Ichigo didn't know how to take the newly found news. This went against everything he knew, to him the man was pure evil and couldn't feel love. There was no way the man could love him, but hadn't Aizen proven him wrong already. Perhaps he should stop trying to think of everything as black and white, nothing here was the same as he knew it. Aizen wasn't pure evil, he was somehow good and wanted to help people. Grimmjow was another person who was different then the person he had known. In this place, Grimmjow was nice and his friend. None of it made sense.

Then he began to think about Renji and Rukia. Byakuya had left Rukia here that went against everything the man was about. Ichigo remembered when he had broken into the Soul Society to save Rukia, the man was going to let his own sister die because it was the law. Though in the end, Byakuya had come through. Then the big shocker of his mother being alive, at least he was happy about that change. Was this the life he wanted to live, with the exception of being stuck in a mental asylum? Ichigo couldn't help but sink his teeth into his bottom lip.

"You've been quiet." He had almost forgotten that he was still walking behind Aizen.

"I guess it is because a lot of bombs have just been loaded onto me. Just thinking about everything" he got out honestly.

Aizen had stopped, and Ichigo had to try hard not to run into the other man. "I suppose that makes sense. Ichigo, I have no idea what it must be like for you to be going through this."

Ichigo sighed. So Aizen wasn't that bad to talk to. "So where are you taking me anyways? It seems like we have been walking forever, surely this place isn't that big."

Aizen chuckled. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me something like that. It took you long enough. I actually wanted to talk to you, just the two of us."

Ichigo was shaking his head.

"Aren't you the least bit curious about me? Don't look so afraid of me." Ichigo noticed the surroundings finally, they were in a hallway he didn't remember. Well that was saying something since the hallways all looked about the same.

"I don't want to have a private chat though." He didn't seemed to get a choice as Aizen was guiding him into a room. The room had the average off white walls that he had become accustom to here. There was a desk, with a black leather chair behind it with a smaller matching leather chair in front of the desk. There was a green rug as well in here. Ichigo expected Aizen's zanpakutō to be in the room somewhere as well, yet he did not see it. The room actually in a way screamed Aizen.

"Have a seat." Ichigo swallowed but took a seat in the leather chair as Aizen took his own seat. "Don't look so afraid. I honestly don't understand you Ichigo. I want to understand you."

"I don't understand why you would want to understand me." Ichigo had to play dumb. Though it would be hard since he wasn't that well of an actor when it came down to it.

"First off I am your doctor Ichigo. Though title aside, I want to help you. I feel that in order to help you I need to understand you. "

Ichigo sighed. "What did you want to talk about?"

Aizen looked at him. "I know that you have a different image of me from that world before. I want you first to get to know me. So if you want to know anything, ask it. Think of this as an exercise in opening up, then I hope you can openly talk to me."

Ichigo hadn't expected that. So he could ask Aizen anything. He didn't know what he wanted to ask the man in front of him. That was when he remembered his fight with the man, the loneliness within his blade, he wondered if that quality had translated into this place too. He bit his lip as he tried to figure out how to phrase his question.

"Um where are you from?"

He wondered how Aizen would reply to that, if this was all a ploy. He might be able to catch the man in his own illusion. He had never dreamed of trying such a thing, but he needed to know if he was being tricked somehow.

Aizen looked at him as if he had not expected such a question, but answered anyway. "Karakura." So next question, he had to work his way up to the major question.

"How do you and my dad know each other?"

"Um that is a good question. It seems like I have known the man for ages after all. I always had admired him, despite the fact that we studied in different areas. You could say at one point he was my mentor. Your father sure is something, you know that. I remember when your parents got married. Isshin insisted on me being his best man. He wouldn't take no for an answer actually. So I ended up saying yes eventually."

Ichigo couldn't help himself. "So how old are you?" The words had just left his mouth and he hadn't thought about it. His father looked to be in his forties after all. He had no clue how age worked with Shinigami.

Aizen chuckled at that. "My my , isn't someone very interested in my personal life. I'm twenty four though." Ichigo felt his mouth drop at that, the man was only that old physically. "Hey don't give me that look, it looks like you are shocked to hear how old I actually am. So do tell me how age works with Shinigami, I am very interested in that."

Ichigo couldn't help but bite his lip again, it seemed to be becoming a habit for him. "You see I don't actually know how that works myself. I never really asked any of the people I considered my friends how old they were, it really never occurred to me. Sure I was curious and all, but it isn't something you ask. I did think about age before, but physical age and their actual age are two very different things. The Soul Society was actually very youthful in all meanings of things, there were only a few people who looked to be older than their twenties."

Aizen looked at him. "So how old did you think I actually was? I am interested in that, since your reaction tells me that you were shocked to hear I was twenty four. Too young or too old?"

Ichigo looked down, he couldn't look at Aizen. "Well um, I actually didn't expect you to even tell me how old you were. I mean yeah I am a little shocked I guess. I mean I didn't really know you that well. You were a captain who betrayed the Soul Society and threatened people. I mean you were at least a hundred and something. I'm digging my own hole, I think I need to stop talking." Ichigo had felt his face heat up, now a small blush was on his cheeks.

"Ichigo, was the age older or young then what you were looking for."

"Well I guess it was too young. I expected you to be at least in your late twenties maybe even in your thirties. Then add in the little part about my father and I would range him in at least his forties. You would at least be in your thirties then." His voice had speed up, he was trying so hard to hide his embarrassment.

"So you're saying you would have aged me? I'm not sure how to take that. "

Ichigo had buried his head in his arms. He wanted to disappear. "Can you tell me how old you are" Aizen said trying to break Ichigo's silence.

"Fifteen, why?"

Aizen looked at him, touching his arm so he would look up. "Ichigo, I don't know what to think about you. You age me and you decrease your own age."

Ichigo didn't know how to take that. "You said I decreased my age. What do you mean? How old am I?"

Aizen sighed, and moved to bring something out of a filing cabinet. He laid a folder on the desk. Ichigo could see a picture of himself pinned to the file. Aizen opened the file. "Well I shouldn't be showing you this, but I guess it would easier to show you then tell you. I have a feeling you would not believe me if I was to only tell you." Aizen turned a few pages, until Ichigo could see all of his information. He blinked at the information.

Name: Ichigo Kurosaki

Birthday: July 15

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Height: 181 cm (5'11")

Blood Type: A

Relatives: Isshin Kurosaki (Father)

Masaki Kurosaki (Mother)

Yuzu and Karin Kurosaki (Sisters)

Education: Karakura High School

Aizen was watching him. "What is today?" Ichigo needed to know this information. The war had taken place in December. He knew that much.

Aizen sighed. "Ichigo today is July 1st, 2015. You'll be nineteen in a few weeks."

Ichigo couldn't help the choking sound that came out of his throat. "I…. I'm eighteen right now. I don't understand. H…how long have I been here?"

"Two months. You're telling me you don't remember that time?"

Ichigo shook his head. "No. To me it has only seemed like maybe a week since I have been here. There is no way it could have been two months."

Aizen pushed the file towards Ichigo. "See for yourself, though do know that file cannot leave this office."

"Thanks" Ichigo got out without emotion in his voice as he took the file and began to look through it. Aizen wasn't lying to him. The file looked official enough. Nineteen months had passed since the war that he had remembered. He looked at the diagnosis on the paper, handwriting was written next to the printed text. He turned the pages in his file, more of the same handwriting. The handwriting was some of the neatest that he had ever seen. He glanced over at the notes, why had it seemed like it was his first day when he had first seen Rukia and Renji then?

Nothing made sense any more. His head hurt so much. "I know it must be a lot to take in, but baby steps Ichigo. Baby steps."

Ichigo glared at Aizen. "You're the one who shoved the file at me. That isn't a fucking baby step and you know it. Is this your handwriting?"

Aizen nodded. "I have been your only doctor. Kisuke and Gin have both tried to deal with you, but well it didn't go well. "

"What happened?"

Aizen had gotten out of his seat and was now kneeling by Ichigo. "It doesn't matter, all that matters now is that you try to calm down." Aizen had closed the folder and had pushed it away from Ichigo's hand. It wasn't before long that Ichigo had his face buried in the other man's chest. Aizen was holding him. Ichigo didn't know what had come over him, he felt like Aizen could provide him with the amount of comfort he needed.

Ichigo couldn't see Aizen's face as he comforted him. Aizen was rubbing his back, but a smirk had formed on his lips. He had Ichigo right where he wanted him. Ichigo pulled back and Aizen's smirk was gone.

"Come with me, I know just what you need. "

Ichigo had allowed Aizen to lead him into the empty mess hall. It wasn't before long that a tray was placed in front of him. On the tray was a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, mixed vegetables with chicken, a glass of water, chopsticks and what looked like a cup of hot tea. It wasn't until the food was placed in front of him that he realized just how hungry he was.

Ichigo snuck a peak at Aizen. He had cup of the same tea in front of him.

"Go ahead and eat Ichigo, you will need your strength."

Ichigo muttered his thank you and began to eat the food. It was delicious. He took a drink of the tea, he had never tasted anything so good in his life. At home he didn't tea that much.

"How do you like the tea? It is my own special tea."

That made a small blush go over Ichigo's cheeks again. "It is good. Why do you call it your special tea?"

Aizen smiled. "Because they keep it for me and for me alone. Though it isn't like I have to fight people to keep them from touching it. Most of the staff here don't like this brand anyways Gin is the only one that I have shared with before you of course." Aizen took a drink of his own tea.

"Thank you, it really is good tea." He felt special that Aizen had shared his tea with him. The tea had actually soothed his headache a little.

"Aizen, I am curious, when is your birthday?"

"May 20th, why?"

"So you just recently turned twenty four."

"Ichigo why are you so curious about my age."

"Don't know actually. I mean you did say I could ask you anything. So tell me about your childhood."

Aizen chuckled. "It sounds like someone is trying to turn this around. You would make a good doctor actually. How about this, I'll answer this if you answer a question of mine."

"Sure, what is it?"

"What did you want to be when you were little?"

"You go first, old man" Ichigo said joking with the older man for the first time.

"Fine, though I am not old. My childhood, I suppose was rather lonely. I didn't have any brothers or sisters, my parents weren't around much either. I had no friends really. No one really understood me actually, and for that I was bullied a lot. People called me a nerd. Do you believe that?"

Ichigo chuckled this time. "When we first met, you were wearing glasses. You tossed them aside quickly. I never truly understand that, again I didn't really know you that well."

"More than likely it was all for show. I have never worn glasses so that I could see. They called me a nerd well because I read a lot. I suppose I isolated myself. No one would have understood me anyways."

Ichigo was trying to understand Aizen. Was that really the story behind why Aizen's zanpakutō had so much loneliness within it? Did Aizen long for someone to understand him, had that been it all along? It made sense though.

"Now it is your turn Ichigo. What did you want to be when you were little?"

Ichigo had to actually think about how to answer that one. "Well let's see. I at one point wanted to be a doctor, I mean that was mostly because my dad had everyone helping out in the clinic. I wanted to protect and save people. I thought about being a cop at one point, but was quickly talked out of that. I begged to be enrolled in karate lessons that is where I met one of my first friends. Her name was Tatsuki, she lived around where we did. She was a different soul."

Ichigo winced as pain shot through his head. Flickers of different scenes flashed before his eyes. First the girl he had rushed to save, only to later find that his mother was lying on top of him dead the rain falling on top of her. The second was of earlier that day, when Tatsuki had beaten him. Then scenes that he didn't remembered flashed in front of his eyes, he was with his friends, but things looked different. He saw Aizen at his house, it looked like he was being introduced to the man. His battle with Aizen flashed before his eyes too.

"Ichigo what is wrong?" Aizen was by his side, but he didn't know what was real or not anymore.

"Did ya miss me, partner?" The voice echoed inside his mind. "You sure have let ya self become such a mess. It is raining again, King. Do ya know how much I hate the rain?"

He didn't know if he had missed his inner hollow or not. Though just as soon as the voice had appeared in his head it disappeared. Ichigo wondered if he had imagined it all. Darkness was falling over him again.

"Ichigo!" Ichigo's eyes closed as he fell out of his chair and darkness finally claimed him.