Okay, so it's been almost a year since I've updated this story. I'm so sorry for that. I had a lot on my plate and couldn't take the time to invest myself in every story I have up right now. It was easier for me to focus on the easy plots because I wanted to make sure I did my plot for this story properly and in a way I can be proud of. I now have the time to invest myself back into this plot and get this story rolling. Thank you all for being so patient with me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters, I just like to make fanfiction. The credits due go to their rightful owners.

Kisuke, Byakuya, and Zangetsu were each well aware of the tension within the room. It was thick enough to cut with a knife, and well past suffocating. Pride prevented the men from breaking the silence, and left the owner of the shop they resided in to watch a captain and a zanpakuto clash. Kisuke was beginning to grow aggravated at Byakuya Kuchiki's insufferable ability to make any situation tense. The blone ex-captain flicked his fan open again, the first sound made since the room's door clicked shut. This immediately turned all eyes onto the scientist, who seemed completely unaffected by the atmosphere.

"His condition is unchangeable for now because of his depleted reitsu." Kisuke announced, glancing at Byakuya to watch his reaction. The heir's eyes widened a fraction, but otherwise he remained stoic.

Depleted?

"You mean-"

"Yes, he has reitsu, foolish Captain. I wouldn't be here otherwise." Zangetsu's tone was cold and calculating, with a hint of an all too familiar Kurosaki-like anger leeching into his words. Byakuya glared at the physical manifestation of Ichigo's zanpakuto, disliking the attitude coming from him. The Kuchiki heir could see clearly he was not the only one who blamed himself for Ichigo's predicament. As tension skyrocketed with Zangetsu's harsh words, Kisuke Urahara sighed dramatically behind his fan. This was going to be an interesting time for poor Ichigo.

"Now now, this isn't the time to be fighting, Kuchiki-san and Zangetsu-san," The scientist chided, his innocent voice steeling something inside the two other members. That voice was dangerous coming from Ichigo's mentor, anyone acquainted with him would know. Two pairs of angry eyes turned to the exiled captain, who's own eyes were shadowed by his signature hat.

"Ichigo Kurosaki is dear to many people's hearts, which is precisely why so many worked for him to regain his shinigami powers. Everyone involved to catch this viscous new arrancar had decided to keep him from the case for fear of him losing his abilities he only recently recovered."

Byakuya felt another pang of guilt enter his heart as Urahara spoke. As the leader of the investigation surrounding this new arrancar, he was at fault for letting the brash teenager anywhere near such a powerful creature. Foolish boy, he never should have rushed into battle. Isshin Kurosaki had obviously never taught his son any common sense. The Kuchiki heir's frown twitched at the thought. Isshin had never had much common sense either, so in the end he couldn't have expected much.

"Despite this, it is no surprise that Ichigo wormed his way into a fight he had no business in. That's just who he is, we all know that."

Kisuke snapped the fan shut and rose his head up a fraction so he could make eye contact with his audience. Byakuya's frown deepened, while Zangetsu simply remained impassive.

"It seems our little strawberry has regressed in size and mind to accommodate for his loss of reitsu. When I say mind, I mean he acts like a seven year old, he has no recollection of any of us. But his zanpakuto clearly does. This leads me to believe he allowed his core to retain this information, but he himself will not access it. Is that right, Zangetsu?"

The zanpakuto's eyes shifted from their lock on Kisuke and moved back to the rigid form of the Kuchiki heir. He sighed and closed his eyes, the vision of his master's inner world flashing across his eyes as he did so. The deadly silence of the water lulling against an endless sea of skyscrapers filled his senses, as it has for quite some time now.

"Yes." The affirmation was quiet, almost too quiet to hear. It was completely inaudible to the speaker himself.

"Ichigo is willingly repressing his memories so his body can heal without stress," Zangetsu explained, opening his eyes as he felt the Kuchiki's own eyes boring into him. The rush of water continued to impair his hearing, although it lessened steadily as his eyes regained their focus.

"He has been trying to fix his mind since I was returned to him, trying to pull his inner world from the ocean he placed it in. He is now an adult, living on his own. For a while, he has been coping without the people he came to depend on for quite some time. His memories won't return until he's ready, unfortunately."

Kisuke sighed once more, his head falling back down a fraction to cover his eyes. He had feared as much.

Byakuya remained quiet, unsure of what to do with this newfound information. He had never known Ichigo Kurosaki to be anything other than strong, and annoyingly so. To hear that Kurosaki's mental state had deteriorated in the time it took the soul society to find a way to return his reitsu came as a shock. Their silence did more damage than they had expected. The thought left Byakya in discomfort.

"I see. That is a problem he must face himself, so he may understand that those who love him had never truly left him. For now, we must focus on what we can do for our Ichigo," Kisuke replied, his voice softer than it had once been. The blonde scientist turned his back on the two, facing the door. "Captain Kuchiki, I'm afraid I must ask you to do us all a favor. Zangetsu here has somehow talked little Ichigo into trusting you more than anyone else. He must be kept safe in the Soul Society, where his reitsu can replenish quickly and with no interference. Can you take him in for an undetermined amount of time?"

The Kushiki heir's heart stopped briefly. Could he take care of a child? He was not the ideal choice, he couldn't give a child the love and comfort they often needed. He was emotionally detached, while this child version of Ichigo was carefree and absolutely exploding with emotion. The heir could feel Zangetsu's eyes burning into him, daring him to say no. He understood. This was his punishment, provided by the zanpakuto.

"Yes, I can accommodate for him in the manor," Byakuya replied, feeling it would be the least he could do for the former ryoka. He was indebted to the brash teen, after all.

Within moments of his answer, the captain was left alone in the room. The tension remained behind, lingering unpleasantly around Byakuya. The thick air suffocated him slightly, and yet he remained. He glanced around the small room, feeling lost for the umpteenth time that day. Rukia would have been a much more suitable caretaker, or even his lieutenant. Renji Abari was brash, yes, but he was good with kids. The captain of squad six shook his head, ridding himself of the harboring thoughts. Now was not the time to dwell on his decision. He was not a stranger to taking on more than he could handle, and he was positive he would do this properly. He had to.

Byakuya entered the common area of the shop, shunpoing out of the way as a cackling Ichigo ran past in a blur. Jinta followed suit, only seconds behind the orange blur.

"W-Wait! Jinta, don't hurt him," Ururu called out meekly as she chased after the two. Tessai watched impassively, not willing to jump in between the children's banter. There was no sign of the quincy, which left Byakuya to wonder if Kisuke had said something in the time it took him to exit from the bedroom.

With a quick glance at his new charge, Byakuya knew they would have to leave the world of the living relatively soon. Ichigo was exhausting what little reitsu present surrounding the shop just by playing with Jinta. His lip quirked down in the formation of a frown. Leaving before Isshin Kurosaki caught wind of his son's predicament would also be ideal.

[2 HOURS LATER]

Byakuya Kuchiki stared at a sleeping toddler Ichigo Kuchiki. The orange haired boy's frame was swallowed by his Shihakusho, Zangetsu in blade form laying next to his owner. The Kuchiki head hesitated for a moment at the sight. Youth was rare in the soul society, but innocent youth was practically non-existent. Children have little innocence to hold onto in a place such as the Soul Society. To see a soul with such purity, especially in Kurosaki, was no less than extraordinary. The sight made the soul reaper reluctant to wake Ichigo. But they had to leave. His exhaustion wouldn't ever get better without the proper amount of reitsu surrounding him.

"Kur-Ichigo," Byakuya muttered, correcting himself as he gently shook the toddler awake. The boy was not receptive to his calls unless he used his first name. Bleary brown eyes peeked up at him, a soft smile thrown at the captain. The boy stretched, arching his back much like a cat. With a small yawn and a few blinks, Ichigo finally sat up. Exhaustion was painted on the boy's face, his eyelids constantly drooping back down.

"Byakuya-kun," Ichigo murmured, grabbing onto his Haori. The boy slumped onto his leg, much to Byakuya's discomfort. He stood still, staring at the exhausted toddler for a few moments. The sound of soft snores pulled him from his stature and he sighed in defeat. He scooped the small boy into his arms and picked up his zanpakuto, walking out of the small room so he could give his farewells. As he found Urahara, he was vaguely displeased to see Yuroichi with him.

"Oh look at this precious sight," Yuroichi cooed, slipping from her seat and prowling up to the two. Byakuya scowled, his temper rising with each step she drew nearer. Something about Yuroichi's mere presence always threatened to unravel all of the Kuchiki's self control.

"He is still exhausted, Urahara-san. I must take him to the Soul Society now," Byakuya informed, pointedly ignoring Yuroichi's presence. Kisuke stared at the two with his head tilted, the shadow of his hat blocking one eye completely as he did so. With a flick of his wrist, his fan bloomed in front of the rest of his face nonchalantly.

"For some reason, Zangetsu is entrusting Ichigo's life to you. Do make sure that trust isn't broken, or you will have many people after your head," Kisuke replied. Byakuya stared unblinkingly for a moment. The warning was clear. He bowed his head in understanding.

"I will not fail Ichigo."

With nothing left to say, Byakuya opened a Senkaimon. He did not look back as he stepped into the light, but he felt Urahara and Yuroichi's eyes on his back as he disappeared with their boy.

He was soon back in the Soul Society, his arms wrapped protectively around Ichigo. Stars shone brightly on the pair as they stood in the barren street. Drunken reapers could be heard distantly, their laughs as pleasant and warm as the summer air. The clan member shunpoed back to his manor, wanting no disturbances until he had Ichigo settled into a comfortable bed.