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Even though it was the power of Yuzu’s belief that ultimately made it all possible, Ichigo and Yuzu also knew that everything that led up to their visitor’s arrival was somehow Urahara Kisuke’s fault.Ten months after Aizen’s defeat, Ichigo was tired of pretending that everything was okay. He understood that his friends and Karin were trying to protect him by keeping him out of Shinigami affairs, but it only made him feel useless and abandoned. Yuzu tried her best to keep her brother's spirits up, but it was difficult when reminders of his old life kept happening all around him.One night, after an awkward evening with just Yuzu and Ichigo (Karin was off training and their dad at a medical conference) Yuzu laid in her bed and prayed to anyone who might be listening that everything would be all right again. Ichigo, of course, didn't need to have powers to be strong, but if they were what he wanted, then he deserved to have them.Yuzu thought about the people who had been hurt or died because of Aizen, and how they deserved better. She thought of Aizen, and how if he had had a big brother like Ichigo that maybe he wouldn't have felt so alone. She just wished that everyone could be happy, her brother most of all.<> <>Castor landed on the ground with a thump and an exclamation of surprise. It took a few seconds of fumbling to find his glasses and push them on, but he could tell almost immediately that he was not where he was supposed to be.This was definitely not District 7. In fact, Caster was fairly certain that he was no longer in the Barsburg Empire at all. Not to mention that a few seconds ago he had been speaking with Labrador in his garden, not standing in an empty street in front of a place called the Kurosaki Clinic.“Hey! Are you okay?”Standing at the door to the clinic was an orange-haired young man who--despite his kind query--was clearly sizing Castor up and finding him wanting, if the scowl was any indication.(Of course, his Bishop's robes looked nothing like what the boy was wearing; at first glance, he probably seemed to be a lunatic or vagrant.)“Look. Are you a spirit or something? A lot of people in Karakura are, and standing around in those robes is going to get you noticed pretty quickly.”Castor jolted back to attention and studied the young man intently from his spot, unwilling to approach the stranger just yet. The boy was not possessed by a kor, so how did he know that Castor was a Ghost?“Just come in,” the boy huffed, opening the door wider. “We’ll get you some food and better clothes.”Well, it wasn't as if Castor had any better ideas at the moment.With one last look at the surrounding area--and no better options at the moment--he followed the young man inside.<> <>“Are you here to help Onii-chan get his powers back?”Castor nearly choked on his dinner at the wide, guileless eyes of the girl--Yuzu, she had politely informed him--at the table opposite him. He thought for a second that perhaps she knew what he was, but the offended squawk coming from her brother quickly overrode that suspicion. Other than surliness, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with Ichigo, but this entire situation was without precedent. Perhaps the boy’s zaiphon was somehow malfunctioning? Had he been attacked somehow?“He's not a Shinigami, Yuzu,” Ichigo grumbled, though he pinned the Ghost with a considering look weighty enough to make the other man shift in his seat.He’d never heard the term Shinigami, but it was obvious from his bearing alone that this boy was a warrior, and his eyes were so sad…The girl turned her huge eyes on her brother, who visibly softened under his sister’s gaze. “You’ve been so unhappy recently, and I prayed that someone would come…” she trailed off. “Castor-sama can help, I just know it.”Both children turned to Castor, then--Yuzu, hopeful, and Ichigo, defiant--and the older man suddenly knew that it was no mistake that he had been sent to this place. He would find a way to help these children, and he would do it well.“Tell me, what it is that you need?”Ichigo stared at him so long that Castor expected the boy to refuse, but all at once the young man seemed to hunch ever-so-slightly in on himself and, with another glance at his sister, he began to tell his story.<> <>Ichigo's tale was a fantastical one, but no more so than his own. And, amazingly enough, Castor had felt no hesitance in explaining his world to the children after their story was done. After all, the Ghosts and the Shinigami performed similar tasks, and kor and hollows weren't entirely dissimilar. He didn't mention Fest, but the term wouldn’t have meant anything to the Kurosakis anyway.He did, however, tell them about Frau and Labrador and the rest of his brothers, while Yuzu and Ichigo talked about Karin and their father.Ichigo explained reiatsu and zanpakuto, while Castor explained mana and zaiphon.Castor had no idea how he was going to help Ichigo regain his powers, but he didn't mind teaching the two of them, and he was excited about the possibilities before them.<> <>“If we're going to do this,” the Ghost explained the next morning, “I want both of you to train with me.”“Me?” the fairest Kurosaki squeaked.“Yuzu?” Ichigo echoed.“Yes,” he nodded at the brown-haired girl. “You’ve said that that you have but the barest of sensitivity to spirits, but that's more than your brother can say at the moment.”Yuzu looked dubious, but when she glanced at her brother, Ichigo only smiled and nodded encouragingly at her. “I think you should do it.”The girl blinked first at her brother, then at Castor, as if she hadn't been prepared for this turn of events. Then she brightened and nodded resolutely. “I won't let you down!” she promised.<> <>One week went by, then two, with the two Kurosaki children spending most of every day with the Ghost. Surprisingly, no one--not Karin, or their father, or any of Ichigo's friends--came looking for them.When Ichigo asked, Castor just smiled and said that memories were fickle things, but not to worry. The Chief of Heaven had heard Yuzu's pleas, and had decided to do something about them.“He's making a few ‘improvements’”, was all the Ghost would say on the matter, right before he went back to mercilessly torturing the both of them with zaiphon.Two more weeks went by before Ichigo felt the first stirrings of his reiatsu, just as Yuzu’s own power started to grow. A week after that, Zangetsu and Shiro materialized at the table in the middle of dinner, making Ichigo both choke on his curry and burst into grateful tears. After a few awkward minutes (which would never be spoken of again), Yuzu hugged everyone, including the hollow, while Castor looked on proudly.(If Castor also needed to clean his glasses once or twice, no one mentioned it.)Later that night, the Ghost brushed off the young man's gratitude. “It's the bond between you and your sister that has made the difference.” He grinned. “But, if you appreciate my training methods so much, we’ll work even harder from now on. I need dolls!”Ichigo groaned, and gave into the urge to kick the other man across the room.<> <>Despite Castor’s assurances that his Chief of Heaven and the Soul King “had things under control”, nothing could have prepared Ichigo for the shock of walking out of school one afternoon and seeing Aizen and Ichimaru Gin fighting a man with shoulder-length dark hair and suspenders.The teenager froze in surprise where he was standing a few feet away. It took a few moments for brain to process the realizations that not only were the Shinigami the good guys in this battle, but that he knew the name of the person they were fighting against, despite having never seen him before. Shūkurō Tsukishima, his brain supplied. Fullbringer. He was there when you helped Soul Society defeat Ginjō and the rest of Xcution. He manipulated Aizen into betraying the Gotei 13 .Wait. That wasn't what happened.Ichigo could clearly remember Aizen and Hueco Mundo and the Espada. But, he also remembered a slightly different past, where Shinji and the other Visored had come back to save their former comrades--Aizen included--not just to support Ichigo.In that past, Ichigo had still lost his powers, but in fighting the leader of the Fullbringers.Still, that didn't explain why the two captains were here now, did it?Thankfully, the pair didn't see him, and the teenager was able to make it home without being stopped.Something weird was going on, but he wasn't yet strong enough to do anything about it; hopefully, Castor would be able to help him with that.<> <>It was comforting for Ichigo to find out that Yuzu also had two sets of memories, though neither of them quite knew what was going on.Castor, however, smiled widely as soon as he heard the news (he looked a little too gleeful, in Ichigo's opinion), assured them that they would be the only two to remember the other timeline, and then redoubled their training efforts.(He even managed to make some of his dolls, somehow, which were creepy and weird and life-sized, and that was when Ichigo and Yuzu decided that they were never, ever putting Castor and Urahara in the same room together. Ever.)A few days later, the Ghost rewarded the two of them for their hard work with ice cream and hugs.“I'm going to be leaving soon,” he told them on the walk home, somehow surprised at their twin cries of disappointment. He stopped, and looked at them steadily for a few moments, thinking of how blessed he was to have known such amazing children. “I want you to know that I am so proud of both of you, and if you should ever need me...I’ll find a way to return.”“What about everyone else?” Yuzu asked.“As far as Soul Society and everyone else is concerned,” he admitted with a sly smile, “Most believe that you simply got in touch with your Shiba roots and took off for a while, and that Yuzu was simply being a concerned sister and followed. You’ll be pleased to know that your cousin Kaien has prohibited the rest of the clan from looking for you, but that the general consensus that they are easing your burden by staying away, so as not to remind you of your loss. They're idiots, of course.”Ichigo snorted. He would forever be grateful to his sister and Castor from saving him from the unhealthy path he’d been traveling before. He was stronger and happier than he had ever been, and he had managed it thanks to Yuzu’s love and determination.He had never been closer to Yuzu than he had become the past two months, the Ghost had become like a father figure to them both, and no matter what happened in the future, they would always share a unique bond that no one else in the world could ever hope to experience.It would be difficult adjusting to the new reality--so many conflicting memories--but the Kurosaki siblings knew that they could navigate their new reality together. They were strong enough to survive whatever came next.Castor wholeheartedly agreed.The next morning, after one last meal and a few extra hugs, the Ghost faded away, just as Karin opened the front door.