It seemed Aizen had one last trick to play. Ichigo, powerless for the most part, came back to his body to find that he had passed away. There was no immediate explanation. The autopsy revealed no injuries or underlying disease. In one second, it seemed his body had just quit.

Urahara explained how the human body was quite different from the gigai, and that there was no real research into the effects of being away for long periods of time. He also speculated that the soul link could have been severed when Ichigo became a transcendent being. Hence the body stopped functioning.

The only thing Ichigo had to be thankful for was at least Kon had not been borrowing his body at the time. But this was all Aizen's fault. If it had not been for the Hogyoku, Ichigo would not have been forced to undergo such a risky transformation. Now he understood Zangetsu when they talked about the price of the technique.

"I'll hang onto this if you don't mind," Urahara informed him. "See what I can do. Maybe I can convert it into a gigai, one that ages."

Yoruichi, leaning against a column behind them, shot Urahara a funny look.

Ichigo only nodded, numb from the thoughts of what his family was going through right now. It was bad enough his mother left them. Now he had to leave them too. Yuzu, she would not be able to take it. He abruptly stood up and brushed out the door to the patio. Rukia got off her haunches and followed him.

She met him gazing up at the clear night sky. You could not see the stars from the light pollution, but a full moon was visible.

"It shouldn't have been my responsibility."

Rukia's eyes widened, knowing exactly who that was directed towards. She dropped her head, all too aware of the fact that if she had not been the one to get Ichigo involved in the first place, he would still be alive with his family.

"Ichigo...I can never make up…" She rubbed a tear from her eye. "This is all my fault."

"Wait-what?" Ichigo turned towards her and frowned at the sight of her stricken face. "No, I don't mean it that way. Rukia," he grabbed her wrists at her sides. "Trust me, I would do it all again. It was fun...while it lasted. I met some unforgettable people. And... I met you."

He laughed. "I was headed to an early grave anyways. Constantly fighting. Eventually, you end up on the wrong end. At least I got to go down making a difference."

Rukia resisted a smile. Ichigo was good at making his feelings contagious.

"Ichigo, we still haven't talked about what comes next."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, soon I won't have any spiritual pressure, so I can't become a soul reaper. My dad has been talking to Kukaku."

"Ah." She looked to her left, fighting back her nervousness, and informed him, "I spoke with my brother." She took a deep breath. "He has extended you an invitation to stay at our house. At least until we figure out a way to get your powers back."

Ichigo frowned, having a hard time believing her brother would do such a thing. "Doesn't your brother hate me?"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Yes, my brother hates you, the guy who saved me from being executed, the guy who saved the entire soul society from Aizen. It's not like he's capable of feeling grateful."

"Okay, okay, I get it." He smiled down at her. "I don't know what to say."

"You can say thank you, idiot!" She slapped him in the back of the head.

"Watch it! Is this how you treat someone who just died?"

Rukia sighed. "You're not dead, Ichigo. At least not to me. We're here talking, aren't we?"

Ichigo shook his head. "To my family, I am. To my friends. I won't see them much anymore."

"Sure, you will!" Rukia gave him a thumbs up. "It's not like you'll have a job or anything. You're just a no-good freeloader now! You can hop in a gigai anytime you want. Take the private Kuchiki senkaimon at no extra cost!"

"Alright, I've had enough out of you." He turned around to head back to his dad's house. "You know what, I still got more spiritual pressure than you. So... beat you there!"

He took off, a satisfied smirk on his face as she vainly tried to keep up.

"Ichigo, remember, this is a great honour. Nii-sama wouldn't do this for anyone."

"I heard you the first ten times, Rukia. Come on, it's just Byakuya." Ichigo scratched the back of his head, waiting for the senkaimon to open. He was still dressed in his shinigami uniform, although you could tell the colour was fading.

"You realize, you're the only one with that opinion."

"Ha! Byakuya doesn't scare me. He's a big teddy bear on the ins-"

Ichigo froze when he felt a familiar presence arrive. He turned around to see the captain of the sixth division staring at him, a neutral expression on his face as always.

"Nii-sama!" Rukia bowed, and when Ichigo stood there like a deer in headlights she grabbed his sleeve and gave a big yank.

He awkwardly followed suit, though not bowing as low as Rukia.

"Hmm." The captain retreated the way he came and threw a glance over his shoulder. "You coming?"

Rukia and Ichigo jogged to catch up.

"Let me tell you about the estate," Rukia eagerly began.

"I've seen it, I've been there before."

"Well, Ichigo," Rukia continued primly. "No doubt your primitive brain could not comprehend the elegance and the history of the place on top of which your unwashed feet tread."

"If you say so."

"Yes, that's right. As I was saying, we have about 150 acres, and that's only the land within the Seireitei. The manor is 5000 square metres. The extended family is spread out over a couple wings. Nii-Sama and I live in the main wing. We call them wings, but they are more like separate buildings just bunched close together and connected with breezeways. I recommend staying away from all the rest of the nobles, especially the older ones. Nobody's told them what an ape you are, so they have a high opinion of you, and let's keep it that way."

"You're making me feel right at home."

Byakuya smiled minutely, but he was facing forward, so it was safe. They could not see from behind him.

At last, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. They emerged from the Senkaimon in a giant foyer. The floors and the walls were a deep mahogany wood. Ichigo had used this Senkaimon once before, but they had immediately headed outside. Now the Sixth division captain led them further into the complex. They crossed one breezeway into one of the smaller wings, where a servant was waiting for them.

"The room is ready as you requested."

Captain Kuchiki nodded, and the servant departed the way they came. The captain then took the opportunity to address his new guest.

"Kurosaki, your quarters are down the hall. You will find everything you need there. It is late, so if you need food, Rukia will show you the kitchen." He pointed to his right. "My room is down this hall. If you notice, we are within a reasonable distance. Don't make me regret inviting you into my home."

Ichigo, serious for once that day, nodded his head. "Thank you. And don't worry about me. You won't even know I'm here."

The captain simply stared. "We will see about that." He glanced at his sister. "Rukia."

"Good night, Nii-sama."

He blinked in acknowledgement. Then, with a twirl, he retreated to his chambers.

When he was gone, Rukia turned to Ichigo. "Congratulations, he hasn't killed you yet."

He frowned. "Give it time. He will find something to get mad about."

"Alright! So, my room is here at the corner. Down the hall from yours."

"Good. For a second there, I wondered if you would use this chance to get back at me. Make me sleep in your closet."

"Ha! I thought about it. But my closet is much more spacious than yours, so it wouldn't be much of a punishment."

He rolled his shoulders, still sore from the fight with Aizen. "I think I'm going to turn in. Haven't had a good sleep for a while now."

"Huh, in that case, good night, Ichigo."

"Good night, Rukia."

He started down the hall, and she watched him into his room. When his door slid shut, she carefully opened hers. For some reason, the manor felt different with him here. The change was good, she mused, as she closed the door behind her.

Preview

"Rukia told me to stop bothering her. So, I came here."

The 10th division lieutenant chirped, "She kicked you out?"

"Yep. And I wasn't about to go see Renji. Not with Byakuya in the same building."

The 10th division captain slouched over a mountain of paperwork, some of it Matsumoto's, slid a hand down his face. "Then tell me. What made you think it was a good idea to come bother me!"

"Woah, chill out, Captain," Rangiku chastised him, which was made more ironic by the fact she had not done any work that day. "He's the hero of the soul society, after all."

"Yeah, yeah."