Hey y'all,

So after about a year I'm back to writing. I was mad busy with work, school, and getting married and that is why my old stories have been deleted. I figure starting with something new would be easier than getting back into the same mindset I had a year ago writing Guidance and After Aizen. I have a new joint for you guys, but I have a couple things to say first.

My main reason for getting back into bleach fics is that the fandom seems to have taken a downhill turn with the advent of the fullbring arc, which I find very interesting but hard to write for and not really worth discussing. Decide was also a huge blow to the ichiruki fandom since we now haven't seen our favorite midget for about six months. Since Decide, has been flooded with bad AU fics that are really just original short stories by (usually great) authors who just can't think of their own characters and weird short fics about texting and Facebook. Gone are the great post-SS oneshots and alternate Winter War endings. I think a lot of us are just waiting for the fullbring arc to be over so we know the state of Ichigo's powers, but I think we can assume two things about Bleach based on Kubo's style and desire to please his fans.

1.) Ichigo will be back to normal with his fullbring either being a bankai extension or just how he gets his normal powers back. Everything will go back to how it was before the fake Karakura arc.

2.) Rukia is coming back.

So, writers of ichiruki fics, please don't let the current manga arc discourage you from making the same awesome content that we were producing before Aizen's defeat. Forget about fullbring, bring Ichigo's powers back, and write great fics starring our favorite couple.

Best Regards,

Cero Oscuras

Before I begin, a few notes:

1. I'll probably break my pattern of bringing Masaki back, so don't expect to see her in this fic. She's too difficult to write.

2. If you are coming here because you liked my previous fics or still had me on author alert, I freaking love you. Drop a review so I can say hi.

3. I don't write often or update unless I get reviews. Just ask my wife, I need to be told that my work is good to continue it. If you are primarily a reader, authors fricking love reviews. We spend a lot of time on these stories and it bums me out when I see a great story or oneshot collection that has like 13 reviews. Spend a few minutes to tell your favorite authors that you care. We love reviews. So much. Almost as much as Rukia loves Chappy. Like same reaction. No lie. Fellow authors, you know what I mean.

4. Just to say it again, if you came here off an author alert I love you. If you're new to my stuff I love you. And I'm sorry I killed my old stories. Won't happen again. I miss you guys.

Well that's it. If it sounded harsh towards the Bleach fandom I apologize, it wasn't the intention but typing doesn't communicate tone or inflection. Most of the time my AN's are shorter and sweeter :). Also, I'm writing this using quickoffice on my Infuse so forgive me if the formatting is weird. And this is fic assumes that the fullbring arc doesn't happen. Once that arc is finished I may go back and work it into the story. Anyway, here's the story...enjoy.

Ichigo stared at Tensa Zangetsu in his hand. He was clad in a slim-fitting black jacket with red lining and matching black hakama, and dark waves of reiatsu burst forth from his body like a fountain with a pressure problem.

"I guess...my powers really are back..."

A fan struck the side of his head, meeting his jaw with a loud smack. "Well of course they are, silly daiko-san, I told you that if your reiatsu somehow returned then your powers would come back naturally. I suppose contact with reiatsu-wielding beings like your sisters and your friends sparked your powers, just as you once sparked theirs."

Ichigo scowled, still fuming at the flaky shopkeeper for hitting him and wondering why he ever put up with Kisuke Urahara's wacky antics in the first place. He swung at the man, who deftly dodged the blow and continued to chuckle at Ichigo, who had nearly fallen over from putting so much into the punch.

"My, my, a little feisty are we? You should never attack an unarmed opponent, Ichigo-san." Kisuke said as he separated his walking stick ever so slightly, his eyes flashing under his hat.

"Sing, Benihime."

Ichigo and Urahara both stood panting, each covered in scratches and bruises but otherwise unharmed. Zangetsu and Benihime both hung at each swordsman's side, Zangetsu now in shikai after the fierce sparring.

"It seems," the shopkeeper began, parsing words between heavy breaths, "that your training in the Dangai Precipice world was not in vain."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, exasperated at Kisuke's bipolarity between goofy perverted shopkeeper and learned scientist. "And what is that supposed to mean, geta-boshi?"

"It seems that your shunpo and Gestuga Tensho increased greatly in speed when you activated your Vizard powers," he began before he flipped open his fan in front of his face and continued speaking, now in a cheery tone "you even forced me to use Benihime's blood mist shield a few times, and that rarely happens even when I spar with that cat over there." He was referring of course to Yoruichi, who was currently basking in the artificial sun on a nearby rock. Ichigo chewed this new information over in his head for a moment before realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Holy shit! I'm a shinigami again!" He shouted, earning a puzzled look from Urahara and waking the sleeping Goddess of Flash, who transformed in surprise, falling a few feet off of the rock onto her rear. Urahara looked away from Ichigo for a moment.

"Yoruichi-sama, it would be a crime to damage such a finely shaped as-" He was cut off by a hand appearing out of nowhere to smack him, and an angry, naked Yoruichi standing in front of him with arms crossed, speaking in a harsh whisper that Ichigo could (unfortunately) overhear.

"Make fun of me again and it'll be the last you see of this ass!" she growled and turned on her heel, coming face to face with a shocked teenage shinigami. Yoruichi playfully tapped his face twice with one hand, uncovering herself in the process and eliciting a nosebleed from both males. "Awww, innocent little Ichigo." she purred, before flash stepping away, giggling to herself. "That never gets old."

Once the two men had recovered, Ichigo finally remembered his original train of thought.

"Oi, geta-boshi, how do I open a gate to Soul Society?"

Urahara smiled. "And why ever would you wish to do that, Kurosaki-san?"

The orange-haired shinigami averted his gaze, scowling slightly and scratching the back of his head. "Ya know...just...in case I ever have to open one."

Unsheathing Benihime's sealed blade Urahara grinned as he thrust forward and twisted his zanpakuto. "Ah, like this!" he exclaimed as he shoved Ichigo through the just-opened gate, smiling the whole time and giggling to himself. "Ooooh, I just ruined someone's day!" He said brightly as he went off to find Yoruichi.

Ichigo wailed as he sailed out of the other side of the gate, crashing into some idiot that happened to be in his way.

"Watch it, dumbass! Do you make it a point to walk into the path of opening gates!" He yelled at the shinigami he had collided with, whose body parts he currently was having trouble distinguishing from his own. But when that "dumbass" untangled himself from Ichigo, the young shinigami's face paled.

"Kurosaki, what are you doing here?" The taller man asked, brushing dust off of his shoulder, "I was under the impression that you were currently...indisposed."

"B-b-Byakuya!"

The older man would have rolled his eyes were he not a noble, but the Kuchiki family did not stoop to such lowbrow expressions of annoyance. Despite being the savior of several worlds, Kurosaki Ichigo was only worth two more words today.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Ichigo had never moved faster.

A small slip of a girl turned under the sheets that were clinging to her tiny frame. She awoke, sighed, and got out of bed, glancing at herself in the mirror long enough to see that her hair was messy and her robe was slightly open. She blushed despite being alone, thinking that she would have to remember to get sleeping clothes that accommodated her "changing body", as a maidservant had said it. The memory irritated her, and she stepped into the bathroom with a scowl. She hadn't slept well last night. Hell, she hadn't slept well in almost a year and a half. She untied and removed her robe in a motion that was somehow just as mechanical as it was graceful, and stepped into the bath that was drawn for her at the same time each morning. She both loved and hated this time, as she was left to her thoughts with no distractions. She often used this time to prepare herself mentally, but on days like today she tended to remember a short but simple time in her life, when waking up meant climbing out of a closet and fighting with a certain 15-year-old for the bathroom, putting on a cute uniform and going to learn about a world she barely knew. Rukia sighed. She missed those days, and she missed the friends she had made in her time in the world of the living. But most of all she missed…

"Oi, Ichigo! Let's have a grand battle! I want to fight your hollow!"

"Ichi Ichi, fight Ken-chan!"

"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Screamed Ichigo as he tore through the Seireitei, dodging glittering, deadly sakura petals and now being chased by Kenpachi as well. "WHY THE HELL DID I BOTHER COMING BACK!" Byakuya followed, walking gracefully and subtly guiding the petals with his hands, the very hint of a smile on his face. Ichigo kicked off a wall and turned sharply around a corner, petals close behind. Had he been paying attention to where he was going, he would have noticed that this was an area of Seireitei he had never visited before.

"Kenny! We lost Ichi again!"

"Don't worry Yachiru, we'll find him soon"

They took off running in the wrong direction, Yachiru pointing the way from atop Kenpachi's shoulder.

Rukia finished drying her hair, once again content to have all in order except for a stray bang that fell between her deep violet eyes. She tied her shinigami robes and placed Sode no Shirayuki under her obi. She walked out to her balcony, planning on jumping out and practicing her shunpo on the way to the thirteenth division. What she saw was utter chaos. Her jaw dropped before she felt a huge smile forming on her face.

Ichigo had finally gotten sick of running, now occasionally turning to fire off a Getsuga Tensho. Byakuya was alternating between firing off Hado #4 and shielding himself with Senbonzakura. Finally one of the streaks of white lightning hit Ichigo square in the chest, sending him flying across the lawn on which they fought, and into a nearby building. After sheathing his sword, Byakuya realized where they had ended up, and inwardly cursed.

Rukia deftly stepped aside as a ball of black, white, and orange flew through her balcony door and landed on her bed with a soft thud. She quickly turned and rushed inside, earning a relieved look and one spoken word from the bruised shinigami now sitting up on the mattress.

"Yo."

That's it for Chapter 1. It's short, and probably the shortest chapter you will see from me. I feel like everyone has had Rukia go back to see Ichigo, so I thought I would flip it. I wanted their reunion to be sort of accidental so this is what I came up with. Expect more either tonight or tomorrow, but I hope you liked the intro! Again, any typing or formatting errors are probably due to the fact that this was written on my phone. Whether you liked it or not, drop me a review! I miss hearing from you guys! See you soon!

-Cero Oscuras

Seriously, review. I'm going to work and I need something to cheer me up while I help people buy cell phones for 4 year olds.