I won't lie people… I didn't think this story idea would EVER get this many votes. I mean who would have thought there were people who genuinely wanted a Bleach x Date A Live story besides me. Not that I mind writing this story since I did read one called 'Date A Ichigo' by MikeABoss, which I really enjoyed until he gave up on it(not that I can blame him since writer's block SUCKS).

So a few ground rules since every story needs them and I don't feel like repeating myself.

1. I will be changing something up in this story. Rather than it being a sole Ichigo x harem story(which I was originally gonna do), I will be splitting up the girls between Ichigo and Shido simply because it doesn't make sense for girls like Kotori or Origami to fall for the former.

2. This will take place(unsurprisingly) after the seventeen month timeskip where Ichigo doesn't have his Soul Reaper powers(it's a good place to start a story with since it helps give him development).

3. There WILL be some lemons later on in the story since I am a dirty bastard :), but NO, I will not involve Yoshino, Kotori or even Natsumi since they must be protected.

4. The Fullbringer arc will be changed HEAVILY in the story, though I will do my best to make it entertaining(though I personally enjoyed the original arc since it gave Ichigo more character development.)

5. I want money.

Anyways, with that out of the way… time to move on with this fun and exciting new story.

Ladies and gentlemen… let's begin our date…

Disgust.

Shock.

Horror.

Those were the emotions a sole young man was feeling at the scene in front of him. Blood was flying in front of him, some of it hitting his face as a body fell on the ground, a head of blue hair caught his eye.

'Why? Why the hell did this happen?!' He thought as he stared at the body in front of him, his hands shaking as his heart thumped like a drum. None of this was supposed to happen! They were trying to prevent a disaster, yet one still happened!

It was then… the young man looked up at another figure, this one having long purple hair with a ribbon tied on their head.

'Oh… right… it was for her…'

'Karakura Town, two weeks earlier'

Life has been rather normal as of late. And while most people would think a normal life was nothing to be happy about, Ichigo Kurosaki was not like everyone else.

Especially once you consider the fact that he was a substitute Soul Reaper who had to face monsters, bad Soul Reapers and the occasional run for his life by a certain one-eyed psychopath.

Seventeen months earlier, Ichigo was in the fight of his life against Sosuke Aizen, the man who betrayed the Soul Society in order to gain the power of the Hogyoku that would allow him to kill the Soul King. After many battles, unexpected twists and everyone being pushed to their breaking point, Ichigo was able to use the Mugetsu to finish off Aizen's final form. However, much to his shock, Aizen refused to fall. Because of the warning Zangetsu told him, Ichigo had lost all his Soul Reaper powers, though Aizen was sealed away thanks to Kisuke Urahara's clever mind.

Because he didn't have any powers, he was able to finally enjoy a NORMAL life for once. Not having to see ghosts or feel a Hollow nearby, or deal with Don Kanonji(that guy still ticked him off).

However… There were also some downsides to this. Since he didn't have his powers, he was unable to see his Soul Reaper friends. No more Toshiro. No more Ikkaku. No Rangiku. No more Renji.

… No more Rukia.

It was a hard pill for him to swallow, especially with all the shit they had gone through over the past few months, but it was his choice to use the Mugetsu. Still, he would have liked to have hung out with Rukia and Renji a bit more.

"Kurosaki?"

But even if he didn't have his powers anymore, that didn't stop them from at least coming by every once in a while. If he couldn't see them, they could at least see Orihime or Chad and tell them how they were doing. Was that so much to freaking ask for?

"Kurosaki?"

Then again, they were lieutenants, so they must have a lot of other duties to-

"ICHIGO KUROSAKI!"

"Huh?" Ichigo was brought out of his thoughts when he heard his homeroom teacher shout at him in an angry tone. The orange haired teen looked around and noticed everyone was staring at him, as if expecting him to say something.

"I said 'would you continue where Asano left off in the reading?'" The teacher asked with a deep frown, gesturing to the book on his desk.

'Crap. I was thinking about the Soul Society again.' Ichigo thought with a slightly embarrassed expression before he went back to his book to read where they left off. He seemed to be dozing off a lot lately, thinking about the past. He shouldn't do that anymore. Right now, he was a normal teenager living a normal life. Nothing more.

"Ishida! Come back!"

"I have to go to the restroom! Pardon me!"

Ichigo heard a shout in the hallway, making him and the others turn their heads to see Uryu Ishida, one of the last surviving members of the Quincy clan, running through the hallway. While most people would have thought he was simply going to the restroom, Ichigo knew better.

'Guess that's a Hollow attack.' Ichigo thought as he went back to his book. As long as his friends were able to fight off low level Hollows, Karakura Town would be in good hands.

Still… he did feel somewhat guilty about leaving all the work to them.

'Later'

"... And I kept telling Tatsuki, 'If you think trying out your new karate moves on me is good, then you're freaking nuts!' Then she gets all mad and says I owe her for ditching her at the concert last month! I had freaking midterms to deal with, ya know?!"

"Yeah. I get it." Ichigo offhandedly said while poking a straw through his juice box and sipping on its contents. Since it was lunch time, Ichigo went to his usual spot to relax: the roof. It had a good view, no one fought over seating rights. It was the perfect place to have lunch.

Standing across from him was his good, and very annoying, friend Keigo Asano. The brunette teen still acted like everyone was out to get him even after all this time. He wasn't a bad guy in Ichigo's eyes, but he could definitely go easy on his rants and random 'ICHIGO!' hugs.

"Still, I guess with the tournament coming up, she wants to get as much training down as she can. But can she just get one of her other karate friends to help out?! I still got bruises on my butt from when she did that spinning kick thing!" Keigo shouted while pointing at his rear, though Ichigo didn't pay attention to it. "Ichigo? Hey, Ichigo."

'Wonder if I'd still feel the spiritual pressure from a Menos Grande like this. Hehe. Probably be on my ass if it showed up again.' Ichigo thought, reminiscing about one of his earliest Hollow encounters with Uryu. Even if they did butt heads from time to time… to time, Ichigo still considered Uryu a good friend and a dependable-

"Thinking about Rukia?" Keigo's question caught Ichigo's attention as he turned towards him. He ceased with his usually goofy attitude and adopted more of a calm attitude as he looked up at the sky. "I'm not that dumb, Ichigo. I know you've been thinking about all that Soul Reaper stuff for a while."

"Maybe. Maybe I just can't get it out of my head." Ichigo offhandedly said while eating his sandwich. Keigo nodded and leaned against the railing.

"Wonder what she's been up to these days." Keigo spoke up. "I mean she could've at least told us how she was and stuff. Pretty cold of her not to drop by, you know."

"Well, maybe she's doing other things now." Ichigo defended Rukia while looking in the opposite direction. "Her not coming back is normal. She doesn't need to protect us anymore."

"But you do miss her, right?" Keigo questioned with a raised brow, waiting to hear the answer. It was obvious to him and their friends that Ichigo and Rukia had a deeper bond than anyone cared to admit, which sometimes made Keigo and even Orihime jealous.

"Of course I don't miss her." Ichigo answered with a surprisingly callous tone as he began to walk away. "After sixteen years, I can finally live like a normal human being. I hope it stays peaceful until the day I die."

Keigo simply watched his friend walk away with a frown. He knew if anyone deserved to live a normal life, it would be Ichigo.

'But why the hell is he lying to himself?' Was what Keigo thought as he went to join Ichigo.

'After school, Kurosaki household'

Yet again, school was as normal as it could be, though Ichigo didn't outwardly object to it since he was used to it. After saying goodbye to his friends, the orange haired teen walked home, letting the silence overtake him.

But despite how seemingly boring the walk home was, Ichigo didn't mind the slightest. It gave him time to think about things without anyone bothering him.

Still…

'That talk with Keigo. What the hell does he know?' Ichigo thought to himself while kicking a random can out of his way. He usually didn't let the things Keigo said affect him (mostly cause it was all random crap), but the talk about Rukia got to him for some reason. Maybe it was because he never really dwelled on it much since losing his powers, or maybe he was just caught off guard by the random question. Regardless, he should just let it pass and keep going with his normal human life.

Cause that's all he was…

A normal human…

Shaking his thoughts away, Ichigo noticed he was standing in front of his front door. Straightening himself up, Ichigo took out his key and unlocked the door, entering his house.

"HAAAAA!"

However, the moment he entered the room, his sixth sense buzzed as he moved to the right, dodging an incoming kick from an unknown assailant. Thinking quickly, the orange haired teen reached out and grabbed his attacker's face, slamming them on the floor with a loud thud.

"Damn it, dad. I JUST got home!" Ichigo growled as he looked down at the attacker, who turned out to be his father, Isshin Kurosaki.

"I'm just… making sure… your senses… haven't gotten rusty!" Isshin explained, despite the fact Ichigo was squeezing his face. "Good grip… son… really strong!"

"I told you he'd be mad." A female voice called out from inside, something Ichigo recognized.

"Hey." Ichigo said simply as he let go of his dad, removing his shoes as he went inside. Walking into the living, he caught sight of his two siblings.

"Welcome back. Had a good day at school?" Karin asked, looking away from the show she was watching so she could see her big brother.

"Yeah. Nothing too bad. You?" Ichigo responded as he put his bag on the side, sitting down next to Karin.

"Same old, same old." Was all Karin said with a wave. However, little did Ichigo know… she wasn't alone.

"Oooohhhh…" Floating next to Karin was a pair of spirits, each having several white flames flying around them to indicate they were dead. For some reason, they just kept staring at Karin, as if waiting for her to do something.

*Smack*

But they were caught off guard when Karin nonchalantly knocked her right hand back, hitting one of the spirits in the face. "YOU BROKE MY GLASSES!" The spirit shouted as he and his fellow spirit screamed, though only Karin was able to hear them.

"You okay?" Ichigo questioned, noticing his sister's behavior.

"Nothing. Just saw a fly." Karin answered with a bored tone. This wasn't the first time she had to deal with those annoying spirits, and sadly, it wouldn't be the last. Maybe she would need to find a better repellent from a certain shop owner.

"Ichigo! You're just in time!" Standing in the kitchen while wearing an apron was Ichigo's other sister, Yuzu. She had her usual bright smile as she mixed a spoon inside the rice cooker. "Dinner's almost ready! And don't worry, I'll give you the tasty burnt rice that you like."

"Thanks, Yuzu." Ichigo told her with a small smile. If there was one thing that would help him get over his funk, it would have to be Yuzu's cooking. All the Kurosakis gathered at the dinner table(with Isshin recovering from his earlier attack) and began eating. "So Ichigo, how was school?"

"It was fine. How was your first day at your new school?" Ichigo asked while eating his rice.

"I love it! Plus, the uniforms are so cute, aren't they?!" Yuzu showed off her uniform to her older brother, who gave a quick glance at it before he went back to eating.

"... Your zipper's loose." Ichigo bluntly pointed out, causing Yuzu to yelp while looking down at her skirt.

"Dummy! You were born with a pervy mind!" Yuzu stuttered with a red face as she quickly fixed her zipper.

"Not my fault you didn't notice." Was all he answered, much to his younger sister's chagrin.

"So Ichigo, any plans for the future?" Isshin suddenly asked while drinking his miso soup, a grin on his face. "You know you could follow your old man and be a doctor. I could always use a hand around the shop."

"Like anyone actually comes." Ichigo answered with a flat expression, making his dad deflate a bit at the insult. Then again, he did bring up a good point: he was in his last year of high school, so he needed to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. Honestly, thanks to all the crap with the Soul Society and seeing ghosts for most of his life, Ichigo never really gave his future much thought. "I'm still thinking about it."

"Why not try being a karate teacher?" Karin offhandedly suggested. "Then again, Tatsuki is a better fighter, so she's probably a better fit."

All Ichigo did was shrug as he went back to eating his dinner. However, little did he know, Isshin was picking up on his somewhat sore mood, making him frown.

'Later that night'

A sigh escaped Ichigo's mouth as he stretched his back, finally finishing his homework for the day. Considering he was still trying to make up for not catching up with his studies during his time as a Soul Reaper, he had a little more work to do. Then again, he was always an average-ranked student, so he wasn't going to fail that quickly. Looking out his window, Ichigo watched as the remainder of the sun set, with the darkness of night blanketing Karakura Town.

'Guess I got time to read.' He thought as he went to open his window to feel that nice evening breeze.

However, once he actually OPENED it…

*WOOSH*

*SPLASH*

An object suddenly flew past him, slamming into his wall. Bewildered, Ichigo turned back and widened his eyes as he saw what looked like blood leaking down his wall.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Ichigo couldn't help but shout as he stared at the stain. For some reason, he was getting a major sense of déjà vu from what had happened. Blinking a bit, Ichigo noticed that some of the liquid actually stuck to the wall, forming words.

"Ichigo, meet me at the shop in twenty minutes. Sincerely, Kisuke Urahara :)" Is what the wall message said, much to Ichigo's annoyance.

'Seriously, Hat and Clogs?! I thought we were done with these stupid TV crime scenes written in the victim's blood clichés!' Ichigo thought with a tick mark on his head. However, he noticed that there was more to the message.

"P.S, if you still think this is from some TV crime scene written in the victim's blood cliche, then you haven't grown up. Such a shame."

"OH SCREW YOU!" Irritated, Ichigo grabbed his pillow and threw it at the wall message, though he was curious why Kisuke was asking this. After all, the cocky bastard didn't bother talking to him after he lost his powers, so why ask for him now? "I really shouldn't go…" But as much as Ichigo wanted to just read his manga and go to bed… his curiosity got the better of him.

With an annoyed sigh, Ichigo went to the Urahara shop.

'Urahara shop, a few minutes later'

To say standing in front of the small candy shop felt nostalgic would be an understatement for Ichigo. He could still remember the first time he was brought here by Rukia to meet Kisuke, the annoying, but smart former captain of the 13 Court Guard's 12th division. After losing his powers, Ichigo just didn't feel the need to come back. Although, he was pretty sure Karin came here to deal with the spirits she was seeing. 'Can't blame her for being annoyed.' Ichigo thought as he walked to the front door, knocking on it. "Hey. It's me. You there, Hat and Clogs?"

No one seemed to respond to his words, making Ichigo frown. 'Of course no one would answer. Why did I even-'

But before he could finish his thoughts, the doors suddenly slid right open, followed by a rather large shadow.

"Ahhh, Ichigo. It's good to see you again." Standing in front of the door was none other than Kisuke's right hand man and fellow exile, Tessei Tsukabishi. The glasses-wearing muscle man looked down at Ichigo with his usual unreadable expression.

"Oh… hey. Sorry to bother you." Ichigo greeted the man, feeling a bit awkward considering they haven't talked since the Winter War.

"No worries. You're always welcomed here." Tessei responded with a kind tone before he gestured for Ichigo to enter the room. "Come in. The boss is waiting for you in the living room." Giving the larger man a nod, Ichigo entered the seemingly normal candy shop. A small wave of nostalgia hit him as he walked past the products before he eventually entered the living room, where two people were currently sitting.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." The first person was the owner of the Urahara shop and former captain of Division 12, Kisuke Urahara, who still had that annoying grin as he fanned himself. "Good to see you, Ichigo. We were waiting for you."

"We?" Ichigo turned his head and his eyes widened as he finally registered the person sitting across from Kisuke. "Dad?"

Isshin looked up from his spot on the floor, giving his son a wave. "Hey. Took you long enough, son." Isshin told his eldest child.

"What the hell's going on? Why are you here? And why did Kisuke call me with that stupid message?" Ichigo asked the questions one after another, looking at the former captain.

"All will be revealed soon. But for now, sit. You've gotta be tired." Kisuke said while gesturing to the middle seat. Begrudgingly, Ichigo sat down. "Want some tea? Maybe some warm milk~"

"I'm not a little kid, Kisuke. Why'd you call me?" Ichigo once again asked, wanting to get this little meeting over with.

"Impatient as ever. Glad to know that hasn't changed." Kisuke jokingly remarked with a chuckle, only to get a glare from Ichigo. "Okay, okay. All jokes aside, it's good to see you again, Ichigo. I'm sorry we haven't talked much since the battle with Aizen. But after everything that's happened, I thought it would be good to give you a chance to live a normal life. How's that been, by the way? Meet any cute girls?"

"Please. My idiot son's too dense for that. If he finds a girl, then I'm the president of the United States." Isshin blurted out as both he and Kisuke laughed, much to Ichigo's chagrin. "But in all seriousness, Ichigo… have you heard of Spirits?"

"... Is that a joke?" Ichigo asked rhetorically while staring at his father, wondering if he had gotten even dumber over the past few months.

"The Spirits you're thinking about and the ones Isshin is asking about are two completely different things." Kisuke explained, his tone shifting to a more serious one, something that caught Ichigo's attention. "Read this." Taking something out from under the table, Kisuke slid it over to Ichigo, who caught it.

"A newspaper?" Curious, Ichigo opened it up and began reading some of its contents. Some of it was just general news… apart from the major headline. "What the? 'Spacequake strikes again? Injured reports count up to twenty?'"

"As you read, Spacequakes have occurred around the planet for some time now and at random. However, the Soul Society never intervened as it never affected them." Kisuke continued to explain as Ichigo kept reading. "I'm sure Karakura High has at least told you a little about them, right?"

"Well, kinda." Ichigo confessed while putting down the paper. "We talked about it a few times. But no Spacequakes ever happened here in Karakura Town… at least that I remember. Why ask?"

"Because not many people know about this, but there is a cause to it." Kisuke then lifted his hat a bit, showing his serious eyes to Ichigo. "They're caused by a Spirit. Unlike the spirits you know as the souls of the dead, these ones are from another world."

"Another… world?" This time, Ichigo looked at Kisuke with a shocked expression, not expecting to hear something like that. "So, are they from Hueco Mundo or the Soul Society?"

"As far as I know, neither. They came from another plane of existence that we aren't aware of." Kisuke started to explain while pointing at the paper. "Every time there was a Spirit that appeared, a Spacequake would follow soon after, though many of them varied depending on the Spirit itself. Honestly, I'm even terrified to see such a power exist in this world."

"Okay, but how the hell do you know this?" Ichigo questioned, getting a chuckle from Kisuke.

"Come now, Ichigo. You don't think I've just been twiddling my thumbs these past few months, do you? Contrary to popular belief, I do like learning about other things." Kisuke teasingly told the orange haired teen with his usual grin. "Besides, I had Yoruichi look into it. You wouldn't believe how much I had to spend to send her around the world."

"But what does this have to do with me?" Ichigo finally asked, wanting to get to the point of all this.

"It's because Kisuke found something odd about the Spirits." Isshin spoke up finally. "Apparently, there's two groups that were created to deal with them."

"The first is called DEM, or Deus Ex Machina Industries." Kisuke added on.

"... You're messing with me." Ichigo bluntly said. "There's no way anyone would name their company Deus Ex Machina after those games."

"My boy, there's still so much you don't know." Kisuke teasingly responded while waving his fan yet again. "Anyways, the DEM are one of two groups that focus on dealing with Spirits. The other being Ratatoskr, which fun fact, is a squirrel from Norse mythology that runs up and down the world tree Yggdrasil to deliver messages to-"

"Kisuke, it's a school night. Can you get to the point, please?" Isshin asked his old friend, who was clearly in a history-telling mood.

"Right, right. Sorry about that." Kisuke apologized before regaining his composure. "As I was saying, these two deal with Spirits in secret, though DEM works to kill them while Ratatoskr attempts to handle them more… discreetly. Though my friend on the inside has given me some interesting information." Ichigo raised a brow at the mention of this 'friend', but he'd keep his mouth shut for now. "That's where you come in, Ichigo. I have a favor to ask you." Like before, Kisuke gave Ichigo a serious expression. "Currently, one of Ratatoskr's commanders is living in Tengu city. I'd like you to go there and do some… Spirit investigating."

"... What?" Ichigo's expression went from annoyed to downright confused. He was expecting something from Kisuke, but this was not it.

"I said I want you to investigate Spirit activity in Tengu city." Kisuke repeated, his tone not changing. "With how powerful Spirits are, I think it'd be in our best interest to look into more of Ratatoskr and the DEM. After all, with Aizen and his Espada gone, the only real threat to any of us are these Spirits."

"Yeah, but why ask me? Why not have Yoruichi go?" Ichigo questioned the former captain with a serious tone. "Plus, did you forget I don't have powers? How the hell would I handle one of these Spirits if they came? Especially with one of those Space Quakes? I thought you were smart, Kisuke."

"He never said you'd have to FIGHT them, Ichigo." Isshin interjected with his arms crossed. "All Kisuke's asking is for you to keep an eye on them."

"That's right. With how you are now, a Spirit can kill you without batting an eye." Kisuke told the powerless teen with a small smile. "Though I gotta say, hearing you want to fight sure brings me back." His words made Ichigo feel more annoyed as he rested his chin on his fist.

"Look, I get you wanna know about the Spirits and stuff, but there's no point in trying to ask me. I'm just a normal human." Ichigo stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Maybe ask Uryu or Chad. I can't really do anything." With that, he began to make his way out of the room.

"And what if a Spacequake happened here in Karakura town?" Kisuke suddenly spoke up, making Ichigo freeze up. "You read the paper, Ichigo. These Spacequakes are no joke. If you thought Hollows coming here was bad, this is much worse. What if a Spirit showed up near your school or even your house? Your father doesn't have his power anymore either and even I might not be enough." He lifted his hat a bit and stared at Ichigo's back. "I know you've enjoyed being human, but your father told me how you've been feeling lately, so I wanna help you."

"... So your way of helping is sending me somewhere that might have Spirits appearing?" Ichigo asked, not turning around.

"I'll compensate you for everything. After all, you're still in high school." Kisuke answered. "It is a lot to ask of you, Ichigo. But I know if anyone can do it, it's you."

Ichigo… was very mixed about all this.

On one hand, he could always just reject the offer and just go back to his normal life. After all, he needed to figure out what to do when he graduated, not to mention find more jobs other than the Unigaya shop.

And yet somehow, someway… he was considering the offer. From what the paper told him, these Spacequakes were the real deal and although Karakura hadn't been hit by one(at least to his knowledge), that didn't mean it WOULDN'T happen. At the very least, if he learned a bit more about them from Tengu city, then it might not hurt. Though that also meant he had to be away from his friends and family for an unknown amount of time, which isn't something he wanted.

'But… what if Kisuke's right? What if a Spirit comes and they bring a Spacequake?' Ichigo thought while clenching his fist. He couldn't bare to see the look of horror on Yuzu and Karin's faces if a Spacequake appeared and destroyed their home.

"... If I do this and we find a way to protect Karakura if a Spirit appears, can we protect everyone?" Ichigo questioned Kisuke out loud, making the shop owner grin.

"Cross my heart. So… is that a yes?" Kisuke asked in a knowing tone. As much as Ichigo wanted to deny the guy… this sounded way too serious to ignore.

So with a very deep sigh, Ichigo turned around and looked at Kisuke.

"Where do we start?"

'Karakura airport, a few days later'

'... I REALLY shouldn't have said yes.' Ichigo thought to himself as he saw Yuzu hugging his chest tightly, and judging by how wet his shirt was, it was clear she was crying.

Currently, Ichigo was standing in front of Karakura airport, where his family and some of his friends were waiting with him. After agreeing to go to Tengu city to do some Spirit investigating, Ichigo and Isshin had to talk to the principal of Karakura high school about transferring schools. It didn't go badly as the principal seemed to be very understanding and wished Ichigo the best of luck. Though they obviously had to hide the REAL reason for the transfer.

Then came the second obstacle: telling Ikumi Unagiya about quitting. Although Ichigo kinda respected Ikumi… she was a little more than peeved about losing her only employee. Luckily, Isshin was able to help ease things by telling Ikumi that Ichigo wanted to study in Tengu city, where Masaki graduated from. It was a complete lie, but Ikumi was able to buy it for the time being.

However, Ichigo then had to deal with the most difficult farewell of them all: his friends and family.

It was somewhat easy to say goodbye to Chad and Uryu, with the former giving him a 'be careful' and the latter just giving him a quick goodbye. Still, he knew they'd be enough to deal with some Hollows while he was away.

Tatsuki was definitely shocked to hear he was already transferring schools. When she asked him about it, Ichigo lied and said he was taking an exchange program for credits. She didn't fully believe him, but Tatsuki trusted he was doing it for the right reasons. Mizuro took it much better as he simply asked Ichigo to keep in touch.

Keigo and Orihime were… the toughest. The former was VERY clingy about 'losing to his best friend so soon', but one kick and a promise to webchat were enough to calm him down. As for Orihime… she asked a LOT of questions regarding why he was leaving. It took some time and Tatsuki interfered to finally calm the redhead down, though she did give Ichigo a quick hug before wishing him luck.

And yet even that wasn't as bad as what was happening right now.

He knew leaving wouldn't go well for Yuzu since, despite her age, she was still very emotional. Hence why she was crying so much.

"It's not fair… the new school year started…" Yuzu muttered on Ichigo's shirt, still not letting him go. "Why'd you have to go so soon?"

"Sorry. But I need the credits." Ichigo lied to his sister while patting her head. In order to make his sudden transfer seem more believable to his sisters, Ichigo and Isshin came up with a lie saying the former needed to attend an exchange program with Tengu city. Sure, it seemed like a half-assed excuse, but it was the best they could make without making it seem weird. "But I promise to keep in touch every week, okay?"

"Promise?" Yuzu looked up from his shirt, giving her big brother a hopeful expression. That alone made him smile a bit.

"Promise. Who knows? Maybe I'll even get you some souvenirs when I come back to visit." Ichigo offered, making Yuzu wipe away her tears before she gave a smile.

"Okay. But don't break your promise, okay? Otherwise, I won't make your favorite food for a month!" Yuzu 'threatened' while pulling away from Ichigo, who let out a small chuckle of amusement.

"Seriously. It's not like he's leaving the country." Karin spoke up with her arms crossed, giving Yuzu a look. "He said he needs the credit, so he needs to do it. Nothing we can do about it."

"Can't you at least be sad about this, Karin?!" Yuzu asked her twin with a pouty face.

"Keep an eye on Yuzu, okay? I'm counting on you." Ichigo said to Karin, who gave him a small nod.

"Just keep your promise, alright? Otherwise, she's gonna keep bugging me about it." Karin responded, much to Yuzu's dismay.

"Alright, girls. We should get going. I'm sure your big brother wants to get ready for his flight." Isshin told the girls while walking up to Ichigo. "Wait for me near the doors. I just need to talk to him for a minute." The two girls nodded in understanding, though Yuzu did give Ichigo one last hug goodbye before they left the male Kurosakis alone. Once they were out of hearing range, Isshin wrapped an arm around his son and walked him forward. "Okay, do you have everything packed for the trip?"

"Yeah. Even some of Kisuke's stuff." Ichigo answered while looking at his suitcase. Before he left the house, Ichigo was giving a few trinkets courtesy of Kisuke in the event he needed it. "So when I get there, who am I meeting up with again?"

"The Itsukas. They're family friends to your mother, so when I asked them if you can stay with them, they agreed. But I want you to behave, alright?" Isshin warned his son in a stern tone.

"What am I? A little kid? I'll be fine." Ichigo said in an irritated tone, making his father chuckle before he reached into his shirt and pulled out an envelope.

"Here's some extra money. Just don't go spending it all at once, alright? Maybe try finding some part time work over there. Wouldn't hurt to look around." Isshin instructed his son, who took the envelope before pocketing it. "I know you might not have wanted to do this, but I'm happy you're doing it, son. Just… be careful, alright? I don't want you to make Yuzu cry again."

"Sure. You just make sure they're alright." Ichigo retorted, making his father smirk as he shook him a little.

"Come on. You really have that little hope for your old man?" Isshin jokingly said, though Ichigo did give him a blank face. "Alright, smartass. You can count on me. Now get going. I don't want you to miss your flight."

Although he didn't exactly get along with Isshin most of the time, even Ichigo was gonna miss the annoying bastard. So being the bigger man, Ichigo offered his father a hand, which surprised the older man before he smiled and shook it.

"Good luck, Ichigo."

"Thanks dad." The two soon separated, giving each other one last smile before Ichigo began to walk away with his suitcase. However, Ichigo looked back once more as he saw his family waving goodbye to him.

'I won't be gone for too long. Don't feel bad.' Ichigo told himself mentally as he went to his gate, ready to fly to Tengu city.

'A few hours later'

The flight to Tengu city wasn't as bad as Ichigo thought it would be. Sure, he had to deal with an annoying kid who was whining to his mom, but it was settled soon after. Once the plane landed, Ichigo exited it and made his way to the meeting area.

"Okay, now I have to look for the Itsukas." Ichigo muttered to himself as he looked at his phone to find the pictures his dad sent.

The one Isshin sent had two people in it, one being a bit younger than Ichigo while the other looked to be around Yuzu and Karin's age.

The male had short blue hair, brown eyes and a friendly smile while the other was a young girl with long red hair tied in pigtails with white ribbons and matching colored eyes.

"Okay… where are you?" Ichigo said as he began to look around in an attempt to find the two.

"No! Lift it up more, big brother!"

"I am, I am! You don't need to shout, Kotori."

Luckily, Ichigo didn't need to search for long as he caught sight of the very people his dad told him to find.

"Well, how else can he see the sign?! Lift it even higher!" The young girl told her brother while raising her arms to prove her point.

"Okay, okay. Like this?" The blue haired teenager asked while trying to lift the poorly made sign even higher, though for some reason, there was a strawberry on top of his name.

'Seriously? Even here?' Ichigo thought with a sigh before he went over to the two. "Hey, are you the Itsukas?" His voice caught the pair's attention as the younger girl widened her eyes.

"Look, big brother! It's the strawberry mom told us about!" The younger girl shouted while pointing at Ichigo.

"My name doesn't mean strawberry." Ichigo corrected her with a small tick mark on his head before he looked over to the blue haired teen. "I'm Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Nice to meet you, Kurosaki. I'm Shido Itsuka. This is my little sister, Kotori." The teen known as Shido introduced himself while offering Ichigo a hand, which he shook. "How was your flight?"

"It was fine. And you can just call me Ichigo. Thanks for letting me stay with you." Ichigo thanked him while rubbing the back of his neck. "So, where are your parents?"

"Mom and dad aren't here, silly. They're in America." Kotori explained with a giggle. "Big brother and I live alone, but they still help us."

"Really?" Ichigo asked Shido with a surprised expression. He wasn't expecting to hear that given how much Isshin told him about his mom's relationship with the Itsukas.

"Yeah. But it's fine. When mom and dad told us about you moving in with us, Kotori got excited. She really wanted to meet aunt Masaki's son." Shido jokingly told Ichigo, who raised a brow.

'Aunt Masaki? I guess mom was like an aunt to them.' Ichigo thought to himself. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Kotori tug at his arm.

"Come on, big brother! Let's take mister Strawberry back home! I wanna show him everything!" Kotori complained while pulling Ichigo forward.

"I told you my name is Ichigo." The orange haired teen reminded her, though he was ignored.

"We should go before she throws a tantrum. The cab's outside." Shido said with a halfhearted chuckle as the trio began to leave the airport.

However, little did they know… they were being watched.

"It seems he landed right now… Yes, he's with the Itsukas… Very well. I'll return to base." Standing behind one of the pillars inside the airport was a tall, middle-aged made with short black hair, a bartender-like outfit and a strange black leather-like strap over his right eye. He watched the trio as they entered a taxi cab before they drove away.

"Let us see if you have the power, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Welp… first chapter in and we already got people stalking Ichigo. Honestly, it isn't that shocking considering it does take place before the Fullbringer arc, which I am adapting in my own way.

So, a lot of talking in this chapter… I know some of you already feel bored of it, but please bear with me. The next few chapters will focus on the Tohka arc, though I am adding a different twist in it you guys might like.

If you are gonna continue reading this story, then I hope you're ready for a lot of fanservice and some mature content.

Follow, fav, review and PM for anything. And please try to be respectful. This isn't Twitter.

Next time: Spirit.