Ichigo groaned as he tried to turn over, his body protesting at the minimal movement he was attempting to make. After taking such a harsh beating, he had passed out, and was now just starting to awaken. He vaguely remembered Urahara taking him from Renji, but after that, he passed out. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep for, but his body still felt like it could use more rest. Did Inoue not heal me? The thought ran through his mind as his eyelids struggled to open. Everything in his body protested at trying to move, but he didn't bother to listen. He began to slowly open his eyes, and let out a surprised gasp.

Thinking he had been stashed in one of the side rooms of the shoten, Ichigo found that he was completely wrong. Sitting up in the bed, moving way too fast, he let out a groan and clutched his head. Trying to figure out what was going on was almost impossible, as his head struggled to force himself back down on the pillow.

"Oh, you're awake," Urahara popped his head into the room. "Wonderful."

Ichigo cleared his head, and looked over at his lover. "When did we get here?" He felt the love for the man over by the door start to overwhelm him. He looked over at the large picturesque window and saw both Ryuu and Kiko running around in circles in their pen. Ichigo sank back on the pillows and sighed, a contented sigh. If there was one surprise he couldn't have wished for more, it would've been to return back to Urahara's estate in Soul Society. And here he was, back where he had been wishing to return to since everything had begun to spiral out of control. He felt the bed shift as his lover sat down next to him, and placed a hand on top of his. "What about the others?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask, as he knew that if they had gone through anything like he had, they deserved a bit of rest as well.

"Don't worry about them," Urahara's hand pushed some of the hair off of his forehead. "They're fine, and they all sent you here with their blessing."

Closing his eyes, Ichigo gave the man's hand a gentle squeeze. "I doubt that, Kisuke. It's not fair that we're here and they're not."

"Who says they aren't?" Urahara said, forcing the teen's eyes back open.

"You left Karakura Town without anyone there to watch it?" Ichigo asked, sitting up. "Kisuke, we have to go back home, then."

Urahara laughed, and shook his head. "Ichigo, I was just kidding. They're all still there. The town is safe, for the most part."

"So why are we here?" Ichigo asked, trying to allow himself to relax. "I should be back there, Kisuke. That...that arrancar..." Ichigo bowed his head. "You have no idea how powerful he was, Kisuke." His voice cracked. "I..."

Running a hand through his orange hair, Urahara made a shushing noise with his mouth. "Do not do that to yourself, Ichigo." Urahara kissed his forehead with a soft tenderness. "When you're ready, come out to the living room, alright? I've made some tea and a light breakfast." He pulled away from Ichigo, placing another soft kiss on his cheek.

"Okay," Ichigo yawned. "I'll be right out."

Urahara's lips curled up in a small smile. "Take your time." He walked back out of the room, leaving the substitute shinigami alone.

Getting up from the bed, Ichigo walked over to the window and stared at the majestic animals, a quiet happiness filling his soul. He looked down at himself and saw that he was dressed in a pair of flannel pj pants, unsure of when he had put them on. Probably when I was asleep. Ichigo walked over to the door and headed out of the bedroom, not bothering to make the bed, when he knew he was probably going to be passing out again soon. He wandered out to the living room and stopped in his tracks, surprise passing through his system once more.

"Ohayou, Kurosaki-san!" The taichou of the thirteenth squad gave a small wave, his face scrunching up into a big smile.

"O-O-O-O..." Ichigo couldn't get the word out, as he was staring at the other man sitting next to him.

"Kurosaki, you seem more surprised than you should be," the taichou of the sixth squad sat there, sitting next to Ukitake, sipping his tea calmly.

"What do you mean, I shouldn't be surprised?" Ichigo finally found his voice, it coming out higher pitched that he would have liked.

Urahara came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I probably should have told you we had company, but I thought it would be a nice surprise." Ichigo turned around to face him.

"A nice surprise is waking up in that bedroom, Kisuke. This? This is an ambush."

"Ichigo," Ukitake's voice was soft. "Please, won't you sit down? Do not be upset at him. It was my idea to keep you in the dark. If you would like to be mad at someone, direct that anger towards me."

Ichigo turned back around and looked at the older man. "No, I can't do that. I'm not mad at anyone. I'm not mad at all." He walked over to the couch opposite where the two taichous were sitting and flopped down. "I'm guessing you want to talk to me, yeah?"

"If you'd like," Byakuya's tone was one of indifference. "We were just here, keeping Kisuke company while you rested. When we heard about what had happened in the World of the Living, we both had a feeling that you both would be returning here soon."

Ichigo looked down at his lap. "Does everyone know what happened?"

"If you're asking if everyone knows that you succeeded in staying alive, then yes." Byakuya said, his words carrying a harsh tone.

He looked up and Byakuya's slate grey eyes had a silent determination behind them. Ichigo blinked back tears and shook his head. "You don't get it, Byakuya. I should have died. The only reason I didn't die, is because Tōsen came to collect the Arrancar I was fighting." He barked out a laugh. "Fighting, hah. More like, was getting beaten to death."

"Enough," Byakuya said, shaking his head. "You are stronger than this, Ichigo. Do not speak that way of your battles."

Becoming tight-lipped, Ichigo glared at the tea cup that Urahara had set in front of him on the small coffee table. Urahara put his hand on Ichigo's knee, squeezing it gently. "Yes, well. How about we leave Ichigo alone about that for now, hmm? He doesn't seem to be in the mood to talk about it, so perhaps it is better for all of here to leave that subject alone for now?" Urahara said, looking between the three of them, Ichigo grateful once more for his lover's calm exterior.

"Very well," Ukitake said, setting his tea down. "Kurosaki-san..."

The substitute shinigami smirked. "Juushiro, when will you learn to address me by my first name? You had no problem doing so before."

"Yes, well," Ukitake smiled, brushing his long hair back off of his shoulders to lay down flat on his back. "My sincerest apologies, Ichigo." Ichigo grinned at the use of his name. "Now, since Urahara has asked us to not speak on the subject why we are specifically here, I have a feeling our visit may be a lot shorter than intended."

"It's fine," Ichigo said, looking at his lover. "Kisuke, if they want to ask questions, they can. I'll...I'll do my best to control myself."

Urahara gave him a small nod. "If you say so, Ichigo. If you are comfortable with speaking now, then go ahead."

Giving his lover's hand another squeeze, Ichigo looked between the two taichous. "What do you want to know?"

"I suppose the best place to begin would be the beginning," Ukitake said. "If you're comfortable with that?"

Ichigo gave his full attention to the soft spoken taichou. "That's fine. I honestly don't know what happened, as I was quick to react. I left Kisuke, because I knew that Renji was there," he looked over at Byakuya, who had a pensive look on his face at the mention of his fukutaichou, "and took off."

"Were you aware that everyone was in the battle?" Byakuya asked, looking over at Urahara, who had given a small shake of his head.

"Not until just now," Ichigo said, having no energy in his body to be upset. "But that's probably because I was too busy focused on my own fight."

Urahara cleared his throat, auburn eyes turning to view him. "I will tell you about it, Ichigo. For now, why don't we focus on what you went through?"

"Okay," Ichigo picked up his tea and took a small sip, the warm liquid soothed his raw throat. "So, I made my way to Chado's place, where an arrancar by the name of Di Roy , and rattled off a number, was."

"A number?" Ukitake said. "What number?"

"Dieciseis. Sixteen." Ichigo said.

"That is very interesting," Ukitake said, settling back against the couch. "Please, I didn't mean to interrupt you."

Ichigo shook his head. "It's fine, Juushiro. Interrupt all you want. It makes this a little bit easier on me." He fiddled with his pants idly, trying to think of the best way to continue this. Just tell them the truth. Listening to his inner voice, he spoke once more. "After telling Chado to get out of there, the reiatsu increased ten-fold. No, twenty-fold."

"So much?" Byakuya said, his left eyebrow raising up in surprise.

The substitute shinigami nodded his head. "I could barely breathe. I don't even know how Chado was able to handle it. After finally getting my head straight, a new person began to speak." He could see the blue-haired man in his mind, taunting him with his swagger. "He said that he was Arrancar Sexta, Grimmjow."

"Six?" Ukitake said. "That's very interesting."

"I wish I knew what it had meant," Ichigo said, running a hand through his hair nervously. "I had no idea what I was up against. He said he wanted to see my bankai, taunting me to release it and fight him in that form."

"And you gave in," Urahara said, speaking quietly. Ichigo turned and looked at his lover and teacher, and gave a small nod of his head. "You were wise to have done that, Ichigo. Do not think you made the wrong decision."

Ichigo looked back down at his lap. "How can you say that? Kisuke, I shouldn't have given in to what he wanted."

"Kurosaki, everyone in this room knows that when you enter your bankai state, your reiatsu increases to an exponential amount. You reverting to your bankai state is what probably helped save your life." Byakuya said matter-of-factly. "You did what anyone else would have done. He did not have to goad you into it. It would have been a natural progression for you."

Looking down at his lap, Ichigo shook his head. "I was weak. I shouldn't have listened to him. I should have listened to myself. I thought I had control of the situation. But I didn't. He...He..."

"It's okay, Ichigo," Urahara reached for his hand and held it. "If you don't feel like continuing, you don't have to."

"I need to get this out, Kisuke," Ichigo's voice wavered, all of the pain he had felt during the fight coming back in full force. "You don't understand. You weren't there." Tears began to fall from his eyes. "I was too weak. I gave up. I thought I had lost." He wiped at his eyes. "He said that I was nothing. That the only thing that increased with my release was my speed, nothing else. He...he said he was disappointed."

Ukitake cleared his throat quietly. "Ichigo, you've got no reason to be disappointed. You did the best that you could. You're here now, yes?" Ichigo looked over at him, giving a small shrug of his shoulders. "Then, I would call that a success. You are only doing what you've been taught and instructed. Do not beat yourself up about it."

He didn't want to tell the others that he had used Shiro to help him, as he had yet to tell Urahara about it. Now it makes sense why he wanted to me to train so much with the Visoreds. Wait a second...Ichigo glanced over at Urahara and saw that he was engaged in a quiet conversation with Byakuya. Looking back over at Ukitake, he spoke quietly. "You can say that, but it still feels like I failed." He stood up, swaying a little on his feet. "Kisuke, I'm going to go back and lie down."

"Are you okay, Ichigo? Do you need anything?" Urahara stood up, but stopped moving as Ichigo raised his hand up, signaling for him to not follow.

Ichigo shook his head. "No, I think I just need some more sleep." He walked out of the room without saying anything further and headed into the master bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"That went about as well as I expected," Ukitake said, sitting back to rest against the sofa. "Kisuke, are you sure that it was wise to bring him here?"

Urahara ran a hand through his hair. "It probably wasn't, but if you had just seen the look on both his and Abarai's face when they returned to the shop," his eyes met Byakuya's for a brief moment, "it was decided that he needed this break. There is still a lot of fighting ahead. What's wrong with a few days of rest?"

"Are the others safe?" Byakuya asked. "Because if they need more reinforcement, it's probably best if we get that in place right away."

The shopkeeper nodded his head. "They are safe. Have either of you heard anything about the fight?"

"Only that they were granted gentei kaijo," Ukitake said. "Was it that serious?"

"Considering the strength of these arrancar, or whatever they are, yes. I believe so." Urahara said, taking a seat back on the couch, emotionally exhausted just thinking about what had happened the day before. "I know that Ichigo needs more training. I'm hoping that Yamamoto-soutaichou won't mind."

Byakuya shook his head. "He shouldn't. If he does, we'll tell him that this what we felt would be best. When do you plan on beginning?"

"I would say tomorrow, as he's been through so much already. I need him to rejuvenate and not be so hard on himself." Urahara placed his head in his hands. "I wish that there was more time."

Standing up, Ukitake walked over to him and placed a hand on his thigh. "Listen, Kisuke. You're doing far more than any of us could have done. I know that the situation changed when the two of you became romantically involved, but we all knew that Aizen-sama was going to do something eventually."

"I know," Urahara said, shaking his head. "If anyone knows that, it would be me."

The older taichou removed his hand from Urahara's leg. "Look, why don't the two of you get situated. Perhaps the two of you can join us at Ugendō tomorrow evening." Ukitake looked at Byakuya, nodding his head. "You are more than welcome to join us as well."

"Without Abarai here, I must decline," Byakuya said, the hidden meaning in his words not lost on either man.

Urahara looked up. "Thank you, I'll ask Ichigo if he'd feel up to it. Just for dinner, perhaps." He wanted to make it clear to the other taichou that he did not feel the need to bring up their arrangement, as what had happened the last time the two visited their estate.

"Of course," Ukitake said, bowing his head. Standing up slowly, he glanced over at Byakuya. "Shall we take our leave?"

Byakuya nodded, standing up as well. "You mentioned you two would be here for a few days?"

"That's correct," Urahara nodded. "Unless the stubbornness wins out, which I'm afraid it might." He let out a soft chuckle. "What can I say? I'd rather please him than have to deal with his wrath." Kami knows I've been on that receiving end all too often as of late.

The sixth division taichou smirked. "Don't we all feel that way in respect to our lovers?" He gave a small bow. "Let me know if there is anything I can do. You know where to find me."

"Arigatou, Byakuya-san. And the same goes to you, Juushiro." Urahara said, walking with the two over to the door. "I'll keep you two posted."

The two left without further pause, leaving the ex-taichou standing at the door. He walked out onto his porch, and took a seat on the small step that was there. He looked over at the peaceful lake, thinking back when he had first brought Ichigo to his estate, and how much simpler everything seemed to have been.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Two arms wrapped around his chest as he felt his younger lover sit behind him. Urahara let out a soft sigh, leaning back against Ichigo.

"I'd rather not say," Urahara said truthfully.

Ichigo embraced the man with a gentle hug. "No secrets, Kisuke. Remember?"

"I know, but it really doesn't matter, Ichigo. I'd rather just sit here and observe nature."

Resting his head against Urahara's shoulder, Ichigo looked out at the countryside. "Can you tell me what gentei kaijo is?"

"You were listening," Urahara said, his insides twisting slightly. "Were you there the entire time?"

Ichigo shook his head. "No, I just opened the door a crack to let some air in, and I heard Juushiro say that. What does that mean? Is it something to do with shinigami? With the Gotei 13?" His voice was soft, no hint of anger in his tone.

"In a matter of speaking, yes." Urahara said, placing his hands over Ichigo's arms, threading his fingers through his. "Whenever one of the fukutaichou, or a taichou like Hitsugaya-san, come to the Living World, their power is limited. If they were to use their full strength, it would sap the reiatsu out of any living soul. Their power is limited to avoid that happening."

The substitute shinigami let out a thoughtful hum. "What's it limited to?"

"80 percent."

Ichigo's fingers tightened around Urahara's. "So much?"

"It's a necessary precaution. However, given the circumstances of the battle that occurred last night, Matsumoto-san contacted Seireitei, asking them to allow them to disregard their limit restriction." Urahara said.

The orange-haired teen released his hold on Urahara and moved to sit next to him. Urahara turned and gazed at his auburn eyes. "Kisuke..."

"Now do you see what you were up against? Everyone was losing their battle, Ichigo."

Ichigo shook his head. "No, Kisuke. They were only losing because they couldn't fight to their full strength. I was fighting at my full capacity."

"What was the number you said that this blue-haired arrancar was?" Urahara said.

"Sexta. Six." Ichigo sighed, his shoulders sagging. "So what?"

"So what? Ichigo, the ones that the others were fighting, they were in the higher numbers. No one fought anyone that had a number lower than eleven. As I understand it, the arrancar that Hitsugaya-san was fighting was eleven. Abarai fought one with the number of fifteen, and Matsumoto-san fought one who claimed to be number fourteen." He saw Ichigo's eyes widen. "Now you understand, yes? You were up against the most powerful of the bunch. You did as best as you could, with what you have. Do not beat yourself up because you feel that you lost. You are sitting here next to me. That means you did not lose."

Ichigo sighed. "That's what Renji said." He shook his head. "Kisuke...what am I supposed to do?"

"Train." Urahara said, reaching for Ichigo's hand. "But how about we worry about that tomorrow, yes? I think you've deserved some relaxation."

Ichigo squeezed his hand. "Is it bad that I feel the same way?" His voice was quiet.

"Not at all."

The two stood up together, Ichigo resting his head against Urahara's chest as the older man placed his arms around him, hugging him close to his body. "It's going to be okay, Ichigo. I'm going to make certain of that. You've got nothing to worry about."

"I wish I could believe you, Kisuke," Ichigo whispered. "I want to. I really do. I just..."

Urahara lifted Ichigo's chin, looking into his eyes once more. "Then believe me. Come on, how about a nice, hot bath?"

"Bath?" Ichigo said, his cheeks coloring slightly. "Bubbles?"

Chuckling softly, Urahara nodded his head. "If that's what you prefer, then I don't see why that can't be arranged."

"Let's go!" Ichigo took Urahara's hand and pulled him into the house, his energy renewed.

…

A/N: Back in Soul Society! Time for some much needed R&R for this substitute shinigami. Given that I've already addressed the Visored training in 'Changes', here is where I'll be digressing from canon for a bit. ^_^ Thanks for reading!