AN: Special double chapter! See first chapter for warnings.

...

Ichigo frowned as they walked into the courtyard of the school. Since the battle with Aizen everything had been quiet. It was unnatural. There were no hollows, no shinigami, but that wasn't even the strangest of the behavior. People were supposed to heal now. Everyone around him was in worse ways than one.

The ghosts weren't being ghost like.

Where as some of the souls he had brought to the Soul Society were upset about their death, it seemed like everything was dying all over again. There was one ghost, a woman of about twenty-four that he had been watching for a few days. Every day the lethargy around her grew and grew. One week ago she was a vibrant (and dead) woman. Today he saw her at the worst. The skin sunk in like an old zombie movie and there was no emotion in her eyes. Even the chain keeping her tied to the ground was eaten away slowly. It was the picture of inaction.

"Ichigo, leave it for now. We'll figure it out after school." Ishida nudged his shoulder and gave the plus a sympathetic look. He wouldn't be much help either. Ishida, still through with his Quincy Pride, wanted for the elimination of Hollows, not the plusses that had no little problems themselves. Ishida was a problem all by himself.

"You wouldn't look for slovenly if you would just let me put zipper on to your shirts." Ichigo glared at his homeroom skulking with Ishida- Uryu- whining about his shirts again. Again. They didn't fit right because he wanted some comfort underneath them and zippers wouldn't change that.

"But I'm okay with my buttons." Was he being glared at again? Oh yes he was.

"Then would it kill you to trade your 'okay' to resolve my irritation with you?" The transition between being friends and being boyfriends had no clumsy ground between the two of them in, his opinion. Things were exactly the same including the things that bothered him about Ishida before. Only know he was being asked to pretend he cared about that stupid crap.

"I. Like. My. Shirts." They had reached their seats now with barely a touch between them. He'd had it with this. Ishida wanted a relationship and he got it. He wanted them to be closer so he moved in. Enough was enough.

"You two shut it now." It was only then that he noticed his friends were not as they should be. Chad was even more hunched over, Mizuiro and Keigo looked hungover and flu stricken, and Chizuru was actually laying on Tatsuki's shoulder with Inoue trying to help them. She frowned but didn't say anything to them. Tatsuki gave him a glare that said enough.

"Guys?" Chizuru just moaned and tossed a bottle over to him.

"Won't be long before you guys get sick too. This has been passing back and forth between us four and my head hurts make it stop." The others looked grim and Inoue tapped the pins on her head. Most of them were in the loop about the spiritual world but Chizuru wasn't. Aspirin wasn't going to help that kind of headache when reiatsu started to crush you.

"Arisawa it might be best if you all went home and rest." Keigo nodded for them and started to pack of his bags. If there was a sign to how bad they felt he hadn't even tried to hug him. Ichigo wandered over to Chad more concerned about his slump. He'd seen Chad get blasted through cement and walk it off better than that.

"It feels like my shoulders are trying to burn themselves off." There weren't any other questions needed. Whatever was happening to them has something to do with the spirit world and their bodies couldn't take it. Inoue and Ishida came back from walking the others out.

"The same for you, Sado? Us three don't heavily involve our bodies- Inoue's pins, my arrows, and Kurosaki's heritage lend us to different reiatsu manipulation. It seems like the others are waking up to their own talents as well. Not as peacefully as before..." Ishida was looking down at his Quincy cross as if it had the answers he wanted.

"Ah but wasn't the reason we had our powers because of the Orb inside of Rukia-chan?" Ichigo looked at he and was glad that her appearance was better off. He knew well enough not to say fat, but she just seemed to be getting full again. Grimly he wondered if her friends getting sick wasn't helping her confidence back.

"It might explain the pain then." Ishida sighed and bumped their hips together practicably melding them into one.

"We should go see Geta-Boushi." Unanimous nods all around as Chad took one of the pain killers. The bell rang and Ishida pressed a kiss to his neck before fluttering off to his seat.

Ichigo frowned and touched the spot. Even now when Ishida wasn't being a jackass and acting decent he still didn't like it and felt guilty over it again. Then he would try to be extra nice to Ishida tonight and then he would get irritated, making him guilty again.

Maybe some distance would be good.

He had always loved a good show, and letting Kurosaki get the "jump" on him was an opening act.

He'd snuck up on the boy a bit unfairly but hadn't done anything. It looked like the boy was walking back from the Quick Mart little Hanataro worked out. In a flash the body was on the ground and he was under Zangetsu's point.

Let the show begin.

He'd left Kyoka Suigetsu in his throne room to watch over everything while he was gone but this performance didn't need any of his illusions. Aizen smirked at the sword drawn to his face. He was on his back with Kurosaki's foot pressed against his chest in the weak means of keeping him down, ready to kill him by all appearances. Sousuke would give the shinigami this; he had excellent reaction skills. Had any one but a captain level shinigami tried this, they would be dead instead of simply 'captured'.

"I dare you." The sword, Zangetsu, never touched his neck-just as he thought. Kurosaki might be angry at him but the dark look in his eyes would never drive the sword foreword like that. He could practically feel the energy rolling off of him pressing against his own force like water against a dam. Rapid waters were falling in waves against the walls, threatening even with danger.

"Gently. I've only come to apologize to yourself and your friends. It was a dreadful mistake to target Karakura for our plans, none of them were hurt I'm sure? No matter I will speak to them about it. Thanks to our recent fight you've helped push me beyond my expectations...I no longer need your city to achieve what I want." As if on cue the orb pulsed so they can both feel it. It was practically crying out "I'm here too, me, me, me!" Kurosaki's reiatsu was familiar for it.

Kurosaki, before him, had a different view of things. His eyes were trained on him, taking in the slightest of movements and he adjusted the blade that scraped his skin in the slightest of ways. "You've lied about everything else why not this?"

"Awfully rude of you not to accept an apology. Then again you do invade private homes on a frequent enough occasion..."

"You've been involved with my entire life so you don't get to pick and choose what I accept. I should just turn you in now." There was the hesitance that fight had not driven out of Kurosaki yet. The chocolate and his hundred and third privion had suggested. He would never hurt or turned someone not in a fight.

"And here we get to another point of my emissary of peace. Have you received any mission?" Sousuke turned his head and looked at the backpack and body Kurosaki had left in his haste; there was the soul reaper's badge.

It was, mostly, thanks to Gin. The peculiar force field around Karakura had kept everything of the spiritual nature in and unable to receive anything from the outside. Since it was activated the moment he walked through the world divide, Sousuke imagined that it was a failsafe during the forward march. Just incase he got too close. How lucky that it worked in his favor now.

The Death Butterflies that would have given messages were being slashed by Gin in the world prepice. Word of nothing would reach Kurosaki and Inoue. They would feel as abounded as they appeared to be.

"Vizard, they'll do away with you too." The subtle hint was already there.

"It's not so bad." The sword was drawn away in a wavering attempt but was right back to where it had been. He looked almost weary as he backed away towards his body and possessions not knowing where this non-fight was going.

"Of course it would not be, for you. Has your family tried leaving the General's barrier? You are locked in here. This," He gestured to the city and living beings that didn't know God was watching them, "Is your prison. You crafted it yourself." Kurosaki said nothing but trembled. The soul pager went unblinking, unaware.

"Mmm. Centuries with Hirako as company. Sounds pleasant." Sousuke closed his eyes and felt his body get ready to disappear. His insides went hollow and the other shell of his skin unraveled like a ribbon, coming together again a few paces behind Kurosaki. "The fuck." He smirked.

"Pick up your jaw. I told you you've helped push me farther than anyone else." Kurosaki looked to the ground and muttered something. No, do not divert. Your attention should be held by me and the Hyougyoku trilled.

"Wait. You know Shinji? How...you did something to them." The other had stopped asking questions it seemed. How proper of him.

"Any division would have been proud to have you; honorable, dedicated, caring. Too bad you're too composite for any world." He opened a garganta in near the river side, drawing in the light like a void less black hole. It struggled to be opened but did non the less. It would take a stronger kido to keep him trapped...must it might reach it sooner than later. The orb inside pulsed not hurtfully when he broke through the veil between both worlds.

"Get back here, Aizen! We're not through-"

"Your badge."

"What of it?" The sword was poised at him again but he was beyond it's reach.

"It hasn't alerted you of anything. Am I really your enemy?" There was no beeping as he crossed back into Hueco Mundo.

...

He watched Inoue fidget in her seat and try to catch his eye over the course of the bus ride. The rain made then flee to the bus stops instead of the walk over and it was spent in silence. He'd had lunch his lunch break interrupted, wasn't that an understatment, by Aizen and her with the girls, explaining that Tatsuki and Chizuru were sick so they didn't have the chance to talk all day, but she finally caught up after Ishida pulled the stop.

"Inoue, is something the matter?" Ichigo didn't like this one bit. Something was going on between Inoue and Ishida, like something cold settled between the two of them since they'd gotten back from Hueco Mundo; had the dome really changed things that much between them all? Chad, for all his luck, was still normal about it all.

"No but Kurosaki-kun...?" Inoue kept sending a look to Ishida and him back at her.

"Ishida, I'll meet up with you in a few blocks." Chad had cut out last period when the burning became too much, so Ishida would have to go at it alone. He'd all but moved into Ishida's apartment now. He went home and just laid around there feeling so out of sorts and lies. He really, really understood why Isshin did what he'd done but it felt like the only things keeping the walls up there was his mother's posters. Yuzu and Karin were having their own problems that he couldn't help with- yet. Since the start of everything last spring he hadn't noticed that the rooms were getting smaller and more constrictive. Ishida's apartment was freeing but that came with its own chains.

"I'll confess that this is disappointing. You should be able to get my name right by now." Shit. He did it again. Ishida left and Ichigo could see the tension leave Inoue's shoulders almost immediately.

"You got a visit from him too? Please tell me you did." Inoue was nervous looking and waiting for the answer. She has every right to be. That man had tricked everyone in the Soul Society and kidnapped her.

"He apologized to you? Maybe it does mean something." Ichigo felt his heart clench when she stopped. He didn't like the rain to begin with but seeing here there was worse. Her hair was flat and clinging to her face, all the weight she had gained back still didn't seem like enough. She was reminding him of Ukitake right then; strong enough to matter but always looking sick.

"Do you really, really think it could matter, Kurosaki-kun?" Chad and Ishida were waiting for them outside of the shop, the one's arms transformed and looking less like he wanted to curl into himself.

It was too much right now. Hearing nothing from the Soul Society, Ishida, Aizen coming by to apologize, and everyone that was there hurting. It was one day in the streets of Karakura when everyone slept.

Except, thought Ichigo, us.

"You know, I used to be scared of Urahara-san." They walked slowly leaving steps in the rain. It was like a death march and he had no idea why.

"Were you?"

"It always felt like a sword was coming at me. Like I would never be able to shield myself." They were closer now, looking at the warm shop but still in the rain. She wasn't looking at him.

"He wouldn't attack you guys. Me on the other hand..." He tried to get rid of the tense situation by reminding her of their crazy ass training period. It didn't work at all, if the tears were any indication.

"Yes. Yes, you Kurosaki-kun. Now I feel like that with you." She looked at him and focused in, like she could see his hollow. "I'm so sorry. But Ichigo, you...you scare me. I don't want to think what he said was true. You can't believe that...?"

Ishida wanted something from him that Ichigo didn't think he even knew what to give and Inoue was afraid of him.

She bowed her head and walked foreword into the shop, head a little higher. Everything, including him, that scared Inoue was behind her. It was good for her. For their friends.

But he was still standing in the rain, in a prison he made himself. God fucking damnit.