Author's Note: This is my first ever fanfiction, and I hope to make many more. I would like to dedicate this story to ShadowThorne, as her "Monsters and Men" was the first fanfiction I had ever read, and she introduced me to the wonderful world of Grimmjow x Ichigo :) I am still trying to find my writing style, and I know this chapter is pretty long. That is because this is the prologue to my story, and is the set-up that will lead into the following chapters. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. I only own the story, and do not make any money from it.

Warnings: AU, OOC, swearing, violence, and yaoi in later chapters.

XOXOXOXO

The sun was just breaking over the horizon, casting the world in a warm golden and pink-hued light. Birds were starting to sing their sweet melodies after their night of slumber. Dew clung to the green grass that was still undisturbed, and tree leaves swayed softly in the cool morning breeze.

This splendid morning, however, was lost to a lone soul that was currently making his way home. Old sneakers scuffed against the pavement as the individual made his way through the still quiet streets towards his destination. Tattered and worn blue jeans hung off lean and muscular legs, toned from past fights and constant walking due to lack of transportation. A form-fitting black t-shirt sat snuggly against an equally well-toned, tan chest, with a light grey zip-up hoodie hanging loosely off slim shoulders. Slender and slightly rough hands were shoved deep into the hoodie pockets as their owner trekked on.

As one hand came up to run through unruly orange locks, the young man let out a soft sigh. Ichigo's night had been a long one, as they always seemed to be nowadays, and he had ended up sleeping at Urahara's yet again. He hated feeling like he was putting the man out, or like he was relying too much on his friend's good nature. He was hard pressed to take help from the man, or anyone else for that matter, but he really couldn't argue. There just wasn't much else he could do in his situation. It wasn't like he could rely on his family for support or comfort. They weren't around anymore.

At that thought, Ichigo sighed yet again, but this one accompanied a twinge of heartache.

Ichigo no longer had a family. His mother had died from breast cancer when he was nine years old, and that had been hard enough. Afterwards, trying to keep a goof-ball dad in line while caring for his younger sisters had been hard, especially while trying to do well in school and stay out of fights (which never lasted long, as no one seemed to be able to leave him alone because of his scowl and bright-ass hair).

His father had run a small local clinic, and allowed for the family's necessities, but not much else. Ichigo had gotten a paper route at thirteen so he could help support his small family and try to give his sisters some of the nicer things he knew they wanted, but would never ask for. Life hadn't been perfect back then, but he had been happy with what he had.

Sadness flashed in Ichigo's chocolate brown eyes as a deep frown made its way onto his face. He paused in his trek homeward, shaking his head so as to clear the dark memories away, then continued onward. There was no use in thinking about it, not after all this time. His heart couldn't seem to stop affecting his brain, however, as he always came back to these thoughts eventually. He would never forget the day he lost them.

XOXOXOXO

"Come on, Ichigo, we have a whole other week until finals, and we've been studying for the past two! Can't you wait until after dinner to pull out the fucking textbooks?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes at his friend's whining, opening his Algebra book to the page he had bookmarked before coming over. "Suck it up, Renji. In another week, we won't have to do this anymore, and then we can do whatever you want. Until then, stop complaining. You're the one that wanted help with studying in the first place, so shut up and deal with it, unless you want me to leave."

Renji whined and muttered softly, but pulled out his copy of the book none-the-less. Digging into his backpack, he withdrew his pencil and notebook to take notes on how to solve the equations, and set his stuff up on the low table beside Ichigo.

Renji had been Ichigo's best friend since the cradle, after Urahara had adopted him six months after Ichigo was born. Urahara had supposedly proclaimed to his father, Isshin Kurosaki, that after holding baby Ichigo in his arms, he had to have one of his own - which was a bit difficult since he was a gay man. Urahara found a way though, and adopted his very own screaming, blazing red-headed baby boy.

Kisuke Urahara had been Isshin's best friend since middle school, and was almost as over-zealous and crazy as him. Maybe that's why they got along so well together. Isshin had gone to medical school and opened up his own clinic, while Urahara went to work straight out of high school and took over his father's candy shop.

After they had their first kids - and only kid, for Urahara - they spent much of their time together, toting along their fiery-haired sons. Then came Karin and Yuzu, Ichigo's twin sisters, and Urahara was often found coming over to the Kurosaki residence to lend a hand babysitting the small brood. Urahara was there for them when Masaki, Ichigo's mother, was diagnosed and undergoing treatment, and still there after she passed away. The bond between the two families had only grown stronger.

Because of this, the orangette respected and trusted the blonde. He had always been there when he and his family needed something, and never asked for anything in return. He was a true friend to all of them.

Renji opened up his notebook and turned to his last page of notes, looking over what page Ichigo was currently looking at and marking it off so he could remember the page for reference.

Before they could begin work on the equations, however, their heads snapped up to the sound of thundering footsteps before the bedroom door was slammed open. The two jumped slightly from the force of the door smashing into the wall behind it, revealing a knob-sized hole as it bounced back slightly. Burnt sienna and deep crimson eyes meet grey ones as they looked upon a clearly stricken Urahara.

The shaggy haired blonde man was breathing heavily, as though he had just run a marathon, his left hand still held outward from throwing the door open, while in his right his cell phone was grasped in a white-knuckle hold. His body was shaking visibly beneath his loose khaki pants and olive green tee, his bare feet seeming to be glued to the spot outside the room. His normally fair skin was drained of color, his stormy grey eyes unfocused and glistening with unshed tears.

Something had to be terribly wrong for the normally carefree man to look this way.

The tense atmosphere filled with only Urahara's soft pants was broken by Renji's hesitant cough.

"Um, dad? Are you ok?" he ventured softly.

The blonde blinked a few times, then looked at Renji and his vision seemed to focus. Then his eyes snapped to Ichigo, making the orange-haired youth cringe from the amount of pain he saw reflected there. What the hell had happened to make the man look this way?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Urahara dropped his phone and dove at the boy before he even knew what happened, his face buried in the boy's neck as strong arms wrapped around him tightly. A moment passed before the blonde began to sob brokenly, clutching onto Ichigo as if to stop himself from breaking into a million pieces. Ichigo shot Renji a fearful glace, receiving an equally worried one in return.

"Dad? Hey, what's going on? What's the matter?" Renji tried again.

This time, Urahara shook his head fervently and buried his face further into Ichigo's neck. Muffled gasps and hiccups escaped him before he calmed down enough to talk, pulling his head away from Ichigo only enough to be heard clearly.

"I-I'm s-so…so sor-ry…*hic* Ichigo…*sniffle* Oh g-god, I can't. I c-can't," with that the man broke off again into heartbreaking sobs.

Ichigo wasn't sure what to do, or why Urahara was apologizing to him. He couldn't fathom what would make him act this way, what would cause him to fall apart so completely.

"Urahara…" Ichigo said softly, rubbing the man's back gently.

At that, Urahara's head snapped up, revealing his red and puffy eyes, tears streaking down his unusually pale face. His mouth opened and closed several times, sorrowful orbs locked onto Ichigo's warm and concerned ones. After several deep breaths and another choked sob, Urahara spoke again.

"Ichigo…"the man started, eyes welling with fresh tears due to the gravity of what he was about to say. "Y-your father…and your sisters…"

Ichigo's hands curled tightly into the man's shirt then, his heart going crazy at the mention of his family. Oh god, no.

"I-I'm so sorry, Ichigo. I just got the call…they n-never made it to the conference. T-they…they're…" a ragged sob cut Urahara off again, his arms tightening further around Ichigo as he shoved his head back into the boy's neck.

"They didn't make it." It was barely above a whisper, but Ichigo heard it. At that moment, he was sure his heart stopped as ice flooded his veins. His breathe hitched, his arms coming up to cling to the back of Urahara's shirt tightly as he stared down at the mass of shaggy blond hair. A strangled breath escaped him before a desperate scream tore from his throat. His eyes burned, his face was wet, and his throat started to feel raw as he felt another pair of arms encircle him.

It was crushing, the weight on his heart. He felt like his insides were bleeding, his heart fileted open, bleeding and raw and burning. He couldn't breathe through the screaming and debilitating sobs, couldn't see through the seemingly endless tears. He could barely feel the two sets of muscular arms that wrapped around his chest, gripping him in an almost bruising hold. All he knew was the pain, the suffocating and festering pain. Then his world went black.

XOXOXOXO

Ichigo's father had been invited to a medical conference out of town that weekend, and had taken his sisters with him since the conference building was by the beach. Ichigo had opted to stay over at Urahara's so he could hang out with Renji and help him study for finals. When he came to after passing out, Urahara filled him in on what the doctor at the hospital had told him over the phone.

Two hours outside their town of Karakura, an eighteen wheeler had wrecked and caused a fifteen car pile-up. The second car had been theirs. An ambulance had already taken their bodies to Karakura Hospital, but they were long gone. They had died on impact, the force of the collision too much to bear. Apparently, their bodies were so severely wounded they were almost unrecognizable.

Ichigo hadn't cried since his mother's funeral six year prior, but on that day he wept so hard and long he was sure he couldn't have had a drop of water left in him. He had asked if he could see the bodies, but Urahara firmly insisted that was not something he should see, that he had suffered enough. There was no point in torturing himself further.

Urahara had paid for the funeral, having his father and sisters buried alongside his mother in the quiet cemetery. He had grasped his hand firmly, along with Renji's, stone-faced and dry eyed. When Urahara offered for him to live with him and Renji in their apartment, he had respectfully declined. He wanted to work through his grief and try to stand on his own two feet before he sought their help. It had taken him weeks to be able to sleep more than a couple hours at a time in that house, constantly having nightmares or swearing he could hear his deceased family's voices. He had buried himself in schoolwork, and when that wasn't enough to distract him, he went for long walks to nowhere. He never went into his sisters' or father's room. He couldn't bear it then.

Five months came and went, and with school out, Ichigo finally decided to get his shit together. His father had paid off the house years ago, and fortunately he had left a will before his passing. Ichigo closed down the clinic, since he had no intention of going into his father's field of expertise, and he couldn't afford to keep it running. He opened up a savings account to place his inheritance in, though it wasn't a great sum. He crunched the numbers over and over, calculating what he would need to keep his home and life running. He managed to pay for his last years of high school without spending all of his savings, and he learned to live off the bare minimum. Urahara always helped provide for him in the form of home cooked meals and hand-me-downs from Renji, who happened to be a bit bigger in build than him and grew faster. Ichigo mostly cared for himself though, the constant scowl that had adorned his face since his mother's death only growing slightly harder.

With the help of a scholarship, Ichigo managed to get into the local community art college, only having to pay for supplies. With school full-time and two part-time jobs, Ichigo was a very busy and tired nineteen year old.

This brings us back to the present. Ichigo had been woken up not long ago after crashing at Urahara's after work. His night job had him working for Urahara at "The Candy Bar", a recent business created by him and his lover.

"The Candy Bar" was supposedly the mix of the world's two greatest consumables. Candy and alcohol. Urahara's apartment was actually a duplex, the second-floor being the domestic area while the first-floor housed his father's candy store. He had met his current lover, Starrk Coyote, almost two years ago when he had found him sleeping outside his shop door. Urahara claimed it was love at first sight, for him at least. Starrk had to wake up properly first. Anyway, the idea came from an accident when Urahara dropped a lemon sourball in Starrk's lime vodka one evening, who proceeded to drink and eat it. He claimed it tasted better that way, and voilà! "The Candy Bar" was born.

Ichigo couldn't bartend since he wasn't old enough, so he set up and cleaned the dishes and the bar five nights a week. There were nights, more than he cared to admit, when Ichigo would be so tired after working he would pass out on the couch in the living room upstairs. No one ever complained, and Urahara even offered for him to sleep in the guest bedroom, since Renji had moved out to live closer to his college. But Ichigo wouldn't have that. He was determined to start going home more regularly to sleep, even if he did hate walking back so late at night.

Cutting through the park that marked the halfway point between his house and Urahara's, Ichigo started to relax a little while looking at his watch. He still had almost two hours before his first class, which was enough time to take a shower and eat some breakfast before he had to head back out.

Suddenly, Ichigo froze. Swiveling his head around, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as he surveyed the park. He could have sworn he heard something. Taking another minute to listen, he shrugged and started to walk on when the sound reached him again. It was very faint, but it was there. Heading towards the playground area, he covered the distance in long, quick strides. The sound was getting a bit louder from over there, as he searched the slide, jungle-jim, and swings. Looking around, he saw the cement crawl tunnel and crept towards it cautiously. He could clearly hear the sound now, and it sounded like someone was crying.

Crouching down, the orangette peeked into the tunnel and blinked at the little kid he saw there. The child had its knees tucked up to its chest and its hands pressed against its forehead so he couldn't really see the kid's face. A mess of short, sea-foam green hair sat atop its head, and it wore a huge green hoodie and run-down sneakers. He inched into the tunnel on his hands and knees, clearing his throat as he tried to get the crying kid's attention.

"Hey kid?"

A small head whipped around to face him, the edge of a cute face wet with tears and the corner of a wide wheat-grey eye looked fearfully at Ichigo. Well, now he could at least tell it was a girl.

"Hey little girl, are you ok? Are your parents around?" Ichigo asked gently.

The little girl sniffled and shook her head, shaking slightly. Ichigo realized she must be cold from being out here so early. He scooted a bit closer to her, but stopped when he noticed her flinch away and press her small hands harder to her forehead.

Holding his hands out slowly, he tried again. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you, ok? I just wanna know if you're alright."

The girl looked at him uncertainly for a moment, before her gaze softened, silent tears still streaking down her face. Ichigo cocked an eyebrow at that, wondering why she was crying. He still could only make out the bit of her face that was facing him and not covered up by her hands and arms.

The girl stared at Ichigo for another moment, hiccuping a few times before anything else came out.

"I-it hurts…h-hurts."

Ichigo blinked stupidly, only half-expecting the girl to say anything. Then realization dawned on him and he leaned forward, looking her over.

"You're hurt? Where? Can you show me?" He couldn't see any cuts or scrapes on her, though she did appear a bit dirty and her hoodie was kind of tattered.

The girl nodded and, ever so slowly, moved her hands away from her face. What Ichigo saw made his eyes widen drastically and draw in a quick breath. How the hell had he not seen that before now?

"Oh…shit…"

After the initial shock wore off, Ichigo regained his senses and launched into action. He fumbled quickly for his phone in his jeans pocket, while moving closer to the girl in front of him. He tried to work fast, but was mindful to not spook her any more than she already was.

He hit his speed-dial #1 as he brought his face close to the girl's. She started to shrink away and hide behind her small hands again when he gently grasped one in his free hand, placing it back down. He locked eyes with her, his flashing with urgency, concern, and a forced calm.

"It's alright, I just want to help you, ok? I need to take a look at your injury. I won't hurt you, I promise. Just let me-" Ichigo cut himself off as his phone connected and an un-necessarily cheery voice rang out on the other end.

"Hello...Urahara?...Damn it, stop babbling and listen to me! I'm in the park with this little girl…Shut up! She's injured…"

As Ichigo spoke he lifted his free hand again to push the girl's hair out of her face. He grimaced at the blood trickling out of the gruesome gash that ran from just above her hairline to slightly right of the end of her nose. Shrugging off his hoodie, maneuvering the phone to do so, he balled it up at best he could and pressed it firmly to the wound.

"…Yes, now get your ass over here with the car so we can get her to the hospital!"

Snapping the phone shut and stuffing it back in his pants, Ichigo reached out to scoop the girl up with one arm while the other kept pressure on her head. She squeaked and wiggled around, trying to get free in her panic. Ichigo clutched her to his chest, shushing in her ear.

"Look, I told you I'm not going to hurt you," he spoke softly. The child sniffled and looked at him with wide, unsure eyes. He was anxious as hell, but he knew that she must be scared and hurting too. With a wound like that, it was a wonder she was even still conscious or not screaming in pain.

With a soft smile, he tried to reassure her again. "I'm not a doctor, but you've hurt your head pretty bad. I have a friend who's coming to get us, and we're going to take you to the hospital, ok? The people there can make the pain go away, but you have to trust me, alright? I won't let anyone hurt you."

The little girl just continued to stare at him, seeming to processing this information. Then for the first time, she really looked at the person that held her. He was warm and, although his grip was firm, he was gentle. He had warm, deep brown eyes that reflected his concern and worry for her, even though she was just some random kid. And his hair. It looked so warm, like the sun.

For the first time in a long time, she smiled. Someone this warm wouldn't hurt her.

Ichigo's heart skipped slightly when he saw the bright smile light up the girl's face. He hadn't seen a smile like that in…what seemed like a lifetime. He returned her smile with one of his own as he carefully scooted them out of the crawl tunnel, and lifted himself to his full height. He was surprised when a small hand clutched onto his shirt as he walked out of the park. Looking down, he saw the little kid staring at him.

"Um…" Ichigo wasn't really sure what to say now, since she seemed to trust him for now. He really wished Urahara would get here, for more than one reason. A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

"A-are you…gonna stay with Nel?"

Confused, Ichigo tried to understand what she was asking. Realization dawning on him, he checked to make sure.

"Are you Nel?"

A small nod answered him.

He smiled again. "Then yes, I'm gonna stay with you, Nel. By the way, I'm Ichigo."

The girl's face was blank for a moment, before it lit up in another heart-clenching smile. Damn, this kid was gonna kill him. Her hand twisted further into his shirt, before her eyes started to droop. Stepping onto the curb, Ichigo looked up to see Urahara speeding down the empty road towards them. Feeling the body in his arms go slack, he looked down in worry.

"Hey, you alright?" his voice a bit panicked.

A soft smile still played on her lips even as her body and mind started to grow heavy and fuzzy. One last whispered response left her before unconsciousness claimed her tired body.

"Yes, Nel is ok. Nel has Itsygo."

XOXOXOXO

"Ichigo?"

The orangette turned his head to look at Urahara, who was sitting next to him outside the counselor's office. The man was dressed in an olive-green suit with a black dress shirt underneath. Ichigo himself was dressed in a similar fashion, in black slacks and a white dress shirt. He had to look nice when meeting with this woman, since he had to make the best impression he could on her.

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?" The older man asked in concern. "You seem pretty tense. I know we've talked about this, but are you absolutely sure you wanna go through with it?"

The teen didn't even have to waste a moment to know his answer. "Yes. This is what I want. I'm sure of it."

At that, he looked at the small girl sitting between him and his blonde guardian. Nel smiled up at him, the gaps where her teeth had yet to grow in endearing to him. He wanted to see that smile from now on.

Three months had passed since that fateful morning in the park. Ichigo and Urahara had rushed the girl called Nel to the hospital, where she was admitted into pediatrics. While she was undergoing treatment, Ichigo called the local police and filed a report on how he had come across the girl. By the time he was done being questioned, a nurse had allowed him to see the small child.

Her head injury had cut through the tissue on her skull, but thankfully had not sliced through the bone. Since the cut was so deep and long, she had needed stitches to close the wound. They had later find out that Nel's father had been the one to cut her during a drug-induced high. He had died the same day Ichigo had found her due to an overdose. Her mother had died during childbirth, and it seemed she had no other living relatives.

After the toddler had been discharged, a foster home had taken her in while they waited for someone to adopt her. Even with college classes and work, Ichigo always visited her whenever he had the chance. Luckily, the owners of the foster home allowed him to, though he probably would have found a way even if they hadn't. He had come to love that little girl.

This is exactly why he was there today. Ichigo Kurosaki, age nineteen, was going to adopt Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck (apparently her father had been German). Well…he was going to try at least. How many teenage boys with bright-ass hair try to adopt three year old girls with no other family? He was guessing not many.

Hell, it had taken him what seemed like forever just to get someone on the phone at this stupid agency to actually talk to him. First, it was the never-ending game of phone-tag, and then every person he talked to didn't seem to understand what he was trying to do. He was calling an adoption agency for Christ's sake, so logically, he wanted to adopt someone!

Finally, he had gotten ahold of some woman named Yoruichi Shihōin. She had introduced herself as an adoption counselor at the agency, and after hearing his objective, had told him to meet with her. That was, after sending her a crap load of personal paperwork and documents, so she could do a background check and make sure he wasn't some loony.

So now here he sat, outside of her office, waiting with Urahara and Nelliel. Urahara was there for emotional support and as a voucher for his character, and Nel for…obvious reasons.

Ichigo was snapped out of his thoughts by the door opening, and a tall woman stepped out. She had mocha skin, hidden mostly by a black pinstriped blazer and pencil-skirt, with a black blouse underneath. Glossy black pumps finished off her outfit, while her eggplant locks were pulled back in a high ponytail. Golden, cat-like eyes looked over to focus on him, and she offered a pleasant smile.

"Are you Ichigo Kurosaki?" Her voice was deeper than he would have expected, but it had a sensual quality to it.

He sat up straighter and nodded. "Yes, that's me."

She nodded back. "Alright. Well, why don't you step into my office and we can get down to business." She held the door open for him and gestured inside.

Taking a silent deep breath, Ichigo stood and glanced one last time at the people he had come here with. Urahara smiled softly at him and nodded, while Nel just looked curious about what was going on. With that, he stepped into the room, followed instantly by the counselor.

The office space was nice, very organized and clean. A medium-sized wooden desk was positioned towards the back of the room and centered, with a large leather rolling chair behind it. Several files and a computer rested on top of it. To the left were many large metal filing cabinets, and on the right was a bookcase that stretched the length of the wall and touched the ceiling. Hardly any of the shelves had room to squeeze even one more volume of work. In front of the desk were two smaller plush leather chairs. As the woman rounded the desk to take her seat, she gestures to one of the chairs. On cue, Ichigo took his seat and tried to quell his nerves. He really wasn't sure how this was all going to go.

The curvy woman sifted through the files before pulling one from the bottom of the stack. She flipped through it briefly before laying it open on the desk on a particular page. Resting her elbows on the hard wood, she laced her fingers and rested her chin atop them as she leveled Ichigo with a quizzical stare.

"Now, Mr. Kurosaki. I have read through your file and I must say I am impressed. For a young man of your age to go through the hardships you have, and to not be involved in any questionable activities or become a complete introvert is quite amazing."

At the mention of his 'hardships,' Ichigo flinched internally. He still didn't like to talk about that.

"Not many people would have been able to function as well as you have been able to, let alone keeping such good grades and entering college," Yoruichi continued. "Now, I must ask." She leaned forward slightly, seeming to search the teenager's soul with her molten eyes. "Why would a young man just starting college, with more than enough on his plate, seek to adopt a little girl who isn't even old enough to attend kindergarten?"

The orangette breathed a soft sigh. He had been expecting something like this.

"Ms. Shihōin, I think a lot of people wonder that. Heck, I would wonder that too if it was someone else in this situation. And believe me, I have thought long and hard about this decision, and I tried to be rational about what I could really do for Nel."

He paused and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck (a nervous habit he had). "I know that raising her would be hard, and I know there are a lot of things I would need to learn and change to adapt to her living with me. But, as you know, I did have…" He had to mentally shake himself here, "younger sisters, and my father was a doctor. I would be able to take care of her health and I know how little girls can be. I may not be able to put her up in a mansion, but I can provide for her and give her a good life. And most of all…" a soft smile crossed his lips, making Yoruichi quirk a brow in interest. "I have bonded with Nelliel. She's sweet, and funny, and she always talks about silly things. But she can be very insightful and caring, and she picks things up quickly."

Ichigo meet Yoruichi's eyes straight on, his chocolate orbs hard with determination and resolve. "She's given me something I haven't truly had in a long time and…I want to keep her around. I want to be her guardian, her protector. I want to adopt her."

Yoruichi stared thoughtfully at the teen in front of her. It would seem that Mr. Urahara had been accurate in his description over the phone about this young man, although he should be, considering the relation. Ichigo was indeed a passionate, caring, and straight-forward individual. She did not sense any deceit or ill-intent from the boy, and if she were to be completely honest, she was rooting for this kid to prove her agency wrong and be a damn great parent for this little girl. No one else in the building had wanted to touch this case, but when Yoruichi had gotten wind of it, she had been intrigued. Now she could say, without a doubt, that this young man would be a good guardian for Nelliel. However, she still had to cover her bases.

"Mr. Kurosaki, are you sure you want to do this? What will you do about your school work?"

Ichigo allowed a small smirk to cross his face, feeling more at easy not what he had gotten the worst of it out of the way. "It'll be fine. I already talked to my professors, my academic advisor, and the head of the Art Department. As long as I take 12 course hours each semester and keep my grades up, I can keep my scholarship. Luckily, the university offers most of its general studies classes online, so I can bulk up on those classes and work from home until Nel is old enough to go to school. Then I can finish my studio classes during the day while she's at school, and be home with her in the afternoon. By that time, I'll have enough saved up from work to be able to afford a babysitter when I need one, and I also have friends who can help me watch her. I have even talked to my bosses about bringing her to work with me, and both had agreed she can play and hang out in the break room while I work. She'll be close to me, but I can still get my job done."

Ichigo paused, his determined stare back in place. "I want to make this work, and it can work. I want to keep Nelliel, and I will do what I have to in order to take care of her."

The counselor just stared at Ichigo for a moment. She was stunned and rather impressed that this young man had thought about this situation in such detail. Most of the people she worked with on adoption didn't think through all of the things they would have to do in order to support a child, or how they would have to change their lives. Yet here was this boy, in the prime of his life, who was willing to take in this child that he didn't need to care for. She could tell by looking into his eyes that he was determined and serious about this adoption. He would make it work.

She smiled warmly at Ichigo, who relaxed a little at the gesture. "Alright Mr. Kurosaki, I can see how serious you are about this. If you go through with this, there is a lot that you will need to do, but I can assure you I will help you in any way I can. But before we proceed," she gestured to the door, "I would like to ask Nelliel what she wants."

Ichigo instantly nodded and got up from his seat. "Of course, I would never do this if Nel didn't want it herself." Opening the door, he stepped out and looked to the little girl waiting next to Urahara on the bench in the hallway. "Nel."

The little girl looked up at the boy and smiled. "Yes, Itsygo?"

Ichigo smiled down at her, anxious for the conclusion of this meeting. "Can you come here for a second? The counselor would like to talk to you."

Nel got up quickly and fiddled nervously with the hem of her pink play-dress, shuffling into the office ahead of Ichigo. He shut the door and sat down in his chair, and motioned for her to do the same in the one next to him. "It's ok, Nel. She just wants to ask you a question. You're not in trouble. I'm here, ok?"

Nel nodded slightly and looked from Ichigo to the woman behind the desk. "Ok."

Yoruichi smiled softly at the little girl in the chair before her. "Hello Nelliel. I was just having a chat with Ichigo here, and I wanted to ask you what you think of him."

Ichigo was a bit nervous now. He knew Nel liked him, but he didn't know what she really thought of him. What if she didn't really like him that much? What if she just saw him as some stranger who had helped her once and played with her sometimes? What if…she didn't want to stay with him? He hadn't known Nelliel that long, but already he loved her like she was his own. He wanted to care for her, protect her, and give her a family, even if it was just him.

Nel looked from Yoruichi to Ichigo and back. Then she shyly looked down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs. "Nel likes Itsygo. He's nice and funny and his hair to really soft and bright and he makes Nel smile. Nel likes Itsygo's smile too. Itsygo smiles a lot around Nel, and that makes Nel smile more too." At that, she beamed over at Ichigo, who smiled fondly at her in return.

Yoruichi smirked and shook her head softly. "Alright then Nel, I just have one more question for you."

Nel looked over at her curiously, waiting to hear the question.

"Would you like to stay with Ichigo from now on, and live with him?"

Nelliel's eyes widened with shock, her cute mouth agape. She looked quickly from Yoruichi to Ichigo, and back again. "S-stay with I-Itsygo?"

The female counselor nodded. "Yes, would you like to?"

Nel's face went blank for a split second before a huge, heart-breaking grin split across her small face. "Yes! Yes, Nel wants to stay with Itsygo!" She jumped out of her seat and barreled into Ichigo's legs, hugging them tightly and burying her face in his knees. "Nel wants to stay with Itsygo. Can Nel? Can Nel?"

She looked up at Ichigo then, her wide grey eyes brimmed with tears of joy and hope. "Can Nel stay with Itsygo? Forever an' ever?"

Strong, lean arms wrapped around her small body and scooped her up in a tight hug. Ichigo nuzzled her soft aquamarine locks, his own smile plastered onto his handsome face. "Of course you can stay with me, Nel. I'll never let you go."

Yoruichi watched the display with a grin of her own. It had been a long time since she had seen such a pure and happy reaction from an adopted child and their guardian. She cleared her throat and stood up, approaching the two still clinging tightly to one another. "Well then, it's settled. Mr. Kurosaki, looks like you are cleared to begin the adoption process for Nelliel. I can have the papers tomorrow afternoon, and you can come in as soon as you like to start filling them out. Don't forget to bring all your legal documents with you when you do. When would you like to meet with me to get started?"

The orangette looked up at her then, grin never leaving his face. "How about tomorrow? I want to get this done as soon as possible, and start getting Nel settled." He gave the girl a soft squeeze, drawing a happy giggle from the toddler. "I want to be her family."

Yoruichi nodded with a grin. "Alright then, tomorrow at 1 pm it is then. I'll have someone call you later this evening with a list of everything you should bring with you." She held out her hand to the young orangette, shaking it as the two before her beamed in utter happiness and contentment. "It was a pleasure meeting with you Mr. Kurosaki, and I look forward to seeing you more in the future. You are indeed a remarkable young man."

Ichigo couldn't stop smiling if he wanted to. It seemed like a whole lifetime ago that he had been this happy. "Thank you, Ms. Shihōin. Believe me, the pleasure's all mine."