Karakura town seems less vibrant than it had been, colors dimmed, the atmosphere dulled and the sky overcast in gray listless clouds. The air itself felt almost stale now, when it was once so easy to breathe. "Is this what normal people feel?" He asks himself, sitting at his desk looking at one of his many notebooks. Less than a week ago he was a war hero with power capable of rivaling a fledgeling god… but now even a cat has more spirit energy than he does. His senses to the world beyond have been dimming, as if he was underwater and gasping for air. He feels himself sinking further and further into this strange sensation, and he knows that the time is running out. He looks at himself in the mirror, noticing his unkempt bright orange hair and dull brown eyes, eyes that used to be filled with so much determination. He sighs deeply, knowing if he doesn't go now, he won't ever get the chance again.
Standing from his desk chair, he grabs a black leather jacket and throws it over his shoulders. As he does so, a piece of paper falls from his pocket and lands on the desk. It was blank, and he was meaning to write something to a close friend before his sight truly faded away. With little time left, he doesn't have that chance now… unless that is if he asks her to stay with him after it fades so he can write it out. He takes a deep breath before walking over to his door and opening it, nobody was home right now. His sisters were both attending school, his father was off somewhere probably annoying that candy shop keeper he's come to know so well. He doesn't bother using the hand rails to the stairs, just marching down them at a quick pace. At the bottom he rounds the corner and heads through the closed clinic to the front door.
The door creaks with a familiar whine as it opens, and standing a few paces down the concrete sidewalk is the woman who changed his life. Short, just barely 5ft tall, with silky black hair and vibrant violet eyes, a single sword tied to her waist through her white sash. Her white gi peaking out just underneath the black silk robes she wore over top of them. A fabric he'd never get to wear again, the uniform of a soul reaper. She smirks when she sees him, and he returns a smile of his own, but they both know that it's forced. "Yo." He says, greeting her in his typical fashion, he'd never cared for honorifics and titles or anything of the sort. "Yo." She returns as he walks within arms reach of her. "I felt you start to fade away, I wanted to come say goodbye. Ichigo." She says softly and with sadness in her voice.
"I feel like I'm sinking in water." Ichigo responds, looking down at the short soul reaper he's grown so fond of. "And I don't like what I'm falling into."
"It can't be that bad, look on the bright side, you get to finally be normal." She says, tapping the back of her hand on his chest lightly. Playfully hitting him like she always did. "I can't exactly give you my powers again, not without a good reason."
"So if Grimmjow showed up you'd do it?" He asks playfully, with a smirk on his face. The blue haired hollow swordsman had been a reoccurring thorn in their sides through the past few months.
"Maybe." She says with a slight laugh. "Central 46 hasn't been reelected yet so there's a chance we'd get away with it this time." She says, and as she finishes speaking there's a pause between them.
"It's now or never." The voice in the back of his head speaks, it wasn't either Zangetsu or his inner hollow, instead it was his own. Pushing him to rely on his instincts and tell her everything. "Rukia, I need to tell you something." He says causing her to perk up when she hears her name.
"You can tell me anything, Ichigo." She says, and the moment she stops speaking she feels him wrap his arms around her, holding her tightly to him in a deep embrace.
"I don't want you to go," He begins, "I can't keep up with the speed of the world without you in it." He says, and she feels tears begin to fall on her head as he rests his on top of hers. "Please... Don't go." He pleads.
"Ichigo, you're alive. You shouldnt be so concerned with the world of the dead…" She says, finding herself returning his embrace. "You can't just abandon your life here in the world of the living. Especially not for me."
"The hell I can!" He shouts, pulling her tighter into himself. "It's the only world I've known for my entire life. I can't just let it slip through my fingers when I have the chance to stay in it. I can't let you slip through my fingers either." He says, " I meant to write it down, and I know I've never asked for anything from soul society except for your freedom, but I want you to tell the head captain, and tell everyone that my only request is to get my powers back, and for you to stay with me."
"What if he says no?" She asks.
"Since when has that ever stopped me? I'll go bug Kisuke until he personally gets me an audience with that old coot. I don't want to be in a world without you in it." She stays silent, letting him get his emotions out of his system, she's seen every side of him. His fury, his determination, his compassion, his sadness and his weakness.
"You fool." She says as they separate from the embrace, his arms still wrapped around her back. They stay silent for a few moments, her looking at his whiskey colored eyes, noticing how the light has faded since he used that forbidden technique. She smiles, before cupping the side of his face in her hand. "Anything else you wanna tell me?" She asks.
"No." He responds. "Just show you."
Maybe it was the final vestiges of his inner hollow driving his actions, or it was his own accord but he suddenly picks her up off the ground. The sudden action startled the petite soul reaper but that thought didn't stay for long. He presses his lips against hers, holding her tightly against himself, knowing full well that she'd probably hit him for this or squirm away… but she doesn't. Instinctively he shuts his eyes half expecting her to strike him but, instead she closes her eyes and kisses him back. She presses her lips hard against his own trying desperately to pour some of her power into him so he can see her for just a moment longer. Her hands find purchase on the sides of his head, pulling him deeper into their kiss, while his arms support her weight, one under her butt and the other across her back holding her tightly to him. Though he initiated it, she's the one to make the first move, tempting him by licking his lips trying to gain entrance. Timidly he accepts her gesture, feeling her tongue press against his. The sweet, semi-tart flavor of black cherries graces his tongue as they kiss feverishly. To her, the taste of his lips is slightly smokey, almost savory even something completely foreign to what she was expecting.
His heart breaks as he feels the sensation of her against him begin to fade away. He no longer feels the black silk of her shihakusho, nor her weight in his arms. Afraid that if he opens his eyes she'll be gone he pursues the last moments of their kiss, trying to hold onto it for just a moment longer. She feels tears beginning to run down his face, and she knows that his ability to see and feel her is disappearing. They don't exchange words, but fight the other's tongue for every last millisecond of their final embrace. The warmth of her skin against his begins to fade, the sensation of her hands on his head disappearing. The taste of her lips, the buds along her tongue, her strands of hair touching his face… they all disappear. As the last sensation of her leaves, tears begin to fall from his eyes. He can't tell if he's still holding her or not, but he goes through the motions of setting her down. He tries to harden what little resolve he has left, he brings his sleeve to his eyes and takes a deep breath wiping away the tears. "I'm going to write the letter, I can't see you anymore but I want you to come inside with me. I want you to hold it up so I can see it before you go."
He can't tell if she is still there but she is waiting patiently to follow him inside the small clinic. The man who sacrificed everything to save his friends, save the world, and to save her. It hurts her soul to see him like this now, completely blind to her presence but she knows with her heart that he'd do it all again without a second thought. His gate is much slower now, he walks slowly, methodically trying to will every fiber of his being to hold himself together just for a moment longer. She follows him up the staircase to his room before he slumps down in his office chair and removes the paper from his pocket. He takes a deep breath and grabs a calligraphy pen from his desk before putting it to the paper. Rukia stands over his shoulder, watching intently as he writes the only request he's ever made to the Gotei 13. When he finishes writing, he turns on his little desk fan and has it dry the ink on the page, making sure it doesn't smear when he puts it into the envelope. He takes out his substitute badge and places it on the desk, with his pen he draws the emblem onto the back of the envelope. He grabs the envelope and holds it up for Rukia to take it, his heart pounding in his chest as he waits for her to take it. He almost gasps when he feels the letter be tugged from his hand, he lets go allowing her to take it.
Once she has the letter, the resolve he forced himself to carry on finally fails him. He breaks down, resting his hand against his knee, he raises the other to his face, trying to dry the tears falling from his eyes. Rukia herself finds it difficult to hold back tears of her own. She places the letter into her shihakusho before leaning over and embracing him. She doesn't care that he can't feel her touch anymore. She does this for him, cupping his face in her hands, she tries to bring comfort to him in the most trying time of his life now. She pulls herself closer to him, so that his head rests against her chest but she can't get too close as now he'd just phase through her as if she wasn't there. She doesn't know how long she remains like this, comforting him but he finally manages to pull himself together when the door to the clinic opens. He perks his head up hearing this, and she can sense that his sisters have gotten home. She watches him grab a tissue from his desk and wipe his eyes, trying to hide his weakness. When he leaves the room, she walks over to his desk and grabs a piece of paper from within it. With a few colored pencils, she draws the two together as little bunnies. She surrounds the two drawings with a red heart before writing a message to him at the bottom of the page.
"I'll always be with you." Her katakana is much better than her drawing skills, but she knows that until they meet again it's all he'll have to cherish her with. As she phases through the wall out of the Kurosaki clinic, she lets a tear fall from her eye as she opens the senkaimon in order to return to Soul Society.
Rukia runs as fast as she can through the precipice world, she needs to deliver the letter to the head captain before he ends the captain's meeting and addresses the seireitei. The old captain likely believes that the only reward Ichigo would want is to never have to deal with spiritual affairs for the rest of his mortal life. How wrong that assumption is, and she can already tell that his hope is gone and he isn't the same person she once knew. Ahead of her she sees the light that leads to the 13th division headquarters and she channels her spirit energy through her legs, flash stepping through the exit and into the seireitei. She bounds from rooftop to rooftop pushing her muscles to their breaking point to get to the captain's meeting.
"I believe it is time to discuss what will be done for the substitute shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo." The voice of Captain Kuchiki Byakuya of squad six pipes up after a lull in the conversation. "I believe that his efforts during the war have warranted him being rewarded. While he was never a fully fledged member of the gotei 13, he carried out his office with respectable determination and prowess. If not for his actions, it is likely that Aizen would have succeeded. He sacrificed everything, his mortality, his humanity and his powers to save the realms."
"The boy has never asked anything of us, aside from fighting for Rukia's freedom. He never asked to be elected as a substitute soul reaper, we asked him to do it. I believe we should allow him to return to his normal mortal life. He's earned that peace." the youngest captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of squad 10 speaks up. The childlike appearance of the silver haired boy is a stark contrast to the rest of the elder captains in the room.
"Are we even sure that's what he wishes for? Time and time again, I've heard him say that the only reason he sought his power was to protect those he cares about." The aged sickly captain Ukitake of squad 13 speaks up after wiping his mouth off with a handkerchief. "I think we owe it to him to protect his family and the city of Karakura more thoroughly now that he cannot."
"Us stationing more men in the town will draw more activity from hollows there but we might not have a choice. When the news gets out that he defeated Aizen, hollows will be on the hunt for him. They will believe that if they consume the man who defeated Aizen then they'd gain that strength." The eighth squad captain Shunsui Kyorako adds.
"I have to go to the human world anyways to collect the rest of our things from our old headquarters. I might be able to drop by and speak to him, ask him what he wants from us." The blonde smiling captain Shinji Hirako of squad five chimes in. At the head of the table, the ancient long bearded captain Yamamoto Genryusai sits cross legged. His left sleeve is empty, having lost his arm in the winter war against Aizen. His other scratches his beard in thought considering what his captains have to say. As he goes to speak though, the doors to the meeting hall are slammed open revealing the tiny form of Rukia Kuchiki
"Captains!" She shouts, panting for breath as the excessive use of her flash steps have taken their toll on her energy. "I… I have a… I have a message from Kurosaki Ichigo." She says through rough pants for air. She covered almost 500 miles in less than a minute. The seireitei itself is almost 1,000 miles across and her squad sits at the very edge of the walled city whereas the captain's hall sits in the very center below Sokyoku hill.
"Catch your breath first, child." The head captain says seeing how exhausted Rukia is from having to cover such a huge distance. "I take it you were checking up on him before coming here?" He asks causing Captain Kuchiki and his lieutenant Renji to glance at her.
"I did sir, he asked to see me one last time and he said he had a letter for me to deliver to you all." She says, deciding to omit the fact that the two had made out on his front door step before his powers faded away.
"If it is for us, then please read it." Captain Ukitake requests, causing her to remove the letter from within her robes before opening it. The white haired captain almost chuckles seeing the emblem of the substitute badge on the envelope.
"Captains of the Gotei 13.
I want to start by thanking you all for the opportunity of being the substitute soul reaper. I know we've had our disagreements in the past, and I apologize for having to raid the seireitei in order to rescue Rukia. However that isn't why I'm writing this letter, I am formally making my only request to you all. I've known the spirit world my entire life, I've always been able to see spirits, and feel the reiatsu around me and the town I grew up in. I ask that you all help me find a way to restore my powers to what they once were. I understand if you will not grant this request, or that it will take time to research and develop a way to restore my powers. If you are to grant this request, please send someone to let me know of your decision. If you choose to deny it, then I shall take your silence as your answer.
Sincerely, The Former Substitute Shinigami.
Kurosaki Ichigo."
Rukia stands there silently, waiting for the captains to digest what she had said. The head captain furrows his brows in thought for a moment before he strokes his beard. "We shall put it to a vote." He says before looking at Rukia, he extends a hand motioning for her to bring the letter to him which she quickly does so. "All in favor of restoring the substitute shinigami's powers." He says before taking a pause to stand to his feet. "Rise." The first person to stand up is her own brother, captain Kuchiki.
"Kurosaki has earned my respect, has bested me in combat and saved the life of my sister. He has my thanks and my support in restoring his strength." Byakuya says and as he finishes speaking his lieutenant rises to his feet as well.
"Kurosaki is one of the best allies and friends a man could ask for. He helped me break through my own limits and become a better man because of it. I shall help him as well." Renji says with determination in his voice.
"Technically the seat of substitute soul reaper falls under my division, and since he is a former member of squad 13, I support him in regaining his strength. It is the least I can do for the man who saved the Soul Society." Ukitake now rises to his feet.
"It certainly will be an interesting experiment trying to research a way to restore his strength. I will support this as well, if only for furthering my research for the sake of science." Captain of squad 12, Mayuri Kurotsuchi says as he rises to his feet.
"I haven't gotten the chance to fight him for real. I want him at his full power again so we can have a true fight!" Kenpachi declares as he quickly stands to his feet. He stood up so quickly he knocked over the small tea table in front of him that his lieutenant Yachiru was sitting on.
"The kid's earned my respect. We helped him once with his inner hollow and we'll help him regain his powers." Captains Kensei, Rose and Shinji all rise to their feet after Shinji says this.
"If the head captain supports his return to power, then I agree with him that we should assist Kurosaki Ichigo." Captain Komamura, the doge headed captain says as he rises to his full height. Behind him, his lieutenant Shuhei rises as well.
"The boy has a kind heart and a warrior's furocity. His dedication to protecting others would make him a good addition to my squad and I wish for this to be the case." Captain Unohana says as she and her lieutenant Isane rise to their feet.
"His father was once my captain, despite his lack of care for honorifics and formalities he is far stronger than myself and captain Hitsugaya. It'd be foolish for us to deny him this request." Lieutenant Rangiku states as she rises to her feet and her captain while he doesn't audibly proclaim his support he rises to his feet as well.
"Once he gets his powers back, I believe I owe him a drink for defeating Aizen." Kyoraku says as he stands to his feet followed by his lieutenant.
"Captain Soifon? Do you have any protests against restoring his strength?" The head captain asks but as he asks this question she rises to her feet.
"He is the student of Lady Yoruichi much like I was. It'd be an insult to her to allow her current student to remain powerless."She says.
Rukia smiles seeing that the decision is unanimous among the captains and the lieutenants. "I believe you have your answer, Miss Kuchiki. I will write up our answer and I want you to deliver it personally. Captain Kurotsuchi will begin work with former captain Urahara about researching a means to restore his powers." He says, causing her to snap to attention. "Before you arrived, Captain Shunsui brought something to our attention. With the defeat of Aizen, there's a high chance that he will be targeted by hollows trying to gain that strength. In addition to us granting his request, I am stationing you in Karakura town until we restore him to his full strength. Do you have any objections to my decision, Captain Kuchiki?"
"No sir, I ask that I can get time once every few months to go to the human world and spend time with my sister there." He says, causing the head captain to nod at this request.
"Very well, you may put in the forms when you wish to visit her." The head captain says. "Kuchiki Rukia, before you return to the world of the living I want you to give this to him. Until we restore his powers he will be recognised as an honorary captain and will be paid as such." He says as he hands her a check written out to Ichigo. "I'm stationing you with him in order for your reiatsu to act as a catalyst for his power to return. Given that you've already given him your power in the past it's likely that just being in your vicinity will grow his power over time while we try to find a way to restore it."
"Thank you, Head Captain." Rukia says with a bow before walking over to her captain and standing beside him.
"Dismissed." He declares, causing the captains to bow and exit the room.