Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Official Sequel to Cold November Rain

Fiction Title: Twilight Fading

Pairing: Yoruichi/Ichigo

Chapter: 1- A Hollow Beginning

Rating: T

Summary: It has been ten whole years since Ichigo had last seen her. When she suddenly returns, things are not what they seem to be. Their child is no where to be found, Kukaku is still MIA and Aizen has returned. With an army of Vizards known as the Espada, Aizen's plans are to destroy Soul Society and take over both realms. His vision, to bring together ten Vasto Lordes. Just how does Yoruichi fit into this? And what sort of surprises await Ichigo and his friends.

Authors Notes: The anticipated sequel to Cold November Rain. In case you don't know, its an AU. So don't dare fucking tell me 'That's not how it is, Yoruichi isn't this/that." Blah, blah blah, ok. I know. I get it. But its in my head and its my story :P Deal with it or don't read it. Simple as that. I'm tired of getting flamed by people who don't even like the shit yet they read it anyway. That doesn't make sense to me.

I get that I ended CNR unexpectedly and I wouldn't doubt it if everyone hated me because of it. I would hate me. But its good to have twists right? At least I'm doing a sequel. I could just leave it go completely. This one brings in Aizen and his Espada. Review and I'll keep it going.

Other Notes: I thought I would share with you my play list which I created and listened to while writing this chapter. Just a little something to give you a little hindsight into how I do get some of my ideas. ")

Aura - Dot Hack OST

Heaven Sent - Hinder

Welcome Home - Coheed & Cambria

Blue - The Birthday Massacre

When A Dead Man Walks - Lacuna Coil

Tomorrow - SR-71

Read +Review+ Enjoy!

He was on a rampage now. Destroying everything in sight. The humans were running in fear, and Ichigo, no, this hollow seemed to not give a damn. He'd taken on a look unrecognizable by Kisuke, and even Rukia. They stood atop a building in the city, eyes wide in fear as they watched Ichigo use Cero attacks to destroy all of downtown. This was madness! Was there no stopping this creature?!

The question hung in the air as Toshiro flew down from the heavens. Even his ice had no effect on the chaos Ichigo's hollow was doing. Did the orange haired boy even know what he were doing? Rukia's dark eyes narrowed. There was just no way they could win this battle.

"Rukia!" The voice of Byakuya cut through the air from behind. He was battered and bloody from fighting Ichigo already. His Vizard mask hanging from his head as he regained enough strength to stand. Orihime stood, placing her burette back in her hair. Healing what wounds she could seemed to take more energy from her than anything. Byakuya still wasn't fully healed.

"Brother!" Rukia called back, running up to him, her face gorged in sweat. "We need to get out of here now!" She shouted, the alarms of the city blaring from all directions. The many cop cars headed there way left heart beats thumping from them all.

"Those fools!" Rangiku shouted, eyes narrowed as she watched Ichigo take out not twelve, but twenty four units with just one wave of his sword. It hadn't even been a full day and already half of the city had been reduced to rubble. Soul Society was no different. They had just learned of Aizen's return. They hadn't the time to deal with a broken heart.

Though, said broken heart seemed the be the main cause of the brutality being dealt to both realms. It had even stirred up the hollows in Hueco Mundo. Shigekuni had forewarned all the captains of his fears. With this much spiritual pressure being presented, he was sure that the Vasto Lordes would take notice. And that was something anyone of them couldn't afford to let happen. The Hollow Kings were far more powerful than any captain.

"We can't save Ichigo from his current state. He's too far gone!" Renji called out from another roof top along side the building they all stood upon. It seemed as if the entire team were there. Though still, they were missing two very important key members.

'Yoruichi…' The name seemed to ring in his head as each scream erupted. As blood flooded the ground which he walked upon. The crashing of buildings, the heat of the fire, not even the terrified screams coming from the civilians seemed to stop him. Not even making him hesitate. The mask that covered his face hid the real Ichigo from the heartless world. It had stolen the love of his life, and now it would pay. "Yes…" The hollow breathed, voice raspy and thirsty for the fear it was feeding on. Lifting a white, boney hand, the hollow gave a shrill laugh. Almost like nails on a chalk bored. It echoed through out the area, making the group above turn their attention down towards him. A red blast began to form within the palm of his hand, and Byakuya's eyes widened.

"MOVE!" He shouted, the most emotion he had ever shown in this lifetime. No sooner than he shouted the word, the entire building they were standing upon lit up with a bright red light, and imploded. Everyone had been lucky enough to get the seconds warning they got, as Yoruichi's well taught skill had come in handy once again. The shun-po had to be the only thing saving their lives at the moment. Standing atop a high grassy field over looking the city, the team tried to come up with scenarios that would end with no more deaths. With no casualties. And each time, they came up with blanks.

"We can't less this continue any longer. Ichigo has got to be stopped." Uryu painfully stated, powering up his own reiatsu. The Quincy had ideas. Ideas he didn't want to use. "If we all attack him with all we've got, it just might work."

"What are you saying!?" Orihime shouted from afar, her eyes full of tears. "We can't kill him! We can't kill Ichigo!" The more she spoke, the more she cried. And her pain reached them all. Why were they forced to kill him? He had saved them so many times in the past, so why him? Why now? "He's still the same boy we all know and love on the inside! He just misses her!" The heads of the others bowed as the winds seemed to pick up and Ichigo had momentarily stopped his attack on the city. Standing still in the middle of the mayhem he'd created. Though, it was only a matter of time before the hollow pressed on, destroying even the rubble that lay in the wake until nothing was left.

They had all known of the heartache Yoruichi caused when she had so suddenly left. There had been no word, nothing from her since. And it only made things worse to know that she had been pregnant with his child. Perhaps the sudden proposing of the engagement to marry Ichigo had scared her off. However, that never made much sense. They had all known how taken Yoruichi was with Ichigo. How much she loved him. It made no sense for her to up and leave. Hell, it made more sense that Kukaku left. The sudden disappearance of another comrade that same night threw them all off for miles. And Ichigo was suffering the most from it.

"Yoruichi-san was the best thing that ever happened to Ichigo-sama." Orihime continued, her eyes closed as her fists were clenched at her sides. The translucent liquid seemed to poor from her eyes. No one dared to move. Or say anything. Toshiro stood close to his lieutenant, his bleeding form leaning on the woman for support. His small frame was over taken by her own as Rangiku fell back, pulling the white haired protégé into her lap. The captain gave no fuss. They were all worn out and tired.

"Ichigo was going to be a father…" The orange haired girl paused, hiccupping. Uryu made a move, walking towards her with a sad look on his face.

"Orihime…" He offered gently, and pulled her to him. She made no attempt to push him away as she buried her head into the Quincy's chest, sobs violating over taking her small form.

"We can't kill him…. We can't…" She continued, voice muffled by Uryu's clothing. Chad stood off to the side, his arm hanging limp. A sign that he too had suffered the brutal strength of Ichigo's hollow. Byakuya stood noble, silent. His vizard mask still hanging. He could do nothing now, but watch. It upset even him to know that this much damage had been done by the emotions of one being. This kind of power was unheard of.. Ichigo had to have been….

"So it seems." Kisuke chimed, raising his paper hand over his face. The man had been exceptionally quiet the past ten years. Even more so than normal. Some thought he knew Yoruichi's whereabouts, having once been close to the Goddess of Flash. His words left them all puzzled, yet the slightly introverted man continued as if they had a clue. "There is no Hollow hole, so Ichigo is indeed still savable. But…" The man trailed, stepping forth, benihime at his side. Kisuke's eyes laid upon Ichigo, his hat hiding the expression he wore. "Perhaps, what Ichigo is becoming, is none other than what we all fear." The words seemed to dawn on the shinigami of the group, yet left the otherwise living world habitants confused.

The silence that ensued afterwards had become to deafening for his ears, and Chad finally spoke up.

"What? What is Ichigo becoming?"

All eye's were on Kisuke, as if he had anonymously nominated to be the speaker. The one who told the details of why Soul Society had been under heavy hollow attack as of lately. It wasn't all tied to Ichigo's powers.

"Hueco Mundo is a place for hollows, correct?" Though no one seemed to want to play the mad hatters antics. "You have the hollows, the menos, and then you have the strongest. Those that can be considered the Hollow Kings." Red lightning crackled from the black sky, and the Earth once more began to shake. The winds violently whipping through the city. A black mass seemed to descend from the sky, swarming with the wind and red lightning, surrounding Ichigo.

"That's absurd!" Rangiku's voice broke through, her blue eyes widened as she raised a fist. "Ichigo Kurosaki could never be a Hollow King! He hasn't even had the proper training, and he hasn't been a vizard for that long!" Her reasoning was in vein as Kisuke merely lifted a hand to adjust his hat and hold it on his head.

"How is it so? What else would explain such extraordinary spiritual pressure if not for Ichigo possessing the spirit of the Vasto Lorde."

"Hollow king?" Uryu could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand as another rise of reiatsu appeared behind them. The team turned, their eye's widening at the sight.

"Y-Yoruichi?!" Rukia stuttered, her eyes widening as the dark skinned Goddess stood silently behind them. It almost appeared as if she had been there all along. Her golden eyes were a lot darker than usual, her clothing had changed. Instead of her old orange garb, she donned a white outfit. Almost like…

"Yoruichi… why are you-" Kisuke was even cut off as she stepped forward silently, her eyes seemingly intent on looking down at Ichigo. Was this why she returned? Now that he had officially gone off the deep end, she comes back? The team was fueled with anger, yet they couldn't believe she was still alive.

The black and white clothes she donned seemed to be that of what the Espada's wore, from what Byakuya could tell. But that couldn't be. She had no hollow hole, and Shigekuni could have just as well given her new captain garbs. Byakuya had always thought the old man knew something of her mysterious disappearance. But, was that really the case? Her outfit had long sleeves, though it only went to her mid-drift as her stomach was left bare. The pants were hip huggers, and they hugged her upper thighs, puffing out slightly once they hit the calf. The long cap of the muscle top like jacket she wore fluttered wildly in the wind. Appearing just above the apex of her abdomen was a tattoo that no one could quite make out from the visual they had. Her long purple hair hung, remaining the same.

"Yoruichi-san, where have you been?" Orihime pulled away from Uryu, intent on wanting to know just where she went, why she left, why she chose now to return. The violet haired beauty didn't respond. Her eyes seemed to hold a longing, a sorrow none of them could ever understand.

"Ichigo…" She murmured softly, her voice still held that usual sensuality. Though it lacked the spark it once had. Orihime didn't know why, but she felt a distress signal coming from the Goddess. It were as if she were screaming for Ichigo to save her. Yet nothing seemed to be wrong with her on the outside. Orihime wasn't sure what it meant, what this feeling was. But she knew this woman was different from the Yoruichi they all knew and loved. The winds seemed to pull Yoruichi downward, and the Flash Master summoned her own reiatsu. The gust of wind enveloping Ichigo burst, and Yoruichi was gone in a flash. Her shun-po had increased ten fold since they'd last seen her. The team ran to the edge of the cliff, with the exception of Toshiro who had been so graciously helped by his fuku-taicho. Their eyes feasted upon the reunion of these two lovers. How painfully liberating it must have been.

Ichigo's eyes widened, the hollow subsided as the tidal waves ceased, the wind becoming nothing but a breeze, and the skies turned to a dark gray. Rain began to sprinkle from the heavens, putting out random fires. Yet, the hollow's attention remained on the woman he hadn't seen for ten years.

"Yoru-Yoruichi…." Ichigo's voice broke through the hollows; the armor cracking and falling off as tan skin could be seen, and bright orange hair. Brown eyes met that of golden, and Yoruichi could feel the tears wanting to surface, but not coming. Her face was expressionless. She looked as if she had been through more ordeals that anyone should ever have to face.

"Ichigo." She whispered again, shun-poing so that she was right in front of him. With soft eyes, the Goddess reached up to trace his jaw line, watching how his shocked eyes seemed to stare straight past her to her previous position. "I'm so sorry…" She muttered, pulling her hand away as the intense amount of sorrow filled her hollow heart. Without words, Ichigo reached out, pulling her to him. And to pain him even more was the fact that she didn't return the embrace. She was lifeless in his arms. And yet, tears over flowed his own eyes.

"Where have you been?" Ichigo rasped out, unwilling to let her go. Too afraid. God, he still loved her! Loved her so much he could barely bare it. Yoruichi's eyes narrowed as she shut her eyes. No; she would not allow the tears to come. She didn't need to cry. She shouldn't. She'd shed too many already. And she owed him an explanation. "Why did you…" He was cut off when she pulled back, her golden eyes focused on the rubble of the city.

"There isn't time for that now. We should all get out of here." It was then Ichigo noticed her white clothing. His brows furrowed. What was this? Such a dramatic change. Ten years ago… "The past is the past Ichigo. I can't change the fact that I left, nor could I ever accept the reason I had for doing so." Her life-less words seemed to make his heart only ache even more. Had she forgotten their past together? Everything they went through together?

Ichigo refused to believe that she had been nothing but a simple screw. Yoruichi had seemed so sure of her love for him, he'd felt it for fucks sake! There was no way this was the Yoruichi he'd proposed to. The Yoruichi who still held his heart. She was so lifeless so…. hollow.

However, she was right. This was not the place to discuss such matters, and it was the only reason Ichigo gave up without a fight. What was the point in arguing with her? Her voice held a distance. He wanted to know. Everything.

"Right. Lets head back to Soul Society. I don't really have a place left here anymore." Ichigo glanced around, his face drawing. He'd done all of this. All those lives… lost. Because of him. The feeling alone tore at his heart, and Yoruichi felt a twinge within her heart. He still had that effect on her.

"It wasn't your fault." She said, more feeling in her words than her previous sentences. "The hollow took over, you had no control over what it was doing. Don't blame yourself."

Ichigo said nothing as her eyes moved from his to the hill where all his friends were standing. They seemed relieved, at least. The two began the walk, neither feeling like moving too fast, despite Renji hollering down for them to 'move their asses'. Ichigo's eyes kept glancing towards her; the white garb she wore mostly disturbing.

"What's with the clothes?" He asked, tentatively. He didn't want to make her run away again. Though he was sure he had never been too forward. If anything that was calling the kettle black. She'd always been one to force something upon him so why did she run when he had asked her to marry him? That question was aching to come out, but her voice cut through his thoughts.

"They're just clothes, Ichigo. Nothing special." But there was something more to that. Her eyes, they showed something just then.

"A lot has changed." He changed the subject, hoping to get something from her. Grunting slightly, he pulled himself up a rather large fallen debris of what used to be the tallest building. Ichigo couldn't afford to let those emotions fully get to him. When she didn't reply, he figured he would just go on. His hand came down, offering her help up the side of the hill. Yoruichi took it without speaking. Her hands were so cold… so pale despite her dark complexion. "Renji and Rukia tied the knot. But they're always fighting over who does what." Ichigo gave a dry chuckle. He had hoped for the two of them to be the married couple by now. Ichigo stopped, his eyes turning down to her. What happened too…

Yoruichi seemed to know what he was about to ask. "I'm sorry Ichigo…" She whispered, the pain in her voice apparent.

"Yoruichi..but.. Wait.. It can't be!" Ichigo shouted, alerting the others up top.

"She's fine." Was all Yoruichi said and she continued past him.

So… they had a daughter? Ichigo was suddenly more curious. All that mattered was his child. Did she have Yoruichi's eyes, or hair? Her laugh, smile? What did she have of his? How was she doing? How tall was she? When had she learned to walk, to talk? What was her first words? When did she first cut a tooth? Did she have spiritual pressure. But, wait, of course she did!

She was their child.

Their daughter.

Despite the questions forming in his mind, Ichigo couldn't help but reach out and grab her hand, making her turn her face down towards him. Her name…

"What's…her name?"

The question brought a smile to Yoruichi's lips. One that went unseen by him. The thought of their daughter warmed her heart, not to say the sight of him hadn't. Truthfully, Yoruichi wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her days telling him she were sorry. She wanted to love him as she should have for the past ten years. Though, she had to think of their child. And her reason for leaving once again put a block on her heart.

"Her name… is Masaki."

"Masaki…" Ichigo smiled.

Yoruichi watched with a sort of amused expression. It hadn't hit him yet, had it? She waited a moment, watching as his eyes widened.

"My mothers name? Yoruichi…you…"

"I thought you'd approve. She was born early. Masaki fit her." The Goddess continued walking up the hill, leaving him behind. She paused again when she noticed he had not been following. God, she felt horrible for doing this to him. Nothing could compare to the way she felt, though she knew he had to have felt worse. And it tore her apart inside. She wasn't even supposed to be here now. It was against her orders….

"She has your last name, just so you know. But this isn't the time or the place to discuss this, Ichigo. Lets return to Soul Society. We'll talk more." Though that was a lie… Yoruichi had no intention of talking. No matter how much she wanted to, she was forbid to do so. Being here right now could get her killed, or worse, their daughter. But she couldn't deny her heart. Masaki was safe. Yoruichi knew this much, the girl was with her aunt. No matter how badly Yoruichi wanted to return to that time and place ten years ago, it was gone. Her chance at happiness. At a future with a man who loved her… All of it was gone.

'You really screwed up this time, Shihouin'The voice echoed in her head, and the dark skinned beauty grunted inwardly.

'You know why I did it. So don't go giving me hell over it. You're the one who insisted I leave anyway.' Yoruichi carried the conversation with her alter ego, hearing Ichigo beginning to climb the hill behind her. Golden eyes narrowed.

'You know he still loves you. And you still love him. Do you think denying this makes things any better? Or any less difficult?'

'Then why did you have me leave!?' This time, Yoruichi paused, her head hanging, bangs acting as a veil. For a moment, the groups' and Ichigo's eyes turned towards her, feeling a spark of reiatsu. It was powerful. Too powerful. Her fists were clenched and shaking, body seeming to tremble. Though, Yoruichi seemed to catch on to what she'd let slip and let it go, the anger subsiding. 'I did as you said, and Masaki is fine.' When it came down to it, that's all that mattered. Masaki. Her daughter. She did what was necessary to keep the girl out of harms way. Though, in turn she'd put the one man she loved through internal hell. Either way Yoruichi went, she lost.

As the team paused behind Byakuya, Yoruichi kept her head hung. She could feel Ichigo staring at her, as well as the others. Knew that they all had questions. Interrogation would forever hold an annoyance with her once they got back to the soul society. What joy it was going to be having to dodge each question they threw at her. She felt that Ichigo deserved answers, and it only progressed the empty feeling within her. Dare she tell him the complete truth? Would he even still want her after he knew…

She'd betrayed him. And everyone else.

There was no room for her. Not anymore. Yoruichi prepared herself as Byakuya opened up the portal into soul society, and it was then she felt Ichigo's hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes shot to him, and that damned smile.

The smile that always got her. Always made her reflect it seemed to cause her more pain.

'Please don't hate me, Ichigo. I don't want you to hate me…' The goddess thought, turning her eyes down from him. The white light enveloped them all, leaving behind sirens and destruction.

End Notes: The first chapter of the sequel. How was it? Good, bad, let me know! A simple review pushes and motivates me. Criticism is welcomed. I'll upload the second chapter after I get some decent feedback. I love writing, and reviews are really great payment. I may sound silly, but I'm going for 20 reviews a chapter o.O That's insanity! So help me out! Let me know what you think, where you think I need to improve, what can I do to make this story better, etc, etc. This is for you, after all.

And come on; all those PM's are lovely. But you know it'll have its happy ending at some point! I'm a romantic people, I can't do that to myself, or more importantly to you lovely readers! Drop me a line, please (: