The Long Way Home

The Senkiamon opened onto the darkness of an unlit street in Karakura town.  The Captain of the 6th Court Guard Squad stepped though in to the world of the living.
Rukia was back in the Soul Society for a few days and as such, he knew that for all intents and purposes Ichigo Kurasaki would be alone.  Rukia would not worry for the substitute Soul Reaper going up against a few hollows by himself.  He had proved himself ten times over.

The doors to the Senkiamon closed and Byakuya was once again alone.  Looking about he chose the path he needed to take.  He was planning on settling an old score with Karakura towns’ substitute soul reaper.


Ichigo stood on the roof of his home and looked out over the town.  Zangetsu was strapped to his back and he was feeling pretty content with the world. 

As he had been going to bed he had sensed a Hollow and had decided to simply deal with it while everyone was asleep.  No Kon, in other words.

Killing the Hollow had been easy enough and now he was basking in the cool night air before heading back to his bed.  There was no school in the morning, so he was looking forward to a lie-in. 
“Yup.  All is good in the world.”  He jumped down on to the window ledge and leapt softly on to the floor.  Just as he was about to relax into his own body, he sensed a spiritual presence just come within range of his own.  A familiar one. A strong one. He was half in, half out of his body when something else caught his attention.

A figure stepped out of the shadows from the corner of his room and looked him in the eye.  “D-Die, Ichigo Kurosaki!”

A bright flash and a bang and Ichigo was forcibly ejected from his physical form he had only partially been in.  He fell to the floor, hard, stunned and in agonising pain.  His hands flew up to his head, as if he could somehow squeeze the pain away, and he fell on to his side, curled up in the foetal position.

“And just to make sure…”

Ichigo could barely open his eyes but he saw the dark figure move closer to the bed, his hand outstretched and pointing at…

Ichigo gasped in horror as he saw his physical body hanging off the bed, the darkness of the room not hiding the wet dark glossy liquid dripping from his head to the floor.  “No,” he gasped, too weak from the pain he was in to do anything more than whisper.

“Ichigo!”

“Dad?”

The door to his bedroom had been thrown open and his father ran in, temporarily stunned at the sight that greeted him. 

Fear spiked in Ichigo that his father would be next, but the man turned and fled out the window. 

“Dad…”

Isshin Kurosaki refused to let panic or fear take the hold of him and he reacted immediately.  Karin was in the doorway now. 
“Dad?” 

“Call an ambulance, Karin.  Now!”

“Dad…”  Ichigo called to his father.

“I can see you, my son!  I’m sorry Ichigo.  I can’t help you as a shinigami.  I need to keep your body alive in the hopes you can get back to it.”  Isshin had his son’s body back on the bed and Ichigo finally felt able to move slightly.

“Ichigo?”

Ichigo managed to turn his head to look at the window only to see Byakuya Kuchki standing in the frame.

“Byakuya!  Get him out of here!  Take him back to the soul society.  Damn!”  Isshin started doing chest compressions.  “Now, damn-it!  Before he dies!” Isshin breathed into his son and began desperately doing chest compressions again.  “Now!”

Byakuya nodded and jumped down into the room.  In the distance an ambulance could be heard. 

“Protect him, Byakuya.”  Isshin breathed once more into his son’s lungs.  In the open doorway to his bedroom now stood Karin and Yuzu.  Karin had her arm around her sister, Yuzu crying, Karin just staring blankly at the scene in front of her.  Ichigo tried to speak to them, but he felt so weak. 

Strong arms gathered him up.  “On my honour, I will protect your son, Isshin.”  And with that, Ichigo and Byakuya were flying through the air.

Orihime was feeling really happy.  Really nervous too, but also really happy.  It was late in the evening, and she was sure most of her friends would be asleep in their beds.  Well, all but one of them.  He was on his way now to see her.  Just for a few moments. 

He had sent her a text message earlier, which had sparked off a very long text conversation that ended up with him professing his admiration for her.

She had been asked out on a date.

She was so happy she could hardly contain herself.  She stopped by the butsudan for Sora and twirled.  “Oh brother, you would like him, I know you would.  He is strong and brave. I just know you will like him!”

At that moment the doorbell rang.

“Here he is!”  She almost ran to the door, but stopped long enough to gather herself together.  It wouldn’t take for him to see her so keen at this stage of the game.  Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

“Hello-”

There was no one there!

“That’s strange.  I know I heard the door bell?”

Sitting at her feet was a beautifully tied bouquet of flowers.  “Oh my goodness they are so pretty.”  She bent down to pick them up.  This was what he must have meant when he said he would call round.  She didn’t understand why he hadn’t given them to her in person though. 

“Oh well.  I can ask him tomorrow.”  Looking up and down the street she picked them up and brought them into the house. 

They sat in her kitchen as she rummaged around for a vase.  “I know I have one in here somewhere…Ah!”

It had belonged to her mother, so she felt it was appropriate for her to put such beautiful flowers in it.  Running the water, she took the vase over to the table in the living room were she would place her keys after coming home and, fetching a pair of scissors, she cut away the packaging and placed them in it.  After a few moments moving the stems around to find the perfect spot, she leaned down and smelt them.  “Such a lovely fragrance…”
The room began to spin and she reached out to steady herself against a chair.  Before her hand could find that security, she fell to the ground, unconscious.


Ichigo sighed.  He felt so tired.  A part of him was screaming with frustration, the exhaustion was eating away at him and winning.  The pain in his head wasn’t just as bad.  He started to close his eyes. 
“You must remain awake, Ichigo!  Stay awake until we get through the Senkiamon!”

“Why?” It was getting harder and harder to focus. 

“Because you are dying…”

“I can’t…”

Byakuya stopped a short distance from the Kurosaki residence, watching an ambulance fly past as he summoned the gate.  “Just a little longer, Ichigo.  Please.  You are to remain awake, Ichigo Kurosaki!” 

Ichigo sighed and closed hid eyes.  He couldn’t remember feeling as tired as this in his whole life.  “No.” 

Byakuya flash stepped through the gates with the young man in his arms.  Hoping that he was fast enough