In the ten years since the Winter War life was mostly peaceful in Karakura town. Hollow attacks has returned to minor disturbances by low level beasts, easily taken care of by either Ichigo or Uryu. As a result, Ichigo and his friends had found plenty of time to get on with their lives.
Ichigo had gone to medical school after college to become a doctor and take over the family clinic. His sisters, Yuzu and Karin, were still in college and just deciding what they wanted to major in.
Chad had been discovered by an agent from Hollywood and was now starring in action movies in America. His acting abilities did not impress critics, though he was favorably compared to similar stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Orihime was training to become a teacher and working at a kindergarten.
And Uryu had used his skills with threads to open up his own toy shop, specializing in toys for small children. Many people had thought it was a waste of a great mind, including his own father, until he had so many customers that he was swimming in money. Ryuken Ishida had since given his blessing to his son's business, and Uryu was considering turning his store into a chain.
Orihime was one of his most regular customers.
"Another torn doll?" he asked when she entered his shop.
"Yeah. The kids keep fighting over this one."
"Maybe I shouldn't fix it then. That'll remove the problem."
"Oh, I couldn't do that to them. They love chirpy so much. We just need to make a system by which each child gets their turn with him."
"Very well. Come back tomorrow and I'll have it ready."
Orihime smiled. "You really are busy. Back in the day if I gave that to you you'd be done in a few minutes."
"Of course. People recognize quality products."
"Ok. I'll be back tomorrow."
"Wait, Orihime."
"What is it?"
"As you can see, I cannot go to the Soul Society without losing a great deal of business. Chad can't just disappear from his set. But if you've got the time to come to my store twice, why didn't you go to visit Rukia for her promotion? I thought the two of you were very close."
"We are. It's just that..."
"You're worried that Kurosaki likes her."
Orihime nodded. "Yes."
"I keep telling you, you should just tell him how you feel. And there's no way he and Kuchiki are ever going to amount to something. She's a bona fide Soul Reaper with responsibilities we can't even imagine, and he's a human who ages normally and happens to have incredible power. Even if there is a spark between them, they're both smart and mature enough to keep they're relationship at the level of friendship."
"Yeah. I guess I'm afraid of changing the status quo. I know it's silly, after everything we've faced, but if it doesn't work out-"
"Plenty of people are afraid of that. We may have faced Soul Reapers and arrancars, but that doesn't mean we can't be worried about the same things everyone else is worried about. We're human too."
Orihime smiled. "Thanks, Uryu. It always helps to talk to you."
"No problem. Stop by any time. I can always make time for my friends."
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"How'd it go, Ichigo?" Urahara asked as the orange haired substitute Soul Reaper came through the portal.
"Just fine. I think things are looking up for them.
"That's good to here. Though it does mean I'll get less business."
"Maybe you should merge with Ishida."
"That's actually a thought, though with his success I'd be the junior partner. Not my style.
"So, did she tell you what her bankai is?"
"No. And I didn't ask."
"Hmm. Too bad. I was curious."
"You don't have a right to be," Ichigo said with a smirk, "seeing as how you've never told any of us what your bankai is."
"True enough. True enough."
Ichigo yawned. "I drank a little too much sake. It's making me drowsy. I'd better get home."
'Home' for Ichigo was no longer the Kurosaki house and clinic. It was a small apartment he and Chad had rented when they had graduated from high school. Chad was not around for more than a few weeks out of the year, but he insisted on paying the whole rent every month with the money he made from his films.
Ichigo's father had not insisted on Karin and Yuzu moving out as he had when Ichigo entered college. The elder Kurosaki still melted when it came to his 'little girls.'
But Ichigo did not mind. Here no middle aged men tried to jump through his window to attack him. Here no girls slept in his closet.
Here he had peace, quiet, and privacy.
The first thing Ichigo did when he arrived home was to reenter his body, which he had left lying on his bed, and shifted into a position that was comfortable for sleep.
"This is the life."
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Three Months Later
Ichigo was woken by the sound of his cell phone.
"Uhhh. I should have set it to silent." he moaned as he picked it up and answered it.
"Kurosaki!"
"What is it, Ishida?"
"Do you feel those reiatsus?"
"What?"
Ichigo shook his head furiously, trying to wake enough enough to sense spititual powers.
"Whoa. You're right. There's a number of them."
"It feels like there's some sort of battle going on, Kurosaki. Those powers are all too strong to be regualr hollows."
"I agree."
"Go check it out. They're closer to you. And I can't leave the shop."
I'm on it."
Ichigo grabbed his substitute badge to change into a Soul Reaper, then leapt out of the apartment window.
'Who are they? These don't feel like either Soul Reapers or hollows. They're good, too.'
Barely a minute after he was on the move, all of the powers vanished.
Ichigo had see a great cloud of smoke in the distance, a cloud that had iself vanished with the reiatsus.
'I guess it's over.'
Still, Ichigo had to see what was up. He contiued to the scene of the battle.
"What...the..."
Over six square blocks of Karakura Town had been completely destroyed.
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Far away, a servant cowered as he delivered his report to his master.
"I see." the master said calmly.
"You-you're not angry, my lord?"
"I do not like tipping my hand so early, especially to Ichigo Kurosaki. But in the end it makes no difference. He will die, and then both the Earth and the Soul Society will be mine."
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Ichigo powered on the screen of the large communicator the Soul Reapers had given him in the event of an emergency.
The face of Mayuri Kurosutchi appeared from the other end.
"Ichigo, Kurosaki, this is unexpected. What can I do for you?"
"Can you get Captain Kuchiki?"
"That depends. Which one?"
"Rukia."
"Ah. I should have guessed. Give me two hours."
Though he may have been an adult now, Ichigo still did not like waiting, especially when it was over something important.
Rukia was worried when Mayuri finally brought her.
"Ichigo, what is it? This line is meant for emergencies."
"Rukia, why didn't you tell me you were going to Karakura town? You know I'd help you in a heartbeat."
"What are you talking about? I haven't been to Karakura town in years, and if I went I'd be sure to see you."
"Rukia, I can't deny what I've seen with my own eyes."
"And I promise you, Ichigo, I haven't left the Seretei, let alone the Soul Society, since I became a captain three months ago."
"I can vouch for that." Mayuri said behind her.
"Ichigo, what happened?"
"There was a battle here earlier today. Some really strong reiatsus. A big chunk of a residential neighborhood was completely destroyed. And when I got there, I found nearly the whole area covered in ice."
"Ice?" Mayuri asked. "What kind of ice?"
"Wierd ice. Even though it's the summer now, and in a heatwave, it won't melt. The authorities want to blame what happened on a gas explosion, but the ice is unexplainable."
"Curious." Mayuri said.
"Ichigo," Rukia said, "I understand why you think I was involved, but there's no way I could have been. In fact, I don't think there was a Soul Reaper there at all."
"Why is that?"
"Because no one, not even me, has an ice Zanpakto that can produce everlasting ice that doesn't melt in the heat. The only way to do that is with an extremely powerful kido spell. It might be that someone from the kido corps was there. They're seperate enough from the Thirteen Court Guard Squads that we captains aren't always aware of what they're up to, and their elites are the only ones who can produce a kido spell that powerful. We'll look into it."
"Please do. And you're sure there's no Zanpakto that can do that."
"Yes. There has only ever been one ice Zanpakto that powerful, and it does not exist anymore."
