A/N:

Mother tongue isn't English. Inform me about any major mistakes if there is, what lazy bastard I am. As always I hope they wont distract your reading experience.

"Thoughts"

"Zangetsu"

"Hollow"

War after the war: Chapter 4

They flew pretty long time. Harry could feel his hands freezing. Hopefully soon they would be there.

When they reached other side of the city, it was finally time to get down. Moody tried to get them to make another circle through the clouds, but Tonks yelled back: "We are not going anywhere anymore! We all are going to freeze onto our brooms in here! And Ichigo checked the area so there won't be anything to be afraid of!"

Wizards sent their brooms into dive and Ichigo scanned area once more. Never could be sure. Not when you have lived (kind of) through the war.

Harry and Ichigo landed at the same time. It was small open place with old houses around. Rest of the wizards landed and Moody leaned closer to Harry and Ichigo: "Here's the address. Read it well and then burn it." Moody still threw some suspicious glances at Ichigo.

Harry read the address and he saw one house began appearing between others. Muggles didn't even seem to notice that there was now one building more.

Harry started walking to the building. When he reached outdoor, he heard Moody's voice: "Kurosaki? What are you doing?" Harry turned around and saw Ichigo. He was stretching his hand and there was something black on it.

"Headquarters sent a note. Nothing else." then the black thing flew off and Harry noticed it was a butterfly.

"Butterflies huh?" Tonks tilted her head before Moody opened the door.

Corridor was narrow and when Harry stepped inside, he could see Molly in the front of him: "Harry! So nice to see you again! Did the flight go well?" she turned to Moody.

"Yeah, it went. There was just one problem," and then he pointed at Ichigo. Molly stunned: "Who's that? How did he get in here?"

"I showed him the address, but there is still a lot to talk about." Moody grunted. All the wizards were little suspicious about this person. Ichigo himself didn't mind it at all.

"Shall we go to kitchen? It's a bit crowded in here." Lupin asked with a smile. People started to pour to the stairs which led to room with a long wooden table. There was sitting a lot people already.

"Ah! Harry! Long time no see!" black haired man yelled from the table. Harry's face lit up significantly. "Sirius!" he cried out and ran to him.

Others were just staring at Ichigo: "Who's that man?" Mr. Weasley asked and glanced at Moody.

"Well, it seems that he's Harry's relative."

Mr. Weasley looked dumbfounded: "What? Harry didn't have any family left but Dursleys!" Others nodded at that statement.

"What if he's a spy!" someone yelled from the end of the table. "Yeah! What if he's Death Eater?" there started little hustle. People talked and threw suspicious glares at Ichigo who just sighed.

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki," room silenced: "And I am Harry's relative. I will explain everything, just calm down." he said bowing.

"So there are other wizards in the Harry's family?" Mr. Weasly asked.

"He's not a wizard." Moody grunted and everybody turned to look at him. "What do you mean? He cannot be a muggle, can he?" Molly lifted eyebrows.

"How about you tell us about yourself, Ichigo?" Lupin asked: "We are all interested in you."

"Yeah, Mr. Moody was right." Ichigo smiled: "I am not actually wizard, but I am not muggle either. Like I said earlier to some of you, I am known as Shinigami, but you are more familiar with Soul reaper."

"What! Soul Reaper! They do not exist, do they?"

Ichigo turned to the voice and saw red-headed boy, about same age as Harry. "Yeah they… We exist. What should I do to demonstrate that?" he narrowed his eyes.

"I am pretty sure that he doesn't lie, Ron, we saw him running in the air without any magic devise." Lupin chuckled: "I don't think we need any more demonstration."

"Ran in the air? How's that possible?" girl with sharp eyes and brown curly hair inquired.

"I think that they are some of his Shinigami things, isn't that right Ichigo?" Harry laughed from next to Sirius.

"Yeah that's right. Shall I tell you some basic things about myself so you wouldn't need to be so suspicious of me?" Ichigo chuckled at other's faces when they blushed.

They sat around the table and after short introductions Ichigo told them about same things which he had told to Harry. He didn't tell this time either that what his position in the whole system was.

"Wicked! Those captains and all seem to be so powerful!" Ron cried out after Ichigo finished. Lupin nodded at that: "Yeah, it seems that those 'captains' you told about, are pretty much same what we have recorded in our books."

All turned to stare at him: "What do you mean? You have books about them?" Hermione breathed. She stared Lupin eagerly. Others frowned and Ichigo asked carefully: "Yeah? What kind of records?"

Lupin lifted his eyebrows: "Ah! I just mean Bible! And other variations of them!" wizards and Shinigami lifted their eyebrows.

"They are much like god-like creatures, don't you think? There are many similarities with them. And think about all stories of the angels and all. Of course some of them are about wizards too." Lupin chuckled and Hermione looked disappointed while Ichigo gave relieved sigh.

Moody turned to Ichigo: "Right. When you told that there's military ranking, what is your rank then? I guess you forgot to tell us that one?" he grunted.

Ichigo let his normal scowl form to his face: "Oh well… You see…" he coughed.

Wizards just waited silently.

"Guess there's no point to be not telling?" Ichigo said with wary smile: "I am Captain of the 2nd division of the Spiritual Government of the Britain." he sighed. He still wasn't used to his new title.

"What! You are one of those captains!" Sirius yelled. There were few mouths hanging open and even Moody looked surprised.

"Yeah, thought I was just assigned to Britain, couple weeks ago I was captain of the 5th squad in the Soul Society."

"Hmm," Moody scratched his chin: "How about your division then? How big are they?"

"Well, right now there's about 16 000 Shinigami assigned to my squad." eyes widened: "But over half of them are on the field work, only few hundreds run my division at the SG."

"Sixteen THOUSAND?" Mr. Weasley's eyes looked like plates: "That much?"

"There are big areas to take care of. In the end it's not even that much if you think a bit."

"Still. So much hidden from us… And we thought that we are good at hiding from the muggles." Sirius patted his own head.

"But these are good news. We desperately need some powerful alliance." Moody said: "I think that you are willing to help us?"

Ichigo sneered: "Ah, we Shinigami are forbidden to get involved in the human matters."

"So you are not going to help?" Ron asked eyes wide: "I thought that it would be great to get you to help us!"

"Yeah, it's big loss if we lose that powerful ally." Lupin shook his head: "Can't you do anything? Like spying for us?"

"Well, unfortunately I can't. Punishment is death sentence if I do something against orders," Ichigo still smiled.

"Death sentence?! I think that's brutal!" Hermione cried out.

"Nah, it's just for keeping peace. More power you have, more afraid you need to be about consequences. But…" Ichigo frowned waving his hand at Harry: "My direct orders are actually to keep Harry Potter safe, so I think that I can bend some rules."

Harry's eyes widened: "To keep me safe? Why?"

"You see that you are the key for this war. I can't reveal much about top orders, but it is necessary to keep you alive." Ichigo grinned.

"So soul society is worried about Voldemort too." Moody grunted but sounded happy: "They should be. But one thing is still bugging me." Ichigo lifted his eyebrow: "Well?"

"How can you be as eminent person as a captain? You are just same age like Harry! You are both just kids! How could you be some kind of… grim reaper? And one of the leaders?"

Shinigami sighed: "So I am forced to go this through with everyone? Well okay…" Ichigo scratched his head.

"I am not a teenager." he narrowed his eyes and let his usual scowl drop. Wizard lifted his eyebrows: "What do you mean. I would say that you aren't older than twenty?"

"I died before I got this job. No one living can't assign to this, if you didn't notice already." Ichigo breathed.

"Died? You must be kidding! You are pretty alive aren't you?" Ron laughed from the other side of the table: "If you haven't noticed? You don't seem to be ghost either, you don't resemble one."

"I am dead, really. Actually muggles can't see me right now because I am a spirit and you can just because you have that strange reiatsu which I told you about."

Ron paled and staggered a bit: "If you are… dead… You died somehow did you?"

"No shit Sherlock." Ichigo rolled his eyes: "It was some circumstances where I got involved with the Shinigami's civil war."

"Well when was that?" Lupin blinked.

"Hmm… 28 years ago."

"What? 28 years… Tell us how old you actually are?" Mr. Weasley leaned forwards. Ichigo rubbed his forehead while thinking: "I was 17 when it happened so I am 45 right now."

"You are older than most of us! How are you related to Harry then?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Actually, I am Lily's and Petunia's cousin", Ichigo started to get annoyed repeating same thing all over again: "I lied to Dursleys, acting as my own son so they wouldn't get suspicious about me."

He shrugged: "But yeah… I don't know… Compared to Aizen, Voldemort seems to be as crazy but haven't heard about his powers yet."

"He can't be as bad as Aizen, can he?" Ichigo thought. He could feel Zangetsu's presence but he didn't say anything.

"I hope that he's powerful!" Hichigo answered for him.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I mean that we haven't got anyone strong to fight with us for a long time! I am tired to kick that monkey-Abarai's ass!"

Ichigo sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"You are always so pugnacious."

"What do you mean? Who is Aizen?" Mr. Weasley asked interrupting Ichigo's conversation.

"He's the evil guy from the war I was talking about. The god-wannabe I killed and got myself killed at the same time." Ichigo sighed.

"So it was you who killed him? But didn't you say that those were the Shinigami matters? Why would they let living human handle that?"

"There were some circumstances. It was meant that… I… Mostly like would be one to kill him: Some personal matters between us." Ichigo narrowed his eyes while thinking right way to say it: "He was planning to override current Spirit King and become God. Somehow my existence was part of his plans and… I revolted against it when he was going to destroy my hometown."

Harry gasped, somehow knowing Ichigo's feelings. He stared the table. Ichigo's look softened.

"Oi, Harry. I know that what you are going through right now. But I heard some wise words which helped me to go forward: Do not let fear consume you, go always forward and care about close people you have. This way you will find the resolve" he spoke with voice of experience. That was moment that other wizards realized that he really was really older than fifteen.

"Well, it's been a long day; I need to go to handle some things." Ichigo said and stood up. "Shall we discuss more tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure. Are you going somewhere?" Moody grunted and narrowed his eyes.

"Work." They saw how black butterfly flew from the nowhere. "What…?"

Then Ichigo waved his hand and senkaimon opened in the front of him. Wizard's eyes widened: "What is that?"

"It's called senkaimon. More like a portal which we can use for travelling. But I will be back… at the latest in the morning."

"Amazing." Lupin said acceptably when Ichigo disappeared through the portal which closed behind him. They stared spot where he had disappeared a while, ate and left to sleep. It had been really long day.

Hope you enjoyed.