Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

A/N: Thanks to Procrastination Tomorrow for all the reviews, if you left an email address I would have been able to respond properly to them! :)

Ichigo stood in the meeting hall, the long full lines of Captains and Lieutenants stretching out in front of him. Although they all stood with military precision, staring straight ahead, he could tell that many of them were attempting to peer at him out of the corners of their eyes.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Yamamoto boomed from his seat at the end of the hall. "It has been four weeks since your return to us. Have you made a decision?"

"I have, Yamamoto-soutaicho," Ichigo said, bowing from the waist. "With your permission and approval, I would like to join the First Division."

Muttering broke out from the ranks of astonished Shinigami, and Yamamoto rapped his staff on the floor three times. "Silence!" He ordered. Ichigo dared a glance into his face to gauge his reaction, and was relieved to see a twinkle of mirth in the old man's eyes. "I would be pleased to welcome Kurosaki Ichigo to the ranks of the First Division." Yamamoto continued. "I am sure that you will do us proud. Dismissed!"

Ichigo leant on the red balcony rail, staring over the golden pagoda roof of the meeting hall to the rest of Seireitai. He didn't have to turn to know that Renji was standing behind him, but his reiatsu reading skills were still so appalling that he would have to turn to know what his friend was thinking. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

The decision was taken from him as Renji abruptly stepped forward and gripped the rail next to him. "I'm going to miss you," he said quietly. "I don't think I realised quite how much I liked having you around, until I thought about you moving on."

"You'll still see me," Ichigo pointed out. "I'll be right here."

"It won't be the same," Renji said with a sigh. "There's not all that much contact between the different divisions, we'll have different duties, be patrolling different areas of Rukongai and the Living World."

"We'll have time off, won't we?"

Renji sighed. "Probably not at the same time."

Ichigo rubbed his hands over his face. "You're being very negative about this," he pointed out, trying to hold on to his temper. He had a feeling that it would be a battle swiftly lost.

"I'm going to miss you," Renji repeated.

Ichigo gave in to impulse, turned and punched Renji in the shoulder. "I'm right here!" he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Yes," Renji snarled, grabbing his arm and forcefully turning him to look over the rooftops. "And I'll be over there!"

Ichigo twisted, sweeping Renji's hand off and gripping his friend's biceps. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded. "Why do you have to make this more difficult than it needs to be? I made my choice!"

"And you didn't choose me!" Renji snapped.

Ichigo froze, suddenly realising how close their faces were. He stared into Renji's eyes, suddenly speechless. The wind caught at strands of loose red hair, sending them forward to stroke Ichigo's cheek. The former substitute Shinigami tried to think of something to say, but the words would not form in his head. He couldn't make any sense of the expressions crossing Renji's face.

"I am such an idiot," Renji muttered, breaking the silence. He shook Ichigo's hands away, and leapt over the flimsy rail, landing lightly on the walkway below. Ichigo watched him walk away, hoping for he did not know what. Renji didn't look back.

Three days later, Ichigo found himself standing outside of Renji's door. He had held out for as long as he could, but the Lieutentant still had most of his possessions in his quarters, and Ichigo was tired of trying to live without them. He raised his hand to knock, but the door swung open before his knuckles touched the wood. The sight of his friend caused a weight that he hadn't even noticed to lift from his chest, until he realised that Renji refused to look him in the eye. Then the weight of guilt settled back down as if it had never left.

"Hey," he said, trying not to sound as awkward as he felt. "I wanted to get my things."

Renji nodded. "I expected you earlier. I put everything in a box for you."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem. Next to the window."

Ichigo paused halfway across the room, and turned back to the redhead still standing by the door. "I don't want things to be like this between us," he said firmly. "I'd rather you were mad at me."

For the first time since their argument on the balcony, Renji's dark eyes met his own. "Are you nuts?" he asked. "Why would I be mad at you? Why would you want me to be?"

"Because anger shows you care," Ichigo explained, wishing that he wasn't quoting his younger sister and hoping that Renji wouldn't realise that his words were not his own.

Renji sighed and closed the door. "I've always cared, you idiot. I think I care too much. That's the problem I've been struggling with since you decided to leave and join the First."

"Seems like joining the First was a brilliant career move and a sucky social one," Ichigo commented wryly, sitting down next to Renji's rickety table.

"You could say that," Renji agreed. "You could also say that the distance has helped me gain some perspective, so perhaps it isn't all bad."

Ichigo watched silently as Renji walked into his kitchenette and began to prepare tea, his eyes following the graceful motions of his friend's calloused hands. "Byakuya taught you how to make tea, didn't he?" he asked once Renji had finished and was carrying the small round tray to the table.

"No. Kuchiki-taicho's housekeeper taught me how to make tea," Renji corrected him.

"She was a good teacher," Ichigo said without thinking as he watched Renji pour the steaming liquid into two cups.

Renji laughed. "You haven't even tried it yet!" he pointed out, nudging one of the cups over to Ichigo's side of the table. "It was during one of my attempts to infiltrate the Kuchiki mansion to meet Rukia," he explained, a far off look in his eyes. "I invited myself in under the pretext of learning what Taicho expected from me in addition to normal Shinigami duties. He let me follow him home one afternoon, and gave me over to her. She had me sat in a room with an empty tea service for hours practising the motions. Now I do it without thinking, even when I'm not in the office."

"I never learnt how to prepare tea," Ichigo said thoughtfully. "I know Yuzu knows how, and I think Karin does too - they may have had a class on it in school or something."

"It's not a particularly useful skill," Renji pointed out. "I don't see why you should want to learn how."

Ichigo shrugged. "I can just see why the Geisha learn how, that's all."

Renji stared at him for a second, and then changed the subject. "How are you settling in at the First?" he asked.

"It's ok, I suppose. Yamamoto-soutaicho has me training with his seated officers, learning new techniques. I'm even working on kidou, although I think I'll be about as useless as you are at it."

"Hey!" Renji protested. "I'm not that bad!"

"You really are," Ichigo teased. "And no, I don't want to go outside and prove it, you might burn your eyebrows off. Again."

Ichigo grinned in triumph as Renji shook his head in disbelief. "Rukia told you about that?"

"No, Toushiro did, and I think he heard it from Hinamori-San."

Renji groaned and covered his hot cheeks with his hands. "I can't believe that she told her 'Shiro-chan' that!" he complained.

Ichigo sipped at his tea, waiting patiently until Renji overcame his embarrassment. "I think she tells him everything, or used to," he said quietly, the sadness of the young Captain's situation overcoming him for a moment. "I don't think she'll ever get over Aizen."

"Bastard," Renji agreed, pouring himself another cup. "When did this conversation get so gloomy anyhow? Have you heard anything about our next move against the Fraccion during your time at the first?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Nothing much. I might be in the First Division but I'm a lower rank than you at the moment, remember? I'm not even a seated officer."

"Give it time. Sasakibe let something slip in the Lieutenant's meeting yesterday about 'after Kurosaki-san's promotion'."

"Great. More ceremony to look forward to," Ichigo muttered grumpily.

Renji smiled and filled Ichigo's cup with the last of the tea. "We are the military," he pointed out. "I think that just comes with a lot of ceremony and paperwork."

"Don't forget training."

Renji's expression turned serious as he handed the full cup over. "I was right, you know. I did miss you."

"I would have come round sooner, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me," Ichigo explained.

"I'm sorry," Renji apologised awkwardly. "I don't deal all that well with change."

"I'd noticed," Ichigo replied with a hint of acid in his voice. "Doesn't mean that we're not still friends though," he continued.

"You're too forgiving, you know that?"

"Shut up," Ichigo instructed. "You shouldn't complain when it's you I'm forgiving!"

Their conversation was interrupted as a hell butterfly entered through the open window and hovered over the table top between them.

/All Shinigami to report to their Captains immediately. The use of Flash Step is Authorised. All Shinigami to report to their Captains immediately./

Ichigo and Renji immediately leapt to their feet. "Hope it's something good," Renji said. "See you later?"

Ichigo nodded. "See you later!"

The rush of their movements sent the curtains fluttering wildly in the breeze. In the empty room, two half full cups of tea steamed gently next to the empty teapot.

Fin

A/N: You know, I think I'll leave it at this. Not really a relationship fic, more of a Ichigo looses his memory and then finds his place. Plus I feel that this story has lost it's momentum, and I need a break. This universe may just pick up again, so look out for a sequel! This ending is not meant to be a cliffhanger, just an indication that life has now settled a normal routine – they perform duties, respond to emergencies and kill hollows. Unusual levels of anxt are officially over! At least until next time.