep in his chest. It stayed there for a moment calm and controllable before it bubbled up into his throat and he laughed elated. He always kept the memories of Yuzu with him. He loved her so dearly and Hiro too. Their place in his heart had only been filled by the kids and needing to take care of them he had never really given himself enough time to be sad over their absence in his life. He needed to be strong and happy for the kids he had only allowed himself to grieve in the darkness of his room at night when he knew the kids were all asleep.

He would see them again. It would just be easier and faster if he could unseal his powers and call Zangetsu's name! He supposes these are the drawbacks of wanting to keep himself hidden until he felt like kicking teeth in. People couldn't feel him but flip side was he couldn't feel anyone either. That would make finding his sister, Hiro, and Kukaku and Ganju a lot easier.

Ichigo hummed to himself as he looked up from the dirt path he was walking along. It was dark now. He looked out into the woods before veering off the path. He's find somewhere off the road to call it a night. Needed some more time to think. And to do that he needed to get far enough off the main path and find a spot with enough cover that it would lessen the chances of someone stumbling upon him.

There. Perfect. A growth of three trees close enough together that he could rest against the middle to protect his back and the two others would slow an attack from the side. He let out a slow deep breath before allowing himself to relax, eyes sliding shut.

When he opened them again, he was sitting on the covered porch looking out at the perpetual sunset. The old man was on his left and Shiro on his right.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of that." He said lowly.

"I admit... it is pretty nice." Came Shiro's watery voice from beside him.

"Wow." Ichigo practically hummed glancing over at his bleached double before huffing a laugh. "You sure have mellowed out huh. Don't think I'll get use to that at all!"

"Shut up shitty king!" Shiro burst. "And whose fault is that huh? Going and getting sentimental after all these years. You haven't fought in so long your thirst for it has damn near vanished! You better not be this soft in a fight or I'll run you through!"

"Don't worry so much!" Ichigo grinned. "I haven't needed to fight like we use to in a long, long time. But when we get back into it, it'll be like we never stopped at all. I'm sure you'll be back to you violent asshole self in no time... Though i would appreciate it if it was aimed less at me..." Ichigo groused.

"Tch..." Shiro glowered at him before grumbling. "You wish."

"I really has been a long time." Ichigo said, looking from Shiro back out to the landscape. "I really did miss you both."

"We know." Old man Zangestu finally spoke. "When we woke up after the last fight with Aizen the world had flooded. It took a long time for the flooding to leave and even after we could not get our voices to reach you. Yet we know everything that has happened since then. We know you thought of us frequently. You told stories of us and over the years the way you spoke of us changed too."

"You told your kids about me." Shiro spoke up, looking over at Ichigo, face decidedly blank. "You called me Shiro for the first time instead of just Hollow. I wasn't a monster in your stories either. At least not after a while... I became a partner. Finally."

"Well..." Ichigo muttered. "I couldn't exactly tell the kids I was pretty much possessed by an asshole now could I?"

"Whose the asshole now huh?! Here I am trying to be serious!" Shiro hissed. "I should gut you right now!"

"I know. I know. I ruined the moment." Ichigo conceded.

"There are things we need to tell you about us Ichigo." Old man Zangetsu said. "Things that we kept from you all those years ago. That I made us keep from you."

Ichigo looked between the two. Old man Zangestu was looking at him from the corner of his eyes, expression... more solemn than Ichigo ever remembers him looking. And Shiro... He wasn't looking at Ichigo at all anymore, instead looking up at the Sakura trees.

"Alright..." he breathed out slowly. "Tell me..."

—

Ichigo's eyes snapped open, taking in the forest of Rukongai. He blinked slowly, looking down at the hilt clutched in his hand. He clutched it a little harder for just a brief moment before he let out a sigh. Pushing himself to his feet, he started his trek again.

From what he could gather, I was right at the border of Districts 75 and 74. He had made a good pace the other day with how little time he had and was finally getting into districts that generally wouldn't attack him outright. He might even get some information even if it was only a little bit.

Before he knew it he was in the center of District 74. It was rough around the edges, but there were more shops and stalls set up along the main road. There was as more hustle and bustle in the streets too. This Ichigo found would be a life saver when he noticed two men in black. They stood out in stark contrast to the souls wandering the streets with their clean crisp black shihakusho and zanpakuto. He quickly stashed the hilt of his sword in his sleeve and pulled off the main road into a small gap between two buildings, watching as they grew closer to him. Neither were men he recognized though that wasn't hard. They weren't seated officers... at least he assumed.

So those in the Seireitei really did know he was dead. He wondered briefly if they had been watching and waiting for him to die or if this had anything to do with his family matters.

Ichigo made the split second decision to try and get closer while remaining as unnoticed by these two as possible. Pulling the dirty scarf he had snagged securely around his head, Ichigo pulled out of the tiny alley behind the two after they passed.

"What are we even doing out here. This is crazy!" One grumbled. "Can you believe they have all the squads out here looking for one guy?!"

"Yeah... They say he's a war hero though."

"You mean that human from the traitor war?"

"Yup. I hear he's also Captain Shiba's son."

Oh so his Father took back his Clan name since coming back did he? Ichigo didn't know why deep down that pissed him off. These two seemed pretty lazy and maybe a bit stupid to Ichigo. Like they were green and still fresh but somehow too big for their britches.

"Come on let's just get to the check point with Lieutenant Izuru."

Damn they really did have everyone out here if they have ranking officers out looking for him too. This just made things a lot more interesting. Ichigo cut off of the Main Street as quickly but calmly as possible. It was less populated and he felt better putting ground between himself and those two but lost the cover of a crowd. This street had far fewer people milling about. Mostly elderly sitting on the steps of their small homes, people making their way to or from the market, and children playing in the street. No shihakushos to be seen though. No where were these check points? If they were already this spread out they couldn't be at every path in and out of the districts. On top of that he wondered if each of the check points he talked about were stationary or if they were sweeping through.

Hmm...

So deep in though, Ichigo hadn't paid any attention to where he was going until his shoulder slammed into something. That snapped him out of though real quick. His eyes snapped to the soul who had been standing in the middle of the road. His back had been to Ichigo but as he dusted himself off and stood up, Ichigo found himself looking at very familiar dark swept back hair.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have just stopped in the middle of the road."

And damn, that was one of the voices he had been most excited to hear. The man turned and his wire framed glasses sat a bit crooked on his nose. Behind them light grey eyes widened before the man twisted around, hands grabbing onto Ichigo's shoulders.

"Ichigo?!"

"Hiro!"