Do not pay attention to this. These are just a few words to substitute the lack of Author's Notes for the beginning of this chapter.
Co-written by Greatkingrat88, we (luckily) do not own Bleach, blah, blah blah.
Oh yeah, and any recent revelations in the manga are not canon for this fic, unless they aren't complete and utter nonsense for once - which by this point however, seems rather unlikely.

Since lessons were about to start, Ichigo did his best to ignore that intrusion into his illusion of normality that called herself Kuchiki Rukia, and headed for the classroom – which turned out to be harder than expected, since she followed him into class, even going as far as to take a seat next to him. So, seeing as the use of violence was not exactly the best way to make his anger known in a class room – or in general, for that matter – Ichigo did the next best thing to vent off at least a bit of his frustration: Hissing his exact issues with the current situation at Rukia.

"What are you doing it here? I thought my involvement in your entire evil spirit hunting stuff ended with me finishing that one thing!"

"Well, it technically would have, if it weren't for the fact that for whatever reason, I lost all of my powers to you, instead of just a part of them. So for the time being, I'm stuck in your world, and you'll have to do my job!" Rukia retorted, appearing to be in just as bad of a mood as Ichigo.

"Are you kidding me?! There's no way I'm going to do any of this! I'm way too busy to go spirit hunting! I have my family and my education to take care off! And besides, what's with this shit about you being an exchange student?! This is college! There's no exchange students, only people studying abroad! Properly think out your excuses before you use them, damn it!"

"Hm. I suppose I gotta change that then. Your friend accepted it, though."

"No surprise there. Keigo will believe just about anything that a girl tells him. But that's besides the point! There point here is that-" At this point, the teacher entered the classroom, and all the conversations that had been going on died down. Not wanting to draw in any unnecessary attention, Ichigo interrupted himself. "We'll continue this after the lesson!"

And so, about an hour later, Ichigo and Rukia found themselves on the school's roof, where Ichigo hoped that nobody would interrupt them. Since Ichigo had been focussing on the lesson instead of the problem known as Rukia, he was now a lot calmer, and able to refrain from loudly screaming at her.

"So how do we fix this?" Ichig said, keeping his voice calm. "I hope I'm not stuck being the spiritual hunter of evil monsters forever- I'm not cut out for that. I'd rather be the hero of a courtroom drama series, if it's all the same to you."

"Your objection has been noted." Rukia said dryly. "Don't worry- it's not permanent. I just don't know how it happened just yet. You have some amazing reiatsu for a human, you know that?"

"Don't know, don't care." Ichigo said dismissively. "Look, I've got two sisters, one sick, and a mother who's breaking her back working hard so we can all have a decent education and make something of ourselves. I'm going to become a lawyer, make plenty of money, and make sure I can give something back. I'm not cut out to be a hero, and even if I were I wouldn't have the time."

Rukia stayed quiet a while. "Follow me." She said, at last.

"It better not take long. Classes'll start up soon enough."

She led him just outside the school grounds, to a small playground.

"What now?" He asked irritably.

"Wait for it." She said. And there, a small ghost child manifested, sitting on a swing. It was a pathetic sight- she had on a bloodied dress, and one eye was missing, and despite all of this she was smiling. "Thousands like her," Rukia began, "every day. Lost souls who fail to pass on, who need our help. Without us, they become consumed by their regret- or by hollows. Look at her, Ichigo. Does she not deserve an afterlife too?"

"Any argument that begins with an appeal to emotion is, in my experience, usually one lacking a solid basis." Ichigo retorted. "Your point being?"

"You can help her."

"It's not my responsibility." He shook his head. "I know that every day, something like four to six thousand children die, and I expect that you do too. Am I supposed to constantly feel upset about it? If I did, I'd get nothing done. It's not that I don't feel for her, but it's your responsibility- you, and your organization, whatever it was called- not mine."

"How can you be so cold? What made a boy your age this cynical?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Not cynical. Just a realist with his priorities set."

There was a loud roar, coming from nearby. Around the corner of the nearest building, a masked monstrosity, walking on long legs like a spider, approached.

"Well, mister realist," Rukia spat, "here's a chance to test your principles. Walk away and let her be eaten."

"That's not-"

"Only you can save her, Kurosaki Ichigo." Rukia said coldly. "You may not like being the hero, but sometimes, you just have to be. So what will it be?"

Ichigo looked quickly back and forth between the ghost girl and the hollow, a grim expression on his face. "I hate you."

Rukia grinned. "I know."

"So what do I do?" He asked with resignation.

"Right now, you do nothing. Just wait for a moment!" And with that, she pulled out a fingerless glove with a weird skull symbol, and put it on her right hand.

Before Ichigo could even start to wonder what she was going to do, she hit his chin with the palm of her gloved hand, flinging his head back.
This was obviously not helping Ichigo's mood at all. "Argh! What the hell was that for?! Do you have any idea how much that-" Ichigo interrupted himself when he realized that he was standing over his own, apparently unconscious body, dressed in the same kind of clothes as Rukia had been wearing them when he first met her. "Oh. So that's why."

"I am glad to see that you understand. Now, if you don't mind, there is a hollow that needs to be taken care of."

Without another word, Ichigo turned around, and charged at the spider-like beast, which just now had caught up to the ghost child, and prepared to devour her. Before it could however even begin doing that, Ichigo had reached the monstrosity, and started attacking its legs. Having not expected to be interrupted during its meal, the hollow already lost one of its legs before it even realized that Ichigo was there. Irritated over the sudden loss of a limb, the creature turned around towards Ichigo, only to be greeted by a sword to the face, which finished it.

As the hollow disintegrated, Rukia walked up to Ichigo, still smiling. "Good job! I knew that you-" She began, before she was loudly interrupted by Ichigo.

"Shut it! I am not doing this because I am accepting any of this substitute business. I am only doing this to repay my debt to you. You gave me the power to protect my family, so I will help you out with your shinigami job for now."

Rukia smiled. "I knew you would come around."

Ichigo looked at her with a glare that would have made a basilisk nod approvingly. "Don't think I don't know how manipulative you are."
"Manipulative?"

"Cut the crap. You didn't make a convincing case, you just appealed to my better nature and put me in a do or die situation, and now I'm stuck."

"By your own free will. Odd how that can make you stuck." Rukia said sarcastically, although sounding satisfied.

"I'm watching you." Ichigo said, making a face. "And I don't trust you, either. I'm doing this until you can do your job again, and I'm not letting it get in the way of my studies. Got it?"

Rukia nodded. "Got it."

"So, is there anything else I need to do before I can get into my body? Do I still need to play some song of healing on a magical flute, so that this hollow won't come back to live or something?"

"Well, there is something that you still need to do..."

"And what'd that be?"

Rukia pointed to the girl that the hollow had attempted to eat, who was looking at them with an uncertain look. "You still have to perform the soul burial for her."

"...Soul burial?"

"You allow her to pass on. Leave this world, and get into the afterlife, Soul Society."

"Oh. So how do I do that?"

"Simply touch her with the hilt of your sword."

A bit uncertain, Ichigo walked over to the ghost girl. She seemed anxious, but did not back away when Ichigo got to her.
"I will... be able to move on? Be no longer stuck here?"

"Yeah... you can leave now. It's over." Ichigo said, trying to sound reassuring.

He then kneeled down, and did just as Rukia had told them. Immediately, the girl began to become enveloped in a bright blue light, until her features could no longer be made out. The light changed its shape, becoming a small sphere, which then quickly flew into the sky. As the light began to vanish, Ichigo though he could he hear a weak voice saying "Thank you...".

Without turning around to Rukia, Ichigo started talking. "That Soul Society place of yours... what is it like?"

For just a moment, Rukia hesitated, and then said: "It is a beautiful place, where you don't have to worry about anything, and you never grow hungry or thirsty."

"So... it's like heaven?

Again, Rukia hesitated a bit. "It is as close to heaven as you can get."

"Ah... that's good, I suppose."

"So..." Ichigo began, now finally turning around to face Rukia "How exactly do I get into my body now?"

"You just lay down into it."

"Uhh... OK?"

Following the instructions, Ichigo got back into his body, and the two walked down the street, back towards the school. "Your kendo is terrible, by the way."

"I've two hollows killed, haven't I? Besides, I never took kendo. I know my karate, but I'm new to swords."

"I can tell. It's like watching a lumberjack chop wildly at a tree."

"Well, maybe I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay." Ichigo muttered. "What do you expect?"

"I guess I'll have to teach you the basics." Rukia nodded. "Yes- I think we'll have to, for your own good. A sword can really hurt its owner if not wielded properly, and not all hollows will go down by you just flailing around that sword as if it is a flag."

"It's not that complicated. Swing, hit, kill."

"And that's why you are a rookie and I'm- well, not a master, but I might as well be compared to you. You're learning kendo."

Ichigo grunted. So much for having free time.

oOo

Once back at school, Ichigo grumbled inwardly. His friends would be there, and doubtless they'd be asking what he had been off doing with the new girl. Students, whether at middle school, high school or university were horrible gossips- they would probably make assumptions, and then build rumours from the assumptions, and before you knew there'd be enough of a love story to fill a very thick book.

"You look troubled, Ichigo." Rukia commented. "But then again, you seem to always do that, so it's hard to know if you really are."

"My stupid friends'll ask stupid questions, that's all. No problem."

"I could always tell them I'm a lesbian." Rukia said jokingly.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that." Ichigo said cryptically.

"Heeeey, Ichigo!" It was the stupidly energetic cheer of the ever goofy Keigo, whose friendship with Ichigo was probably owed to him never actually noticing how often Ichigo was in a bad mood, or how often he looked like it.

"Hey." Ichigo grunted. "So what's next-"

"Heey, you're that cute new girl!" Keigo said happily. "Nice to meet you, Kuchiki-san!"

"Nice to meet you, Asano-san." Rukia said, the very image of sweet, restrained feminity. She sure could act...

"Don't bug her overmuch, Keigo." It was Kojima Mizuiro, one of Ichigo's more sensible- that is, far less loud and the kind to realize when space was needed- friends, and one adept at charming women. Well, he could have her... "Anyways, we've got civil legal theory next, so we better hurry up."

"Man, you're so lucky!" Keigo groaned. "Ichigo, already getting chummy with this new girl... didn't know you had it in you."

Yes, of course... well, it beat being called gay for not chasing skirts at every possible opportunity, at least.

"Shut up." Ichigo said. "I went for a walk, and I met her on the way back. That's all there is to it."

"Sure." Keigo said. "I believe you."

"Thank you." Ichigo said, feeling relieved. His relief lasted about five seconds, because, "I can dim the lights and sing you songs, full of saaad things," Keigo sang, his voice being obnoxiously misfit for his song of choice. "We can do the tango just for twooooo,"

Resist urge to kill Keigo and his music taste. Check. Or not. Ichigo made a fist.

"That's enough now, Keigo," Mizuiro said smoothly, pulling Keigo away down the hall. "He's just teasing, Ichigo- don't get so worked up."

"I know." Ichigo managed to get out, in a calmness that surprised even him, while following them. "Seriously, at times like this, I just miss Chad... at least he never pulled this sort of thing."

"Yeah, but just missing him won't bring him back." Mizuiro said, still pulling Keigo, who put up a half-hearted resistance.

"Who is Chad?" Rukia asked, tagging along.

"Chad was a friend of ours at high school. He died a few years ago in a car accident." Ichigo replied, not even bothering to look at Rukia.

"Err... oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

"There's no need for that. It's already several years in the past by now."

The silence that followed this exchange could only be described as 'awkward', and lasted until the four of them had made their way to the classroom.

The moment their little group entered the classroom, a voice called out. "There you are, Ichigo! What's that I hear about you getting familiar with foreign students that I haven't even seen yet?"

The person that spoke had been Arisawa Tatsuki, another one of Ichigo's friends, who was standing together with Inoue Orihime and Honsho he saw her, Ichigo smiled for perhaps the first time during the entire day. "Hey, Tatsuki." He said. "It's not like I'm really getting familiar with her, I just ran across her on a walk, and we talked a bit, that's all."

"Riiiight." Tatsuki sneered. "Who's our foreign student, anyway?"

"That's me!" Rukia said, and stepped forth, still keeping up her sweet-girl act. "My name is Kuchiki Rukia, and I'm from Germany. I'm studying abroad for this year."

"Uh, hold on." Keigo interjected "Didn't you tell me that you're an exchange student...?"

"Hm? No, you must have misunderstood something there, Asano-kun. I told you that I'm studying abroad." Ichigo was quite amazed how Rukia could pull of a blatant lie like that, and even smile Keigo into the face. Any compassion that he would have felt for his friend's confusion vanished however, when he took his earlier teasing into consideration.

"From Germany, huh? You could easily pass for being Japanese, though, you know?" It was at this moment, that Ichigo realized that the real test for Rukia's excuses had come now – and he wasn't even sure whether he wanted her excuses to be believable or not.

"Oh, my parents moved from Japan to Germany many years before I was even born. I just thought that I could spend one year studying in their home country." As much as he disliked Rukia, Ichigo had to admit: If she really put some thought into it, she could actually come up with a decent fake background.

"Ah, I see. And were are you staying?" That's a good question, actually... Ichigo thought to himself.

"I originally wanted to stay in an apartment, but when I met Kurosaki-kun earlier, he kindly offered me to stay at his home." Ichigo was glad that right now, nobody was looking at his face, since he was just now giving Rukia a glorious death glare.

"Isn't that right, Kurosaki-kun?" The way Rukia pronounced her question in combination with the unsettingly sweet smile that she gave him made it clear to Ichigo that he was in for a world of pain should he dare to disagree.

"...yeah." Ichigo said, glaring evilly at Keigo, who was- all too predictably- grinning, gesturing and posturing quietly but energetically. "My mom has some Swedish friends, so she gets along with him just fine."

"Didn't she say she was German?" Mizuiro asked.

Shit.

"Well, I am also part Swedish, on my mother's side." Rukia said, and Ichigo was amazed at how honest and truthful her spontaneous lie was. "Charming country. Lots of mountains, snow and polar bears." And obviously, Ichigo noted, not as well versed in geography as she was in acting.

"You don't say." Keigo said, sounding amazed. "So you're Germano-Swedish-Japanese?"

He actually believed it?

"And a quarter Filipino." Rukia added with a smile.

"That's fascinating." Mizuiro nodded. Ichigo wasn't sure if he bought it, but at least he wasn't questioning it.

oOo

Some hours later, the two of them headed back home. Rukia was obnoxiously cheerful, in a smug, quiet kind of way, while Ichigo was entertaining fantasies of murder.

"So, you've got some nice friends." Rukia remarked. "You're lucky."

"Not that lucky," He grumbled.

"You're just sore they teased you."

"...shut up."

"They seem like nice people." Rukia continued, unperturbed. "You really do... seem to have life ahead of you." She suddenly sounded serious, solemn. "You'll make a fine shinigami with some training."

"What's got you so serious?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." She looked him in the eye. "The battles ahead may be dangerous. You might even die, and that's why I need you trained properly." She sounded almost apologetic. "Be very careful, Ichigo. Our world of ghost is not for the weak."

"I'll learn, don't you worry." Ichigo reassured her. It had yet to register in his teenage mind, one so full of youthful hubris, how much was at stake, how lives would be in danger and how he would have power, power to genuinely change those lives. It had with Rukia, and somewhere, somehow, she felt guilty. Recruiting a teenager was far from ideal- but it was her only choice at the moment.

They continued walking down the street.

"...so, who's that redheaded girl who was ogling me?" Rukia said.

"Remember why I said you shouldn't say you were a lesbian? That's why."

Rukia blinked. "Say what?"

"She is. And she also likes to grope people. And she gets away with it, because apparently it's not sexual harassment if girls do it."

"You don't say."

Ichigo shrugged. "Some people try their best to defy the stereotype, others live it. Luckily, she seems focused on Orihime, and Tatsuki usually punches her out if she tries anything."

"The world of the living really is fascinating." Rukia said.

"Whatever you say..." Ichigo murmured.

To Ichigo's great relief, Rukia stayed silent for the rest of the way home, which allowed him to put some thought into how he would tell his mother and his sisters that Rukia would be living with them for now. Instead of making him less nervous, his thinking however achieved the opposite effect: Fooling his friends was one thing, but fooling his mother would most likely be a whole lot harder. She had known him for almost two decades now, so she wouldn't have that hard a time figuring out if he lied to her. That was going to be tricky.

By the time that they reached his home, Ichigo still wasn't any wiser in regards to how to approach this. With an uncertain call of "I'm home!" he entered the apartment, and with a growing uneasiness, he made his way into the kitchen, where he found his mother and his younger sister Karin sitting at the table.

"Oh, Ichigo! Why didn't you tell me that you had a girlfriend earlier? What's her name?" Masaki asked, when she saw her son enter the room with Rukia.

"She's not my girlfriend, mom. This is Kuchiki Rukia, a new student at my school. She's from Germany, and studying abroad this year. I met her on a walk earlier, and offered her to stay here for this year." The instant that these words left Ichigo's mouth, he couldn't help but wonder if they sounded as incredibly stupid as he thought they did.

"I didn't know that you could be that kind, Ichi. Are you sure that you haven't fallen in love with her without realizing it? It isn't exactly like you to be that nice to a random stranger." Karin snarked.

"Be a bit nicer to your brother, Karin." His mother chided. "I don't know, Ichigo... I mean, I'm glad you have a gir- a friend, but we can't just take in random strangers."

"Come on, mom," Ichigo said, trying his best at puppy dog eyes. He had always been terrible with those, but he knew his mother had a heart of gold. "You're always telling me how I should be more caring- well, this is me trying. Besides, she could pay rent. Right, Rukia?" He nudged her, in a 'you damn well better' sort of way.

"Of course I can!" Rukia chirped. "Goodness me, I'd never like to be thought of as a freeloader. It won't be much, but what little I can offer, you will get."

"Well... I suppose we could use the money." Masaki said.

"And just look at her," Ichigo said, deciding to go for the emotional angle. "We couldn't turn her out now. It's dark outside, and who knows what could happen to her."

"Well, I wouldn't want that." Masaki nodded. "For tonight. And maybe tomorrow. If the rent is good."

Ichigo smiled inwardly. Done.

And then he noticed how tired his mother looked, even more than yesterday.

"So Yuzu is..." Ichigo said quietly, almost quietly enough for it to be only a whisper.

"At the hospital. The doctors..." She shook her head. "She is really sick, Ichigo. They don't know how bad it is yet, but..."

"Err... who is Yuzu?" Rukia asked. Ichigo could clearly hear that she already understood that an unpleasant subject had been brought up.

"Yuzu is my other sister. She always had a weak heart, and recently, her general condition has just gotten worse."

"...oh." Was all that Rukia could get out in response to that. Ichigo certainly didn't mind, though: He preferred not thinking about what could happen, since it only made him desperate.

"Nevermind. C'mon, I'll show you your room."

As he left the kitchen, Ichigo sighed. This was going to be a long time as substitute shinigami...

Author's Notes:
And that concludes the second chapter. Now, for something that I deem quite necessary:

Disclaimer: I do not hate Chad in any way. As a matter of fact, I was actually all for including him in the story - but as GKR made me realize, his importance in Bleach is almost non-existant, and no amount of rewriting the series could change that. So yeah, don't hate him, but I realized that we really don't need him.