The bad luck that had been plaguing him since this morning finally decided to give him a break. Unlike the train wreck that had been his journey home, his journey from the World of the Living to Soul Society went by without a hitch. A Hell Butterfly fluttered out of the Senkaimon when he opened it, dutifully picking him up and guiding him between dimensions safely and without worry about the Cleaner.

But Ichigo was no fool. He knew his special brand of bad luck didn't simply leave him. It liked to tease, give him a reprieve to lull him into a sense of security before striking again. He had already made the mistake of believing the tide had turned and he would not make it again today. This is why, when Ichigo stepped out of the Senkaimon, he was fully prepared for the welcome that greeted him.

His Blut Vene burned bright in his neck, preventing a blade from running him through from left to right.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, every fucking time—He brought up a hand, gently pushing the katana aside and away from his throat. The second blade, aimed at his jugular, pulled away. 'Relax, it's just me'.

'K-Kurosaki-sama?!' The blade was hastily pulled away and sheathed, hanging at the hip of a middle-aged woman with brown, shoulder-length hair. 'I apologise, I didn't know you were coming today'.

'Really, Takami-san? Didn't you listen when Abarai-taicho briefed us?' the other Soul Reaper, one with an indiscernible gender but with vibrant green eyes, asked with notable scepticism.

Takami crossed her arms, 'Well excuse me for not having a perfect memory, Hiroyama-san'.

'It's alright', Ichigo waved off. 'It's not like I got hurt or anything'.

'With your unnaturally high reiryoku? It's no wonder Kenpachi-Taicho wants to fight you so badly', Takami said.

Hiroyama grimaced, 'Yeah, he's really excited about it. It made it hard to sleep last night; he has terrible control over his reiatsu for a taicho'.

'It's already that bad?' Ichigo asked. He knew Kenpachi grew more impatient the closer to the date it was but they had scheduled their fight over two months from now. 'Has the Sou-Taicho been berating him again over encouraging violence between divisions?'

'Oh yeah, that too but-'

'I feel bad for the Fourth, really', Takami agreed.

'Sure you do'.

Takami put a hand on her hip, 'Is it that hard to believe I have a heart, Hiroyama-san?'

'It is when you're spouting bull. I saw you bully that healer the other day'.

'A-anyway!' Takami looked back at Ichigo, red tinting her cheeks. 'Don't you have a report to deliver or something?'

'And pastries', Ichigo said, holding up the bag with sweet goods. Judging by the cold breeze, those pastries were desperately needed if the weaker members of the Thirteenth didn't want to end up as sculptures. He gave the two a wave, 'See you in an hour or two!'

'An hour?' Hiroyama muttered confused. 'Does he think he can win against Kenpachi-Taicho in under an hour?'

Takami shrugged, 'Don't know, don't care. It wouldn't surprise me, though. He's a freak'.

Hiroyama shot their colleague a glare but didn't try to argue, they still had duty for a couple hours, no need to make those even more unbearable.

#

After delivering the report to the sou-tacho, Ichigo made his way to the other captain who was waiting for him. The route from the First Division to the Thirteenth is one Ichigo had grown to know very well. He wouldn't be surprised if he could make the trip while sleepwalking. As such, he let muscle memory take over while he turned his focus inwards, just enough to get a feel for how his Zanpakutō are doing.

Excitement-bloodlust-euphoria echoed through the mindscape and, for once, Getsu wasn't the sole provider. His hand strayed to the blade on his right, holding the sheath of the katana instead of the hilt—he didn't want to distract Zan from his spar.

Ichigo could barely believe it, still. For over a decade, Zan had been reluctant to accept their invitations to join a spar, had always turned down his other half when they demandedasked for one. And today? He had just straight up asked Getsu like it was no big deal. Like it wasn't the momentous moment that Getsu rightfully claimed it to be.

Yeah, the ability to downplay is definitely a core trait of his if both his Zanpakutō had it.

His feet came to a stop and Ichigo tuned back into the world around him. Looks like muscle memory pulled through for him, leaving him standing at the main entrance of the Thirteenth Division.

An involuntary shiver wrecked his frame. Damn, Rukia must be really irate if her reiatsu affected him. He could even see his breath when he exhaled. Hopefully, her mood will be significantly better when he leaves, not only for the sake of her sanity but for the health of all those Soul Reapers working in the vicinity.

As he walked down the main hallways, greeting the handful of bundled-up Soul Reapers that he passed, one of them called out to him.

'Ah, Kurosaki-sama!'

Ichigo sighed, stopping and turning to face the approaching Soul Reaper. 'Just "san" is fine, Watanabe-san'.

Watanabe—a rather lanky man in his late forties appearance-wise—gave a quick but polite bow. 'My apologies, Kurosaki-san. It's a force of habit'.

'And you don't need to— ugh, nevermind; it's fine'. Ichigo gestured in the general direction of the captain's office, 'Do you happen to know why Rukia is in such a bad mood?'

The man nodded, 'Yes, that's what I wanted to warn you about'. Watanabe looked around as if he were to disclose top-secret information that only those in "the know" are allowed to, well, know. 'Ito-san and Kuchiki-taichō had an argument two weeks ago. A pretty serious one, too; Taicho's reiatsu frosted over all the windows'.

'Ito-san? Weren't they supposed to be promoted to lieutenant?'

'Not anymore. After their argument, Ito-san stormed out; he filled for transfer the same day'.

Geez, no wonder Rukia's in a bad mood. 'Do you have any idea what the argument was about?'

Watanabe's eyes briefly looked away, 'I believe that to be a question better asked to Taicho, Kurosaki-san'.

Ichigo heaved a sigh, 'Fair enough. Thanks for the heads up'.

'You're sure you still want to disturb her?'

'Oh, I'm not disturbing'. Ichigo raised up the bag, 'I have an appointment'.

Giving Watanabe a wave, Ichigo continued his way towards Rukia's office. With each step, his breath became more visible. By the time he stood before the door, there was frost on the wall and floor. No wonder Watanabe had been concerned.

Giving the door a firm knock, Ichigo waited for it to open. The cold reiatsu flared, a muffled growl reaching his ears. The door yanked open and Ichigo was exposed to all of Rukia's barely restrained fury. It was honestly impressive how much stronger she had become since they'd met.

'WHAT?!'

Before Rukia had a chance to recognise him, Ichigo held the bag of pastries up in front of him. There was a pause, a sniff, and a gasp that took away both the coldness in the air and the bag from his hands. She opened the bag, looking at its contents and giving Ichigo a beaming smile, 'You remembered!'

'Ye of little faith. Of course, I did'. Ichigo crossed his arms in faux-offence and Rukia turned around and headed to her desk to properly unpack the box. 'You're lucky they were still there when I came by, I got the last few'.

Rukia hummed, weight shifting from one leg to the other in excitement as she lifted to lid of the box. She gasped, dropping the lid. 'You got the blueberry ones!'

'Yeah, by the skin of my teeth—' Ichigo stepped into the office, closing the door behind him—'I nearly got arrested getting those, I'll have you know'.

'Hmm?' Rukia turned around, eyes closed and a small little smile on her lips. A sound came from her that Ichigo doubted was workplace-appropriate as she chewed on the sugary goodness, hips swaying left and right. ' Gammi, 'sh so goo'.

Ichigo leaned on the back of a chair, 'Try that again but without food in your mouth'.

'You're such a dad', Rukia teased the second her mouth was empty. 'But, thanks Carrot Head, I really needed these'.

'Any time, Midget'. Ichigo lazily gestured at the rapidly melting frost coating the room, 'But I assume there's a reason I could feel the chill of your reiatsu all the way at the Senkaimon?'

Rukia blinked, 'You could?' She looked around as if only now noticing her office had nearly frozen over. 'Oh…I hadn't even noticed. No wonder no one has disturbed me the past week'.

Huh, so she hadn't noticed. She must have been really caught up in her work and ire to not notice that (it also explained how she didn't even realise it was him who stood at the door).

'Well, I got about—' Ichigo checked his phone—'an hour before I need to go. How about you give me that pile to sort and you bring me up to speed?' He extended his hand to her.

'You are a lifesaver, you know that?' Rukia handed over a stack on her left. 'I assume you probably heard some in the hallways'.

Ichigo nodded, pulling the other chair over and beginning to sort the documents-urgent, internal affairs, external affairs, and miscellaneous. 'I heard Ito and you didn't quite get along'.

'Because he didn't do what I asked him to, the way I asked him to!' Rukia exclaimed.

'He tried to mess with your system?'

'Not try, did! I couldn't find anything in here!'

'That's when you kicked him out?'

'No, he left before I could'. Rukia hopped up to sit on her desk, pastry still in hand. 'I tried to explain to him that, you know, reorganising my whole office without consent isn't appreciated. He got all defensive about it, saying it was a mess and he was just trying to help—you know the drill'. She took a bite, the frown that had been forming on her face at the retelling lifting instantly.

'I assume that wasn't the only thing?'

'Oh absolutely; it's those new recruits'. She gestured to a small stack of papers that lay on a cabinet. 'They had their first training last month and, pfft, I know the Academy changed some things since I went there but Kami, they don't teach them anything anymore these days!'

'That bad?' Ichigo asked. 'Also, real quick—' he raised his hand, showing her a paper—'this request is from Shinji but it's over a month old. You want me to put it in the urgent pile?'

'A month?!' Rukia snatched the paper from his hands, eyes speeding over the lines. 'Shit, so that's what he was referring to last meeting, I thought he was just being impatient'.

'Is it urgent?'

'It is now'. She handed the paper back and Ichigo put it upside down on the bottom of the pile. 'Remember that idea you had; to decrease the animosity between divisions?'

'You actually suggested it?'

'Of course I did, it's a good idea; I brought it up at a meeting—no worries, I gave you credit'. She gave him a wink and a grin.

'You didn't'.

'You were right, though. I probably shouldn't have done it. Soi-Fon got really dismissive once I told them it was your idea'.

'So it didn't pass'.

'There was a vote at the next meeting but, yeah', Rukia shrugged. 'Hirako-Taicho came up to me after, asking if I'd read his offer—' She pointed at the urgent pile—'that's the offer he's talking about. It's got some ideas and dates on it—some of which have already passed'. She took the last bite of her pastry, humming happily at the taste. 'Best damn food in all the three worlds, hands down'.

'But the new recruits', Ichigo said, returning to their previous topic. 'Is it really that bad?'

'Worse. I'm honestly surprised they survived their finals'. She licked her fingers, 'They fight without intent, they perform horribly under pressure, their shunpo is slow, and most still need to use an incantation for low-level kidō!'

'Sounds like they just need more experience, to me', Ichigo said. 'Learning the theory is different to putting it into practice, after all'.

'How can I give them real experience when I know it will get them killed because they lack the real experience?' Rukia shot back. 'All I can do is train them and hope it will be enough when I do send them out'.

Ichigo hummed, putting the last file on the "internal affairs" pile and straightening them up. 'It's a shame the Vaizord had to purify themselves'.

'Pardon?'

'I mean, good for them. I know their situation was different than mine but—' Ichigo shrugged, giving Rukia the sorted piles—'wouldn't it have been useful to be able to expose Soul Reapers to Hollow reiatsu in a safe environment?'

'Kami, wouldn't it?!' Rukia leaned forward, 'We should totally get into teaching at the Acadamy once this stuff gets boring. You prep their zanjutsu skills and I'll whip those whippersnappers kidō into shape'.

'Me? Teaching?' Ichigo scoffed, 'I'm not suited for that'.

'I wouldn't sell yourself so short on that if I were you. You're teaching Kon German, aren't you?'

'Because he asked me to; he wanted to learn from me', Ichigo reminded.

'So? People who go to an academy usually do so because they want to learn', Rukia pointed out. She leaned forward, 'Come on, spill it. What's the real reason you don't want to teach?'

'Honestly?'

Rukia looked him over, taking in the tone of voice and bags beneath his eyes. The answer, the truth, was painfully obvious. 'You don't want the hassle'.

'And can you blame me?' Ichigo asked, leaning back in the chair. 'I know how this will go and I don't want to make the target they have on my family any bigger than it already is'. He sighed, 'Like, maybe, over a few decennia or centuries, when this whole stuff isn't so controversial'.

Rukia hummed, 'We got our work cut out for us, then'.

'Yep', Ichigo agreed, letting the "p" pop. 'But if our hardships make it easier and better for those to come...'

'…then it's more than worth it'. Rukia reached for the open box, taking it and offering it.

Ichigo looked up, breathing out a laugh. 'No, thank you. Those are all yours'.

'Are you sure?' She shook the box a little.

Biting his bottom lip, Ichigo looked at the pastries. 'Split it. I'll take half'.

Selecting a chocolate-flavoured one, Rukia broke it in half and gave the bigger half to her friend.

'Thanks'.

'Don't mention it', Rukia waved off. 'And enough about my woes; what about you? How have you been?'

'Oh, you know…insurmountable workload, parenting a pre-teen, sleepless nights—' Ichigo took a small bite from the treat—'you know the drill.

'Do I? Because that all sounds like the usual shenanigans, and you don't get here late due to just the usual shenaningans', Rukia pointed out. 'So! What happened that made you late?'

'Well, there was this accident early this week—'

And so, Ichigo began to regale his tale of woe for the second time that day. Rukia listened attentively, chuckling at the lack of ink, sharing his disbelief at the amount of bad luck, and voicing her frustration at Hinamori—even though she had never met him.

'Geez, I hate that kind of people; always sticking their noses where it doesn't belong—don't they have anything better to do in their lives?'

Ichigo chuckled, 'Kon said the same thing'.

'How is Kon?' Rukia asked. 'I haven't seen him in a while'.

'He's doing well. His German is coming along; he might be able to fill in for me at work before the end of the year'.

'Really? I didn't peg him as a language nerd.

'He isn't but he's got the determination to make up for it'.

Rukia's expression became softer, 'He's really trying, isn't he?'

'Yeah, he is'. Ichigo smiled just as fondly, 'He has really matured in the last couple of years, makes me feel more comfortable to leave him in control of my body'.

'With how he used to look at women? Yeah, I can understand that'.

'Oh, he still looks', Ichigo said. 'He's just…not as obvious about it. Learned to keep it to one look'.

Rukia leaned back on the desk, kicking her feet lightly. 'Well, it's something, I guess. Probably wouldn't get you fired now'.

'I have already made it an established habit to look people up and down and he's training himself to do it with men as well'. Ichigo shrugged, 'So, hopefully, people won't suspect anything nefarious when Kon does it'.

'Huh, that's actually pretty smart'.

Ichigo kicked one of her feet with his own, 'Don't sound so surprised, Midget. I am smart'.

'Uh-huh, of course you are'.

'Oi'.

'But joking aside, I still haven't heard anything positive happening this week', Rukia said. 'You said the week wasn't so bad but from what you've told me, I'm inclined to disagree'.

'Oh, yeah, right!' Ichigo immediately sat up straighter, the frown that had slowly carved into his face as he recounted his week vanished without a trace. He looked left and right, as if he were to confess some huge secret and there were ears in the walls. The smile that he gave her when he was confident of their privacy was nearly blinding. 'Zan asked Getsu for a spar'.

Rukia blinked, the words progressing slower than they should have. ' He asked them?'

'Yeah! Just straight up asked like it was no big deal'.

'But it is!' Rukia disagreed. 'That is a big deal; that's huge!'

'I know, right?!' Ichigo sat back in the chair, 'Like, finally he can be who he wants to be and I—Kami, I cannot put into words how proud and happy I am'.

Fortunately, Rukia didn't need any words; she could understand him by reiatsu alone. It had been a while since she had seen her friend so happy and it did wonders to her bad mood, even more so than the pastries had.

Speaking of pastries, the sugar tended to get a bit stuck in her throat. She hopped off the desk and went to the pitcher of water, 'Want some?'

'Yeah, thanks'.

Pouring two glasses, Rukia gave one to her friend and leaned against the desk. Her eyes caught the tsuba of the pair of katana Ichigo valued more than his own life. She frowned, swirling her glass a little as a sudden thought struck her. 'You think Yhwach had something to do with it?'

'Hm?'

'I mean, Zangetsu has been struggling with this for almost two decades, hasn't he? After nineteen or so years of barely any progress, Yhwach's defeated and suddenly he makes a leap out of nowhere?' She took a sip of her water, 'I think it's related'.

'Could be', Ichigo agreed. 'He, well, they both seem a lot more... I don't know, relaxed? Definitely more at ease since he died'. He looked at his water, 'They both seem closer, too'.

'How do you mean?'

'I don't know how to describe it', Ichigo said. 'There's just something about the way they interact with one another. It feels more casual? I don't know. Could be just that they don't have to share a form anymore'. He shrugged and took a sip from his water. 'Whatever it is, they both are doing amazing so I'm not complaining'.

Emptying his glass, Ichigo took out his phone to look at the time. 'Oh shit'.

'What?'

'I need to get going', Ichigo said as he began to get up and ready. 'I made a promise to get back before midnight'.

'That late already? Geez, time flies'. Rukia stood up to show her friend out. 'Thanks for the break, Ichigo. I really needed that'.

'Any time, Midget'.

'Carrot Head'. Rukia smiled, 'And give them my congratulations on their progress. I'm happy for them'.

'Thanks, Rukia. I will'.

Giving a smile and salute, Ichigo hurried down the hallway and to the courtyard where he took off in Shunpo.

He was happy Rukia felt better now. He hoped that good mood continued for a little while if only to keep her subordinates from catching hypothermia.

Ichigo shifted his thoughts to tomorrow. He was glad his wife could switch with him. Kazui liked to sleep in a little so Ichigo could do that as well. Household chores always let him regain a bit of normalcy so he figured if Kazui and he did those first, they would have the rest of the day to do whatever. They could go take a walk downtown. Hadn't Kazui said something about needing new clothes? No, that was Orihime, she said Kazui needed new clothes. That's fine, there was enough fun to be had down-town so Kazui probably wouldn't mind—

Killing intent broke through his thoughts and instinct took over. Ichigo turned on his heel, drawing his right blade to block the incoming attack. Steel met steel—

*Crack*

#

TO BE CONTINUED