Hello everyone, we are back! Here is part two in this series, which picks up at the start of canon with Ichigo at 15, this part is going to focus more on Ichigo's character development and will probably go up to the end of the Winter War. Also, there won't be any major pairings just subtext but feel free to read into all of that. I'll also try to update consistently every Monday, but sometimes life gets in the way. Read on and enjoy!

Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo

X

The roof was almost quiet, there was a buzz from the generator against his back and the chatter of the students below, it drifted in the light breeze and Ichigo tilted his head back for a moment to bask in the sunlight; he felt sort of like Yoruichi. Chad shifted pressed beside Ichigo a line of warmth and he could hear the soft rhythm of his breathing could feel his presence like a hum before an earthquake. Uryū scoffed, the sound sharp and clinical, and Ichigo blinked and stared across the roof. Uryū was working on a stitching thing and his glasses caught the sunlight like a prism casting hues of colour on the cloth he was hunched over. Ichigo flashed his cousin a grin, let the expression stretch when Uryū glared at him without a touch of hate but more for convention and propriety.

The quiet was nice, Keigo and Asano were inside aiding one teacher or another with a menial task and Tatsuki generally didn't sit with them, but it wasn't really quiet. Ichigo could feel Uryū and Chad's reaitsu speaking without words, soft bursts of emotion or fragments of thought. They were still half-heartedly arguing over patrol, Ichigo had volunteered early during lunch but Uryū had done the same with a muttered word about his father. Chad didn't particularly care as he usually went on patrol unless he had a gig (in which case they all showed up and shoved patrol onto Kisuke).

The bell rung, shrill in the hazy hum of the afternoon, Ichigo didn't want to move, wanted to stay curled up in the comforting blanket of heat surrounding him. Uryū set his needlework done and adjusted the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose before he raised a brow at Ichigo as if he knew what he was thinking. It was Uryū so he probably did.

Sighing Ichigo stretched his arms above his head and rose to his feet, he turned to Chad a miniature sun glinting at his chest and extended his hand. Chad looked up at him from beneath the heavy fall of his hair and it was enough as he grasped his hand and rose to his feet. They slipped from the rooftop and into their homeroom before the second bell rang, the other students milling towards their desks as Ichigo walked towards his spot perched near the window.

"Kurosaki-kun! I had the strangest dream last night!"

Ichigo turned to face Orihime, she was smiling with an almost visible halo of sunshine around her and he could almost feel it in his bones. Tatsuki stood behind Orihime, her arms were crossed, and she was tapping a foot impatiently, glancing between the door and the class with narrowed eyes.

"What did you dream?"

Ichigo questioned as he settled into his seat and stared up at Orihime. If at all possible, her smile became brighter and she clasped her hands over her chest and bounced on the balls of her feet, it was such an Orihime thing. Ichigo didn't know her very well, but she was Tatsuki's friend and that was enough for Ichigo because Tatsuki never picked assholes or idiots to be her friends.

"There were these huge aliens that towered above everything, and they were made of cubes, and the cubes were all the same, but they all wanted to be different. And then! Then the alien swallowed its own hand."

"Sorry to cut your story shut but I need to get to class Orihime."

Tatsuki said and her eyes were fond, and she was smiling, not the victory smile that still haunted his nightmares but something softer. Orihime's hands fluttered in front of her chest but she nodded and wrapped her arms around Tatsuki in brief hug before spinning away. Tatsuki shook her head and exited the classroom with a wave over her shoulder as Orihime turned to face Ichigo likely seeking an interpretation of her dream; he had nothing.

Their teacher entered the classroom and slid the door shut with a click that was quiet but brought about a silence all the same as the students still meandering about filed into their seats Orihime flashed a quick wave of her hand at Ichigo and darted to her own seat. Ichigo turned in his seat and listened as the teacher began the lesson.

After school, in the shade of the gates, Ichigo could see the students spill from the school a riot of grey that blurred in front of his vision for a moment. None of them knew. Sometimes it was strange to contemplate, to think about how he could have been the same, would never have known Kisuke and the Vizard, would have lived his life unaware. Strange but not as strange as the supernatural.

"I'm doing the patrol."

"Like hell you are."

Ichigo responded tilting his head over his shoulder to stare at Uryū who was scowling with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Uryū raised a brow and his Quincy cross hung around his wrist as he stared at Ichigo with a bored stare.

"Fine, fine don't get your panties in a twist."

Ichigo succeeded with a flap of his hand, ever since Uryū's grandfather had died Uryū could be prickly, and if had to do with his father it was probably best to let him force his anger on an unsuspecting hollow rather than his latest sewing problem (he would bitch so much if he messed it up).

Uryū's shoulders slumped and he nodded once and exited the school, Ichigo watched the proud line of his shoulders (the kind that hid everything) for a long moment before he felt Chad's presence. He glanced up at Chad and with a nod, they exited the school.

City life was loud, it was bustling, it filled every space that it could, but the walk home was quiet as if there were a hush that had fallen over everything like something was going to happen. It reminded Ichigo of a lesson on natural disasters, the teacher had mentioned that the animals always knew beforehand, they would get quiet, would leave; it felt something like that.

They parted ways at the normal intersection, Ichigo bumped his fist against Chad's and flashed his friend a smile before turning and entering the local convenience store. It was small with crowded aisles and the too loud whirring of a fan trying to combat the heat, the flowers at the back were wilting sadly and Ichigo almost felt sorry for them as he selected a bouquet with purple flowers and paid for it.

The memorial was still there but the ghost wasn't, Ichigo had performed Konsou on her a day after he had discovered her ghost. He told himself it was better that way as he settled the flowers at the small marker. He wasn't sure if it was true.

Zangetsu hovered over his shoulder peering at the flowers with a blink of mismatched eyes (it was a relatively new development) as he tilted his head to rest it on his hand. Ichigo turned to his zanpaktou spirit and tilted his head waiting for the inevitable question as he rose to his feet.

"You're going to waste your money if ya buy flowers for every poor unfortunate soul indefinitely."

Ichigo didn't dignify the words with a response, he didn't really need to and they both knew it was irrelevant. Rolling his shoulders Ichigo continued to walk home with his hands curled around the keys in his pocket as his eyes swept around the streets. Kisuke said Aizen's surveillance was near constant and almost completely invisible, it made him feel paranoid (Benihime would say that was good) but he tried to ignore it.

The door clicked open and Ichigo stepped inside with his chest tight for a moment but there was nothing as he toed off his shoes and entered the living room. The old man was probably still in the clinic. Karin was on the couch, a tv show with bright colours on but muted as she hunched over her homework with a fierce scowl that promised death to the next math question. Ichigo muffled a grin and ruffled his hand through her hair earning a swat and a roll of her eyes.

Chuckling, Ichigo entered the kitchen, Yuzu was hovering over the cutting board with a knife in her hand. She turned and grinned at him with a wave of her knife that was only vaguely concerning. Ichigo pressed a kiss to her forehead and answered the mandatory questions about how school was before throwing them back at his sister. Yuzu prattled on for a few minutes gesturing with the knife in her hand in between cutting as she smiled, and it felt right in Ichigo's chest.

Dinner was a dramatic affair, as it always was, Karin insulted the old man, Yuzu attempted to placate everything, Ichigo eventually intervened, and their dad ended up crying at the giant poster of their mom. It was normal and the food was great and Ichigo felt for a just a single moment as he spooned rice into his mouth that it was fine, that maybe there wasn't something hanging over the heads just waiting to happen.

After dinner, he retired to his room and pulled out his English homework and attempted to puzzle out English contractions to Zangetsu's amusement and prattling commentary. Then she appeared.

She slipped in through the window, a pale spectre cloaked in shadows, behind her followed a being of ice, of crystal, hues of silver and the whole entire spectrum of colour caught together in the drape of fabric and the fall of pale hair. A Shinigami and her zanpaktou spirit.

Ichigo's heart stuttered in his chest and for a single moment, all he could feel was fear, something heavy in his stomach and sour in his throat as he stared wide-eyed at the Shinigami. She was there for his family, for his father, because of his power, because of who his father had been, because of what they were, what they represented.

Arms wrapped around Ichigo's shoulders, warm and heavy grounding him to the moment as Zangetsu's voice stated, "She ain't looking at you, she's not here for that. Calm down Ichi."

He was right, she wasn't looking at him she was glancing at the room and staring at the shiny screen of her phone (he assumed it was a phone) when her eyes swept over him, they didn't rest there, in fact they were completely dismissive as if he were nothing but a nice lamp on a table. It was okay. Ichigo nodded and inhaled debating how to handle the situation. He could let the Shinigami go, pretend as if he'd never seen her.

But there could be a hollow nearby.

It wouldn't surprise Ichigo if there was one. Even though his reaitsu wasn't like honey for flies anymore, tucked close to his body and vibrating through his veins, Aizen was a bitch who liked to send hollows to Karakura, so the point was neutral. And if there was a hollow then his family was in danger.

"Uh hello, Shinigami-san?"

Ichigo called out waving his hand in front of the Shinigami's eyes (they were almost purple which was cool) she blinked but didn't acknowledge his words. He supposed it was something of a natural reaction if you lived your life where no one living was aware of you, at least in the mortal world. Still, he tried again and this time that Shinigami looked at him with wide eyes and a furrowed brow as she questioned, "You can see me?"

Her spirit drifted closer to stare at Ichigo bringing with her a literal chill, and up close he could see frost on her cheeks and crystals on her eyelashes. Ichigo nodded and bowed once as he introduced himself, "Ichigo Kurosaki."

"This is impossible, a human shouldn't be able to see me."

She replied staring at Ichigo with a crumpled expression, she looked a moment away from pulling a standard issue Soul Society pamphlet on how to deal with Enigmas. Instead, she shook her head and bowed in return, "Rukia Kuchiki, how are you able to see me human?"

"Runs in the family," It wasn't a lie, he continued, "Could you please tell me why you're in my room."

She frowned and studied the device in her hands for a moment where he could almost feel her internal conflict before she replied, "There's supposed to be a hollow here. But it's not appearing on my sensors."

"Try going outside. Maybe the walls are messing with it."

Ichigo suggested with a shrug, it seemed to be the obvious solution when the problem was that it was likely an altered hollow; otherwise known as Aizen's latest experiment. She stared at him with a blank expression before she responded, "What?"

"If you go outside then you might get a better symbol, and my house won't get demolished. I'll even come with you so we can test my theory."

Ichigo offered with a shrug studying the Shinigami and her spirit. Kuchiki-san frowned again, she did that a lot, and straightened, she also did that often but nodded as she replied, "That seems to be the best course of action. But you could be putting yourself in danger."

She kind of gave him Benihime vibes for a moment. She was right, but the point was also decidedly mute because of certain secrets on both sides. Ichigo debated going down the stairs for a moment but then Karin and Yuzu would probably see Kuchiki-san and then there would be explanations that he probably couldn't give. Yet. The window slid open with a hiss and Ichigo glanced over his shoulder at the Shinigami (who was probably a noble of some kind) with a grin as he slid onto the roof and down the side of his house onto the patches of yellow grass there.

The Shinigami appeared beside him a moment later, she was shorter than she had first appeared, almost a head or two, but something inside Ichigo screamed about not mentioning it as he picked his way out of the small side alley.

"So, you know about hollows and Shinigami," he nodded with a hum as he pushed open a gate, she frowned and continued, "How?"

"Would it help if I told you I know Urahara-san the owner of the Shōten?"

Ichigo tossed over his shoulder as he stepped into the street and let his eyes sweep over the cookie cutter houses that in the evening light loomed almost menacing but failed a little bit due to the topiary.

"No."

"Makes sense. He's my uncle."

Ichigo replied to Kuchiki-san's dull no and grinned at her splutters at his casual response. He felt no obligation to clarify that Kisuke was technically his adopted uncle because that would be spoiling the fun. He cast his reaitsu around in a circle but couldn't sense anything and for a moment he wondered if there truly was a hollow and not just a messed-up device from Soul Society.

The Shinigami stepped up beside him resting her hand over the hilt of her zanpaktou as she glanced at their surroundings. Her spirit drifted behind her, almost floating and he could feel Zangetsu's curiosity his desire to interact with another spirit. Except it probably wouldn't go over well.

"Looks like there's not- "

A roar split the night and Ichigo tensed as the Shinigami beside him drew her zanpaktou, her eyes were suddenly like ice and she looked competent (and fragile). A hollow lumbered out of a side street and into the halo of a street light, the pale light skittered over its skin and for a moment all Ichigo could taste was sand.

"Get back, it's not safe human, I'll handle this!"

Kuchiki-san yelled as she thrust one hand out, the zanpaktou in her hand glinted strangely, like ice, in the light. Ichigo hesitated for a moment uncertain, all of him was screaming to help this Shinigami he didn't even know, who he had only met a few minutes ago. It was his hero complex probably, but he couldn't sit still and watch her fight the hollow when he had the ability to help.

He materialized Zangetsu, the blade looked pitch black in his hands and when he looked up Kuchiki-san had already engaged the hollow. She was in the air above its head, poised with her blade to slice through its mask. The hollow whipped around suddenly, sharp like whiplash and one large arm slashed out catching the Shinigami in the side as she was tossed back.

Ichigo ran forward and before the hollow could strike again, he caught its arm on his blade, blood spurted into the air, dark almost black in the sinking sun as Ichigo sunk into a lower stance against the weight of the hollow. Kuchiki-san stepped up beside him, she stared a long moment at his blade in silence as the hollow roared before she adjusted her grip on her zanpaktou and in a burst of shunpo appeared behind the hollow.

It turned away from Ichigo and swung its claws towards Kuchiki-san who flickered out of the way, Ichigo darted around the hollow and while Kuchiki-san distracted the hollow he sliced through its arm. It roared as blood filled the air and acrid yellow eyes stared into Ichigo's own. Kuchiki-san's blade cleaved through the hollow's mask in a clean motion, slicing through the thick muscle of the hollow as she landed on her feet.

The hollow stumbled a step forward before it dispersed, white particles drifting through the air. Ichigo wiped away the blood smeared across his cheek (it was cold) and turned to face the Shinigami. She was staring at Ichigo with something like a smile, but it was a fragile thing and there was something behind it that Ichigo wasn't certain he could understand.

"So, not quite a regular human huh?"

"Not really no."

Ichigo replied in what was basically the ultimate understatement. Ichigo grinned at Kuchiki-san with the sound of his heart beating and blood pounding through his veins in his ears. The night was cool around them but Ichigo's breath was hot in his lungs.

Instinct was all that alerted him to it. He twisted, Zangetsu striking out to sever through flesh as a Hollow, thin and too bony, appeared behind him. Rukia was beside him in an instant her hands were tight on her zanpaktou and he could see her spirit out of the corner of his eye.

"Did your device detect this?"

Ichigo asked a touch breathlessly as he was forced to drop and roll as a wing swept through the air. Rukia pursed her lips as she landed in the air only to jump back as the hollow's wings stretched towards her. Ichigo tightened his hands on Zangetsu's hilt and charged forward, he ducked under a wing, a raised his blade to strike.

A leg slammed into his torso tossing the breath from his lungs as Ichigo rolled across the hard pavement and to his feet with a ragged gasp. Fucking pavement. Rukia was in front of the hollow on the ground, her blade danced through the air and cut off a wing only for her to jump back as an arm swiped towards her.

Rising to his feet Ichigo charged forward only to pause and catch Rukia as she slammed into his arms, he planted her onto her feet and charged forward. Ichigo dodged under an arm and in a move, Kisuke had practised with him fifty times bisected the hollow. Panting Ichigo watched as it crumbled to dust, felt blood cooling on his cheeks and dripping off his blade as Rukia stepped up beside him staring at where the hollow had been. She was also covered in blood.

Ichigo glanced around their surroundings searching for something and wondering at the feeling of something like after it rained. But there was nothing just the streets and even his reaitsu couldn't feel anything.

Rukia swayed on her feet beside Ichigo before quickly straightening and Ichigo couldn't really stop the concern in his chest even as he wondered where it had come from. Running a hand through his hair Ichigo said, "Want to stay at my place tonight? You can use our shower and we can go and see Urahara tomorrow."

She turned to stare at him with wide eyes that seemed too bright with the blood sliding down her forehead. After a moment she quirked a smile and nodded, she straightened and bowed as she said, "Thank you… Ichigo."

"No problem Rukia."

X

The Shōten appeared from the exterior to be a dilapidated candy shop of irreputable standing, it was old, all pale brown wood and a dusty yard with a creaky sign that swayed in the wind. Rukia tightened her hands into fists hidden in the sleeve of her shihakusho and glanced at Ichigo. She had heard of the mysterious vendor of Soul Society related supplies in Karakura town from the Sixth seat who had cautioned her greatly on the man's hereto unknown origin and his shady nature.

It instilled little confidence in Rukia that the man was Ichigo's uncle as the rumours lingered on her mind and the building tilted in a decidedly lopsided manner in the pale morning sunlight. Ichigo glanced at Rukia and smiled, it was a nice smile, warm, and a little bit too familiar in its attempt to reassure her. Rukia mustered a smile and followed the teenager across the dusty lawn.

Ichigo was strange. That was perhaps the only word that Rukia could describe him with, it wasn't even strange in the same sense of Soul Society (which was its own brand of strange). His family knew about the spiritual world, he had a zanpaktou of some kind (that he had materialized while maintaining a physical form which should have been impossible) and he was always looking at nothing. Part of her was tempted to include a description of the strange human in her report, she had been sent to investigate strange reaitsu, but the rest of her was certain that was a Bad Idea.

The doors to the Shōten slid open with a clack and a little whirl of dust that Rukia could barely breathe through. Inside the shop were rows of candy displays all faded with what was left of bright wrappers and candy that probably wasn't wholly safe to eat. The whole room felt closeted like someone had never opened a window like you weren't quite supposed to be there.

"You know when I was like three, maybe four I got lost and ended up here."

Ichigo commented casually his eyes taking in their surroundings with something fond that ached in Rukia's chest. She made a vague sound of interest as was polite even though she wanted to inquire how he had gotten lost, and perhaps why he had ended up here. Ichigo trailed his fingers over a display leaving clean marks through the dust as he sidled up to the counter and pressed his fingers on a bell that let out a warbly ringing sound.

"Yeah, my mom was so mad when she found us, my uncle had given me a bunch of candy, I still remember that."

He added and his voice was distant with memory and it only felt like another piece to a puzzle Rukia couldn't quite wrap her head around. A moment later, the door behind the counter slid open with a clack and a man with a green hat, wheat blond hair, and a green haori stepped out. He felt familiar if only slightly but Rukia couldn't recall from where.

"Ichigo! And who do we have here Shinigami-san?"

The shopkeeper greeted with a leer and a cheer that was slightly acidic. Ichigo rolled his eyes and planted his elbows on the counter as he tilted his head at Rukia and said, "This is Kuchiki-san. She needs some supplies, perfectly Normal supplies like a gigai and maybe some mod soul pills."

Ichigo said casually but there was something like iron to his voice and his eyes were staring at Urahara-san. Rukia bowed in greeting and Urahara-san mimicked the motion, tucking his hat to his chest he said, "It's nice to meet you Kuchiki-san, why don't we go to the back of my store and we can fit you for a gigai."

Rukia felt slightly uncertain about entering the back of the store but Ichigo was already behind the counter, running a hand through his orange hair (very different from Him) and scowling at his uncle. Rukia wasn't certain as to why she needed a gigai, her mission was only supposed to involve patrols, but she supposed it would be easier if the Kurosaki family could all see her, and she could monitor Ichigo better (he gave off the sense that he did indeed need monitoring).

The back of the Shōten was different from the exterior in many ways, there was a sense of living there, warm colours and the dull sound of talking in the background. Urahara-san led the two of them through a hallway and into a room with boxes lining the walls in various shapes and overall giving the impression that they could fall at any moment.

"Oh yeah, Ashido needs more of the stuff, you know the one with the black."

Ichigo said as he leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Rukia stared between the two and wondered who Ashido was. Urahara-san nodded stroking a hand over the stubble lining his jaw as he pulled out a box and peered inside before hastily shoving it back into place.

They didn't really look alike, Rukia thought as she observed Ichigo stalk towards the boxes and pull one out and hand it to Urahara-san with a raised brow. There was really nothing similar about them. Ichigo was orange hair, tan skin, warmth, like the sun and Urahara-san in comparison was pale and cold and blond like a candle. Rukia wondered if they were just very distantly related or if it was something like how she was related to her own brother (although they did actually look somewhat alike).

"Do you have a favourite mod-soul?"

Ichigo questioned, and he was frowning staring at the box with something dark in his eyes. Rukia blinked and nodded pulling herself from her thoughts she replied, "Yes Chappy."

"Of course, you like Chappy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Rukia responded planting her hands on her hips as she stared at Ichigo with a raised brow who replied simply, "No." in a manner that suggested there were, in fact, many things wrong with Chappy. Which was, of course, absolute sacrilege. Rukia scowled at Ichigo who stared back unimpressed and he was staring down at her and she was staring up at him. Which was completely unfair.

"Ah, here you go! One Chappy mod-soul dispenser and I should have the gigai ready in a few minutes."

Urahara-san said cheerily, too cheerily as he stepped in between the two of them and thrust a dispenser with the adorable image of Chappy at the top. Rukia grinned and carefully took into her hands staring at it with joy. Chappy was so cute, like just look at the ears, and the nose! How could anyone hate Chappy?

In the background, Rukia registered a hushed conversation between Ichigo and his uncle that involved a lot of arms, but the words were inaudible, and she had Chappy in her hands so Rukia was quite alright being ignorant of the conversation. Ichigo fingers touched lightly against her shoulder and Rukia blinked up at him as he grimaced and herded her out of what was probably the storage room.

"Come on we can sit in one of the waiting rooms."

Ichigo said as he slid open a door to a cosy room with pale grey walls and a low table, Ichigo entered the room like he owned the place as he settled on the table and pulled out his school work. Rukia followed slowly behind and peered at the sheet with a tilt of her head, it appeared to be math problems but Rukia only vaguely recalled the subject amidst the rush of tutoring she had received after her brother had adopted her.

"Are you thinking of joining a school while you're here?"

Ichigo asked peering up at her over his shoulder as he jotted a number down. Rukia settled in the seat across from him and considered it, she had already been through the academy but the idea of high school in the mortal world was very different from the academy. Would it even suit her mission? She was supposed to be patrolling, but it seemed like Ichigo was a beacon for hollows all on his own (they had already stopped one on the way to the Shōten) it was probable that if she stayed with Ichigo she would find the strange reaitsu Soul Society was looking for.

She nodded once but couldn't quite hide how unsure the idea made her as she replied, "That would be nice, however, I'm only scheduled to be in Karakura town for a month at most."

"A month huh? Plenty of time to experience the absolute joy of high school."

Ichigo responded and sounded very enthusiastic about high school. A part of Rukia did not believe his enthusiasm was real. The door slid open and Urahara-san appeared holding a body over his shoulder he stared at the two of them and winked once at Ichigo before he set the body down.

"Voila! One gigai."

He said with a bow and Rukia bowed in thanks and pulled out the money Soul Society had supplied her with. Urahara-san took the money quietly staring at her for a long moment before with a whirl of his haori he said, "I'll leave you lovebirds alone, the package for Ashido is on the counter!"

With that the shopkeeper was gone, disappearing from the room with a clatter of the door. Rukia stared at her lap and blushed at the comment Ichigo's uncle had made, it wasn't even close to being true as they had only met yesterday but regardless, she couldn't help but flush. Why did adults always insist teenagers liked each other?

"I'm going to kill him."

Ichigo said and Rukia glanced at him to see his fists curled and he was glaring at the door, a second later he sighed and rose to his feet. He turned to her with a smile that ached somewhere behind her heart and said, "Come on, I still need to go see Ashido before school starts."

They left the Shōten a few minutes later, Rukia swung her arms and felt the weight of the gigai, sort of like being bundled into too many layers, but it worked better than some of the ones Soul Society issued. They walked for a few minutes in the sunlight along the sidewalk and Rukia stared at her surroundings and actually absorbed them, saw the grass, flowers lying at a memorial, the cracks in the pavement.

Then they were in front of a small building, it looked like it could be an apartment with its square concrete pillars, but it was too small. Maybe some type of community housing. Rukia didn't really get modern architecture. Ichigo knocked once on the door holding the package in his arms, he tilted his head to stare through the rippled glass window. A thud echoed out from behind the door followed by the sound of footsteps and a moment later the door creaked open with a loud groan.

It was a man, with dark hair and a simple face, he seemed utterly normal. Rukia doubted there was anything normal about him. The man blinked but then his eyes widened, and he shot forward to wrap his arms around Ichigo and ruffle his hair.

"Ashido meet Rukia, Rukia meet Ashido."

Ichigo said as he carefully disentangled himself from the koala of a man. Rukia bowed in greeting to the man who stared at her for a long moment with serious eyes before he bowed in response.

"Do you have the package?"

"I do."

Ichigo replied as he shoved it into Ashido-san's arms, the man grinned and looked a moment away from tearing at the plain paper wrapping it, but then glanced around them and shook his head tucking it into the crook of his arms instead.

"Would you like to come in for tea?"

Ashido-san questioned running a hand over his arms as his eyes went distant for a long moment where he wasn't quite there. It reminded Rukia of some of the Shinigami who came back shell-shocked after a mission. Ichigo smiled apologetically and rested his hand on Ashido-san's arms as he replied, "Not right now I have to get to school. But after school?"

The man blinked and nodded with bright eyes and folded Ichigo into another hug that was probably bone crushing. He turned to Rukia and bowed once as she said, "It was nice meeting you Rukia-san, feel free to accompany Ichigo, more company is always welcome."

Then he turned and entered his home with a click of the door. Ichigo stared for a moment before he shook his head with a smile and turned away from the small porch and started walking. Rukia scrambled to catch up to his longer strides and let the silence between them sit. She was curious, wanted to know more about Ashido-san, more about Ichigo, but felt it would be beyond the bounds of polite manners to ask.

"He's always like that but don't worry Ashido-san is a great person he's just not good at social skills."

Ichigo commented as he slung his bag over his other shoulder and stared at the end of the sidewalk. Rukia nodded unsure how to respond to the statement, unsure how to respond to everything that was happening. Ichigo grinned and said, "Come on let's go register you for school."

So, they did. And Ichigo, it turned out, was a horrible liar.

X

Thank you all for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter it was really fun to write, and I liked getting into Rukia's head. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up next week but no promises as I have a busy few weeks ahead. Reviews/comments are always appreciated, till next time!