Chapter 5: Reawaken

It didn't take long for Kisuke to show up at the location both Ichigo and Uryu were laid out in. The rain had washed the blood around as it poured on their unconscious forms as the man in the bucket hat stood above with his umbrella in tow.

"Hmm." He started as the black cat on his shoulder watched the soul reapers shallow breaths.

"Is this the one Kisuke?" The cat asked him in a deep, male voice.

"Yep. This is the one." He answered as he knelt down to her. "Let's hope that young Ichigo can complete the task I need him to do."

The cat nodded as Kisuke began to preparations for getting Ichigo back to fighting shape.

Unknown land

Darkness. That was all Ichigo felt at the moment. It was odd to him. He had never felt this way before, like floating within nothingness. This felt wrong to him. This felt so very wrong.

'Where am I?' Ichigo said to himself as he tried and failed to open his eyes. 'What happened to me? Why did I tense up like that? Why?'

Every time Ichigo thought about what happened in his fight against Renji and then how he was cut down by Rukia's brother, he felt a sense of loss. Like something was taken from him that he was so sure was his now. He tried once again to open his eyes but only received the same results. Frustrated at both this and his failure to protect Rukia properly got to Ichigo. He tried to move his body but felt a great weight encompass himself. Try as he might, his body would not react to his commands.

After what felt like hours trying to move even a finger, Ichigo finally gave up and laid there, wherever there was. He sighed out as he kept thinking about Rukia and what she said to him before.

"Just live your life before you met me. Please."

The look in her eyes and the sound of her voice etched its way into Ichigo's mind as he couldn't stop replaying that moment in his head. He had failed her, and now she was about to be punished for it because he couldn't protect her. To Ichigo, this was all his fault.

"Is that it?" A new voice spoke up, catching Ichigo's attention. "You're just gonna lay there and accept what happened? I thought you were stronger than that, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Who's there?" Ichigo said more to himself than to the person.

"The one thing you feel as if is yours now." The feminine voice spoke up in an annoyed tone. "Now stand up Ichigo, unless you don't have the balls to."

Ichigo took great offense to that statement and tried once again to open his eyes to confront whoever the woman was. It took him a while, but eventually he mustered up the strength to open his eyes a bit to see a woman standing in above him. She looked familiar to Ichigo yet very different. She stood tall with a slender frame hidden behind a dark kimono that was flowing in an invisible wind. That wasn't the only thing about that outfit though. It also had some kind of dark ice flowing off of it as well and it all hugged her curvy figure well. She was barefoot, showing her pale blue skin, a stark contrast to her outfit, and her face was round. Her light blue eyes were scowling towards Ichigo as if calculating just what he was going to do next.

"Bout time you woke up Ichigo." She said, turning away from his downed form and walking away. "Now that you know what to look for, wake up so we can really get started."

Kisuke's shop

Ichigo opened his eyes quickly as he realized there was a man laying on top of him. After a quick scream he flung the man off of him with ease and sat up quickly, never realizing he was back in his body again. Ichigo looked around the room and noticed that was definitely not his room. He tried to stand up only to feel a surge of pain in his shoulder. He grabbed at it, now realizing to his shock that he was indeed in his own body once more, but then why did he feel that pain if he was in his soul form at the time?

"What the hell?" Ichigo whispered to himself as he didn't feel any wounds on his body.

"Aw." A new voice spoke up, getting Ichigo's attention. "I see you're awake now, Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo looked to the man and recognized him for the very few amount of times he's seen him before. "We have much to discuss I see."

And discuss they did. Kisuke went about explaining to Ichigo just who the two men were that he met earlier that were assigned to retrieve Rukia. Ichigo knew who the redhead was as he fought him and the guy announced who he was with pride. The other was a shock to Ichigo as he discovered that the man was Rukia's brother. No wonder the look in his eyes looked a little hurt when he struck Ichigo down. After Kisuke told Ichigo about who those two were, he explained that for Rukia passing her powers onto him with a forbidden technique, she would be executed. Ichigo stood up at that statement and actually felt the difference in his body now. For the entire time he had Rukia's soul, he was used to feeling slightly cramped in his own body and had actually adjusted to it quite well. Now though, he felt off. Unbalanced.

Kisuke explained to him that the reason for that was because Byakuya cut his soul chain, effectively cutting out the part of Rukia that made him a soul reaper. That meant that he could return to his old life like Rukia asked him to do, but he felt as if he couldn't do that anymore. After everything he had been through, he felt as if he couldn't just leave her to her fate like that. It wasn't right to him.

As Ichigo sat there in front of Kisuke, he had one goal on his mind now. Saving Rukia.

"Hey, Mr. Urahara," He started as he looked to the man with determination in his eyes that Kisuke was surprised a 15 year old had. "I don't know much about this soul society or its laws or rules, but I need to save Rukia. Is there any way I can get my powers back?"

Kisuke smirked as he knew this would be very interesting. He had heard of the forbidden transference of ones power and imprint of their soul before, but never in real life. The idea of seeing just what might happen to a soul that was imprinted upon that lost its soul chain and then regain their powers would be an intriguing and maybe even awe inspiring to the man. He couldn't refuse such a request and went to work on getting Ichigo's powers back any way he could.

With a grin hidden behind his fan, he gave the teen a sly answer. "But of course Ichigo, but it will be a very tedious and harsh process. Think you can handle it?"

Ichigo kept the same look on his face as he answered the man with conviction. "I can and I will."

Quincy training grounds

After the fight between Ichigo and Renji had finished and the soul reapers had left, Ryuken Ishida retrieved his injured son. He saw the aftermath of what had happened and was a mixture of disappointed and proud of Uryu. Disappointment from Uryu losing to a soul reaper but proud that he was fighting the right reason. Now he was in his personal training grounds in a medical ward fixing up his son. After what he saw, or more like who he saw, his son fighting for, he could tell that once Uryu was able to, that it would be time for some serious training on his part. Who knows, maybe his son could finally wipe away the anger for the soul reapers in his heart with the help of a certain, raven haired girl.

Short an sweet. Ichigo will get his/her powers back in the next chapter.

You guys are awesome and as always,

PEACE!