Chapter 35: Dream

Retsu Unohana prided herself on being able to heal just about every soul who came through to the healing center of the fourth division. Only one man had eluded her healing and that was due to special reasons. Jushiro Ukitake had been sick ever since he was a child. He had once told her that it was only because of Mimihagi that he was even alive. She agreed, to a point. The disease he had, had as a child had caused doctors in the noble houses to shake their heads and abandon him. His parents had made ask Mimihagi to heal their child. Such drastic actions had repercussions. His breathing was weak and he would often seize up to cough violently, which in turned caused him to bleed from excessive coughing episodes. Scans showed he had no lungs at all because Mimihagi had taken them, but as she scanned him as he sat on the table for his weekly check up, she found that he was inexplicably healed. Healthy lungs were where they should be. His breathing was at a normal percentage and there was a growing power within him that she could sense.

"it's impossible, but-" She began as she continued to examine him. "you are somehow healed of your sickness." She took a step back and looked at him directly into his green eyes. "You haven't found another healer have you?"

Ukitake laughed nervously at her words. Though she was smiling, he knew from her history that her smile could turn deadly in an instant. "Of course not." he promised as he waved his hands in front of his person. "However, while visiting with one of my people stationed in the living world, I had an episode and a very powerful human girl healed me."

"A human girl?" Unohana asked with curiosity in her voice. "This girl wouldn't be one of the humans that Kyoraku spoke about, would she?"

He gave a nod. "Yes." he answered. "However, the ones we were talking to were mostly the ones that Rukia Kuchiki has been keeping an eye on." He looked her into the eyes. "These young people are truly incredibly gifted."

Unohana sighed. "In order for such powerful humans to exist, there can only be one reason." she said with sadness in her voice.

Ukitake gave a nod as sadness entered in own eyes. "Yes." he agreed, knowing what she was thinking. "A great calamity is about to come upon our worlds."

Ichigo found himself in a great battlefield. The buildings were torn and wrecked, but he knew where he was; Karakura Town. In front of him were a dozen people attacking a single individual, but he was watching this with wide and horrified eyes. The person they were attacking wasn't the enemy, but a woman with dark hair. They were bring tricked! The trickster was escaping! Even Shinji, Kensei, Rose, Love and the others were attacking the girl who stood no chance at surviving the attack.

"What are you doing!?" he yelled as a silver hair young man ran his sword through the girl. It was then that their eyes were opened to the truth. The illusion vanishing and chaos occurred as they began to fight the true enemy, only to fall by the wayside.

The scene of the dream suddenly vanished as he suddenly stood before a man with brown hair, eyes that shown as if he knew everything before it would happen. He was speaking but Ichigo couldn't hear him. Then suddenly a person appeared between him and the man. Indigo found his breath stolen from him as he recognized the man before him. "Pop?" he questioned. The single sword in his hand suddenly falling from his hand as he reached out towards the dream version of his father only for him to fall to the ground below.

Next he was sitting next to his father in the ruins of Karakura Town. "I know you've got a ton of questions and we'll get through them-" he began.

Ichigo looked away. "Forget it." he said without thinking. "I don't know how to ask those questions right now without trampling all over your feelings and tracking mud all over them." he said as he reached for his sword, a sword that looked so strange to him for some reason. This wasn't the Zangetsu he knew, this one was different. "Until then, it's okay if we don't."

He looked to see his father smile softly at him. "You've learned to speak so smoothly, haven't you?" Ichigo's eyes widened as suddenly the dream changed once again, this time to the all familiar vision of his father's funeral. Shaking his head quickly, he willed himself to wake up.

Opening his eyes, Ichigo found he was unable to control his emotions. Seeing his father in his dreams was a new one. Tears began to fall down the sides of his temples as he cried quietly, trying not to wake anyone up. He did, however, sense the closet door open and turned his head to see Rukia looking at him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Nodding, he covered his eyes with his arm. "I'll be fine." he tried to reassure her, but for some reason the tears wouldn't stop.

Not knowing what to do, Rukia suddenly remembered a moment in her past when Renji and her had been alone for the first time and she'd cried without knowing how to stop. Climbing out of bed, she walked over to Ichigo's bed and sat on the mattress next to him. Touching his head with her hand she began to pet the top of his head. Within a few moments she watched him begin to calm down.

"Thanks." he said after he'd stopped completely.

"A friend once did that for me." she told him softly.

"Were you two close?" he asked, trying to get his mind off of his dream.

"We were." she answered. "We grew apart after I was adopted by my brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, who is the head of the Kuchiki clan."

"Must have been hard." Ichigo said softly as sleep began to sneak up on him. "You gain a brother, but lost your friend in the process."

Rukia blinked at this revelation. She'd truly never thought about it that way. She'd always kept tabs on Renji, but after becoming a member of the Kuchiki household, she'd pulled herself away from her old habits and the people who had brought her such joy. "I suppose." she agreed as she stood up from his bed and returned to her own. "Tomorrow I'll begin teach you and your sisters some things I'm sure Urahara hasn't taught you."

Ichigo blinked as he realized she'd just changed the subject. "Sure thing." he said with a slight grin. As both returned to sleep, neither noticed the eyes from above that had watched the whole thing.

Verena turned onto her back and smiled softly at the knowledge of seeing her brother and Rukia begin to act more civilized towards each other. She wondered where this budding friendship would lead.

As all of this was happening a man in a dark room in soul society plotted his next move, a move that would collide two worlds together and bring war as a second option was considered and a decision was made.

M-Angel: I just want to say that I'm sorry for the short chapter. I just got off of a long shift when I wrote this chapter. So my brain isn't firing at 100%. Give me a day and I'll get the next chapter out which will be longer, I swear! Ichigo is now seeing Aizen in his dreams, I wonder where this could lead to? Hmm...

Antex- The Legendary Zoroark - Well, I guess you'll have to read to learn what I have in store Ukitake, but I think I answered this in a PM. I'm glad you liked how Orihime healed him.

MungetsuIchigo - Sorry. I do plan to update later this weekend. So I hope that will make you happy. ^_^

Magapanda - Glad you thought so.

BioHazard82 - Thanks!

GunBlade2018 - Yes, Ukitake needs more love in stories, I agree with this.

Guest - Yes, I'll be starting the new arc very soon. The next couple of chapters will set it up for the arc to occur, hopefully, on chapter 40. It will be the Soul Society arc, but with a big twist. ^_^