Title: Limitations

Disclaimer: The plot and characters of BLEACH is the intellectual property of Tite Kubo. Kunoichi Yumemi has no claim over the characters or plot of BLEACH and makes no profit off this work of fiction.

Summary: It was a little known fact that Kurosaki Ichigo's body was weak to begin with. The sudden death of Kurosaki Masaki led a young Ichigo to fight tooth and nail to overcome that weakness so he could protect the people he loved, and by the time he turned fifteen, he had emerged victorious over his body's weakness. And then he met Kuchiki Rukia. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine the long term effect that this meeting with would have on his life…

Note: AU. Completely disregards recent chapters of BLEACH.

Chapter 1

Ichigo sat on the roof watching the moon as it moved across the night sky, mentally cataloguing the aches and the stiffness in his body while waiting for the heaviness of his limbs to vanish. As the moon drifted lower on the horizon, he finally realized what it was he was feeling: it was the weakness that he had always associated with his childhood, the same feeling he had always lived with in the time before his mother had died was settling into him again, weighing down his limbs and tightening his chest with every breath he took. Ichigo caught a flutter of black and out of the corner of his eye and he turned to see the imposing figure of Zangetsu looking up at the moon.

"You knew this would happen from the very first time you felt your body slow down and become more easily fatigued, Ichigo. You knew, but you simply did not acknowledge that fact," the Zanpakuto said quietly.

"What will happen to me?" Ichigo asked his Soul's Sword.

"That is for you to decide," Zangetsu said, "and you already know what comes after death. There is nothing to fear."

"And the Hollow?"

"Who knows?"

"It's not fair." Ichigo closed his eyes.

"Your father has kin in Soul Society," Zangetsu prompted gently.

"I suppose I should meet my relatives before I make any decisions, huh?"

A hell butterfly fluttered through the air of Seireitei. Few shinigami paid it any notice, and as it flew through the Thirteenth Division Offices, the hell butterfly passed in front of Kuchiki Rukia's face as she prepared to leave for her lunch break. She paid the butterfly no notice, never knowing that the butterfly bore news that would bring a heavy burden onto the shoulders of the Gotei 13, for they constantly took advantage of a young man who's conscience would not allow him to tell them no, and as a result, his life was drawing to a surprisingly early end.

Kyouraku Shunsui was in the Thirteenth Division Offices, enjoying a quiet discussion with his childhood friend when a hell butterfly interrupted him as he waxed eloquent about the virtues of his younger brother's son and the boy's successes while Ukitake Jyuushirou nodded and smiled while filling out a stack of paperwork. Neither man was inclined to say any ill about the boy as he had earned all the praises that Shunsui showered him with and then some.

Shunsui in the meantime was listening to the hell butterfly as it relayed its message.

Jyuushirou looked up when he felt his friend's reiatsu fluctuate and reflect surprise, grief and something akin to horror and was surprised to see that Shunsui's face had lost all color.

"Shunsui?" the sickly captain asked tentatively.

"He's dying…" Shunsui whispered.

"Who?"

"That sweet, headstrong, ridiculously powerful boy…" The Eighth Division Captain looked at his friend, his eyes sad, "Ichigo is dying and Isshin is asking if I would be willing to take him in after the child's body dies…."

"Ichigo-kun?" Ukitake asked, perplexed, "That very same Ichigo-kun whom you can't seem to stop talking about whenever he does some great service for Seireitei? That very same Ichigo-kun is dying before he even turns sixteen?"

"Yes."

Ichigo did not attend school the next day, or the day after that, in fact, for the two weeks after the entire ordeal in Hueco Mundo, Ichigo did not attend school. When he finally did attend school, he first went into the Principle's office and made his way over to the nurse's office. At lunch, he drew Sado aside and spoke to him quietly, the larger boy nodding periodically, and at the end of the day to many people's surprise, Ishida Uryuu's especially, a sleek black car arrived in front of the school, and in the front seat was one Ishida Ryuuken, who ushered both his son and godson into the car quickly and drove away. It was not until they arrived at the hospital and Ryuuken began snapping orders for a series of tests that Ishida Uryuu realized that his rival on both the academic and supernatural stages had pushed his health too far and was dying.

In Seireitei, Kyouraku Shunsui was preparing for a week long foray into the living world. Accompanying him would be Unohana Retsu and his Vice-Captain, Ise Nanao. Of the three, only Nanao was unaware of the reason behind this excursion, and neither captain would answer when she asked. As the three shinigami stepped through the Senkaimon into the living world, they were immediately greeted by a grave looking Urahara.

"The boy is at Ryuuken's," was the first words out of the exiled Captain's mouth, immediately followed by a quiet, "He's in a bad way, and Isshin is concerned that if things are allowed to drag on too long, his health might start to mirror Ukitake's."

Shunsui's face was serious as he said quietly, "It won't happen. I'll sever his soul chain before it happens, and besides, that's what Unohana-san is here to prevent, right?"

Unohana nodded, her face still serene, "I'll do my best for the child."

Nanao could only look from one captain to the other in confusion. Who exactly were they talking about? Obviously whomever it was, was important—Important and very young, otherwise why would they send two captains and have two other former captains concerned for him?

After all the necessary examinations were done, and Ryuuken had gathered samples of blood and urine for testing, he took the two boys to dinner before dropping Ichigo off at his house.

Ise Nanao was confused as she followed the two Captains down the streets of Karakura and toward a two story building with a sign reading "Kurosaki Clinic." Exactly why were they in the human world, and why at this place which bore the Substitute Shinigami's family name? What did this unusual mission have to do with the Substitute Shinigami anyway? The glass double doors of the clinic had a sign that read, "Closed" and through the glass, she could see a shadowy figure sitting at a desk flipping through a file.

Her captain stepped confidently toward the door and pushed it gently, and nodded in satisfaction as it swung open easily. The three shinigami stepped inside, and Nanao felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of the former Tenth Division Captain.

"Well now, brother," Shunsui said, "Where is my nephew?"

Isshin smiled slightly and said, "I'm sure Kisuke already told you, Aniki. Ichigo's at Ryuuken's."

"What?" Nanao gasped.

Shunui turned toward his Vice-Captain and said quietly, "Kurosaki Ichigo is my nephew, Nanao-chan, and recent events have taken a toll on his health. His human body is dying."

Nanao could only gape in shock. Kurosaki Ichigo? Kyouraku-Taichou's nephew? Dying? But the boy was just a child! How could this be?! No, this was just another joke, a very poor, tasteless joke between the two brothers, right? She looked from the faces of the three Captain Level Shinigami and noted the solemn expression each wore. No, this was not a joke…

Nanao could only do one thing, unbecoming of a Vice-Captain or not, she fainted.

Ichigo had sensed the three shinigami the moment he was within two blocks of his house. While he didn't know to whom the three reiatsu belonged to, he could easily tell that one had reiatsu very similar to his father's and correctly deduced that his father's brother had arrived from Soul Society.

"Well," he said to himself, "I was going to ask Dad to introduce me to his brother at some point anyway…"

And so he opened the door and braced to dodge his father's attack if it came, though none ever came, and he stepped inside and blinked in surprise to see the faces of Unohana Retsu, Ise Nanao (who was wearing a somewhat bemused expression), and Kyouraku Shunsui turned toward him. The three shinigami were sitting at the table with his father, cups of steaming tea in front of the four. The teen was flabbergasted. He was related to one of the Senior Officers of the Gotei 13?

"Um… Tadaima?"

"Okaeri," Isshin said solemnly. "What did Ryuuken say?"

Ichigo blinked. "Ishida-sensei said that we'll know more when the results of the blood and urine tests come in, but for now if I avoid leaving my body as much as possible and regulate what I eat and drink, I can possibly keep my body from deteriorating too quickly."

Isshin nodded, "To be expected. In either case, as you might already be aware, we have guests from Seireitei. You have already met Unohana-Taichou from the Fourth Division, and my older brother, your uncle, Kyouraku Shunsui of the Eighth Division, and his Vice-Captain, Ise Nanao."

Ichigo's still wearing a befuddled expression, bowed to the three shinigami and muttered a greeting.

Isshin nodded and said, "I'm assuming Ryuuken already took you to dinner?" Ichcigo nodded and Isshin replied drolly, "Go do your homework then. From now on, you're spending your lunch hour in the school infirmary, I've arranged with Unohana-san to have a member of the Fourth there, and when school ends, you will go straight to Urahara Shoten. Ise-Fuku-Taichou will meet you there and she'll get you up to speed in terms of your Shinigami training after school. No matter what you choose, you'll now be officially recognized as a Son of House Kyouraku, and it's about time I started raising you as a proper scion of nobility."

Ichigo could only blink in confusion, but still, no matter how confused he was, the manners drilled into his head by his mother kicked in, and he bowed wordlessly and went to his room, the very picture of an obedient son.

Unohana sighed, "It seems you're in a difficult position, Isshin," she said mildly.

Isshin's eyes were dark as he exchanged a look with his brother. "Yes," he agreed, "And the Soutaichou will not be pleased when he realizes exactly how much of Ichigo's vast power is his by right of blood and that up until recently, it was uncontrolled. But circumstances change, and the next time Ichigo enters Seireitei or faces Aizen, it will have to be as a Scion of Kyouraku born and raised, and not a half trained human child, irregardless of whether his body is dead or not."

"This will certainly throw Byakuya-bo off," Shunsui said with forced levity, "Especially when he realizes he has been putting down a member of the nobility--A member of the lesser nobility, true, but nobility nevertheless. He'll especially froth at the mouth when he realizes that Ichigo is the son of the man who initially nominated him for captaincy."

Unohana smiled gently and Isshin smirked.

Ise Nanao wondered exactly how she ended up being relegated to teaching her captain's nephew the finer art of being a shinigami. This was not what she signed up for when she became a Vice-Captain. But then again, she hadn't signed up to be a Vice-Captain to nag at her Captain to do his paperwork either.

Of course, as she soon as she stepped out of the Senkaimon into the basement of Urahara Shoten, she was whisked away by Shihouin Yoruichi who was regaling her with the impossible denseness of the boy and how slow on the uptake he was. Perhaps that had something to do with her resigned nature to what seemed to be yet another impossible task set to her by her crazy captain and his equally crazy brother. Then Yoruichi utterly confused her by ending the semi-gossip session by telling Nanao that the boy was a good student and worked hard at everything, and in some cases, if guided properly, had a tendency to completely throw off the learning curve.

Yoruichi grinned and patted Nanao's shoulder. "Ichigo should be getting out of school about now. Good luck, Nanao."

In the shop above, a clock chimed.

Nanao wondered exactly what it was that her Captain had just gotten her into.

The Noble Houses of Seireitei was a frantic hive of activity, and many were bewildered to realize that a good portion of that activity was centered on House Kyouraku. Few knew that a Scion of the House Kyouraku would soon be presented officially to the Noble Houses, and only House Kyouraku was aware that the child in question was in the Human World, and would possibly be joining them as his human body was failing.

Ichigo glanced out the window of the Health Office once again and watched wistfully as his classmates ran the track below. About a week ago, they had found out that strenuous activity would have him dizzy at best, nauseous and coughing up blood at worst, and to his embarrassment, it had taken place during Physical Education in front of his peers. It had been Isane-san who had swooped down onto the track, dressed in a black pantsuit with a normal physician's lab coat, and had Ichigo carted away into the Health Office. The Substitute Shinigami had been excused from Physical Education classes ever since.

"Are you bored, Kurosaki-san?" Isane asked from behind him.

"Somewhat," the teen answered.

The Fourth Division Vice-Captain stood at the window and looked down at the exercising students and said, "It might not be any of my business, but perhaps you should consider your choices, Kurosaki-san," Isane said. "Soul Society will become your permanent residence at some point in the future, irregardless of what you choose now. But Kurosaki-san, consider this; the longer your body is allowed to stagnate at an in between point, neither failing nor recovering, the greater the chances that your illness will transfer over to your spiritual form."

Ichigo sighed. "I know that." He stared morosely at the track. Really, didn't he already know that? Because of his illness, he was not allowed to leave his body for any reason unless Unohana was present. This meant Hollow hunting was out of the question, and now with recent developments, most physical activities were no longer allowed. This meant that Ichigo was bored, and once he had finished the assigned work from his classes, he would then start on the assignments given to him by Nanao. Isane would assist him with his attempt to hone his control over his reiryouku and sometimes explained things that confused him in his readings from Soul Society given to him by his father and uncle, obtained through Yoruichi, with recommendations from Byakuya and Ukitake, though the Sixth Division Captain was as of yet unaware to whom the recommended readings were being delivered, but the bulk of his shinigami education was, for the most part, in Nanao's hands.

Isane glanced at the orange haired teen in concern. She was experienced enough with Ukitake-Taichou to know that the Thirteenth Division Captain felt cooped up and helpless when his body was weakened to the point where practically all activity was forbidden. If Ukitake-Taichou, whose own innate disposition would not allow him to complain would still express the discomfort and cabin fever in his own subtle way, she could only imagine how Kurosaki Ichigo must feel. He was still young, barely a child out of childhood, and just nearing the cusp of adulthood. To bear the brunt of this illness, and to be cooped up while his companions ran and played ball and his own spiritually aware friends and his shinigami comrades hunted Hollows… The teen was undoubtedly bored, restless, and more than a little envious of his more active peers.

Unohana stepped back and stripped off her gloves, her face serene, though her eyes were troubled. "If you were going to make a choice about your future, Kurosaki-san," the Fourth Division Captain said quietly, "Now would be the time. You are nearing the point where your illness may begin to transfer over to your spiritual form if left untreated for too long."

Ichigo glanced at his father, but if he was hoping for Isshin to make his decisions for him as he had in his childhood, Ichigo was sorely disappointed. Isshin's face, while inscrutable, said quite clearly that this was Ichigo's decision, and that the former captain would have no part in it. Ichigo swallowed and closed his eyes. He had known this would happen, and he had known that the illness had already begun to transfer over to his spiritual form. Zangetsu had warned him that if things continued for much longer, even his spiritual form would fall prey to the illness, and he would fall into a situation similar to that of Ukitake Jyuushirou, a powerful Shinigami, whose powers were near unlimited and whose ability to fight was limited only by the strength of his body. Ichigo opened his eyes.

"I think," he said quietly, "that maybe I should see both sides of the spectrum before I make any serious decisions…"

Isshin nodded, and Unohana smiled.

"I thought you would feel that way," the former captain said, "and House Kyouraku has been preparing for you to take residence in the estate."

Unohana said gently, "I have already compiled a report for the Soutaicho. If you like, Kurosaki-san, I can send off a preliminary report now, and take you through the Senkaimon, and you can sit in on the Senior Officers' meeting while I explain the situation."

Ichigo nodded in agreement and felt his spirits lift. While most physical activities were forbidden to him for fear of causing his health and body to deteriorate farther, his simple presentation to Seireitei as a son of the House Kyouraku would cause enough chaos for him to play a few mind games with people. That would have to be enough. Ichigo's lips stretched in a predatory smile. His physical difficulties aside, the orange haired teen just knew that he was going to have a lot of fun at Seireitei's expense.

Unohana and Isshin exchanged a look.

"I have never seen him smile like that before, Isshin. Should we be worried?" Unohana asked.

Isshin chuckled, "I won't worry, but you probably should. It seems you'll be treating a lot of headaches pretty soon."

Unohana looked from her former colleague to the Substitute Shinigami, her eyes showing some concern. "Oh, dear…"

The two male Kurosakis laughed.

TBC….

SanadaSayuri: Hi there, it's me again. Let's see, what's a good way of putting this? I live! XD Anyway, school has started and life has settled down somewhat, and so in celebration, I present to you the long awaited chapter 1 for "Limitation"! –Applause— I am working on the newest chapter for Soundscape and Breaking Points, but it has been slow going.

Anyway, about BLEACHed Elements… I'm still waiting for a response from Deragonmaji, and knowing what school is like, I'm not gonna pressure her. Updates will continue to be sparse as I have lots of homework and projects to get through, and if rumors are to be believed, Mom and I might be moving again soon. Well, either way, updates will be scarce. It's like the Law of Supply and Demand with time being the object Supplied, and readers waiting for an update being the Demanded. When supply goes up, so to does demand. Likewise, when my free time goes up, the more frequent updates will be, barring outside variables such as life and inspiration.

Well, I've gotta go. Please leave a review!