Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

Chapter Eight

The next morning…
Ichigo's Room

Ichigo sat up in bed, dark circles around his eyes from his restless night. "Ughhh…that was hell…" he groaned, getting out of bed. After his embarrassing wet dream in front of the four captains, Ichigo had a hard time going to sleep, afraid he'd be caught in another awkward dream again.

"Ichigo, are you okay?" asked a worried Unohana, the four captains having a better night's sleep than the boy they were trapped inside. When Ichigo stepped into the bathroom and he looked in a mirror, the four saw how bad Ichigo looked from his restless night. "Maybe you should go back to bed and rest?"

"She's right, Ichigo," added the voice of Toshiro. "I understand you're embarrassed from what happened last night but you need to ensure your own wellbeing."

The boy didn't answer, merely giving an incomprehensible grumble as he turned on the shower and stripped out of his clothes. Since he knew the captains could see everything that he could, he made sure not to look down and embarrass himself further. "Should'a just let them get zapped by Mayuri's stupid machine…" he grumbled, closing his eyes to wash himself without the captains seeing anything.

"Oh! Ichigo, I think I heard something just fall to the floor," said Unohana.

"What?" Ichigo opened his eyes and looked down. "Where?"

"Oh my…I think Orihime will be pleased."

Ichigo's face turned pink when he realized the crafty woman tricked him and he looked back up. "Damn it, Captain Unohana!"

"Captain Unohana, that was very tasteless," chastised Byakuya. "We agreed not to look in the window and give Ichigo some privacy."

"I know. I just couldn't resist teasing the boy," said the woman.

Stewing with embarrassed anger, Ichigo turned off the shower and dried off, getting dressed as fast as he could. "That does it. I need to get you out of my head before you make me do something stupid!"

"You mean before or after you yelled at your girlfriend?" taunted Kenpachi.

"Shut up, Kenpachi!" Ichigo growled as he headed down the stairs.

He passed by his sister, Yuzu, who was working in the kitchen. "Ichigo? Where are you going? Breakfast isn't ready yet." She grew worried from the angry look on her brother's face.

"I'll be back, Yuzu. There's somebody I need to see!" Without waiting for his sister to answer, Ichigo slammed the front door behind him and started for Kisuke's shop. He hoped that if anyone could get the four intrusive Soul Reapers out of his head, it was Kisuke Urahara.

Later…
Urahara Shop

"Oh my. Oh me, oh me, oh my."

Kisuke, Yoruichi and Tessai sat across the tired Substitute, taking in his weary appearance. Ichigo had shown up on his doorstep out of the blue demanding to see him. After explaining the situation of what happened with Mayuri's Synthesis Orb, Kisuke used a device similar to what Mayuri had that confirmed what Ichigo had been telling him, minus all the pins and needles.

Tessai folded his arms and studied Ichigo carefully. While Ichigo's spiritual pressure was normally strong and wild, right now his pressure was all over the place. It was like looking at a chimera of spirit energy. "This is quite the pickle you wound up in, Ichigo."

"Tell me about it…" groaned Ichigo as he sipped some tea. "Kisuke, please tell me you can get these guys out of my head. They're driving me crazy!"

Leaning back on his cushion, the shopkeeper scratched his chin before he frowned. "I'm…afraid I can do little in this situation. I have no idea how to return the captains' consciousness to their respective bodies. I've never experimented on trying to fuse two Soul Reapers' Inner Worlds. This is just a speculation but…" he looked at Ichigo and sensed the four within him. "I'm betting that Mayuri's experiment went haywire because he tried to fuse two captains' zanpakutos together. The amount of spirit energy that even one captain has is massive, let alone two and when Kenpachi and Toshiro got involved, the machine didn't know what to do with all the energy it'd synthesized together and expelled it all in one shot. Mayuri should have realized it would have better to use unseated officers with weaker energy levels."

"So that's why we're stuck in here?" said Kenpachi, who'd been asleep until now. "I'm going to strangle that blue-haired freak when I get out of here!"

Kisuke noted Ichigo wincing in pain, as if someone had just shouted in his ear. "Is there nothing you can do on your end to silence the voices?"

"I can't think of anything," Ichigo said as he rubbed his temples. "I can't just will them silent. It's even worse when I get hit by their memories. My mind goes fuzzy and just reacts to the memories."

Sitting next to Kisuke, Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "Really? You can see into their memories?"

"Not at will. At least, I don't think so. They sort of just happen out of nowhere. I was first practicing with the new Zangetsu when I saw Byakuya and Toshiro train. Then when I used Senbonzakura, I was hit by flashbacks of him training."

"Hmm…sounds like the memories within you are triggered by verbal or physical triggers," Kisuke noted. "Wait, you said you could use Senbonzakura? You can use Byakuya's Shikai?"

"Poorly…" said Byakuya, clearly still irritated at what happened when Ichigo used his blade.

"Shut up, Byakuya…" Ichigo grumbled.

"I see…" Yoruichi pursed her lips as an idea came to her. "I'm curious if you can see all of his memories. Tell me, do you know when I first started calling him 'Little Byakuya'?"

"I-" Ichigo started before the memories took hold of him. Suddenly he was no longer in front of the captains and found himself inside another memory…

"Huh?" Ichigo blinked when he found himself back in the Soul Society. "When am I now?" Hearing footsteps, he turned around to see two people coming towards him. One he partially recognized. The other he did not.

A young Byakuya Kuchiki walked beside an older man as they walked down the wooden rampart. In terms of age he could have been considered eleven or twelve in Human standards. "How goes your studies, Byakuya," the man asked. Ichigo noticed as they walked by him that the older man looked very much like an aged Byakuya, wearing the same scarf and Haori that Byakuya wore in the present day.

"They are going well, Grandfather," Byakuya told the Squad Six captain with more reverence than Ichigo had ever seen the man give anyone. "My teachers are pleased by my progress. They say I will make a fine leader of the Kuchiki Clan." Ichigo noticed how the young Byakuya was looking up at him with eyes eager for praise.

Byakuya's grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki, looked down at his grandson with an unreadable expression. "That remains to be seen, Byakuya. I understand that you are eager to assume your roles as head of the family. But you must take things in stride. Power should always be held responsibly."

Humbled by his grandfather, Byakuya nodded reluctantly. "I understand, Grandfather."

Ichigo followed the two, curious where this memory was heading.

The two continued to walk until they reached an empty stone courtyard. "Hmmm…" the older Captain Kuchiki grumbled when he saw nobody around. "She's not here." The man sighed and shook his head. "Why am I not surprised? She can't even show up on time for her a meeting she called for."

Byakuya blinked in confusion. "Who called this meeting, Grandfather? And why would anyone ask to conduct business between clans here?"

A voice chirped behind Byakuya's ear. "Oh, I just wanted to see how cute Ginrei's grandson was. Can the Kuchiki Clan survive with a clan head with a face that cute?"

Little Byakuya, as well as Ichigo, almost jumped out of his skin when Yoruichi Shihoin behind him, giving a loud squeak. The boy whirled around only for Yoruichi to Flashstep away. "Who? Where?" Byakuya gaped, only to realize that the tie to his hair had been taken. "Who did that?"

Ginrei Kuchiki merely ignored Byakuya's squeak of surprise and focused his attention on the newcomer. "Captain Shihoin. Good day to you."

Ichigo turned to see Yoruichi standing in front of them. The woman wore her Haori, the one that would be later inherited by Soi-Fon. Her hair cut short, the golden-eyed woman flashed the embarrassed Byakuya a grin. "So, this is going to be the next leader of the Kuchiki Clan. What mighty squeaks he makes!" she teased.

The young Byakuya looked like steam was going to shoot out his ears from embarrassed rage. "You…you…" he stammered, wishing he had a zanpakuto to use on the impudent woman.

A hand touched Byakuya's head, stifling his anger. "Now, now, don't be so quick to riled up. She's just like that," Ginrei chastised, already used to the woman's playful behavior. "I thought it best if I introduced you two since one day you might be standing shoulder to shoulder as both captains and heads of your respective clans. Captain Shihoin, this is my grandson, Byakuya."

Byakuya's and Yoruichi's eyes locked. The werecat grinned as she waved to the boy. "Well hello there, Little Byakuya."

"I'm…not…little…" answered the fuming boy…

Ichigo was brought out of the flashback by a shake from Tessai. "Ichigo? Ichigo! You've been sitting there in a daze for the past three minutes."

"I'm fine…" Ichigo said, trying to shake off the disorientation. "I…I saw a memory of when Yoruichi and Byakuya first met." He turned to the curious werecat. "He was…with his…grandfather. You appeared behind him and took his hair tie and called him Little Byakuya."

Yoruichi blinked in astonishment. "Whoa! You really DO have his memories!"

Inside Ichigo's Inner World, Byakuya bristled from having to remember that particular meeting. "She was impudent then and she's impudent now."

"I don't know. It was pretty amusing for the rest of us to watch you jump out of your skin," taunted Kenpachi. "You squeal like a girl."

Ichigo startled everyone by slamming his hand down on the table. "Knock it off, you two!" he shouted, squeezing his eyes shut. "I don't need you starting a fight inside my head!" He looked at the three perplexed ex-Soul Reapers and sighed. "Sorry. They already caused me enough trouble yesterday with their arguing."

"Oh? How so?"

Kisuke and Yoruichi listened to hear Ichigo's recounting of yesterday's events, from his outburst at Orihime to them making up and Ichigo agreeing to go out with her. "Well, you managed to get out of that one nicely," Yoruichi noted with a smile. "Otherwise I'd be the next to slap you."

"Lucky me…" Ichigo said before he pulled out his phone, having forgotten to check his text messages. To his chagrin, his phone was blown up with messages from his friends, wondering what the hell was up with him from his outburst yesterday, with Tatsuki promising that they'd have another "talk" when he came to school. "Glad it's a weekend…" he mumbled before noticing a lone message from Orihime.

"Funny, whenever Ichigo has anything to do with Orihime, it gets sunnier in here," Toshiro noted.

"I can think of a few reasons why…" snickered Kenpachi.

Orihime's message asked when they were going to meet for their date. "Guess I'll ask if we should meet this afternoon to go to the movies…" he muttered to himself, the other three people at the table watching him in amusement.

"Our boy is growing up so fast…" Kisuke chuckled, earning a glare from Ichigo.

Always the serious one of the bunch, Tessai turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "This is still a serious matter, Ichigo. I think it would be in your best interest if you'd spend some time training with your new zanpakuto so you can use Byakuya's powers better."

"We all agree, Ichigo," chimed in Unohana. "You can't allow an incident like yesterday to happen again. Practicing with Senbonzakura could also help you get a grip on Byakuya's memories."

"I guess," Ichigo said, conceding that everyone had a point.

Yoruichi took hold of Ichigo's hand. "Here, Ichigo. I'll train with you."

"Thanks, Yoruichi."

"No problem…Little Ichigo."

Suddenly Ichigo understood Byakuya's anger…

Later…
Kisuke's Underground Chamber

Surrounded by a storm of death petals, Ichigo clenched his teeth while concentrating. Sweat poured down the side of his face as he tried to aim them all at Yoruichi while making sure to keep enough distance between himself and the blades. "This…is…so…frustrating!" he grunted, wincing as a stray blade cut his arm, adding to the collection of cuts on his hands, arms and legs. Yoruichi and Kisuke were astonished to see Ichigo actually use Senbonzakura.

"You have to keep calm, Ichigo!" Yoruichi said as she avoided the clumsy wave of blades. "Try to mimic Byakuya's movements. Think of it as just one giant blade you're controlling instead of a thousand."

"I'm…trying!"

From within Ichigo's Inner World, Byakuya could only shake his head. "Ichigo, you're committing the same blunder as yesterday. You can't hope to master my techniques in just a few hours. My Shikai was developed over decades," he said disapprovingly. "You need to calm your mind."

"Will everyone…stop…talking!" Ichigo grunted before he finally bent over in exhaustion. He held up the handle and let Senbonzakura seal itself back into the blade. "Geez…" he wiped the sweat from his brow, looking down at his hands and arms. "I'm going to have to ask Orihime to heal me before we go out on our date…" he lamented. He waited for one of the captains to chirp in but got no reply. "Nothing from you guys?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nope. We're more interested in watching you make an ass out of yourself," Kenpachi simply said.

"It's a good thing you've got Senbonzakura…" added Toshiro. "Thank goodness you didn't use Hyorinmaru. You'd have frozen over the town from your lack of control."

"You mean, if he didn't freeze himself first. I hadn't noticed until now how inept Ichigo is on his lack of proper skills. Apart from the Getsuga Tensho he has no other Soul Reaper skills to draw upon," said an irate Byakuya.

"YOU GUYS ARE JERKS!"

Yoruichi cocked her head. "You alright, Ichigo?"

Sheathing his zanpakuto, Ichigo shook his head. "Sorry, sorry. They're just being overly critical."

"Well, I think it stems from boredom. They're trapped in your head with nothing else to do," Yoruichi guessed, walking up to Ichigo. "Hmm…"

Ichigo saw the smile on her face and didn't like it one bit. "What are you thinking about, Yoruichi?" he cautiously asked.

Tapping her chin, Yoruichi's smile grew into a wide grin. "Oh, nothing much. Just what other juicy memories of Little Byakuya I can make you see."

"Don't you dare!" both Ichigo and Byakuya shouted in unison. But it was far too late to stop the devious werecat.

"Hmm…I wonder…" Yoruichi suddenly disappeared from Ichigo's sight. Suddenly, arms wrapped around Ichigo's waist and he felt the woman's hot breath in his ear. "Why don't I remind you both of the first time I transformed in front of you?"

The embarrassed memory of Yoruichi changing from her feline form and showing Ichigo her feminine glory triggered another memory from Byakuya's past, showing that the man had a similar experience…

Ichigo found himself standing in Byakuya's room. The moon was full, its light revealing the sleeping Byakuya Kuchiki in bed. Unlike before, Ichigo noted how this was a little more older Byakuya, looking more like a fifteen year old. "Huh? What am I doing here?"

He waited for several minutes for the memory to unfold until he heard the faintest of footsteps. From the window appeared a black cat. The feline dropped down into the floor and stalked its way towards the bed…

"Nghh…" Byakuya stirred when the cat walked onto the blanket and sat on his chest, rousing the boy from sleep. "Huh?" he wiped the sleep from his eyes and sat up to see the black cat on his bed. "What's a cat doing here?"

"Meow…" The black cat purred and rubbed itself against Byakuya's chest.

To Ichigo's utter astonishment, Byakuya's face lit up and he stroked the cat's back, letting it cling to his chest while nuzzling his neck. "Aww! He's so cute! No collar…" Byakuya checked it over and found no identification. "Maybe it's a stray? I'll ask grandfather if I can keep it. I'll make him mine and I'll call him…Midnight."

"That's a nice name, Little Byakuya."

Once again, Byakuya almost jumped out of his skin. "You…you talked?!"

The cat put a paw to his lips. "Shush, Little Byakuya. What was that you were saying? About making me yours?"

Young Byakuya blinked. "Little?" He only knew one person who'd be so impudent to call him that.

Before he could voice his thoughts, however, the cat disappeared in a puff of smoke. Byakuya coughed and tried to move but found a heavy weight on his lap. "So is Little Byakuya going to make me his?" asked a feminine voice. When the smoke cleared, Byakuya found sitting on his lap a very nude Yoruichi, smiling widely at him.

The rush of blood to his head came with such force that blood poured out of Byakuya's nose. The shock of seeing the naked Yoruichi so suddenly was so great that he fainted instantly…

Back in the present, Ichigo was suffering a similar reaction. He put his hands to his face as blood shot from his nose, Byakuya's shock and embarrassment imprinting itself onto him. He leaned back and almost fell on top of Yoruichi before he righted himself. "Damn it, Yoruichi! Don't make me see someone like that! Remembering you doing that to me was bad enough."

Ichigo's reaction caused Yoruichi to laugh out loud. "Yep! That's the exact reaction Byakuya had!" She offered Ichigo a rag for his nose while wiping the tear from her eyes. "Oh, this is comedy gold…" Giving him a comforting pat on the back, Yoruichi gestured to the ladder. "Go and clean yourself up. You've got a date in a few hours, remember?"

Nodding, Ichigo headed for the ladder while Yoruichi continued to giggle at both his and Byakuya's expense.

Meanwhile…
Ichigo's Inner World

Staring at his own humiliating memory in the glass, Byakuya was fuming in anger from Yoruichi dredging up that old memory. He could feel the stares from his fellow captains as well as Senbonzakura. "Not a word…" he said, glaring up at Kenpachi's mad grin. "One word and I will show you how Senbonzakura is properly used…"

Toshiro and Unohana put their hands up in defense, clearly not wanting to anger the man further.

Kenpachi merely shook his head. "Your squealing is going to be what I think about when I go to sleep tonight…"

Byakuya's eyes narrowed. "I hate you both so much."

To be continued