Never Again?

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hollow, but Ichigo's not in right now. As a replacement or something, how about playing with me instead?" Kurosaki Isshin to Grand Fisher

A/N: I'll promise you guys. You all will hate me to the guts at the end of this chapter, I'm sure about this. But – maybe – there are some strange people enjoying this kind of story. They would be my soul mates XD Well, I'll see in your reviews anyway.

Ichi: Kurosaki Ichigo, shisu!

He had won. Aizen Sōsuke was dead. Really and for eternity dead.

Kurosaki Ichigo had killed the traitorous Shinigami. Once and for all.

But nobody could enjoy this fact. Nobody could be happy about the end of the winter war that caused so much death, pain and sorrow.

All the traitors were dead but hardly anyone would miss them. Omaeda Marechiyo lost his life to the Segunda but who cared anyways? Kurotsuchi Mayuri didn't make it but the people couldn't care less.

The one everybody would've loved to celebrate the end of the war with, the one everybody thought would – no – could not die, the one who saved them all…

Kurosaki Ichigo had died.

And he died in a way nobody would've thought of. Nobody thought this could even be possible. But it has been his specialty to surprise them all in the weirdest ways.

Flashback

Nobody could tell how long Aizen and Ichigo had fought when they finally stopped for some seconds. Now finally they could see them clearly and not only as blurs flashing through the air. Every now and then there had blood splashed to the ground but never ever once did they stop their deadly dance-like fight battled in a speed not even the Goddess of Flash could've kept up with.

It was a wonder the both of them could still stand upright much less fight in the condition they were in. The gashes they were covered in were deep.

'Surely they can hardly breath. Their muscles must've been gravely injured', thought Unohana watching the two male Shinigami glaring at each other in obvious disgust and hatred.

Ichigo caught his breath and took a painful step forward. He tried to restrain a cry of agony with not much succeed but he managed to muffle it down a bit.

Taking in a deep breath he used Shunpo to come close to Aizen. Their chests nearly touched. Aizen was too surprised and exhausted to back away or doing something else.

His unsteady beating heart skipped a few paces when Ichigo brought his hands together. Aizen knew this move but couldn't believe his eyes. He'd study this human long enough to know he wasn't capable of such things. Heck, he didn't even had a clue how to suppress his Reiatsu!

'But… he has contact to the Vaizado… they can't have managed to… but… Ushōda had managed to kill the Segunda… it wouldn't be such a stupid thought…'

He snapped back to the present when Ichigo began to mumble. The theater of war was in such a deafening silence everybody could clearly hear what he was saying. And – except for Ushōda Hachigen – they couldn't believe their ears.

"Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light divide this into six! Bakudō 61: Rikujōkōrō!"

Six beams of light slammed into the two rivals. Three into Ichigo's back and sides as well as into Aizen's. They couldn't move anymore, just hardly speak.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you capturing us into a Bakudō? That won't get you anywhere! Your Shinigami and Vaizado friends can't fight anymore! They're beaten up!"

Ichigo glared at him coldly: "I'm not planning to let them kill you. I swore I would be the one ending this, Aizen. I and no one else!"

"Then what-"

"But I can't put up a real fight anymore. However, I've got enough Reiatsu left to do at least… this."

He closed his eyes and slowly his spiritual energy rose to a level nobody would've thought he could reach in such a condition.

Finally he opened his eyes again. They were melancholy and he smiled sadly when he whispered for everyone audible: "Hadō 90: Kurohitsugi…"

He had sacrificed himself for their sakes.

Flashback End

Half of a year had passed since then. Rukia hadn't returned to Soul Society since the end of the war. She had declined becoming the Fukutaichō of Squad 13. She didn't go to school either. She only lay on Ichigo's bed and cried till no more tears wanted to fall. Of all people she took it the gravest. Yuzu and Karin were similar down but not nearly as broken as the petite Shinigami.

Not even time would manage to heal the wounds her heart had. Because the one that was her heart was lost for all eternity.

Around the same time in Soul Society…

"This damn Ichigo! I can't believe this guy sacrificed himself!!", roared Zaraki Kenpachi while cutting everything in his reach.

Ukitake was sad. He had to admit he missed Rukia. She was like a little sister to him and it hurt him to see her in such a condition.

He couldn't believe what Ichigo had done. He saved them all in killing himself.

Someone knocked at the door of his office.

"Enter!"

"Hai, Ukitake-taichō", a quiet Kiyone entered with a file in her hands.

"What's this?"

"Someone graduated the academy in…"

"In?"

She gulped: "This man graduated the Shinigami Academy in three months, sir."

Ukitake's jaw dropped: "What? You got to be kidding, Kiyone. That's impossible!"

"But it's true, sir. Here's his file."

Ukitake took the papers from his 3rd seat officer and read them.

'It's true… he graduated in three months… obtained his Zanpakutō at the first try… his Reiatsu says he can go Shikai and… what the bloody Hell? Bankai? That's impossible! Declined to show Shikai or Bankai when not needed to… also shows an incredible high growing rate… was able to use high-leveled Kidōspells with Eishohaki… captain-level Reiatsu… Kami, this guy is a monster… such things are impossible… I can't think of someone having such powers…'

He suddenly looked up: "Kiyone… why isn't there a name told in this report?"

"Because… well…"

"Yes?"

"The guys at the Academy recognized him at first sight…"

"WHO is it, Kiyone?"

She looked up in his eyes and he was shocked to see tears running down her cheek: "It's him. Nobody knows why but it's him without any doubt…"

Ukitake was away in a second and Kiyone sunk to her knees letting her tears fall free: "How can it be he's back? That's impossible!"

At the Academy grounds…

"Ukitake-taichō!"

"How comes he came to the Academy instead of the Seireitei?"

"Well, you see, Ukitake-taichō… It seems… as if *****"

Ukitake's eyes widened: "You're kidding. He did WHAT?"

A few days later in Karakura…

Rukia lay on his bed not wanting to think of him but the images of his dead body still haunted her even after half a year passed.

Her Soul Pager rung.

"Yes?"

"Rukia? It's me, Ukitake."

"What is it?"

"I want you to come here as soon as possible."

"I said I won't come back, Ukitake-taichō."

"I know but here's someone you have to see. Hell, you won't believe me. It's *****"

Her eyes widened in shock. That was just impossible! Without saying another word she hung of and run to Urahara's as fast as her legs would do.

Urahara looked up in surprise when his door slided open and revealed Rukia totally out of breath.

"What the? Rukia? What-?"

"I have to go to the Soul Society now!"

~*~

When Ukitake had seen him he thought he would faint for sure. That was impossible, really impossible but his eyes told him otherwise.

He had gladly accepted to become his Fukutaichō. What was going on? Ukitake didn't know. It was strange. The boy's Reiatsu didn't blur out uncontrolled instead it was even disguised. His Zanpakutō was sealed. A normal katana with read hilt, the guard was rectangular and looked exactly the same as the one of Rukia's sword. The sheath was black.

He wasn't in any way like he used to be. He smiled just as an example. Ukitake hadn't seen him scowl once. That was just strange.

He sensed Rukia half an hour after he'd called her to come and told her… most of everything. He wanted to tell her the whole story but she'd already hung of when he came to the point.

He sighed and called for his… Fukutaichō telling him he would introduce him to a Squad member that fought and survived the war while she didn't inhabit a seated position. His new second seat raised his eyebrows in disbelieve but followed.

When Rukia saw him again she new something was wrong.

'His Reiatsu, his Zanpakutō, his expression and how he looked at her. He didn't seem to care what happened half a year ago. Like he died…

"Ichigo…?"

"Eh? Yeah, that's my name but… do I know you?"

Well, here you have it!! I told you you would hate me!! I know it was obvious who it was but I wanted to not tell his name till this particular moment. And you probably know what the guy from the Academy told Ukitake, right? Well, review please!

Ichigo: You let me kill myself????

Me: Yeah, so what? You're alive, aren't you? … well, you're technically dead but you know what I mean…

*Rukia joins our bickering*

Rukia: Kuro-chaaaan… HOW THE HELL DID YOU COME UP WITH THIS STUPID IDEA OF ME GOING ALL EMO BECAUSE THIS MORON DIED???

Ichigo: … you're not sad I died in here…?

Rukia: It's just a stupid story!

Me: It's not stupid!

*And so it went on all night…*

ichi – one

shisu – dead (as in: he's dead) (I actually kind of… 'borrowed' this from the 17th episode, tehe…)

Eishohaki – doing a Kidōspell without the encantaion