Declaimer:I don't own any of these characters, the creator does. I don't mind constructive criticism but if you must be rude then please don't bother.
It was right after his son defeated Aizen, Isshin was sitting on his roof. All three of his children were safe inside the house in their rooms sleeping soundly. He was looking at his wedding picture's as well as the picture of all of his children right after they were born while working on his last pack of cigarettes. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't notice his visitor.
"Dad?" Isshin jumped as he turned to look surprisingly up at his son.
"Ichigo! What the hell are you doing up? Go back to bed. Your still to weak to be up you need sleep." Standing to force his son back into his bed, he's stoped by his son.
"What are you doing?" Looking into his sons' eyes he knows the teen won't be going back to bed until he's good and ready. Sighing in defeat Isshin sits back down waiting for his son to join him.
"Just looking over a few old photos that I always carry with me in my wallet." By then Ichigo was sitting with his father looking over his shoulder to see the photos.
"That's mom."
"Ya. That's your mother on our wedding day. Beautiful isn't she?"
"Ya. She is."
"Why she was crazy enough to marry me I'll never know, but god I'm thankful she was. Here look at this one. Its your sister right after they were born."
Ichigo took the photo slightly chuckling. "Ha there kinda cute. Most babies look kinda weird when there first born."
"Ya but it doesn't take long for em' to cutten up. But your sisters were defiantly beautiful the second they were born. Here here's another beautiful baby." Handing his son another picture while taking back the one of his precious daughters.
Ichigo looked down at a picture of an orange haired brown eyed newborn boy with a scowl.
"You were the most beautiful baby boy I had ever seen. And I am so proud to be your father." Isshin stated with watery eyes that had so much pride and love in them.
"Ther's nothing beautiful about me! Its this 'baby boy' that took mom away from you, Karin and Yuzu! You all would have been better off without me!"
Isshin couldn't hold back the tears. Taking his son by the shirt and hoisting him up with him.
"You are my son, your mother, my wife died protecting the most precious thing in this world! Our child! We would never be better off without you! Even if we had know what was going to happen a head of time we still would have had you!"
With a shocked and alarmed expression Ichigo tries to shake his father off of him."How the Hell can you say that! She is dead because of me!"
"NO! She is dead because of a Hallow. Nothing more Nothing less. Can you not see how much good you have done? Can you not see where your friends would be without you? Your sisters? Me?"
Slightly loosening his grip on his son but not letting go "Do you think that I could live without you?" Ichigo was crying much like his father. "You're my son and I love you!"
Taking his son into a fierce hug they stay in that position for what seemed like forever, with their tears slowing and trying to stop they release egother as Isshin looks into his sons eyes.
"It wasn't your fault Ichigo. Please don't make me say it again."
Looking at his father for almost a minute he sits back down followed by his father.
a few minutes of silence passes by before Ichigo looks over at his now chuckling father with curiosity.
"You know, I left soul society because I fell in love with your mother. The thought of having children never crossed my mind, when I did have you three the idea of you being in tuned with the spirit world never crossed my mind. Then when that happened I never thought my son would become a soul reaper."
Ichigo was listening intently, fascinated by his father's words.
"I found out after you first went to the spirit world to save Rukia. Oh… sure I knew something was up and that it involved you helping a friend, but I never would have guessed. It finally hit me when Uryuu's father came to beat the crap out of me for letting my son drag his son off to the spirit world. Believe it or not he's not a stone cold bastard like every one thinks' he is. " Isshin tells his son who's giving him an 'I don't believe you look'. "I nearly knocked him down when I ran into the bathroom to through up." He finishes looking at his bewildered looking son.
"You will never know what that did to me. Hearing my son, my baby, had just walked into a battle I was sure he would never come back from. I couldn't grieve or your sisters would know something was wrong plus I had hope you would come back to us."
"I felt half dead inside. All I could think every day ever second was I've lost my wife now my child is dead too. And it was the same way if not worse when you went to Heco Mundo." Isshin was crying again "Ichigo, I pray you will never know what its like to not know or to think your child is dead." He said wiping his eyes as Ichigo felt as though his guilt was eating him alive. "Then when you came back home I was so happy, but I couldn't let you know I knew, not being able to hug you and feel that you were real just killed me inside, but you were back so I could live with it. He finished on a calmer note.
"Dad. I..I'm sorr"
"NO! No you… you don't need to apologies son. You did what was right. And I for one am very proud of the man you are becoming, and I know your mother is too." He states taking his crying son into his arms.
"But now that you know I know there is only one thing you have to do."
"What?"
"Don't you ever put me through that again."
"No promises. But I'll try"
Isshin obviously wasn't satisfied with that answer from his parental point of view, but he knew he wouldn't have his son any other way.
Wiping his sons tears then his own they both laughing as they go back into their home.