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I count myself in nothing else so happy / As in a soul remembering my good friends. —William Shakespeare's Richard II
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It seems like a miracle, sometimes, that he made it so long and so far, and yet it also seems like yesterday when he and his friends were going off to rescue Rukia. If anyone had asked him when he was fifteen about how long he thought he’d live, he might have guessed fifty years. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d managed to live more than twice that long.
(If nothing else, he’s surprised that the high blood pressure from dealing with all of his crazy “acquaintances” didn’t kill him years ago.)
Other than a pair of grandnieces on Yuzu’s side and one grandnephew on Karin’s, everyone else has beaten him to Soul Society. That isn’t to say he’s been lonely—the Gotei regularly continue to poke their noses into his business, even though he hasn’t been a substitute Shinigami for decades—but he’s looking forward to everyone being together again.
(Also, he’s a little tired of everyone’s well-meaning but also sort of worried, “You are going to die, eventually, right? You’re not planning on living forever, are you?” like that’s something he’d want to do. Also, frankly, he’s curious to see who’s going to win the betting pool on the hows and whens of his impending death. They seem to think he doesn’t know about it, but subtlety has never been a Shinigami strong point.
Also, Mashiro, years ago, offered him half of her jackpot if only Ichigo could pretty please get mauled by a bear. When and where and how Ichigo was supposed to meet that bear, he didn't ask.)
If he’s lucky, after he dies he’ll land pretty close to Seireitei and he can sneak in and somehow bypass whatever loud, ostentatious party Kukaku and his dad are planning. If he’s really lucky, he’ll manage to find a sympathetic soul—Byakuya maybe—who will be both willing to hide him for a few days, and remain unintimidated by his pushy family.
He’s looking forward to seeing everyone, of course, just not all at the same time.
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Ichigo finally passes away on a sunny afternoon in June. His grandnieces—both of whom have an impressive amount of spiritual power—wish Ichigo well and watch Byakuya critically as the captain sends him on to Soul Society.
Byakuya is, naturally, nothing but professional. Unfortunately, he also shoots down Ichigo’s hide-a-few-days hopes with the news that Rukia and Ichigo’s formerly human friends are waiting for him. Ichigo briefly considers bolting anyway, but only for a minute. Even if Rukia and Orihime have something planned, he’s confident that Chad will keep things from getting too out of hand.
(What Byakuya neglects to mention is that that group is not the only one preparing for his arrival. He does promise, however, that only Yasutora-san will meet them at the gate, which really should tip him off. It doesn't, because dying is surprisingly hard work.)
It's great, seeing Chad, and the two easily spend the next thirty minutes catching up on all sorts of things. Unfortunately, it is also an effective distraction, as Ichigo doesn't notice the growing roar of noise until it crests over the horizon.
It isn't even the sound that strikes Ichigo first—it’s the riot of colors and shapes and...are those feathers?—that are impossible to focus on all at once.
Ichigo can't help it. He stares.
“It’s so...bright.”
Chad's lips curl up so quickly that Ichigo thinks he might have imagined it. “Try not to be too hard on them,” he advises softly, though he also squeezes Ichigo’s shoulder in understanding. It is very loud, in more ways than one. “Someone told Yachiru about Mardi Gras,” he explains, as the mob steadily works its way closer. “The Women's Association managed to mostly rein her in, though. We're just lucky that Kyouraku-san prohibited candy and alcohol during the parade—there are still people in the Fourth from their practice run last week.” Chad’s explanation is punctuated by distant screaming, shattering glass, and possibly noise from a kazoo.
The parade—and now that Chad has named it as such, Ichigo can make out a vague sort of organization—seems to be getting more frenetic as it gets closer, and the former substitute Shinigami is a little concerned about what's going to happen when it reaches them.
And really, Ichigo is smarter than this, but all he can think is that he has some kind of bad luck, dying on some major holiday, when everyone is out and about. There’s no way he can dodge everyone, now. “So who’s the parade for, anyway?”
Someone in the mass of bodies spots them before Chad can answer, and the noise from the parade seems to double instantaneously. Suddenly, people are waving and cheering, and it takes Ichigo a few too many seconds to realize that everyone seems to be waving at him . Ichigo isn’t sure what his face looks like at that moment when he has his epiphany, but it makes Chad laugh.
"If it makes you feel better, Yuzu made your dad promise no more than three days of fireworks, and none between the hours of two and six in the morning." Chad wisely does not mention that she neglected to extract similar promises from Renji and Shinji, both of whom have been enthusiastically purchasing explosives from a certain unnamed boar-riding Shiba for the last few months.
"Welcome home, Ichigo," Chad says instead, with a smile.